Page 101 of Love Me Stalk Me
She huffs, the sound soft and exasperated. "At least let me try and find you something. I have hoodies, t-shirts, something to hold you over."
I raise a brow, amused. "Izzy, I don't think we're the same size."
She waves me off with a scoff. "I know, but I might have something oversized." Then, almost instinctively, she mutters, "I mean, I'm already big, so?—"
I frown. "Stop that."
She pauses, blinking up at me. "What?"
"That." I tilt my head. "You say shit like that way too often."
She shifts awkwardly, clearly caught off guard. "I—I didn't mean?—"
"I don't care how you meant it," I cut in. "Just stop doing that to yourself."
Her lips part slightly, like she wants to say something, but instead, she closes her mouth and hurries into her bedroom. The door clicks softly behind her.
I exhale, dragging a hand through my hair. She really doesn't see herself the way she should. And that pisses me off more than it should. Something's happened to make her think of herself that way, and I have a pretty good idea who the culprit is.
A minute later, she comes back out, holding up a black t-shirt. The fabric looks soft from wear, but I can tell from here it'll be too small.
"Um," she says, looking hesitant. "You probably won't want to wear this after I tell you, but...it's Evan's. Might fit?"
I stare at her for a solid two seconds before I laugh.
Like, actually laugh.
She scoffs, glaring at me. "What?"
I shake my head. "I'm definitely not the same size as that guy."
She crosses her arms. "He works out."
I give her a look.
She sighs. "Okay, fine. What's the difference?"
I lean against the counter. The cool stone presses against my lower back. "Men like him lift weights to make their arms look big in a mirror. Men like me lift weights so we can carry a fully grown man over our shoulder while running uphill being shot at."
Izzy blinks, clearly caught off guard.
Then she snorts. "Okay, sure, super soldier. I'm sure you can just...carrypeople at will."
I tilt my head, watching her closely. I can see the doubt in her eyes and I’m going to fix that.
"Has Evan ever lifted you?"
She pauses mid-sip of her coffee. "What?"
I raise a brow. "You heard me."
She laughs, shaking her head. "No, obviously not."
"Why not?"
She shrugs, a shadow crossing her face. "Because I'm way too big for that."
I frown. Instantly annoyed. That's twice in five minutes she's referred to herself as "big" like it's some kind of defect.
