Chapter 4
Conrad:
I walk Belly to her room that morning and when we reach her bedroom door, she hesitates. Before she steps inside, she turns around and hugs me abruptly. I hesitate at first then wrap my arms around her. It was still so new for him to be able to hold her like this again.
"Thank you, Conrad." Belly whispers, her voice gone from the day before. She was no longer crying but there was a heaviness to the air. A stillness between them. "I'm glad you're here."
Conrad closes his eyes, his cheek pressed against her hair and they stayed like that for awhile. He never wanted to let go of her but he knew he must. The sun would rise in a few hours and they had stayed up talking all night. It had been a long day.
"Sleep well, Belly." Conrad whispers as he releases her in the dark then he walks away.
Belly whispers to his back, "You too."
Before Conrad steps inside his room, he looks back to see Belly watching him as she slowly shuts her door. He could only make out her shadow but he knew she had been looking at him. He lingers for a few seconds wanting nothing more than to knock on her door and fall asleep with her in his arms. "Good things come to those who wait, Connie." His mother's words cross his mind again and he shuts his door behind him, letting her sleep.
Conrad lays awake for hours unable to turn his brain off. He replays the day before in his head and stares up at the ceiling wondering if he had done the right thing. Uninviting his own blood – his own brother – to Cousin's was one of the hardest things he had ever done. It felt wrong. But how could he support what his brother was doing? How could he be happy for his brother when he was directly hurting the one person Conrad cared about the most? Conrad loved Jeremiah. Sure they had their differences but at the end of the day, Jeremiah was his little brother and nothing would change that. At least that's what he thought until yesterday. Maybe Jeremiah hated him now. Maybe they would never speak again. Maybe Conrad had fucked everything up again but at least he had stuck up for Belly. That had to count for something.
He agonizes over her and wonders if she was awake replaying the day in her head too. They were similar in that way. He feels restless knowing there was nothing he could do. This was between her and Jeremiah. Conrad had to stay out of it. At least he was trying to… but it was hard when it came to Belly. He'd never heard her cry like that before as he held her by the pool. There was only one other person he had heard cry like that in his entire life. His mom.
Years earlier
Boston, MA
Conrad walks in the front door to the sound of a dish breaking. Then another. He shuts the door behind him slowly. It was coming from the kitchen.
"Susannah, stop!" Adam's voice echos off the tile of the kitchen. "Look at me!"
Another dish breaks and Conrad hears his mother sobbing hysterically. He keeps himself hidden as he inches closer to listen to their conversation. He'd never heard his mom cry like this.
Something was wrong.
"How many times was it, Adam?" Susannah cries out.
There was a long and painful silence between Susannah and Adam.
"It was.. It was during chemo…" Adam struggles to answer her.
"I knew it." Susannah whispers, shaking her head. "I just didn't want to believe it. I've known all along it was her. You never were that creative…"
Conrad's heart drops. It all clicked now. The fighting. The broken dishes. His mother's tears.
His father had cheated on his mother when she had been sick.
Conrad feels all the love he has for his father die in that moment.
"Suz, it meant nothing." Adam begs. "We can make this work. Let me fix this-"
"This isn't something you can fix, Adam!" Susannah cries out. "What's done is done. It's over."
"You don't mean that."
"I do." Susannah tries to find her strength. "I want you to leave, Adam."
"You really want to do this?" Adam raises his voice, his voice vibrating off of the kitchen tile. "What are we going to tell the boys? You're not thinking this through!"
"I am." Susannah's voice turns cold. "You have the summer to move out. I'll tell the boys then."
"Suz… I'm begging you to give me another chance."
Conrad clenches his fists at his father's words – a weak man he once idolized.
"No." Susannah's voice backs away from him. "I can't do this anymore."
"All I'm asking for is time to show you I can-"
"Some of us don't have the luxury of time, Adam!" Susannah raises her voice.
"What does that mean?" Adam shakes his head.
"It's back." Susannah's voice is tight when she says, "The cancer is back, Adam."
Conrad goes numb, his mind disassociating from his body.
"What?" Adam repeats back in shock. "But the chemo worked… You did everything right."
Susannah voice breaks, "I know. But the cancer came back and spread. It's everywhere now."
Conrad falls back against the wall. He feels like he can't breathe. He feels like his heart stopped working. It was one blow after another. First, Adam's affair. Now, Susannah's cancer. He looks at their family portraits above the stairs with tears in his eyes. The life and family he knew before was gone – forever ripped away from him.
"Susannah, what can I do?" Adam talks fast. "There must be something. Some experimental trial or medication. Let me make a few calls-"
"No. I'm not going through all of that again. It was too hard the first time."
"But the doctor says it's spread. We have to act fast, Suz-" Adam tries to convince her.
"There is no 'we', Adam. You need to let me do this my way."
Adam is quiet for a long time as he takes in what her words mean.
"How much… how much time do you have if…" His voice is low.
"Not long."
Tears fall from Conrad's face and he squeezes his eyes shut, wishing he could just disappear.
"Suz, If I had known…" Adam's voice cracks like the broken dishes on the floor.
"Like that would have made a difference?" Susannah laughs at the thought. "Let's face it. You're never here, Adam. Not for the boys or for me."
"I can be." Adam finds his voice again. "Let me help you, Susannah."
Susannah shakes her head 'no' and walks away from him to throw the broken dishes in the trash. Adam felt like she was throwing away their life together too. Or maybe he had already done that himself with the affair.
"If you won't do it for me then what about the boys?" Adam raises his voice again, in denial his wife was dying of cancer. "Think about Jere and Connie. They're going to need someone when you…." He doesn't finish the sentence.
"It's not your decision to make!" Susannah spouts back. "I'll tell the boys after you've moved out. It'll be easier that way. Then Laurel will help me with the rest. I just need one last perfect summer in Cousin's with everyone first..."
Adam starts to lose it. Conrad had never heard his dad cry. Ever.
It takes everything in Conrad to not cry for him too.
Susannah walks over to him, trying to find the right words. As much hate as her heart held towards him for his affair, there was also a deep love underneath it all for the life they had built together.
"I love you, Adam." Susannah cries with him, cupping his face. "Everyone told me not to but I always have. You gave me the two greatest gifts of my life, Jere and Connie."
"I love you, Suz. I'm so sorry." Adam cries in her hands.
It was the last time Conrad would hear his parents say they loved each other.
"I'm not good at this…" She whispers. "But it's time to accept the fact that I won't be around for much longer. I don't have time to sit and wait for you to be the man you vowed to be. I've made peace with my decision and all I need from you is for you to respect that." She drops her hand.
They look each other in the eyes. They both knew this was it. They had to let each other go.
"I love you but I can't have you next to me at the end. You have to let me go, Adam."
Conrad doesn't remember his feet walking out the front door that day. He doesn't remember starting his car or driving away. He doesn't remember his day at school. All he knew was it was the worst moment of his life. He drives around for hours, punching the steering wheel with tears streaming down his face. He cries for his beautiful mom. He cries for the family he thought he had. He cries until his tears turn into anger. It made him bitter. He was angry at his father. Angry at God. Angry at himself for crying like a baby. For the first time in his life, Conrad felt truly alone. He knew he couldn't tell Jeremiah. He felt a responsibility to protect his little brother from the secret affair of his father and the tragedy of what was to become of their mother. He considers calling Laurel but he couldn't do that to Susannah. She'd never forgive him. It would be the most selfish thing he could do right now – inflict this type of heartbreaking news on someone else. It was a burden he would have to carry alone. He convinced himself that if he kept the truth buried it would keep her alive.
He decides from that day forward to be the opposite of his father. Adam's approval meant nothing to him now. He would do everything in his power to spite him. The next day, he skips practice and eventually quits football – a sport Conrad would surely miss. He buys his first pack of cigarettes because he wasn't an athlete anymore. He sneaks beer into his room at night. And it doesn't take long for Aubrey to break up with him because he's 'changed' but none of it matters. All that mattered to teenage Conrad was his precious mother and the time he had left with her – an hourglass of sand that would someday run out.
Susannah was strong but even Conrad knew, she couldn't face all of this on her own. He would do everything he could to help her. To make her life easier. He would pick up after himself and Jere. He would tuck her in at night. He would do the dishes. Fold his laundry. Keep his room tidy. Quit extracurriculars so he could be home more. He would be what Adam never was for Susannah: present.
He had to face the fact cancer would take his mom from him and there was nothing he could do. So every single day that Spring he had to sit back and watch it happen. He had to pretend to Jere that her sleeping in and her low energy was normal. He had to act like it was just any other day. But he knew her secret and just like the cancer that was attacking her body the secret was slowly killing him inside too.
There was the Conrad he was before and the Conrad he was after.
Nothing would ever be the same.
Belly wakes up to a tap on the shoulder. It's Taylor sliding a muffin on a plate towards her.
"I thought I should save you one before the boys get to it." Taylor laughs.
Belly rubs her eyes and sits up, pulling the plate towards her, "Thanks."
"So... Steven and I planned to go shopping for our place today." Taylor presses her lips together. "But I can totally stay if you need me here."
Taylor and Steven were taking their relationship to the next level: they were moving in together. Everything was falling into place for them. They had signed a lease to a new apartment last week and Belly was genuinely happy for them. They were soulmates.
Belly shakes her head. "Taylor. You've been talking about it all week. You should go."
"Yeah, but…" Taylor drops her eyes. "That was before yesterday happened."
"Taylor, I'll be fine. You guys should go. Get out of the house and have some fun!"
"Are you sure babe? Steven was really worried about you… We all were."
Belly lets out a deep breath, "You guys don't need to worry about me. I've been through worse."
Taylor nods then pauses and asks, "Would you want to come with us?"
Belly knows she doesn't mean it and to be quite honest, Belly wasn't really in the mood to be around two lovebirds or for a shopping trip.
Belly laughs, "No thanks. I'm good here." She takes another bite of the muffin. "Besides, I slept in and I feel much better today." She nods, trying to convince herself.
Taylor squints at the bags under her eyes, "Something tells me you didn't get a lot of sleep."
Belly remembers her late night and morning with Conrad then rolls her eyes at Taylor.
"Okay, fine." Taylor exhales. "But the real question is are you going to be okay all alone with Conrad?"
Belly takes another bite of the muffin, "I think I can handle Conrad on my own, Tay Tay."
"Can you?" Taylor tilts her head, pursing her lips. "Don't think Steven and I didn't see you two together at the beach the other night."
Belly blushes. "We were just talking, Taylor."
"Mhmm. Justtt talking." Taylor repeats with sarcasm then laughs, rolling her eyes. "Steven talks to Conrad, Belly. I know you two are friends again. Whatever that means."
"It's not like that, Taylor. We really are just friends."
Taylor raises her eyebrows at her, "Mhmm. Justtt friends."
Belly throws a pillow at her, laughing. "Don't you have like some furniture to buy or something?"
Taylor laughs in her Taylor way then stands up to walk to the door. "Yes but if you need absolutely anything I'm just a call or text away. I'll be the one driving because Steven drives like a grandma. Just let us know, okay?"
Steven passes by the open door, "I can hear youuu!"
"That's why I said it!" Taylor laughs at him then nods at Belly. "You promise you're going to be okay, Cinderbelly?"
Belly laughs, "I'm fine. Go have fun. I'll see you later!"
Taylor winks before she shuts her door, "See you later."
Belly hears Steven give Taylor a hard time in the hallway as they walk downstairs to leave.
"I do not drive like a grandma. I drive like batman." He says in his 'batman' voice. The one Belly heard eight million times growing up. Belly laughs at the two of them.
"Keep telling yourself that!" Taylor laughs and Belly hears the front door close behind them.
Belly finishes the muffin in her bed then decides to take a hot shower. She rinses the tear-stained mascara off from the night before and uses a shampoo and conditioner Susannah used to put in her bathroom every summer. It smelled like sunshine and oranges. Conrad was good about things like that; keeping the bathrooms stocked. She smiles at how well he knew her and gets ready for the day. Afterwards, she makes her way downstairs to fix herself a bowl of her favorite cereal. She eats alone at the counter and cracks a window to enjoy the cool ocean breeze and chirping birds. There was no sign of Conrad. She figured he was probably out on a run or giving her space. She didn't mind it. She was grateful to have a few moments alone.
After breakfast, she decides to watch some tv and scroll through job openings on her phone. Laurel had been pestering her about post-graduation plans but the truth is Belly had no plans. She didn't know where she would be living a few months from now let alone what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. She couldn't avoid or put off the future any longer. It was here. Everyone seemed to have a plan except for her. Taylor and Steven were moving in together. Anika was moving in with her long-distance boyfriend Owen. All of her friends from school were moving on with their lives. Whenever she thought about her future, it was cloudy. Uncertain. Blank. As if her future was blocked and not ready to reveal itself to her either.
She looks out the window with a sigh and is surprised when she sees Conrad. He was in the backyard sitting on a chair by the pool with one hand pawing at his chest. He looks as pale as a ghost similar to when he had gotten cut by his fin years ago and she had to clean the cut. His surfboard was on the ground next to him and Belly's eyes widen in fear. She runs outside.
"Conrad?" She says as she approaches him.
He looks up at her with a pained expression then looks away. He can't seem to catch his breath. His entire body was shaking under his wetsuit. She'd never seen him like this before.
She walks over and places a hand on his shoulder, about to say something but the temperature of his body makes her gasp and remove her hand. He was cold and wet to the touch. She looks at him and he refuses to look at her. Then everything clicks into place in her mind.
The shortness of breath. The chills. The shaking. His hand on his chest.
He was having a panic attack.
Belly acts fast.
"Sometimes I would do this before a game to help me calm down. Here..." Belly takes his hand in hers and walks him through a deep breathing exercise. She knew he was embarrassed but she didn't care. All she knew was she wanted to be there for him like he had been there for her last night. Minutes pass and she doesn't leave his side as she squeezes his hand tighter. Eventually his breathing returns back to normal, his muscles stop shaking, and his hand drops from his chest.
"Conrad?" Belly whispers after a few moments of silence.
"I'm sorry you had to see that…" He swallows, not looking at her.
"You're apologizng for having a panic attack?" She laughs, dropping his hand. She remembers the time he broke his arm and didn't tell anyone. She shakes her head, "Same old Conrad."
Conrad catches her hand, finally looking at her. "And you're still the same old Belly."
They look into each other's eyes. It was true. On the outside, they were different. They were older now. But at their core they were still the same old summer kids. And at her core, she still held a place in her heart for Conrad Fisher.
She smiles up at him, "Yeah, I guess so."
There was an awkward pause between them then they drop each other's hand.
After a few moments Belly asks him, "Do you… do you have these a lot?"
Conrad looks to the sky, "Not really. They come and go."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Conrad shakes his head 'no' and stands up. Belly sighs.
"I thought we agreed we wouldn't shut each other out." She says, standing up with him. "Come on, Conrad. I know you. We used to be able to talk about anything..."
Conrad's eyes flash to hers then he looks at the pier where his mom used to sit and paint. "I just feel like I keep fucking everything up. I promised her I would always look after Jere but I did the exact opposite of that yesterday. I just feel like… a failure."
Belly studies the day-old cuts and bruises on his face, feeling empathy for him.
"Conrad, you can't blame yourself for every bad thing that happens. You're not a failure. This doesn't just fall on you. Everyone was out of line yesterday, including Jere. Things were said that we can't take back… but." She sighs, trying to search for the right words to console him.
Then the right words come to her.
"But it won't feel like this forever." She recites Susannah's words by heart. "We will find our way back to each other."
"What?" Conrad whispers, looking at her again.
"It's what your mom said to me before she passed. She said the three of us would find our way back to each other eventually." Belly whispers, remembering it like it was yesterday. "I don't know how or when but I just know in my heart she has to be right."
Conrad's expression softens as he listens to her but she can still see the pain in his eyes. He never wanted anyone to see how badly he was hurting. She had to save him from himself. She had to get him out of his own head.
"Well…" She puts her hands on her hips. "I guess there's only one way to know for sure if she is right."
Conrad looks at her with a confused expression and she does her best to hide her smile.
"I guess there's only one thing left to do." She laughs.
She doesn't give Conrad any time to react. She grabs him by the arms and hurls him into the pool with her. Their bodies plunge into the water and they don't let go of each other. They share a moment underwater before rising to the surface to catch their breath.
"Belly!" Conrad laughs, splashing her then he dunks her again.
He holds her hands underwater and Belly looks at him, feeling a magnetic pull between them. If their faces had been any closer, she was sure he would have kissed her. She rushes up to the surface to catch her breath and he follows her.
"Sorry not sorry." Belly scrunches her nose. "I had to save you from yourself."
Conrad runs a hand through his wet hair. She'd always loved his wet hair.
"If it was anyone else, I'd kick their ass." He laughs then he swims closer to her and smiles. "But I think I needed this. Thank you, Belly. Thank you for helping me."
She smiles, "Anytime. It's the least I can do since you saved me the other day."
She laughs, remembering her fall from the ladder. Conrad laughs with her.
He smirks, "Yeah, you're banned from ladders for the rest of forever."
Belly taps his nose, "And you're banned from doing everything on your own. Steven and I will always be around, Conrad. It's okay to ask for help sometimes."
Conrad admires her. His endless dose of sunshine.
How would he ever live without her again?
Conrad:
A few hours earlier
I wake up at sunrise and check my phone to see a text from Laurel. I had sent her a quick thank you text yesterday after visiting the Country Club with Belly.
Laurel: You'll always be my special guy, Con. Hope to see you boys around this summer.
Conrad hearts her text then heads out the door.
The break was choppy with each wave hitting him harder than the last. His mind couldn't focus and his form was shit. He felt like a failure — at surfing and at life. He was beginning to think maybe surfing wasn't the best idea due to his lack of sleep and emotional state. He tries to catch another wave and rides it until it knocks him off his board, launching him into the water.
Jeremiah's words from the day before play in his mind as his body sinks deep into the ocean:
What do you know about love?
Every girl you've ever been with leaves you.
You couldn't even tell our own mother who was dying of cancer that you loved her.
You couldn't even tell Belly at that shitty motel.
You're a fucking coward.
Consider yourselves uninvited to the wedding.
Finally, he opens his eyes and breaks the surface of the water, gasping for air. The rough waves kept knocking him against his surfboard but he eventually gets back on it to swim back to shore. When he makes it back to the sand, he wants to run to the beach house but his body won't let him. He trudges through the sand with his heart beating out of his chest like a ticking time-bomb and falls down a few times gripping his chest.
Over the years, they had became more spread out and less frequent but every now and then one would sneak up on him. He had learned ways to cope but sometimes there was nothing he could do but ride it out. It had been awhile since he'd had one. He'd almost forgotten what it was like. The shallow breathing. Heartbeat in his ears. Chills. Shaking hands. Blurred vision.
Conrad was having a panic attack.
The Wedding Day
Years earlier
Conrad thought he knew loss after losing Susannah but losing Belly was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. It took everything in him to walk away from her that day. He would never forget the look on her face as he kissed her forehead for the very last time. It was the death of their love. A chapter closed before it could be written. What once was a shining and brilliant infinity necklace was now a sad copper brown. In less than a few hours, she would become Isabel Fisher just like his mom and Laurel had talked about but she wouldn't be married to him. She would be starting her new life with his brother.
Belly had made her decision and it wasn't him.
It was over. He had finally let her go. There was nothing here for him anymore.
He feels like he can't breathe and he runs down the hallway to leave but he runs into Laurel who was at the top of the stairs.
"Connie?" She says, reading his face. He couldn't look at her. He couldn't even breathe.
She walks him to his bedroom and shuts the door for privacy. When she turns around, she sees Conrad sitting on his bed with his face in his hands. He didn't want Laurel to see him like this. His body was shaking. He was short of breath. His hands felt cool and clammy. On top of it all, his heart had stopped beating the moment he stepped foot outside of Belly's door.
Laurel sits with him, doing her best to help him and eventually his panic attack dissipates.
When he finally looks at her, Laurel squeezes his hands and whispers. "Connie. Talk to me."
"I have to go." Conrad swallows, not wanting her to see how badly he was hurting. He felt like it was written on his face. Laurel always had a way of knowing what he was feeling or thinking without him having to tell her. He couldn't hide from her. She had known him since he was a baby.
Conrad crosses the room and when he reaches the door Laurel speaks again.
"You know…" She whispers, her voice sounding far away. "We always thought it would be you two."
Conrad closes his eyes at the 'we'. He knew Laurel was talking about his mom. His hand drops from the doorhandle.
"Beck and I used to joke about it when you were kids." Laurel laughs as she begins to cry. "But we knew. We always knew." She swallows, looking down at her hands.
"We knew no one could ever love Belly as much as you do." Her voice breaks.
Tears fall from Conrad's eyes and he blinks them away, trying to keep his composure. He slowly turns around to face Laurel. She looks at him with tears in her eyes.
"Beck would be so proud of the man you are, Connie. I know it took strength for you to be here. I know this can't be easy for you..."
Conrad swallows. It was something about the way she said it. As if his mother was right there in the room with them.
"You don't have to stay. I won't make you do that." Laurel holds back her sobs as she crosses the room. She was trying so hard to be strong and hold herself together for him but he knew she couldn't hold it all in for much longer.
She cups his face in her hands like she had done since he was a toddler and cries,
"But you have to know you will always be my special guy… I will always love you like a son. You were the first baby."
Conrad tries to find his words as he looks at her.
"Thank you, Laurel." Conrad whispers. "Thank you for always loving me like a son. And thank you for letting me love your daughter…" His voice breaks.
Laurel wraps her arms around him as if he was her son and cries into his shoulder.
"Take care of yourself, Connie." Laurel cries hugging him. "And please come see me every once in awhile. I'm not going anywhere."
They both knew Conrad wouldn't come around for a long long long time and it killed him to hear her beg. He wasn't just losing Belly. He was losing Laurel and Steven too because after today, everything would change. And to think he had pictured it – marrying into the Conklin family.
It made it that much harder to walk away.
As he drove away from the beach house, Black by Pearl Jam was playing on the radio. It was their song. A song he had shown her when they were kids:
And now my bitter hands
Cradle broken glass
Of what was everything
All the pictures had
All been washed in black
Tattooed everything
All the love gone bad
Turned my world to black
Tattooed all I see
All that I am
All I'll be
Yeah
I know someday you'll have a beautiful life
I know you'll be a star
In somebody else's sky
But why
Why
Why can't it be
Why can't it be mine
And once the house was out of his rearview Conrad finally let himself cry. He left half of his heart behind that day as he drove away and never looked back. There was no denying it – no denying that what he had felt for her all these years had been love. If only he had realized it sooner he would be the one in a tux. He would be the one starting his life with her. But he wasn't and he'd have to live with that for the rest of his life. But even now as his heart was split in two, he didn't regret any of it. How could he regret Isabel Conklin? She was forever a part of him. She was in his DNA. And he had loved her – at every age, every phase, and every part. Even the part where he had to say goodbye.
Belly walks into the beach house to a sweet aroma that fills her nose. She follows her nose to the kitchen and finds Conrad taking out a dish from the oven. It smelled like fresh baked penne.
Belly smiles, "Wow! I always knew you were a good chef but that smells amazing."
"I figured you might be hungry. I fixed us a salad too." He smiles at the salad tossed on the counter in one of Susannah's favorite bowls.
"Great, I'm starving!" Belly smiles, walking over to sit at the counter but floor is wet and she slips, hitting her head.
"Belly!" Conrad crosses the room but is too late.
Belly winces at the wet floor underneath her and struggles to sit up feeling a sharp pain in the back of her head.
"Shit!" Conrad cusses as he kneels down to help her sit up. "I think we tracked some water inside after we came in from the pool. I'm so sorry, Belly. Are you okay?"
Belly nods with her eyes closed, "Can you help me sit up?"
Conrad helps her sit up and she holds onto him for strength. When she opens her eyes, their faces are inches away from each others. She holds her breath, suddenly forgetting about the pain in the back of her head. If she leaned in a little closer, they'd be kissing…
"Let's get you to the couch before you find something else to fall off of or slip on." He says.
Belly nods as the pain in her head returns and he swoops her up in his arms. It reminds her of that time when she had fallen down from the tree and she smiles.
"Remember when I fell down from that tree?" She laughs as he carries her to the couch. "You bought me a Slurpee and Sour Patch Kids. Best day ever."
He sets her down gently on the couch and laughs, "I didn't think you remembered that."
"I remember everything…" Belly whispers, looking up at him. "I remember everything when it comes to this house…"
Conrad lays a blanket over her, "Yeah, me too."
Belly smiles up at him in a way she had done since she was a little girl.
"I'm glad you're here, Conrad Fisher." She sighs. "I've really missed you…"
Conrad looks at her and laughs, "How hard did you hit your head?"
He asks her if her head hurts at least fifty times that night as they eat dinner on the couch together and watch It Happened One Night. Belly throws a pillow at him with a "I'm not a cripple, Conrad!" but obeys him when he gives her some pills with a glass of water to relieve her minor headache. She knew it was the doctor in him but she also loved how attentive Conrad was. He knew how to take care of people and it was something her younger self hadn't appreciated enough when they had been together.
"So, where have Taylor and Steven been all day?" Conrad asks.
"Shopping." Belly takes a bite. "For their new place."
"Good for them. Steven didn't mention that to me."
Belly shrugs, "It's been a long… weekend."
Conrad nods then smiles, "They seem really happy together."
"Yeah." Belly smiles back at him. "They really are."
Conrad looks at her for a few moments then clears his throat, "Ready for dessert?"
"We have dessert?!"
Conrad laughs and walks to the kitchen. He returns with a "Happy Graduation" cake with graduation cap and diploma toppers with rainbow forks. It was the nicest things someone had done for her in a really long time.
"Conrad!" Her eyes light up. "You didn't have to do this."
He shrugs, "I was going to wait for Steven and Taylor but I'm sure they won't mind."
He brings the cake to the coffee table and they eat it out of the container with their forks as they watch the movie.
Belly closes her eyes, enjoying her first bite. "This is perfect! Thank you."
Conrad smiles, taking a bite too. He makes a face then swallows it. She knew it wasn't his favorite flavor but the fact he had gotten it for her was the best part.
He knew her so well.
They make a dent in the cake as they finish the movie. When the movie was almost over, she finds herself feeling sad because that meant her time with Conrad was almost over too.
She looks over at him as the credits roll on the screen and sighs, "It never gets old."
Conrad tries not to laugh as he looks back at her.
"What's so funny?" Belly laughs at him.
"You have something…" He leans in to wipe some frosting off of her nose and cheek. She holds her breath as his fingers tickles her nose then her cheek, leaving goosebumps behind. He smiles at her when he's done.
"There. No more frosting." He smirks.
Belly looks at his lips then at his eyes. She feels bold. Adrenaline courses through her veins as she tries to build up the courage to do it. Maybe she had hit her head but all she wanted to do right now was kiss Conrad Fisher.
"It's getting late." Conrad says, turning to turn off the tv. "Need help walking to your room?"
Conrad helps her stand up and even though she was feeling better, she lets him carry her upstairs. She just wanted to be near him.
"You've been working out!" She teases him as he carries her upstairs. Ok... Maybe she really did hit her head. Did she really just say that out loud?
Conrad laughs, "You really hit your head, didn't you?"
When he reaches her bedroom door, he kicks it open and gently sets her down in her bed. He fixes her pillows for her and helps her crawl into her sheets. He locates Junior Mint and tosses it to her from across the room. Belly catches it with a knowing smile. He knew her well.
"Goodnight, Belly." Conrad says, turning off the light.
"Wait…" Belly whispers as he is about to walk out. "Stay."
Conrad hesitates in the darkness of her bedroom, "I don't think that's a good idea."
Belly sits up in her bed and reaches for him. "Come here..."
She feels Conrad sit on her bed but he was still too far away for her liking. She reaches out for him and their hands find each other first, their fingers interlacing. It had been a long time since she had felt this way holding a guy's hand. It hits her in that moment how much she had missed him.
"Belly…" Conrad whispers with uncertainty as they hold hands in the dark.
"Shhh." She leans in closer. "Do I get a graduation gift?"
The tension between them was electric. She knew he felt it too. There were sparks and she was sure of it.
She can practically hear the smirk in his voice when he laughs and whispers back to her, "I gave you a graduation gift, Belly. How hard did you hit your head?"
He was referring to the flowers but right now, she wanted something else.
"No, those were from all of you…" She whispers. "I want a gift from you."
Belly leans in closer until their noses are touching. She can feel his hot breath on her cheek. That's how close they were now.
With one swift move, Conrad leans in towards her. But to her surprise he kisses her forehead instead and squeezes her hand before he stands.
Before he walks out he whispers to her with a voice like honey: "Sweet dreams, Isabel."
And just like that he was gone. Conrad Fisher – the ghost of Cousin's past. Belly falls asleep that night cradling the infinity necklace. It was the best gift she'd ever received.