SEVEN
KELLY
I'd only said yes to Mary's invitation to dinner because I couldn't stand being alone after Zac took off. Better I allow my neighbor to take charge, so I can avoid focusing on what an ass I'd made of myself over him.
Girls like me don't make the first move and kiss guys like him. Not without risking heartache or ridicule. So much for all those pep talks I'd given myself over the years to not fall for the hot guy.
Yet here I am, again, with my heart rate hitting triple digits whenever Zac is nearby. My libido is sitting up and taking notice after years of having its nose stuffed in a book, and my dreams are full of tender moments.
And after months of lounging around in sweats, I've once again been taking care of my appearance. Not that I've had to, but that I wanted to.
There'd been a certain relief to working from home and being able to dress as I liked. So much easier than trying my best to find haute couture for curvy girls with this almost an oxymoron.
I'd found a few designers, but it wasn't easy keeping up with the other women at the agency.
Why then did I try to fashion myself as if I was like them? That I could attract a guy as hot as Zac.
Hopeless, hopeless, hopeless.
All of this is going through my head as I watch Zac valiantly trying to eat those meatballs. On seeing the size of them when Mary was bustling around in the kitchen, I knew they'd be as hard as bullets.
Better to embrace vegetarianism than hurt her feelings. However, as I struggle through the mashed 'wood filler' and Brussels sprouts that should have stayed in that fine city, I regret not telling her I was on a fast.
What can I say? I wasn't thinking straight after Zac took off. With him back again and sitting across from me, I'm still not thinking straight. When he'd sped off, he'd shown no signs of returning before the next day, if ever.
And who could blame him, with me throwing myself at him uninvited? Even putting the food to one side, which I have to, the meal is an ordeal.
Zac's gaze only strays from mine, when he's asked a direct question, with most of these coming from Mary. Meanwhile, Zac questions me, with glances and the occasional quirking of an eyebrow, leaving me struggling to know what he wants. Or worse, what I want.
An eternity has passed before Mary clears the plates and asks if we'd like dessert.
Having seen it, I'm quick to say no, and that I'm stuffed. Zac, who's looking a little green, follows suit. We repeat the process when our lovely hostess asks if we'd like coffee and cake instead.
"Mary, I'd love to, but I'm on deadline and coffee keeps me awake." I pat her arm to soften the blow of my turning down her kind offer.
Likewise, Zac tells her he has to get up early the next morning, but that it's been a lovely meal. Soon enough, we're out front, Mary waving before disappearing back inside to continue attending to Barry's every need.
As we walk back up the sidewalk to Sand 'O' Sun, Zac is the first to speak.
"You know Barry's health? I don't think it's kidney stones at all."
Thanks to the streetlight out front of my place, I'm able to see he's quite serious about this.
"Really? What do you think it is?"
Zac's top lip curls before he answers me. "Undigested meatballs!" He then laughs, to the point he's bent double.
Soon enough, I'm laughing right along with him. "Were they as bad as they looked?"
Zac takes his time getting his laughter under control. "I reckon Barry's kidney stones would be easier to chew!"
He then takes me by surprise, by throwing his arm around my shoulder and squeezing me close. He follows this up by kissing the top of my head, easy enough with him so much taller.
"Kelly, I'm sorry if I upset you earlier."
Wait? What? He's sorry that he upset me? But he had nothing to do with me throwing myself at him. That was all on me. While it would be easy enough to accept his apology, I can't. Not when I'm the one at fault.
"No Zac, I'm the one who should be apologizing. I should never, ah, I, ah … I'm so very sorry."
