Curvy Girls Can't Date Bad Boys - Kelsie Stelting Page 0,35
roommates. You know about my stepdad. You know I’m going to be a writer when I ‘grow up.’ I want to hear about you.”
The fact that he wanted to know more about me made me happy in a way I didn’t entirely understand. Even my dad, who claimed to want to know me, wasn’t as invested in understanding me as I was, only as he wanted me to be. But if I told Ronan how much his question meant to me, I’d become a complete basket case, so I kept it light. “Well, I was born on...”
He laughed, the sound as pure and precious as gold. “The real stuff.”
With a shake of my head, I turned my gaze toward the ceiling. “Of course you would want to know.”
His elbows were on the table now as he leaned in. “Tell me.”
My eyes followed the movements of his lips, and I swallowed, turning my gaze back to his eyes. “My dad’s a producer, which is not as cool as it sounds. I go to school, I do homework, and I tag along to parties where I’m hardly allowed to speak a word. I don’t feel that special ninety-nine percent of the time.”
“Zara Bhatta.” He reached out and tipped my chin up, and the combination of the way he looked at me and the full use of my name had me spinning. “Your value doesn’t come from the people around you. Don’t let anyone convince you that you don’t have a magic all your own. Acknowledge it. Embrace it.”
His words formed a lump in my throat. I’d been telling my friends all this time that they were incredible and not fully believing it about myself.
I nodded, owning it. “I’m strong.”
The sentence seemed strange coming from my lips, but the second the words hit the air, I knew they were true. I’d dealt with the crushing pressure of my father’s business, the devastation of my mother’s loss, and now the weight of a future I hadn’t chosen. And I was still standing.
Ronan’s eyes shined. “And what do you want? More than anything else?”
“To choose my destiny.”
An eyebrow quirked as he leaned back. “That’s it. The real Zara.”
My cheeks felt warm after being so vulnerable with Ronan, even though I’d only spoken a few words. It was like he could see through me, into the core of who I was, but wanted me to see it for myself as well.
He chewed over his muffin, a million thoughts hidden behind his eyes.
The alarm on my watch went off, and I groaned. “I need to leave for school.”
“Skip it,” he said.
I looked at him, stunned. “What?”
“You said you wanted freedom, right? Spend the day with me.”
Nothing sounded better, so I did something I never thought I would: I said okay.
Twenty-Three
Once we finished our breakfast, I slung my backpack over my shoulders and got on the back of Ronan’s motorcycle.
“Where are we going?” I asked, even though we could have gone anywhere.
“I need to grab something from my place, and then I thought maybe kayaking?”
I raised my eyebrows and dipped to the side so he could see me as he looked over his shoulders.
“What?”
“Does it look like I’m dressed for kayaking?”
He shrugged. “I know a guy.” And then he kicked on the engine. “Hold on!”
I wrapped my arms around his waist, reveling in being this close to him with the wind flying through my hair. He sailed through the city, easily taking corners and accelerating into turns. Soon, we were near the part of Seaton where I’d left Ryde at the party.
So much had changed since that night—changed for the better. Ronan helped me see through things in a way I hadn’t been able to before. Being with him was like adjusting a camera lens into focus and seeing a clear picture for the first time.
He slowed and parked in almost the exact same spot as that night. “Want to wait here?” he asked.
“And miss out on a chance to see your place?” I got off the motorcycle and shucked my helmet. “Not a chance.”
The way he looked at me made me think he was searching for a way to argue, but he apparently gave up, turning and walking toward the old factory building. I hadn’t been in any Seaton apartments, aside from Jordan’s one time, so I took everything in with a curious eye.
I knew I was privileged just to be living where I did, but I couldn’t believe people actually lived in this building with the