Page 33 of Curvy Desire's Second Shot

“Anywhere,” he said, turning to look at me. “Anywhere but here.”

There was something in his voice, a longing I didn’t fully understand. Hudson had always seemed so sure of himself, so steady. Hearing him talk like that made him feel more human, more vulnerable.

“What about you?” I asked, shifting onto my side to face him. “Where would you go?”

“Doesn’t matter,” he said with a shrug. “As long as I’m not stuck.”

“You’re not stuck,” I said, frowning. “You could do anything, Hudson. You’re... you.”

He’d laughed softly, but there was no humor in it. “You make it sound so easy.”

“It is,” I said, my voice firm. “You’re smart. You’re capable. You’re... everything.”

The words had slipped out before I could stop them, and I felt my cheeks heat as his gaze snapped to mine. For a moment, neither of us spoke, the weight of what I’d said hanging in the air between us.

“You’re everything too, you know,” he said quietly.

My heart had stuttered in my chest, and I’d turned my gaze back to the stars, afraid of what might happen if I held his gaze too long. The night stretched on, the silence between us growing heavier with each passing minute.

The memory mademy chest ache, and I blinked back tears as I stared at the creek in front of me. So much had been left unsaid that night. I’d felt the weight of it for years, the unspoken words pressing against my ribs like a cage.

Beside me, Hudson shifted, his shoulder brushing against mine. “You’re quiet,” he said, his voice pulling me back to the present.

“Just... thinking,” I said, my voice softer than I intended.

“About what?” he asked, his gaze steady on me.

I hesitated, the memory still raw in my chest. “That night. By the creek.”

His brow furrowed slightly. “Which one?”

“The summer before I left,” I said, glancing at him. “When we stayed out all night, just talking.”

Understanding flickered in his eyes, and his expression softened. “I remember.”

I looked away, my fingers twisting in my lap. “I think about it sometimes. About what we talked about. What we didn’t talk about.”

Hudson was quiet for a moment, his gaze searching mine. “Naomi...”

“If I’d stayed,” I whispered, meeting his gaze, “do you think things would’ve been different?”

Hudson’s jaw tightened, and he leaned back slightly, his eyes never leaving mine. “Yeah,” he said finally, his voice rough. “Things would’ve been different.”

“How?” I asked, my voice trembling. “Would we have stayed friends? Would we have... been something more?”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he reached down, picking up a small stone and tossing it into the creek. The softplunkechoed through the air, and he watched the ripples with a faraway look in his eyes.

“I would’ve told you how I felt,” he said finally, his voice barely above a whisper.

My breath hitched. “How you felt?”

“Yeah,” he said, turning to look at me. “I was too much of a coward back then. I thought if I said anything, I’d ruin what we had.”

“You wouldn’t have,” I said, my voice trembling. “I felt it too, Hudson. I just didn’t know what to do with it.”

He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “We wasted so much time.”

I shook my head, my chest tightening. “No. We didn’t waste it. We just... weren’t ready.”

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