Curvy Girls Can’t Date Soldiers by Kelsie Stelting

Thirty-Two

Apollo

I couldn’t believeI was sitting across from Nadira. The girl I’d been thinking of every day for the last month.

But something felt off. She’d seemed confused when she saw me, and I wasn’t sure why. Was she disappointed by what she saw? My chest tightened at the thought, and I had to take a deep breath just to focus on the road.

“Where are we going?” she asked. Her voice was higher pitched in person.

“I thought you wanted to walk at the trails?” I said, looking over at her and smiling. “But we can do whatever you want, babe.” God, just being able to call her babe was like a dream come true. My chest lifted again at the realization that we were finally meeting.

“Ew. Dirt? No thank you,” she said. “How about a coffee? I’m in major need of a caffeine pick-me-up.”

I smiled slightly. I thought she was joking with the attitude, but then she looked at me and said, “What’s funny?” She flipped down the visor to look at her teeth. “Did I miss a piece of salad?”

“Nothing,” I said, sobering. “Where’s a good coffee shop?”

“I’ll show you.” She told me to take a right at the next light and sat back in her seat, looking at her phone.

That tight feeling was back in my chest, and for the first time, conversation didn’t come easily with Nadira. “How was school?” I tried.

She pointed her finger at her open mouth, then looked back at her phone.

“I remember those days,” I said.

“Oh, left here!” She pointed, and I had to slam on my brakes to catch the turn. But when I looked up, I saw a tiny coffee drive-thru.

“You don’t want to go in and sit somewhere?” I asked.

She pouted out her full lips. “Sorry, I have tons of homework to do. I thought we could talk on the way back to the school?”

“Oh.” It was the worst insult she could have given me. She’d met me and didn’t want to spend any time with me. She wasn’t even holding the flowers I’d gotten her, having set them haphazardly in the back seat. What had I done wrong?

“Oh no,” she said. “I disappointed you. I’m sorry, Paul, it’s just—”

Disbelief made my mouth fall open, and I was about to correct her when someone on the speaker said, “What can I get you?”

I rolled my window down, and Nadira said quietly, “Can you get me a non-fat latte with two pumps of sugar-free vanilla, an extra shot of espresso, and a sugar-free caramel drizzle? Make sure it’s gluten free. Iced, please.”

At least she’d said please... I cleared my throat and attempted to repeat her order. Nadira had to correct me twice, and finally she leaned her slender body across me so she could yell into the microphone.

She smelled like something sweet that reminded me of the yearly county fair back home. Not quite cotton candy, but something sugary. Maybe cherry?

I hadn’t yet guessed when she sat back in her seat and chuckled. “Boys are so helpless.”

I tried not to cringe. Instead, I pulled forward and paid the seven dollars for her coffee. SEVEN DOLLARS. For a coffee. I could have grabbed two drinks from Seaton Bakery for half the price. But the school she went to did look upscale. The amount of money sitting in the parking lot alone could have paid my future salary for decades to come.

In the back of my mind, I wondered if she would ever be satisfied on a military income. Then I kicked myself for thinking it. We’d only been talking for a month, but I’d felt a connection with Nadira on the phone. The kind that didn’t just fade away. Would it exist in person too?

At the window, someone about my age handed me the cup, and I passed it to Nadira. She held the straw with one hand and began drinking it. It reminded me of the time I went to Applebee’s with my brother and his fiancée and she got white-girl wasted on pomegranate margs.

“What are you smiling about?” Nadira asked with a coy smile.

“Nothing,” I said, pulling back onto the road. I’d paid attention to the signs, so I could get her back to the school. “What do you have to study for? I know it’s not math.”

She snorted. “I’m not—oh, you’re right.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I have a test for health class coming up. Mrs. Hutton is the worst.”

“Ah.” I nodded. “We didn’t have health class at my school. The parents never would have allowed it.”

“Where are you from?”

My eyebrows drew together. “Texas, remember?”

“Right.” She tapped her forehead. “Brain fart. Texas is like another planet.”

“Sometimes it feels that way,” I said, longing for home. I missed walking down the silent streets with my friends, shooting hoops in the park, making a bonfire in the pasture behind Tristan’s house and pretending like we owned the world.

We reached the school, and I said, “Which one is yours?”

“That one.” She pointed at a bright pink Hummer.

My eyes widened.

“It’s beautiful, huh? Sixteenth birthday gift from my parents!”

I pulled next to it, looking it over. “It’s just... not what I expected.” To say the least.

She winked a long-lashed eye at me. “I’m full of surprises.”

“I’ll say.” I put the car in park next to hers. I couldn’t believe she was already going back home. There had been a million things I had wanted to say—and do—to Nadira when we met. Getting her coffee and dropping her off early hadn’t been on the list. But maybe it should have been. Clearly, I’d misread the signs.

I reached for my handle, and she put her hand on my arm. “Wait.”

“What?” I asked, looking at her.

Her eyes were wide, full of concern as she looked around. “I haven’t told you this, but I found out today that someone’s stalking me.”

Every inch of me went on the defensive. My fists clenched in my lap at the idea of anyone hurting her. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t say too much because of the investigation, but I had to delete all my accounts and change my number. They’ve even tried to impersonate me with fake IDs. If anyone calls you or emails you from them from now on, it’s not me.”

My lips parted, and I scrubbed my face with my free hand. That was a lot to take in. No wonder she was acting off today. “You must be terrified.”

She nodded slowly. “It’s been awful. You have no idea.” She hunched over, her shoulders shaking, and I pulled her into a hug. She melted into my chest, and I wished I could keep her there, protected. But instead, she pulled away.

“What can I do?” I asked, feeling helpless. “How can I help?”

“Block my old number and email,” she said. “I can wait while you do.”

I nodded. “Of course.” I’d do anything to make my Nadira feel safe. I got out my phone and blocked both the email and phone number, being sure to save the messages and voicemails. “What are your new numbers?”

Instead of saying them, she took my phone and typed them in. She must have been really scared if she wouldn’t even speak them aloud. When she finished, she handed me my phone back and said, “I’ll see you later, okay?”

I nodded. “Be safe.”

She gave me a small smile before getting in her car and driving away.