Page 66 of Love Me Stalk Me
Because that's who he is.
A man so fucking average he has to keep a woman like Izzy feeling small just to feel big.
They sit down on one of the couches, laughing, drinking whatever overpriced bullshit Monroe had Daniel bring him. The crystal glasses catch the light as they talk, gesturing animatedly about some deal or another.
And Izzy?
She's juststanding there.
Awkward, waiting, watching, not sure if she should stay or go. I can see the tension in her posture, the way she shifts her weight from foot to foot.
She waits for a lull in the conversation and tries to make her escape.
I flip on the audio feed, adjusting my headset. I need to hear this. The sound crackles to life, voices suddenly clear despite the ambient store noise.
"Well," she says, polite as ever. "If you two want more time to catch up, you can let me or Daniel know if you need anything further?—"
Evan stops her.
"No, actually," he says, waving her closer. "I came to pick you up for your lunch break."
Izzy blinks. "Oh?"
"Yeah. I'm taking you to your first dietitian appointment."
She freezes.
Her face goes red.
Right there.
In front of Monroe.
In front of Daniel.
In front of the goddamn security cameras.
The fuck?
Evan doesn't stop.
No, of course he doesn't.
Evan turns to Monroe, completely ignoring Izzy, like she's not even standing right there.
"She's finally getting serious about her health," he says, like this is some cute little makeover project. "I booked her an appointment with a dietitian—first session's today."
Izzy goes rigid.
Even from here, I can see the subtle change in her posture—the way she draws inward, her hands unconsciously going to her sides like she's trying to make herself smaller. In this moment, I recognize a pattern, the same one I've seen whenever she talks about her weight. The confident store manager who just outperformed every other location by forty percent vanishes, replaced by a woman who's been told repeatedly she takes up too much space.
Evan doesn't notice.
Or maybe he does and just doesn't care.
"She's already getting there, obviously," he adds, laughing like this is some inside joke. "But, you know, a little bit of work, a few tweaks here and there, and she'll be in incredibleshape. Just wait."
My vision blurs.
