"Is that his shirt?"

Note (SPOILER for book 3): This takes place in book 3 but I don't like the whole storyline of Jeremiah cheating on Belly. Since they changed the scene in the Beach House in the show, I thought maybe Jeremiah and Belly breaking up in Season 3 could be happening because of other reasons. If you want a part 2 for this oneshot, let me know :)!

Belly woke up, still tired from the night before. She sat in the kitchen until 3 am going through the wedding binder from Taylor, hoping she didn't forget anything.

Yesterday, Conrad went to get vases with her for the wedding. Her wedding, but not to Conrad, she was getting married to Jeremiah.

For the last few weeks, Belly had been staying at the Beach House because her mother was furious. Belly needed to escape from reality or specifically from her mother, who did not approve of her marrying so young at all.

It broke Belly's heart because she really thought Laurel would change her mind.

Conrad was also staying at the Beach House, spending his summer there.

When Belly learned that she would be staying there with Conrad, she was terrified, and she didn't even know why.

She was engaged to Jeremiah, and they had been a couple for two years now. There was nothing to fear. Or so she thought.

Walking downstairs, Belly looked at the paintings on the wall. Conrad, Jeremiah, Steven and her. Everyone had their own painting from Susannah.

Belly missed her so much. She looked at the paintings for a few seconds longer, lost in thought, until she heard someone talking downstairs.

"I will talk to you later, bye." She heard Conrad end his call.

"You don't have to hang up because of me." Belly said, giving him a smile. He sat at the kitchen table, an empty plate in front of him and his phone in his hand.

"No, it's all right. We were done talking anyways." Belly thought about his response, who was "we". Who was he talking to? Why was she even so invested, she shouldn't be. Conrad started talking again.

"I'm gonna go surfing." Conrad said and in a matter of seconds he was gone.

The tension between the two of them was strong. It felt like they walked on eggshells all the time because they feared crossing boundaries or getting too close.

Distance seemed to be the only solution, physically and emotionally. But truth be told, some evenings Belly laid in her bed and thought about what it would be like if she just went over to Conrad's room.

She didn't let herself think much further because she knew she shouldn't, she was still engaged after all. Sometimes she would dream of Conrad, how he would hold her in his arms, kissing her.

Waking up, she was always ashamed of herself for having these dreams.

Belly didn't feel like being alone in the kitchen much longer and she went up to her room. She took her wedding binder and skipped through the pages: flowers, dresses, guests, food.. It all felt overwhelming, but she wanted this, right?

A couple hours later, Belly heard the doorbell ring, and she knew it was Jere. He always came to the Beach House on Fridays and stayed until Sunday. He worked as an intern during the summer at his dad's firm. She went and opened the door.

"Jere!" she exclaimed and hugged him. He hugged her back, holding her tightly against him.

"Where's Conrad?" Jere asked as he looked around.

"He went surfing a couple hours ago."

Jere nodded and they went into the kitchen to put his things down and grab something to eat. Belly was starving.

"I'm really hungry, we could make some noodles." Belly suggested.

"Sure." Jere said smiling at her.

Belly got to work and started making the noodles, making sure there was enough for Conrad, when he came home later.

After Jeremiah and Belly were done eating, they went up to her room and just talked about the wedding.

Belly absolutely wanted to show him her dress for her bachelorette party. She bought it a few days ago in a small boutique and she absolutely adored it. It was white and had little sunflowers on it.

She tried finding it in her closet, but she realized it was right at the top and she couldn't reach it.

"Jere, could you help me? I can't reach my dress, it's all the way up there." She pointed to the top of her closet.

Jere got up and helped her. When he got the dress, he saw a shirt in her closet he didn't recognize "Cousins Rowing". This couldn't be his and it was way too big to be Belly's.

Belly, oblivious to Jeres reaction, thanked him and gave him a peck on the mouth.

"Jere, are you okay?" he looked like he saw a ghost.

"Why is Conrad's shirt in your closet?" he asked, still staring at the shirt and not looking at her.

"What do you mean? Which shirt?" Belly asked, scared and confused at the same time. Her heart started beating faster than it should. She didn't do anything wrong.

"This one!" Jere ripped the "Cousins Rowing" shirt from the hanger and held it in front of her eyes like it was poisonous, not taking his eyes off her.

"This is certainly not mine; I never had a t-shirt like this. You know that. Why do you have his shirt?" Jere asked again.

"I-" Belly took a deep breath "-it's from the time when we were together" talking about Conrad's and Belly's relationship with Jere was horrifying.

"Did you sleep with him?" Jeremiah asked, his eyes full of hurt.

CONRADS POV

"Did you sleep with him?" Jere asked. I heard everything because the door wasn't completely closed. Fuck. I thought to myself. This was not going to have a good ending.

I knew that Belly told Jere she wanted to wait, she wasn't ready and so Jere always assumed she was a virgin and I never corrected him.

It was true, Belly had slept with me. It was the December after our relationship started when we visited the beach house during wintertime.

I needed to be as quiet as possible, if they noticed me, I was done.

BELLYS POV

I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing. That was all Jere needed to know. He was hurt, his eyes empty.

"You told me you wanted to wait and so I did. I thought you wanted to wait because you never did anything, which I respected. Apparently, you just didn't want to do anything with me?!" Jere exclaimed, angrier than ever. He threw the t-shirt back in her closet.

Belly chose her next words carefully, desperate to fix this. She reached out her hand and touched Jeremiah's arm, but he immediately turned away.

"Jere, I only slept with him once. It almost didn't count. It's not about you, really. I just needed time" Belly pleaded, searching his eyes for any sign of understanding. She didn't find any.

"I need to go." He said and hurried out of her room, leaving through the front door before she had any chance to run after him.

She went back into her room and sat down on her bed, staring into nothingness. Tears started streaming down her face but not because she didn't tell Jeremiah.

She cried because he was right, she didn't want to sleep with him, she just didn't feel ready and, in this moment, she thought that maybe she never would.

CONRADS POV

I needed to talk to her even though I knew it probably wasn't the best idea.

"Belly?" I knocked softly on her door.

"Yeah, you can come in." she said, and I immediately noticed that she had been crying.

I entered the room and saw her laying on her bed, curled up with Junior Mint in her arms. I almost had to smile, but it wasn't the time for that. I sat down next to her and looked at her.

"I heard you guys fighting, are you okay?" I asked.

"He found out that we slept together." She said and I was thrown back from her words. She never talked like this.

Even though she was 18 nearly 19, she still avoided some topics the best she could.

I didn't really know what to say: I'm sorry? That would be weird because I wasn't sorry for us sleeping together. I was sorry that they fought because of it.

"Should I talk to him?" I asked.

"No!" she said very clearly. "That wouldn't help, he is too angry." Belly said.

I felt helpless seeing her puffy eyes and her face all red from crying. I wanted to reach out my hand and wipe the tears away, but I knew I couldn't and I shouldn't.

"Conrad?" Belly asked, searching for his eyes.

"Yes?"

"I am not crying because we slept together. That was- I mean- it's not because of that. Jere is right, you and I dated for a few months and Jere and I have been dating for two years. I don't want to sleep with Jere because I feel like I'm not ready but the thing is-" she sighed "-I think that maybe I'm holding back because I can't give this part of me to him" she got quieter and quieter towards the end of her sentence, avoiding eye contact.

"What do you mean?" I didn't know what else to ask, I wanted to understand her.

She whispered and I had a hard time hearing her: "I feel like this part of me belongs to you and I am not ready to give it to someone else.".

I didn't know what to say. My heart was racing. I knew I loved her years ago when we first kissed. Belly was it for me.

Hearing this from her, I didn't know how to react. Yet, this was still my brother and I promised my mom I would take care of him. I couldn't betray him like that. Like he betrayed me when he took my girl and then asked my girl to marry him.

"Belly-" she cut me off midsentence.

"Don't say anything, Conrad. I know it's stupid." Belly looked away again, avoiding eye contact.

"It's not." I said softly and she looked up again and our eyes met. I wanted to kiss her so badly, her lips on mine always felt like heaven.

Still, I knew I couldn't, and I wouldn't do this to my brother.

"Belly, I should probably go." I said. I needed to leave. I don't want to hurt Jere any further and I don't trust myself around Belly.

When I see her, I just want to embrace her, kiss her, be with her. I had to go.

"Yeah." She said, sitting up in her bed and looking at me with sad eyes.

Eyes which screamed I wish you could stayand I looked back at her with eyes screaming I wish I could stay but we both knew that wasn't possible.

I gave her a weak smile, got up and left the room.