It was a perfect day at the beach, and you found yourself standing on the sand, looking at the waves, trying to ignore the feeling. Corey had convinced you to come, promising it would be a good time, just the two of you. But as you looked around at everyone else, you couldn’t help but feel odd. The bikini you were wearing felt too tight, the sun felt too bright on you, and every inch of you seemed to scream out of place.

Corey was already by the water, tossing a ball between his hands, laughing with the ocean breeze tugging at his hair. You watched him for a moment, wondering how he could look so confident in his own skin while you felt like you were shrinking under the weight of your own thoughts.

Corey looked back and waved, his smile wide. “Oi, come on! Don’t just stand there! The water’s perfect.”

You forced a smile and walked over, you stood awkwardly at the water’s edge, wishing the sand would just swallow you.

Corey noticed, his smile slipping into something softer. He stepped closer. “What’s wrong, babe?”

You shook your head, trying to downplay it. “I’m fine. Just… not used to being in the water, you know?”

He tilted his head, not buying it for a second. “Nah, I can tell something’s off. Talk to me.”

You bit your lip, feeling a lump form in your throat. “I don’t know… I just feel… I don’t know, big. Like everyone else here looks… perfect, and I just feel like I don’t belong.”

Corey frowned, his brows furrowing as he stepped closer, dropping the ball at his feet. “Babe, stop. You’re perfect, you know that? I don’t care about anyone else. You’re the one I’m here with.”

You looked up at him, unsure if you believed it. Corey must’ve seen the doubt in your eyes because he gently reached for your hand, pulling you closer. “I mean it,” he said softly. “You’ve got this body. I love every bit of it. It’s you. And that’s more than enough for me, plus you look amazing, I’m holding myself so bad you have no idea what I wanna do right now-“

He said in a flirty tone, typical of him.