Page 17 of Bad Behavior

“All right. Let’s look around at the other stuff they have in here.” He sets the board down. “Here, check out these wetsuits.”

Jameson indicates a rack of wetsuits of practically every shape and size. I wander over, feeling the rubbery texture of a suit between two fingers.

“You’ll probably want a wetsuit. It’s a personal choice, but the ocean is pretty damn cold.” He holds up one that is about my size. “Might wanna try this on.”

I grab it. “It’s a wetsuit. How bad can the fit really even be?”

He shrugs. “Pretty bad.”

I roll my eyes. “Alright. I’ll try it on in a minute. What else?”

“Well, then you probably want some surf wax… and some serious sun protection…”

I follow Jameson around the store, trying not to look at the size of his hands and feet, or to check out his ass. I feel like I’m a guy; like I just constantly think about sex when I’m around him.

But only him. No other guy has ever turned my head the way that he does. I sigh to myself as he leads me around the shop.

Will he ever notice me? Will I just be a virgin forever?

I’m not paying much attention as the store tour goes on, and I walk right into him. My face careens toward his, and he reaches out to help me catch my balance. We are really close for a second, our faces only inches apart.

“Oh, sorry!” I say, blushing a bit. My hair scatters all around my face, ever a nuisance.

He steadies me, looking at me for a second. He lifts his hand, brushing a stray strand of hair out of my eyes. “You smell nice. Like… lemons, I think.”

He likes how I smell.My breath catches, and I look down at his mouth. Is he going to kiss me?

But no. He realizes all too soon that he’s too close for his comfort, and makes an effort to stand back.

“Right,” he says. “Anyway, I was thinking that you could borrow one of my boards for next week…”

“Next week?” I echo.

He gives me a look. “Yeah, I was saying that we should go out to the beach next week, to test out your skills. I’ll bring the sun block and the wax and the boards, you just need to bring a wetsuit.”

He looks pointedly at the suit in my arms.

“Right! Yeah. I guess I should try this wetsuit on then.”

Jameson looks at his watch. “It’s only 2:40… if I hurry, I can catch a few waves before I have to work the night shift at Cure. You don’t mind, right?”

I deflate a little bit. I guess it really didn’t matter what color bikini I wore today, because he’s leaving without seeing it.

“Uh, sure,” I say.

“Alright. I’ll see you soon, no doubt.”

For a second, there’s an awkward moment where he stares at me, maybe trying to decide if he should hug me or not. Then he seems to give himself a little shake.

“Later.” He turns and strides out of the shop, leaving me there alone.

I make a frustrated sound and turn toward the back, to ask the lady working where I can try the suit on.

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