the summer you noticed me ↠ conrad fisher {1}

f i f t e e n

"Jeremiah, would you rather constantly itch, or have a constant cough?" I grin, wiggling my eyebrows.

      He hums, pressing his pointer finger to his chin like he's deep in thought. "Okay, so would I be itchy like everywhere or just a specific body part..?"

     I look back at Conrad, he grins leaning his chin onto my shoulder. His body is pressed against my back, and I sink back into him out of reflex. "What do you think?" I ask.

He shrugs, "maybe just on a really hard to get spot on your back."

     "You're ruthless," Jere gasps. "I think I'd pick cough, I don't know having that constant itch may drive me insane."

"Fair enough, okay Steven," Jere smiles turning around and giving Steven a would you rather.

Conrad goes to take another sip of Chardonnay, and I grab the cup from him. "You need to stop," I whisper, placing the cup on the ground. "This isn't for you!"

     He pouts, dropping his head onto my shoulder and let's out a small whimper. "Claire! This is so boring, that was the only thing making it worth it." I scoff, and scoot myself forward so we're not touching anymore. "Wait no," he says quickly. "That isn't what I meant, I didn't mean you," I hold up a hand to shush him.

     "No. No. No," I mumble. "I get it, I'm too boring for you," I'm joking. I hope he knows I'm joking. "Hey, Jeremiah. Conrad said I'm boring, do you think I'm boring?" I pout.

     Jeremiah turns around on the couch, bumping my shoulder as he does. Four of us are squished on a tiny couch that is probably made to fit two adults completely. He quickly covers up the bump, with a hug.

     "My Claire-Bear is anything but boring, last night she sang four Taylor Swift songs in a row, word for word without even looking at the screen. Then after she did a backflip into the pool, like a second after she finished the four songs. She's a bad ass queen."

     I nod in agreement because that did happen. I can't control what Taylor Swift and coffee does to me. I had a coffee with three shots of espresso in it right before I hung out with Jeremiah because I was tired. Needless to say, I wasn't tired when we hung out, which is how I ended up fully clothed doing a backflip into the pool.

     "Did that actually happen?" Conrad laughs. "How did I miss that?"

"Yes it actually happened because I'm a badass queen who is not boring," I say, crossing my arms.

"Yes!" Jeremiah agrees. "Say it."

I look back at him to see who's he's talking too, and he's looking at Conrad.

Conrad's eyebrows shoot up, "say what?" He chuckles.

"Yeah, say what?" I ask, because now I'm lost.

"Say Claire-Bear is a badass queen," Jeremiah says.

Conrad grins, his dimple is peaking through. I lean back, matching his grin. I love that Jeremiah is making us do this. "Go on," I encourage, holding a hand to my ear because I can't hear him.

     "Clair-Bear is a badass queen," he mumbles.

     I lean in closer to him, hand still cupping my ear. "Sorry, what?" I tease.

     "I said," he pauses, and my eyes close quickly as a squeal escapes my lips. "Claire-Bear is badass queen," he says as his fingers find there way into my sides.

     He's tickling me, and it's my weakness, which of course he knows. I squirm, grabbing towards Jeremiah who's quickly holds his hands up backing away. He is ticklish too, so he doesn't want anything to do with this. I cry out, but Steven is also backing away.

     "Conrad!" The sound of Laurel's voice causes the attack to stop, and I gasp out loud holding my chest. "Come here," she says waving him over. No one wants to argue with Laurel, especially Conrad so he complies.

     I fall onto the couch, holding my sides. His tickles hurt. He presses so hard into my sides, which is stupid because I tickle just seeing someone watch towards me with tickle fingers. He didn't need to do it so forcefully.

     "Sorry, I wanted to save you but," Jeremiah pauses, looking at my sides.

     "I get it, if you help me up I'll forgive you for leaving me to die," I smile.

     He helps me sit up, Conrad really did hurt my stomach. Gave me a whole 20 minute ab workout in 60 seconds.

     I rest my head on Jeremiah's shoulder once he settles in beside me. "Hey Claire-Bear," Jere says catching my attention.

     I hum a responds, "you know I love you, right?" He asks.

     I smile, and press a kiss to his shoulder. "Yeah."

     "Okay, so just know that I want to scream at you right now for having a thing with my brother and not telling me about it because 1) I'm looking out for you this summer and 2) you just didn't tell me but I'm not going to scream because we're in public."

     My face heats up at his words, and I groan hiding my face behind his shoulder. "Jeremiah!" I whine.

     "Claire!" He mimics. "Don't pull all cute and pouty on me, I saw how you two were just flirting. This whole party just saw you flirting," his arm is moving and i know he just made a gesture to the room.

     I want to sink into this sofa and let the earth swallow me whole. We're in public. In a public place with. Which Conrad's Mom, Susannah, is. Meaning she probably just saw me publicly flirting with her son, and loudly too I might add. We're at her best-friends book signing party and I feel like I just ruined it.

     "Oh my god, Jeremiah. Please tell me not everyone was looking at us," I mumble.

     "Yes, honey. Everyone was," he chuckles quietly to himself.

     I hit him lightly, "Jeremiah this isn't funny! I'm embarrassed, did I completely ruin Laurels party!"

     "Oh god no, I was laughing because I called you honey," he laughs again. "Get it because I call you Claire-Bear but this one time I called you honey. Bears eat honey."

     At that, I crack up laughing. I wrap my arm around his shoulder and hug him. "You're so stupid," I laugh.

      Just as Jeremiah was about to respond the front door to the bookshop closes loudly and I notice Conrad isn't in the room anymore. Did he just storm out? I look over at Laurel, and she is looking up at a man with a sympathetic smile. Did Conrad just storm away from them?

That's really unlike Conrad, but then my conversation with Jeremiah when I first got here comes back. He is a different Conrad. Especially different with me. Is he just noticing me this summer because he wants another person, rather then him wanting me?