Chapter 7

I don't think that I have ever seen Jeremiah Fisher run as fast as he did when he ran from my angry mother, and better yet, heard him have such a girlish giggle as he did as he flicked up sand behind his heels as he ran away.

The whole action reminded me of when we were younger and Jeremiah would tease the seagulls with a single cheese puff. He would taunt the seagulls into chasing him as he ran around the beach with the cheese puff held over his head in a gesture that was giving to the seagulls. He would run around in circles with about twenty seagulls fluttering above him as he attempted at evading them. I remember it would make all of us kids laugh so hard we would cry.

He finally stopped doing that when he was eleven and about three of the seagulls pooped on him as he ran away. That was something all of us made fun of him for a good chunk of the summer.

"Jeremiah!" Mom yelled as he hauled off down the beach.

Mom pinned me with a look like we were cohorts on a mission to make her life harder.

"I swear he did it. It was not me. Conrad suggested we come to you and ask. Jeremiah went rogue on this one." I said raising my hands above my head.

Mom huffed out air and came to sit down beside me on the sand.

"So he is coming after all?" I asked grinning on the inside.

"Yes, he is." Mom said as she looked out into the ocean as if the idea surprised her.

"You seem surprised." I pointed out.

"I am surprised." Mom admitted.

Maybe it was a good thing after all that Jeremiah meddled.

"If that boy didn't remind me so much of Susannah I would… I would." And my mom started grinning, she couldn't keep her face straight as she laughed into the back of her hand.

"He is someone that you can't stay mad at for long." I said giggling.

"So much like Beck." Mom said shaking her head with an ironic grin.

"I am just glad that he is back to normal." I admitted.

Mom looked over at me and rubbed my shoulder.

"Yeah well, he missed you as a friend just as much as you missed him Belly." Mom said as she saw him walking back towards us. His grin showed no remorse.

"Things seem to be getting pretty serious with Conrad pretty fast." Mom said looking at me with exploration. As if something in my eyes gave my obsession of him away, more than ever, now that he was mine. I don't think that I could survive it if he turned cold on me again.

"Yeah. It is almost like we picked up from where we left off so long ago, and then some." I said as the tide started to rise up to my toes.

"Well, you are still on the pill aren't you Belly?" Mom asked from out of nowhere.

"Mom!" I scolded. Jeremiah was almost to us.

Mom gave me a no nonsense look.

"Geez! Yes! I am! Now, shh!" I said as Jeremiah approached with a beautiful grin.

"You know how to charm an old woman Jeremiah." Mom said crossing her arms. Her ironic grin back in full-fledged fashion.

"Well, you know I love you Laur." Jeremiah said crouching down to pull her into a hug.

"How did you charm Samuel by the way? He is coming from Canada to see me." My mom asked as she held on to Jeremiah's hand that rested over her shoulders. She fiddled with it playfully.

"I said, dear Mr. Killian the third, my name is Jeremiah Fisher. I am Laurel's best friend Susannah's son and I would like to formally invite you to my beach house in Cousins, so that you can see Laurel and meet Steven, Belly, myself and my less-handsome older brother Conrad." Jeremiah said making mom laugh.

"Something along the lines of that." Jeremiah added raising his eyebrows at me.

"Well whatever it was, I guess a thank you is in order." Mom said, which made me blanch. I thought she was going to uninvite Samuel.

"Well, I am glad you don't want to kill me Laurel." Jeremiah said pretending to wipe sweat from his brow.

"Not this time." Mom said cutting her eyes at him.

Today is the day of the party. Steven has been running around stringing lights around the privacy fence around the pool.

"Belly! Get Conrad to bring more extension cords out here!" Steven yelled at me like I was five hundred miles away.

"No. I won't because you are YELLING at me!" I shouted back making him jump.

He turned and glared at me and shook his head.

"Make yourself useful. We have an awesome party happening here in four hours." Steven said dismissing me with a wave.

"Who made you party-president? Jeremiah is the best at throwing parties anyway." I said tossing a grin over at a lounging-by-the-pool Jeremiah.

"That's right, girl!" Jeremiah purred in the voice that always made me laugh.

Conrad walked out and smiled when he saw me laughing. He was carrying the extension cord that Steven had demanded, so I assumed that he must have heard him. Although I think the astronauts in space could hear him.

"Yes! Alright we are going to have the coolest party ever. We should set up tents out here so people can stay the night." Steven said rubbing his hands together and observing his handy-work.

The party was in full swing. There were more people there than I could have ever thought possible. How are there so many people in Cousins that are around our age?

I was sitting on the couch chatting with Conrad when Nicole walked in the front door and immediately ran a nervous hand through her blond hair looking around the party. She smooths her lipstick with her pinky finger. I can tell she is looking for Conrad and I can't help but say,

"Your girlfriend is looking for you." Conrad looked at me confused and I nodded my head in her direction.

He looked back and me and gave me a look of sarcasm.

"Yeah, you are funny Belly." He said rubbing my leg that was hugged close to my chest on the couch.

"Conrad!" Nicole's voice sounded overly happy from behind me. He looked up with a panicked expression.

I mocked her and mouthed, "Conrad!" with enthusiasm. He smirked.

Nicole walked by to sit on the other side of Conrad.

"How are you?" She asked sitting like me but turning towards him. He was turned to me with his arm behind me on the couch. Facing me.

He responded to her with a smile I could hear, but I couldn't see his face.

He turned back to me with a funny expression on his face.

Nicole didn't leave. She stayed on the couch watching the two of us so much that we soon after got up and walked out towards the beach.

"I saw her out here on the second day talking to you." I said, feeling brave from my beverage.

"Yeah she was walking up this way. I don't know why. She never has." Conrad said taking my hand as we walked.

"I think it is obvious." I said brushing my hair away from my face. He cocked his eyebrow at me.

"She doesn't like me Belly. She only thinks she does." He said pulling me closer, releasing my hand and putting his arm over my shoulder, pulling me closer.

"That is probably what you said about me." I said, which shocked us both.

He stopped us in front of the life guard stand and started climbing up. Once he was positioned in the seat he reached a hand down for me.

We sat together on the chair and listened to the ocean for a few minutes.

"That isn't what I said about you." Conrad answered a few minutes later which surprised me. Conrad was a professional at not responding to things that I wanted him to. I had almost forgotten that I had said that.

"Well I remember that there was a time when my affections were not returned by you." I said wrapping my arms around my waist.

It was dark and the party roared on behind us. I was surprised that one of the neighbors hadn't complained. I could hear Conrad breathing, but I could barely see him. But I knew every curve of his face. It was just another example of how in love with him I was. I was so attuned to everything about him.

"That last summer my mom was here it was hard for me. You know? Like I knew something was up. I assumed it was just something with my dad at first, but then my mom started sleeping more and not getting dressed for the day. You know how much she liked to dress up. That was how it started off the first time she was sick. But regarding all of that, the last summer my mom was here the first time I saw you I am pretty sure time stopped a little bit. I mean I know that I have seen you before. I have helped you guys carrying in your bags for what feels like a thousand times. I was always happy to see you, but this time you were just… different."

"You told me how you felt and it was reciprocated and I was angry, angrier than I have ever been in my entire life. It made me angry that you were so sweet to me, even after I was so cold to you. You were also extremely obnoxious with your Cam Cameron. Where you with him to make me jealous?"

While I was obsessing over his whole "Time stopping" talk I was fortunate enough to catch his last sentence only it made me laugh before I could answer which probably made me look guilty.

"No I did not date Cam to make you jealous." I said laughing more for the effect than meaning to.

"Uh-huh I don't believe you." Conrad said looking down at me through mischievous eyes.

"I swear I wasn't. But if you would've asked me to be with you I would have dropped him like a hot potato." I said with as much truth in my words as I could manage.

"Well Belly Conklin, you flatter me." Conrad said with a funny voice, or rather, accent that I had never heard him use. It made me laugh at how bad it was.

"I used Nicole to make you jealous." Conrad laughed to hide his embarrassment at his truth.

This shocked me. Of all of the things in the world I would never have found this to be true.

"Don't believe me?" He asked, reading my expression.

"Not at all. You two were super convincing if you were." I said shaking my head in silent, calm outrage.

"Let's see… that day we were debating on watching a movie and you lied about wanting to watch the Titanic. It was so obvious to Nicole how intrigued I was with you that she asked me about it later."

"What did she ask you?" I asked like I was a dehydrated person in the desert asking for water. He loved that he had my interest.

"She asked me why I bothered with her if I wanted to be with you. I said, I don't want to start anything with you at that time, and that you were the real thing. It made her so mad she left and didn't call for a few days." He said shaking his head at the memory.

"Hmm." Is all I said. Thinking about what he had just shared. Conrad Fisher tried to make me jealous.

"Well it worked." I said looking over at him.

"Did it?" He asked rubbing my shoulder.

"It did."

We walked back into the party and Steven was playing Katie's drums and playing them badly. Katie looked on with humor and adoration as he clashed the symbol.

Jeremiah was lounged on a floating pool lounger in the pool with his shirt off and bikini-clad giggling girls spinning him around and hanging on his every word.

I laughed at the scene and Conrad looked on to see what I was laughing at.

"Who is more like my dad now?" Conrad whispered in my ear, tickling me and making me laugh even more. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer.

Conrad looked down on me with… joy. It was in his eyes and I had never seen him look so consistently happy in all of my time knowing him. He was all the time, reserved and cool. He was never this… showy with his feelings.

"Want to go upstairs?" I asked as I reached for a bottle of vodka from the grill stand.

"What?" He asked with shock and a little excitement.

"Upstairs." I whispered pointing my eyes towards the second level of the house.

"Okay." He said as he grabbed two solo cups and led me into the house.

We all but scurried up the stairs giggling and smiling like two little teenaged rebels. He went into my room when I thought we would go into his.

"Is this okay?" Conrad asked as he sat on my bed.

"Sitting on my bed?" I asked confused.

"No being in here instead of my room." He said smiling at me with a secret thought.

"I don't mind. Although, I don't know what makes this look like a fun place to have a mini-party." I said shutting the door behind me.

"What is not fun. Look there is Junior Mint and Miss Priss, and there is your unicorn I got a you a long time ago. What is it's name?" He asked walking over to the chipped glass unicorn Conrad had gotten me for my birthday a long time ago.

"I never named it." I said.

"You never named it?" He asked with shock and then added, "and why not?"

"I don't know? It was too precious to name." I said simply.

Conrad smiled and walked over to me.

"Would you like a little drink?" He asked.

"Yes I would actually." I said walking over to the bed and sitting down and crossing my legs.

He poured a little in the cup and handed it to me and then did the same for himself.

"To us?" He cheered and asked.

"Yes to us." I said clinking our plastic cups together.

We spent some time talking. I asked him where the accent from earlier came from and he said he didn't know which made us both throw our heads back and laugh. He was so warm now. Loving. He was sharing with me and he asked me questions. He asked me about Spain and about Anika and Carlos's wedding. He asked about Benito and what he was like. He asked me what my favorite memory from high school was. I told him it was when he came to visit me for Valentines day.

"That doesn't count." He said lazily. He was boarder-line drunk now. I hadn't seen him like this since that time he was drunk at the party Cam took my to for a date.

"Yes it does!" I said and turned to put my legs up on the wall. My mind was fuzzy and floppy. It was a nice feeling.

Conrad just laid beside me shaking his head.

"When was the first time you knew you loved me?" He asked.

"When I realized I loved you or when I realized I would love you forever." I said staring up at my feet.

I could hear him smile.

"Forever." He said.

"Well it is our theme isn't it?" I paused for a moment. "It was father's day. You were thirteen and your dad didn't show up. But you did what you said you were going to do and you didn't complain. I remember we all ate it in silence even though it wasn't good. I don't know it was just something you did that solidified the fact that I was in love with you." I said almost as if I were just thinking about it in my head rather than share it with Conrad.

Conrad was thoughtful and sweet.

"You know I have been trying to think about the exact moment that I fell in love with you. I have been trying to pin-point the exact moment, and I can't. I know that probably isn't what you want to hear, but I would like to know myself. It is almost like I woke up one day and I knew. But it isn't that simple either. I had a girl back at school ask me if I have ever been in love and I said yes, but I can't recall when it happened." Conrad said as if he were admitting to a terrible crime.

I didn't want him feeling bad about this. Of all things in the world I was just glad to be his. I turned over to kiss him, almost to sooth him and he pulled me closer in desperate need. He needed my affection as much as I needed him. He groaned and ran his hands through my hair. Desire coursed through my body and I clung to him like a wet rag.

"Belly no." Conrad said pulling back and staring into my eyes. His eyes were a little glazed from drink and he looked stern.

"Why?" I asked in an overly breathy voice, again, Conrad was making me show how obsessed with him I was.

"Because we have both been drinking." He said sitting up.

"So? Tonight has been wonderful." I said sitting up and grabbing his hand.

"I agree, but this isn't right. Our first time should not be a drunken tryst at a party." Conrad said looking out my window into the dark night. Nothing could be seen.

I was quiet for a moment. My desire dwindling at his words and sweet affection taking its place.

"A tryst?" I asked making fun of him.

He smiled at me.

"A tryst?" I asked again making fun of him more.

"I know, I know encyclopedia boy." Conrad said laying back down and laughing so hard he held his ribs.

"Uh-huh." I said crossing my arms. His laughter made me laugh too. I have never seen him so hysterical.

The weekend at the beach passed by quickly. A lot of surfing and sun-lounging happened. Taylor had returned on Sunday sorely angry that she missed the party. Her mother cried Saturday morning when she tried to leave to make it back. Taylor had stayed the remainder of the day to placate her.

When mom returned on Monday she brought me Anika and Carlos's wedding invitation and save the date. They were post-marked two weeks apart. A shot-gun wedding I supposed.

"We should invite the lovely couple to the house." Taylor suggested as she flipped through a Cosmo magazine.

"Belly I think we should try this hair-style on you." Taylor said showing me a photo of one of the Kardashians.

"No thanks." I said returning to my own magazine.

"No thanks to Anika and Carlos or no thanks to the hair." Taylor asked.

"The hair. I actually think inviting them is a great idea." I said sitting my magazine down and reaching for my phone.

"Let me ask Conrad first. I mean we do have Samuel coming in this weekend for mom." I said reaching for my phone, but waiting for Conrad to come back from surfing.

"You have to ask?" Taylor asked pushing her sunglasses to the tip of her nose so that she could look over them at me.

"I don't have to, but this isn't my house." I said looking at her exasperated.

"It will be one day, and besides you are dating Conrad. He thinks you walk on water now. I would have never though that grumpy thing would show some life. He smiles more than I have ever seen him smile." Taylor said turning back to her magazine.

"I still think it would be polite to ask." I said looking on Anika's social media page to check out her and Carlo's engagement photos.

Conrad and the boys came walking back up the beach laughing at something Steven must have said.

Conrad walked straight over to me and laid down over top of me getting me completely wet. He was so cold. He got up and said, "Oh excuse me ma'am." And it made me giggle. I shivered from how cold he was.

"Yes. Excuse you." I said tossing my wet magazine to the concrete.

His eyes were filled with mirth. Yeah, keep laughing Fisher.

"So… I know Samuel is coming this weekend, but do you think there is room for two more?" I asked. He looked at me like it was a silly question.

"Of course that is fine. Who is coming?" He asked.

"Anika and her fiancé Carlos. If they can come." I said smiling at him. He was clearly checking me out.

"Are you listening?" I asked. He replied, "huh?" for effect. I knew he did hear me though. Why wasn't he more like this last night?

"Yeah that sounds good. It would be nice to meet Carlos." Conrad said as he got up to put his surf board away.

I swooned as I watched him strut away.

"Yep. I don't know who has taken over the body of Conrad Fisher." Taylor said shaking her head at his retreating figure.

I smiled in his direction.

"Me neither, but I don't mind." I said practically hugging myself.

*SORRY THIS WAS LATE I HAVE BEEN SICK! THANKS FOR HANGING IN THERE. Check back next week for more! I am going to jump ahead soon so bare with me!

THANK YOU FOR READING*