Curvy Girls Can't Date Bad Boys - Kelsie Stelting Page 0,87
married my entire life, and they had such a quiet, content love that the kind of passion Zara and Ronan shared seemed so far off limits.
But that's what I wanted for myself. I'd been the good girl for so long, never taking risks, always walking the narrow path that everyone expected me to. I had one summer left before college, before marching band took up all my time, along with my studies.
Oohs and aahs sounded behind us, and I turned to see the tattoo gun thankfully sitting on a side table by the chaise lounge where Zara was sitting.
She held a mirror in front of her while the tattoo artist had a mirror behind her so she could take in the black ink along the back of her arm. The Latin words stood out in scrolling cursive. Audentes fortuna iuvat.
I smiled at the phrase. It had been true for her. She has taken so many risks, changed in so many ways the last few months, and she seemed happier than ever. Free and less restrained.
“My turn,” Ronan said, and a morbid curiosity drew me forward. He had so many tattoos already. What else could he add to his skin that would be new or different?
He gave directions to his friend holding the tattoo gun, but I couldn't quite make out what he said.
I stepped closer, and Carson said behind me, “Have you taken your anti-nausea medicine? I don’t want you barfing all over them.”
I swatted at him and watched as the tattoo artist placed the needle against Ronan’s skin, near one of the tattoos on his elbow.
As I looked closer, I realized that the person was adding a letter around what looked like a compass splaying from the epicenter of his elbow. The tattoo was done within seconds.
“What is that?” I asked.
He held his arm out for everyone to examine. Where the north should have been on the compass, there was now a heart.
He looked at Zara as he said, “Love will always lead me in the right direction. You are my true north.”
My heart melted, but I turned away as they kissed. It seemed like such an intimate moment. I realized how deeply I wanted a love like that for myself. And I knew this summer was my time to make it happen.
Thank you so much for reading Zara’s story! Want to stick with Zara and Ronan a little longer? Check out Hardened Hearts, a FREE bonus scene written from Ronan’s perspective. You’ll get to see him discover Zara’s note on the boardwalk!
Continue reading in the Curvy Girl Club with Callie and Carson’s story, Curvy Girls Can’t Date Best Friends. You’ll love their sweet, angsty romance, written from both of their perspectives!
Author’s Note
Can I tell you a secret? Zara was the character I was looking forward to writing the most. Sometimes I would get to daydreaming about her and her strong personality and the kind of guy it would take to steal her heart.
One of the most powerful forces in the world is a woman who knows her worth, and Zara knew hers. She knew she deserved to have her own voice, that she deserved support from her family, and that she deserved a man who loved her just as she was. And when a woman knows her worth, she won’t settle for less than, which is exactly what Ryde Alexander was.
Imagine, being presented with that kind of future: a marriage to a famous movie star with a nearly limitless supply of money and notoriety. The luxurious kind of life you would lead would be incredible, but Zara was willing to give that up for the true gold: not love, not comfort, but freedom.
In life, we’re presented with choices every day. What should we eat? Where should we go on a date? How should I wear my hair? And then we have the harder choices: where should I live? Who should I marry? What career should I choose? The issue is that every single one of these choices are based on self-worth.
What to eat? If you care deeply for yourself, you may choose a healthy diet full of rich foods that will fuel your body and brain? Feeling like crap about yourself? Hello ice cream sundae. (A trademark move of mine.)
What to wear? Do you want to wear something that makes you feel good about yourself or do you hide beneath layers and layers that cover up both the good and what you perceive to be bad?