stuck my tongue out at him, playfully.
“Alright, Solver, let’s go. But I have a few ideas for what you can do with that tongue later,” he teased.
The restaurant that Oakley took me to was considerably nicer than the first one. It was still dimly lit, but this time it was for the atmosphere instead of trying to hide dinginess. It was a Japanese restaurant with dark floors and walls with pops of bright color. It smelled so good I was basically drooling. Bonus, sushi was relatively low in calories.
The hostess sat us at a small quiet table away from the chaos and noise of the main section. I ordered salmon rolls, and Oakley ordered what felt like the entire menu. Damn, this man could eat.
“So tell me all about what Coach said when you told him you were open to being recruited,” I said, excited to hear the details.
“Coach was pumped. He’s been trying to get me to take my career more seriously for years. I don’t know, something about it just feels so right.”
“I’m really excited for you, Oakley. You’ve worked hard this semester both on and off the field.”
“Yes, well, there’s this girl I met,” Oakley murmured playfully.
“Oh? What’s she like?”
“She’s kind of crazy. Definitely doesn’t put up with my shit. She likes to set alarms on my phone that go off all hours of the day and distracts me with her feisty personality. I’m pretty much hard every second we’re together.”
“She sounds pretty high maintenance,” I replied with a smile.
“She’s perfect.” Oakley locked his eyes on mine. “You came into my life like a whirlwind and changed everything up. For the better,” he said. Aww shucks! Despite the verbal lashing I had gotten from my mentor, I was pretty damn good at my job. And it was paying off for my client.
We went quiet for a minute. I pushed around my sushi rolls, debating on indulging in another one. “Can I ask you something?” Oakley asked, nodding toward my plate.
“Sure, what’s up?” I asked.
“Let me preface this with something: I’m not even going to begin to pretend to understand your eating habits. I’m not a therapist, and I definitely am not entitled to an explanation. We’ve discussed it a little, and I’m not trying to be insensitive at all. I just...notice things.”
I chewed on my lip. “Spit it out,” I encouraged him.
“After every meal, you pick up your phone and calculate your calories,” Oakley said.
“There’s nothing wrong with keeping a food diary,” I argued.
“Absolutely, I mean, I track my own macros,” Oakley replied with his hands tossed up in surrender. “But I just want to make sure you’re being healthy…”
“This isn’t exactly the best conversation for a date,” I said dryly.
“Fuck. I know. I just… Have you always been picky about your food?” he asked, trying to be delicate.
I let out a sigh. “No. Not always. I don’t really know how to explain it.”
“Try. I won’t judge.”
“I was—am—really insecure. I spent most of my college experience overcompensating by making people laugh. Everyone loves the life of the party, until they don’t anymore. I drank a lot. I ate a lot. I fucked shitty guys because I didn’t think I deserved any better.”
“That’s so fucking crazy to me. I mean, look at you,” Oakley said while nodding at me. “You’re the most confident woman I know. And if we’re being honest, the way you boss me around is kind of hot. I can’t picture you as anything different.”
I smiled at Oakley, but that bubbling pit of insecurity traveled up my throat. I couldn’t help but wonder if he would have found me as attractive just a few months ago. “When my streaking video went viral on campus, it just highlighted all the things I’d become. I was drunk off my ass and doing anything for a laugh. I couldn’t handle being her anymore. People were cruel.”
“What did they say?” Oakley asked.
“What didn’t they say?” I scoffed. “I was body shamed by everyone. It was then that I realized I was nothing but a joke to these people. I’d created a persona that wasn’t truly me.”
I picked up a bite of sushi with my chopsticks and placed it on my tongue, slowly chewing it before swallowing. It really was delicious.
“I’m so sorry that happened to you,” Oakley said in a low voice.
“I did it to myself. And yes, I developed an unhealthy relationship with food, but I’ve been slowly finding a middle ground. I like being aware of what