chapter 7

Startled, he blinked in puzzlement at this woman who materialized seemingly out of thin air and was now silhouetted in the setting sun. That she was a woman he could tell by the fuzzy shape as he struggled to regain his wits. She was near enough that water drops sprinkled on him, little points of coolness on his sun warmed skin.

Realizing he was a bit over exposed for formal introductions he clumsily tried to pull his open shirt over his abdomen while simultaneously trying to sit up. Unable to successfully do either gracefully he compromised by holding his shirt closed with one hand, his other shading his eyes against the glare. He blushed furiously as he realized who it was.
It was her...the one he caught peering at him in the restaurant several times and equally at the pool. Young and cute and deliciously shaped but probably one of those millenium-somethings he dreaded going near because of his size and the whispered ridicule he generally received.
He watched her shake her self like a wet puppy and again felt the water on his skin.

"Ummm...hello Rose, which by any other name would not smell as sweet ...despite all the chlorine...to mangle the poem. Pull up that lounge with the towel and help yourself. My name is William, or Bill...what can I do for you? You look a little old to be selling girl scout cookies."
She watched the blush spread across his large cheeks, thinking him to be all the cuter for it. To see the older man fumbling over his words like some sort of teenager was the most adorable thing she had ever seen and it made her laugh despite herself. She went to the preferred lounge and pulled it closer, wrapping her hair up in the large towel and squeezing out the extra water. She felt a chill run across her exposed flesh and small goose bumps rose from her skin. If they were from the breeze or being so close to the big man, she did not know.

"I don't have any cookies to offer unfortunately, but I do have a bit of company to give if you want it. I've noticed you around a few times and you always seem to be alone. I know all too well how wonderful solitude can be but that can be a fine line to walk between personal time and loneliness." She offered him another wide smile. "Of course, if you don't mind..." She put on a confident face but inside she was screaming at herself to apologize for disturbing the man and run off. There was no way someone like him would have time for a girl barely into her 20's. He was probably wondering how to get rid of her politely, considering his extended silence.

Bill softened seeing her guileless smile, "I'm sorry, the cookie joke was rude and I'd love some company. I am alone and quite frankly have been enjoying the solitude, but after a couple of weeks it does get old."

He found he was straining his neck to look at her and decided it'd be best to at least get to eye level with her. Figuring she has seen all there is to see he released his shirt and squinting in the sun levered himself up with a grunt. He swiveled toward her unconsciously spreading his knees to make room for his abdomen so he could sit up straight. Seeing her eyes following it and then widening as she realized the size of it he blushed again.

"Yes, I'm fat...don't be shy, I can see the curiosity in your eyes...I'm used to stares but frankly I have yet to experience receiving them from a cute young woman." He made a brief attempt to pull his shirt closed but was surprised when she reached out and stopped him, smiling.

This is new he thought to himself, wondering who this woman was. Obviously young, very lushly curved with a swim suit that left nothing to the imagination. He forced himself to keep his eyes above her specatular chest. It was difficult.

He found himself explaining just why he was here...the stress from the building and final selling of his business and as a result retirement from the business world. "But it's been boring as hell...heck, sorry," he concluded, "I've no close family or friends...the few friends I did have I alienated because of my selfish desire to succeed. No female friends to speak of either, as you can plainly see I'm not exactly the picture of male desirability."

She sat watching him silently, listening. There was something about her that let him open up, spill his guts and he chuckled at the metaphor, for he was certainly doing that right now in more ways than one.

He rubbed his belly ruefully, "And while it occurred to me to take advantage of my hiatus here, to maybe loose this big belly and rejoin the social world with a less alarming silhouette I'm a complete failure...it's a part of me that I have grown very fond of."