Page 80 of Thanks for the Friendship
He pretends to study the distance and line up the ball before giving his club a gentle swing. The ball rolls and stops just short of the hole.
“Oh, what a shame. You gave it a good effort, though.”
I place my pink ball down and hit it just right, the ball sails down the course and lands in the hole.
I cheer loudly, while Cal stares motionless.
“You can pull your jaw off the ground, doctor,” I say as I walk by him.
It takes him two more tries to get his ball in the hole.
“Beginner’s luck,” Cal mutters.
I laugh. “What can I say? I like to win.”
As we continue through the course, I’m totally kicking his butt. Who would’ve thought I’d be so good considering I haven’t touched a golf club since I was a teenager? I can’t help but notice that we’re growing more and more comfortable with each other. At one point I place my hands on his hips to help him with his stance. And while we’re waiting for another couple to finish at a hole, he wraps his arms around my shoulders and rests his chin on my head. Neither of us addresses the PDA. It just flows naturally like it was always supposed to be this way.
“Now this is my favorite part of the course,” Cal says as he leads me through a series of dark tunnels to get to the next hole.
“Really, why?”
As soon as we’re inside the tunnel, he stops walking and turns around to face me. I don’t even have time to think before he lifts my chin with his finger and moves in to kiss me. As soon as his lips are on mine, all my worries and confusion vanish. I don’t fight it or pull away. I drop my golf club and grab the collar of his shirt to pull him even closer to me—which isn’t possible. He wraps his arms around my waist, not missing a beat on my lips.
Holy crap, I’m kissing Cal Sims in the middle of a mini golf course. And it’s so freaking good.
“Excuse me,” a voice says.
Cal and I manage to break free of one another and notice a family of four waiting to continue their game. The two young girls are staring at us with wide eyes, and their mother has a look of disgust on her face. I’m sure she was about to shield them from what they just interrupted.
“Sorry. You can go ahead of us,” Cal says eagerly.
They rush past us, leaving us alone in the tunnel again.
“I’m actually not sorry,” Cal whispers.
I smile. “Good, because neither am I.”
“Do you think we’ll get in trouble for making out in here?” he asks, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Maybe. Just as long as they don’t call your dad.”
He groans and throws his head back. “Why did you have to bring up my dad at a moment like this?”
I smile. “Well, someone has to be the responsible one, and we should probably keep moving before we scar more kids for life.”
He places another gentle kiss on my lips. “Okay, fine. To be continued?”
“Possibly. If you’re lucky.”
I pick up my golf club and walk toward the exit. We have four more holes left on the course after our unexpected moment in the tunnel, and all of a sudden the place is packed with people. The family ahead of us are the slowest golfers ever, and the mother continues to shoot dirty looks at us while we wait for them to take their shots. Letting them pass us has slowed us down immensely, but damn, it was worth it.
Cal and I continue to exchange glances, and it’s taking every ounce of strength I have to keep my hands to myself. In my defense, this night has been years in the making.
When we finally reach the last hole, I hit a hole-in-one again. I cheer loudly, “I won, I won.”
“I guess it’s your lucky night,” Cal says, pretending to frown.
“I think so.”
