ephemeral [ Conrad Fisher ]

12

Conrad

Seeing Lennox like that, with unshed tears welled in her eyes made my chest physically hurt. I hated that she felt that way because I knew how it felt to feel so small. As I watched her sleep, her head nestled on my chest I knew I had to do something to make all of the wrongs from this week better. Today would be about Lennox and only Lennox.

"Nox," I whispered softly, running a hand through her hair

"No." she grumbled back burying her face deeper into my chest "Too early."

I can't help but laugh at her antics, she was no better than me. If she could spend all day in bed she would. Slipping my hand from her hair it rests on her side for a moment before I begin tickling her "C'mon sweet girl it's already eleven."

Her eyes shoot open as wild giggles escape her mouth "Conrad." she smiles up at me sleep still evident in her eyes as she tries to wiggle away from my hand. My grip on her only tightened the more she wiggled away, pulling her even closer to me.

The giggles that escaped her mouth felt like a breath of fresh air, and that damn smile felt like I was seeing the sun for the first time after a long rainy day "There she is." I hum, stopping the tickling "We've got a whole day planned Nox, can't sleep it away."

"I don't have anything planned except staying in this bed."

"Well, I have a full fun day filled planned for us Nox, gonna make sure that dark cloud over your head goes away for good."

It took nearly fifteen more minutes to coax her out of bed, and almost another twenty to make sure she didn't crawl back in and pull the blankets tight around her. We left the house far later than I had expected when I planned our day out in my head, the small bakery with the sweetest muffins had closed nearly thirty minutes ago and I was scrambling my brain to find a place that would have a sweet treat that Lennox would enjoy. Throughout the year, Lennox would go through these bouts of restricting, giving up and simply turning her back to her favorite foods all in the name of Ballet. I knew that she had sacrificed her dance camp to come to cousins this summer, and I'd be damned if she didn't eat as many sweets as she pleased.

I decided the next best spot was the ice cream parlor in the middle of town, on some of the hottest summer days Jeremiah, Belly, and I often found ourselves sitting at one of the picnic tables arguing over which flavor was the best. I knew Lennox would enjoy it, the girl could go through a pint of Ben and Jerry's in one sitting during her off-season.

"So, what flavor are you in the mood for?" I asked, scanning the menu.

Lennox grinned, her eyes brightening. "Hmm, I'm torn between double fudge and cookie dough. Which one do you think I should get?" she stands on her tipppy toes to get a better look at the flavors behind the glass "Can't believe we're getting Ice cream for breakfast."

"Oh, that's a tough choice - why don't you just get a scoop of each?" I hummed, rolling my eyes at her comment "I don't hear you complaining."

She laughed. "You know me so well, Conrad. One scoop of each it is!"

We ordered our ice creams and walked along the beach, enjoying the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. The tension between us was palpable, but we avoided discussing it, instead talking about her favorite books and the characters she loved.

As we finished our ice creams, we decided to head to a nearby bookstore, knowing how much Lennox loved to read. Inside, she seemed like a kid in a candy store, her eyes lighting up at the sight of all the books.

"I can't believe how many books they have!" Lennox exclaimed, her smile infectious "I hated I didn't get to explore during Laurel's party."

"Pick out anything you want," I offered, wanting to make her day as special as possible.