Taking Up Space

Lou is tired of being treated like ballast. In a sport where every kilo matters, her body is seen as a liability. Either too heavy for the bow, too much for the trim. She has learned to read between the lines of polite rejection. Carl has never once mentioned her weight. When they were paired randomly for a club paddle, he simply checked her footrest, asked about her paddle preference, and pushed off.
They discovered a natural rhythm, their strokes falling into sync like old friends. On a lazy Sunday paddle, a hidden log capsizes their kayak in a stagnant river cutting. The water is thick with fine fenland silt. Their dry bags are sealed, but their bodies are plastered in grey clay. They have less than two litres of clean water and a long paddle back. The only way to avoid crippling chafing is to wash each other...
thoroughly. Everywhere the silt got into. This is a slow-burn erotic novella about two ordinary people who discover that necessity can strip away every barrier, and that desire doesn't require a perfect body, just the right person. Includes a plus-size protagonist, explicit verbal and non-verbal consent, sensory detail, kayaking, outdoor intimacy, and a happy ending that celebrates taking up space.
For anyone who has ever been told they are too much. Word count: 17, 206