𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑 || 𝐓𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐏 𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒

𝐓𝐈𝐒' 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐍 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 || 𝐂.𝐅

summary : this was the first christmas you and conrad had spent together,  just the two of you in the cousin's beach house.

growing up, every summer was spent in cousin's beach. alongside the only people you really cared about. your mom, brother and sister, and susannah and her boys. that was all you ever needed.

every summer was spent going to parties, dancing around, having movie and board game nights, late night swims, bonfires and barbecues, the whole ordeal. that was all cousin's ever was to you. the second house that your summers were spent in.

you never really thought about what cousin's was like during the winter. not until recently. you were on the phone with conrad when the conversation came up.

"con, have you ever been to the beach house in winter?" you asked, your phone on speaker next to your ear as you stared up at your bedroom ceiling.

"yeah, it's beautiful. you'd love it there." he replies, his voice coming in slightly muffled through the speakers of your phone. that's when the idea popped into your head.

"what do you say we go?"

two weeks later, conrad was pulled out to the front of the house, the backseat of his car fully loaded up for your winter getaway in cousin's beach.

"come on!" you hear him yell, smiling as the windows rolled down. you run quickly to his car; the cold air of your home town covering your body.

"did you not bring a coat?" conrad asks, laughing as you jump in the car, slamming the door quickly. you turn up the heaters quickly. you look over to him, a grin you couldn't possibly wipe off written across your face.

"you were rushing me!" you say, giggling as you pull your knees to your chest. conrad pulls his crewneck over his head, leaving him with a long sleeve shirt and a flannel on. "here, take it."

the smell of his cologne filled your lungs as you pulled it over your head. you muttered a quiet thank you before he turned his eyes back to the road. there was small snowflakes hitting the windshield, getting wiped away every few minutes by the wipers.

the whole car ride there was magical. there was no other way to describe it. words would never be able to explain how you felt when you saw the snow covered 'welcome to cousin's beach' sign.

"i can't believe we're actually here." you say, looking at the summer homes you saw every year, always covered in rain drops from the afternoon showers, never in snow.

you rested your hand on the center console, and to your shock, he rested him on top of yours, rubbing a gentle thumb over the back of your palm. you continued your gaze out onto the snowy beach, watching everything fall in to place.

you could barely believe it when conrad pulled into the driveway of sussanah's beach house. it was beautiful as ever. it was a shame everyone didn't spend christmas here together every year. then again, it was called the summer house for a reason. reserved specifically for the moms and the kids, each and every summer.

"i'll grab the bags, you find something to eat?" he glances over at you, a smile on his face. you nod your head as he opens the door to the jeep and heads for the truck.

you grab the set of keys off the center console. there was a small keychain in the shape of a surfboard with your name on it. you remember the day the two of you bought it.

* FLASHBACK *

"con! look, they have those name keychains." you say, spinning around the rack in the gas station. you were a couple miles outside of cousins, running errands for the moms.