Another Summer | C.F

Chapter twenty seven

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ CONRAD ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

Right now, the Conklins are upstairs talking while Mom, Jere, and I are on the couch.

Mom explained everything to us, from her point of view, and why she's not going to undergo treatment.

"Mom, but you have to try," Jere said. He's completely broken, crying, and his voice breaks at the end. "There has to be a solution." Mom just shakes her head and says, "No, I can't go through that again. I can't... sorry."

"But please try... Conrad, say something."

"Mom, can you just try? Mom, I need you, we both need you." Now I'm completely broken. Even though I've known this for months now, talking to Mom about it is too much. I need her, I fucking need her. She's been there for me all my life, through happy and sad times. She was always there.

She hugged both of us, and I just let the tears flow. This is actually the first time I'm allowing myself to cry about it. I always tried to be strong, to show that this truth, this nightmare, isn't killing me. But right now, I feel like a kid who needs his mom because he's scared.

Because I am. I'm fucking scared of losing her.

After a few minutes of silence, Mom says, "I will try." Relief washes over me, and I know the same has happened to Jere. Now there's hope.

Mom stands up and walks to the kitchen to meet Laurel and make dinner. I stay on the couch with Jere.

"Jere, can we talk?"

"I'm not in the mood."

"Okay, listen. I'm sorry, okay? I feel awful for lying to you this past month about Mom. I know you deserved to know. I mean, she's our mom. But I didn't want to see you as miserable as I was. There was nothing you and I could do, so the last thing I wanted was for you to be unhappy. You have amazing friends and now a girlfriend. You didn't have to break her heart multiple times just for keeping that secret. I hate myself for what I did, okay? But if I could go back in time, I'd hide the truth again just for you to be happy. Oh man, having a girlfriend has turned me into a cheesy guy. Ugh, but everything I said is true."

"Awww, Addy finally shows us that you have a heart. That's sweet." And with that, I knew we were good again.

"Shut up."

"Never. Now you're a lover boy."

"Okay, now I'm leaving." I try to stand up, but he stops me by pushing me back onto the couch.

"Wait. Thanks for saying those words, and I'll do the same for you. We're brothers, and we're here for each other."

Now I get off the couch and walk upstairs. When I'm about to enter my room, I notice that the door isn't closed like I left it. I walk through the open door and see Addy lying on my bed. Her eyes are red, and I can tell she's been crying.

I sit on the bed and adjust her in my lap, her back against my chest. I wrap my arms around her and hug her.

I don't speak. I'm here for her whenever she needs me.

"Now it actually feels real, you know. I knew it, but there was a part of me that didn't want to believe it. But now it feels real."

"She is going to try the treatment. I mean, nobody said it would work, but now there's hope."

"How are you feeling?"

"Why do you change the topic and ask me how I'm feeling when we talk about you or Mom?"

"I don't like to talk about myself, and when we talk about Susannah, I really want to cry, and I don't want to do that. So I ask about you. I know this is rough for you, and I want to know how you're feeling."

"I'm always going to ask you how you're feeling, so you have to start liking talking about yourself, because that's mostly what I'm going to do."

"The cheesiness has become a part of you, right?"

"God, shut up. Now Jere is saying the same thing."

"That's why we're best friends. We think the same things. Speaking of him, I will tell him I knew about Susannah. Maybe he's going to hate me, I don't know. But I prefer that he hates me knowing the truth than continue lying."

"You don't have to do that. He doesn't need to know. There's no need to maybe ruin what you guys have."

"Maybe, but this is a huge thing and he deserves to know."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Do you want to tell him, or are you just going to do it because you think he deserves to know?"

"I can't lie to him. I've never been good at lying, and I don't want to do it."

"Okay, when are you going to tell him?"

"I have no idea. I only know it can't pass tomorrow."

"I will be here whenever you need anything."

"I love you."

"Love you too, Adds."

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ADDISON ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

I turn myself, still in his lap to look at him, my gaze move between his eyes and his lips, before I could even realise what was happening his lips were on mine, gentle at first, then slowly deepening as the passion between us grew. I felt his arms wrap around me, pulling me close to him, and I melted into his embrace.

All thoughts of anything else melted away as our lips moved together in perfect harmony, and I knew that this was where I was meant to be. His touch sent fireworks through my body, and I couldn't imagine ever feeling this way with anyone else.

As the kiss came to an end, he pulled back slightly and looked deeply into my eyes. In that moment, I knew that this was more than just a fleeting romance – this was the start of something truly special. And with that, we fell into each other's arms, ready to face whatever the future held for us, together.

This summer may have seemed like any other at first, but little did I know that it would become the most unforgettable one yet. It was a season filled with moments that I would cherish for the rest of my life. 

This was the summer where everything started, where everything changed. 

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ AUTHORS NOTE ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

Noooo well I think this is the end of the Conrad and Addison's story.

I will continue uploading some bonus chapters, and I will write later how Adds tells Jere the truth. I hope you enjoy this.

I will not upload as common as I used to, but there are going to still be some chapter in a near future.

Love u all 💜💜