enough | conrad fisher

one

Summer in Cousins was always a magical time. The other seasons felt so dreary in comparison. The salty air tasted different in the summer. It tasted of boardwalk memories and unforgettable nights and Conrad. Conrad, the love of my life.

Or so I thought.

Before that summer.

~~~

I slipped off my shoes as quietly as possible at the front entrance of the Fisher's summer home. The cozy interior welcomed me like a warm hug after a winter of isolation. Susannah knew I was coming to surprise Conrad before the Conklins came. He thought I was still visiting my mom in Fayetteville. Creeping around the corner and into the kitchen, I saw him.

Conrad was no ordinary boy: he was my boy. He made me feel butterflies no matter what he said or did. His smile lit up the room like no other. As he stood with his back to me, staring out the back window, I snuck up behind him and covered his eyes. "Guess who?" In return, Conrad grabbed my wrists and spun around, wrapping me in his warm embrace.

"I thought you were still with your mom?" He questioned, though his smile couldn't be hidden.

"I mean, I can go and come around in a few days?" I taunted, pulling away from his grasp. He quickly pulled me closer.

"No, no, no, I missed you, Lila."

He kissed me and I melted back into his arms. A smile snuck its way onto my face as I basked in this moment. This is what summer was about, all of the little, perfect moments collating themselves into my memory forever.

I was truly, irrevocably in love with Conrad Fisher.

~~~

Conrad and I sat in the living room, windows open to the beautiful view of Cousins Beach. His body enveloped mine as we discussed the past few months and savored Susannah's sweet tea. His demeanor changed when topics of his father and football were brought up. I tried to comfort him, but he was stoic so I dropped it. Not long after, the crunching of rocks could be heard from the front. "They're here!" Susannah called from the kitchen. The Conklins had arrived.

Susannah and Jeremiah were quicker to go outside than Conrad and I. That's another thing to love about Conrad, he never rushed. Everything was perfectly paced. As we reached the front, I let go of Conrad's hand to hug Laurel, Steven, and Belly.

"Hey!" I waved and grinned at the three newcomers. My dad had gone to college with Susannah and Laurel and had talked the Fishers into buying the house.

Laurel enveloped me in a hug and I gave Steven a big smack on the back, then turned to Belly.

"Oh my gosh, Belly, you look amazing! I mean, you've always been gorgeous, but now it's like you've grown into it!" I squeezed the youngest of the siblings into a hug. She laughed as I spun her around.

"Don't even, Lila. You're a model."

"Oh, you flatter me." I noticed Belly looking past me and turned to see Conrad still standing there. There was a look on his face that I had seen before but couldn't place. He strode towards us.

"I liked you better with glasses," he stated plainly. I smacked his arm.

"Don't be fucking rude, Conrad." I gave him a look.

"It's ok, Lila." She turned to Conrad, "Too bad, I like me better without them." He reached out and ruffled her hair. My smile faltered at their exchange. I trusted Conrad with my whole heart, but he had never looked at anyone like that before. I shook those thoughts from my mind as Steven got our attention.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, guys," Steven said quickly as he and Jeremiah started our way. "I don't know about you, but I think it's time for a--" he and Jeremiah joined in unison, "BELLY FLOP!"

The boys all raced to grab Belly as she ran away and I laughed before reluctantly following them to the pool. I got there just in time to see Belly fly through the air and into the pool.

"Guys, I hurt my ankle!" Belly exclaims, trying to swim to the edge. My smile dropped as I went to go help, but Conrad beat me to it. Lucky that he did, because he was promptly pulled into the pool. I burst out laughing as Conrad swam towards her, but as the came back up, Belly's mood had shifted. "Let me go," she demanded and swam away.

I brought a towel to Belly, then over to Conrad. I tried to help him out but he pushed my hand away. I backed up in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just don't need help."

"Whatever, Conrad. Talk to me when you can use your words like a big boy." I walked away and around to my car. "Lila!" I heard Conrad call out. I drove off.

~~~

I walked into the house I called home. It wasn't warm or cozy with big windows and an ocean view, but it was home. My dad and I weren't there often enough to bother making it pretty. Sure enough, I walk into the kitchen to find a note on the counter.

Lilabug,

Emergency at work, leftover lasagna in the fridge. Don't watch Lost without me!

Lots of love,

Dad

I laughed at his warning, knowing he knows I would never watch Lost without him. That was one of the few things we managed to always have time to do together. I grabbed a mini bag of pretzels from the pantry and walked down the hall to my room. It was a square with white walls and white furniture and white bedding. The only pops of color I had were my sage green throw blanket and a painting Susannah had made me for my sixteenth birthday. It was of Conrad and I on the beach, our faces looking into the distance. That was our first summer of dating. We'd been friends since diapers but hadn't realized our feelings until a kiss instigated by a couple of beers and spin the bottle. The rest was history.

I wish I knew what was up with him today, he'd never been so cold to me; almost hostile. I tried to take my mind off of it, knowing it would only make me anxious. Instead, I turned on the small TV on top of my dresser and watched New Girl till I fell asleep. The summer had only just begun, this was just a small blip in its perfection.

Little did I know, the summer had much more in store for me.

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a/n:

hey lovies!

i'm so excited to be starting this story! similarly, i'm working on a jeremiah fanfiction at the same time. these are the first fanfictions i've written since really working on my writing style. any constructive criticism is welcome! i know my style is a bit fast paced, which is something i plan to work on. i hope you all enjoy this first chapter of enough!

lots of love,

kaylee