Curvy Girls Can’t Date Best Friends by Kelsie Stelting

Thirty-Seven

Callie

Zara nudged my arm. “Check out who’s walking this way.”

I propped myself up and saw Carson breaking out of the waves like some kind of Greek god. His muscles glistened in the light bouncing off of his dripping body, and he shook his hair out around him, ridding it of all the water that has been there.

Ginger giggled. “It might be a good idea for you to close your mouth, Cal.”

I snapped my mouth shut, my cheeks heating. They’d caught me staring at my best friend, and even though they expected that of us as a “couple,” I knew the truth. I shouldn’t be checking him out like that.

Rory inclined her head toward the water as Carson got within earshot. “How are lessons coming, Carson?”

“Good,” he said. “Ray’s picking it up quick. But speaking of lessons...” His eyes simmered on me. “I seem to remember a certain someone promised to let me teach them to boogie board last year.”

“Oh, no, no, no.” I shook my head quickly. “I am perfectly fine sitting here with the girls. Right?” I turned to my friends, but those traitors were clearly on his side.

“Go!” Jordan said, pushing me toward Carson.

Ginger nodded enthusiastically. “Show us how it’s done.”

Zara waggled her eyebrows. “And have fun in the water.”

I turned to Rory, my last chance, but Rory simply scratched Franklin behind the ears and said, “We’ll take care of Franklin. Have fun!”

Groaning, I got up and walked with Carson toward the water and the rolling waves. “I can’t believe you’re making me do this.”

He shook his head in mock disappointment. “I can’t believe you’re making me make you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Please. There’s a reason I didn’t let you teach me last year.”

“And that reason is?” he asked.

“Maybe I thought you’d forget?” I said with a shrug.

“Come on. It’s so easy. And fun.”

“Fun,” I said drily, “like embarrassing myself in front of all my friends is fun.”

Kai and Ronan passed by us, heading toward their girlfriends, and now there was just Ray and Beckett out farther, trying to surf. As Carson and I stepped into the cool water, I realized no one would be able to hear us over the crash of the waves or the trill of the birds.

We were about waist deep in the water, and even though the sun was hot, the water made me shiver. I folded my arms over my chest and said, “Let’s get this over with.”

Carson’s eyes flicked from my arms to my eyes, and he swallowed before saying, “Okay, so what you have to do is hold it like this.” He held the boogie board to his muscled chest, making his biceps flex against the board.

I realized I was staring and focused on doing the same with my board. The waves pulled against its flat surface, nearly knocking me over. Carson instantly reached out and steadied me, his hand warm through my thin tank top.

It had been so long since I'd been in the ocean, always coming up with an excuse not to go with my family and risk getting picked on for my sores. Right now, there was a long red patch trailing down my neck, and it felt nice knowing that Carson wouldn't judge me for it, wouldn’t worry that it was contagious or shy away from me. I refocused on the task at hand and resituated the board.

“Not bad,” Carson said, “but it needs to be more like this.” He slipped his hand from my waist to my lower back and pressed the board closer to my chest. Whether it was the water or the sun or Carson, my nerves went haywire under his touch. I clenched the board, trying to clear my mind, to keep my thoughts from going where they didn’t need to go.

“Too tight?” he asked. “You should be able to breathe.”

I forced myself to take a breath and said, “It's fine.” I didn’t want to make eye contact, but I could feel him watching me, taking me in, and I caught his gaze. His eyes were fire on mine, and I could hardly find the words to say, “What next?”

He cleared his throat and said, “You wait for a wave, and then try and flatten your board against it so it can carry you to the shore.”

I nodded and hurriedly tried to catch the next wave to get away from the heat I was feeling, but my attempt only resulted in me completely face-planting onto the board and then rolling into the water. When I came up, sputtering saltwater, Carson was laughing.

More than a little embarrassed and with the disgusting taste fresh in my mouth, I hit his arm. “Don't make fun of me!”

He caught my hand and held it to his chest. “I'm sorry. Will you forgive me? And stop maiming me?”

The smile on his lips and his skin on mine had my heart pounding. “Sure, but only if you show me how to do this.”

“Okay.” He released my hand, and the spot where he had held it suddenly felt cool. He followed the break of a wave. Timing it perfectly, he lay flat on his board and easily held on as it carried him almost all the way to the shore.

I cheered for him, and when he stood, he pumped the board over his head, shouting for himself.

“So modest!” I shouted.

His grin was obvious even from here. “You love it,” he called back.

I did. But I wouldn’t tell him that. When he came back out, he said, “It's your turn.”

“Can we do it together?” I asked, worried.

“Always,” he said gently.

We both looked over our shoulders, and when the perfect wave came, Carson said, “One, two, three!”

We positioned our boards on the water, and the wave carried us all the way to the shore. It was exhilarating and exciting and so much more fun than I ever imagined. I stood with my board and gave Carson a hug. “I can't believe I did that!”

He lifted me and spun us in a circle. “You could always do that.”

As he set me down, I slid against his chest. My shirt tugged against his muscles, exposing a patch of my stomach that skimmed over his abs. My skin was on fire, and my lungs burned as I gasped for air, looking into his eyes.

They were deep and green like the ocean. Intense, deep, captivating.

My gaze flicked to his lips—they glistened in the sun.

Carson inched closer, so close I could feel his breath evaporating the saltwater on my skin. His eyes flicked from my lips to my eyes. “I love you, Callie. I always have.”

So many emotions crashed over me, stronger than the ocean around us, but none of them were negative. Tears stung my eyes as I realized something I’d wanted for so long, something I’d been too afraid to hope for, was coming true. “This isn’t just for show?”

He nodded, his nose brushing mine. “Do you...feel the same way?”

The worry in his voice, the vulnerability of it, undid me. Knowing words wouldn’t be enough, I answered him with my lips. I pressed mine to his, and the sensation running through my body took my breath away just as surely as his confession had.

His arms wrapped around me, pulling me tighter to his chest, and he tilted his head, deepening our kiss. Each second of his skin on mine was pure pleasure like I never could have guessed. It sent fire dancing over my skin and electricity shocking everything underneath.

I’d always wondered if I would know what to do in a kiss, but this—it was more than thinking—it was acting, feeling. My hands went around his shoulders, and I knotted my fingers in the fringe of hair at the back of his neck.

His teeth nipped my lip bottom, creating sensations I didn’t even know I could feel, and our mouths tangled, tasting, discovering further. I could have kissed him forever, learning all the ways my best friend could become even more. Breathing raggedly, Carson parted our lips and rested his forehead against mine. I slowly opened my eyes and found his gaze on mine. His green eyes searched mine, seeking the truth I’d shared in our kiss.

“Us?” he breathed. “It’s real?”

I nodded, my lips spreading into a smile I couldn’t contain. “I love you, Carson,” I breathed. “You’re my best friend.”