Page 110 of Falling Backwards
He perks up like he’s pleased that I don’t think he’s just some random dude.“I did, yes.”He glances away for a moment, then steps closer between two barstools.“She’s a nice girl, but whew, I had to end it.”
I cock an eyebrow at him.
He contemplates me, then unpockets one hand and bends his arm onto the bar.“Well, dude to dude, it’s just that I quit being attracted to her.You’re a good-looking fella, too, so I’m sure you get that we deserve to be with someone who fits with us.Isn’t it a shame how these girls get all comfortable in their relationships and don’t care if they gain weight?”
My head jerks back like he’s spit at me.
Did…did I hear that right?
Displeasure prickles through me as I say slowly, “No, I don’t know what you mean.”
He shakes his head.“Lucky you, then.See, you ask a girl out ’cause you think she looks great, but she only keeps up the impressive stuff for, like, a few months and then that’s it.Before you know it, she’s all relaxed, not caring about her weight, and you’re left feeling like you’re the only one who’s trying to make things work anymore.It happened to me once before Maggie, and I’ve seen it happensomany times to my dad.He’s a super successful guy—total catch—and you’d be surprised how many women snag him and then just quit trying ’cause they think they’ve won.They kick back and settle in for the happily-ever-after like that’s the end of it.Like they don’t have to impress their man anymore and no one’s gonna care if they get bigger.”He shakes his head again.“You just can’t stand for it, you know?When they pull that kind of thing, you gotta do what you gotta do.People have standards.”
I stare at him.
Uh, yeah, I heard right.He really did say he dumped Maggie because he didn’t think she was skinny enough anymore.
My easy mood from earlier decidedly barrels towards anger.
It takes a ton of self-control for me not to let expletives fall out of my mouth and instead ask, “If you think about Maggie like that, why do you wanna see her today?”
“Well, it was insulting that she let herself go while she was dating me, like she didn’t care enough about me to be her best self.At first, I was just gonna move on, but I actually saw her in here a couple weekends ago, and the look on her face was priceless.I think it shook her up to see me with my new girl, who is a freaking goddess, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.”
He glances away again, then talks more quickly.
“So I’ve decided I wanna formally introduce Maggie to her and get some closure for myself.Know what I’m saying?You know how you leave a bad relationship and then the other person sees you happy with someone new and it just…makes you feel good about yourself?”
I inhale slowly, my blood veritably boiling now.
This dude.
Is a fucking.
Asshole.
He is going out of his way to be vindictive over what may be the most ridiculous perceived slight I’ve ever heard of in my life.He literally thinks he was in a bad relationship just because—
Stay neutral.You’re at work, and he’s not worth getting upset about.
That inner voice sounds more than a little bit like Maggie’s.
That’s not why I ignore it, though.I ignore it because Marcus may be worthless, but the girl he’s talking shit about is not.
I tell him, “Maggie Moss has always been drop-dead gorgeous.”
He looks at me for a puzzled second, then snorts in amusement—and dismissal, I think.
Indeed, he says, “Maybe you think that about the workplace Maggie you’re familiar with.You haven’t known her as long—”
“I’ve known her for almost ten years.”
That seems to surprise him.
I reiterate, “She hasalwaysbeen the most gorgeous girl I’ve ever laid my eyes on.”
“Well, her face is pretty,” he says as if in compromise.He straightens from his casual lean on the bar.
Straightening, too, I cross my arms and look down on him, and not only because he’s a bit shorter than I am.
