The Curves Ahead - Wattpad Award Winner

Chapter 6

"Wait, so he doesn't realise that you know he bet on getting you into bed, or he knows you know and he doesn't think it was a big deal?"

I sipped my glass of scarlet wine while I formulated an answer. Heather and I were sitting in the hotel bar, having a quick drink after dinner before turning in. We'd had a great night: the Vietnamese food had been light and delicious, exactly what I didn't know I needed, and my new companion was turning out to be a lovely new friend, one I'd quickly confided in about the whole Matt situation.

She'd gasped and clicked her tongue in all the right places, but her last question made me pause. "I don't know. I'm not sure. I don't think he knows, but he seems so genuine. I've worked alongside Matt for the last year; I just have so much trouble believing that he'd be capable of trying to screw me just for shits and giggles."

"How much do you know about Matt?" Heather chugged her bottle of cider, her amber eyes narrow. "Sometimes we don't know people as well as we think we do. What's his family like? Where did he grow up? How many past relationships has he had?"

I went to answer, then realised I couldn't. "I... I don't know." I'd obsessed over Matt since meeting him, but I knew nothing more about him than surface stuff; his love of comic book movies, his cologne, his favourite lunch spot. "Oh God, I don't know any of that! What kind of person does that make me?"

"It doesn't make you any kind of person," she said. "Most of the time, we just don't go deep with people; when we talk to someone, we're normally just waiting for our turn to speak, rather than really listening."

"I don't know who he is at all," I said, barely registering her words. "He could run a dog-fighting ring, or smuggle parrot eggs in his butt and I wouldn't have a clue."

I drained my glass, feeling very sorry for myself and wishing the wine would have more of an effect. It normally took at least three standard drinks for me to feel anything; I imagined the alcohol absorbing straight into my fat cells rather than floating around in my brain the way it was meant to.

Heather finished her drink. "Don't worry about it tonight; you've had a big enough day. Let's talk about it tomorrow if you like?"

"Yes, please." I smiled at my new friend.

"I gotta bounce; my Andie will be waiting up. See you tomorrow!"

"Okay." She gathered her bag and burgundy coat, and I felt a surge of desperation pushing me to say, "Hey, Heather? Thanks for today."

She beamed. "My pleasure, lovely. Good night!"

I sat for a few more minutes in the bar, observing the city folk around me. As usual, I started sorting the people I saw into groups; single men, and everyone else. The bachelors stood out, with their bare ring fingers and eyes hunting for the next lady in their lives. Those eyes never seemed to land on me though, so I stood and made my way upstairs to my lonely bed.

***

The second day was so much better than my first; it was as though someone had plotted them to be deliberately opposite.

I woke up feeling as sunny as the bright spring day outside. Heather met me in the lobby again, but there was no sign of her Mini as we stepped out the front.

"Uh... Car?"

"We're on foot today," she said, looping her arm through mine. "It's only about twenty minutes away."

I groaned. "But... But, walking?"

Heather laughed. "Melbourne is the best city in the world to walk in! You never know what new little nook or shop you'll discover! The other day, I walked down a random narrow staircase and found an epic comic book store hidden in a basement."