CURVES OF ENVY:THE PLUS-SIZE TWIN HE CRAVED

Chapter 20

The fight between Lucian and Max became the talk of the school for the rest of the week. Everyone had an opinion. Some said it was romantic. Others called it pathetic. But for me, it was terrifying. Two boys fighting over me the girl who had spent most of her life trying to stay invisible.

I kept my head down even more than usual. The whispers followed me everywhere:

“Did you see how hard Lucian punched Max?”

“Max was trying to kiss the fat twin. Bold.”

“Mia must be furious.”

Mia was furious. I could feel it radiating from her at home. She slammed doors, gave me cold glares when Mom wasn’t looking, and spent hours on her phone, probably plotting with her friends. The alliance with Sophia was gone, but Mia was never without new schemes.

Lucian tried to talk to me the day after the fight. He waited by my locker after the final bell, his lip still slightly swollen from Max’s punch.

“Lily,” he said softly. “Can we talk?”

I hesitated. Part of me wanted to run into his arms. The other part remembered Mom’s warning and Mia’s threats. “Not here,” I whispered. “Too many people.”

The old oak tree had become our secret sanctuary again.

I arrived first, sitting against the familiar rough bark, my knees pulled to my chest. The leaves rustled gently above me in the late afternoon breeze. When Lucian appeared a few minutes later, my breath caught. He looked as handsome as ever, but there was a tiredness in his eyes that hadn’t been there before.

He sat down beside me, leaving a respectful distance at first. “Hey,” he said softly. “Thanks for coming.”

I nodded, twisting my fingers in my lap. The words Max had thrown at me a few days earlier kept echoing in my head. I couldn’t hold them in anymore.

“Lucian… can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

I took a deep breath. “Max said something to me the other day. He told me you’ve almost dated every girl in school. That I shouldn’t feel special. That I’m just another girl to you.” My voice trembled. “Why do you like me? Why did you come to me in the first place? Is there any hidden story behind it? Because I keep thinking… maybe Max is right. Maybe I’m just a game to you.”

Lucian’s expression didn’t change. He looked at me steadily, no guilt, no panic just calm sincerity. I searched his face for any clue, any flicker that might betray him, but there was nothing. His green eyes were clear and honest.

“I love you genuinely, Lily,” he said quietly. “Now. And I have for a while. Yes, I’ve dated other girls before. I won’t lie about that. But none of them were you. None of them made me feel the way you do. It’s not about your body though God knows I love every curve. It’s about you. Your quiet strength. The way you smile when you think no one is looking. The way you’ve survived everything Mia has thrown at you and still have a good heart. There’s no hidden story. No game. Just me… falling for you.”

His words wrapped around my heart like a warm blanket. I wanted to believe him so badly.

“Genuinely now?” I whispered. “So you didn’t love me before?”

He didn’t answer with words. Instead, he leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips. It was gentle at first tender, reassuring. Then he pulled me into his arms, hugging me tight against his chest. I melted into him, my hands fisting in his shirt as I kissed him back.

For a moment, the whole world disappeared. It was just us under the oak tree his warmth, his scent, the steady beat of his heart against mine.

I had no idea that someone was watching.

A phone camera clicked silently from behind a nearby bush, capturing the moment perfectly. The picture was taken. And neither of us noticed.

When we finally pulled apart, Lucian rested his forehead against mine. “I’m not going anywhere, Lily. No matter what Mia or Max or anyone says. You’re the one I want.”

I nodded, still catching my breath. For the first time in weeks, I felt a small spark of hope.

The next few days passed in the same careful rhythm. Lucian and I stole small moments a shared glance in class, a quick text when no one was looking, a few minutes at the oak tree after school. Nothing dramatic. Just quiet, careful connection. It felt like we were rebuilding something fragile, one tiny piece at a time.

Max, on the other hand, didn’t give up easily. He would smirk at me in the hallways, blow kisses mockingly, or make comments loud enough for others to hear. “Still thinking about me, curvy girl?” he’d say with a laugh. Lucian’s jaw would tighten every time, but he kept his distance, respecting my need for space.

Mia’s anger simmered beneath the surface. She was extra sweet in front of Mom and Dad, but at night in our room, she would mutter things under her breath. “Fighting over you? Pathetic. Both of them are idiots.”

**********

I woke up with a strange sense of calm the kind that comes right before a storm. Lucian’s words from yesterday still echoed in my mind. I love you genuinely, Lily. The way he had kissed me so softly under the oak tree, the way he had held me tight… it had felt real. For the first time in weeks, I allowed myself a small, private smile as I got ready for school.

Mia noticed my mood immediately. She watched me from her bed with narrowed eyes but said nothing. The silence between us was thick, but I was learning to live with it.

School started normally enough. I kept my head down in the hallways, avoiding the usual whispers. But something felt different today. People were looking at me more than usual. Some were smirking. Others were whispering behind their hands, phones out.

I didn’t think much of it until lunch.

Nora found me at my usual corner table, her face pale. “Lily… have you seen this?”

She handed me her phone. My stomach dropped.

There it was a clear photo of Lucian and me under the oak tree. His arms around me. Our lips locked in a kiss. The caption read:

Fat twin strikes again. Lucian can’t resist the desperate one.

It had been posted on the school’s anonymous gossip page and was already spreading like wildfire. Hundreds of likes. Dozens of comments.

She’s really trying hard. Poor Mia. Lucian has no taste.

I felt sick. My hands shook as I gave the phone back to Nora. “Who posted it?”

“No one knows. But it’s everywhere now.”

The rest of the day was a nightmare. Everywhere I went, people stared. Some laughed openly. A group of girls in the bathroom made loud comments about “the kissing fatty.” My locker had new graffiti: Lucian’s secret slut.

I wanted to disappear.

Lucian found me after the final bell near the back gate. His face was tight with anger. “I saw the photo. I’m sorry, Lily. I should have been more careful.”

I shook my head, tears threatening to fall. “It’s not your fault. Someone was watching us. Probably Mia or one of her friends.”

He reached out to touch my arm, but I stepped back. “Not here. Please. It’s too much right now.”

He nodded, respecting my space, but the pain in his eyes was clear. “I’m here when you’re ready. I’m not going anywhere.”

I walked home alone, my mind racing. The photo had made everything worse. Mia would use this against me. Mom would be furious if she saw it. And the whole school now had fresh ammunition to bully me with.

When I got home, Mia was already there, sitting at the dining table with her phone. She looked up with a satisfied smile.

“Nice photo, sis. Very romantic.”

I didn’t respond. I just went straight to our room and closed the door. But the damage was done. Mom saw the photo later that evening when one of her friends sent it to her. The shouting match that followed was brutal.

“Lily! How could you be so reckless?” Mom yelled. “Kissing boys in public after I warned you? You’re such a disgrace.

Mia stood beside Mom, looking like the perfect victim. “It’s okay, Mom.

I apologized through tears, she refuse to listen to me.. Mia’s wicked smile when Mom wasn’t looking told me everything. She was enjoying this.