Chapter 1
The sky was a piercing blue, covered only in a few light clouds. The waves crashed into the sun was shining on the summer house, making it look even more complete, even more beautiful. Seagulls were sitting on its roof, crying out in desperation.
That's what I loved about this place- no matter how I felt, no matter how upside down my life was, or no matter how many things had changed, when I was here, it felt as if nothing had changed at all. For some reason, everything was okay for a little while. I was suddenly a little girl again, getting thrown into the pool by Jeremiah and Conrad. I was at the beach again, watching the sunset with Susannah. I was here, here, here. I was Belly.
Conrad. I closed my eyes and smiled when his face appeared in my mind; his perfectly smooth skin, his eyes, his smile. My soulmate, my first love, my husband. What a weird thing to say, but at the same time so fitting. Our wedding had been seven months ago. Seven long, incredible months. It felt like a lifetime, and I had trouble remembering my life beforehand. It had been nice, too. Not comparable to now, but nice. Jere and I had been a great team, and although it was still very awkward between us, we tried to get along as well as we could, given the circumstances. I still laughed at his jokes and he still asked me how I was. I know he still cared. Maybe not as much as he used to, but he did. And I cared, too. He would always be my best friend, because I knew him too well. But it wasn't the same. Sometimes, when he came to visit Con and me, I had the urge to hug him. To hold him. But I wouldn't allow my feelings to take over- it was just not us anymore.
It was Friday, and Conrad, Jere and I decided to stay at the summer house for the weekend. I was nervous, since we hadn't been here together for a very long time. But I was happy, too. The boys would be here in about an hour, which gave me time to clean the house and be alone for a little while. With a deep breath I opened the door and stepped in. It looked the same as always, the furniture not have been moved. I placed the shopping bags on the counter and started to put the groceries into the refrigerator. Then, I vacuumed the carpet and wiped the shelves, replacing the books alphabetically. It might have seemed a little exaggerated, but Susannah's house deserved the view in detail. It deserved someone to take care of it. When I was finished, I stepped onto the porch and watched the ocean. It made me feel alive. It made me remember all of the countless summers we had spent here, all of the memories I had never shared with anybody.
And then Conrads car pulled into the drive way, and I watched the boys get out and come towards me, my boys, Conrad smiling his best Conrad smile and Jeremiah giving me a thumbs up.
"Good morning, Wifey" Conrad said, kissing me on the cheek. He loved teasing me like that, because he knew I hated the word wifey. I grinned at him and punched him in the shoulder. Then I stopped to look at Jere. He looked as handsome as ever, his grin a little unsure. "Hi, Jere." I said, smiling at him. He gave me a quick hug and replied, "Hi, Belly."
"Isabel," Conrad corrected him. "She's Isabel now."
When I noticed Jere's questioning look, I quickly shook my head. "Please call me Belly." Although I was now used to people calling me Isabel, it sounded too formal for him to call me that.
"Isabel." he said it slowly, testing it, testing the sense of it on his tongue, as if he had never thought of it before. "No, I like it. It fits you. You're so much... older now." He smiled at me, but I think I saw a small hint of sadness in his eyes. Maybe the regret of making wrong decisions, maybe the knowledge that I was once his. But I could have been mistaken. "Uhm, should we go inside? Are you guys hungry? I thought of making some rice curry... is that okay with you?"
Conrad winked at me, and I blushed a little. His small gestures still made me feel like a teenager, giggly and a little uncomfortable. "I can cook, too." He offered, as we went inside and sat on the couches. "I thought we might just make some pancakes? You know, for old times sake." Jere said, and for some reason, it was one of the best ideas he ever had. We all agreed to this decision, so I stood up, clapped my hands happily and called "Pancakes, then!"
It would be an interesting weekend, I was sure of that.
* This is it- the first, (admittedly short) chapter! The story will soon be continued, I just don't have that much time at the moment! But review if you want to!