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julieloves074 · 9 months

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Everything (Conrad Fisher x Y/n)

Summary: Y/n had won the battle against cancer at the age of ten but no one expected it to come back. When the truth comes to light the perfect summer crashes down around them. Especially for Conrad, Y/n is his love, his life, his everything

Warnings: Cancer, sadness, swearing, angst

Words: 7.4K

(Not my GIF :))

Summer in Cousins was the one time of year I felt truly free, nothing really mattered there. Then again, everything mattered there. Belly liked to say nothing existed outside of summer, all the other seasons were just a pass by for it, and I couldn’t argue with her.

This was exactly why I wanted one last perfect summer. Mom told me that I wasn’t being fair, that this was going to be worse for everyone but wasn’t I allowed to be selfish? For once? I knew she couldn’t see it the way I did. I wanted Belly to have her first summer of real fun without having to worry about me. I wanted to see Jeremiah and Steven act stupid all summer without feeling like they needed to slow down for me. I wanted to see Conrad to be happy for one more summer, with me.

And everything was going so well, for the most part. Just like any other summer there was drama: Belly with her new friend Cam Cameron and Jeremiah, Steven with Taylor and Shaila but it was our kid problems, nothing more than that until tonight.

“Y/n you are not allowed to go!” My mother shouted as I made my way downstairs at eight o’clock.

“Stop babying me for God’s sake! I’m telling you I feel fine, I’ll be back in a couple of hours!” I screamed back, I just wanted to go to a party with my friends, I knew I had limits now and that I had to be careful. Still, I couldn’t stay locked in forever.

“Y/n you are getting weaker, are you trying to give your father and I a heart attack?” she asked, her voice still raised but there was a falter, it made me turn right around on my heel. There she was, standing on the top step with tears in her eyes. I could feel my own gloss over. I took a deep breath and looked up in an attempt to stop any tears falling, I was only wearing waterproof mascara but still-

“You’re our little girl and we just want to protect you,” Mom said, face flooded now, lowering to sit on the top stair, she was getting more tired now too.

“Mom I’m eighteen, I don’t know if I will make it through chemo this time and I can’t let it make me live in fear. I won’t let it make me hide around my room if this is my last summer,” I said with urgency and plea.

“It’s going to be a long program Y/n, and it’s going to take lots of strength, both physical and emotional but don’t you dare say you are not going to make it. You will beat it. We just don’t want you to get overwhelmed,” Dad’s voice echoed gently as he came out of our kitchen and pulled me into a hug.

“I know-” I paused looking between both of them, my cardigan in one hand and phone in my other, “I’ve signed up for the program and I will fight this cancer again but there’s nothing I can do now but wait around until the first round of chemo begins again, and who knows what I’ll be able to do after it?” I asked, I didn’t know whether I would live, and if I did how long I’d be weak, I didn’t want to miss out on these teenage years.

I felt dad brush his hand down my arm with a sigh, he looked up to mom who shook her head and couldn’t lift her gaze.

“I know, I’m sorry honey, but you know that if anything happens you call us right away, no matt-“ she began, standing up, but I cut her off.

“No matter where I am, no matter what I’m doing and there will be no questions asked,” I finished off for her, she smiled weakly and started making her way down to dad and I.

“Or you call for medical help first depending on what’s happening,” she informed me, at this point she’s said this to me so many times that I have the words tattooed inside my brain.

“I love you guys,” I said as they both squeeze me tightly just before a car horn sounds outside.

“Tell Connie we said hi and ask him to tell his mom we’ll bring that extra table for the barbeque party tomorrow when we come over for dinner,” Mom relayed to me as I slipped on my shoes.

“I will do,” I said quickly opening the door to slide out. I saw him first, Conrad Fisher, sat behind the wheel, his contagious smile and beautifully messy hair. Then I saw them, Belly, Jeremiah and Steven sat in the back all looking at Belly’s phone who sat in the middle, they were all laughing. I couldn’t believe the summer was nearly at it’s end and I got to spend it these wonderful, and slightly annoying, people.

“Omg Y/n you have to see this video Tylor filmed! This girl just found out her boyfriend was cheating on her with her best friend so both she and the best friend chucked milkshakes at him! I’m so glad Taylor filmed this!” Belly exclaimed the second I opened the car door, pushing from up from her seat and shoving the phone in my face, I didn’t even get time to look before she leaned back and sat down muttering “Damn, Harry is not gonna have fun at school this year,”.

We all broke into a laughter, I turned to Connie who had his eyes on me since the moment I got in the car, I started relaying my parent’s message about the chairs and he leant over to kiss me.

“Okay we get it, you guys are in love but we have a party to get to!” Jeremiah exclaimed grabbing on my headrest to lean his body forwards into our space. I let out a laugh pulling away from Conrad.

“I love you,” he mouthed to me, I did the same back before he turned to his focus to the car and reversing in my driveway. The journey to the house party, I didn’t even know who was hosting this one, was filled with laughter and teasing to the point that Belly had actual tears running down her face.

“I am so glad you made me invest into waterproof mascara Y/n!” Belly said running her fingers under her eyes wiping away the tears. I loved having Belly around, another girl was great to have around, her being like a little sister to me. Even though it came with both its ups and downs of siblings like all the clothes she would ‘borrow’ and never give back, but she’s a good kid.

The party is looking well underway when we arrive, there’s flashing, changing lights to be seen through the windows and the music is echoing down the street. Some new trending song is blasting as we walk through the door. Belly quickly runs off to meet some friends she made at the country club, Jere was dragged away by some good looking guy whom he looked more than friendly with leaving me, Connie and Steven to head to the drinks table.

“Are you actually gonna drink with us tonight Y/n/n?” Steven asked leaning a cup in my direction. I really wanted to, I couldn’t express to anyone how much I wanted to fully let loose, drink away my worries for the night. But I couldn’t.

“Nah I’m good,” I tried to play it off cool, but he started play arguing with me.

“Alright let it go Steven,” Con said after a minutes, I lay my hand on his arm in a silent thanks.

“Okay well I’ll leave you loser to it I’ve just spotted Shayla coming in,” he announced already walking backwards to the beautiful girl.

“Are you alright?” Con’s voice pulled me away from the vision of Steven wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he had whispered something in her ear which made her erupt into this blooming, true laugh, they made each other so happy.

“What? Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” I said, pulling on a big smile, it wasn’t exactly a lie. I felt fine, more than fine standing here with him right next to me.

“It’s just you’ve not been wanting to drink, and not to pin you as an alcoholic or anything,” he defends quickly, “But you’re usually first to call shots,” he laughs pulling me closer as some guys come to the drinks table, it still swells my heart, his little tics of jealously and protection.

“I told you, it’s been really bad for my skin recently and I am not sacrificing this,” I reassured pointing to my face, “Plus it’s kind of funny being sober and watching everyone else make fools of themselves,”

“Can’t argue that,” he says, we settle into a comfortable silence, Con wasn’t drinking tonight he was nominated DD, so the two of us had to entertain ourselves sober. We weren’t standing around for too long when Getaway Car by Taylor Swift came on and I dragged him to the little makeshift dance floor in the living room.

We sang to each other as he led our little dance twirling me around every once in a while. Loads of the girls including Belly joined us screaming along to the bridge.

“God you’re perfect you know that? I think I’ll be crazy about you forever,” Con half shouted over the last chorus and I just shook him off with a gentle shove

“I love you,” I said pulling him into a massive hug. The second the song ended we noticed Jere and Steven stood in the doorway calling Con over, some kid was doing flip tricks on the trampoline and in their words ‘It was so sick! He’ll probably actually be sick if he doesn’t take a break!’

Connie was hesitant to leave me for a second, but I pushed him to the boys, they deserved his time as much as I did. I turned to the girls, and we danced to whatever song came on next, and the next and the next. By the fourth or fifth song I started to feel lightheaded.

“I’m just gonna find a bathroom real quick,” I shouted over to Belly tapping her shoulder, someone had turned the music up. She nodded and gave me a thumbs up before tipping the rest of her vodka lemonade in her mouth.

The bathroom downstairs had too long of a cue so I headed for the stairs in the entryway. Was someone turning up the music again or was it just the sound echoing in my head? I held onto the railing, but my legs were starting to feel heavier with each step. I had just managed to reach the landing, I wasn’t sure which door led to the bathroom, so I ambled to the closest door, it was a bedroom. A double bed in the center surrounded by deep blue wallpaper. It felt as though I was in the ocean somewhere, drifting away.

The bed frame was not giving me much support, I lowered myself to the ground, there was a small thud as I hid the wooden panels. I don’t think I let out a sound but before I knew it someone was rushing into the room.

“Y/n what’s going on?” the voice asked, I looked up but my sight was hazy, “Y/n?” the voice repeated, it was Steven taking a few careful steps towards me.

“It’s nothing, I’m fine just a little tired, I think I overheated a little downstairs I should have been drinking more water,” I said attempting to shoo him away with my hands, but in reality, I didn’t want him to leave, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get up without him.

“Y/n you’ve been off all summer so cut the bullshit, since when do we lie to each other?” he asked coming closer, his honestly sounded sober.

“My,” I start and feel something bubbling within me, I cried for an hour when I was diagnosed again, then I told myself I wasn’t allowed to again until after summer, I was allowed to be happy and excited for the summer without thinking about- “My cancers back Steven, and I-”

“I’m sorry you what?” Steven asked cutting me off, as if an animated character his jaw actually dropped, he was kneeling next to me in seconds, pulling me into a hug. I shut my eyes wishing that I had left earlier or taken a night off and rested like mom had suggested, “Conrad! Get in here,” Steven shouted repeatedly brushing a hand through my hair.

“What? Y/n? What happened? Steven what happened?” Conrad asked manically flinging himself to meet his body to mine, “Are you okay?” He asked again as he got no answer to his first lot of questions. He brushed his hand down my arm.

“I’m so sorry,” I let out with a sob, shaking my head from side to side, I saw Belly run in confused with Jeremiah behind her. Others seemed to be crowding at the door but Jere quickly shut it firmly, announcing “Nothing to see here! Go grab some alcohol and make out or whatever,” before turning his attention back to me.

Now this was truly my worst nightmare, they were all looking at me, apart from Steven who had curled up and looked at the floor next to me.

“I’m sorry that I ruined our last summer together,” I said

“Y/n what are you talking about, what happened?” Belly asked brushing some hair out of my face.

“It’s back and I- I don’t think it’ll go away this time,” I whisper as if saying it out loud would mean that it was true, that I was hurting everyone around me once again.

“What’s back?” Jere asks nonchalantly at first before a realization hits him “You don’t mean-” at this Belly burst into a wail.

I looked up at Conrad, he was just staring at me, I couldn’t read his reaction at all. I brushed my hands up and down his arms, it was as if he was frozen it time. I needed him to say something, just that action was wearing me out.

“Come on let’s get you home,” Jere said, his eyes red, he was trying to be a voice of reason, be the one who doesn’t break down so he can support the rest of us. When had he become this grown up? “This isn’t a place for a conversation like this,”.

I can’t quite place what emotion was flowing through me as I was basically carried out of the house with one arm around Con the other around Steven. The whole thing seemed in slow motion to me, all the faces in the crowd of my friends and drunk strangers. How many of them realize what’s actually happening and how many of them simply thought I’d gotten hysterically drunk?

The ride back to my house was quiet other than Belly’s phone call to my mom and then Susannah and Laurel letting them know where they were all going. I was ushered into bed by mom and listened to the heartbroken whispers downstairs in the living room under my bedroom.

Mom and Belly were crying, and dad was trying to calm them down. Conrad was adamant to stay with me whilst dad offered to drive everyone else home as they’d all been drinking. When the front door shut, I heard the footsteps that shuffled upstairs.

“Connie,” I said as he walked into my room, his expression filled with sorrow and with the limited lighting of my bedside lamp I could swear he too had tears rolling from his eyes and down his beautiful face.

“You’re okay, you’re going to get better,” he said repeating in quiet whispers, whether he was trying to convince me or himself I was not sure but I let him. I pulled up my duvet and moved slightly to give him space.

He touched my hair, my face, my arms gliding his fingers as if I was made of porcelain. The first time I was diagnosed and fighting cancer I was 10 and whilst everyone was gentle with me then now it felt like a different kind of touch. A mixture of so much love and pain that I would do- give anything to make him better.

“I love you, so so much,” I whispered, pulling one of his arms around me, I wanted to feel him, all of him here in this house, our summer place. I was surprised he hadn’t run, when Con got overwhelmed he always ran, hiding was his protection. If I did anything in my life, helping Connie learn a better way to cope, or to start to was the best thing that I did.

“Don’t say it like that,” he whispered back, his eyes were closed tight shut.

“Like what?” I asked cautiously, somehow, I knew what he was going to say, I brushed my fingers through his soft hair, his pre-summer haircut was always my favorite. It wasn’t too long, not too short, just enough to outline his face and perfectly highlight his eyes.

“Like it’s one of the last times you’ll ever say it,” his voice cracked and I kept running my fingers through his locks, soothing him. It’s funny how I’m the one who this has happened to yet I’m the one who’s been reassuring everyone that everything happens for a reason. Maybe it was because I’d lived enough to know what the purest of happiness was and that I’d experienced honest love even though some never do.

“I love you. I love you. I love you,” I kept repeating as if I was counting stars up in the sky or the little sheep jumping over the fence in hopes of falling asleep. I’d said it so much my mouth had started running dry but if that was the price for having this boy, this kind, loving boy in my arms until my end I’d pay it over and over and more.

Unfortunately, the underlying sour mood was carried into the next morning, when I woke up to the glimpse of summer that danced in through the half open curtain Conrad was still asleep. He usually looked peaceful when he slept but this morning even in his most fragile states his brows were creased and his breathing was heavy and uneven. I watched him, when we get back to Boston nothing will ever be the same, and we only have a week left here in Cousins.

I untangled from his arms. I tended to have more strength in the morning but today I gripped onto the white wooden rail as I ambled downstairs and into the kitchen. Walking past the living room I noticed figures asleep on the couch. I smiled to myself when I saw Jeremiah and the Conklin siblings, they never left last night.

The clock hit seven when I walked into the kitchen, mom sat there with her kindle in hand, cup of coffee in front of her, but she stared unfocused at the device The lines under her eyes were darker than last night, she looked exhausted. Dad was at the kitchen counter prepping some eggs, bacon and sausages, the good old English Breakfast. He too looked as though he hadn’t slept.

“Morning sweetheart,” mom said looking up, her whole expression changed from worry to love, and though she tried to hide it the worry was still there, rooted deeply in her skin. I took a step towards her and she rushed out of her chair to grab me into a tight embrace.

A thousand things I wanted to say sat there pooling in my head because I simply couldn’t get them out.

“Your dad went out last night to get some more breakfast supplies, we’re feeding some unexpected- but most welcome mouths this morning,” she conveyed and I just nodded, my head resting in her neck, “I’ve called Princeton this morning and explained the situation, they said depending on how long the treatment is going to take they may move your enrollment to next year just so you don’t fall too far behind,” mom explained and I watched my dad’s feet shuffle towards us. College was the last thing on my mind, everyone here was.

“We also called the hospital and they’ve decided to start your sessions earlier,” dad said, this forced me to pull back.

“What do you mean?” I asked frantically, “We’ve had the date set for the day after we get back! How can I start my treatment earlier if we’ll still be here?” I questioned.

“We’ll be heading back to Boston tomorrow Y/n” mom conveyed, I took another step back. No! I needed this last week here with these people.

“But we agreed-” I tried to reason, to argue.

“I know sweetheart, but your health is more important to us, the doctors were already weary of letting you have the whole summer here anyway,” dad leaned against the kitchen counter with one hand and the other travelled to his forehead, an attempt to brush the physical signs of fear and worry away.

“We’re your parents Y/n, we just want what’s best,” mom reassured, and I knew they were right, they usually tended to be but that didn’t mean I had to be happy about it.

“The moms have organized a day full of fun and the celebratory barbeque dinner tonight,” Belly, who was now leaning against the doorframe between the living room and the kitchen, said.

“We’re all leaving tomorrow Y/n, we’re going to be there with you every step of the way,” Jeremiah said, his stunning ocean eyes expressing the purest admiration, his one hand was around Belly’s waist. A side of my mouth twisted up in a sly smile. I had predicted this years ago, Con owed me fifty bucks now.

“Oh my- come here the both of you right now,” I demanded, I took a few steps towards them but they did most of the work.

“I want in too!” Steven, voice all groggy and half asleep, demanded as he jogged towards us. We stood there hugging for longer than we ever have, it was nice and warm.

We all sat around the table playing a round of uno as dad started to make breakfast, mom offered to help to give us the space, she knew we got far too competitive when it came to this game.

I had two cards left, the least out of all when Jeremiah spoke up from next to me, “Connie isn’t taking it well, he went outside at around three in the morning and he just sobbed, I thought you needed to know” his eyes with sympathetic and glossed over.

“I just don’t want him to shut everyone out now,” I said knowing that the boy had a thing for bottling up his emotions until they finally explode. He stayed last night but who knew which was his mood would sway today.

“He’s going to be around, he’ll be here for you, we all will,” Jeremiah reassured.

The day went by faster than anyone wanted, Conrad came down perfectly in time for breakfast, he pulled a chair to sit next to me. Just like his usual self he wanted to be near me, touching me at all times, whether it was his shoulder brushing mine, a hand on thigh or his head on my shoulder. After breakfast we when back to Susannah’s house and sat on their private stretch of beach. Then we competed in a murder mystery game that us kids created when we were twelve. It was actually pretty intriguing even for the moms and dad.

“I can’t believe you kept stored away for six years mom,” Jere said to which Susannah replied with a knowing motherly smile and pulled another clue card.

Then we went to the pier, had ice cream and I absolutely crushed everyone at the arcade games winning most of the challenges, the great showdown occurred yet again even though Laurel banned it all those years ago. Then we headed back for dinner at the beach house, Jere and Steven operated the grill, we all sat around talking and I managed enough energy to play a quick round of water polo in the newly upgraded heated pool.

Through the whole day Conrad was never more than a few feet away from me. He managed to upkeep a smile most of the time, but when he thought I couldn’t see it faltered. I always knew he was a good one.

At around eleven mom and dad headed back home whilst the rest of us cuddled up on the couches to watch some romcom on Netflix. About halfway through Belly decided she wanted popcorn, so we took a pause and Susannah said she wanted to brush my hair. She loved doing both mine and Belly’s hair, we were her honorary daughters so of course I let her. One of the many things I love about her is that no matter the weather, or what was going on she was a ray of sunshine. I don’t mean that she was always happy, but she always held out hope and guided everyone to the other side of any storm cloud.

After the movie had finished and we got a good hour into the titanic most of us were dozing off, Susannah started shooing everyone off to bed. She too went upstairs leaving Conrad and I sat on the sofa. I looked at him as soon as the whole floor was clear. My eyes asked the quiet question, begged the questions.

“Are you sure? Do you feel like you have enough strength?” he asked, and I smiled, my brain scanned through images of this boy as we grew up, side by side and through all of it he stayed true just like his mom.

“What have we been doing for the past four hours if not sitting and laying around?” I asked lifting my brows in a giggle.

He shook his head slightly and half a smirk managed to make it onto his face, “It’s been a long busy day, that’s all I’m saying,” he defended himself.

“I know, but I’m fine I promise, let’s go!” I encouraged lifting from the couch and pulling him up by his arm. It didn’t take much convincing, when he stood, he gave me a long, slow kiss before resting his arm around my shoulder. We fit together perfectly like two pieces of a puzzle finally put together.

We walked down the sandy path towards their private part of the beach, nudging each other and giggling just like the night Conrad first kissed me, just like the night he had asked me to be his girlfriend. Most, if not all our important milestones happened here at the beach house.

“Do you know what?” He asked breaking the silence, even just the sound of his voice was enough to press my body and mind into total peace but also force my heart to beat at an ungodly speed, still after being together for two and a half years.

“What?”

“One day, the day we get married, I’ll scoop you up like this,” he pauses turning to me, I look at him confused for a second as he coddles me in his arms like a princess, I let out a giggle, “and I’ll carry you into this house,” he pointed to the summer house, “then I’ll carry you out back and all the way to the beach and kiss you until the sun goes down and the moon hangs up high in the sky like tonight and never let you go,” he whispered into my ear as we neared the beach.

“Connie,” I began but he shushed me

“I know, I know you don’t like planning that far ahead, but this is non-negotiable, you said we’re allowed one non-negotiable each. You have yours and I have mine,” he said in a manner of fact way, I just laughed and leaned up to kiss him.

“You do know, I know that was all a ruse so that I didn’t have to walk,” I said and he just smiled, “You’re amazing and I love you but please put me down,” I asked, not because I didn’t love to be treated like a princess but because I felt good and I wanted to experience this with him in the way it’s always meant to be.

When we got onto the open part of the beach it was much windier, Con took off his coat leaving him in his jumper and wrapped it around my arms. We listened to the song of the water and watched the waves.

“I can’t believe how lucky I am,” he announced into the night, he’s sat half leaning on his legs.

“Why’s that?” I asked, there were so many things both of us had to be thankful for.

“That I met you, that I have you, that you chose me and let me hold and love you, I think I’m the luckiest man on the planet,” he says, his gaze drifting to the stars above us. Not a single cloud in the sky tonight.

“Do you know what I think is lucky?” I asked laying my head on his shoulder, my eyes getting tired now.

He finally turns to me and smiles, “What?”

“That we both live in Boston,” I said and he shook his head, clearly not what he was expecting. But it was true, our grandparents met at the Cousin’s country club years ago, our grandmothers were friends which then meant our moms were friends, they went to collage together, it was both of their dreams to live in Boston so they moved out there together not expecting to both live in that city for so long but I was so thankful they did because that meant that I got the Fisher boys and Susannah all year round.

It was around the time that we could see the first shades of yellow and orange of the sun that we decided to head back, his sheets were cold but his arms around me were more than enough to keep me warm in the breezy summer night.

The next day mom and dad came round for breakfast, it was a feast ranging from cereal and toast to pancakes with fresh fruits and muffins which Jere and Belly had gone for a morning run for. Just as fast as the breakfast had disappeared, we were all packing up and getting ready to leave.

As I watched the scenery leaving Cousins, I felt guilty that everyone was cutting their trip short, no matter how much they tried to reassure me that it was okay and that they didn’t mind. Still Laurel, Belly and Steven had agreed to say in Susannah’s house in Boston for the week which meant we still got to have that time together before everything went back into motion in September.

*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ*

It was a week after the Conklin’s left that I was told I would be better off shaving off my hair now with it being earlier in the process in order to avoid more emotional highs later on which could affect the medication.

I’d agreed on the terms that Susannah would be the one to do it, together we supported and acted for a hair donation charity which turned hair into wigs for children with cancer, so that’s exactly where my hair was headed.

It was a Friday night, which is always Pizza night, whether ordered in or homemade, one week at our house one week at the Fisher’s. It was that night that I was going to shave all the hair off, the thought wasn’t as scary as I remember it being from the first time around, but I would miss it.

I sit with a towel around my shoulders looking at myself in the mirror of the master bathroom, the boys were both sat in there with my mom, Belly was facetiming us and Susannah stood behind me with the scissors, this was harder for her than for me.

Mom held my hand and dad stood in the doorway with a tight smile. Susannah had braided my hair into two braids and after a nervous laughter and whispering ‘I love you’ she cut the first one, the snip of the scissors was loud in my ears as she worked through the thick of one braid. A breath escaped my lips and quickly enough we were on the second braid. Now Conrad held onto my other hand, the corners of his eyes creasing. And then the other was gone too.

In a way it felt like a weight was lifted off me, I mean it literally had been, my head felt lighter, and I was left with uneven scraps all over my head.

“Hey I dig the short hair!” Jeremiah says hand extended to fist bump me, I felt obliged saying, “Now we know I could steal your hairstyle and still be cooler than you,” I remarked and he pulled a smirk.

“Listen up Y/n/n at least my cut isn’t so uneven,” he laughs

“Well, mine’s about to be more smooth than yours, what you gonna do?” I play intimidated as mom placed my braids into the zip lock bag ready to be posted.

“Some little girl or boy is going to be really happy when they receive that hair you know that Y/n” Susannah said squeezing my shoulders after plugging in the razor. This time I closed my eyes and squeezed Connie’s hand tighter.

When half my head was done, I felt a bit of a breeze but I didn’t want to open my eyes yet, I’ve said many times that hair wasn’t a determining factor in my life but at the end of the day it was a part of me.

“All done,” Susannah said and I could hear a fragile smile in her words, I nodded with my own smile.

Then after a second the sound of the razor when off again and my eyes shot open, before I could stop it I saw Connie’s soft, brown hair falling from his head. He has run a strip right in the middle of his hair.

I leaped out of the stool. But it was too fast, everything around me started spinning slightly and my knees had gone weak. I grabbed the counter in front of me and both mom and Jeremiah leaned forward for support.

“I’m okay,” I say after a second, I closed my eyes and steadied myself, what was actually a matter of a minute felt like hours, but then I was stood again with another reminder: slow.

“Connie what were you thinking?” I asked incredulously and he was just shaking his head smiling, a glimpse of tears in his eyes.

“I’m in this with you, I told you I would be here every step of the way and I will,” he stood right in front of me, his deep blue eyes staring right into my soul, how had I been so lucky to have been granted the love of this boy and everyone else in this room. I pulled him into a tight embrace, retaining his warmth, his touch.

Jere jerked taking the turned off razor out of his brother’s hand and worked it through his own hair. This time everyone gasped, Jeremiah loved his hair.

“Never have I ever thought I’d see that happen. Jere, you obsess over your hair, you love it!” Belly expressed through the phone, now Steven was leaning over her shoulder.

“Yo- you lot are brave!” he exclaimed with laughter; this was how he processed grief. He made jokes and laughed because otherwise it was much too bare, I didn’t blame him, in fact I found it comforting.

“I love my hair but you mean much more Y/n” Jere announced turning back to me and I couldn’t help but let the tears roll down my face now, pulling Jere to join the hug. He will be exactly the one for Belly, he’ll treat her well. I was sure of it.

Now it was my turn to sit on the edge of the tub, Susannah’s arm around me as we watched both her boys get their heads shaved by my mom.

“Well now we’re all gonna look like weirdos every time we leave the house,” I laughed looking at dad.

“And we’re gonna look like some cult parents who forced their kids to shave their heads,” he added back laughing

“I mean we could shave yours too David,” Susannah added, “Then we’ll confuse the narrative,”

“Only if your hair is next,” he challenged and I squeezed Suze’s hand, I would never let anyone come near her beautiful, golden hair.

“I think we’ve shaved enough heads for one day,” mom announces pulling the razor momentarily from Jere’s head, “Remember we have that dinner reservation in like two hours and I’d like to get changed from these sweats and t-shirt,” she goes back to Jere’s hair but before she’s able to make any progress she turns back around again, “Actually that’s a lie I could live in this outfit for the rest of my life I’m just not sure the people at the restaurant would appreciate it,” she says and every in the room laughs.

*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ*

The hospital room I’d been in for the past week and a half has become a familiar sight, considering that I’ve only left it to go to other similar looking rooms in the hospital. I look at the clock, its five in the afternoon, I must have fallen asleep again. The November chill was visible outside by the frost on the other side of the glass.

On the other side of the room behind the wall I hear mom talking to someone, dad has gone to work for the day, they’ve started switching days, so I can only guess it’s Susannah or the boys.

“It’s been getting worse,” her voice quivers and a part of me wishes I could mute her out, still be asleep. I know the truth, a part of me has known it since I found out the cancer came back those couple of weeks before we departed for Cousins that summer, I wasn’t going to get better.

“There must be something they can do,” another voice said, this time my body hauled me up a little. Conrad. I’ve been letting him visit me, he wanted to be here all the time but I asked Susannah to pace him. He was here this morning. It was meant to be one visit a day.

I know that makes me sound horrible, and it makes my own heart shatter piece by piece but it wasn’t because I didn’t love him or because I didn’t want him to be here. I knew there would be a time where he would have to move on, life would continue and he has such a bright future ahead of him, so many people to meet and experiences to be had. In my head if the distancing started now maybe it would be easier for him, even still the image of him with any other girl made me feel sick.

“Is she awake?” Is what I hear when I break out of thought.

“She wasn’t when I left to get changed and grab some food, but it’s been a couple of hours so she should be waking up soon if you want to go in,” mom said and I silently battled with the thought of pretending to still be asleep.

Before I had the time to make the choice the door was opening and then Conrad’s and my eyes met and he was coming to sit next to my bed, quickly pulling his hand into mine.

He bought a bag of games with him, we started with some card games, then snake and ladders, then four in a row and so on for a couple of hours. I was glad he came for the second time today.

“What?” He asked, I was staring at him but it wasn’t like he wasn’t staring back

“No nothing, just wondering how I managed to score such a hot boyfriend,” I say fanning myself with one hand, “And he’s a teddybear and sweetheart.” I added and watched him cringe at my words.

“I’m the one who should be asking how I managed to get a girlfriend as stunning and kindhearted as you,” he said but I just rolled my eyes. As much as we did this over the top thing as a joke we both knew we meant the words.

We talked and talked that night, he held my hand through it all. I didn’t realize how late it was but mom had come to sit in the corner of the room, she’d been having trouble sleeping recently but she’d managed to snooze off.

“I love you so much Connie, I’m thankful for you everyday, never ever change,” I whispered holding back a sob, he was half asleep on his chair next to my bed too.

“I love you too,” he said leaning up to kiss me gently. Then Connie and I whispered to each other until I too was fading away into sleep.

*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ*

Conrad’s POV:

I never thought I’d be stood here, looking at all these people and her picture in front of a casket. I took that photo the day I asked her to be my girlfriend on Cousins beach, all her teeth were shining pearly white and her hair was blowing in the wind framing her face like a masterpiece statue or a goddess.

“I think you all know that Y/n meant more to me than anything and anyone in my life, alongside my family. We grew up with each other. We were there for each other in the good and bad times even before we were together romantically. She is- was- one of the most integral pieces of the puzzle of our lives. I think I can speak on behalf of our families,” I pause, tears rolling down my face, and a sob building up in my throat, “I don’t know how I will be able to go day by day without seeing her, hearing her voice and her passion. She inspired me more than anyone and I will love her until the day I die and even further into whatever comes after death, I will do everything in my power to make sure all her goals for the many charities and organizations are complete, I will build a new charity in her name, I will make sure she gets the remembrance she deserves, because- because more than anyone I know she deserved all happiness and love. She will be missed more than I could ever have the words to express” I finished and turned to the casket, “Please don’t leave me, come back to me,” I whispered.

There was more I wanted to say, I could speak about her for days and nights on end, about how wonderful and bubbly and kind she was and yet I couldn’t. These faces in the crowd, some knew her better than others but no one like our little families, Belly, Jere and Steven were all sat next to each other crying. Mom was holding her arms around Y/n’s mom and dad as they stared at me, thankful for my words.

I broke into tears too, leaning onto the stand in front of me for support. Mom rushed towards me now, holding me close and helping me down to the seats. There I sat numb, tears flowing as the pastor finished the ceremony after which we all filed out and watched her get lowered into her grave. It read ‘Y/n L/n. Daughter, friend, love. An inspiration to all’

I can’t believe it’s been two weeks since I was holding her hand the night she passed. Two weeks since I’ve lost my everything.

Masterlist

#The Summer I Turned Pretty #the summer i turned pretty imagine #the summer i turned pretty x reader #TSITP #tsitp x you #tsitp fanfic #tsitp imagine #conrad fisher #conrad fisher imagine #conrad fisher x reader #conrad fisher x y/n #conrad fisher x you #Jeremiah Fisher #jeremiah fisher x reader #jeremiah fisher x y/n #jeremiah fisher x you #tsitp jeremiah

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hallietblr · 10 months

Text

my favourite birthday girl | j.fisher x reader

request: i would like to request can it be where jere and i are best friends and its my bday belly and conrad throw a surprise bday party for me at the becks beach house and jeremiah & i go upstairs and we go in his bedroom he confesses that he liked me since last summer and i have my first time with jere trying different sex positions like hes on top of me and im on top of him riding him & doing cowgirl style position lots of kissing can it be smut/angst and is it okay if i include my name and if not you can do y/n thanks babe❤️❤️❤️❤️🫶🏻🥰

a/n: i fricking LOVE this!! i had so much fun writing it and i hope you all enjoy!

warnings: SMUT (minors DNI), oral (fem! receiving), swearing, alcohol consumption, and jeremiah being a total sweetheart

—

the sun was shining brightly through the windows of my bedroom, the morning breeze coming through smelling of sea salt. i flutter my eyes open, taking in the warmth of the summer. i reach for my phone that was charging by my bed side. the moment the lockscreen wakes, it’s full of birthday messages.

i feel myself smile as i go through the individual texts from all my friends back home in maine. i respond to them all, thanking each of them for the kind and loving messages.

after doing so, i finally decide that it’s time for me to get out of bed. i stretch out the slumber from my body before crawling out of the warm bed. i grab my phone and my bluetooth speaker and head over to my bathroom to start my birthday right.

cruel summer by taylor swift starts playing loudly as i pull off my pajamas, which was in reality one of jeremiah’s old t-shirts. i decide to text my friends to see what the plans were for the day, assuming they had something in mind.

—

SUMMER GANG☀️🌊🫶

y/n!

goodmorning guys!! what are the plans for today?

stevie:

con and i are going fishing at the pier today

belly <3:

i told my mom that i’ll go to the store with her today!! sorry girl!

y/n!:

that’s fine haha have fun! tell laur i said hi:)

i should be available today i think

connie:

i thought ur coming fishing?

stevie:

yeah!! boys trip!!

belly <3:

wow i’ve nvr seen us all so busy lol

wdym it’s a regular day

connie:

nvm mom says u need to clean ur room jere

stevie:

LOL

belly <3:

so true, it’s gross jeremiah

shut upp

urs isn’t any better bells

belly <3:

y/n!:

stop being mean j

—

i close my phone, a bit disappointed that it appeared that all my friends forgot about my birthday. i try to shake it off and assume that they’re all busy, so remembering a birthday isn’t that big of a deal.

i step into my shower, washing my hair with my coconut shampoo and conditioner, lathering my body with body wash, and shaving every inch of my body. i sing to taylor swift as i shower, feeling my muscles relax in the warm water. i dry myself off with a towel and pull on a cute purple summer dress that i had gotten earlier last week.

after putting on some makeup and doing my hair, i figured that i was ready to go downstairs to see my family. at least they would remember my birthday.

you only turn seventeen once, plus laurel, susannah, and my mom always told me that seventeen is an amazing year.

my mom was preparing my favourite smoothie bowl when i got to the kitchen. her face lit up after seeing me turn the corner and a smile drawn up her face, “happy birthday, my babygirl!” she exclaimed, pulling me into a tight embrace.

i hug her back, “thank you, momma!”

she hands me the beautiful smoothie bowl, “here you go, sugar! let me go get you your presents!”

my mom scurries away to her office before returning with multiple gifts all wrapped up in colourful gift wrap. she places them on the kitchen island before sitting down beside me.

i was already half way done my breakfast when my dad and baby sister came into the kitchen.

“happy seventeenth, babydoll” my dad grins, planting a kiss on my forehead, “i can’t believe how grown up you are already.”

“happy birthday sissy!” my four year old sister yells, hugging my leg. i ruffle her hair, thanking the both of them.

my mom urges me to open up the presents, she had always been a huge gift giver — seeing people’s reactions were her favourite thing. i open the sealed boxes, revealing lululemon clothing, a new ipad, gorgeous jewelry, and some makeup products that i’ve been wanting to get.

“mom!” i exclaim, in shock of the overwhelming amount of gifts, “you didn’t have to!”

“oh, honey,” she coos, brushing my hair, “it’s your seventeenth birthday! of course i had to, do you like them?”

i look at her with my mouth opened agape, “yes, yes! of course i love them all! you know me so well, thank you!”

my arms wrap around my mom, squeezing her tight.

“my first baby,” she whispers into my ear so my sister, lindsay, doesn’t hear her, “i love you with my whole heart.”

i finish up the rest of my breakfast, while also admiring my new items. my dad also takes a few photos of us, most likely to post on his facebook page later. luckily, i look decent right now.

“eat up,” my dad says to me, “your friends are probably waiting for you.”

i shrug, “they’re all busy today.”

my mom turns to me with a raised eyebrow, “seriously? do you want me to call susannah?”

i shake my head quickly, “no! it’s alright, really.”

“i’m sorry, baby” my dad squeezes my shoulder, “you can hang out with us today.”

i give him a small smile, “that sounds good.”

the rest of the day was uneventful, well not exactly. it was moreso just a typical day for us. my sister and i went swimming in our pool, i watched tv with my parents, and scrolled through my phone a ton. i really didn’t want to confront my friends about them forgetting my birthday, it would’ve been immature was what i told myself. it’s not like i’m six anymore.

i was laying on my bed when i received a text message.

—

heyy pretty

wanna come over? we just came back from fishing 🎣

y/n!:

sure :)

awesome! see you soon!!

also wear something nice ;)

y/n!:

why?

not that you don’t always look nice!!!

my mom wants to take photos or smt lol

y/n!:

oooook

—

my brows furrow in slight confusion of the request but i shrug it off. i get up from my laying position and go to my closet to find something ‘nice’. i find a black satin slip dress that i brought from back home, i figured this would be nice enough. i put it on and look at myself in front of my mirror.

i smooth down the material of the dress, checking how it looks from the side and from behind. i silently pray that jeremiah would like it, i’ve overheard him, conrad, and steven talk about how jeremiah is an ass man multiple times — considering how the satin material of the dress perfectly fits my bum, i’m convinced he’ll appreciate it.

i grab my phone, sunglasses, and my favourite lip gloss before heading downstairs. i see my parents cuddled up on the couch, watching a movie together with my sister fast asleep in the space next to them.

i slide on my white converse and head over to them, “i’m going over to the fishers.” i tell them. they smile and remind me to have fun and to be home by two am.

the walk over to the fisher summer home is brief, a quick five minute walk. them living only two houses over from mine always came in handy. i open up the front door before my vision became black.

“do you trust me?” he says, jeremiah’s hands clamped over my eyes.

“if you ruin my mascara, j, i might cry.” i joke, “yes, i do trust you.”

“okay, good.” i can hear his infamous smile in his voice, “come with me.”

he guides me slowly through the house, his hands still over my eyes. jeremiah lifts them off and it takes me a moment before noticing all the decorations put up around the kitchen. there are streamers hanging from the walls and across the ceilings, so many pretty balloons in every corner of the room, a huge ‘happy birthday’ sign hanging on the cupboards.

my hand flyes to clamp over my open mouth, “oh my god!”

steven, belly, laurel, susannah, and conrad all jump up from their hiding spot behind the kitchen island.

“surprise!” they all scream out. i smile widely, taking in everything,

“you guys!” i gush, as im being pulled into a hug from jeremiah, “thank you!”

his muscular arms hold me and he plants two kisses on my hair, “did you really think we forgot your birthday, pretty girl?”

i laugh, “well maybe! you guys are forgetful sometimes… like the time you forgot belly and i at the walmart!”

he rolls his eyes playfully, “oh shush, that was one time!”

“we never forget birthdays here.” susannah giggles before also hugging me, “happy birthday my gorgeous and beaming girl.”

everyone takes their turn in hugging me and wishing me a happy birthday. i thank each of them individually, the smile never leaving my face once.

“who planned this?” i ask laurel, who was carefully pulling out the birthday cake from the fridge.

“it was all belly and connie’s idea” she smiles, “now go sit!”

i take my seat next to jeremiah and steven before laurel brings the cake with seventeen candles on it in front of me. they all sing happy birthday to me and i close my eyes to make a wish.

every year since i was five years old, my birthday wish has been the same. not even just for my birthday, anytime i saw a shooting star, or tossed a penny in a fountain, or honestly any other occasion that required making a wish — it has always been the same.

it was wishing for jeremiah to notice me in the same way that i see him. it’s all i’ve ever wanted, as stupid as it can get.

i blow out all the candles and susannah cuts up the cake into slices before serving it to everyone. belly reminds me of all the birthday presents that they had gotten me, and to open it later.

after cake, susannah and laurel agree to leave the home to go to a cocktail bar so that the kids can have the house to themselves for a few hours. more teenagers from cousins start showing up, all of them wishing me a happy birthday as they come in.

drinks are being served, music is playing loudly off the multiple speakers scatter around the home, beer pong matches are being played by the pool, people dancing.

jeremiah stays next to me for the whole night, we chat with a few of our friends while sipping our seltzers.

“do you wanna go upstairs for a bit?” jeremiah says to me in a hushed tone, “y’know, to get away from this?”

i nod, “yeah, for sure.”

he smiles, taking my hand into his own and guiding me through the crowd and up the stairs. we walk to his bedroom, he closes the door behind me and locks it. jeremiah places his drink on his dresser and offers to put mine next to it, i agree and soon we’re both seated on his bed.

we make small talk, him asking about my birthday so far as he rummages around in his desk drawer. he sits back down beside me, facing me. he places a small velvet box into my hands,

“open it, my favourite birthday girl.” he smirks, looking into my eyes. his hand was on my thigh and i can feel myself blushing.

i think i can get lost in his ocean eyes, they’re so beautiful and full of life. i smile and carefully open it, inside was a gorgeous golden ring with a large (what im assuming was a fake) diamond on it.

“j…” i gasp, lifting the ring out of its box and admiring it, “this must have costed a fortune.”

he shrugs, “anything for you, look on the band.”

i bring the ring closer to my eyes and see that there’s an engraving on the inside of the band.

in love with my best friend <3

my jaw drops, “jeremiah?”

i look up at him, our eyes interlocking. he slowly nods, “i love you, y/n — i’ve always have, i thought it was a childhood crush and i don’t think i really realized until last summer that i truly do love you.”

“can i?” he asks, taking the ring from my hand. i nod and he carefully slips it onto my finger before being it to his lips and kissing it.

i pull him into a kiss, my hands rested on his cheeks and his on my waist. he kissed back almost immediately. my hands move down to his built chest and gently push him down onto his back, our lips never leaving each others. i adjust my legs so im straddled on him,

“i’ve always loved you too.” i whisper against his lips, he smiles into the kiss and kisses me harder.

his fingers fiddle with the edge of my dress, hands sliding up and down the back of my thighs before squeezing my ass slowly, “god, i couldn’t take my eyes off of you in this dress. it makes your body look so fucking good.” jeremiah groans.

i lower my crotch onto the evident tent in his pants, he gasps at the contact while slowly grind my hips on his.

“fuck, you’re gonna make me come in my pants.” he moans into my ear as i flip my hair onto one side. i bring my face to his jawline, kissing it and licking the soft skin. his hands tighten around my ass and i moan at the contact.

his hand slips under my dress and to the lace material of my thong, his finger slide underneath the band of it. he lifts it before letting it go, the snap of my underwear against my skin making me moan louder.

“sit on my face,” he tells me in a low voice, i feel myself getting even more wet and excited at the tone of it, “let me give you another birthday gift.”

he lifts me by the waist and moves me so my core is hovering above his mouth. i grab onto his head board while jeremiah slowly moves the lace material to the side and lowers me onto his face.

i gasp loudly when his tongue licks a long stride between my folds. he moans into me, “fuck, you’re so wet for me, baby.” he mumbles against me, the vibrations causing me to throw my head back in pleasure.

jeremiah dips his tongue into me, licking up all the juices and tracing figure eights against me. i squeeze the headboard tighter, becoming a moaning mess quickly. his tongue is magic. he fucks me with his mouth, my thighs shaking around his head,

“shit, jere.” i cry out, feeling my high coming closer. his hands squeeze my ass yet again before landing a smack on my left ass cheek. i moan loudly in response, my body flowing with immense pleasure, “fuck, i’m gonna come!”

he never slows his tongue as i feel my orgasm come crashing down on me. waves of pure pleasure crashing down. jeremiah licks up every last drop as i slowly come down from the high. i move myself down from his face and back down towards his groin. i lean down to kiss his passionately, tasting myself on his lips,

“holy shit, i can eat you out all day long.” he says to me as his hands fumble with his pants. he kicks off his pants and boxers. his erection slaps his lower abdomen and i drool at the sight of it. it’s huge, red tip begging for attention and veins pulsating on the sides of it.

i move to give him a blowjob but his grip on my waist prevents me from moving, “it’s your birthday.” jeremiah tells me, “you can give me head another time.” he winks

my hips position themselves above his thick and veiny cock and i lower myself onto it. he fills me up perfectly and we both moan loudly at the same time. every inch of him inside on me as i bottom out.

i slowly start rocking my hips against him, both of us becoming a panting mess. his hands never leave my hips, lifting me and slamming me back down onto his dick.

“you feel so good, baby” he praises, “you tight pussy feels amazing around me, fuck”

i continue riding him, my hands tangled up in his hair, pulling it which makes him moan.

“i- i think your cock was made for me.” i whisper in his ear before kissing him harshly.

he smirks, “oh yeah?”

and i nodded feverishly before he flips us around so im on my back and his on top of me, “sorry baby, i want to be in control now”

he pulls out almost entirely before slamming himself back in, the new position making him hit me even deeper than he was before. he thrusts harder and deeper, my back arches and i grab onto the sheets beside me, “fuck i’m close” i cry

“me too, hold on.” he continues fucking me, littering kissing on my face and neck. i can feel my inner muscles squeezing around him which makes jeremiah groan, “i’m fucking gonna come.”

“let it go.” he encourages me, his thumb going down to start abusing the bundle of nerves. almost immediately, i feel myself orgasm. my legs tightening around his waist and i feel him finish inside of me. he releases a series of curse words as he fucks us both through our orgasms.

a few moments after he pulls out and rolls next to me. we’re both breathing heavily, trying to catch our breaths, “holy shit” i pant out, looking over at him.

he grins, “that was amazing.”

“beyond amazing.” i repeat and he laughs,

“fuck, i should’ve asked you this before.” he says, reaching over to cup my face, “will you be my girlfriend, y/n?”

i blush, “yes, a hundred times yes!”

—

taglist! @randomaccountworld123 @bxbyyyjocelyn @20nugs @jeremiahxaesthetic

#jeremiah fisher fanfic #jeremiah fisher imagine #jeremiah fisher x reader #tsitp imagine #jeremiah fisher x y/n #tsitp x reader #jeremiah fisher angst #jeremiah fanfic #jeremiah x reader #jeremiah fisher fanfiction #jeremiah fisher fluff #jeremiah fisher smut #tsitp smut #the summer i turned pretty x reader #the summer i turned pretty imagine #the summer i turned pretty smut #the summer i turned pretty fanfic

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lnfours · 10 months

Note

SEQUEL TO HAUNTED W CONRAD! Where she finds out 👀👀

oh fuck. warnings: mentions of death, cancer and mental health

'haunted' | inbox

you hadn't seen conrad at all the rest of the summer. it wasn't like you wanted to necessarily see him, either. what was there left to say anyway?

you had gotten to say bye to jere, steven and belly, but ignored conrad with a cold shoulder. you knew you were wrong, but he had hurt you. you couldn't help it.

this summer, the fishers didn't come to their beach house. steven, belly and laurel weren't there. for once in your entire lifetime, the house sat empty, and it only made your heart hurt more.

the icing on the cake was that your mom had seen a for sale sign in the front yard on her early morning jog that morning. the fishers and the conklins were never coming back, and you didn't know why.

you were laying out by the pool your family had put in over the spring, your phone buzzing on the little table next to you. you picked it up, reading the name at the top of your phone screen.

jeremiah fisher

you swiped it over, pressing the phone to your ear, "hello?"

"hey, y/n," you could hear his polite smile and the sound of wind in the background, "are you in cousins?"

you licked your lips, sitting up, "yeah, why? are you guys finally on your way?"

"no, uhm," jere said, "conrad is missing."

"what do you mean 'missing'?"

you heard belly's voice suddenly on the other end, "look, we checked brown already and his roommate said he talked about going to the beach. cousin's is the only beach conrad would ever go to. i know it's a long short, have you seen him or heard from him?"

you let out a shaky breath, "no, but i can check around the town for you guys, how far away are you?"

"couple hours out, still," jeremiah said, "i'll text you when we're crossing the bridge into town."

you nodded, speaking up when you realized they couldn't see you, "okay, i'll text you with updates."

"thanks a lot, y/n." jere said

"you're the best!" you smiled as belly sighed out of relief. you hung up with your friends, tugging your shorts on and slipping into your flip flops. you left the shorts unbuttoned, letting them sit lowly on your hips and your bikini bottoms sticking out from the top.

you made your way over to the fisher house, spotting conrad's car. you swallowed thickly as you walked up to the front door. you knocked, pulling your fist back as you sighed.

there was no answer.

you made your way through the gate and to the backyard. you looked around, a towel laying down on the grass next to the pool, but no sign of conrad. you thought of the last place he would be, walking over to the side of the house and grabbing jeremiah's surfboard. you made your way down to the beach, tugging your shorts off before you made your way into the ocean. you paddled out on jere's surfboard. you let the waves rock you back and forth as you watched conrad surf, smiling to yourself as he pulled off one of the tricks you had shown him. he looked over at you when you clapped your hands.

"nice job, fisher!"

you swore you almost saw a smile on his face as he paddled over to you. you smiled as he floated on his board next to you.

"hey," he said.

"hi," you said back, his hair wavy from the salt water, "didn't think you guys were coming this summer."

he nodded, sniffling as he looked out at the ocean, "yeah, we're... not really supposed to be here."

you looked at him confused, "what do you mean?"

he sighed, "i've got a lot to catch you up on."

you smiled as you squinted out at the waves, "well, i've got nothing but time. hit me, sea creature."

he laughed softly, remembering the nickname you had called him one drunken summer afternoon when he had seaweed all over him from surfing.

"talk over something to eat? i'm starving." he said. you nodded, following him as you both paddled to shore. you threw on your shorts and carried both of your pairs of flip flops as he carried the boards back. he hung them back up on the side of the house, tossing you a towel from the deck. you thanked him as he wrapped one around himself as well, the two of you heading inside.

it was scarily bare in the normally full of life summer house. there wasn't any food in the fridge or the pantry, there wasn't any of the clutter from siblings leaving their things behind. there wasn't the sound of belly and steven arguing in the living room over the tv, and jeremiah wasn't playing music up in his bedroom.

it was eerie. none of it felt like the home you were used to it being.

"i'm gonna order a pizza," he said, "still like your usual?"

you smiled, "yeah,"

he nodded, pressing the phone to his ear as he ordered. you played with your fingers as you waited for him to hang up.

"so," you broke the silence, "what's up? what is that you have to tell me?"

he let out a sigh, looking down at the floor, "my mom's cancer came back last spring. she died a couple months ago."

your eyes watered as you watched him look back up at you with glossy eyes. he continued, "i found out before everyone else and i couldn't tell anyone. that's why i was so shitty to you last year, i didn't know how to deal with loss when she wasn't even gone yet. i'm so sorry. for hurting you."

you wiped the tears from your eyes, getting up from your seat at the island. you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him down into a hug. he happily accepted your hug, holding you tight against his body.

"i'm so sorry, connie," you said, "i wish i had known sooner."

he let out a soft chuckle, "i thought you hated me."

you shook your head, brushing his hair from his forehead after you pulled away, "i could never hate you, conrad."

it was silent for a minute, "there's uh... there's more."

you raised an eyebrow, "there's more?"

he nodded, "i also found out that my dad had an affair the same day i found out my mom's cancer came back."

you shook your head, "what a fucking ass."

he nodded, "i know."

you sighed, "anything else happen?"

he let out a chuckle, "found out yesterday the house was going up for sale. apparently, when my mom died, my aunt julia got the house because my mom's half went to her. she wants to sell it and this is the only piece i have left of my mom. the only place that feels like home without her."

you watched as a small tear slipped down his cheek. you frowned, wiping it with the pads of your thumbs.

"c'mere," you said softly, his front breaking down as he nuzzled into your shoulder. you rubbed his back, your other hand playing with the hairs on the back of his neck.

"i'm sorry," he mumbled.

"no, you don't have to apologize," you said, "it's okay. you were going through all of this alone. i just wish you would've told me so you didn't have to."

he held you tighter, "i tried, i just couldn't."

you pulled back, lifting his head by his chin for him to look at you. you smiled, wiping more tears from his cheeks, "well, i'm not going anywhere now, okay?"

he nodded, smiling softly into your palm and pressing a gentle kiss on the skin there.

"i love you." he mumbled against your soft skin.

he finally said it back.

"i love you, con."

#conrad fisher #conrad fisher x reader #conrad fisher fluff #conrad fisher x fem!reader #conrad fisher blurb #the summer i turned pretty #the summer i turned pretty imagine #conrad fisher fanfic #blurb #fluff blurb

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lvrslvt3 · 9 months

Text

ALWAYS | c.cameron

pairings : camcameron x reader

summary : cam needs comfort after a breakup with readers best friend, bellly.

warnings : none

notes : we need more camcameron content, i also need some ideas on what to write for him 🤭

your bike lay silently discarded beside the familiar one, forgotten as you finally spot the boy you came here to search for sat alone on the rocks. he was too busy looking out the sea that he didn’t even turn around at the sound of your shoes scuffing the ground beneath you.

so in turn for his silence you didn’t speak up either, but instead took the uncomfortable seat beside him on the blanket he had thrown down. you ignored the blunt feeling underneath you and instead stared out at the water.

“you’re here?” his tone showed genuine shock at your presence — even though he had asked for it. you turned to meet his gaze, expecting sadness but there was no traces of the feeling anywhere on him.

he was your cameron. the awkward, slightly nerdy, boy that you had liked since you met a few summers ago when you came to visit cousins like you always had. back at the age when you no longer wanted to hang out with your family so instead made friends with the future marine biologist.

“you called me.” you shrugged as if that was the perfect explanation, because to you it was, “are you okay? i know you liked belly..” you trailed off, unsure on how to start this inevitable awkward conversation.

belly didn’t know about your crush on cam, and if she did she would have never went on that date with him in the first place, but she had, so now you had to deal with the consequences of your two best friends dating and now then being broke up.

cam shrugged in response. “i guess. it’s just… it didn’t really feel serious, y’know?” he glanced from the sea back towards you, “i liked her but there was always something in the way of fully committing myself to her, and it wasn’t just conrad.” he spoke with his hands.

you hummed to let him know you understood. after knowing cam for so long you knew that he only did relationships if the other person was willing to commit as deeply as he did, if not then it wasn’t really enough for him. not that he had any serious relationships before.

“i just feel like i’m never gonna find the right person.” cam finished off his small ramble. he looked down at the water below and as he did so one hand came up to scratch the back of his head - messing up his curly hair that had already been disturbed by the early morning wind.

“well, i don’t believe in never.” you tilted your head at him with a smile that he matched. he was beaming at you and it seemed to light up the whole area around the both of you, like you had your own bubble of happiness in that moment that nothing or no one could break.

“i don’t believe in always.” he retorted with a tilt of his own head. you shrugged before countering his silly argument, “well, opposites attract, don’t they?” you didn’t mean for your innocent words to have such a reaction, but they had.

cameron’s eyes narrowed on you in a way that you hadn’t seen before, or maybe you had in your dreams. it ignited a reaction in your brain and body that covered your body in goosebumps. camcameron was the man of your dreams, and he didn’t even have a clue.

“never.” he raised a brow, still looking down at you. his hair was a slight mess from a mixture of him playing with it and the weather, and in the bright morning sunlight of cousins he looked even more handsome and human that you’d ever seen him before.

“always.” you argued back — your breath catching in your throat when you spoke as you realised how close the two of you really were now that you were both facing each other fully instead of stealing glances.

cam chuckled, glancing down at your lips for such a short moment that you almost missed it if you weren’t studying him with your eyes. “promise me you’ll always remember me.” he said after a moment of tension filled silence between the pair of you.

“i thought you don’t believe in always.” your voice had accidentally grown quiet. you were afraid to speak up as if he would wake up from a trance and run away, or that you would wake up and this would all really be a dream.

“i believe in promises,” he quickly countered back while bringing a hand up to move a hair that had flown infront of your face to the back of your ear, “and i believe in you, in us.” he added in afterwards.

you shook your head, moving backwards just the slightest so his hand would fall. “don’t make me promise that,” you spoke without thinking of the consequences, “people only ask you to remember them if they’re leaving.”

you shook your head once again in protest, staring down at the space inbetween you and cameron for a moment before finally meeting his eyes. the sadness was there this time. “please don’t ask me to remember that.”

the boy shook his head and took your face in his hands once more, but this time he used both. “i will never leave you, okay?” he raised both of his eyebrows to get his point across, so you would know he wasn’t lying.

you nodded. you didn’t trust yourself to answer him audibly. you weren’t expecting this when he called you after him and belly had just broken up. you would’ve never expected this in a million years but it was really happening.

cam cameron was leaning in, and when your lips met you were instantly obsessed with the sensation. it felt like being dipped in gold, or diving into an ocean and your being swept up so nothing really matters anymore except this kiss. not belly, or conrad or anybody else. just you two together.

this moment. these lips. his hands that laid firmly against each side of your waist and squeezed you tightly so you wouldn’t leave his desperate grasp. it was enough, anything with cam cameron was, but you wanted more. this was the only thing that mattered and you wanted all of it.

your hands ran through his hair, messing it up more, as you leaned closer until you could feel his body pressed against yours. you reeled him in until he would be yours, always.

#cam cameron #cam cameron x reader #cam cameron imagine #cam cameron one shot #cam cameron fanfic #the summer i turned pretty #tsitp #tsitp season 1 #tsitp fic #the summer i turned pretty fanfic #the summer i turned pretty imagine #the summer i turned pretty x reader #the summer i turned pretty oneshot #the summer i turned pretty x you #tsitp imagine #tsitp oneshot #tsitp fanfic

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bonesandchalamet · 11 months

Text

a glimpse of summer - j.fisher

part two

masterlist

pairing: Jeremiah fisher x fem!reader

warnings: some anxious thoughts + fluff + minor grammatical errors

a/n: ahhh season 2’s official trailer dropped and I’m sooo excited!

the cool air was finally lifting over cousins beach. the warmer days were approaching, the sun was shining, and the nights lasted longer. summer was coming.

these months before school was over always lasted the longest. the anticipation for cannonballs in the pool, parties on the beach, staying out until dawn, and you. your arrival was his favorite moment of the whole summer, and your departure is his least favorite.

things were different from before. you looked at each other much differently than you used to, and you caught on to his long stares and quick glances. what would this summer hold? was he still into you? the questions are exciting, but they don’t change how much time holds in between each other, before his arms could finally wrap around you.

—

the sound of the car parking, the doors slamming, it jerks him awake from his slumber. the clock reads 9am, and he knows by the smell of the ocean, the whistling of the wind from the beach, you’re here. the torturous months of waiting and debating on picking up his phone were finally over. he could see you again.

his feet quickly descend down the stairs, brushing past his mother, the gravel crunches beneath him as he moves to the passenger side lifting you into his arms.

“what a welcome.” you chuckle feeling your feet finally hit the ground. you pull away, those caramel colored curls still bounce in front of his eyes, his pearly white smile still spreads to his angelic eyes. nothing has changed about how the way he makes you feel, and the distance certainly hasn’t had any affect on him either.

“don’t say you didn’t want that.” he challenges, and he has a point. he can see you’ve been waiting for this too, you’ve been counting those nights and hours until you were in cousins beach once again. it’s just that this time you were counting those days and nights to see him, not just for the smell of the ocean, the sand between your toes. rather, his lips against yours, holding your hand in secrecy, the late night laughter you shared. it was all the things you looked forward to most. the scenery just so happened to be background noise now.

“we have to unpack.” your mother interrupts, and while she doesn’t want to, she’d rather share a glass of wine with her best friend than gag over young love.

you blush in slight embarrassment, she had to listen the whole car ride was your antsy finger tapping and anxious radio channel surfing. she knows Jeremiah fisher was all you had been waiting for since you left.

“I’ll help you unpack.” he grabs your bags in the back, the same bright yellow Vera Bradley pattern you’ve had since you were kid, enters his vision. he remembers when his mother gifted you that for your birthday, the smile on your face was irreplaceable. he couldn’t wait to give you your birthday gift this summer.

“she always overpacks, you think you can carry that?” your mother struggles to pull the bag out of the trunk, but he’s much stronger, taking the bag over his shoulder and grabbing anything extra that he could.

“how many clothes you bring this year?” he drops the bag at the end of your bed, instantly collapsing on the mattress he’s sure he’ll spend many nights in. he’d watched his mom set your room up last weekend, her excitement for your arrival was always uncontrollable. the weekend before your arrival signified that summer was here.

“just enough for every month.” you join him on the bed, faces turned towards each other, your smiles couldn’t be wiped. he takes his hand, wrapping his fingers around the back of your neck, pulling you closer for his lips to just brush yours.

“here’s to the next three months.”

read part two here

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cryonme · 2 years

Text

.ೃ࿐ 𝐎𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐲𝐞𝐬 ´ˎ˗

“you were just so pretty, and his mom always said pretty things were made to be admired.”

—Conrad Fisher x fem!reader

—summary: it's a shitshow of a summer, and Conrad Fisher has the prettiest eyes you've ever seen.

—word count: 10k

— tw: alcohol, abuse, smoking, brief panic attack, attempted sexual assault (nothing happens), homophobia, makeout session, lots of fights and crying, cancer (oop, sorry!!), conrad is conrad and connor is toxic bf, apologies for any confusion but the names contribute to the storyline!! pls lmk if I left anything out, its a long ass fic and there's a chance I'm missing something.

—a/n: this is the longest fic i've ever written, and if you see the word count and decide against it, i urge you to rethink your decision!! i promise, if you're a conrad lover, this fic is WORTH IT!!

═════════════════

You were never one to back down from a party, and this was something everyone in Cousins knew.

You came to Cousins every summer with your family, your summer house being just across the street from the Fisher’s. You grew up alongside Belly, Steven, Conrad, Jeremiah, and your own brother, Tate. Every summer you were constantly at each other’s houses, surfing, swimming, barbecuing, the six of you did everything together. And now that you were all older, you partied together.

Ever since the summer Belly and Jere turned 16, you all looked forward to the first bonfire of the year. You and Belly would get ready together while she gushed about whatever boy she was crushing on and she’d ask you when you and Conrad were going to finally get together. You would always shake your head and blush, insisting that Conrad could never see you that way. Then you’d meet up with the boys, take a couple shots, snap a couple of photos then finally be on your way down to the beach. It was a night you always held dear to your heart.

Until this summer, when you brought your boyfriend to Cousins, and you did everything in your power to turn down the bonfire this year.

“What’s this about the bonfire?” Conrad entered the room and you froze. God, how could you ever forget how fucking pretty he is?

“Y/n’s not coming.” Steven huffed.

Conrad furrowed his eyebrows as he made his way over to you, pulling you in for a side hug and planting a kiss on the top of your head. You hadn’t seen each other since last summer, and he was absent when you and your brother first made your way over to the Fisher’s.

“Probably because she wants to suck face with her new boyfriend.” Tate rolled his eyes before throwing an almond in the air and catching it between his teeth.

Conrad immediately took a step back and the other 2 boys looked at you with wide eyes, “BOYFRIEND?!”

You rolled your eyes and turned on your heels to grab a glass from the cabinet before filling it up with water from the fridge. “Chill out, we’ve only been together for a couple of months.”

“Tell Connor that. Boy’s obsessed with her.” Your brother said.

“Tate-” you warned. If the boys knew how your boyfriend was, this summer wouldn’t end well.

“Literally never lets her go anywhere without him, it’s so-”

You cut him off by throwing an almond at his face, “Quit it.”

“Whatever.”

“Wait, and he’s here?” Jeremiah asked, eyes brightening.

You nodded, sipping on your water. “Bring him!”

“Bring who?” Belly’s voice rang through the kitchen, having missed the conversation because she had to use the restroom.

“Y/n has a boyfriendddd.” Steven sang in a mock tease, making kissy faces while Jeremiah joined in.

Conrad stayed silent.

“Wait what about-”

“Shut, Belly.” You cut off the younger girl, shooting her a glare.

She closed her mouth immediately.

“Yeah, (Y/n/n), bring him.” Conrad finally broke his silence, cocking his head at you with a lopsided smirk.

“I don’t think–”

“Come onnnn, we do this every year! Boy toy can tag along for one night!” Jeremiah pleaded, putting on his puppy dog face again, and how the fuck werw you supposed to say no to that?

“Fine.”

The kitchen erupted into cheers and whoops of victory, both Steven and Jeremiah standing from their seats to throw their arms around you and jostle you back and forth. You smiled, but you couldn’t ignore the sinking feeling in your stomach, or the way Conrad’s eyes hadn’t left yours.

–

“Connor, they’re practically my family, can you please just be a normal boyfriend for like 2 seconds?!”

The two of you had been at it like this for almost an hour now, ever since you told him you were both going to the bonfire. Of course Connor was insecure about the 3 incredibly handsome boys you considered your best friends, but Connor would be insecure about anyone with two legs touching you with a 10 foot pole.

“Well, I’m sorry if I’m not particularly keen on 3 guys making googly eyes at my girlfriend all night!”

You let out an exasperated grunt, covering your eyes with your hands. “Steven has a girlfriend, Jeremiah’s been seeing someone, Tate is literally my brother and Conrad may as well be my brother too! He’s barely even talked to me all year anyway, probably has some girlfriend that he’s been hiding.”

“None of that means anything, I know how guys are! I am one!”

You laughed, but there was absolutely nothing funny. “Okay, so you’re saying, since you’re a guy, even though you have a girlfriend, if a prettier girl walked onto the beach for the bonfire you wouldn’t care about me?”

Connor shut his mouth, refusing to respond. You nodded, and crossed your arms, chuckling to yourself. “I’m late getting ready with Belly. I’ll see you there, asshole.” You made sure to bump his shoulder with yours as you passed, which you regretted.

He grabbed your wrist in his large hand, “Hey.”

His voice was low, almost a warning, as he squeezed your wrist harder, yanking you towards him, his face dangerously close to yours.

“You’re hurting me.”

“Don’t speak to me like that.”

“Let go.”

“Say you’re sorry.”

“Connor-”

“Say,” He tightened his grip and you whimpered, “You’re sorry.”

“I’m sorry.” You tried to keep your tone even, but the words came out like a broken whisper.

He let go suddenly, causing you to stumble backwards. “Good girl. I’ll see you there.”

–

The walk to the Fisher’s was a quick one, and luckily your tears had dissipated by the time you arrived at the front door. There was never a need to knock, not with you.

“Y/n!”

You turned your head to see two of the most radiant women you’ve ever known, gossipping over their glasses of pinot grigio no doubt, both smiling at you with open arms.

You smiled and made your way over, gladly accepting the embraces of the two women, and thanking the Universe that you wore a long sleeve to hide the marks on your wrist.

“Oh it is so good to see you, baby!” Susannah gushed, planting her hands on the side of your face and planting a big kiss on each cheek.

“You’ve gotten so tall, my goodness!” Laurel said, practically looking up at you since you towered over the much smaller woman.

“I know, we’re all growin’ up!”

Susannah covered her ears, “No, no, no! You’re all still my babies!”

You giggled and pulled the blonde woman in for a side hug, resting your head on her shoulder.

“I just can’t believe it. You, Connie, Steve and Tate are all old enough to buy your own wine now!” Susannah said.

“Yup, we don’t have to fill up your vodka bottles with water anymore!”

Laurel and Susannah gasped and you rolled your eyes, “Like you guys didn’t know.”

“Yeah, well we had a feeling, but Jeremiah and Belly better be staying away from you four while you buy your own now!” Laurel said, waving her finger at you, but you could hear the humor in her voice.

You nodded and saluted her, “Scout’s honor, Laur.”

Of course the two moms knew what you kids got up to when they weren’t around during the summer, but they trusted you, and they knew the babies of the group were in good hands as long as you were around.

“Well, get upstairs! Bell’s been eagerly waiting for you to curl her hair.”

You made your way upstairs, pausing when you heard multiple voices coming from Belly’s room, and you took a deep breath, putting on your best smile before you opened the door.

“Finally!” Belly exasperated as soon as the door creaked open. “I need you to curl my hair, Jere keeps fucking it up.”

Your heart swelled at the sight of poor Jeremiah just trying his best to help out his best friend, curling iron in hand.

Steven laid on the bed, cradling a six pack of Coronas as he handed one to you, but not before popping the top off with his teeth.

“You’re gonna lose all your teeth before you’re 40.” You teased.

“Worth it!”

You rolled your eyes and took a swig from your beer, stepping over the discarded clothes on the floor so you could gently take the curling iron from Jeremiah.

“I’ll take it from here, babe.”

“If you would’ve given me like, 5 more minutes I could’ve gotten it down.”

“Uh-huh.”

Belly giggled as you got to work on her hair, taking a break every couple of minutes to sip your beer or take a hit from Steven’s vape while he wasn’t looking.

“So, where's the boy toy?” Jeremiah asked.

You flopped on the bed as you were done with Belly’s hair. “He’s gonna meet us at the party, I think he wanted to take a nap or something before, he was pretty tired from all the driving.”

“You two drove separately?” Steven asked with a raised eyebrow.

You nodded. “Tate went with my parents.”

“Awee I miss your parents! Why haven’t they been over yet?” Jeremiah asked.

“They went straight into town for groceries and errands, they’ll come by tomorrow I’m sure.”

The curly haired boy nodded and went to reach for another beer.

“We’re out!”

You and Steven locked eyes, “Nose goes!”

Both your fingers whipped to your noses at the speed of light, but you were too slow.

“I don’t wanna go alone!” You complained and Steven situated his hands under his head, getting comfortable. “Well you’re gonna have-”

“I’ll go with you.”

You all looked up at Conrad, who was suddenly in the doorway, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

You nodded and stood, telling everyone you’d meet them there with more drinks.

You smiled at Conrad as you passed by him, but of course he didn’t return it, simply just pushing himself off the wall to follow you down the stairs.

You prepared to pull your keys from your purse but Conrad had already grabbed his keys from the hook by the front door.

“I’ll drive.”

You decided against arguing with Conrad, knowing it wouldn’t do any good, so instead you nodded and gave him a weak smile.

“How’s your mom, Con?” “Better. One year cancer free.” You smiled. You remembered the summer that everyone found out, it wasn’t an easy summer. Conrad had told you early on about what he knew, and made you swear not to tell, and of course you didn’t, which caused a nasty fight between you and Jeremiah. He didn’t speak to you until the next summer.

“That’s really good to hear.”

Conrad nodded.

“So, boyfriend?” You rolled your eyes. “That’s all anyone cares about.”

Conrad looked at you for a moment before fixating his eyes back on the road. “Maybe. Is it so bad we all care about who you’re dating.”

You shrugged.

“What’s his name?”

“Connor.”

Conrad snorted.

“What?”

“Nothing.” He shrugged and continued to drive.

You both sat in silence the rest of the very short drive to the liquor store, and both exited his car in sync once you’d arrived.

The bell on the door chimed when you walked in and you smiled, for some reason that chime made you think about how this is only the beginning of the summer. There was so much time left, and you just couldn’t help the small smile that played at your lips.

If Conrad noticed your smile, he didn’t say anything about it, staying quiet, as usual, as he browsed all the beer and seltzer options.

But, of course he noticed the smile. How could he not? That same damn smile that’s made his heart race for his entire goddamn life, the smile that always made him blush and go speechless. Of course he fucking noticed.

Conrad was snapped from his trance when you bumped his shoulder, that captivating smile adorning your face while you held up a bottle of titos and a bag of red solo cups.

Conrad shook his head, “Jesus Christ.”

“Grab the lemonade?” “You tryna get me hammered?” You smirked, “I don’t know. Maybe.”

You readjusted the items in your arms, making your sleeves roll up, and you had completely forgotten about Connor until you saw Conrad’s eyes glued to your wrist.

“What is that?”

“It’s nothing, I- I tripped.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“I tripped.”

You tried to walk away, but Conrad stepped in the way.

“Who did that to you?”

“I told you-”

“Who did that to you.” This time the words tumbled past his lips as a statement, not a question. He knew who did this to you, and he wanted you to say it.

Silence.

“Was it Connor?” “I’m not doing this with you right now, Con.” You said, and spun on your heels the opposite direction to pay for the things in your hands, leaving Conrad alone, holding 2 liters of lemonade.

–

As you parked on the beach, alcohol and red cups in hand, you saw Connor reach out to shake Jeremiah’s hand and it almost felt like everything happened in slow motion, and you’ve never gotten out of a car faster in your life.

“Y/n!”

You ignored Conrad calling your name and rushed to where your boyfriend was introducing himself to your friends, panic rising in your chest at what he could’ve said in your absence.

“There she is!” Jeremiah grinned when he saw you, pulling you in for a hug by the waist, lifting you up and spinning you in the air.

You could practically feel the heat from the steam blowing out of Connor’s ears.

“Hey, guys.” You smiled. “I brought the goods!”

“Lemonade and Titos?! Oh man, Y/n/n, you’re gonna kill us.” Tate laughed as he pulled the contents out of the bag.

“That's our girl!” Steven smiled, wrapping a hand around Shayla’s waist.

“Shayla!” You smiled once you noticed her presence.

“Y/n!”

You both laughed as she pulled you in for a hug, rocking you back and forth.

“So good to see you!” She said. Her cute accent had faded more and more over the years, but it was still there.

“You too! This is my boyfriend,” You decided you should acknowledge him, not wanting to deal with the consequences if you didn’t. “Connor.”

Shayla stuck out her hand with a smile, but all she got from Connor was a head nod, before he focused his attention elsewhere. Shayla smiled awkwardly and stepped back into Steven’s embrace, and your cheeks burned red.

“Connor.” You scolded under your breath, but he didn’t acknowledge you, continuing to sip on his beer.

You let your gaze wander when you felt a pair of eyes on you. Conrad was only a few feet away, his blue eyes staring straight through you over his red solo cup tucked between his lips.

The kind of stare that could make any girl's knees buckle and pupils turn to hearts. It felt like you were the only girl on earth, the only girl to ever exist.

And he was looking at you like that.

You looked down after what felt like an eternity of locking eyes with Conrad Fisher, and busied yourself with making a drink, pouring a larger amount of vodka into the red cup than you normally would, only topping it off with lemonade, and immediately downing the cup before quickly pouring yourself another one.

Connor kept a firm grip on you all night, so firm you were sure there were bruises forming on your hips and shoulders, and the drunker you got, the more tired of it you became.

Conrad kept a close eye on you. Physically, he kept his distance, but his eyes never tore away from you. He saw your grimacing, your uncomfortable cringing and the frown that etched itself onto your face anytime you thought no one was looking.

You tried your best to loosen up, especially when Jeremiah brought his new boo over to meet everyone. You fixed your hair and put on your biggest smile as you shook hands with the boy.

“I’m Hayden!” He smiled, “It’s so nice to meet you all! I’ve heard so much about each of you!”

“Trust me, we’ve heard a LOT about you.” Belly teased, earning a sharp look from Jeremiah.

“All good things, Hayden, we promise!” You reassured him, lightly pinching Belly on the arm, but the girl just giggled.

“Wait a second, Y/n, you have the same tattoo as Jere?” Hayden asked, pointing to the small stingray on your side. You forgot since your long sleeve shirt was so cropped, it was visible.

“Oh, yeah! We all do! Got it the summer baby Bells turned 18!” You smiled, gesturing to the rest of the group, who all slowly revealed their own tattoos on their sides.

“Y/n got stung by a stingray and forced us all to spend a whole week with her on the couch instead of, like, actually doing fun stuff.” Tate explained.

“Hey!” You scolded, “It turned out to be a lot of fun! We made margaritas everyday, and we went outside! I sat on the chair while you guys swam in the pool.”

“Oh, yeah!” Steven laughed, “Conrad was basically her nurse for the week, wouldn’t leave her side.”

“Oh, Y/n, does it hurt? Do you need ice? Oh Y/n, don’t walk, let me carry you!” Jeremiah said in a high pitched voice, hands clutched over his heart, pretending to be a lovesick Conrad.

You looked down at the sand as the rest of the group laughed, not daring to look in the direction of Conrad or Connor.

You were starting to understand the humor in their names.

“Anyway, it turned out to be a memorable week for all six of us, we all got a hell of a lot closer, which we all thought was impossible. So we got stingray tattoos a couple summers later, all thanks to our Y/n!” Jere said, trying his best to break the tension that only he seemed to notice.

“We need to talk.” Connor growled, immediately walking away from the circle, kicking sand in the direction of everyone else as he walked and your heart sank.

Belly shot you a concerned look but you shook your head, urging her to stay out of it, before you pushed your drink into Tate’s hands and followed after Connor a ways down the beach, closer to the water.

You missed the way Conrad’s eyes followed you.

“What’s up?” You asked, seemingly nonchalant as you stuck your hands in your pockets.

“What’s up?” Connor scoffed, shaking his head. “What’s up is that I want you to stay away from Conrad, and Jeremiah for that matter.”

“You’re kidding me, Connor.”

“Do I look like I’m kidding?” His face was hard as stone, his teeth clenched and you thought the red solo cup he was clenching was seconds away from turning into dust.

“No, but-”

“But nothing, Y/n. Conrad is basically eye fucking you and I don’t like the way Jeremiah is touchy with you. You show up, alone with Conrad who is obviously into you, and matching stingray tattoos?! You have to be fucking kidding me, this is all so ridiculous.”

“That’s just Jere! He’s like that with everyone, besides, he’s with someone!”

“Who’s a guy! You really think that’s gonna last? What’s he supposed to be, bisexual? He’s just doing it out of boredom and a need for attention. If you think otherwise you’re an idiot.”

You thanked the Universe that Jeremiah was all the way up the beach, just imagining the look on his face if he heard that broke your heart, but barely a second passed before you were fuming, and all you saw was red.

“How fucking dare you?” You seethed.

“You only defended Jeremiah, why not Conrad?” He asked, completely dodging the blatant homophobia he spewed from his mouth just a second before.

“You need to leave.” You said, your voice low. “You need to go back to my house, pack your things and go home.”

“Like hell I am. You need me. You’re not gonna leave me ‘cause you’re scared, aren’t you, princess?” He spat, and your face fell.

“I hate you.” Your tone faltered as tears began to fall down your face.

“You love Conrad, don’t you?” You didn’t respond, only choosing to wrap your arms around yourself and continue to cry, wishing this was just a nightmare.

“Ungrateful slut!”

Connor pushed you and you stumbled back, losing your footing and falling into the water, lightly gasping at the cold.

Conrad was up in a second, being the only one watching you from the group’s spot on the beach, storming towards the two of you, but not making too much of a scene so the other friends wouldn't follow him, but he knew they were too drunk anyway.

He downed the rest of his drink, crushing it in his fist and throwing it in the opposite direction. He’d pick it up tomorrow.

Before he knew it, he had Connor by the neck of his tee shirt, nearly lifting him off of the ground.

“Touch her again, and you’re fucking dead.”

“Con…” Your small voice shook him, and he let go of Connor, but not without a forceful push, who immediately tried to take steps toward you. “WHAT DID I FUCKING SAY?!” Conrad’s voice boomed and your boyfriend raised his hands in surrender, taking his steps backwards.

“It was an accident-”

“Shut up.” Conrad’s breathing was becoming uneven, and you could tell he was getting angry.

“Connor, just go home, okay? That’s enough.”

Connor grumbled and rolled his eyes but eventually turned away, walking down the beach in the complete opposite direction of your house.

“Come on.” Conrad gestured for you to take his hands, and you did, allowing him to help you up.

“Will you take me home?”

“Mine or yours?” “Yours. Please yours.”

“Always.” –

Everyone decided to just come home with you guys, all of their eyelids heavy with sleep and brains fogged over from the alcohol.

Tate decided to stay over as well, claiming he was too tired to walk all the way back to your house across the street, but you didn’t blame him, it sounded like a pretty far walk to you too.

Belly let you borrow clothes and use her shower and face wash, and when you were done the poor girl was already fast asleep in a starfish position in bed. You smiled and shut the door as lightly as you could before making your way down the stairs, the couch would suffice for one night.

But there he was, Conrad Fisher, in all his glory, sitting on the couch and staring out the window, wide awake.

“Hey, Con-” “I have to tell your family, you know that don’t you?”

Your heart sank.

“Conrad, please-”

The boy turned to look at you, sadness heavy in his ocean eyes.

“Why wouldn’t you want me to?” “That was only the first time something like that’s happened-”

“Y/n-”

“I swear I’m not just some pathetic girl that lets a guy throw her around like a ragdoll-”

“Y/n/n…”

“I just- I can’t breathe, Conrad.”

Conrad was up off the couch in the blink of an eye, immediately in front of you with his hands firmly holding the sides of your face.

“I know.” He whispered, taking deep breaths in hopes that you’d subconsciously copy them.

“You got it.” He praised, his thumb lightly stroking your cheekbone.

You shook your head, eyes wide with fear, but Conrad only nodded.

“Keep following my breaths, you’re halfway there.”

You did as he said, because you’d do just about anything Conrad Fisher said.

“Y/n/n, what is going on?” He asked once you’d calmed down, his hands still not leaving your face.

You sighed and brought your own hands up to hold his wrists closing your eyes.

“Hey.” He said, shaking his hands just slightly so you’d look at him. “I won’t say anything, if you just tell me.”

So, you took a deep breath, and you told him everything.

–

It had only been a couple weeks since the incident, and Conrad kept to his word. You told him everything, trying your best to keep your tears at bay while Conrad wiped the few stray ones that escaped from your eyes. You told him you just needed some time, if you broke up with Connor now, the summer wouldn’t end well, and you were terrified of what he’d do if you left. Conrad tried to convince you that so many people had your back, and there was nothing to be scared of, but you just shook your head. You had to do this on your own time, and eventually, after hours of talking, Conrad agreed to keep your secret.

And Connor had kept it civil since then as well, staying calm for the sake of not getting the shit beat out of him by your brother, and things were almost perfect. It was just like old times, volleyball at the beach, taco night every Tuesday, and of course, Belly’s birthday.

You and Tate helped Laurel, Susannah and Steven set up the kitchen for breakfast and presents, trying your best to be silent as to not wake everyone else in the house, but of course you all ended up giggling a bit too loudly anyway, because Conrad and Jeremiah came trudging down the stairs, rubbing sleep out of their eyes.

“Oh, I’m sorry boys! Did we wake you?” Susannah cooed, pinching both of their cheeks, getting the boys to smile.

“Nah, it’s Belly’s birthday! ‘Course we’re awake.” Jeremiah said with a sleepy smile.

You always adored the love the two boys had for Belly. Jeremiah would throw her over his shoulder and exclaim “This is my best friend!” Making other girls go green with envy, but he never cared, she was his best friend, and he wanted the world to know it.

Conrad was more subtle, you always noticed how his eyes searched for her at parties, and once he had eyes on her and saw that she was safe and smiling, he’d visibly relax and get back to whatever conversation he was having.

It was precious.

“There she is!” You beamed when Belly came down the stairs, hair and makeup already done, with a smile on her face.

“Happy birthday Bells!” You bounded over to her and everyone else followed, pulling the birthday girl in for a big hug, swaying her back and forth.

“I just want my pancakes!” She groaned, but you could see the smile and blush that overtook her face.

Laurel rolled her eyes and brought her daughter in for a solo hug, kissing the side of her face, “Alright, alright, missy. Let’s get to it then!”

Belly happily ate her minnie mouse pancakes and opened each present, giggling like a little girl over how much she loved all of them and giving everyone separate hugs, thanking them a thousand times over.

“Where’s Connor?” Susannah asked as the two of you were putting discarded gift wrap and tissue paper into trash bags. Belly and Jeremiah left, going for a morning birthday swim with Hayden, Laurel went to take a nap, and Tate, Steven and Conrad were playing video games in the other room.

“He, uh, wanted to sleep in.” You said, faking a smile.

Susannah paused for a moment, before continuing to pick up trash. “Well, you tell that boy if he wants to be a part of this family then he has to join all the traditions next year.” You laughed and nodded, “I will.”

Susannah set the trash bag on the floor and patted the couch next to her, you obliged.

“You can tell me anything, you know that honey?” You nodded, “Of course.”

The blonde woman kissed your head and smiled. “Alright. Well, this mama needs a nap. Too much excitement for one morning.”

You nodded and bid her a “goodnight”, then went to check and see how the boys were doing with their video game.

“Little sisterrrrr!” Tate exclaimed as you walked into the room, plopping yourself down next to Conrad, who didn’t seem to want to look at you.

“What are you guys up to in here?” “Killin’ zombies.” Steven answered, not moving his focus from the TV screen.

“What’s the plan for today?”

Steven shrugged and you gasped. “It’s your sister’s birthday!”

“Then we’ll do whatever she wants to do when she gets back, jeez!” Steven said, still not moving his gaze from the TV.

The boys got back into the flow of the game, and you took your opportunity to look at Conrad, who, unbeknownst to you, was extremely aware of your eyes on him.

How could he not when he felt like his skin was on fire every time your eyes graced his frame?

He took a chance and looked at you out of the corner of his eye and you could feel your cheeks heat up as you tried to hide a smile, suddenly very interested in whatever was going on in their video game and Conrad could feel his heart swell. He did that.

But his heart only deflated once more when your phone lit up with a text from Connor.

It was gonna be a long fucking summer.

“Uh, Connor just texted me, he wants to know the plans for the day, should I just tell him to meet us here?”

“Hell yeah, tell Con to come on over.” Tate said.

Conrad felt an angry bubble in his stomach, that was his nickname.

Ever since you were little, everyone’s nickname for him was Connie, but you decided to call him Con, you claimed it was different, it set you apart from everyone else. He didn’t have the heart to tell you it really wasn’t that much different, because there weren’t many nicknames for his name, but he liked that it made you happy that you had a special one.

And now Connor was coming in to take that from him.

“Hey guys.” Connor greeted as he entered the room, a small smile on his face that quickly faltered when he made eye contact with Conrad. You told Connor that he was going to keep your secret, but he still felt uneasy in his presence.

Which is exactly what Conrad wanted.

“What’s the plan for today?” Connor asked, taking a seat next to you, throwing an arm over your shoulders.

“There’s a party tonight somewhere, I don’t really remember where, Shayla texted me about it.”

“Sweet.”

After a couple more minutes of awkward silence, the only noise being the sound of zombies dying and guns firing from the TV, the morning swim trio appeared in the living room, all already showered and dressed for the day.

“Hey, happy birthday Belly!” Connor said, digging through his pockets and handing the younger girl a small envelope. You were completely taken back, you hadn’t expected Connor to get her anything, let alone even acknowledge her birthday.

It was a silly card, a giraffe wearing a party hat, and inside was a messily scribbled, “Happy birthday Belly! -Connor” and a $50 bill.

“Connor.” You said, your voice light, impressed by the boy’s actions.

“Wow, thank you, Connor!” Belly said before running up to her room to stash her cash.

“You didn’t have to do that, babe.”

Babe.

“She’s like your little sister, of course I did! I know how special her birthday is around here.” He said before kissing your head and you smiled.

“You’re alright, Con.” Steven said, pointing to him.

Con.

Lord help Conrad Fisher.

The day had gone by agonizingly slow, you had a new found likeness for Connor and were attached to him all day, holding his hand and giggling at his dumb jokes, and Conrad felt like he was going to vomit. By the time the sun went down, and the group decided to head to the party, Conrad was ready for a drink, or 10.

And of course, Connor offered to be the DD.

How nice.

Conrad disappeared upon arrival, looking for the alcohol and a random girl he could at least makeout with to get his mind off of you and Connor. Just drink, makeout and get the fuck out, that was the plan.

But of course, this was summer in Cousins, and it was the Fisher’s, Conklin’s and Y/L/N’s, nothing ever went to fucking plan.

Usually, you never let yourself get too drunk, especially around Belly and Jeremiah, because you swore to their moms you’d always look out for them, but you were feeling especially carefree tonight, and Connor was actually being sweet, so you started chugging.

“So, you all smitten for Con now?” Conrad asked as he approached you from behind at the drink table, and you turned to look at him cocking your head.

“Wha-”

“Come on. You cry to me about how much you hate him and now you’re all up on him.”

You furrowed your eyebrows. “Yeah, maybe I wanna give the relationship that I have a chance, would that be so bad?”

Conrad clenched his teeth. “He pushed you, Y/n.”

“Like a month ago.”

“It’s been 2 weeks.”

“God, same thing! He was drunk and frustrated, it hasn’t happened since!” “And your wrist.”

“Fuck you, Conrad.”

Conrad laughed, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What did I do? Huh? Fuck that guy-” He pointed to Connor, who was taking a shot with Belly while exclaiming Happy Birthday, “Who put his hands on my girl.”

You raised an eyebrow and Conrad cursed under his breath.

“Your girl? Seriously?”

Own up to it, Con.

“Yeah. Seriously.”

“Forget it.” You spat before walking away, and “accidentally” stepping on his toe, causing Conrad to grimace, but he kept his mouth shut.

You maneuvered your way through the party, double fisting two drinks since one was for Jeremiah but you decided to walk in the opposite direction, desperately needing to cool off before you rejoined your friends.

You felt a hand around your waist and you groaned, quickly whipping around to who you thought would be Conrad.

“Conrad, I swear-”

“Conrad?” The stranger inquired, a playful smirk on his lips. “I’m way more handsome than that punk.”

You swallowed as you stared at the guy, perfectly gelled blond hair, blue eyes, and fucking boat shoes. You were screwed.

“Excuse me.” You said, trying to move past him but he held his grip tight on you.

“Yeah, I don’t think so.”

“I just-”

“Yeah you’re not just anything, sweetheart. Come on.” He said, beginning to pull you up the stairs.

Conrad. You wanted Conrad. No, fuck that, you needed Conrad.

“CON!” You screamed without thinking, and the stranger that had you in his hold groaned and let go of you, he figured you were yelling for Conrad Fisher, and he knew better than to get in that guy’s face.

You were left alone on the stairs, breathing heavily with your hand clutched to your chest, tears threatening to spill when Connor appeared in front of you. “Hey, babe. I’m right here, what happened?”

“That guy-” You pointed in his direction, but you were cut off upon seeing Conrad right behind your boyfriend, out of breath.

Connor thought you’d called for him.

And they both came.

“Let’s get you home, okay?” Connor said and you nodded, not breaking your eye contact with Conrad, who’s pretty blue eyes were piercing right through you.

You let Connor lead you to his car, assuring everyone that you were fine, just didn’t feel good, and after Shayla told Connor she could take everyone home, that she hadn’t been drinking either, you were on your way home.

–

You woke up to what looked like about a million text messages. The first one you saw being from Conrad.

Con: text me when u get home safe.

Con: i’m sorry.

You furrowed your eyebrows and shook your head, you’d deal with him later.

Then you scrolled more.

Tate: Come to the Fisher’s when you wake up.

Mom: Hi honey, call me when you wake up.

Bells: Please come over as soon as you’re awake.

Bells: Don’t bring Connor.

And a million more missed calls from Belly, Steven, Tate, your mom, and Laurel. You were concerned about the lack of notifications from Conrad, Jeremiah and Susannah.

What the actual fuck? You were in a full blown panic now. Ripping the blankets off of your body, not bothering to put on any actual clothes, or shoes, and running straight across the street to your friend’s house, yanking open the door.

You hurried further into the house, rounding the corner into the kitchen, and you were greeted by a very distressed Jeremiah, sitting on a stool at the kitchen island.

“Jere? What the fuck is going on?”

The boy turned to look at you and your heart broke, the pain was written all over his face.

“It’s back.” He said, his voice cracking.

Fuck.

“Oh my god…”

“The cancer’s fucking back.” He broke, his body slumped over the counter and he gripped his hair in his hands so forcefully you were afraid he’d rip it out as his body racked with sobs.

“Fuck, Jere.” You exhaled, moving quickly to pull your best friend off of the kitchen counter and into your arms, which he did willingly, and he held onto you tighter than he ever had.

You stood like that for along time, Jeremiah still sitting with his face buried in your shoulder, heart wrenching cries falling past his lips as your tee shirt started to get so wet it stuck to your skin, but you really didn’t give a fuck.

You weren’t sure how long Susannah had been standing there, you weren’t even sure how long you had been standing there, but when you looked up to see the blonde woman in the doorway, she was smiling sadly, wiping a stray tear.

“Suze…” You said and held an arm out, still holding Jeremiah close, not wanting to be the one to let go of him first.

She joined the embrace, and only then did you allow yourself to cry. You wanted so badly to be strong for Jere, but it was hard when the woman you considered a mother, sometimes even more than your own, was so sick, once again.

“I love you.” You said, trying your best to keep your voice even, even though it was uncontrollably shaking.

“I love you so much more, baby.” She said, kissing the top of your head.

“Let’s go outside with the others, Jere.” She said once she pulled away, helping up her son and smiling when he wrapped an arm around her, assisting her to the backyard.

“Connie’s in his bedroom.” Susannah said, squeezing your hand. “I think he really needs you.”

You nodded and wiped your tears. The last thing you wanted was to let Conrad see your tears, he’d immediately close his emotions off so he could be there for you. That was just who he was.

If you thought Jeremiah had broken your heart, Conrad had completely shattered it.

He was laying sideways in a fetal position on his bed, his head where his feet would normally be, his hand clutching the comforter beneath him as he sobbed and you wasted no time laying down with him and wrapping your arms around him from behind. You replaced the comforter with your hand, letting him squeeze the shit out of it while you held him close, leaving chaste kisses on his shoulder and the back of his neck.

“This is bullshit.” He sobbed, “That’s my fucking mom!”

You tried so hard to resist crying with him, but it was too hard to keep in, and before you knew it the tears were flowing down your cheeks and onto your neck.

“I’m so sorry, Conrad.” You whispered and he didn’t respond. What was he supposed to say? That it’s okay? It wasn’t. It was far from okay. The world was cruel and it was never okay.

“I’m right here, I’m here.” You said, your words were barely even breaths, so gentle against his skin as you tried your best to hide your tears.

When he felt the gentle shake of your body he turned in your arms and wrapped his own around you. Of course, he knew how much his mom meant to you, she’d been there for you since the beginning. The 3 summers that your mom didn’t join because she decided to pack up and leave you, your brother and your dad, Susannah made sure she stepped up for all the mom duties. The first summer your mom rejoined the family and you refused to stay in a house with her, you stayed at the Fisher’s. The summer when your migraines got so bad you could barely leave the house for a week straight, Susannah let you sleep in her bed, because you claimed it was the comfiest one you’d ever been in the summer before.

“I’m so sorry about-” Conrad started, but you immediately shook your head. “Doesn’t matter.”

Conrad nodded, and the two of you held each other for a really long time, so long that you must’ve fallen asleep, because next thing you knew, your eyes shot open, and it was dark outside.

Did you sleep all day?

You were still wrapped up in Conrad’s arms, and your heart melted at the soft breaths that escaped from his lips.

How could you ever even consider working things out with Connor?

After the way he talked about your friends, the things he said about Jeremiah, the way he put his hands on you, how could you ever even have thought about choosing him over the boy whose arms you were currently wrapped up in?

You reached up and ran a finger across his cheekbone, smiling when he nuzzled closer to you under your touch, and placed a soft kiss on his jaw.

The answer was clear, but you could only wish it was that simple.

–

“Yo, Connor! Wanna be my pong partner?!” Jeremiah enthused, running up to you and your boyfriend like a puppy dog.

You nudged Connor, encouraging him to go and he said yes, clapping Jeremiah on the back and calling him “buddy”. It was going to be the two of them, vs Conrad and Tate, the two people that Connor should never fuck with.

It was the 4th of July, and usually, all of the adults were present for the barbecue and fireworks, but apparently Susannah had a new boyfriend, who owned a yacht, and he invited all of them onto his boat for the day.

Go Susannah.

After the news of her cancer coming back, everyone was really shaken, but she assured everyone she was going to fight even harder this time, and no one deserved a tipsy day on a boat with a handsome man more than Susannah did.

You sat on a lawn chair, sipping on a vodka lemonade with Hayden and Belly, giggling at their friendly banter of who they thought was going to win. You glanced at Steven and Shayla across the pool, smiling to yourself as you caught a sweet kiss between the two of them.

Connor would never kiss you like that.

“Earth to Y/n!”

You snapped out of your trance and fixed your eyes on Jere, who was looking at you like he was waiting for an answer.

“I’m sorry, what?”

Jeremiah just giggled, “Who do you think made it in first?? Connor or Conrad?”

You looked between the two boys, contemplating your decision.

“Um, Connor.”

Connor and Jeremiah both yelled in victory, hands up in the air before they hugged, jumping up and down.

You sneaked a glance at Conrad, who was already looking at you. Eyes squinted.

It was gonna be a long fucking summer.

You ended up having to put Connor to bed up in Steven’s room, who told you he wasn’t even going to be staying there tonight anyway while he winked at Shayla.

Your boyfriend had probably had a little bit more than one too many shots, considering the fact that he was mostly taking them by himself, so everyone else still had energy for at least another 5 hours, Connor was down for the count.

You tucked him in and left a glass of water and a bottle of tylenol on the nightstand, and a bucket on the floor just in case, then you turned out the light and shut the door, bounding down the stairs with a grin.

You were more than happy to get rid of Connor for a few hours.

You approached the group, all standing in a circle outside, playfully arguing about something and stood on your tippy toes to wrap an arm around Conrad’s shoulders and rest your chin on his shoulder.

Conrad smiled and gripped your wrist in his hand before leaning forward, bringing you up off of the ground and readjusting you so you were fully wrapped around him, before standing straight again and locking his arms around the back of your knees.

“Hi Y/n/n.” He said, turning his head to try and get even a small glimpse of you.

“Hi, Con.” You whispered, and his legs felt like jello.

For a second, Conrad forgot anybody else was even there, it felt like just the two of you. It was cheesy, of course it was, but sometimes cheesy is just reality. You were the only other person there.

“Looks like Y/n chose the wrong Con!” Tate teased and just like that, the moment was ruined. You frowned and slid off of Conrad’s back, the boy already missing the feeling of you around him, your soft cheek squished on his shoulder.

“Way to make it weird, Tate.” You muttered under your breath and Tate rolled his eyes.

“It was a joke! Come on, the sun hasn’t even set yet. Another round of shots?” Your brother asked, slowly walking backwards towards the kitchen, waiting for everyone to follow him.

Belly was the first, then Shayla, then Steven, then Jeremiah and Hayden, and eventually it was just you and Conrad outside.

“You wanna join them?” Conrad asked and you shrugged.

“Come on.” He encouraged, gesturing his head inside and you rolled your eyes, but still had the ghost of a smile on your list.

“Shots?” He asked.

“Yeah, yeah.” You playfully shoved him and he snatched your wrist, pulling you into his side and throwing his arm over your shoulder.

You did a round of shots, then you did two, then eventually three, and before you knew it everyone was laughing their asses off about some story Jeremiah was telling about how the two of you got hammered last summer and woke up on a random guy’s boat in the middle of the bay.

“I’m pretty sure Jere was still drunk.” You giggled, wiping a tear from your eye that had formed from your laughter.

And surprise, surprise, Conrad couldn't take his eyes off of you the entire time.

You were just so pretty, and his mom always said that pretty things were made to be admired.

“You guys.” Jeremiah said, slamming his hands on the counter, eyes wide, causing everyone to slightly jump.

“Sun’s down.”

You turned your head to look out the french doors, the sun did indeed go down, and you could already see a couple stray fireworks in the distance.

Everyone shared a look then ran out the door to get to the beach and start the fireworks, but before you could make it out the door, someone grabbed your hand, and you turned to see Conrad, his eyes shining.

“Night swim?”

And how could you say no to that face?

You nodded and laced your fingers through his, allowing him to lead the way out to the docks and giggling when he picked up the pace, running like a little kid to jump in the water with his childhood crush.

It was perfect.

As soon as you arrived on the edge you threw off your shorts and tossed your phone on top of them, already in a bikini, and jumped in, Conrad not far behind you.

You emerged from the water and smiled, covering your eyes with your hands to rub out any water that had made its way in, and when you opened your eyes to find Conrad, he was already in front of you, looking at you with those fucking ocean eyes. Fireworks exploding in an extraordinary glow right behind him.

“What?”

“You’re so pretty.” He breathed out, as if the words had been caught in his mouth for so long, and relief washed over his body when he finally released them.

You looked away, shaking your head as you curled your toes into the rough sand below you. You were barely touching the bottom, still having to halfway keep yourself afloat.

“You’re drunk, Con.” You said, looking down at the black water.

“Don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what, Conrad?”

“Use the fact that I’m drunk to deflect. I may be drunk but I have eyes.”

You looked up from the water and sighed. “Really pretty ones.” You said, your voice faltering towards the end of your sentence, trying not to cry.

He really knew how to do it, hi and those pretty blue eyes and pillowy lips.

You were in love with Conrad Fisher.

“Why’re you crying?” He asked, wading closer to you, causing the water around your shoulders to slosh.

“I can’t.”

“You can’t what, pretty girl?” His voice was soft as a feather, and God, his lips were getting dangerously close to yours.

“I can’t love you.”

“You love me?”

“I can’t.” You cried. “I can’t just kiss you and pretend like it means nothing.”

“It’s not nothing.”

You shook your head, biting your lip.

“Y/n, I love you.”

“Conrad-”

He secured his hands on either side of your neck, just below your ears and you wanted to pull away, but you couldn’t. How could you when he’s looking at you like that?

“Please, Y/n.”

“I still have a boyfriend, Con.”

“I don’t care.”

He inched forward just barely, but it was enough to make the butterflies in your stomach erupt, you felt like they were trying to crawl up your throat.

“I just need your lips on mine. Even if I never get them again. Please, just this once. Y/n.” He was begging. He breathed out your name at the end of the sentence like a prayer and before you could even think about it, you nodded. And as fucking cheesy as it was, the firework show finale began,

And his lips were on yours.

You could’ve cried from the feeling of Conrad’s lips on your own.

His hands traveled down to your waist, then your hips and to your thighs before he lifted you up, urging you to wrap your legs around his waist and you did, immediately tangling your fingers in his hair, not once did the two of you disconnect your lips from one another.

It was desperate and messy, but it was perfect. His hands splayed across your back and squeezed your sides, and your hips before he pulled away, not even sparing a glance up at you as he planted kisses down your throat and shoulder, and that little spot right under your ear that made you whimper.

His lips came right back to yours in one last sweet kiss before he lowered you back into the water, his eyes glued to yours.

“I love you, Y/n. Please.”

You opened your mouth to respond, but was immediately interrupted by voices coming from the house.

Fuck.

“Under the dock.” He said, pulling you with him as you both swam underneath the wooden surface.

“Conrad-”

He immediately brought his hand up to cover your mouth, bringing up his other hand to put a finger to his lips, signaling you to be quiet.

“Where the fuck did they go?” Jeremiah’s muffled voice sounded from above you, footsteps pacing back and forth.

“Maybe they’re finally confessing their undying love for each other.” Belly said.

“Don’t think Connor would like that too much.” Steven responded.

“Who cares, that guy’s a dick. I say, ‘dump his ass’!” Hayden joked and everyone laughed, footsteps fading down the dock, giving up on finding the two of you out here.

Once you were sure they were gone, you pulled away from him. “You dummy!”

“What? I just saved our asses.”

“We could’ve just said we decided to go for a night swim, the fact that we’re gonna show up completely soaked with no explanation is going to be way more suspicious!!”

Conrad just smiled and cocked his head as you rambled.

“Stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re in love with me.”

“Would that be so bad?” “Yes.”

–

Things had been terrible since the kiss. You could barely look at Conrad or Connor. And your constant bickering with Connor started back up again, he was back to his old self. You should’ve known that sweet facade was going to fade soon. He was just jealous of Conrad, but he couldn’t keep up the act anymore.

It was nearing the end of July, and the whole group was lazing around the Fisher’s house. You all spent the whole day at the beach yesterday, and you were tuckered out, all agreeing to just chill around the house. Laurel and Susannah had been gone all day, doing God knows what (edibles on the beach), so you were able to roam the house freely.

Until Jeremiah suggested a game, which turned into a drinking game, which turned into a mini party outside with just you and your friends. It was honestly nice, some summer beach playlist was playing through the speakers, the boys set up a game of pong (you even got to beat Steven and Jeremiah’s asses in the game with Tate), and half eaten snacks littered the outdoor table.

And of course, everyone was hammered by the time the sun began to set, but all you could focus on was Conrad’s eyes lingering on you.

“Babyyyy…” Connor stumbled over to where you were standing, leaning your weight against the side of the house.

“Hi.” You said, amusement in your tone.

“Let’s go inside.” He slurred, trying to push you towards the french doors.

You looked around, everyone was still partying and having fun. It hadn’t gotten to the point where everyone was breaking off into their respective couples with locked lips yet. Jere, Belly and Tate were having a handstand contest, which Conrad, Hayden and Steven were judging, Shayla was facetiming one of her friends, no doubt gushing to them about Steven.

“Not right now, everyone’s still having fun.”

“But we could be off having more fun.”

You shook your head. “Maybe later, okay?”

“Come onnnn.” He tried to persuade you by leaving kisses down your throat and exposed chest, only barely covered by a black bikini top.

You couldn’t help but close your eyes and sigh a bit, your hand coming up to tangle your fingers in his hair, your mind playing flashes of your kiss with Conrad under the fireworks at the dock. The way his hands explored your body, the way he confessed his love for you with so much passion and emotion–

“Seriously, Conrad…”

Shit.

Connor immediately disconnected from you, pulling back to stare at you with wide eyes.

“The fuck did you just call me?”

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

“Conrad? Are you fucking serious?”

“I- I’m drunk, and your names are so similar.” You panicked, trying to clean up the mess you just made but it was too late, you were pushed up against the wall with Connor’s hand around your throat. Your instinct was to try and pry his hands off of you, but he was so much stronger than you, and fighting wasn’t doing you any good.

He was squeezing hard, and you tried to use your voice to call for your brother, Conrad, Jeremiah, fucking anybody, but you couldn’t. The only sounds coming from you were strangled cries and choking.

“Hey!” You heard a voice call from the pool, and the sounds of water sloshing and panicked screams rang through the air, and suddenly Connor was ripped off of you by Tate and you gasped for air, your hands immediately flying to your throat as wet coughs erupted from your chest.

“That’s my fucking sister!” Tate roared, his fist flying through the air and hitting Connor across the face, sending him flying backwards onto the concrete. He was picked up off of the ground by Steven and Hayden only for them to push him into Jeremiah’s awaiting fist.

“Guys please-” You tried but no one was listening except for Belly and Shayla, who were trying to usher you inside.

Finally Conrad stepped in, grabbing Connor by the collar of his shirt once again as he leaned in, his voice so low and menacing it sent a chill down your spine.

“What did I say would happen if you touched her again?”

His eyes were dark, so dark that if you were looking at them for the first time, you probably wouldn’t even know they were blue, and his chest was heaving so rapidly you were worried he was gonna get dizzy.

You wanted to intervene, but you were so overwhelmed and overcome with panic you couldn’t speak as Conrad slammed your boyfriend into the ground, only to pick him back up and Slam him into the wall, his large hand around his throat, in the exact same position he had you in.

“Doesn’t feel so good, does it?” Conrad all but growled.

“I didn’t mean-”

“Shut up.” His tone was flat as he stared at him, and Belly reached for your hand. You took it and squeezed, pulling her behind you. Steven had already done the same with Shayla.

“Here’s what’s gonna happen.” He said, “You’re gonna go across the street with Tate or Steven or whoever the fuck else, you’re gonna pack up your shit, and you’re gonna leave. Do I make myself clear?”

“She just-”

“DO I make myself clear?!” He barked and you flinched. Conrad was broody and intimidating, sure, but he was gentle. This was a side of him you were sure no one else had ever seen before.

Connor nodded and Conrad let him go, turning to you. His demeanor immediately softened when his eyes met yours, and a wave of relief washed over you so forcefully you began to cry, Belly was quick to pull you into her arms, ushering you inside.

Steven assured Tate and Jermiah that he and Hayden would take Connor across the street to pack his things, and that you probably needed them more than ever now, and they’d be back soon.

“Tate I have to tell you–” “Did you know, Con?” Tate asked slowly, almost as if he didn’t want to ask, because he didn’t want to know the answer.

“‘What did I say would happen if you ever touched her again?’” Tate quoted Conrad’s words to him, and he wanted to throw up.

“You knew that piece of shit was hurting my sister, and you didn’t fucking say anything?!”

“Listen-”

“No, fuck you!” Tate spat. “That’s my sister, man. That’s Y/n.”

“Let him talk, T.” Jeremiah said, placing a hand on Tate’s shoulder but he jerked himself away.

“Fuck that.” He turned to storm away, opposite the direction of the house but Conrad stopped him.

“That’s your sister, Tate. Are you gonna storm off in a fit of rage or are you gonna go inside and hug your sister, who’s scared shitless?”

Tate just looked at him, eyes empty.

“I wanted to tell you. I almost did. She insisted she was going to do it herself, she didn’t want to turn it into something it didn’t need to be, alright? She just took a little longer than expected.”

Tate didn’t respond, only gave Conrad a curt nod before continuing to walk away from the house. “I just need a minute.”

Tate walked out the back and onto the beach, digging his hands in his pockets.

“Is it too soon to ask what you guys were doing during the fireworks?”

Conrad huffed out a laugh and clapped a hand on his brother’s shoulder.

“Under the deck, dickhead.”

“Seriously?!”

Conrad nodded and Jeremiah threw his head back, pretending to be disgusted. “Rascals.” The pair stopped right outside the french doors, taking in a deep breath before they entered the house. “Y/n’s a badass.” Jeremiah said, glancing at his older brother, who nodded, before putting his hand on the doorknob and pushing, allowing the two to walk into the house.

You sat at the kitchen island, Belly and Shayla both on the other side of the granite, staring at you with concerned eyes.

Jeremiah moved first, pulling out the stool next to yours and positioning his head so he was eye level with you, a small smile on his face.

“Hey, buddy.”

“Hi.” You rasped and his smile sank.

The curly headed boy brought his hand up to wipe a fleck of dust off of your eyebrow before placing a kiss on the top of your head, and you sank into him.

“That was kinda scary, huh?” Jere asked and you nodded.

“I’m sorry.”

“First of all, I never want you to apologize to me again.”

You giggled.

“And second of all, why?”

You sighed and shrugged. “I feel like an idiot. I ruined everything. I scared you.”

Jeremiah shook his head, wrapping his arms fully around you, resting his cheek on top of your head. “You didn’t ruin anything, alright?”

You nodded and sniffled, a tear rolling down your cheek, which Jeremiah was quick to wipe.

“No tears, alright?” Even though he was blinking back his own. He kissed your head one last time before disconnecting himself to you, and gesturing his head to the stairs, signaling for the girls to follow him upstairs. He couldn’t wait to tell them about the dock.

You and Conrad were left alone, and his presence was not easy to ignore.

He slowly made his way over to the stool Jeremiah had just been in and sat down, his eyes taking over your frame and wincing.

“Can I?” He asked and you nodded. He brought his hand up to brush your hair out of the way and he whined when it revealed the angry bruise covering your neck.

“It hurts.”

“I know, baby. I know.” He said, pulling you off of the stool and picking you up bridal style so he could take you up to his room.

Neither of you missed the hushed whispers from behind Jeremiah’s closed door.

Conrad pulled back the covers and laid you down, quick to follow and pull you close to him.

“I’m really scared, Con.” You said, your voice small as you cuddled impossibly closer.

“You’re safe. I promise you are. I’m right here, okay?” He assured you, his hand cradling the back of your head and the other lightly trailing the skin of your back.

“I love you.” You said, and Conrad visibly relaxed at your confession.

“I love you more, my girl.”

–

Those damn ocean eyes.

Conrad smiled at you from across the bonfire and you blew a kiss back. Which he pretended to catch and put in his pocket.

Conrad Fisher. Catching a kiss and putting it in his pocket. Who would've thought?

It was mid August. The summer was coming to an end, but you still had a couple of weeks left, and you were all soaking up every last second of it.

Conrad had, of course, asked you to be his girlfriend as soon as the water settled, and of course you said yes. Tate and Conrad made up, giving each other a big bro hug, and your brother finally talked to you once he calmed down, giving you that big, comforting, big brother hug as you cried. And of course he swore to kill Connor next time he saw him. Susannah found an amazing program that had a huge success rate, and everyone was hopeful.

Your boyfriend made his way over to you, wrapping a hand around your waist and pulling you into him before he planted a kiss on your lips.

“Pretty girl.” He mumbled, a tipsy smile pulling at his lips.

“My blue eyed boy.” You responded, throwing your arms around his shoulders, an open invitation for him to pick you up and spin you, that melodic laugh of yours that he just adored sang from your lips.

“We’re you callin for me that night at the party?” He asked, a teasing smile on his face.

“Not funny, Con.”

“‘Course it isn’t. Just wonderin’.” His words were slurring and he was just so beautiful.

“Yes.” You admitted, rolling your eyes.

“Knew it.” He said, peppering your face with kisses while you giggled and tangled your fingers through his hair.

He swore he’d never be happier than he was at that moment.

But they had a whole life ahead of them,

And the story of Conrad Fisher and Y/n Y/l/n had just begun.

I love a cheesy ending.

taglist: @colbysbrocks @prettysummerbaby @sortagaysortahigh @hpboysslut2707

#the summer i turned pretty imagine #the summer i turned pretty #the summer i turned pretty fanfic #tsitp imagine #tsitp #tsitp fanfic #conrad fisher #conrad fisher x y/n #conrad fisher fanfic #conrad fisher x reader #conrad fisher imagine #conrad fisher fanfiction #jeremiah fisher #jeremiah fisher imagine #jeremiah fisher x reader

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stargazing-imagines · 5 months

Text

Sick — Jeremiah Fisher x Fem!Reader

Description — you are staying with the fishers and the conklins for the summer, and you get a job as a daycare worker at the country club, but what happens when you catch the germs of the little ones?

Warnings — mentions of sickness, cuddling with a sick person *social distance ya’ll* that’s it

Fandom — the summer I turned pretty

Requested — no

A/n: hope you enjoy this one, and remember! Wash your hands!!

“Thomas, Savannah you get back here!” You shouted as you were chasing a bunch of 3-4 year olds down the hallways

“Try to catch me miss Y/n.” Said one little girl as she giggled

You shook your head, as you noticed the kids distracted you picked up Savannah, while grabbing Thomas’s hand, dragging them back to the day care room

“What did I tell you about leaving this classroom?” You asked

“We’re sorry miss y/n.” Said Savannah as she looked up at you with sad eyes, you sighed

“It’s fine just don’t do it again, now go eat your lunch.” You said, after you said that, a voice disrupted your thoughts

“Miss Y/n.” Said one little girl “your boyfriend is here!” She said as she nibbled on her cheese cracker giggling

The rest of the kids giggled as one little boy made kissy faces, Miss Amy walked up to you

“I’ll settle these kids down, why don’t you talk your hour lunch break?”

“Sounds perfect, thank you.”

Miss Amy smiles at you as she looked back at the kids

“Miles you put that down!” Said Miss Amy “your bento box is not a toy!”

“I don’t know how you do it.” Said Jeremiah as he walked side by side with you down the hallway towards the dining hall

“It’s nothing.” You said “but I do hope I don’t get sick, apparently there is something going around, they called that three teachers are out sick with the flu.”

“Well let’s hope you don’t.”

Well… let’s just say that you jinked it, the next day you found yourself with a fever of 102.3

“Those kids.” You said as you sat the thermometer down, you were in your thoughts until belly came in

“Woah y/n… you look beat, are you ok?” Asked belly as she walked close to you, but you stopped her with your hand

“Don’t. Come. Close.” You said with a raspy voice

Belly walked close to you anyway, when she did she placed the back of her hand on your forehead, but taking it off within seconds

“Oh my gosh…” said belly “your burning.”

“Yeah.” You said as you past by belly back to the door of your room “now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going back to bed.”

“I’m staying home today.” Said belly “I’ll take care of you.”

“Thanks belly but I rather you not get what I got.” You said as you smiled at her, shutting the door

“Knock knock.” Said a voice, it was Susannah who had something in her hands “belly told me, how are you feeling?”

“Well… my nose is stuffy, my throat hurts, oh and I’m achy.” You said as you sat up

“Well I made some chicken soup and I thought you might want some.”

“Thanks.” You said as you sat up from your bed.

“I’ll leave you alone.” Said Susannah as she gave you a small smile before walking out

It has been a few hours, more say 2 hours has passed. You were reading a book before you heard another knock, this time it was Jeremiah at the door.

“I hate that your sick, because your going to miss the awesomest party ever!” Said Jeremiah as he stood at the doorway, you chuckled.

“Awesomest isn’t even a word, but yeah.” You said as you looked at Jeremiah “you guys have fun.”

“Call me if you need anything.” Said Jeremiah as he bends down to kiss your forehead, but you jerk away

“Sorry but, im kinda contagious here.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Said Jeremiah as he gave you a kiss on the forehead anyway

“Alright, but don’t come to me when you get what I have.” You said “it’s not fun.”

“Whatever!” Shouted Jeremiah from the hallways, you chuckled before getting back to your book.

A week later

“So… how does it feel to be in my shoes.” You said as you were standing at the doorway of Jeremiah’s room. Turns out, he got what you had. Yours was still lingering but you were feeling better.

“This is torture.” Said Jeremiah, he sneezed again before looking at you “but it was worth it.”

You rolled your eyes before walking out of the room

“Love you!” Shouted Jeremiah

“Whatever!” You shouted back

—

The summer I turned pretty masterlist

#the summer i turned pretty #the summer i turned pretty imagine #jeremiah fisher fic #tsitp jeremiah #jeremiah fisher x you #jeremiah fisher x reader #jeremiah x reader #jeremiah fisher imagine #jeremiah fisher

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eunoia-writes · 2 years

Text

Gold rush • Jeremiah Fisher

Warnings: none

Summary: gigs flirting gets a little too much for y/n but Jeremiah is there to save the day and demonstrate just how much he knows she the only one for him

Y/n was never the Jealous type. She always tried to ignore the comments made about her boyfriend but when someone she considered to be a friend started flirting with him every chance she got y/n couldn’t help but get Jealous.

“Jere, save me!” Gigi called out giggling to Nicole as they both swam directly in front of Jeremiah. Clueless little Jeremiah. He was so oblivious to how much she was flirting with him. He laughed along with them before turning straight back to y/n only to find her looking unimpressed

“What’s that pout about?” He said tapping her bottom lip flashing his typical smile. God he was pretty and that’s smile. To Jeremiah there was only 4 girls that really mattered in this world. His mom of course, Laurel who was basically his second mother, Belly she was basically his sister and Y/n. Y/n was the most charming and endearing person he’d ever met. She had a way with words that could convince him of anything. Y/n knew what he was thinking without him having to tell her, she always knew the right thing to say and She was drop dead gorgeous.

Before the pair made it official y/n was extremely hesitant. She’d heard all the rumours of how Jeremiah liked to get around. She told him that they were destined to be like he thought and that he shouldn’t waist his time on her and they should just be friends. But this was Jeremiah we’re talking about despite her efforts to keep it plutonic the boy would get lost in what she said in mere seconds. She lost that fight long ago.

“No reason, just getting lost in my head again.” She told him giving him a warm smile. It was now his turn to pout as he searched her face for more answers

“Well get out of it then.” He said intertwining there hands. He was completely oblivious to the disapproving glare they pair were getting off Gigi but y/n she could see it from a mile away.

Jeremiah was what people would describe as a gold rush. Everyone so desperately wanted him and it ended in a completely rush get the golden one. And luckily y/n just so happened to be the one to win.

“Jere, are you coming to Nicoles Party!” Gigis voice chimed yet again y/n took a deep breath closing her eyes for a few seconds as a means to keep her cool. Jere noticed it of course but instead of making a big deal he just squeezed her hand slightly letting her know he was there. He sees her. He’s got her.

“Ahh maybe?” He answered, sometimes y/n hated how clueless he was but it also made him Jeremiah and she wouldn’t change him for the world.

“Pretty please, Jere. we haven’t hung out just us two in so long.” Gigi said and it took everything in y/n not to storm off right then and there but she composed herself as Jeremiah just laughed the comment off. Even he noticed that comment was a little off

The last 15 minutes of Jeremiah’s break was spent sat reading to y/n. Her head was in his lap as he read the words on the page before stopping mid sentence “tell me what’s going on?” He asked He’d tried to ignore the look that was across y/n’s face but he couldn’t. He needs to know what had gotten into her in the matter of minutes.

“It’s stupid.”

“Not if it’s bothering you.” He told her. God that boy was too sweet for his own good

“It’s just…Gigi she won’t stop flirting with you while I’m sat right here!” Y/n said and that’s when it all sank in. All those times y/n excused herself the seconds Gigi arrived or making an excuse as to why she couldn’t hang out with all of them. Gigi was getting under her skin.

“I’m sure she doesn’t mean it that way.”

“I just don’t like the way she’s talking to you and I don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch and god don’t get me started On how much I hate that Everybody wants you that Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you. Because you’re mine and only I should get to know those things.” She finally spilled Jeremiah just smiled wildly grabbing her hand and pulling her up and to directly in front of where Gigi was sat making sure she was watching.

Jere leaned in a kissed y/n almost taking her off balance but the firm arm around her waist stoped her from toppling over. “Only you get to know those things y/n. Only you.” Jeremiah said between kisses before pulling her in for one last kiss only for him to them scoop her up

“Put me down Jere!” Y/n said knowing exactly what was going through his head

“If you instead.” The next thing she knew she was completely submerged in water Jeremiah’s arms still firmly wrapped around her as they came up for air

“Jealousy looks good on you.”

#jeremiah x reader #jeremiah fisher #jeremiah fisher x reader #tsitp imagine #the summer i turned pretty imagine #the summer i turned pretty x y/n #the summer i turned pretty x you #tsitp x reader #tsitp #the summer i turned pretty x reader #the summer i turned pretty

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anywherebuthere · 2 years

Text

i'll love myself if you touch me like that | c.f.

conrad fisher x fem!reader

"Use me if you just insist that you love the body you refuse to kiss" - based on fuck me (i didn't know how to say) by crawlers

[or the one where you would give him your whole world and all he can give you is sex in the backseat of his car]

WC: 1.9k

A/N: i really wrote 4 fics, participated in some discourse and dipped huh... well, it needs to be said that i have read the books and have been a conrad girl since day 1 and am therefore better than the rest. let me know if you want to be tagged for part 2

Warnings: bad smut, light choking, titty sucking vaginal penetration, theyre doing it in a red jeep wrangler. angst, i hated myself while writing the smut holy. all participating parties are 18 in this.

masterlist | part ii | ao3

In retrospect, you’re not sure what you had expected when Conrad had texted you to go driving at 1:22 am. Perhaps Cousins’ summer heat and the buzzing of the cicadas had finally driven you mad. No amount of teenage delusion could turn a “u up?” text into any notion of romance, but when it came to him, you seemed to have an endless well of good faith in his intentions.

The cliffside view he had driven to was beautiful, with the moon reflecting beams of light off the sea, redirecting into the misty depths of Conrad’s eyes. He was sitting tense, his arm braced against the steering wheel, the cords of his muscles flexed, looking as pissed off as he had all summer. In all the years you had known him, had loved him, he had never been quite like this.

Sometimes you thought you could see traces of the gentle boy you knew; in the moments after sex, where all that could be heard were the mix of your breaths in the wind, and he would look over at you with that boyish smile, his eyes not quite as hard as usual.

Not that you’d seen much of him this summer, not in any way that really seemed to matter.

You hadn’t even known he was back in Cousins; for months, there had been little interaction between the two of you and you weren’t desperate enough to count him viewing your Instagram stories as such. There were no more late-night calls or even the occasional text. He was just… gone.

Seeing him at the bonfire had felt like a slap to the face. He had grown out his hair and his glasses were long discarded. It was that night that you felt something more in his gaze, as though he had grown hungry in the months apart.

When he kissed you for the first time, it hadn’t been anything like the naive imaginings of your youth. It wasn’t soft or loving and it didn’t happen after a confession in the rain. It was open-mouthed and dirty, the taste of cheap beer etching the memory.

It had been short-lived for the dramatics of it all, with Belly Conklin interrupting midway.

She had looked shocked but a little smug, with a look of “I told you so” carved into the creases of her grin.

Once, a summer or two ago, Belly too had felt a flicker of emotion for the boy. It was hard not to; Conrad had always had this quality, an effortless allure of sorts that drew people in. It was a pull that existed even now, amplified by his new sense of brooding, that made anyone who looked into those reflective eyes want to dive in and drown in their depths.

Of course, now Belly hardly felt much towards the boy, too enthralled by her new girlfriend Taylor to care. But she was your lifelong friend. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway.

It wasn’t long after that kiss that you started sleeping with Conrad. In the light of day, you rarely saw him, catching only the barest glimpse of him through your shared fence. Yet it only ever took the single meeting of gazes to end up in some closet or empty bedroom with the boy.

It felt unholy and blasphemous to the fantasies you had held for so long, but you relished in the rare moments of tentativeness. In every aching moment, every scorching touch, you yearned for him to see you. To notice the care and attention you place on your appearance, to trace the lines of your frame with more than just lust.

But now here you were, in his car for the first time since last summer, back when your yearning was something of tender love only felt in inexperience. The air hung heavy and you turned towards him, seeking his eyes, praying for a glimpse of the boy from last summer. If you could discern the boy of summer's past, then the love you felt would be justified. Then all the time you spent making yourself prettier, better, for him, would have been time well spent.

It would make all that you were less pathetic; because at least it would have been worth it.

When he finally turned to face you, there was nothing to be seen. He was an empty cracked shell on the shoreline and you were the foolish girl holding him close, listening for waves anyways.

And as he moved to tuck a piece of hair behind your ear, leaving his hand to rest on the crook of your jaw, you let him pull you into his embrace.

The softness of his lips was contrasted by the hard urgency in which he kissed you, inhaling in your being as though you were the air he breathed. The hand cupping your jaw travelled down the column of your neck, raising goosebumps in their wake and you gasped against his mouth when you felt him give it a gentle squeeze.

As he swept his tongue against yours, you found yourself clinging to his back, clawing the smooth muscles built from years of football. He tasted like the cigars he smoked, like fire and ash. You were lost to the sensation of Conrad’s hands on your body, too filled with wanting to be embarrassed by the way you were moaning against his lips.

The white sundress you had haphazardly thrown on in the dark was sliding up, the hem skimming your upper thighs as he pulled you across the centre console into his lap. In the dark of the night, as you straddled Conrad Fisher in his red Jeep Wrangler, you caressed the contours of his face, cupping the strong lines of his jaw.

In moments like this, you could almost pretend you didn’t feel like shit being touched in this way; you could fake a level of tender intimacy that did not exist, pretend that you were more than some easy fuck.

“Do you want to move to the back real quick?” he asked, breathless, before moving to kiss the skin above your collarbone.

Almost.

“Uh- yeah. Sure,” you replied numbly.

Crawling into the spacious back seats, you could feel the weight of his stare. You barely turned around before his lips were on yours once more, tasting, feeling, consuming you whole.

This was where you always ended up. No matter which path you took, it always led back to him.

He broke away for the briefest of moments, out of breath and looked into your eyes, before peppering kisses along your jaw.

His hand shifted away from the small of your back and you felt a tug on the bow keeping your straps up. The delicate triangles of eyelet fabric fell away, revealing your bare breasts and you could’ve sworn you saw his pupils dilate at the sight before he dove in, taking one into his delicate mouth.

Whimpering, you sank into the matte leather seats, clutching his soft curls as he explored the expanse of your chest, openmouthed, gently biting and licking the stiff nipple. Trailing wet kisses down your naval, you shivered at the buzz of his mouth against your bare skin.

“Is this okay?” he asked. Your sundress was a scrap of fabric gathered around your waist, and he was making sure you were okay with his head between your legs.

Same old Connie.

“Yeah,” you murmured with a smile. “This is more than okay.”

The smile he gave you in return was effervescent. He was effervescent. It was always so easy to remember precisely why you had been stuck on him for so many years; why you continued to cross tightropes to keep his eyes on you.

Grinning into his kiss, you shifted your hips as he peeled away your panties. His shirt was off now, his pale skin glistening in the starlight. The echo of his zipper rang through the car, twirling around notes of heavy breathing.

He let out a shaky breath as he slid into you easily, groaning at the way you clenched around his thick length. Pulling out a few inches, he leaned in next to you, tickling the curve of your ear with a sigh.

“You’re always so fucking tight for me,” he whispered, thrusting in hard. “Always so pretty.”

Clasping your wrists in one of his hands, he pinned them against the window, which was collecting steam. His other hand coming to grasp your hip, he began to press into you harder, his strokes gaining rhythm. The slapping of skin reverberated throughout the jeep, creating a crude melody.

He was staring into your eyes, and for the first time that night, it felt like he was truly looking at you. All summer long, a fog had obscured his eyes, but at this moment, there was a clarity in his eyes. He was seeing you.

Shifting your legs to his shoulders, you cried out at the new angle, feeling his cock push deep against your cervix. Your knees shook as you pulsed around him, so close to finishing.

Bringing his hand down to where you met, you felt him begin to rub your clit, drawing elaborate figure eights around the swollen bud.

You came then, in his arms as he gave you infinity.

Pulling out quickly, Conrad stroked his length quickly, his cum spread out across your tits.

It was 3:05 and the cliffside air was still. In the aftermath of it all, you always found yourself stuck in the limbo between childhood friend and lover. In these moments you were both and neither.

“So- uh, did you want to walk around a bit? Or we could stop by the diner if you’re hungry…” you rambled, sounding all too loud in the quiet night air.

“Nah, I’m good, I have to be up early to meet Cleveland,” he replied, his voice low and husky. “We should get going anyways.”

You nodded eagerly, trying not to grimace. He wasn’t looking at you. In fact, he was looking everywhere but you.

The drive home was silent, without any attempt at conversation, as if he wasn’t inside you only 20 minutes before. As though you had not been moaning in each other's mouths, tasting the embers on his tongue.

Rolling into the shared driveway between your neighbouring beach houses, embarrassment dawned on you as the barest rays of sun graced the horizon.

“Is this the only reason you asked me here tonight?” you said, breaking the tense silence. Inside, your heart was crumbling.

Conrad said nothing.

How did you ever think he saw you? He didn’t see you at age 12 when he had first caught your eye outside of the friendship you shared. He didn’t see you at age 14 when you had gotten your braces out and he hadn’t seen you even at age 16 when he got his first pair of glasses to combat his astigmatism.

“Don't contact me again for stuff like this,” you said, with steel in your voice. Your vision was blurring. “Maybe don’t contact me at all for a while.”

Opening the Jeep door, you stepped out on weak knees, shutting it before the boy who held the shambles of your heart in his hand could call out your name.

When you closed your front door, escaping Conrad’s sight, that was when he allowed himself to cry.

#conrad fisher x reader #conrad fisher x you #conrad fisher x y/n #conrad fisher #the summer i turned pretty #tsitp #the summer i turned pretty imagine #tsitp imagine #conrad fisher smut #conrad fisher x reader smut #smut #angst #conrad fisher angst #conrad fisher x reader angst #conrad fisher fluff #conrad fisher x reader fluff

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sourcherryandsprinkles · 8 months

Note

Conrad deserves better than Belly. After he sees Jere and her kiss, he get his ass to Stanford and meet this cute and smart maybe tutor girl (Haley James style) and falls in love with her and then they show up at Jere's wedding years later and Belly is jelly

I've spent the last five days working on this one.

p.s. it's 2k words...

my taglists are here + you can send requests here at any time

—

When Conrad finished his exam, he went back to Jeremiah and Belly. He was going to tell and confess his love to her before she had to get home, but when he got to his car, the scene Conrad walked on made him sick to his stomach: Belly and Jeremiah were full on making out against his car. He stopped short of the car and cleared his throat, causing the two to spring apart from their heated kiss and see Conrad looking right at them.

Conrad’s face was white. He would rather have had someone shoot him in the head with a nail gun, repeatedly, than have to watch the two of them kissing.

He didn't know who he was more angry at. Belly, who, not even a day ago, had told him she would have fought harder for him if she knew he loved her that much. Or Jeremiah, who, although he knew how much Belly meant to his brother and how fucking in love he was with her, seized the opportunity to kiss Belly the moment he was alone with her.

‘’Conrad—’’ Belly started, guilt settling in her guts.

He cut her off, his voice cold and cutting. ‘’I don’t want to hear it.’’

His gaze shifted from Belly to Jeremiah. There was so much hate in his eyes. How could Jere do that to him? They agreed to stop hiding things from each other and talk, but Jeremiah must have forgotten already.

‘’You broke up with her, Con, remember? We did nothing wrong,’’ Jeremiah said, pulling facts in his favor to make himself feel better — less guilty — for kissing his brother’s ex.

When Conrad kissed Belly on the beach last summer, he didn’t know she and Jeremiah were a thing — if he could call it that — or that he liked her. If he had, he wouldn’t have kissed Belly or confessed his feelings to her. Had the situation had been in reverse, Conrad wasn’t sure Jeremiah would have backed off.

‘’I’m done.’’ Conrad's voice was resolute, his heart heavy as he turned away, unable to bear the sight of them any longer.

Jeremiah moved to follow, calling out Conrad's name. He didn’t stop, needing to be as far as possible from the painful scene. His mind was racing with a jumble of emotions. Anger, betrayal, and a profound hurt gnawed at him. He had trusted both Belly and Jeremiah, yet they pulled this shit behind his back.

‘’Why do you always have to act like that?’’ Jeremiah said as he quickened his pace to catch up.

Finally, Conrad turned to face Jeremiah, his expression a mix of sorrow and resentment. ‘’You don’t get to tell me how to react, Jere. You kiss the girl I love outside my school, against my car while she’s wearing my sweatshirt. If you don’t see how disgusting and messed up it all sounds—’’

‘’She kissed me,’’ the younger one quickly defended.

Hearing this made him want to pack his bags, get his ass to stanford and focus on school. He needed to turn the Belly page, and in order to do that, he needed to be away from both she and Jeremiah. California seemed far enough, right?

The first days and weeks were tough for Conrad, struggling to accept the definite end of the relationship. She was still all over him like a wine-stained shirt he couldn’t wear anymore.

He blocked both Belly and Jeremiah’ numbers. If he wanted to move on, he had to keep his distance from them. For a while, at least. Then, he deleted all the old pictures he kept of Belly on his phone. There was no going back for them anymore.

He was done.

You met Conrad a little before Christmas break. Just like those cliché rom-coms, you walked right into him and spilled your chai latte all over his sweater. You wanted to break the cliché and not fall for the victim of your clumsiness, but after one look into those beautiful blue eyes, you knew it would be impossible.

After that day, you kept crossing paths around campus and, one afternoon, you asked him out. He was so surprised, but he said ‘yes’.

Although you had sealed the end of the night with a few kisses, you decided to take things slow. You had a very busy schedule with the tutoring lessons on top of your regular program, and Conrad was unsure if it was too soon to get in another relationship, if he was ready for it. The scar Belly had left on his heart was healing, but was he ready to open his heart to someone again?

‘’Have you ever been in love?’’ you asked one night in his dorm while studying.

Your question had caught Conrad off guard. It was visible on his face.

‘’Have you?’’ he returned, not taking his eyes off his textbook.

He was trying to dodge the question.

‘’I asked you first,’’ you said, seeing through his plan.

‘’Then yes.’’

‘’How many times?’’

‘’Once.’’

His answers were flat, annoyed he was by all your questions. He wished you would stop and get back to studying in silence, but you kept going.

‘’On a scale of one to ten, how in love were you?’’

‘’You can’t put being in love on a scale,’’ he said, lifting his head with furrowed eyebrows. ‘’Either you are or you aren’t.’’

‘’But if you had to say.’’

Conrad started flipping through his notes. He hadn’t thought of Belly in months. He missed her — in a different way he used to. She was his friend before they got tangled into this mess.

He didn’t look at you when he finally said it. ‘’Ten.’’

The more time he spent in your presence, the more Conrad was — unknowingly — letting go of his past.

The pictures he deleted months ago became pictures of you, filling his phone until there was no space left. The smell of your perfume lingered on some of his clothes and in his car. He had your coffee order memorized, along with your favorite study-break snack, which he made sure to have in stock in his dorm.

You became part of his routine — part of his life —, brightening his days even on his darkest, saddest nights.

He didn’t want to bother you, but nothing was calming the ache in his chest. He tried getting some air and smoking weed, he even thought of calling Laurel, but it was almost 2am in Pennsylvania. Conrad didn’t want to scare her.

So he pulled up your contact and called, the weight of his grief still heavy in his heart, wishing Susannah was still there. He couldn't believe a full year had gone by since she took her last breath.

You were about to slip into bed when you saw his name flashing on your phone. You almost didn’t pick up, but you got a gut feeling that he needed you.

When you opened your door, a saddened look was etched onto Conrad's face, his beautiful eyes glistening with unshed tears. The sight pulled at your heart and you wrapped your arms around him, holding him for the whole night.

Supported each other through finals and all-nighters.

‘’Getting tired?’’ you said, catching him actively fighting against his own eyelids.

Conrad shook his head, taking a long gulp of his coffee. ‘’No time for sleep. I have this huge exam first thing tomorrow and I still have a lot of chapters to cover.’’

‘’You can take a short nap if you want. I’ll wake you in thirty minutes,’’ you kindly offered, flipping through your notes for a specific annotation.

‘’Nah, I’m good.’’ He flashed you a soft smile, then returned to his studying.

A few minutes later, and you couldn't help but notice that Conrad's eyes had begun to droop. They would halfway close and then he would either blink a bunch of times, or widen his eyes until they were bug eyed. It was cute.

‘’Con? Conrad?’’ you called out gently.

‘’I'm not sleeping. I'm resting my eyes,’’ he mumbled defensively, fighting fatigue.

There was no way he was getting through the night, so you put your notes down and slipped on Conrad’s flannel shirt that was on the back of your chair to shield you from the night air. ‘’We’re gonna need more coffee.’’

As you came back with two fresh cups of coffee, you found Conrad fast asleep on your pillow, still clutching his pen.

And held his hand through the rainiest times — literally.

‘’Isn't California supposed to be the sunniest state?’’ Conrad asked, watching the downpour through the windshield, drenched from head to toe. ‘’The seats are all wet...’’

‘’You gotta learn to live with the consequences of your own actions, Connie baby.’’

It was his idea to get waffles when the sky was looking very gray and angry. He insisted that it would clear out, but a loud clap of thunder echoed on your way back to the car and rain started pouring. You took the road back to campus, but it got too dangerous, forcing Conrad to stop the car on the shoulder of the road and wait for the rain to calm.

You wiped your face with the sleeve of your hoodie and a smile curled on Conrad’s lips, still the most beautiful to his eyes despite your wet hair and the slight smear of mascara under your eyes.

‘’Rain happens everywhere. Even in the dryest desert,’’ you reminded him, pulling out your phone to check the weather app.‘’Unfortunately, this one isn't gonna stop anytime soon.’’

You toed off your sneakers, making Conrad draw his eyebrows.

‘’What are you doing?’’

‘’We’re gonna be here for a while.’’ You peeled off your hoodie — also wet from the rain —, leaving you in your skirt and dainty bralette. ‘’Might as well occupy ourselves,’’ you explained before leaning over the middle console and kissing him, fastening yourself to him with a stitch.

The kiss took him by surprise, but he wasn’t complaining. He could spend hours kissing you and never get bored.

You crawled over the console and on Conrad’s lap without breaking contact, your hands easily finding grip on his hair as you felt his hands all over your body, caressing and pulling. The windows were fogging quickly around you, creating a veil of privacy as more layers were peeled off.

Conrad once believed he had found love, that Belly was it for him, but the feelings he felt back then were nothing compared to how he felt right now.

‘’You’re the best thing that happened to me,’’ he confessed, his forehead pressed against yours.

The invitation came in a few weeks before the wedding. Conrad couldn’t believe his brother was going through with this. Everything was happening so fast and seemed rushed. Him and Belly weren’t even twenty. Who gets married so young anymore?

He arrived in Cousins a few days prior to the wedding, surprising everyone — and stealing the attention from the soon-to-be-weds — when they saw a girl with him.

The only person who knew exactly who you were was Steven. A few months ago, you had posted a picture with Conrad at the beach and tagged him, leading to Steven finding out about his friend’s new girlfriend. He was surprised when he saw it, but very happy for Conrad. He deserved better than someone who plays between two hearts.

Laurel put down the table-center she was holding and went over to pull Conrad in a hug. She turned to you, making quick introductions, and Conrad held his breath. He’s always been close to Laurel and her approval meant more to him than his father’s or Jeremiah’s.

While the two of you engaged into a conversation, he saw her. Belly. Dressed in a white sundress and talking to Taylor, she looked just the same. The only difference was, Conrad felt nothing. No pain, no old feelings rising back.

For the first time, what’s past was past.

‘’Belly, come greet Connie and his girlfriend,’’ Laurel called out to her daughter.

Although you had never met her, you could tell exactly who she was in the room — and not only because her dress was white. The jealousy filling her eyes when they fell on you gave her away.

—

All and more taglist: @spiokybirdstarfish @kenqki @liidiaaag @hawkegfs @gillybear17 @areaderinlove @acornacreacure @black-rose-29 @fudge13 @cece05 @rosie-cameron @Caxddce @laylasbunbunny @gemofthenight @beautyb1ade @hi-bored-as-fcuk-rn @lovelyy-moonlight @mellabella101 @vxnity713 @marzipaanz @bisexualgirlsblog @queenofslytherin889 @thatbxtchesblog @softb-tterfly @ethanlandrycanbreakmyheart @xyzstar @graceberman3 @Heartsforneteyamsully @aerangi @hallecarey1 @bxbyyyjocelyn @mikeyspinkcup

TSITP taglist: @msmarvelknight @maritaleane @dingus0401 @idontknowwhatimdoing777 @nomorespahgetti @lomlolivia @5sosbands @bloodyhw @depthsofdespairr @a-band-aid-for-your-heart @gilbertscurls @brandirouse86 @leilani-nichole @Veescorneroftheworld @papayaboyluvr @bchindureyes @bellysbeach @slytherinambitious @darylscvmdumpster @johannelis2302nely @aqshua @foockingasshole @straberryshortcake143 @luiise

#conrad fisher #conrad fisher imagine #conrad fisher x reader #the summer i turned pretty #the summer i turned pretty imagine #tsitp #conrad fisher fanfic #conrad fisher x you

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julieloves074 · 10 months

Text

Missing pt.2 (Conrad Fisher x Y/n))

Author’s note <3 Finally after a whole year I’m responding to the frquently request of a part 2! I cried wiritng this, anyway thank you for liking my work hope you enjoy!

Summary: Part 2 to ‘Missing’ following the events at the night of the ball, everyone is trying to handle the consequences of this summer, will everyone be able to navigate what comes next?

Warnings: Swearing, sadness, pain, cancer, anxiety

Words: 5.2k

(Not my Gif :))

“Are you alright?” Austin asked when I finally turned to him, the music had stopped completely but the cheers continued on. I swallowed down and opened my mouth to speak, blinking rapidly. I couldn’t speak.

Abruptly I tore myself away from his hold, it was making it hard to breathe. Panicking, looking around, no had seemed to notice my suddenly frantic behavior. The moms were busy whispering to each other no doubt about Conrad’s step up. In that moment I remember something- Jeramiah. I look in his direction, tears welling up in his eyes but with the intensifying beating of my heart and Austin’s pestering which my head had zoned out I couldn’t focus.

“Excuse me,” I said a little too loudly, startling the buzzing around me. All eyes on me. I lifted the front of my dress and rushed through the closest doors, Austin called my name and tried to rush after me, the last thing I heard was my mom’s voice “Don’t Austin, just give her a minute,”.

I wasn’t sure where my destination was, just out of that room and far, far away from both Conrad and Austin. How could I have been that stupid. I led poor Austin on thinking, hoping that I could ignore the pain and feelings that Conrad ignited in me- I was wrong.

I ended up sitting in one of the dead end hallways on a little brown couch, unsure of how much time I’d wasted fiddling around with my fingers.

“Y/n are you okay?” If I tried hard enough, I could image it was Conrad, kneeling in front of me reaching for my hand with my eyes closed it was the easier option, a game of pretend, but I had to swallow the pill.

“Jere, could you just give me a minute-” I started deciding to ignore reality a little longer, hiding my smudged face behind my hands.

“Y/n- come on we’re past that,” he came closer sitting down next to me, I could feel his arm reaching up as if he to lay it across my shoulders, but my body tensed so he pulled away. “Hey,” he began turning to me and laying his hands on my wrist to reveal my face, “Do you want to get out of here?” the teary expression from mere minutes ago gone and the childish smile back again. I laughed sniffling, a small guilty smile ending up on my face. He knew why I was upset and I was more than glad he chose to let it slip.

“We can go to the pier, play the arcade games and eat ice cream until we get sick!” He exclaimed, jumping up and attempting to pull me with him, he was managed and we ended up face to face.

“Ok,” I said after taking a deep breath, “Yeah, let’s go” I said cautiously, damn the consequences.

He looked back at me unsure, surprised, as if he didn’t expect me to actually agree but he quickly caught himself and his endearing Fisher smile returned, “I’ve left my keys in the boys changing room, meet me by the Jeep in 10” he said before rushing off.

The thing I most admired about Jeremiah was that he made everything easy, or made it seem that way at least, with him you could just get lost. I watched as he disappeared around the corner and let out a sigh, enough I told myself putting back on my heels which I threw across the hall through my wails. Enough being sappy and crying over a boy, I was better than this.

If not fully change I needed to get the running makeup off my face, so I too made my way down the corridor going the opposite way to Jere, turning right, making my way to the girls dressing room, hoping that everyone was still in the ballroom.

My hopes were fulfilled as I creaked open the door to the changing room to find it as empty as the corridors on my journey here. I took a deep breath coming to where I was sat earlier taking out three makeup wipes and rushing them over my face. Soon enough the black mascara streaks were gone and my lips were a shade lighter. It was when I yanked the last bobby pin from my hair that I heard a voice echoing outside, surely Jeremiah would just wait by the car, even so, it hadn’t even been ten minutes yet.

I dropped the wipes into the bin and flung my bag over my shoulder, the closer I got to the door the louder the voice became, it too was heading closer to me.

“Y/n/n!” it sounded, and I halted frantically searching for a place to hide in the room, you could argue there was many choices but with the poof of the white dress it seemed like more of a challenge. I tip toed towards one of the wardrobe but as I gripped onto the handle the door to the room was pressed open.

“There you are- the moms are worried sick, they couldn’t find you-” he started, and I physically felt my stomach drop, moving my hand over it as if I could keep it in place, my tongue ran over my lips and I could feel the prick of tears in my eyes. What was happening to me.

“Conrad not now” I said firmly, I couldn’t remember the last time I called him by his full name, that itself felt like a slap across the face. I couldn’t quite figure out what emotion he was masking under the stoic expression. But in that second, I realized that he had slipped away from me this summer, I used to be able to read him like an open book- but now?

“Why have you got your bag? Where are you going?” He asked noticing my overflowing bag slung over my shoulder, I shifted my stance and laid a protective hand over my bag. I didn’t answer, choosing the door instead.

He took hold of my upper arm as I tried to brush past him, his skin was calloused but his touch was soft, sending electric shocks through my limbs, forcing me to stop, I looked right into his ocean blue eyes. I would not crumble under Conrad Fisher. I was not one of those girls he led on and trashed.

“I’m leaving Conrad. Let go off me,” I demanded but didn’t move from my spot

“Where are you going? Everyone is waiting worried sick in the ballroom” he said the last word with clear distaste, even now after dropping everything to become Belly’s prince charming he was shaming the event.

“Jeremiah and I are leaving, we’ve both realized that the people we trusted most weren’t on the same page as us so what was the point?” I asked, my voice getting increasingly quiet as I spoke.

“You can’t leave, you’ll disappoint the moms, how will this look on your fancy college applications, if Paige mentions causing such a havoc in the middle of the event, have you thought about what my mom will think- say?” He asked with such hurt that I could almost believe he cared for me enough to stop me from leaving.

“I guess I’m quitting being a sheep” I said, it forced him to take half a step back, his hand still on my arm, I echoed his words from earlier on in the summer.

“Are you serious right now? Is that what this is about?” he looked confused and appalled

“No you dick this is about you and the way you’ve been behaving this summer, you’ve changed Conrad but you’ve been too up your own ass to see it. To see the way you’ve treated everyone around you, pushing away everyone that cares for you, everyone that loves you!” I conveyed sternly, my voice slightly raised, his hand fell from me now and the absence of warmth was clear. I hadn’t meant that last part to slip out of my lips, but he didn’t seem too affected by what was essentially a confession of love from me.

“We’re not kids anymore Y/n it’s time to grow up” he said after a moment looking to his feet, I bit the corner of my bottom lip and nodded, he couldn’t even look at me.

“You’re right, it’s time to grow up and see people for who they really are,” I tried to stop my lips from quivering, “I don’t know what’s happened to you but clearly we’ve reached this point for a reason- tell my mom I’m sorry and that I’m out with Jeremiah,” I said harshly turning around and walking out of the door.

“Since I’ve seem to become some messenger of yours what should I relay to perfect Austin?” he said in a mock tone, faking a deep bow now in the hallway. As he lifted back up I slapped him clean across the face- the sound echoing though the long hallway.

“Fuck you! I don’t want anything to do with you ever again Conrad Fisher” I had to say his full name, for my brain to register what was happening here. That was that. He touched his palm to his face and I turned the corner, I would be lying if I said I didn’t turn around before turning yet another corner because I did. Still, all I saw was the empty darkness. This was it, he didn’t come after me.

When I stepped outside the chilly, night breeze brought me back to life, a couple deep breaths calmed me down. I walked to the car moving my hands around in the wind to just feel alive, everything was still in a haze. Jeremiah still hadn’t made it back to the car, so I dropped my bag down and leaned against the red jeep pulling out my phone flipping through Instagram at the stories and videos people were already posting from the night.

I didn’t stop- I couldn’t stop until I heard someone approach, “Finally Jere, jeez what took you so long?” I said before looking up, but it wasn’t the younger Fisher boy that I was met with- it was Susannah.

“Here you are,” her sweet, melodical voice said approaching and standing next to me, my gaze flushed away, I didn’t need to look at her, I didn’t want to. Susannah didn’t need to see the pain and embarrassment on my face, in my eyes.

“I’m sorry I ruined this day, I know how much it meant to you and I-” the words flushed out and the tears started dripping, “I didn’t want to let you down, I couldn’t just pretend for another hour or two that I- that I- that I’m happy and perfect,” I whispered, though in the empty parking lot it still felt too loud.

I felt Susannah’s arm settle around my shoulder, her other hand lifting my face up to look at her, she was wearing a cautious smile, uncertainty glinting in her eyes. She knew what this was about, of course she did.

“You have done nothing wrong, you have not disappointed me- quite frankly I’m not sure you ever could,” she giggled unironically, “You’re my little Y/n” she squeezed me a little tighter saying that, “My little girl, the second baby” she continued cooing me.

“Is it always going to hurt like this?” I asked burying my head back into her shoulder, she brushed through my hair and sighed gently. So much for summer love I thought to myself.

“Well, you never forget your first love, a sweet spot they say, but it’ll get easier honey,” she assured me and swayed side to side with me still in her arms.

“He kissed me earlier this summer,” I said, not sure why, not sure what I expected her to reply. A simple ‘oh’ made it past her lips. I know he’s her son so she automatically rests on his side but I needed to tell someone, the secret of it was like an anchor dragging me and my tiny ship down to the bottom, the confession itself eased the weight.

“I don’t know what to tell you, I suppose sometimes our mother instincts are off,” she said into space more than to me, my brows furrowed, “I was sure Connie was smitten with you, that I would get to see you in a white dress with him by your side,” her words started getting slower and I could feel her stiffen in the embrace.

I pulled away slightly, an inkling of what she was actually saying- this wasn’t just about the ball.

“Susannah- no you, you don’t mean?” I started, she looked away from me, “It’s come back?” I whispered, as if I said it any louder it would be true. She scrunched her brows running her finger under her eye wiping a tear. She nodded. My heart stopped.

Now a river was pouring out of my eyes, my lips curled and I let out an actual wail. My body was no longer mine, I felt myself lowering to the floor without permission whispering ‘no no no’ over and over. How could I have been so blind? How did this get past me?

“Y/n/n�� she whispered lowering herself to be on my level, I was rushing my head from side to side. This wasn’t happening, not now. Not again. Not ever. “I wanted one last perfect summer, just to see all the children grow and blossom, and you and Belly in your white dresses with my boys the way it was always meant to be,” she cried stroking my hair, I should be the one comforting her not the other way around. “I couldn’t have asked for more, look at you! My mini me growing up into a talented, stunning young lady whom I hope will agree to- eventually- take over at least some of my charities,” she said her voice becoming a little higher at the end.

---

I don’t remember much of what happened after that and on the way home, Susannah and I cried outside for what felt like forever before mom came shouting for Susannah about the boys, there was an argument brewing. By the time we reached the hall Conrad and Jeremiah were rolling around on the floor fighting, everyone gathering around them, gasping, a few trying to intervene.

Susannah exclaimed with tears in eyes “Stop it! Stop it right now! Both of you!”

Upon closer examination Jeremiah’s eyes too were glinting with tears again, he must have found out, he wouldn’t have missed the dance otherwise, he wouldn’t have wanted to run away so suddenly, now I understood too and wanted nothing more than run and pretend this isn’t happening. Mom held me tightly as our little lot gathered our belongings and exited the hall- the commotion we just caused.

Austin tried to get to me, talk to me but my dad kept him away, from me and from all of us- the boy was so confused, how had we let everything turn out like this. He messaged and called hundreds of times but I couldn’t look at mu phone even now curled up in mom’s arms on our couch, still trying to make sense of the news.

“But she was better, she was healthy again, this isn’t fair,” I argued with who knows what, God? The universe?

“I know baby, we’re all hurting” mom brushed my hair, she had known the whole time, right now I didn’t have the strength in me to be angry, I need her.

“She’s going to get better, isn’t she?” I asked desperately trying to hold onto something- anything, but her silence didn’t make me feel better.

The phone rang when the tears started to slow, dad had been the one to get up from our huddle to answer it, he nodded along to whatever the person was saying and an inkling of a smile inched up onto his face. How could he even so much as think of smiling right now- unless.

“Susannah and Laurel have started cooking late night dinner, everyone is getting changed and ready to sit together at the table,” he announced and I wanted to shake my head, how could I sit at a table with her, the woman I owe pretty much my whole life and love to and the other kids. Who were we trying to kid here?

So just like Susannah wanted we sat around the dinner table in the Fisher summer house, laughing, eating and breathing in the summer like she had wanted. Nothing was ever going to be the same and now looking around the table I couldn’t help but wanting to cry again- these were the people I loved most in the world and we were all here together, and I just wanted to cherish and live in this moment for as long as I could if not stay in it forever- is that how Susannah felt? Just wanting to be surrounded by the people she loved most in the place she loved most?

Then my eyes landed on Conrad who was already looking at me. A knowing passed through me. He had known, of course he’d known, no one knew Susannah as well as him no matter how much they wanted to. He was already looking at me, I didn’t want to argue, not right now when all these moments together were fleeting, there was a chance we would never be here altogether again, so I gave him a small smile. I’d be civil, for Susannah.

Maybe she was right, and her mom instincts were wrong this one time, I too always believed and hoped that Conrad and I would end up together but maybe that wasn’t meant to be. Right now I had more important things to worry about. I looked from him to the woman sat next to him: Susannah Fisher, a goddess who glowed even in the darkest of settings, she was beaming making jokes and pulling silly faces, I would forever look up to her for her incredible kindness and strength, if I could have half her bravery and strength, I would be okay, I would be okay for her.

---

Mom and dad headed back to our house after dinner because mom was starting to feel sick, but I stuck around, cuddled up to Susannah on the couch while some movie played on Netflix, Belly was on my other side with her mom beside her. The boys were on the other side of Susannah too keeping up the brave faces though tears stained their cheeks too.

It was around two in the morning when Laurel told Conrad to help take Susannah into her makeshift room, the guest room downstairs which she adopted as her own due to lack of strength to head upstairs. After tucking her in Laurel, Belly, Jere and Steven headed upstairs and it was just me and Conrad left. I didn’t look at him or say anything making my way towards the kitchen. My throat felt like a desert.

“For all it’s worth I’m sorry,” he said following behind me, stopping a few feet from me.

I shrugged my shoulders slightly and shook my head from side to side, running my hand over my forehead, “I don’t know what you want me to say Conrad?” I said genuinely taking another sip of my water before turning around, the house was silent.

“I fucked everything up this summer, I know I have,” he stopped waiting for me to speak, but what could I say? I stared at him, uncertainty in both our eyes, we’ve muddled the line between us and I’m not sure where to step next, “I did the opposite of what she wanted this summer to be, I drank every day, didn’t give her enough of my time, I was horrific person and an even worse son. And I’m sorry for what pain I’ve caused you” he whispered, his hand landing on the counter as if he needed something to support his whole body weight. My fingers ached to reach out, but I just looked down.

All I wanted him to say now was that it was meant to be us dancing together tonight, that if he could he would give everything to go back in time and change this summer, this night. Still all that came was silence.

“Do you want to know what the worst part is Connie?” I asked, my voice cracking at the nickname, looking up from the ground to him, the corner of my mouth curled in an attempt to stop the tears that have already started to fall.

“I once believed that this,” I motioned between us unable to say the word, “That this would be it, us against anything and everything thrown our way but I suppose I should have listened to my mom, she told me not to get attached especially to something we know we could never have,”. Mom was different to Susannah in that sense. While Susannah lived in a colorful world full of hope and blissful ignorance my mom felt reality a little more and as much as she too believed that I was destined for one of the Fisher boys she warned me that the matters of the heart were complicated whilst Susannah pushed me away into a dreamful, clueless boat of love.

It was clear he had nothing to say on the matter so I broached the only other subject I could discuss with him, “You knew,” I stated the fact.

“I found out that day you went shopping, mom left her phone and some number kept ringing her, it was the hospital asking for confirmation whether she was sure she didn’t want to sign up for some new round of chemo,” his voice cracked, “It was then that something had- I don’t know, switched in me. It was always us against the world, and mom knew that, she knew you were the only girl I would ever have eyes for. But you two are so close, every time I looked at you I saw my mom and her smile knowing she was right. But you- you are too much like her, both the ray of sunshine whatever room you walk into, both the voice of love and reason and I couldn’t- I couldn’t face you without the reminder of her, that I’m losing her” he looked up, “I could no longer picture watching you walk down the aisle to meet me because she isn’t going to be there for it, I could no longer imagine our summers together here throughout life without her growing old and watching us grow into adults here- I couldn’t”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked weakly, my voice just above a whisper, taking a step towards him, small but a step either way.

“I- I don’t know” a tear rolled down his cheek, eyes fluttering shut for a moment, “I felt that if I said it out loud it would mean it was real,” his voice cracked, in parallel with it a more pieces shattered in my heart for all of us.

“We could have dealt with this together, you know that,” I assured but my voice was weak too

He lifted his hand as if to bash it against the beautiful, luxurious counter but stopping himself just before his skin made contact,

“I made a mess, I’m a mess, I always manage to fuck everything up!” he created fists with his hands again, the skin tightening. He hurt himself and everyone around him in what was likely everyone’s last summer together, but this was bigger than the both of us, this was about Susannah.

He lowered himself to the ground, his red eyed shutting tight, I followed him down, my back against the opposite cabinets and pulled him towards me. He hung onto my middle as though as I was the anchor keeping him still- like he’d never let go.

I didn’t know what was going to happen after tonight, between us, between the families or to Susannah but right now it felt right to be here with Conrad, holding onto each other like stranded souls on a raft mid ocean. My head lay on top of his and he drew patterns on my arms with his fingers.

“Connie” I dared to whisper eventually, he stirred slightly lifting his head, “You need to go to bed, I need to go to bed. We need to make these last few days count and we can’t do that sore from the floor and exhausted,” I said and his hold on me tightened slightly.

Still after a moment, he loosened his hold and stood up holding onto my hand, slowly heading in the direction of the stairs, I realized where he was trying to go so I leaned away from his touch.

“Con no I can’t, you know that, too much has happened,” I couldn’t slip into this, what about Belly? I thought. She loved him too. And I couldn’t stop imagining the way they looked into each other’s eyes earlier, there was something there, I’m not sure what but I couldn’t ignore that it happened.

His eyes begged me but I didn’t budge, his raspy voice started as he took on the first step, “I don’t want to be alone tonight,” he conveyed but I shook my head. He needed me but I didn’t want him to need me, I wanted him to want me. I was willing to wait, when I started things with Austin this summer I thought I could move on but now I realize I couldn’t- that I would wait for this boy who gave me the moon and the stars no matter how long it took.

“Connie we all need time, to process everything that’s happened in the last twelve hours, we need to clear our heads.” He nodded solemnly, “We both need sleep” I sighed gently, it was one of relief that the day had come to an end, I stepped away to head to the back door.

“Wait-” Con whispered, I turned back to him still at the bottom of the stairs, “Can I give you something?” he asked and I looked at him confused raising a brow, gesturing for him to continue, “I was meant to give this to you at the start of summer but I was too much of a coward, can you meet me at the beach in five minutes,” I was about to decline, tell him we’d have tomorrow but he pleaded, the tears that were building up in his eyes making them glisten like little diamonds.

I nodded without a word and made my way to our secluded area of the beach behind the houses, the wait for Conrad to come out felt longer than it actually was, I watched the calm waves flutter on the water surface, the moon residing, observing its own reflection in the water. The night was quiet. There were no parties heard, no loud music or shouting just the calming song of the sea and soon enough Conrad’s long strides.

His hands were in the pockets of his jean shorts and my interest was piqued, whatever did he want to give me? And why was it so important that he had to do it tonight and at three in the morning.

He came to a stop in front of me, the light wind whispered into his hair slightly making it dance in the moonlight, “Before you jump to conclusions or freak out just let me finish okay?” He asked, and he meant it, his voice carried such conviction and trust. In a way his demeanor made me calm but on the other hand it made me freak out against his wishes.

We stood just facing each other for a minute before he lowered to the ground onto one knee, inside my brain everything started shouting and screaming at me to panic, freak out. He was not seriously proposing to me right now- I was doing my best to remain calm on the outside but he must have seen the fear in my eyes.

“No I’m not proposing to you calm down,” he said, smiling up at me, I relaxed a little but his words didn’t change the fact that he was in kneeling in front of me, “This is not how I wanted this to go but I suppose now it means so much more than it would have if we had gone to the pier that day in the beginning of summer” he continued taking out a small black box out of his trouser pocket.

“I bought this ring two years, the day we’d gotten back from our little camping trip and I drove you home, on the way back to Boston something in me told to stop at this little shopping center and so I did, that was when I spotted this,” he opened the box to a beautiful ring with a gorgeous little sun and moon crystal in the center, like a yin and yang symbol. “That moment I asked myself ‘what are you doing Conrad? You love this girl don’t lose her’ so I bought the ring and kept until this summer- I suppose I should get to the point, this ring is a promise that I will be a better man, for myself, for you and for our families. This is a promise that no matter what- I’m here and will love and wait for you for the rest of my days and that one day we will get married and vacation in Cousins with our families and our kids,” he was spilling out all these words and yet I’d never heard anything more beautiful, then he paused for a moment, “And if you decide this is not what you want then at least you’ll have a pretty ring that will stand as a reminder of our summers and your childhood, no one has to know what the ring is for or what it means, I just want, no need you to have this to know that I’m not completely lost after this summer, because Y/n you are the lighthouse that will guide my ship to shore in the worst of storms,” he finished and without thought I leaned my hand forward, he placed the ring on my ring finger on my right hand and I smiled as he stood up brining me into an embrace. It would be our secret

I wasn’t going to rush into anything, there was lots to figure out and Susannah was the top priority, but this was a sign of hope. I didn’t know what was going to happen from here on out but right now in this moment I felt hope that everything was going to work out, through pain and tears we would all get through to the other side together.

Susannah always believed from the moment my mom found out she was pregnant that I was going to be destined for one of her boys, and then just a little over a year later when Laurel got pregnant too Suze said that she was also destined for one of her boys. Now here I was standing wondering whether she could ever imagine the winding roads all our stories have taken us on and what we still had to overcome. Now I stood here unsure and lost but at least I was with the people I loved most, no longer missing any other pieces.

MASTERLIST

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infinitywrites · 8 months

Text

I Didn't Expect You Part 4 ~ Conrad Fisher

(Part 3) (Masterlist) (Part 5)

gif credit @laurens-german

synopsis: Y/N never expected it to be the summer that everything changed. Conrad, Belly and Steven were all dealing with the consequences of recent break ups while Jeremiah's wasn't acting like himself. Susannah was undergoing treatment that provided unpredictable health results and kept her loved ones on the edge of tragedy. Had they drained the well of the magic of Cousin's beach? Or could something new fulfil it again?

warnings: multichapter slow burn, warnings will update with every chapter, timeline is both POST S2 and a retelling of S2 with changes, everyone swears A LOT, 4th of July party, ANGST between Jeremiah/Conrad, ANGST between Conrad/Y/N, Nicole (sorry to this Queen), Conrad's friend Danny (made him into my own thing), hints of Belly/Jeremiah, I don't know shit about sports

word count: 4,141

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I feel like no one wants me

And I hate the way I'm perceived

I only have two real friends

'Cause I love people I don't like

All I did was try my best

Ego crush is so severe

God, it's brutal out here

Got a broken ego, broken heart

I decided I needed sustenance before heading into the lion's den and popped a bacon wrapped scallop in my mouth. Nicole sidled up next to me in no time, refilling her plate.

"Someone's got game." Her voice was low, unassuming and her eyes were focused on the desserts when I looked at her.

I almost spit out my margarita, "You're kidding, right?"

She giggled, "Nuh uh. I got to watch you in action twice now. Danny was eating out of the palm of your hand and even Cam looked weak."

"OhmiGod, Cam is Belly's ex!"

Nicole shrugged, "Okay, fair but I don't blame you for Danny cause he's definitely been working out." Our eyeline shifted to where he was laughing with Jeremiah and Steven.

"He's at school for a baseball scholarship, of course he works out." Her look of unabashed thirst would never not amuse me.

"Fuck, that's so hot." She looked like she was about to swallow her tongue.

Without another word Nicole walked off in his direction and I smiled as I watched her get her flirt game on and trail her fingers up his bicep. My mind drifted back to the house as I downed the last of my margarita before I headed inside to poke the bear.

He was in the kitchen, drinking from a dark liquor bottle when I walked in. His sullen eyes met mine for a long moment, "Where's your boyfriend?"

"Would you shut the fuck up for like a second?" The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them as I leaned against the island on my palms. Conrad rolled his eyes and turned his body away from me. That set me off again, "Since when the fuck do you talk so much anyway? My god the stupid fucking shit that flies–"

He put his bottle down, "Since when the fuck so you swear so much?" It was disconcerting how much calmer he was than me. It spurred me on.

"Since you, asshole!" I didn't even realize how angry I was until the words came flying out and the adrenaline spiked higher. "Since you make me so fucking mad I wanna tear my own hair out! And I thought we made progress the other night. How fucking stupid am I?" I took a long breath and felt the heat prickle my cheeks. I should have brought in another frozen margarita.

The look on Conrad's face changed and his voice went soft, "You've never been stupid a day in your life."

"Fuck you, I'm not done!" I wasn't done being pissed at him for trying to ruin a perfectly good day. "Do you even know who asked me to come in after you? Your friend, Danny. Sweet Danny who was genuinely worried that he hurt your feelings, you fucking–"

His eyes narrowed cruelly, "Oh, poor sweet Danny who wrangled an invitation to 4th party just to drool all over you apparently."

"Are you seriously fucking jealous right now?"

Conrad's mouth snapped shut as his eyes widened in panic for a second and I couldn't have cared less, "I didn't want to steal his attention away from you, Conrad. I was just saying hi…you know, like a nice person."

"Mhm. I'm sure he's got lots of ideas of how you can be nice to him." He took another swig from his bottle.

I couldn't even look at him anymore so I squeezed my eyes shut until I could. "Jesus, I'm not gonna date your friend, okay?!? Not if really you don't want me to."

When I opened my eyes Conrad looked shocked, "What? Seriously?"

It was the last thing I was expecting and I could feel myself start to calm down finally, "I mean, yeah. If it bugs you that much."

I could tell he was thinking about it. "Y/N…"

"Unless it really was the stupid fucking baseball shit." It was the shift in his tone of voice. I couldn't handle it.

Conrad paused, "I mean, he is a fucking liar. It's…" I spluttered a laugh and couldn't even hear his very important correction. "What? It's true." Conrad shrugged miserably and placed his bottle back on the counter.

I thought about Danny's request when I said, "I'm sure it is. I just have no idea what you're talking about."

Conrad rolled his eyes and I sighed.

"How is it I've known you my whole life and I never knew the absolute stats nerd hidden under that 90s heartthrob hair?" The second I walked into that kitchen I could barely believe the words coming out of my mouth. I was cutting myself off from another margarita even though I wanted it.

"You think I'm a 90s heartthrob?" He was leaning on the other side of the island and peering at me quizzically. I thought I could even see the hint of smirk under his misery.

"Ohmigod, that's what you got from that?" My face was screwed up in disbelief. His ego had no bounds.

"Uh, that was definitely the most important part."

"Oh so you're a delusional nerd too?" This was better than sulking Conrad or angry Conrad but only by an inch.

He paused and shrugged like he was shaking off the rest of his sour mood. And then I felt him focus his stare directly at me in a way I'd never experienced. I didn't have to look up at him to know what I'd find. Was this the shameless confidence that Belly always talked about? The silence was bad enough. He always did that; said the thing I least expected or never said anything at all after I did. He'd just wait and look at me, expectantly until I felt like I couldn't breathe.

The silence was never comfortable so I mustered the last bits of my courage and looked him square in the face, "Not everyone is flirting with you, Conrad."

His smile grew for the first time since he thought he was on a winning streak in the pool. The unsettling thing about it was it seemed like he knew something I didn't. Conrad was nodding and considering the statement as he stepped around the island to stand in front of me on the other side.

I gasped softly when his eyes flashed back to mine and muttered, "You sure?" He lingered in the moment and I felt a calloused fingertip graze the back on my hand gripping the island countertop. Just when the static in my brain started the clear and I could breathe again, Conrad leaned into my ear to whisper,

"Or do you save that for Danny now?"

He stayed close but he had to be drunker than I thought and fucking with me again so I took a breath and tried not to take the bait. Maybe it was my turn to say the thing he least expected for once. I didn't want to have to look him in the eye again after that, "I…you know, sometimes I can't tell and it's unintentional. Danny probably did the same thing. He's just a nice guy."

He scoffed and took a step back. "Sure. Not like you'd notice either way."

I looked at him then and shook my head in confusion, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Conrad opened his mouth as he stepped closer again but was shocked into place when he heard his brother calling for him from the other room. "Connie!"

He had the decency to look at me apologetically before directing him to the kitchen. When I saw Jeremiah's expression was serious and fixed on Conrad, I used that opportunity to make my exit. I took a few minutes in the bathroom to splash some water on my face and assess the pink hue in my skin as flush or sunburn. It didn't take long before I started to hear raised voices. I debated whether to investigate or leave them to it, if it was even the Fisher brothers at all, but when I thought about how Susannah wouldn't be able to deal with it like she always did, I knew I had to make sure it wouldn't get out of hand.

I caught pieces of the story as I walked back towards the kitchen. Susannah and Adam had been separated for a year now but he'd helped throughout as he should. He helped more than he did when they were together if Conrad was telling the truth. I heard Jeremiah accuse Conrad of scaring Adam away from the party altogether. It was true, Adam Fisher was nowhere to be found for the first time since I could remember. It was strange to think about now when he'd showed up for a few short hours the year before.

Jeremiah's tone was firm. "What gave you the right?"

"Get over it, Jere. They're not even together anymore." In contrast, Conrad sounded like this was the last conversation he wanted to have.

"You think I don't know that?"

"This is Mom's house and her party. You really think she wants him here?"

"I think she wanted him at Thanksgiving and Christmas and when the treatment got really bad in the Spring too. Oh, but that's right you had finals and weren't around much then, moping around after you screwed things up with Belly." My eyes squeezed shut at the dig. This could escalate badly.

"Fuck you, you know I came home every second I could!"

"I was there every day!"

"Okay?! Okay! What do you want, a medal?" I hoped the breath I huffed wasn't audible enough for them to hear.

Jeremiah shook his head out of the corner of my eye, "Did you even ask her? Cause you're right, this is her party and she should have decided. Not you." The footsteps were heavy across the tile as he left and I heard the door slam behind him.

Conrad sighed. "You heard every word of that, didn't you?"

I winced and came out of hiding around the corner to see him leaning heavy on the island like it was the only thing holding him up at this point. His liquor bottle of choice was abandoned by the sink. "I'm sorry...but not every word and I didn't mean to, I swear. I was just in the bathroom."

"It's okay. It's not your fault. Actually it's my fault. As per usual." He didn't move from his spot as his eyes carved holes into the countertop.

"Don't say that." My heart ached for him without my permission. Maybe Conrad fucked up by not inviting Adam or telling him not to show up at all but some of what Jeremiah said was unfair. And it wasn't hard to see that his brother was taking every word to heart no matter what.

"Why not? It's true. It's the only fucking thing I'm good at anymore." He looked up finally, lost.

"Connie, come on."

The words seemed to shock him out of his emotional spiral. His brows raised and while the smile on his face was immediate, it fell just as quick, "I can't remember the last time you called me Connie."

"I think I do, actually." Apparently it was infectious because now I was smiling at a memory I thought I'd lost.

When I looked his way again, he was watching me expectantly with the hint of that same sweet smile on his face. It was the least I could do since he seemed interested in the distraction from his own thoughts.

"There was this girl in my freshman year named Connie and I remember thinking it was hilarious that it was a girl's name. Kinda gross of me, honestly."

"I would say," he interrupted but was still listening.

"Do you wanna hear the story or not?" His hands raised in defeat as he chuckled. "I told Belly I was gonna torture you with it that summer; calling you every famous Connie I could come up with. TV characters and political figures but she got really upset and said you'd be mad so 'please don't'. So I tried to forget about it entirely so I wasn't tempted."

When I looked up again, Conrad was looking at me with an expression I couldn't quite figure out so I kept on. "And it must have worked too because I forgot about it until this second."

He nodded slowly, "Does that mean I get to call you Y/N/N again?"

I rolled my eyes at the old nickname and conceded, "I guess it's only fair."

We ended up heading back towards the party and paused to look outside sliding door windows at the view of the patio. He nudged me, "So you've grown to like my name."

I didn't need to look at him to know he was trying to shift his mood before we went back to everyone who was oblivious about what had gone down inside. "Damn, the confidence with which you said that completely inaccurate statement."

"Mm, say it again." He muttered and I shot him a glare so fast I couldn't believe he kept talking. "But softer."

My patience was battling against the need for physical violence but I let it out verbally. "Maybe try therapy if that gives you a nerdgasm." I was gonna get a lot of traction out of this nerd thing.

"Exposure therapy maybe." The mood shift was successful if I could base it on his teasing tone and goofy smile.

"I said I wasn't flirting with you, dummy." I didn't mean to bring it up again since it wasn't that serious but it wasn't the only thing I'd said that I was gonna regret after the fact.

Conrad scrunched his face in disbelief, "That's definitely not what you said. Actually, we decided you wouldn't know if someone was flirting with you. Case in point."

I could barely listen to him anymore and I gestured for him to quit it. "Fine, whatever, I'm saying it now. Not flirting. Can we move on?" I knew he was looking at me then but I refused to do the same.

"No." His response was immediate and I saw him register the shock, like it even surprised him a little that he'd said it.

I didn't have a choice then and could only gape in his direction, eyes struck wide by his stubborn streak.

Conrad turned to me and stepped closer like he'd made a decision. "Even if you weren't, I was. And I want you to know so I'm telling you now, straight up, to your face, so later you can't explain it away or pretend I didn't…flirt with you."

And that's when I realized he did know something I didn't. I was such an idiot. He broke his steady gaze for a second and chuckled, "I didn't mean to at first and then…I don't think I can stop now."

If all that wasn't enough, he wasn't done. "I don't want to." Conrad leant close then and his voice dropped an octave, "I mean, why does he get to when I can't?"

I heard the sliding door shift open and closed but didn't see it from my frozen state, staring at a corner piece of the door frame. I sucked in an unsteady breath and looked up just in time to see him look back at me from the edge of the pool, quickly before he jumped in.

My nerves were shot and despite the cool air inside the house compared to the heavy July sun, my hairline was damp. My mind was blank and racing at the same time; no thought coherent in the slightest so I shut it down completely. No more thinking, not that I could think myself out of this one anyway. I waited until I could breathe normally and wasn't overheating from the inside before I stepped back out to the patio and steered directly to the drinks table for my third frozen margarita.

The rest of the party was fairly uneventful in comparison but still great. No more drunken drama or broken family heirlooms to Belly's great relief. In fact, I found a lot of peace watching her for the rest of the night; giggling with her friends, swimming until her limbs cramped up and flirting with Jeremiah if I could read the signals right. He seemed elated by the development and I let myself be happy for them instead of diving into the complications of that potential. No more thinking.

At one point, I watched Conrad grab Danny's shoulder, both of them nursing their last beers of the night, and mutter something to him that looked serious enough to be an apology. Danny shook his head with a smile and gripped him in a fierce hug. I didn't even realize I was smiling at the sight until Danny's eyes caught mine and he mouthed a grateful 'thank you'. It was so sweet I had to put down my margarita and rethink my life choices. I caught Aunt Laur and Susannah sitting together and seeing it too: Laurel pouted her bottom lip at her friend and Susannah's eyes sparkled with unshed tears.

When the party got to the point of only relying on the patio and pool lights, I distracted myself with the first steps of organized clean up. Steven joined me not long after, saying that he needed an excuse for a quiet task to keep his hands busy. Usually I would have pressed for more information but I was surviving off fumes by that point. Maybe everyone was. Nicole and Danny stopped by to say goodbye and thanked us for a great party. I hugged them both and looked around to realize that it was only the family left after that. Jeremiah and Belly said something about how they'd make up for their clean up crew shift in the morning and were nowhere to be found after that.

Eventually, when Susannah's porcelain serving platter almost slipped from my hands and into pieces on the kitchen floor, Laurel told me I'd done enough and shooed me upstairs. I debated washing the day off before I crashed into bed but worried I'd actually fall asleep under the warm spray. I'd just managed to get into a baggy Cousin's Rowing t-shirt and sleep shorts before I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

It was the creak of the old wooden drawers of Belly's dresser that pulled me out of deep slumber. The room was bright with sunlight shining through the curtains and I had slept right on anyway. I yawned as Belly made a face in my direction and grabbed her crop top.

"I'm sorry! I was just gonna change before I got to the beach. I don't wanna miss the chance on our last day."

"What time is it?" I looked around the room when my phone wasn't on my nightstand like usual. It landed on the end of my bed with a thump.

"After 10. Here. I found it on the kitchen table when I came in last night. Figured I should plug it in for you."

I smiled and saw that it was, indeed, fully charged. "You're sweet."

"The least I could do. You barely left anything for me and Jere to finish up this morning."

"Yeah, I was on a mission." I looked at her smiley face as she pulled her top over her bikini. "So. About you and Jere…"

Belly was never good at hiding things from me and her face screamed guilt even as she tried to shrug it off. "What do you mean?"

"Belly. Come on." She looked at me then, waiting. "You guys hung out all day yesterday and then you left together last night. What's going on there?"

The poor thing looked scared, "You're not mad?"

I rolled my eyes, "Is there something to be mad about? I mean, if you guys like each other…it's not gonna be easy but there are worse things."

"Wow, you should sleep in more often. Oh, don't forget to check the kitchen when you get up. Conrad went out early and got the good muffins."

"Oh, nice. But you're not off the hook about this Jere thing."

She pulled her lip balm out of her pocket and smeared it across her bottom lip. "It's not anything yet. When there's something to tell, I'll let you know."

"You better."

I took a moment to check my phone and saw an unread message from an unknown number. Hey, it's Danny. Jeremiah swore it was cool if he gave me your number so I hope that's okay. It was nice seeing you yesterday. The look on my face must have given me away because Belly was laughing at my expense in almost no time.

"Let me guess. Danny decided to text you after all." She wiggled her brows and giggled.

"Did you know about this?"

"I was there when Jere was trying to convince him. Poor guy actually thought you rejected him because of Conrad." Belly didn't seem to notice if my face reacted to that tidbit. "I told him there wasn't any reason you couldn't come back to Cousin's this summer if you had some good incentive."

She wasn't wrong. It wasn't like I had plans like Steven and Belly. I didn't need to be anywhere until the middle of August. I didn't need to shut everything down before it even started; before giving it a chance to be something to forget about at all. It was a nice thought that was almost immediately ruined by Conrad's look of relief when I told him I'd do the exact opposite. Maybe in a different world where I wasn't leaving for California in five weeks, or if I had any concrete plans of spending more time in Cousin's this summer, I'd feel different. Not to mention that I still didn't have the slightest idea where Conrad's head was at after yesterday and I wasn't sure I even wanted to. The world in which I could be excited about this didn't exist and it was time to make peace with that.

"You know he invited me to his ball game? I can't believe I have to leave before seeing him in those white pants."

"Y/N!" Belly threw her stuffed polar bear, Junior Mint, at my chest and I caught it with a laugh. "I knew you liked him. He got so much hotter this year, I'm a little jealous I didn't get there first."

I gasped dramatically, "I'm telling Jeremiah!"

"I'm kidding…kind of. I mean, I'm definitely leaving but Danny Wilder could inspire a hot girl summer."

"Mm. Period." I looked back at the text and wondered if I should just leave it altogether. My stomach grumbled and it distracted me enough to leave it be for now and wave Belly off to the beach to have her fun.

I shuffled down the stairs to the kitchen after my shower, remembering the muffins Belly said would be waiting for me. The box was on the island like always and I smiled at the small victory. I really should have missed my chance at one, let alone my favourite, coming down after 11am. I opened the box and considered my choices when I heard someone clear their throat. I looked towards the sound and found Conrad standing in the doorway.

"Uh…I uh, saved you a carrot. It's under the cake plate." He gestured to the other side of the counter where it waited for me.

"Oh. Thanks." I walked that way and saw him shift his stance uncomfortably, and look down at his feet. I forced myself to give him the credit he deserved at that moment with a look of sincerity. "You didn't have to do that."

He looked pleasantly surprised, "It's no problem. You uh…call it a thanks for cleaning up last night. My mom really appreciated it."

"Of course. Anything for Susannah."

It was the most polite we'd ever been to each other in our entire lives. I wasn't even sure it was real since there were no witnesses to prove I wasn't making the whole thing up somehow. Belly and Steven would laugh in my face if I told them. But that didn't stop the awkwardness from getting worse by the second and finally I couldn't take it anymore. Conrad looked like he wanted to say something else but I couldn't hear it, whatever it was and I was scared that I already knew. Instead of giving him the chance, I mumbled a quick 'thanks again' and 'see you later' before bolting back upstairs with my carrot muffin in hand and shut the door behind me. I leaned back against it and wondered how I'd avoid whatever that was for the next 24 hours before my time in Cousin's would come to an end.

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author's note: I hope you enjoyed part 2 of 4th of July! How are we feeling at this point? Don't worry because there's still lots more story to come even if Y/N thinks her journey is ending. Next chapter is a day at the boardwalk! Thank you again for the continued support 💚💛🧡❤️. Reply with comments and let me know if you wanna be added to my taglist. If you'd like to ask me about any upcoming chapter warnings you wanna be warned of ahead of time (angst? 18+ smut?) then come visit my blog with any questions and I'll be happy to answer!

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#conrad fisher #conrad fisher x reader #conrad fisher x y/n #conrad fisher x you #team conrad #the summer i turned pretty #tsitp conrad #the summer i turned pretty au #the summer i turned pretty imagine #the summer i turned pretty fanfic #conrad fisher fanfic #conrad fisher imagine #conrad fisher au #conrad fisher x fem!reader #Spotify

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obxsummer · 8 months

Text

A Change of Summer // OBX x TSITP Crossover (Part Two)

in which our favorite pogues continue to spend time with the only kooks they can stand. something is bubbling between you and jj, but it seems like the world keeps pushing you back to conrad every chance it gets...

conrad fisher x gn!reader x jj maybank

warnings: panic attacks, arguing, mentions of physical abuse, no use of y/n

a/n: i switched up the timeline of obx a little bit sorry not sorry. intended to be gender neutral so if I missed anything pls lmk!

navigation - part one

Conrad felt like shit. He had really screwed up this time. Not only was Belly pissed at him (and you), but he knew his mom would be so disappointed in the way he’d been acting. Susannah Fisher was steadfast regarding her boys, but she had no issues putting them in their place when needed.

So, what did Conrad do? He called his mom and got his ass chewed for the issue he’d created, but in true Susannah fashion, she told him her best advice and reassured him everything would be okay.

Growing up, Conrad was never good at handling emotions. His dad had drilled it into his head that as the eldest sibling (metaphorically to everyone except Jeremiah), he needed to lead by example. There was no room for mistake, no room for disagreement. Conrad grew up looking like the perfect kid when really, he was battling a lot more than homework and football championships.

His anxiety started junior year of high school when his mom was diagnosed with cancer. The thought of her leaving, her leaving him with his dad, was enough to spark his first panic attack. Susannah never found out and Conrad made sure it stayed that way. He had a few more throughout high school, but the worst one came the night of the argument.

Conrad stepped back into the house after dropping Jeremiah off at a friend’s house. There was some party going on tonight but he had no interest in going. His brother, on the other hand, was a party animal who desperately needed to go.

“How long?”

The elder Fisher boy stopped his movements by the front door. His mom’s voice was so upset despite the low volume of her question. He could tell she was in the kitchen but he couldn’t see who she was talking to.

“Two months.” Adam Fisher’s reply was short and to the point.

Susannah let out an exhausted laugh. “Two months. I was in and out of chemo, taking care of the boys, being there as much as I could, and you were fucking your secretary!”

Conrad’s heart dropped and he took off up the stairs as quietly as possible. Tears burned his eyes, his bedroom turning blurry colors as he shut the door and stumbled into the ensuite bathroom.

His dad cheated on his mom. While she was battling cancer, he was proving once again that he was a piece of shit and a lousy excuse for a dad.

It was enough to make his stomach lurch as he collapsed on the tile floor and got sick. Every inch of his skin was prickly, his mind running in a million directions as tears fell across his cheeks.

Cheated. Fucking your secretary.

Conrad pressed his palm against his chest. Why did it feel like his heart was gonna burst? What… why? Oh god, should he tell Jere? He’ll be heartbroken, he loves his dad and-and oh no. This was so, so bad. He… He needed to call someone, someone….

Hands fumbled for his phone in his pocket but it was so so hard to see through the tears. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. Breathe, breathe, breathe. Stop crying, if someone sees you… Fuck.

He doesn’t know where his fingers pressed but he knew the phone was ringing and someone would answer. Answer and help.

“Conrad?”

Snapping out of his daydream, he recognized the same voice that answered the phone that night. The night everything went to shit. Your voice. It was always your voice echoing in his head, talking him through a panic attack that you didn’t understand until one day, you did.

“Everything okay?”

His eyes blinked his contacts back into focus and he met your gaze before looking away just as quickly. “Yeah, sorry. Just zoned out.” Susannah’s contact stared back up at him from his phone, their conversation ending not too long ago. The screen turned black.

You watched him curiously, knowing well enough that something had set him out of his normal attitude. “I’m uh gonna go look for an outfit for Midsummers. Do… do you wanna go? I would ask Belly but, yeah.”

Conrad perked up. This was his chance to talk to you, just like Susannah said. He nodded. “Uh, sure. Let me change really quick and I’ll be ready.”

You nodded, your body still tense from the courage it took to ask if he wanted to join you. It was one step in the right direction to fixing this cloud that had been covering everyone’s heads.

Midsummers was huge in OBX. Easily the party of the summer, all members of the country club received an invite and the wardrobe was exquisite. Sarah’s father was being honored at the ceremony so you had promised you’d be there, which meant dragging everyone else along to join you.

You had originally planned on going shopping with Jeremiah since he would give honest opinions but he had to work with Steven. Belly was the next option, but since she was clearly uninterested in spending time with you right now, that wasn’t going to happen. You figured Conrad would at least give you someone to spare the pain of constant silence.

The passenger seat in his Range Rover was all yours since he insisted on driving. You didn’t bother arguing, especially with how swollen your ankle was. He wouldn’t let you even if you asked.

“Have you talked to your mom? I miss her.” Your question had good intentions as you turned to look out the window.

It caught Conrad off guard but he didn’t know why. You loved his mom and she loved you just as much, if not more. He made a left turn before answering, “Uh, yeah. This morning actually. She said they were having a pool and wine day before movie night.”

“Classic. Remember the one year they spilled the whole bottle of red in the pool?” You laughed loudly and clapped your hands. “They were so drunk they were going to try and drink it before it all ‘disappeared’.”

Conrad smiled, recounting the memory like it happened yesterday. So maybe the moms got a little too drunk on vacation but hey, that’s what vacation is for.

You continued to stare out the windows, watching island life pass by. This was peaceful and it almost felt like how things normally did between the two of you. Conrad's dark hair tousled slightly in the wind from the sunroof as you watched him from behind your sunglasses.

The thought of living life without him was heart-wrenching. You were stuck between the comfort of Conrad and the new freshness with JJ. Both boys had seen different sides of you and yet, it was so hard to know which one you wanted to run toward.

Conrad glanced over at you, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he pulled into a parking spot. "Are we going for casual cool or slightly dressed up?"

You shrugged and collected your stuff to bring inside. "As much as I hate to say it, I’m pretty sure it’s formal."

Conrad nodded in agreement, his gaze sweeping over the window displays. "Like…like deb ball formal or…?"

You smiled at his implication but shrugged. “Guess we’ll find out.”

The bell rang above the door as the two of you stepped inside. Cool air conditioning blasted you in the face as it did its best to keep out the hot humidity from outside.

You pulled out a few items, holding them up to your body and looking to Conrad for his opinion. He offered a nod of approval here and there, his eyes lingering on you as you discussed color palettes and styles.

More often than not, you had to be in a shopping mood to go through a bunch of outfits. Thankfully, it was holding strong or your grumpiness would’ve been seeping through after the second outfit.

After a few trial and error rounds, you emerged from the dressing room wearing your favorite choice yet. Conrad's eyes softened, and a hint of a smile played on his lips. He leaned against a display, arms crossed casually.

"I think we've got a winner," he said, his voice low and warm. Complimenting you felt so easy to him despite his usual hard attitude. His mom always said you brought out the best parts of him that he’d hidden away.

You twirled slowly and looked it over in the mirror. "You think so?"

"Yeah. It suits you."

Your heart fluttered at the unspoken sentiment in his words. As you admired the outfit in the mirror, your fingers brushed over a delicate silver necklace that adorned your neck. It was the same necklace Conrad had given you years ago, a simple sun and mood pendant, intended as a joke but cherished ever since.

"You still wear that necklace?" Conrad asked, his tone was casual but the affection was easy to find under the surface.

Your fingers played with the pendant, a small smile on your lips. "Yeah, I love it."

Before your moment could linger further, the jingling of the shop's entrance bell announced the arrival of another guest. Rafe Cameron walked in, his intentions evident even from a distance. His eyes immediately fixed on you, and an overly familiar grin spread across his face.

A flicker of panic jumped in your chest. It wasn’t that you hated Rafe, he just didn’t know when to stop. And you had a feeling this wasn’t going to end well.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Rafe drawled, approaching you with a look that was more predatory than charming. He was dressed as if he just came from the country club himself, which was likely true. The Rolex on his wrist was shiny in the store lighting, catching your eye for a split second before you looked at him.

Your smile was forced as you acknowledged him. Conrad's stance shifted subtly.

"Just shopping for Midsummers," you replied, your discomfort evident as you looked away from him. “Conrad, this is Rafe Cameron, Sarah’s older brother. Rafe, this is one of my family friends, Conrad Fisher.”

Rafe's gaze flicked from you to Conrad, his grin growing wider. Though you’d all seen each other at the bonfire, nobody bothered to do introductions so this was the first time he knew who you’d been with. "Oh, I see. You two are together?"

Conrad's jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing as he stepped forward just slightly. There were a lot of things he could say instead but he bit his tongue and held back. "We're just friends."

Rafe's smile didn't waver, in fact, it almost grew with the confirmation he was clearly looking for. "Well, that's a shame. Someone like you deserves someone who can really appreciate you."

Your discomfort deepened, and you spared a glance over at Conrad. He looked like he was going to snap at any second. "I’m perfectly capable of choosing who deserves me, Rafe. Thanks.

Rafe's smirk faltered for a moment before he chuckled as if amused by the tension. "Right, right. Well, I'll see you around."

As Rafe sauntered away, Conrad's gaze remained fixed on him until he disappeared from view. Once the door closed, he turned to you and his expression softened.

"You okay?" Conrad asked, his voice gentler now. His hands relaxed by his sides, letting go of the tight fists he’d been holding.

You nodded, a mix of relief washing over you. "Yeah, thanks. Sorry, he’s been like that these past few years no matter how often I tell him no."

Conrad's lips quirked into a half-smile, and he brushed a strand of hair from your face. “You ready to check out?”

With a soft smile and a nod, you moved back into the changing room to switch back to your normal clothes with nothing but gratitude for Conrad Fisher.

Two more days passed before you were forced to confront the problem that had been taking up most of your mind. Conrad, Steven, and Jere were out surfing again, and as much as you wanted to join them, you didn’t want to risk hurting your ankle further. That meant you were left behind with one Isabel Conklin, who still had yet to have a full conversation with you no matter how hard you tried.

Today, though, you were cracking out the big guns. You knew there was one thing that Belly could never turn down and you weren’t even ashamed to use it as bait. After the disaster of last summer’s Fourth of July, you managed to perfect the pomegranate margarita recipe. Although you knew Belly hated how that day turned out, you knew she still loved her pomegranate margs.

The girl in question was outside in the pool, taking a swim as she normally did. The summer sun beat down on the beach house, casting shadows over the pool where Belly swam with graceful strokes.

You stood by the edge of the pool, nervously swirling the deep red contents of the frozen margarita in your glass. With a deep breath, you approached the water's edge just as Belly surfaced, her eyes narrowing slightly at the sight of you.

"Hey," you began, your voice soft. Belly's gaze flicked over you before she turned to resume her lap, pointedly ignoring your presence. You sighed inwardly but didn't give up and took a seat so your feet could slide into the water. "I made pomegranate margaritas. Thought you might want one."

You held out the glass, the condensation cool against your fingers. Belly paused mid-stroke, eyeing the drink with a mixture of skepticism and curiosity. After a moment's hesitation, she reached out to take it from you, offering a short nod of acknowledgment.

"Thanks," she mumbled, taking a small sip. You gave her a small smile in return.

"You know," you began, your voice earnest, "I've tried talking to you since our argument, but you've been giving me the cold shoulder."

Belly's shoulders tensed but she kept her eyes focused on the water. The two of you usually had no issues calling each other out when things got rocky, but it was never in an aggressive argument.

"I really want you to know that I never intended to hurt your feelings," you continued. "I know how much Conrad means to you, and I shouldn't have let our disagreement get so out of hand."

She took another sip of her drink. Progress.

"And I get it," you said, gently. "I know how complicated things are between you and Conrad. But I promise you, my feelings for him don't change how much I care about my friendship with you. I said a lot of awful things the other night and I just… want to you know that I didn’t mean them. You’re one of my best friends, Bells."

Belly's fingers gripped the edge of the pool, her knuckles turning white. After a long silence, she finally looked up at you, her eyes searching yours for some sort of answer.

"I'm sorry too," she said softly, her voice carrying a hint of regret. "I shouldn't have shut you out like that. It's just... It's hard for me to see someone else getting close to him when I’ve tried so hard for that to be me."

You nodded, completely understanding how she was feeling. "I can't imagine what you've been through, Belly. And I don't want to make things harder for you."

Belly let out a sigh, pushing herself up to sit on the edge of the pool near you. Her fingers toyed with the rim of the glass, her gaze distant.

"I really miss you," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. Tears brimmed her eyes as she stared at the glass in her lap. “And I’m really sorry about the other night. We were both cruel in what we said, how we were ganging up on you.”

“I kinda deserved it,” You admitted despite the way your heart ached at the vulnerability in her words. "I miss you too, Belly. I hate that we've been distant like this."

Belly finally turned to fully face you so you could see the tears in her eyes. "Can we... can we try to go back to how things were? I don't want to lose our friendship, over a boy of all things."

You offered her a grateful smile, relief washing over you. "I’d love nothing more. Trust me."

"I know it won't be easy," Belly said, her gaze locked onto yours. "But we've been through so much together. I don't want to throw that away. My mom would be so mad at us, all the moms would."

You laughed and reached out, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We'll figure it out. And I promise, I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

Belly smiled, a genuine warmth returning to her eyes. "Thank you."

With a soft smile, you leaned in to give Belly a tight hug. Relief washed over you at the feeling of having one friend back in the right place. As you pulled away, her eyes sparkled mischievously.

"Hey, remember that time we pushed Jeremiah into the pool?" she said, her voice full of playful nostalgia.

You nodded. "Oh, God. Which time? There’s too many to count."

Belly's grin grew wider, and before you could react, she playfully pushed you into the pool. Laughter bubbled up from your throats, the tension of the past few days dissipating completely. Thankfully, you’d changed into your swimsuit before coming out, so it really wasn’t too big of a deal.

"I’m so gonna get you back, Conklin," you teased, splashing a bit of water in her direction.

Belly laughed, her eyes dancing. "I think I can handle it."

The rest of the day unfolded in a haze of catching up, laughter, and pomegranate margaritas. The warm sun dipped below the horizon, and just as the light started to fade, the familiar figures of Steven, Jeremiah, and Conrad returned to the beach house. Walking alongside them were the Pogues—John B, JJ, Kiara, and Pope.

You and Belly had yet to notice your new audience and continued laughing your asses off at whatever horrible joke had been made.

Your friends’ expressions shifted from surprise to amusement as they took in the sight of you and Belly sitting in the pool, clearly having indulged in a few too many drinks. Your laughter was much louder than it had ever been and you’d clearly been at it for a while.

"Well, well, what have we here?" Steven said with a chuckle, exchanging knowing looks with the Fisher brothers. The two of you looked over at his sudden voice.

Belly rolled her eyes at her brother, the alcohol doing its job of making her carefree about his opinion. "Don’t be such a buzzkill, Steven!"

While Belly entertained her brother, JJ walked over to you, a crooked grin on his face as he stepped toward you. "Looks like we missed out on some quality pool time."

"JJ, hi!" Your face practically lit up as you realized he was there. “How are you?”

He shrugged nonchalantly, his eyes twinkling as he stood above you. “Can’t complain.” He sat down on the concrete nearby. “How’s the ankle?”

You pulled your foot out of the water for emphasis and almost fell backward into the water. “Almost there. Feels fine right now, sometimes it’s iffy but we’re getting there.”

Ever since the other night on the beach, you had been talking to JJ nonstop. Even if it was a quick meet-up on the beach or a phone call, the two of you were growing much closer. It wasn’t just casual conversation either, you had learned his worst fears, some of his best moments, and what he dreamed of. The conversations that mattered.

Seeing him in person again was refreshing, like a reminder that all those secrets shared between you guys were still just that. Secrets.

Belly's voice rose above the rest. "Oh, my god! Can we please get some pizza?!" A chorus of agreement greeted her suggestion, and she practically screamed in excitement. She quickly pulled herself out of the pool, barely stopping to grab a towel before darting into the kitchen to order said food. Drunk Belly always meant Hungry Belly.

“I’ll go help,” Kiara said with a laugh and headed into the house, leaving the rest of you to continue your conversation. Steven offered to grab drinks for everyone, which JJ offered to help with. Jeremiah, who had been lounging by the poolside, slipped into the water and swam over to where you were standing.

"Hey there, sunshine," he greeted with his usual bright smile. He could easily tell the margaritas were getting to you as you looked at him with surprise.

"Jere!” You jumped forward to hug him in the warm water, practically curling into his embrace. Jeremiah’s typical flirty nature was normal to all of you at this point. Growing up together, he had been an unwavering pillar of strength for you. He never made you feel wrong, always accepting your concerns and offering love in return. Jeremiah was always a safe zone for you, so your sudden clingy nature wasn’t too surprising.

He laughed and held you close as he began to wade through the water with his arms wrapped around you. "So, have you talked to Bells? You guys seemed better when we got here."

You nodded, your fingers brushing through his curly hair as you leaned against his bare shoulder. "Yeah, we had a conversation earlier. Cleared the air."

"Good. I’m glad you guys were able to sort things out, it’s been weird without you two."

You glanced over Jere’s shoulder and noticed that Pope had joined the group with drinks, though he seemed to be nursing some fresh bruises on his face since you’d seen him a few days ago. "Pope, what happened to your face?"

Pope grimaced slightly, his fingers brushing over the bruises. "Rafe, Topper, and Kelce decided to jump me on the golf course."

Your eyes widened in surprise, and you exchanged a quick glance with Conrad, the unspoken understanding passing between you. You had encountered Rafe earlier, and now this incident with Pope made it clear that Rafe was becoming more of a problem.

The topic seemed to grab Conrad's attention as well. "You guys ran into Rafe?"

JJ nodded, his expression grim. He could see the vibes shift and your glances to Conrad weren’t so subtle. "Yeah, did you?"

You sighed and separated from Jeremiah to swim closer to everyone else. "While we were shopping the other day. I don't understand why he's everywhere. It's like he enjoys making people uncomfortable."

Kiara sat down on the pool’s edge as she returned from ordering pizza. "Rafe's always been like that. He thinks he can get away with anything. Just like his dad."

John B laughed in agreement from where he was laying back in a lounge chair. “Don’t be surprised. That’s pretty typical for Kooks. Not-Not you guys of course,” He was quick to defend his statement which made everyone laugh.

Pizza arrived shortly after to which everyone devoured hungrily amidst the small conversation that occurred between bites. It seemed the Pogues had been busy themselves, with John B and Sarah going off for a day at Chapel Hill together (you’d have to get all the details from her) before they forced Kiara and Sarah to hash out their previous differences with each other on an involuntary overnight boat sleepover.

It was easy to tell how different your lives were. Despite the margaritas still definitely flowing through your system, you weren’t oblivious to the fact that the group mixed within you had a completely different take on life. While you were here for vacation, this was their home, and based on what you knew, their home wasn’t this side of the island.

“Do you…” Your question trailed off as you turned to John B who was sitting on your other side. “Do you guys want to stay here, tonight? Maybe freshen up and...we have a ton of snacks if you want.”

You didn’t want to come off like an asshole with your question, but you just wanted to offer it. Kiara obviously was down the street, but you knew better than to assume the same applied to JJ, John B, and even Pope.

John B smiled at you. “Thank you but uh, we should be okay. We um, could definitely use some snacks though. If you have any to spare.”

You nodded, taking the chance to help where you could. “Yeah, absolutely. I’ll get some together before you guys leave.”

The rest of the night flowed easily between your groups. You remained tucked in between JJ and John B, enjoying the chance to learn more about them. John B’s dad had been missing for a while, and he was convinced the man wasn’t dead. As for what was going on with him and Sarah, he flushed but didn’t reveal anything good.

Pope was shooting for a huge scholarship for college, which you mostly knew, and Kiara just wanted to spend her time with them since her parents were breathing down her neck more often than not anyway.

JJ remained mostly quiet, his fingers dancing across your bare skin as you sat next to him. You knew he wasn’t big on sharing the darker details of his life. You’d managed to pry that out of him when he showed up with a busted lip one night, recounting the story of his abusive father who you swore you’d kill on sight if you ever saw him.

You shared pieces of your background, about life at home and finishing high school. Steven talked about being valedictorian at his recent graduation and journey to Princeton, which Pope was so eager to hear about. Belly and Jeremiah shared their own fears about what decisions to make. Conrad tried to offer reassurance that it wasn’t all that bad.

In a weird way, it was a beautiful experience to hear the other side of the story. To hear how similar you all were despite the differences in your upbringing. You hoped something good would continue to come out of this.

Little did you know how quickly that hope would change.

There was a comfortable breeze swirling around the deck of the country club, where you sat with Jeremiah and Steven during their lunch break. The clinking of cutlery and distant chatter of other dining guests created a serene ambiance as you enjoyed a moment of relaxation together.

"So, how's your day been so far? Anything exciting?" Jeremiah asked, taking a sip of his drink. He was lacking a shirt to the pleasure of the lingering females surrounding the area. That was one thing Jere loved about lifeguarding, no shirt required.

You leaned back in your chair, offering a casual smile as you stabbed a piece of lettuce with your fork. "Not bad, just catching up on some reading and soaking in the sun."

Steven nodded in agreement, his expression content. "Yeah, it's nice to take a break from the usual chaos at work. The tips are great don’t get me wrong, but it’s been so busy."

Just as you were about to continue the conversation, your phone vibrated on the table. You glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was Sarah. Your brows furrowed in concern as you answered the call.

"Hey, Sarah. What's up?" you asked.

Sarah's voice sounded slightly panicked on the other end. "Hey, have you seen JJ? Something happened yesterday, and we haven’t seen him since."

It had been a few days since the Pogues had come over to share your drunken evening together. You’d talked to JJ each night but hadn’t seen him since then either.

Your heart skipped a beat and you placed your fork down on your plate. "No, I haven't seen him. When did this happen?"

Sarah's tone was worried. "I… I don’t wanna share his story, but we haven’t seen him and he’s not answering anyone’s calls or texts."

You exchanged a glance with Jeremiah and Steven, who had picked up on the seriousness of the conversation. JJ had answered you last night but you could tell he wasn’t his usual self.

"I’m at the Island Club right now. I’ll start looking, let me know if you hear anything," you reassured her. After ending the call, you stood up from the table. "Sorry, apparently JJ’s gone MIA and they can’t get ahold of him. I'll catch up with you later."

Jeremiah nodded understandingly. "Of course, let us know if you need any help."

With a grateful smile, you headed to your car and began driving around the area, keeping an eye out for any sign of JJ. You tried not to let your anxiety get the best of your thoughts. What if something happened with his dad?

Eventually, your search led you to a nearby park, where you spotted your familiar blond, lost in his thoughts. You quickly parked and shut the car off before walking over to him, shooting Sarah a quick text that you had him. "Hey, are you okay?"

JJ looked up at the sudden noise. "Didn't expect to see you here."

You took a seat beside him. "Sarah was worried about you. She said they haven’t heard from you."

He sighed, his shoulders slumping as he tugged the bill of his hat further down his head. "Yeah, I just needed some space."

You nodded, giving him a reassuring smile. "I think they were just worried and you weren’t answering."

“Phone’s dead. I haven’t been anywhere with electricity to charge it.” After a moment of silence, JJ's voice grew softer. "You know, I helped Pope sink Topper's boat."

Your eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Wait, seriously?"

JJ nodded, his gaze fixed on his hands. "Yeah, it was stupid, but... I don't know. I thought it would be payback for what they did to Pope the other day. Then the cops showed up, and I got arrested."

Your concern deepened as you looked at him in shock. "JJ, what? Did they let you go?"

JJ shrugged, a bitter smile on his lips. "Yeah, gotta pay the damage up, but then I had to go home with my dad."

Your heart sank at the mention of his dad, knowing the troubles that often came with their relationship. The swelling on his face was evident and you could tell he wasn’t moving much on purpose, which gave you enough of an answer. "How did that go?"

JJ looked away, his gaze distant. "Not great. He was drunk, and angry, and… yeah. I’m sure you can guess the rest."

A mixture of anger and sadness welled up within you. "I'm so sorry, JJ. You don't deserve any of this."

JJ's eyes welled up with emotion, and he blinked away tears. "Thanks. It's just...some times it feels like there's no way out. I-I was trying to do the right thing, give him the money to pay for everything and he… he just-"

“Where did you get the money for a boat as expensive as Topper’s?” You interrupted, curiosity getting the best of you. You weren’t stupid, the Thorntons had enough money to put the island to shame, so there was no doubt his boat was new.

JJ winced at the question. “Uh, ask me another time.”

Accepting that he didn’t want to talk about it, you nodded. "Do your friends know… about your dad?”

He shrugged. “I don’t think I’ve ever outright told them, but I know they’re not stupid, so they probably have some idea.”

You embraced the silence that followed. Surely JJ's friends had some idea of what happened at home. It would be hard for them not to. After a moment, you stood up. "Hey, how about we go grab some slushies? It might cool off in this heat."

JJ's smile grew a bit wider, and he stood up slowly. "Yeah, I could use something right now."

You both climbed into the car, letting the music fill the silence as you drove to a nearby convenience store. You told JJ to get whatever he wanted, insisting you didn’t mind and that he deserved to have something good after the craziness of the past few days.

As you and JJ sat outside the convenience store, sipping on your slushies, the tension that had gripped him seemed to ease with each passing moment. The sun cast a warm glow over the surroundings, but the wind was kicking up with an oncoming storm.

“Here.” JJ set his slushy down and shrugged off his worn zip-up to place it around your shoulders. He didn’t bother to ask if you were cold and helped get your arms in the sleeves before zipping it up for you.

The Kildare Co. Surfing Company logo on the chest was enough to warm your heart as you leaned into his side. As much as you wished you could stay longer, you knew they’d be looking for you at home. "We should probably get going soon."

JJ nodded in agreement, and you both got up to walk back to your Jeep. Once inside the vehicle, you glanced at JJ, noticing a hint of curiosity in his gaze. There was something he wanted to ask, and you waited patiently for him to find the words.

He hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "Hey, can I ask you about something?"

"What’s up?”

His gaze drifted to the silver necklace that adorned your neck—a delicate pendant featuring both a sun and a moon. "You wear that necklace every day. Where did you get it?"

A flicker of hesitation passed over you as memories resurfaced. How JJ picked up on the fact that you wore the piece of jewelry every day, you didn’t know. You took a deep breath before replying, "Uh, Conrad gave it to me."

JJ's eyebrows furrowed slightly, a mix of surprise and something else you couldn't quite place in his eyes. "Conrad? Really?"

You nodded, your fingers unconsciously brushing over the pendant. "Yeah, he gave it to me a few years ago."

The air seemed to grow heavy with unspoken emotions as JJ's gaze remained fixed on the necklace. After a moment, you decided to break the silence by sharing the story behind it in hopes that it would clear the tension.

"It was during one of our summers up north. We were out one night, just talking and looking at the stars. I mentioned how much I loved the sunsets and the moonrise, and how they always made me feel a sense of calm and balance. A few days later, Conrad surprised me with this necklace. He said it reminded him of me, of how I brought light into life even during the darkest times,” You quote the words with a slight laugh, remembering the memory like it happened yesterday.

JJ's expression softened as he listened to your words, though there was an underlying tension that you couldn't entirely ignore. "That's cute," he finally replied, his tone carefully neutral.

You sensed there was more to his reaction than met the eye, but you chose not to press further. Instead, you drove in contemplative silence, the soft hum of the engine providing a backdrop to your thoughts. John B had told you how quick JJ was to shut down when he was upset. God, you were so stupid to share something like that with him, especially when he’s in this mindset.

“Sorry, um-”

“No, no. It’s okay. Uh, actually. Do you mind if I um… if I stay at your place? I really don’t want to see the Pogues right now.”

You agreed despite the worry that it would make things awkward back at your own house. JJ deserved to have a night where he didn’t worry about where he was going to sleep. To your relief, it seemed Conrad and Jeremiah weren’t both out for a night surf, which left you with Steven and Belly.

“Hey guys,” You greeted as you walked in with JJ behind you. “JJ’s here for the night. Do you guys wanna make dinner or order out?”

After Steven declared (and cooked) breakfast for dinner, the two Conklin siblings moved upstairs to leave you and JJ to yourselves.

The two of you found yourselves sitting on the comfortable couch, nestled close together with some movie playing in the background. The atmosphere held a sense of ease, a comfortable quiet filling the space around you.

JJ's voice broke the silence, soft and thoughtful. "You know, I've never really seen anyone share moments like the way you all do. Don’t get me wrong, the Pogues and I love to fuck around, but it’s…it’s different with you guys."

You turned to him, a genuine smile tugging at your lips. "Years ago, Jeremiah and Conrad’s mom once told me that home isn’t always a place, it’s the people and experiences that make the difference. It’s so cheesy, but these people are my home. And trust me, our group has had plenty of fucking around over the years.”

He met your gaze, his eyes flickering with a warmth that seemed to transcend the dim lighting. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

You forced yourself to stare at the TV screen, wishing you had something better to say that didn’t seem so awkward. You hoped JJ wasn’t too upset about everything that had happened in the past few hours. You’d learned over time that it took him a while to get out of his slumps, not that you could blame him.

His fingers brushed against yours, a gentle touch that sent a shiver down your spine. "Your necklace…"

You nodded, your heart beating a little faster in your chest. This was it, he was mad over this necklace that you’ve cherished for so long, the first gift someone outside of your family, someone you loved had given you.

"I know it shouldn’t matter," he continued, his voice slightly strained, “but why do you still wear it?”

You felt a rush of emotions swirling within you, your thoughts racing to catch up with the confession in his eyes. "JJ..."

“Kiara pointed it out the other day because she liked it, then Sarah said you’d had it for years.” He took a deep breath, his gaze never leaving yours. "I've been trying to figure out why it bothered me so much. That you still wear his gift, even though things between us... are different, maybe going somewhere."

Your heart skipped a beat as his words hung in the air. There was a raw honesty in his admission, a vulnerability that mirrored your own feelings. As you looked at him, you saw the depth of his emotions, the unspoken desires that had been simmering beneath the surface.

"You're right," you said softly, your voice steady despite the rapid beating of your heart. "Things have changed between us. But that necklace... it's not just about Conrad. It's about the memories we've shared, the moments that have shaped our friendships. I’ll always cherish and love that."

JJ's gaze held a mixture of hope and uncertainty, his fingers still brushing against yours. "And what about us?"

A gentle smile curved your lips as you leaned in a little closer, closing the distance between you. "JJ, there's something between us that's undeniable. I know you can feel it."

His breath seemed to catch as your words hung in the air, the unspoken tension growing stronger with each passing heartbeat.

"Maybe we've been avoiding it, afraid of how it might change things," you continued, your voice soft and sincere. "But the truth is, I care about you. More than I've ever let myself admit."

His gaze never wavered from yours, a mix of surprise and longing in his eyes. "You mean that?"

You nodded, your heart racing as you laid your feelings bare. "Yeah, I do."

With a gentle, almost instinctive motion, his lips brushed against yours. It was a soft, tentative kiss, filled with the unspoken promises of what could be. As the kiss deepened, you felt the weight of your feelings and desires intertwining, a connection that was both thrilling and comforting.

When you finally pulled back, your foreheads rested against each other, breaths mingling. The quiet of the room seemed to amplify the emotions that swirled between you.

"I'm glad we're being honest with each other," JJ murmured, his voice a soft, husky whisper.

"Me too," you replied, your fingers still entwined with his.

The night stretched on, and the connection you shared seemed to strengthen with every whispered conversation, every stolen glance. Kisses turned deeper, and physical space between you disappeared as you fully let yourself fall into JJ Maybank because, for the first time in a while, you felt free. And it felt so so good.

JJ was gone when you woke up the next morning. At some point, the two of you had moved up to your bedroom to go to sleep. You didn’t want to seem desperate to make him stay, but you didn’t expect him to leave before you even woke up.

JJ would have to wait though because today was Midsummers. You had been doing a pretty shitty job of spending time with Sarah so you invited her over to get ready with the rest of your friends.

“Oh, my God, hi!” She practically fell through the front door with all of her belongings, barely sparing the time to lock her car before shutting the door. “I have so much to tell you.”

“Thank God,” You laughed and locked the door before following her into the kitchen. Jeremiah and Steven had already started their personal pregame on the patio, neither of them in their dress clothes yet, unbothered by the idea of getting ready.

Sarah didn’t hesitate to reach into the fridge and grab a vodka seltzer to gulp down. She let out a sigh of relief when she finished. “I’ve been dreaming of one of these, I think.”

You laughed at her enthusiasm. “Go for it. We bought plenty on our last alc run. What the hell has been going on?”

“You have no idea,” Sarah groaned and let her head rest on the coolness of the counter. In all the years you’d known her, she was glowing despite how overwhelmed she seemed. You knew it had something to do with the Pogues, obviously. Especially since JJ had told you things were heating up between Sarah and John B.

You let her finish the rest of her drink and grab another before heading upstairs where Belly was busy getting ready. The sound of music flowed from the large master bathroom as you two walked into Belly’s personal concert.

“Sarah, hi!” Your friend jumped up excitedly to hug the new guest. Sarah returned the embrace and handed Belly one of the drinks she brought up to sip on while getting ready.

“So,” You held the letter out as you popped your own drink and got started on fixing your hair. “Are you gonna tell us what’s going on with you and John B or should we just guess for ourselves?”

The Cameron girl gave you a side-eye and pulled her makeup bag out. “Who said it had to do with John B?”

You scoffed, “I mean if you don’t wanna share, I can just call him and ask for additional details…”

“Additional?” She made a dramatic gasp but didn’t seem too mad, “I can’t believe he spilled! It took him weeks to cough it up to his friends.”

“I mean, it was pretty much written all over his face,” Belly added as she swiped some blush across her cheeks. Her hair was curled and pulled half up, away from her face. She already had her dress on, a soft pale pink dress with off-the-shoulder sleeves. You knew Jeremiah’s eyes would practically fall out of his head when he saw her. She looked elegant, as always.

You envied her natural beauty. Belly had always been gorgeous but she truly grew into her skin over these past few years. Long gone were the pink glasses and braces that you knew and left in their place was bright, happy Isabel.

Sarah filled the rest of the time telling you about her adventures with John B. Their trip to Chapel Hill for some documents that he was secretive about, the kiss in the rain, and how it all led up to their night at the bell tower.

“You had sex in the bell tower!”

Sarah’s cheeks went pink at the volume of your exclamation. “Shh! Yes, calm down. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Oh, my god! Wait, I need to know every detail!”

“Every?” Belly repeated your words with a wince. “I don’t-”

Sarah flipped you off and finished straightening her hair. “It was amazing, okay. That’s all I’m telling you.”

You let out a groan but accepted her answer nonetheless. “Thank God you got rid of Topper. He didn’t really bother me, but dude was a dick to you sometimes.”

The three of you finished getting ready and moved downstairs to join the boys for their pregame.

“Oh, shit. Let me grab my shoes,” You left them at the top of the stairs to dart into your room for the shoes that you’d bought to match your outfit. Closet doors were thrown open before you located the pair of shoes in mind and sat down on your bed to put them on.

Quickly getting to your feet, you moved toward the door before realizing someone had been standing there. You blinked in surprise and took a step back. "Conrad!"

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” He apologized softly, not that he needed to. "You look amazing."

Your cheeks warmed, and you smiled in return, feeling your nerves dissipate. "Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself."

A comfortable silence settled between you, the unspoken connection growing stronger with each passing moment. But then, you couldn't help but notice that Conrad's gaze flickered briefly to your neck, and you realized that you weren't wearing the necklace he had given you.

A wave of self-consciousness washed over you as you reached up to touch the empty space where the pendant should have been. You weren’t sure what led you to take it off for this occasion in particular. Maybe it was the conversation you’d had with JJ…maybe it was time to move on, even if it hurt. You would hate yourself if you hurt Conrad in the process though.

Conrad seemed to notice your hesitation. He tried his best to keep the disappointment off his face, "Is everything okay?"

You bit your lip, feeling a mix of embarrassment and sadness. "I, um, left the necklace behind. It's just... I didn't want it to get lost or damaged at the party."

“Yeah, totally fine.” He gave a simple nod, though his expression looked slightly pained. He reached out and gently tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. "You ready?"

With one final appreciative look, Conrad turned, leading the way out of your room. As you followed him down the stairs towards the festivities, you let out a deep breath. You watched out the window as everyone gathered outside, minus yourself. Pausing in the kitchen, you opened one of the cabinets to pull out the bottle of tequila your dad had left behind last year.

A shot was poured and downed, followed by another one before you deemed it good enough to join everyone else with the bottle still in hand. What better way to get your mind off things than some friendly competitive cup pong?

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lowkey don't like this too much but whatever :(

one part left! let me know what you want to see here

#outer banks #the summer i turned pretty imagine #the summer i turned pretty #outer banks imagine #conrad fisher x reader #jj maybank x reader #belly conklin #steven conklin #jeremiah fisher #john b routledge #jj maybank #pope heyward #kiara carerra #outer banks x reader #tsitp x reader #jj maybank imagine #conrad fisher imagine

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