Chapter 39 Prove

• In the morning, she wasn't surprised to find the space next to her empty. Simon always woke up early for his exercises in the building's gym. It was the fact that she had spent the night with him, even platonically, that messed with her mind. Everything would seem like a bad dream if she weren't in Simon's room, and if the sheets and pillow on his side weren't disheveled and smelled like him.
• She got up and, still sleepy, made the bed before going to the bathroom in her own room at the end of the hall. And the doubt dominated her again. Had she made the right decision? Pretending to be someone's lover seemed absurd, being Simon's and following his steps was surreal. His "friends" had spectacular bodies, naked they would look like sensual goddesses. She had never imagined herself naked in front of another person, not even Nathaniel. She even avoided staring for too long at her own naked body when showering or changing, but she knew she had breasts, thighs, and prominent features. Compared to Simon's "friends" and Cherry, she was fat and awkward. Maybe it would be best to just go up to step three. She rejected the thought. She needed the experience, and being sensual had been the main reason for accepting Simon's help.
• Weighing all the alternatives, going back and forth in her reflections, she decided while preparing breakfast that dimming the lights would solve the problem. She would hide any expression of disgust from Simon with her extra weight, he wouldn't even notice.