I kept my promise to Tyler over the next few weeks, not overworking myself. Melissa made me promise, too, that I wouldn’t work twelve-hour days anymore, and though I put up a fight, I decided in the end that I couldn’t afford to crash again the way I had after the last time I’d worked so hard. Instead, I went home early, letting our night cook handle dinner while I went home to get some rest or relax in my apartment. Sometimes, I would invite Tyler over, and we would watch a movie together or have dinner. I found that I genuinely enjoyed his company, that he was fun to have around. I enjoyed being friends with him, and constantly ignored the sexual tension between us, knowing that going in that direction would only complicate things again.

One evening I was baking brownies, trying a new recipe, and decided to bring them over to him. I hadn’t seen him in a couple of days and if I was honest with myself, I missed seeing his smile, hearing his voice. I knocked on his door and he answered, and for a moment I was frozen there, heat spreading through my body. He was wearing only a pair of shorts, his body glistening with sweat. His bare chest was carved and perfect, all hard lines and muscles. His arms were thick and strong, the v-lines of his hips dipping down below his shorts. He was absolutely mouthwatering, and for a moment, I stood there stricken, unable to take my eyes off of him. He cleared his throat, and when I met his eye, he was grinning.

“Are those for me?” he asked, gesturing toward the plate.

“Y—yes,” I said, cursing myself inwardly for being such a stuttering idiot. He gestured for me to follow him inside, picking up a towel and wrapping it over the back of his neck.

“Sorry, I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Working out?” I asked him.

He nodded. “I have a room back there with a big dummy,” he said.

I raised my eyebrows. “I thought you said I could kick your ass,” I said.

He laughed. “Oh, Ali, that dummy’s got nothing on you.”

“I bet,” I said, taking a seat at his counter. He disappeared into his room, and a few moments later he had emerged, dried off and dressed, smelling like soap and deodorant. I took a deep breath as he walked by, picking up one of the brownies off the plate and taking a bite of it. He closed his eyes, smiling.

“You are an angel,” he said.

I smiled at him, pleased. “You like them?”

“Better than sex,” he said. “Definitely.”

I chuckled. “I don’t think you’ve had the right kind of sex.”

“I think you’re right about that,” he said, holding my eye as he sucked the tip of his finger. He winked at me and I blushed, glancing away from him, avoiding his eye.

“I have a question for you,” he said. “A favor to ask.”

“What’s that?” I asked him.

“There’s a party for my work. A company Christmas party. I was wondering if you would go with me.”

“What—me?” I asked him, stunned by the question.

He nodded, holding my eye. “I don’t want to invite just anyone, and my sister can’t come.”

“You asked your sister to be your date?” I asked him.

He laughed again, shaking his head. “She knows everyone at my company. She’d just come as a guest. But she can’t, and showing up alone would be lame—”

“Don’t you have some model you can bring with you?” I asked him.

He shook his head. “Nobody half as interesting as you,” he said.

I blushed, glancing away from him.

“So will you come?” he asked.

I was reluctant to say yes—that sort of party was not the kind I was used to attending. It would be filled with rich, beautiful people, and I was nothing but a dumpy girl who worked at a country diner. Still, the way he was looking at me with such earnestness in his face was enough to convince me. When I nodded, a relieved smile passed over his face.

“Thank you,” he said.

“When is it?” I asked him.

He gave me a bashful look. “Tomorrow,” he said, cringing before I even got a chance to react.

“Tomorrow?” I asked him. “This fancy party is tomorrow and you’re just now asking me?”

“Yes,” he said. “I’m sorry. But it’s nothing. It’s not even a big deal.”

“What’s the dress like?”

He winced. “Formal.”

“Tyler—”

“Please, Ali,” he said, pleading in his eyes. He took my hand, bringing it up to kiss my fingers. “You’re going to love it. I promise. I’ll treat you like a princess.”

“Better than a princess,” I said. “A queen.”

“Of course,” he said, kissing the backs of my fingers again, this time allowing his lips to linger on my knuckles. I pulled my hand away from him before the heat could spread too far through me, reminding myself of my vow to keep this a friendship and nothing more. 

“Okay,” she agreed, half-reluctant. “I’ll come.”

A look of relief passed over his face.

“Thank you,” he said.

I nodded. “But it’d better be fun. And there’d better be an open bar.”

“There is definitely an open bar,” he said with a grin. “And dancing.”

“No dancing,” I said, frowning.

He shook his head. “Dancing is part of the deal,” he said, leaning in quickly to kiss my forehead before he stood up. “Thanks for the brownies.”

“You’re welcome,” I said to him, hot and overly aware of my body after the simple touch. I told him goodnight then and left, going back to my apartment, wondering what the next evening would be like. In the morning, I got up and got ready for a reluctant, begrudging trip to the mall to buy a dress. I didn’t own anything formal and hadn’t since I had been young. I went into the first store I found with what I needed, determined to make a choice there no matter what. I didn’t want to search all day, so I would settle on the first thing I found that didn’t make me look frumpy and misshapen.

Despite my vow to get in and out quickly, it took me most of the day to pick a dress. It seemed like everything I tried on fit wrong, and I was filled with frustration by the end of the day. I was down to my last three dresses, and I held my breath when I slipped into one that was made of green velvet, long-sleeved with a low neck and an a-line waist. I looked at myself in the mirror—the color flattered my skin and made my eyes pop, while the shape of it accented my waist. It looked the best of all the ones I had tried on, but I still frowned when I looked in the mirror. My ass was much too big, making the dress shorter than it was supposed to be, and the shape of it only accented the fact that my hips were wide enough to hold babies comfortably on either side. I found my mind wandering to Amanda, to all of the other models that might be there at the party, and I had to fight hard not to compare myself to them. It would only make me miserable, and I wanted to enjoy the party as much as I could with Tyler.

I gave in, buying the green dress, although I felt it was far from perfect. I went home, glad that the shopping was over, and nearly panicked when I saw that it was only an hour until the party. I hurried up and showered, washing my hair, then dried it and pinned it up while I put my makeup on. I rarely wore makeup, but tonight, I wanted to look perfect, and so I put on mascara and enough blush to accent my high cheekbones. I looked in the mirror when I was finished, not quite approving, but not hating my appearance, either. I took a deep breath, knowing it was almost time to go, nervous to see Tyler.