Page 58 of Curvy Girl Summer

“Same,” Darius agreed, lifting his hand to flag down the waitstaff.

“Oh, wow, is India Davis supposed to be here, too?” Leon wondered as he stared and pointed down to the first-floor level.

“Where?” Ahmad leaped to his feet, looking around in the same direction that Leon was pointing.

Leon stood up and slung his arm over Ahmad’s shoulders. “Is that how civilized men act? Thirsty?”

“You was playing?” Laughing, Ahmad pushed Leon back, and he dramatically flopped onto the couch. “Don’t play like that about India!”

“Why did you do him like that? You know he loves him some India Davis,” I cackled.

After we placed orders for drinks and food, we easily fell into another conversation. They were all so comical and different. They all had attractive personalities to match their exteriors. But my eyes kept fixating on Ahmad. I enjoyed him behind the bar, but seeing him outside of Onyx, being fully himself, was captivating. Ahmad and I talked a lot, and I knew plenty about him, but seeing him with his friends felt different. It felt intimate.

“You good?” he asked.

“Oh, I—so sorry,” I sputtered, realizing I was staring at him. “I was zoned out and… sorry.”

He licked his lips. “It’s cool. I asked if you’d lined up your next date on the app yet.”

I rolled my eyes and sat back. “Not at all. I haven’t been back on there. I don’t think it’s for me.”

“Oh, what app are you on?” Leon asked.

“TenderFish,” Darius answered before I got a chance.

I stared at him for a second. “You said you’ve heard a lot about me,” I said slowly. Looking around at the men, I felt a flash of awkwardness. “Did Ahmad tell you that I needed help?”

“Yes,” the two friends said in unison.

All four of us burst out laughing.

Reaching over, I shoved Ahmad’s shoulder. “What the hell?”

“Idid notsay that!” he protested, barely moving from my effort.

“Nah, he didn’t,” Darius clarified when our amusement died down. “He just told us that his friend from the bar was coming out with us tonight. I asked him what your situation was, and he said you were single.”

“Which tells me that you don’t currently have a man in your life…” Leon chimed in. “And even though he said you were coming, he didn’t mention how good you look.”

“Because that’s the least interesting thing about her,” Ahmad responded. “I told you she was cool and that I’m looking out for her.” He shifted his attention to me. “And right before you got here, I told them I wanted to expose you to the type of man you need in your life.”

I searched his face for any indication of a joke. The sincerity was so pure that I felt myself holding his gaze a little too long. Something stirred within me.

I exhaled slowly, and a knot developed in my belly. “And what type of man is that?”

“Here are your appetizers,” a woman interrupted, placing five plates of food on the glass table in the middle of the couches.

I ripped my eyes away from Ahmad and stared at the food.What was that?

As we grabbed plates and started to eat, the conversation circled back to my dating life.

“So, what’s going on that Ahmad wanted you to be around some real ones like us?” Darius asked before biting into a wing.

“It’s not me, it’s the men I keep coming across,” I explained.“They seem cool at first, and then they end up being flakes, liars, or cheaters. Literally, the last three dates I went on.”

“What questions are you asking them before you meet up?” Darius asked.

“And what pictures do you have on your profile?” Leon questioned.

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