Page 8 of Until the End

“Uh, no. I’m not even sure my thigh would fit in that thing.”

“Come on, Goose. It’ll be fun.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “I’ll try it on if you try on those shorts over there.” The ones I point at are so short, there’s a good chance his junk will hang out of the bottom.

His eyes widen, but he quickly gets a determined look on his face. “Fine. If they have my size, I’ll try them on.”

Incredulous, I follow behind him as he pulls a pair from the rack. Moments later, we’re in the dressing room with our ridiculous clothes in hand. No one else is around, so we slip into the largest stall at the end. I have no idea why we’re going in the same one. There were plenty of other options I could’ve gone in, but Carson led me to this one, so I’m going with it.

“You first,” we say at the same time. Cracking up at each other, we both turn around to change. There’s plenty of space for us to move around, and I do my best to keep from glancing in the mirror.

“Uh, Duck, I have no idea how to put this thing on.”

“Well, I figured out how to get mine on, but let’s just say they’re more like underwear than shorts. In fact, you can see my underwear sticking out of the bottom.”

I turn around and bust out laughing. The shorts are beyond ridiculous. If Carson didn’t have boxers on, I have no doubt his penis would be hanging out of the leg.

“Can I take a picture? Please? Gia and Lottie will never believe me when I tell them this story.”

“Absolutely fucking not. I still have those pictures of us from spa night that I can’t live down.”

I giggle. “Fiiiiine. Just let me take a mental picture to get all the details.” It’s only after a second or two that I realize I am 100 percent checking him out.

His thighs are like tree trunks. They’re incredibly sculpted, and all I want to do is run my hands down them to feel the light dusting of hair on his leg.

“Okay, enough staring at me. It’s your turn.”

My cheeks flame as I quickly twist around. God, I can’t believe he just caught me checking him out. I’m such an idiot.

I focus on the slinky dress in my hands to stop my brain from overanalyzing the moment. “I think I’ve figured it out. Give me a second to put it on.” There are three small holes at one end that I have deduced are supposed to be for my head and arms. Again, I’m skeptical of how this actually works.

I pull off the T-shirt first and get the tube over my head. Then I yank it down until it’s covering my ass and pull off my shorts.

“Okay, I think it’s on. You are not allowed to laugh at me.”

“I promise I won’t.”

Carson’s assurance gives me the confidence to turn around. His jaw drops as his eyes rake over my body. I find the courage to look in the mirror hanging on the wall, and my eyes bug out. This dress leaves nothing to the imagination. It’s skin-tight and shows every curve I have.

“You look amazing, Goose.”

I run my hands across the stretchy material. I surprisingly agree. Who knew this dress would actually fit?

“Well…that was fun.” I turn around and start to pull the dress over my head when I hear a choking sound. Oops. Definitely forgot Carson needed time to turn around. I’m also not wearing underwear, so he just got a great view of my ass.

“Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

Carson clears his throat. “All good. I’m just gonna wait outside for you.”

I sigh with the sound of the curtain closing. I’m such an idiot. He’s probably so uncomfortable, and things are going to be super awkward now. Carson has never looked at me as anything more than a friend. In high school, I always hoped he’d ask me out, but he never did. When I moved to Nashville, I knew our chances were over. The long distance would’ve killed our relationship—and possibly our friendship—within months.

It’s all for the best.

My judgment is seriously skewed, and my brain is beyond messed up. Carson is my best friend, and if that’s the only way I’ll have him in my life, then I’ll be happy with it.

Chapter 5

Ginny

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