After the coffee, Miles and I started seeing each other outside the running group. We didn't call it dating at first. We took walks, shared a meal, and talked longer than either of us meant to.
The closeness made me happy. It also made me watch myself more closely. I wondered if he liked me less on days when I was tired. I wondered if he noticed every change in my body. I wondered if I needed to get smaller before I could believe that he meant what he said.
One night, I asked him.
We were sitting on the low wall outside the arts center after I'd locked up. The building's lights glowed behind us.
"Do you think I'm attractive?" I asked.
He didn't answer too quickly. "Yes."
"Even if I don't lose weight?"
"Yes."
The directness should have comforted me. Instead, I bristled.
"You're say
