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ada

I ’ve always been a bit of a loner. Making friends was never easy for me when I was growing up, so I developed a deep and devoted friendship with books instead. There were countless hours spent under the covers reading about far away lands, action packed quests, and true friendship that stood the test of time. Books became my lifeline when the world around me became too overwhelming.

It wasn’t until I began staying with Rue and her mom in Whispering Springs during holiday breaks that I started to find and build the friendships that I’d always craved.

Hannah was the first friend I made on my own in town. She’s one of the few humans who lives in Whispering Springs, and we bonded over our humanness almost immediately. Well, it also was our love of monster smut. Hannah is a librarian at the town library and is one of the most genuinely kind people I’ve met. She’s always ready with a kind word and willing to listen. She’s the human embodiment of a warm hug.

The newest member to my little friend group is Isla. She’s the first dragon shifter I’ve ever met, and I’m still embarrassed about the first time we interacted. Isla, her daughter, and mother had been at the library a few months ago checking out books. I’d been carrying my usual pile of books to check out, the stack so high that it obscured my view. Unfortunately, my lack of sight led me to run poor Isla over, knocking her to the ground.

My books flew in every direction, thankfully missing her. I’d been terrified of seriously hurting her, profusely apologizing. But in typical Isla fashion, she dusted herself off while laughing, and complimented my taste in books as she helped me pick them up. Her mother and daughter joined us shortly after and the four of us went for ice cream, my treat of course. It was the least I could do for assaulting her with heavy hardcovers.

Female friendships tend to get overlooked, but there is such magic in finding a group of weirdos who love and accept each other’s unique brand of weirdness. That isolating sense of loneliness is something of the past. It also helps that each of my friends is curvy, just like me. Being surrounded by strong, kickass fat women has empowered me like nothing else. I’m so thankful for them.

I should probably stop being sentimental and get started on dinner since it’s my turn to host Girls’ Dinner—a big freaking pasta dinner. Was I a bit of an overachiever by making three different pasta dishes? Absolutely. Should every pasta dinner include fettuccine alfredo, penne alla vodka, and shrimp scampi? Duh. The girls were bringing the sides and drinks, so thankfully I didn’t need to worry about that.

A sudden knock at the door makes me pause. It’s not time yet, is it? “I’m coming!” I shout, strolling to the door and yanking it open. My eyes widen to the size of dinner plates with surprise to see the sexy orc who is on the other side.

“Ulgan, I wasn’t expecting you!” I exclaim. The butterflies in my stomach erupt into a happy dance. Well, my night just got way better. Ulgan’s muscular frame fills my doorway, and I can’t help but check him out. It should be illegal for someone to look this hot all the time. His jeans, t-shirt, and open flannel button down make him look like a sexy lumberjack.

Nervous energy radiates off of his body as he rubs the back of his neck and shifts from side to side. “You mentioned yesterday at lunch that you and your friends were having dinner together tonight, and I thought you might like some fresh bread to go with it,” he says, holding out a massive crusty loaf of bread. It must be fresh out of the oven, because it’s still warm and smells heavenly.

“Thank you, Ulgan. Bread is the way to every woman’s heart. This is so thoughtful of you. Would you like to come inside for a minute?” I step aside so that he can enter.

“I wish I could, but I’m meeting up with some of my buddies tonight,” he says, shaking his head regretfully. “Maybe another night?" He’s so hopeful it nearly hurts.

“Of course.” I flash him my best flirty smile, hoping it actually looks flirty rather than crazed.

“I better get going. Have a great night, Ada. I’ll text you,” he says. Appearing more confident now, he leans over and places a kiss on my cheek. His smooth lower tusks brush against my soft skin, and I like it way more than I care to admit.

I might be imagining things, but did he just sniff me? I’m not judging or anything, since I find myself taking a whiff of his cologne each time he’s near me. The big guy always smells like a mouthwatering combination of pine and spice.

We wave to each other as he stands at the end of the path leading to my house before he heads up the street, hands in his jeans pockets, with a noticeable spring in his step. Each time I think he couldn’t get any more adorable, he goes and proves me wrong. I scold the butterflies moshing in my stomach to calm down, and get back to work on dinner.

Thirty minutes later, Rue, Hannah, and Isla surround my small kitchen table with their plates piled high. Our weekly dinners may seem like a small thing to others, but I’ve come to look forward to these days each week. Since I have no family of my own anymore, these girls have become my family, and I try to soak up every moment I can get with them.

“All right, who has some tea to spill? I need hot gossip to liven up this boring week,” Hannah says through a mouthful of pasta. All manners go out the window when we’re all together.

“Wait, ladies, haven’t you heard? Our dear Ada has an admirer that’s dying to get in her pants,” Rue coyly shares with everyone.

I shoot her a warning glare, my eyes narrowing, wishing that she would be quiet. It’s hard to explain, but talking about my love life makes me uncomfortable. I’ve always had bad luck with dating, so it’s hard to be excited about getting to know someone new when every other time I’ve done the same thing, I end up beating myself up and crying on my best friend’s couch.

“WHAT? You’ve been holding out on us,” Hannah exclaims, a smug grin forming and her eyes widening. “Who is it? Have we met him? Does he live in town? Spill, girl!”

This is the most animated I’ve seen Hannah in a long time. She hasn’t been this excited since she learned Ruby Dixon was coming to the next town over for a book signing and we got to meet her. Our usually-calm Hannah became an unhinged fangirl.

Isla’s musical laughter fills the room. “Does it rhyme with 'schmulgan' by any chance?” The smug dragon was going to pay for this later. Rue must’ve spilled the beans. Those two are now at the top of my shit list.

“Ulgan!” Hannah screams with glee, bouncing in her seat. “Holy crap, he’s such a cinnamon roll!” A dreamy look filters across her face. She begins dramatically fanning herself with her hand.

“Um, honey, the guy is an orc, not a pastry. He does look awfully sweet though,” Isla replies, patting Hannah on the hand. Clearly she doesn’t understand what Hannah is talking about.

“No, even though I completely agree. A cinnamon roll is a character in a romance novel, usually one of the main characters, who’s a complete sweetheart. They’re kind, supportive, and treat their love interest like gold," Hannah explains.

“Thank you, Miss Librarian, for teaching us something new today,” Rue says playfully.

Suddenly, a piece of bread flies across the table, bouncing off Rue’s head. Everyone bursts into laughter as Hannah gets up to kiss Rue on the head as a peace offering.

“Ada, tell us more about Ulgan. Have you guys gone out yet?” Isla asks.

“Well, he asked me to help add some art to the bakery, thanks to a certain meddling witch.” I narrow my gaze at Rue, who is now pretending to inspect my ceiling instead of making eye contact with me. “There’s not much to tell just yet. We’re getting to know each other, but he did take me out for a picnic yesterday in the park.”

“How did it go?” Hannah probes.

I don’t want to gush or get my hopes up, so I try my best to keep my cool. “It went well. He’s a really great guy, and I want to continue getting to know him.” Dammit, I hope I was convincing enough.

Rue’s eyes examine my face, and I know that I can’t hide anything from her. She knows about my dating past and how it’s been difficult for me to trust men after being burned so many times. Opening up to new people is something I’ve been working on.

“I think it’s wonderful that you’re putting yourself out there like this. Dating is supposed to be fun, so enjoy getting to know him. You deserve to be with someone who recognizes how incredible you are.” Isla says, reaching across the table to give my hand a comforting squeeze.

Hannah gives me a thoughtful look. “He would be one lucky guy to get our Ada.”

I love these women so damn much. They know just what to say.

Rue stands up from the table. “All right ladies, it seems like all of us could use a night of drinking, dancing, and making poor life choices. How about we go and take a little field trip to The Wolf’s Den?”