Love, Curvy | 18+

T W E N T Y O N E

When we reach our building, Nick is the first one to get out of the car. He closes the door and as I'm about to get out, Harvey grabs a hold of my hand and at the same time Nick turns around and asks "You're not coming?" Harvey answers for me "I'm taking her out for donuts, do you have a problem with that?" Nick rolls his eyes and says to me "Bring me back one, okay?" And then walks up the stairs and into the building.

I turn to Harvey "Are we going for donuts?" He smiles "I just wanna spend more time with you right now. So I thought donuts would be a good idea." I looked at the time and it was already 11:00.

Why would I say no to donuts?

I smile and nod "I'm buying." He chuckles "No way. I am." I shake my head "No, last time you bought dinner. Donuts are my treat." He drives off with his one hand on the wheel and the other grabbing mine "Fine, but I'm getting the coffee or whatever you wanna drink. Okay?"

"I can live with that."

X

I was the one who suggested Krispy Kreme.

We got a glazed donut each. I got iced mocha frappe while he he got hot bitter black coffee.

We made our way to the ugly green chair and as I sat, he sat right beside me. Not opposite. He rests his face on his hand and just stared at me with a smile. I noticed the staring when I picked up my donut and was about to take a bite "What?" He shakes his head "I just find it fascinating when you eat donuts." He leans and kisses my cheek and then takes a sip of his coffee. I smile like an idiot with my cheeks burning up and it burns even more when I hear him chuckle to himself and whisper under his breath "Adorable." I say "I'm not, Harvey."

"Who says that? Because they're wrong, Lana."

I scoff "How dare you make me feel all special?" Which earns me a full-blown laugh that made my heart flutter like butterflies and birds and bees. If that even makes sense.

I finally took a bite of my donut and kept a napkin in my hand at all times. He pulls my hair behind my shoulder and I noticed that he likes touching a lot. I didn't mind though. I was not uncomfortable with that.

He says "I'm truly embarrassed at what happened today." I finish the bite in my mouth "How many times do I have to tell you that you don't need to apologize." He nods "I know... it's just... it's just that Nicklaus makes me so angry sometimes." My ears perk up like the curious bee I was "Why?" He takes a moment and then replies "Nicklaus and me... we always had our differences. That doesn't mean that I don't love him, but sometimes that jerk has ways to get on our nerves. He knows how to push the right buttons."

"So how did Nick become your step-brother. If you don't mind me asking."

He shakes his head "It's not a secret. His mom married young to his father in Paris. Teenage pregnancy... but his father wasn't supportive enough for his wife and son so she left him and came back here. Nick was only seven. Her parents didn't take her back because she had run away from home and to support herself, she worked as a hostess in this art gallery that my father owned. After a couple years, they fell in love and he wanted to marry her." I asked, "What about your mom?" He answers "She died when I was three. Car accident. I don't really remember her except for her pictures. But if I ever think about my mother, Amanda comes to my mind." I smile sadly "I'm sorry."

"It's good. It's all in the past." He takes out his wallet and then takes out a passport size picture of a young woman. She looked in like she was in her mid-twenties with deep black hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a white dress with a baby in her arms, smiling at the camera. Her smile resembled Harvey's a lot. I said, "You have her smile."