Belly's POV
The sun had just moved in view of my window. Its hot rays were now on my face and the inside of my eyelids were glowing a fiery red. I was just starting to open my eyes when I heard Maria squeal.
"Isabelly! How could you!?" I jumped up quickly, throwing the covers from my bed to the ground. Maria was crouched by my backpack with a handful of letters in her hands. The letters we wrote together; the ones that were my replies to Conrad's letters, which were also the letters that I never mailed. "I helped you write these. I bought the stamps for you. Why didn't you send them?"
I walked over to her and held my hand out for the letters. "Because I didn't feel like it." Maria gave up the letters and left to the window.
"Isabel, I don't believe you. I think you were scared to send them. You are hopelessly in love with Conrad Fisher and you are afraid that he'll break your heart again."
I clutched the letters tightly to my chest and fell backwards onto my bed. "You're right. I was scared. I still am."
"Then why give him a chance now?"
"I don't know. He just… I feel like something's different now."
Maria leaned over the footboard, "But he's changed you. I saw the nightie in your laundry. You guys had sex, didn't you?"
"What? No!" Maria looked at me in disbelief. "I swear. We didn't. But I did think about it and I wanted to."
Maria's body froze. She looked at me sternly before speaking in a serious and even tone, "Isabel, we cannot have a repeat of February 2nd – you remember what happened, right?"
I looked up at her, "I was there, Maria. And thank you for helping me, but please don't bring it up again. I want to forget that it ever happened."
Conrad's POV
"Hey, Steven, I just started breakfast. Would you like a waffle?" I poured the batter over the hot waffle iron, closed the top and flipped it over. I knew Belly would want hers fresh, but I figured I could bring it up to her if she didn't hurry down.
"Uh, yeah man. Could you make it two though? I'm starved." He sat down at the table and pulled out his phone.
"Sure, no problem." I went back to work making breakfast when Steven spoke up.
"Hey, I have a text from that Cam Cameron guy that my sister used to go with. He says that he's trying to get a hold of you."
"Why would he want to talk to me? What about?" I didn't even have my phone with me. Maybe I left it somewhere.
"I dunno, but he sounds serious. Want me to call him?"
"Nah." He was probably just trying to make up something so that he could see Belly. "It's probably nothing."
Belly's POV
"Well, are you going to tell Conrad?" Maria crossed her arms.
"No. Why do I need to tell him? No one needs to know." I grabbed an old t-shirt from my drawer and a pair of shorts. "Conrad's making waffles. Want some?"
"How can you tell? I don't smell anything."
"It's Conrad," I smiled at her, "I know he's making waffles."
When we got downstairs I saw Steven already eating breakfast. "Good morning, ladies!" Steven said shoving a forkful of waffles into his mouth.
"Buenos Dias, Senor Conklin, Senor Fisher and uh, where is the other Senor Fisher?" Maria glanced around the room which prompted Conrad to speak up.
"Maria, he typically doesn't get up until he has to. And it's Conrad. No formalities for me." He pulled a fresh waffle off the iron. "Who's next?" Maria looked to me for approval, to which I nodded. I walked over to him and whispered in his ear.
"No formalities until you become a doctor. Dr. Conrad Fisher – it has a nice ring to it." He grinned at my comment.
"Not to you, Belly. To you I will always be Conrad, no matter what happens." Conrad winked at me as he started my waffle. "I'll have this ready for you in just a minute."
I went over to the table to talk with Steven and Maria when Conrad brought our breakfast over. We all joked about Maria's insistence to call us by Spanish titles when Steven's phone buzzed.
"Who's that? Mom?" I asked as I took my plate to the sink.
"Oh, uh yeah. Mom. Just asking how the weather is out here." Steven shoved his phone back into his pocket without replying.
"Well, say hi for me." He gave me a half smile and nodded quickly.
Conrad jumped in, "So, who's up for a swim?"
"Not me… too much food." Maria rubbed her stomach.
"Same for me. I think I'll watch some more of that show Taylor got me." I grabbed the television remote off of the coffee table and got the dvd player set up. "Maria, want to join me?"
Steven interjected, "Maria doesn't want to watch Gossip Girl. She's much smarter than people like Taylor."
"Wait, you have Gossip Girl?" Maria squealed. "I was watching that on my phone while I waited for my plane. I can't believe that Serena did that to Blair, I mean, her own best friend? Wow." Maria gushed as she threw herself onto the couch and snuggled with a pillow.
Steven looked at her in disbelief. "But that show is just about clothes, gossip, and sex. What good is that?"
I spoke up, "I like clothes."
"And I like gossip!" Maria added in.
There was an awkward silence where it felt like one of us had to say that we liked sex, but no one did. Finally Steven said, "Thank God, Belly. I thought you were going to say that you liked... well, you know. You had a look on your face." I felt Conrad's eyes burning on me and turned to see him smiling at me devilishly. He was obviously just teasing me, but he had no idea why I had actually given Steven a look.
"Well, we better get started. You guys can go do whatever you want. Buh-bye!" I shooed them off. Steven went outside, probably to swim or hang at the beach, and Conrad went upstairs to his room. He closed his door like he always used to. After a while I thought I heard a strum of guitar strings, but Conrad hadn't played in years. It was probably just a CD.
Conrad's POV
"Where's that box?" I said quietly to myself. I hadn't seen it in years, probably before mom died, but I needed it now. It held all of the things I kept from growing up at the beach house; even all the songs I wrote for mom. She said that it was important to write those kinds of things down so that you wouldn't forget about them later.
I stopped searching for a bit when I picked up my guitar and tuned the strings up. Naturally, I had to start playing. I was strumming a random rhythm out when I remembered where I had last put it. Quickly, I went over to the old fruit crate I had and moved some books out of the way to find the small cardboard box with my name scrawled on it: Conrad's. Keep Out.
Inside where numerous trinkets from summer's here with my family and the Conklin's; the bait hook that Jeremiah got hooked in my thumb, the funny 'gone bananas' card Laurel gave me for my thirteenth birthday, and the seashell that Belly gave me when we went on a walk by the beach.
She was only six years old, and now that I look back on it, she had loved me even then. It's like she had loved me since the day she was born. I remember mom taking Jere and I to the hospital to see Laurel and the baby, but she didn't look like much to me. Now she was a beautiful woman with a lively attitude and bright smile.
I was reminiscing through the box's contents when I found all of my old songs folded up on the bottom of the box. "There it is!" I called out before jumping onto my bed. The song was titled 'The One'; I had written it when I was fourteen years old, right after my mother told me about there being one special girl out there for me. She had said that it was a possibility that when I looked up at the sky and saw beautiful things that the girl that was made for me was out there looking up too. I had no idea that it would be the girl next to me splashing chlorine water in my face.
The song wasn't finished though. I was going to finish writing the song about Belly. She was the one made for me; the one that my mother told me about. When I complete it I will perform it on my guitar and sing to her.
Belly's POV
"Isabelly! Put the next disc in, please?" Maria squealed again as I changed the discs around. She was getting way too involved in the lives of these people. About as much as the people in the show that followed Gossip Girl's blog in the first place.
I wasn't really interested in the show like she was. The clothes were awfully beautiful and luxurious, but it's not like I could ever afford them. Nor would I want to pay that much for a pair of shorts. The sensuality between the characters did get to me. I wondered what it would be like to do things like that with Conrad.
I plopped back down into the recliner as the title sequence started when I felt the cushions vibrate. Maria looked over at me, "Isabelly, your phone is buzzing."
"It's not mine. I think it's –" I searched the cushion to find Conrad's phone with several unread messages and calls. "It's Conrad's… It looks like Cam is trying to get a hold of him. You remember Cam right, Cam Cameron?" Maria nodded. I opened his inbox to see what Cam had been sending him since last night and immediately ran up the stairs.
Conrad's POV
"No, it should be 'those summer days brought you to me,' not 'those summer days, our lives by the sea'. The summer house is by the ocean, not a sea." I muttered to myself as I erased various lines to the point that I could only cross them out. "I'm going to need to rewrite this on another sheet…" I said as my door flung open with Belly at its opposite side.
"Conrad, Jeremiah's not here!" She exclaimed out of breath before continuing, "Cam saw him walking around the pier last night drunk. He tried to get him to come home, but he wouldn't listen!" I jumped up and flew to her.
"What do you mean? Does Cam know where he is now?" I asked hurriedly.
"He said that he was driving past East Point on his way to work and Jeremiah was standing by the front cliff. Conrad, I'm scared." Tears started to roll down her cheek. My brother certainly loved playing with Belly's emotions lately. It was probably nothing if not a stunt to trick Belly into loving him again, and if so, I was going to make him pay for it.
"Don't worry. I'll go find him." I rushed out of my room, down the stairs and out the door. Belly called after me.
"I'm coming with you!"
"No, Belly, this is a brother thing. I'm sorry but I have to go alone." She seemed to understand. I hated to have to leave her behind, but her coming along could make the situation worse. I got in my car and headed for East Point. It was an ocean-side park for people to visit. Not many people go to the top of the cliffs because of its rough terrain, so I knew that he wasn't making a scene or causing a panic.
I just couldn't believe that he was faking this; the lengths that he would go to to steal Belly from me. But maybe he wasn't making some ploy. Perhaps he actually needed me, his brother, to come help him.
It took about ten minutes of a drive to get to East Point, but as soon as I pulled into a parking spot I turned off the engine and started jogging up the trail. I had been working out a lot lately at the gym so the run up there was nothing, but the air was oddly dry for being next to the beach. I headed on the left trail at the fork when I saw Jeremiah standing at the edge of the cliff, his head hung down low and his arms were at his side.
"Jere, what are you doing?" He barely looked back at me. I walked closer to him. "Jeremiah, why are you here?"
"Why do you think I'm here?" He said coldly.
"Because Belly rejected you? I don't know." His eyes darted back at me fiercely.
"You think that's why? Then you have no idea."
"No. I don't. That is why I am here." I put my hand on his shoulder. The sun was beaming down on us. It must be about one or so by now. "Jeremiah, I am your brother. Please tell me what's wrong."
"We're not brothers." He said evenly. Those words seemed dead; no emotion or passion, just there. Lifeless.
"What are you talking about?" I tried to joke, "Of course we're brothers. We can play tackle football without any mercy." I saw him crack a smile, which was a good sign.
"I mean that I am not your brother. I tried taking the love of your life, several times. I cannot be trusted. I just ruin everything." He collapsed to the ground.
"Jeremiah, I trust you more than anybody, you know that. You don't ruin everything." I sat down next to him.
"I – I just wish that I could take it all back. I wish I hadn't hurt Belly like that. Cheating on her and kissing her. I wish I hadn't gotten in the way of your guy's life together. I wish I could fix it all." He put his face into his hands and I could tell that he was crying. Jeremiah wasn't above crying. Not that I thought there was anything wrong with it, I just didn't do it unless I was completely alone.
"You keep saying 'I'. I this, I that. You can fix it by being the brother that I grew up with; the Jeremiah that Belly and Steven knew at the beach house." He looked up at the sun and then to me.
"I will. And I will find a way to fix everything. A brother to a brother." He forced a smile. I could always tell when he was forcing a smile, though he didn't do it often.
"Good. Now, please come home. Belly was scared out of her wits about you."
"Why? Because I was gone?"
"No. Cam Cameron was texting me about you being drunk and looking suicidal out here by the cliffs." His eyes grew wide.
"What? Suicidal? You've got to be kidding me. I'm just up here thinking. And I'd like to stay a little longer." Jeremiah looked forward to the ocean.
"If you promise to be home by dinner, then alright." I stood up to leave and turned around one last time, "Jere, remember that Belly will always love you. Just show her that you respect her and love what she loves."
"Love what she loves…" I heard him say to himself as I started jogging down the trail. On the way I home I stopped by the boardwalk and looked over at the ring toss booth. Flashes of that day went through my mind. I remembered seeing a thin girl there with shorts on. Short shorts, like those sexy ones girls wore in old rock music videos. Belly wore a pair of short shorts today; blue with white vertical stripes. She looked good in anything, but seeing her made me wish that she wasn't wearing anything.
"I need to stop thinking that." I mumbled to myself. Belly wasn't going to let horn-dog Conrad win her heart; I had to do this the right way.
God, I wanted her so bad. I wanted to pull her shirt over her head and toss it to the ground. I would stand behind her to unfasten her bra and slide it off, only to cup her large, round – "Hey! Conrad!" I turned to see Cam Cameron waving over at me. "Did you find Jeremiah? Is he alright?"
"Yeah. He's fine." Cam gave me a quick thumb-handshake and patted my back.
"Good to hear. So Belly called me and I went by to see her. She seems to be doing well." Wait. He was at the summer house? "So I know that Jeremiah and Belly had a thing going on, but to be honest I can't tell what rumors were and what truth was. Anyways, do you think I have a shot, man?"
I turned to him and scoffed, "You and Belly? Please. She likes someone else." Cam looked dumbfounded as I grabbed my keys and headed back to my car.
"And would that someone be you? Little presumptuous, don't you think, Fisher? I think that Belly likes educated men like myself."
"That's a little pretentious, don't you think, Cameron?" I tried to follow his form, but using his last name sounded odd being as it was his first name too. He cracked a smile.
"We'll see, Fisher, we'll see." Cam Cameron walked off to a group of people by the soda shop. What an asshole, trying to claim Belly like that.
When I got back to the summer house it was nearly evening. I had lost track of time out at East Point and the boardwalk, I even missed lunch, but I wasn't hungry. Swimming seemed like the only thing I could do at this point.
To be honest, I was scared earlier as I was heading up the trail to Jeremiah. I didn't know what I was going to find. Cam had freaked Belly and I out saying that Jeremiah was suicidal and all. Then he tries to put a stake in Belly like a game. The guy really pisses me off.
I didn't have my swimming trunks, but I didn't want to go inside, so I swam in my boxer shorts. Lap after lap I swam without looking up. I couldn't face Belly right now. I needed to expel all of my energy, both physically and sexually, and crash in bed for the night. No dinner. No entertainment. No Belly.
Belly's POV
"Twenty-seven…" I whispered to myself. Conrad had been gone all day and now he was swimming laps in the pool like I used to. His swimming technique seemed to have some anger though, but he obviously doesn't exhaust as easily as he used to.
The sun was starting to set. Steven had ordered us pizza for dinner, but I said I'd grab some when Conrad did. Jeremiah still hadn't shown up. Conrad would still be looking for him if he hadn't found him, and if something bad had happened he would have told us right away, so I guess he was alright. I just wished I knew what was bugging Conrad.
"I come bearing food!" Maria sang as she handed me two slices of pepperoni pizza and a serving of potato chips. I knew she would notice what I was doing right away, but she waited before saying anything. A moment passed before she spoke, "Belly, how do you feel about Conrad? Like, really feel."
I figured I should be upfront because I needed advice. I didn't know what to do anymore. "Maria, he is the only guy I have ever wanted to spend my life with. I know that Jere and I almost got married, but hindsight's 20/20, ya know? Conrad's the guy for me, but I don't know if I'm the girl for him."
"Of course you're the girl for him!" She grabbed the slice of pizza that I had just bitten into, threw it back onto the plate and moved it to the end table. "Belly, Conrad is your one, alright? And you are perfect for him. You have shown him numerous times how much you love him. And him? Well, he gave you a necklace. That's cute and all, but you can't base a relationship off a necklace and a last minute confession of love the night before your would-have-been wedding." Maria could be so blunt sometimes.
"So what should I do?" I looked up at her, blinking repeatedly to hide the water welling up in my eyes.
"Well, first, you've got to stop crying over him. Give Conrad some time to figure out his next move. Guys need more time than us girls to come up with romantic stuff." Maria poked my side. She did know how to cheer me up.
I looked outside to see Conrad getting out of the pool. Maybe it would be a good idea to give him some time. At least a day. I just wanted him to wrap his arms around me so badly; and to feel his lips kissing mine. I wonder if he felt the same way, and not just in the way that all guys do.
"Hello? Is anybody home?" Jeremiah called up the stairs. He was finally back!
Longer chapter this time since I made all of my ardent fans wait so long. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you think this chapter says about the rest of the story. I'll try to update soon, but I want to hear what you guys have to say, so please review!