Chapter 2

Sophie strode into the kitchen and set down the dirty plates with a sigh. Smooth, she thought. She scraped the plates into the trash and gave them a quick scrub, all the while replaying the disaster that was her conversation with Adam.

“Adam seems like a real nice guy,” Rob commented from behind the line.

“Huh?”

“Adam. You know, the one you’re sighing about over there.”

Sophie rolled her eyes. Her father always knew exactly what she was thinking.

“Yeah…I don’t think I’m his type.”

“No, no, of course not. You’re right. He just looks at everyone that way.”

“I’ll give you a look…” Sophie glared at him playfully. He put his hands up in mock-surrender and went back to stirring the massive pot of potato and ham soup on the stove.

“I’m just saying…” he said innocently. “You could do much worse. And so could he.”

*************

What is wrong with me? Adam was lost in his own thoughts. He had always been a little self-conscious about his size, but he'd always been fairly confident despite it. The number on the scale was slowly turning into an obsession. Every pound, every extra second it took for the scale to get a reading dug into his confidence, pushing him further and further into introversion and shame. Where would it end?

The crew had gotten all of the shots they needed for the day, which left him free to explore for the afternoon. He strolled down the narrow streets of Georgetown. Any other day, the Victorian charm of the place would have thrilled him, as would a trip through the three museums the town had to offer, but his mind was elsewhere. It had been a rough couple of weeks, and that morning’s fiasco at the restaurant had not improved his spirits. His thoughts kept floating back to the gentle curve of Sophie’s spine, the way her hazel eyes lit up when she smiled, the soft echo of her voice in the back of his head. She was perfect. Beautiful, a great cook, full of spirit. And he’d blown the whole thing. Assuming she had been interested in the first place, which he doubted. How long had it been since he’d had a girlfriend? Three years, four? He shook his head. What difference did it make? Unless he could start shedding some serious poundage, he didn’t stand a chance.

He kept walking, eyes down, deep in his reverie, only to collide with someone on the sidewalk.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I wasn’t paying--” He stopped mid-sentence; it was Sophie.

“No, no it was my fault….” She looked down at the pavement. “Er…Enjoying Georgetown?”

“Yeah, yeah…it’s….beautiful….” This was awkward. “Look, Sophie, about earlier…”

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” Her speech was abrupt, and he noticed that her eyes weren’t gleaming the way they had that morning.

“Really, I…I was an ass…”

“It’s fine. Really.” She smiled at him, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Look, I really have to get to the bank before it closes…it was good to see you again.” She shook his hand and made to walk away. Something snapped in his mind, and he just couldn’t let that happen. He wrenched her closer to him, and in one fluid motion that surprised him by its grace, he kissed her. She gasped in surprise, every muscle in her body tightening. He broke the kiss and jerked his hand back, suddenly feeling very foolish. What had he been thinking? His face was burning.

“I’m sorry…I don’t know why I…I mean….” He fidgeted nervously, wishing she would say something, yell at him, anything to put him out of his misery.

“Adam…” She took his face in her hands and kissed him deeply, catching him completely off guard. The initial shock gave way to pure pleasure as she nibbled on the inside of his lip, her thumb playing with his left ear. He kissed her back ardently, passionately, all self-consciousness aside, and put his hands on her waist. She followed suit, giving his generous love handles a playful squeeze and pulling him closer. That brought him back to reality. He pulled away a little more sharply than he’d intended, embarrassed all over again. He tried to play it off cool.

“Wow…just…wow,” he said , breathless. “That was…”

She gave him a half-smile in response, a little bitter that he’d pulled away so violently. “Adam?”

“Y-yes?” He swallowed, feeling like a third-grader called into the principal’s office for the first time.

She put her hands on his shoulders and moved slowly closer until they were just inches apart. He swallowed again, sweat beginning to bead on his brow. She ran her hands up and down his arms, giving their softness a gentle squeeze before moving her hands to his chest. She glossed over its softness, making her way down to that perfect belly. He tried to pull away, but the look she gave him stopped him in his tracks. She slid her hands down his sides; he instinctively sucked in his tummy as her hands reached his waist. She pretended not to notice.

“You are so unbelievably sexy,” she whispered. “Meet me at the restaurant in half an hour.” She kissed him on the cheek, lingering just long enough to drive him completely wild with desire before sauntering away with a lusty smile on her face.

Adam was left breathless, feeling both completely turned on and completely humiliated at the same time. What had that been about? Was she mocking me? As his heart rate returned to normal, he suddenly felt fatter than ever. He could still feel her hands on him, and it made him sick to think how she must be laughing to herself. His face burned hotter than ever. He had never been so mortified in his life. And yet, somehow... he'd never been more turned on. His mind wandered down a different path. What if she really is into me? The voice in the back of his head laughed cruelly. "What could she possibly see in a fat tub of lard like you?" it cackled. "Look at yourself! That jacket won't even zip over that enormous roll of fat hanging over your waistband!" He closed his eyes and tried to tune the voice out, but it was relentless. "And besides, even if by some miracle she WAS attracted to you, she'd suffocate under all that blubber!" He shook his head and shut the voice up. It was right...And yet...maybe...

He could still hear her voice in his ear. "You are so unbelievably sexy," she had said. "Meet me at the restaurant..."

He looked at his watch. She had left twenty minutes ago; that gave him ten to make his way to the other end of town.