Page 49 of Every Inch of You
“What? I’m not telling you how many women I’ve sleptwith.”
“Good because I don’t want to know. But have you ever had a serious girlfriend?”Have you ever been inlove?
“Oh. That question. No. I tried to date this girl in college. I liked her at first, she was cool, but at that point I was…I had started to look likethis.”
“Insanelyhot.”
“Thank you. And she was just all of a sudden so jealous. Like crazy-jealous. And possessive. It was like a switch had been flipped. She wanted to be with me all the time, to keep an eye on me, and I had to work out a lot and she didn’t like working out, so she’d get mad, and she didn’t understand why I needed to keep getting in shape if I already had agirlfriend…”
I snort-laughed. “Did she actually saythat?”
He nodded. “That lasted like twoweeks.”
“Twoweeks?”
“I mean, I was exclusively with her for two weeks, and believe me it was a long two weeks. And then as soon as I graduated I was getting my personal trainer business off the ground, and I was doing house calls back then, plus working for a gym, so I was really busy. I had to be available for my clients, so I couldn’t commit to dates. Like,ever.”
“So you just had one nightstands?”
“Not exactly. Sometimes. But there are women who are cool with just fooling around whenever, and I made it clear to them what my prioritieswere.”
“And they still slept with you anyway, huh? Wow. What ashock.”
“But, I mean…you’respecial.”
I hit him with apillow.
“You are though. I’m notjust…”
“Okay okay we don’t have to talk about thisanymore.”
I made a mental note to never appear even remotely jealous or possessive of him. I didn’t think I had yet. Well, there was the “Blonde Ponytail Buttgirl” comment. Maybe the “I should have been your first” comment. Hopefully he didn’t take it that way. I was glad I hadn’t invited him to the wedding yet. It was too soon. Or maybe it was too late. I didn’t knowanymore.
I was so in my head, all of asudden.
Fortunately, he got me out of it almostimmediately.
He didn’t staythe night, of course. He said he didn’t want to leave LB alone for too long. But when he left, he reminded me of an actor playing a soldier who’s leaving his lover to go to war. He was reluctant, but noble and determined. I wondered who he thought he was defending—himself or me. I myself had never been so unguarded with a man. It had been that way when we were teenagers too. I had always felt safe with him. If only I had recognized that as a quality I should be looking for in a boyfriend allalong.
