His Guilty Pleasure (FIRST DRAFT)

Dripping Mascara (4)

Gabby

"How do I look?" I turn to Camille who is dangling off of my bed, long legs in the air. She flips around to her stomach and peers at me with a grin.

"Pretty woman! Where'd you get the dress? I want!"

My grin falters, my cheeks heating up. I don't want to tell Camille that it's a plus sized dress. She's the epitome of a cheerleader with long blond hair, sparkling blue eyes, a killer tan, toned legs and abs, and perky breasts. She's so beautiful sometimes it's hard to believe she chose to be friends with me.

"Hollister." I lie, instantly regretting it. She knows I'd sooner be caught dead that shop at any store in which even the underwear costs less than a hundred dollars. Seriously, Gabby? Hollister? They don't even carry clothes in my size!

"Hmm...I'll have to look for it the next time I go." Camille flashes me an award winning smile, luckily oblivious to my lie. "You look killer, baby cakes. You excited?"

My stomach growls as a response. "Nervous." I give her a sheepish grin.

"Well, my sister said he's great. Super smart and cute. He's in her Women's Studies class."

Camille set me up with some random guy when she saw I was down in the dumps about dating. Leo hasn't exactly been knocking down my door since a few weeks ago in the Hamptons. Camille doesn't know about our tiny fling and I plan to keep it that way.

"So I should expect a lot of mansplaining." I roll my eyes but suppress a grin. Feminist guys are usually more open minded. Hopefully my blind date, Christopher, is because he's in for a shock when he sees what I look like.

I turn back to the mirror and study the stranger in front of me. She stands tallish at 5'6 and has eyes the color of freshly cut grass. Brown wavy hair pulled back in a bun with strands that frame her chubby cheeks and slight double chin. She has full lips that are painted red with lipstick and dark, arched brows. She has extra meat on her bones, but not disgustingly so. Enough, however, that guys tend to be turned off by it. She has a large chest and wide hips along with a bit of a tummy and thighs that touch. She doesn't mind though, because she feels beautiful. Big can be beautiful, especially when worn well.

I wasn't always plus sized. I used to be a gymnast. Then, in the 8th grade, I tore my ACL and never quite recovered. The pounds just kept coming, and then I became who I am now. "Flabby Gabby" as my peers so delicately put it.

"You're gonna be late!" Camille giggles, forcing me out of my thoughts. "Go get him, Tiger."

I give my best friend a kiss on the cheek, staining it with a red lip print. "Thanks for doing my makeup!" I shout as I rush out of her room and down the stairs. Once I'm out of the house I wobble to my baby, a scarlet Mercedes Convertible. I live in an affluent town and my family is no exception. My father is a CEO at a tech company, Hampton Enterprises, and as a result I have been lucky enough to live a life of luxury. So yeah, I may be chubby, but my trust fund alone is worth more than most people make in a lifetime.

I drive to the restaurant that Christopher and I have agreed to meet at. After I hand my keys to the valet, I take a moment to readjust myself before going into the ostentatious building. I flatten out my red mini dress that is fitted in the bosom but flares out at my waist, making me look tinier than I am. The designer heels that Camille loaned me make me a few inches taller and my short legs look long. My hair is in a delicate bun with wisps of curled stands framing my face. I re-apply a coat of my red lipstick and decide that it's now or never. I walk up the marble stairs and through the double doors, into one of the most prestigious buildings in Manhattan.