#happy father's day conrad is a dad now

[ist4rgirlo]

── 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 - 𝐜.𝐟 : 𝐕

Summary: Now that your life has turned upside down, are you still willing to put your siblings' feelings first? Or would you rather fight for your feelings and do what makes you happy regardless of the consequences that might result in the future?

Prev ; Next || Conrad Fisher x fem!reader || My blog

Warnings: S2 SPOILERS! swearing, yelling, fluff, accusations(?), (lmk if i missed anything!)

SEQUEL TO BEFORE EVERYTHING HAPPENED

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Y/N’s Pov

It’s like she was never here at all. We looked everywhere, every corner, every part of the house. Everything was gone, it honestly just made things worse. This is just fucked.

“Everything’s gone” Jeremiah said — going down the stairs. We looked at him, trying to sink it all in.

We heard the door open, it was Aunt Julia — she entered the kitchen with a bag in her hand. Conrad walked towards where she was before saying “What the fuck, Julia?” we all walked towards her, standing behind Conrad.

“I-I’m sorry, it must be all a shock” she paused “I spoke to your father this afternoon, and-and he and I decided to not let things drag out any longer” she explained before turning her back on us.

“I don’t give a shit what the two of you had decided on. You had no right to touch anything in this house, those were her things” Conrad said, pointing at the house — his voice filled with rage. Steven walked towards him, grabbing his arm gently, “Breathe, man” he said to Conrad.

Aunt Julia sighed, turning to Conrad — looking at him. “Everything is fine, I made sure that they took good care of everything. I’m just doing what I had to do.” she explained. Conrad walked towards her “Okay bullshit. You could’ve warn us! All you want to do is fight our mom-“ he said — raising his voice, I walked towards him — pulling him away, trying to calm him.

“Okay, enough!” Aunt Julia paused “You are not the only who is hurting here” she continued. Her tears threathening to fall down her face. She was hurting too, she wanted to move on. We also wanted to move on. “Plus, I shouldn’t be the one who you should be angry with. Your mother could’ve warned you, she just… wanted to make me be the bad guy.” Aunt Julia said before looking down — continuing what she was doing earlier.

Conrad shook his head “I am so sorry.. that she was too busy dying to make you life a little easier. You know, it sucks that our grandfather loved her more than you, but i’m not surprised” Conrad scoffed before turning around — walking outside of the house. I looked at Aunt Julia before following him.

Conrad wasn’t wrong. Conrad was someone who wouldn’t lie to you, he was always straightforward — he was just like that, because he cares even if his words might hurt you but that’s what the truth is. That’s just how life is, the truth hurts. All of it hurts.

“Connie please..” I said, walking closer to him — grabbing his hand gently. He just looked at me. “Ofcourse dad did nothing to stop her” he said before pulling his phone out with his free hand.

“Connie what can he do?” Jeremiah asked, I turned to him — still holding onto Conrad’s hand. Conrad turned, “Jere he doesn’t care about us!” Conrad yelled. I rubbed his hand, trying to calm him down — I felt his hold on my hand tightening.

We heard Skye walk out of the door — Conrad heard immediately went and pushed my hand away gently — walking towards Skye “Did you know about this?” he said “Stop” Jeremiah pushed him gently. Conrad pushed Jeremiah’s hand away “No I’m serious. Did you know about this?” Conrad pointed at Skye.

“I-I didn’t know anything” Skye defended “I swear I would have told you.” they said crossing ther arms. Conrad scoffed “Would you have? really? Because we haven’t seen each other in ten years. Would a day at boardwalk have been enough to betray your mom?” Conrad asked, his eyes squinting.

“Listen, I know we don’t know each other very well, but i-i wouldn’t have sideswiped you like this” Skye explained. “Connie, come on” Steven said — trying to stop Conrad from saying anything else. Steven looked at me, signaling me to do something. “So what do we do?” Steven asked.

Conrad just shook his head no, “I-I don’t know!” he said before walking away from Skye. Everyone looked up to Conrad, including me. He’s the oldest amongst everyone. He was the one who you would go to when you needed advice. Seeing him like this, hopeless and doesn’t know what to do, hurts me.

“W-Well we can’t just leave. The house isn’t sold yet” Jeremiah said looking at Conrad who was pacing back and forth. “Well where are we going to sleep?” Steven asked, “I think there are some sleeping bags in the garage” Belly said shrugging. Conrad shook his head “I’m not sleeping in this house” he looked at me. “We don’t have to, alright?” I said not just encouraging everyone else but Conrad specifically.

“Well hotels are usually all booked up around this time of year” Belly infromed us. “I… feel like I should go” Cameron said, we all turned to him — totally forgetting that he was there.

Taylor sighed “You know.. maybe we-we should go too” she suggested. I looked at her and nodded. I mean, nothing’s going to change if we just stayed here, infront of the house, all night. “Don’t go yet, I know a place where we can crash for the night” Jeremiah said — we all looked at him. We all walked towards Jeremiah and Conrad’s car and drove off.

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We arrived at the Country Club where Jeremiah used to work at. “Huh” Steven asked “You kept that?” he said to Jeremiah who was holding a key — walking towards the car. Jeremiah shrugged “Perks of not cleaning your wallet out” he went and tried to scan his card on the scanner but it wasn’t working. “Shit” he whispered under his breathe.

“Okay there’s got to be another way, right?” Belly asked. Jeremiah turned to her, “I mean we can try the pool gate” — “Uh we could also use my mom’s key code” Cameron suggested. “Wait are you sure? your mom?” I asked, Cameron nodded “Yeah it’s fine, she’s the manager at the restaurant here.”

“Just uhm you know, don’t make a mess then we’ll be alright” Cameron said before inputing the code into the lock, turning to Steven and Jeremiah — both boys raised their hands before going inside the door.

As I was about to walk in, I noticed that Conrad wasn’t moving “Hey, come on” I said walking back to him, holding his arm. “It’ll be alright” assuring him — smiling gently. He smiled, before walking with me, thanking Cameron.

As we went inside, we all talked about going in our own ways. Cam and Skye went to go get snacks, while Taylor and Steven bickered because Steven started teasing her about sleeping on dusty sheets so that just made Taylor go with him instead of Cam and Skye. So it was just me, Jeremiah, Belly, and Conrad that was left.

“Alright, I think I know a place where we can sleep” Jeremiah said, looking at us. I nodded, “Uh you want to come?” Jeremiah asked us, I looked at Conrad — “I think, we’ll go with Cam and Skye” Conrad looked at me for approval, offering me a hand. I nodded and grabbed his hand gently.

We were on the way there before we heard Belly ask Conrad “Are you okay?” Conrad turned to her, making me turn around too. Conrad nodded and smiled gently before pulling me again to walk with him to where Cam and Skye is.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked Conrad, he looked down at me. Stopping me from walking, we were now face to face. “It’s just, I shouldn’t have gone to boardwalk.” he said, looking up. “Hey it’s not your fault, Connie” I shook my head gently, reassuring him. He looked at me, his eyes filled with hope. “We’ll figure something out okay? It’s not over.” I said before pulling him in for a hug.

The fact that he hurt me is in the past now, I don't care anymore about what happened back then. I am done mourning about whatever happened back then, done crying and regretting what I did. All I want now is to be here with him, to be his best friend. The same as it used to be.

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Conrad's Pov

It has been said that nothing can break the invisible thread between two people who are meant to be together. I had always thought that it wasn't true, that there wasn't such a thing as an invisible string. However, after Y/N returned, I realized that this statement was actually true all along.

I pulled away from her gently "Thank you" I said — smiling gently. She has always been there for me, ever since we were little. That’s just how it always was, me and Y/N.

“Come on? Let’s go find the rest” Y/N said pulling me — smiling. I nodded and followed her. “Hey so, how are you?” I asked her — she looked at me, confused “I.. I’m okay now” she paused, smiling “You know it was time to move on and live life I guess. I can’t really keep on regretting things that I shouldn’t be regretting and blame myself for everything knowing that It wasn’t really my fault or anyones.” she said, looking down at our hands — that were still holding each other.

I nodded “Yeah, I totally understand it. Plus we were still young back then, things were still a blur at that time. We really did things that we did regret but it’s what made us what we are right now, you know?” I looked down at her, she nodded.

I looked at our hands, hesitating about what I should say “Uhm and about the Belly thing-“ — “Hey let’s forget about that. It was the past and I am totally over it. I know that my sister and you truly loved each other, it’s just.. it wasn’t the right time and it’s okay. I don’t hate you for it.” she reassured me — cutting me off, smiling, swinging our hands.

That’s what I totally loved about Y/N. She wasn’t someone who would hold grudges, no matter how much you hurt her or did her wrong, she can never stay mad at you. She had a pure heart, the one that you’ll be scared of hurting, of breaking. She was always the one that understood people.

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Y/n’s Pov

The boys were in the golf cart meanwhile we were here walking, we decided to go out of the Country Club and sleep on the hill. Cam Cameron and Conrad was inside of the cart while Jeremiah and Steven were behind it, jumping up and down. “Okay it’s not gonna work, there’s too many of us here” Conrad said.

“God y’all are a bunch of kids” I groaned, walking beside Belly, putting an arm around her shoulder. “This is so annoying” I heard Taylor said — still poking holed on her apple. “Weed is not supposed to be this difficult” Taylor complained, Skye insisted to do it so they took it and tried to do it themselves.

“So.. you and Steven” Belly said looking at Taylor, I looked at Taylor too, smiling. “There was you know, a vibe” she continued. “There wasn’t any at all” Taylor scoffed, shaking her head no, “I save all my.. vibing for Milo. Plus Steven really hurt me last year so” she shrugged. We nodded - totally agreeing with her.

After what happened with her and Steven last year, I'm pretty sure Taylor just didn't want to get hurt like that ever again, that's why as much as possible she tries to stay away from him. Which we totally understand, even though we were his sister we admit that Steven can be an asshole.

Belly sighed “I.. I think I really loved Conrad” she suddenly said “longer and truer than anyone in my whole life” she continued. I looked at her, dropping my arm from her shoulder. She looked at me, you can still see the pain in her eyes, there was still a glint in there.

She truly loved him. She did love him with all her heart, and I’m sure Conrad did too. I remember her talking about Conrad back then, she was so happy, she was glowing. They were both really happy with each other, I guess it just wasn't the right time.

Taylor nodded, looking at me. “How about you?” I just shook my head no. It would be weird if I talked about Conrad knowing that he was my sister’s ex. Belly looked at me - waiting for my answer.

“We never really knew what happened between you and Conrad” Taylor said, curiously. I just shrugged “Nothing really happened, we kind of just drifted apart because of my.. dumb decisions. But we’re okay now” I said smiling at Taylor. Belly chuckled and nodded. “Totally understand that, we were young back then, I made dumb decisions too. I'm glad that you guys made up, It feels good seeing things come back to normal again.” Belly said, patting me on the shoulder.

I nodded. “You know what, we should make a pact” Taylor suggested. “We should leave our first loves and dumb decisions in the past” I nodded looking at Belly, she looked back at me, nodding too. We all agreed, pinky promising.

We saw the boys hop out of the gold cart. "This thing is definitely dead" Jeremiah said, pointing at the cart. We just decided to go up the hill and rest there just for tonight. We all set our blankets and sleeping bags down. Skye was finally done with the apple bong, as they were smoking with it right now.

"What's happening over here?" Steven said, walking up to us, dropping snacks in front of us. "We playing truth or dare or what?" he asked, resting his hands on his waist. Belly clapped, looking up at Steven "Okay, you in?" she asked "I dare you to eat the apple bong" Belly dared Steven. Steven scoffed, grabbing the apple from Skye - taking a bite.

"How was it?" I asked, chuckling "It tastes so.." Steven said before spitting it out infront of us, the chewed up apple falling infront of us and on our knees making Taylor scream throwing an apple at him "Okay, that is gross Steve" I said before standing up, trying to clean myself.

"It's okay, we'll make him clean it up" I heard Conrad reassure Cameron. They were walking towards us with snacks in their hands "Are we playing truth or dare? you in, Conrad?" Cameron asked Conrad - sitting down.

Conrad shook his head, sitting down beside me. I pushed him gently — encouraging him to join, he still said no. Jeremiah finally arrived, sitting down beside Belly

Skye covered their eyes and started to point at people, their point finger landed on Belly, “Belly uh I dare you to kiss Jeremiah” — there was silence, we all just looked at Belly, waiting for her to do something. She just looked at Jeremiah.

Jeremiah shook his head “Yk aren’t we too old for that shit?” he chuckled, we just nodded. It was Cam’s turn. He basically just told us about regretting not spending time with his sister before she passed away.

“Does it.. does it get better?” I asked him, Conrad looked at me — placing a hand on my knee. It was evident that I was still in pain, still in regret. Cam looked at me and nodded “Yeah, It was hard at first because you know the paint start to feel more like a scab. Sometimes something random will totally set you off. Like their fave music, smells, flowers and it just makes the pain feel brand new again. But everything goes back to normal, eventually.” He explained.

It was obvious that we all needed to hear that, especially Conrad and Jeremiah. It was their mom, their mom was also like our mom. She treated us as her own children too, we were still mourning, still in pain. But as what Cameron said, It’ll go back to normal eventually.

I smiled — nodding at Cameron before leaning on Conrad. His arms automatically wrapped around me, my hands against his arms. The situation was not awkward in any way, it was not me exploiting his emotions or anyone's emotions. Conrad was my best friend before the two of them got together, him and my sister. Plus, Belly had Jeremiah's attention — so I don’t see anything wrong.

We just heard Taylor yawn which made us all laugh “I’m sorry guys, I’m just really fucking tired right now” she said groaning, putting her face in her hands. “Yeah it’s getting late you guys. We should head to bed” Jeremiah nodded, chuckling. Steven stood up to get everyone some blankets while everyone else stood up and started to set up their own beds.

Everyone else was already laying down, Cam and Skye shared a pillow, Taylor and Steven were laying beside each other, my mat my beside Conrad, Belly was beside Jeremiah. We were all just spread out. I was laying down while Conrad was sitting beside me.

“You okay?” I heard Conrad ask me — I opened my eyes and looked up to him, nodding. “Just thinking” his brows furrowed, now laying down, his head wresting on his hand. “About what?” he asked looking at me.

I turned to my side, we were now face to face “Just you know, like what If I didn’t go here. What would I be doing? i’ll probably regret it if I didn’t. Knowing that the house will be gone.” I felt his hand on my hair, tucking it behind my ear before resting his hand on my cheek.

“Well I’m glad that you went, wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.” Conrad said, rubbing my cheeks. Things were happening so fast, I don’t even know if what we’re doing was right. For god’s sake, he was my sister’s ex but why did it feel so right? if it doesn’t seem right.

I nodded and smiled before placing my hand over his. Sleepiness started to consume my body, the last thing I heard from Conrad was “Goodnight, special girl” before I felt myself start to fall asleep.

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this was very long LMAOOO sorry about that you guys — i just had to fit it all in there :))

hope you guys like this chapter !! lots of love <3

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[auteurdelabre]

Please Mr. Miller Sequel part 2 bfd!Joel x f!Reader

summary: You're moving on from Joel Miller and looking to a bright future with your bf, Conrad. When Mr. Miller comes to visit Sarah for spring break however, old feelings start to resurface.

A sequel (1 of 5 parts now) to my "Please Mr. Miller?" Series because you voted and you want to see these two horny idiots as endgame! Photo is for aesthetic purposes.

rating: 18+ (GET OUTTA HERE KIDS!!!!)

warnings/tags: Infidelity, age gap, angst, oral (f and m receiving), fingering, public sex, public fingering, not sanitary but sexy, mutual pining, jealousy.

a/n: Y'all between here and A03 i've got such an outpouring of comments and support for this story. I thank you so kindly for following along with the adventures of my two favorite horny sluts. Comments are what keep me goin'.

masterlist here

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Fuck Joel Miller. 

You're over him. You've got a loyal boyfriend, you've been accepted into the master's program you wanted and you've never been happier.

Okay, not happier but content. 

And some people never get content. Content you can live with. Happiness is reserved for girls that don’t pursue and foolishly fall for married men. Happiness is reserved for girls that don’t lie to their best friend’s face about who they talk to.

Sarah had been wide-eyed when you opened the bathroom door at the pub last month.

“Who were you talking to?”

Your stomach had sunk and the room seemed to get dimmer, more muted. You went to speak but all that came out was a baleful croak.

“It was him wasn’t it?” she pressed, eyes bright. “The guy you’re pining over? The married guy?”

Relief, acute and refreshing like a cup of cool water soothed your frazzled expression. She didn’t know everything.

“Yeah.”

“Sounded intense.”

“A moment of weakness,” you shrugged.

“His name’s Joe?”

“Huh?” Your stomach swooped violently. “What did you just say?”

“I heard,” Sarah said with a knowing smile. “I was about to open the door when I heard you say I can’t stop wanting you, Joe.”

You wanted to give a high pitched laugh at her mistake, but instead you nodded violently. She didn’t hear your plaintive moans of Joel’s full name. So yes, its Joe. Not Joel. Never Joel. Couldn’t be Joel Miller, your father, the man you want more than air and water. No, just a married guy named Joe.

“Yeah. Joe.”

“Just dump Conrad,” Sarah urged, hands on yours, compassion in her eyes. If she only knew. You knew Sarah had a high moral compass. You knew that she hated that you were pining over some married guy.

“I don’t need to dump Conrad. Nothing is happening between me and this guy,” you said motioning to your phone in your pocket. “I want him he doesn’t want me. I’m moving on.”

And so you did.

Conrad worships you and tomorrow is the first day of spring break. Conrad has suggested a week away at a spa in Ibiza (he'll pay for everything of course with Daddy and Mummy’s credit card) and you're eager to go. It’s a mere forty eight hours before you're pampered and spoiled with your handsome boyfriend.

And yet your thoughts continue to linger on a home on Rancher Street, in the arms of a man who wears a wedding band snugly around his finger. A man who’s voice sends you into a frenzy and the memories of your forbidden time together have you slick between the legs.

But he’s not for you.

He never was.

///

“Okay Dad, see you soon.”

Sarah hangs up just as you come back from the shower, hair still damp and dressed in your plush pink terrycloth robe.

“Do you think that new restaurant on campus is any good?” she says as she taps away on her phone. “My dad’s taking me for dinner when he gets here. Hopefully they have an opening for tonight.”

She continues swiping on her phone, unaware of the stricken expression on your face.

"I thought your Dad was coming Saturday," you say sharply. "After Conrad and I leave. That way I wouldn't be in your hair and you’d have the dorm to yourself."

"He said the airline cancelled tomorrow’s flight and rescheduled him on this one," Sarah shrugs. "Its fine, he got a hotel room so you don't have to worry about being in the way. Besides he loved you last time! Last week he even asked how you were doing. He's never been that nice to any of my other friends."

You drop the toiletry bag you were carrying; mumbling out an apology before dropping to your knees to retrieve it, hoping Sarah can’t see your red face.  

Joel is asking about you? Why? After his drunken phone call he'd been radio silent. You had been as well, feeling used. You try not to think about him.

You need to get out of here. 

You blow-dry your hair in a rush before applying your makeup in a hurry as Sarah studies in the tufted chair by the window. She doesn’t notice your frenzy of getting ready or if she does she doesn’t comment on it.

“Excited for Ibiza?”

“Mhmm,” you say as you pull on your skirt and top. “Very. I think I’m gonna go over to Con's dorm and go over last minute plans for tomorrow.”

“Things seem better between you two,” Sarah offers hopefully.

“Yeah,” you lie through your teeth as you pull on your purse. “Have a nice visit with your Dad.”

You give her a quick hug, fumbling for your keys as you stuff them in your bag. You open the door as you slip on your shoes, letting out a small oh as the door reveals a large figure standing behind it.

Him.

Joel.

Everything in your body comes alive at once. His eyes widen at the sight of you, a look that travels the length of your body before landing limpid and warm on your face. You watch the lust overtake his eyes, blowing the pupils wide. His hand clenches at his right, so tight you see the veins bulge.

Time has only added to the masculine curve of his nose, the sharp of his jaw. You don’t have photos of him and social media had given up nothing. You only had some old blurry Polaroids on Sarah’s vanity mirror to go off of. He lived in your memory so long that actually seeing him here in front of you takes the breath from your body.

You’re so thankful for the tall young man behind him wearing a football jersey that slowly comes into view behind Joel. He’s handsome with an easy smile and large hands that seem too big for his lanky frame.

“Sarah,” you call over your shoulder, your eyes never leaving Joel’s. “Your Dad is here and I think he brought you a surprise.”

Sarah rounds the corner of the room, her eyes landing on Charlie and she squeals.

“Charlie!”

You move back so that Charlie can drop his bag and move into the dorm room, sweeping Sarah up into his arms and twirling her giggling self. You force yourself to look away from the motion, bitterly jealous that it isn’t you and Joel. Instead your reunion is awkward and stilted. You feel his eyes on your profile but you can’t force your eyes back to him.

He ignores you. He uses you.

Move on from him.

Charlie and Sarah are deep in loud conversation interspersed with chaste kisses. Joel takes advantage of this, stepping towards you and lowering his voice to a husky murmur only heard by you.

“Hey, I know I haven’t-“

“Don’t,” you warn in a whispered rasp. “Just…don’t.”

Now your eyes meet his and you see the searching quality of them, how they gaze into your face as if entranced. You wonder if he’s memorizing your face the way you are his. A secret sketch in your brain so that you have it when he’s gone and nothing more than a memory.

Sarah breaks the moment to embrace her father, pressing thankful hugs around his neck and whispered thank you's. You want to leave the room but Joel is blocking the doorway. Sarah moves back, going to chatter more with Charlie.

Joel’s eyes slide over to where his daughter and Charlie face away from him as she turns the corner and shows her boyfriend her modest dorm room and the photo of the couple that she keeps beside her bed.

“Snowflake,” Joel whispers, drawing your gaze to his once more. It’s a soft, broken thing that makes your heart lurch. Your eyes fall to his mouth, desperate to feel his lips on your again before you tear them away, your thumb digging into the flesh of your ring finger. You wonder if Joel wants to apologize for the phone call last month. Or if he wants to ask if you can do it again.

You don’t know what you’d say. The irritation at being cast aside currently outweighs the churning lust you feel. At least you thought it did, until you saw him here, smelled his cologne and watched the pink of his tongue trail over his lower lip to wet it.

"I was-"

“Hey babydoll,” comes a cheerful voice from down the hall. You turn your head to see Conrad strolling towards you, a broad smile plastered over his features. And for once you’re genuinely delighted to see him and his smug, handsome face.

“Hey,” you say with saccharine sweetness. You shoulder past Joel into the hall, throwing yourself into Conrad’s arms. He eagerly sweeps you up, planting a sloppy kiss on your mouth. You feel eyes on you and your face heats as you slowly pull back. “What’re you doing here?”

“Thought we could go over the itinerary for the trip,” Conrad says pulling out his phone. “See what treatments you’d like.”

“Treatments?”

A low voice sounds from behind you and with satisfaction you see Joel eyeing the two of you icily. His broad arms are crossed in front of his chest and like a grim reminder you see his wedding ring glitter under the lights of the hallway

“Spa treatments,” you say with a smug smile. “Conrad is taking me to Ibiza for spring break.”

See Joel? I’ve moved on just like you.

Charlie and Sarah have come back out with Sarah giving Conrad a weak smile. Despite everything you know she doesn’t like him but she also doesn't like the deception of knowing you have affection for 'Joe'.

“Where are you guys goin’?” Charlie asks sweetly.

“Ibiza,” you say proudly, as if Conrad is a self made man and not some entitled trust fund baby. You don’t miss the narrowing of Joel’s eyes as your hand tightens in Conrad’s.

“Woah,” Charlie says in amazement as Joel just sucks at his teeth, giving a brief nod. He doesn’t look away from your face until Sarah steps further into the hallway, her eyes on you and her hand in Charlie’s.

“I’m so jealous,” Sarah says before stopping herself and smiling at her dad and Charlie. “Well, I was before you guys showed up. Now I don't wanna be anywhere else."

"Makes two of us babygirl," Joel grins at his daughter, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"Three of us actually," Charlie adds and the group laughs.

“Conrad this is Charlie, Sarah’s boyfriend,” you say making introductions and smiling as the two young man shake hands. You pause and swallow before motioning to Joel standing there awkwardly to the side, watching the proceedings. “And this is Sarah’s dad, Joel.”

“Nice to meet ya, sir,” Conrad says shaking Joel’s hand firmly.  Joel simply nods in return before shoving his hand back into his jean pockets. His dark eyes find yours over Conrad’s head and you force yourself to look away.

Conrad seems to spot the jersey that Charlie is wearing for the first time. “You a Garopollo fan, Charlie?”

“Yup,” Charlie nods proudly. “I was born in San Fran and I’ll die a 49ers fan no matter where I live.”

“Traitor,” Joel jokes, causing the men in the vicinity to laugh.

“We can’t all be die hard Dallas Cowboy fans,” Charlie teases back with a gentle nudge to Joel’s shoulder that the older man grins at.

“I like the Patriots myself,” Conrad says while you and Sarah exchange looks of gentle exasperation.

“Great,” Sarah rolls her eyes dramatically. “Football. I’ll be here all night.”

“We should go and let you guys get to your dinner,” you say tugging at Conrad’s shoulder playfully. “Let’s go, babe.”

"You two should come with," Joel says casually out of nowhere.

Everyone makes a murmur of surprised delight at the suggestion while you try to hold down the panic that’s festering within your innards. How can you sit at dinner with Joel? You want to be as far away from him as possible. Just being this close has your skin feeling itchy, like you want to peel it off.

“No, no it’s a family thing,” you insist, trying to guide Conrad away.

“No way,” Sarah says stepping forth and taking your elbow. “Don’t make me sit through a dinner of football talk by myself.”

“My treat,” Joel adds with a voice that sounds detached.

"That's not necessary," Conrad says looking at Joel's flannel and jeans. "I'm happy to pay for myself and my girl."

You don't miss the tic in Joel's jaw at this, the chill in his gaze blinked away when he turns his face into an easy smile.

"Alright then. Let’s go." 

///

Sarah didn’t manage to make reservations at Bon Bon but Conrad promises that he can get you all in with no problem.  When you all arrive and Conrad drops his last name the restaurant is only too happy to accommodate a larger party. You glance over at Joel when that happens, gratified to find him glaring at the back of Conrad’s head.

The pretty hostess takes you to a large hand-carved booth tucked away in the corner. It’s got beautiful red roses in the center and long draping white tablecloth that probably costs more than all your college textbooks combined.  

"S'fancy in here," Joel mutters to Sarah and you think he sounds embarassed. You feel a stab of guilt at showing Conrad off like some prize. Even now Joel in his flannel and jeans is so much more enticing than Conrad in his lawn shirt and trousers.

Joel slides in and sits at the end of the table like a king holding court. You and Conrad curl around one side, Sarah and Charlie on the other. Conrad and Charlie haven’t stopped talking since they started on your walk over to the restaurant.

“And I don’t even think that they have a shot for the Superbowl this year.”

“Fucking Superbowl,” Conrad rolls his eyes. “That’s just a chance to sell ad space; it’s not a real game.”

You and Sarah exchange a look of boredom before diving into your menus. You wish you weren’t sat next to Joel in the booth, but Conrad always likes to sit on the outer rim of them because he claims it’s a power position. Fucking ridiculous.

You all chat amiably about what you’re going to drink before Sarah suggests you and her share a Sangria pitcher. You nod eagerly, knowing that alcohol may help to soothe your high strung nerves. Joel and the Charlie order a beer when the server comes by and you don’t miss how Conrad has to order the most obnoxious sounding wine on the menu, all the way to rolling his r’s to hit the Spanish pronunciation.

As she leaves Conrad’s arm goes behind your shoulder in the booth casually and you lean back into it, watching from under your lids as everyone talks. After a moment you go back to your menu, trying to pick what you want when your stomach feels like it’s coming out your bellybutton. Joel doesn’t look your way as you do this, but it’s like you feel him.

“Are you guys doing any excursions when you’re over there.”

“Dunno,” Conrad shrugs playfully. “I’m up to do whatever she wants, I’m just there to carry the luggage.”

He presses a kiss to the corner of your mouth and you grin up at him. He’s being so devoted, so charming. You know that from the outside it fools most people and even you get sucked into it sometimes. It makes you temporarily forget the pouting when things don’t go his way or the way he pays off everything to avoid conflict.

The group continues to talk about differing travel locales they want to visit. Sarah wants to got o Greece, Charlie to Spain and you mention Italy.

“I want to people watch there,” you say with a crooked smile. “It seems the perfect place for it.”

“We’ll have to go there next then,” Conrad winks at you. You let him kiss your mouth, despite how he knows that you despise of public affection. He pulls back, pressing a kiss to your shoulder before he tells the group that the steak here is amazing.

At the first graze you think a spider has crawled over your knee. Your hand sweeps over your bared kneecap, hoping to brush it off when a large hand falls over yours, pinning yours to your thigh. You try to keep your features schooled, but your eyes dart to Joel’s profile beside you. He’s looking over the menu, lower lip stuck out in thought. You feel his thumb rub tiny circles into the top of your hand, almost lovingly. It makes you clench up everywhere.

His long fingers circle your wrist and under the tablecloth he tugs your hand into his lap where you find him hard through the denim of his jeans. Your mouth goes dry as he encourages your fingers to squeeze him through the fabric, palming his thickness.

Joel makes a soft sighing noise that could be a casual contemplation of what to order, his gaze on the menu.  But then his dark eyes dart to your face briefly before he’s dragging your hand harder against his cock.

Everything in you wants to keep going. To feel his cock throb in your hands. To make him come right there at the table. But you don’t. You remember how he last left things on the phone and you feel your irritation churn in your guts.

Fuck him. You’re not here to be his personal fuck toy whenever he throws crumbs of affection your way.

You tug your hand back slowly, not wanting to arouse suspicion before you drag your hand back up, using both to look at the menu as Charlie, Sarah and Conrad complain about the lack of good movies in the theaters these days.

It’s not until the food is delivered and you’re two glasses of sangria in that you feel the gentle graze again. Its feather light on your inner kneecap, tracing the bone there and you feel goosebumps rise all along your body at the sensation. Yet you force yourself to swallow and agree out loud that the Cillian Murphy will probably win best actor.

You keep your hands on the table, not looking at Joel. You furrow your brows only a little when Joel’s hand slowly slides up your bare knee to your thigh, rubbing gently. He’s leaned forward slightly, one hand around his beer. He looks casual, even relaxed as he does this, nodding and offering the odd comment as everyone eats and talks about school, politics, pop culture, sports. You can barely keep track because all you can concentrate on is the large, warm hand that is now sliding up under your skirt.

You take a bite of your salad, almost choking when a finger traces the damp slit of your cunt through your panties. Your eyes dart to Joel to see him resting his cheek boredly on one hand as if the entire ordeal is tiring to him before he takes a bite of potato. The rest of the table talks animatedly as only the young and carefree can.

You used to be like that.

You squirm, trying to dislodge Joel’s hand from your lap, but he has no intention of leaving. Instead you feel his finger curl around the edge of your panties, testing your warmth, feeling your arousal seeping into your gusset. You feel Joel’s dark eyes slide over your face before he joins in on the conversation with Charlie and Conrad about the latest sports team. You can’t be bothered to ask which on because Joel’s thick finger has breached your cunt now, leaving you with wide eyes and trembling as you try to bring another forkful of your steak salad to your lips.

He pumps his middle finger into your welcoming cunt, a small surprised smile on his lips as he listens to the conversations around the table. When the second finger joins the first and you feel your pussy milking them, you begin to breathe unsteadily, trying to swallow the moan that’s building there. But when his thumb taps at your clit and then rubs in slow circles you let out  a small whimper.

Conrad hears it, turning to see your cheeks flushed and sweat dotting your forehead. He gives a look of concern before leaning over and dropping his voice to a soothing murmur.

“You okay, babydoll?” Conrad asks his hand flying to your knee, dangerously close to Joel’s fingers.

“I’m fine,” you say shaking him off before his hand can touch your thigh. Joel’s own hand creeps back to his lap, glistening with your arousal. The sight of it is what sends you pushing against Conrad, desperate to find release.

“I need to use the bathroom,” you urge, nudging him out of the booth. Conrad nods, allowing you to slide out and lurch to the bathroom. You feel your heart pounding as your feet rush to the tiled bathroom, slamming the door behind you.

You’re so achy between your legs you can’t believe it. You lean over the counter, watching as a woman exits the stall, her eyes lingering on your curved spine. She washes her hands, looking at your red face.

“You okay honey?”

“Mhmm,” you nod through clenched teeth. She nods, drying her hands before exiting. You try to catch your breath before you move into the far stall, your body slumping against the wall. You are about to close the door for privacy when a hand reaches out to tug it open. Joel is there, his broad shoulders twisting around

“Joel?”

When you see the fire in his expression you feel your coherent thought leave you. His pupils are blown so wide his eyes look black and the way he looks at you is nothing other than ravenous.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"Making you come," is all he says before his he hits his knees.

You fall against the wall of the bathroom stall, hands flat against the cool metal. Joel's pulling down your panties, urging your thighs to part before his tongue is slipping between the lips of your cunt. You offer a small gasp before he begins to suck on your clit, tongue flicking as your knees buckle. It's sloppy and needy and feels so fucking sinful that you immediately go boneless.  

“My good girl,” comes the muffled endearment from between your legs. His broad grasp is around your thigh, urging it over his shoulder so you open yourself more to him. He inhales, groaning before his tongue is back to probing you deeply, coaxing your climax.

You let out little whimpers, eyelids fluttering as Joel’s fingers press into your sopping slot, murmuring to himself about how good you taste. You can’t control the way you start to unravel, letting him lick at you, taste you and praise you. You look down the length of your body to see his curly hair, his eyes half-opened, drunk with arousal. You think of how he’s ignored you for months and you want to push away from him but you can’t. It feels too good, too right.  

"Joel," you whisper, eyes wide as he wraps his teeth around your pulsing pearl."W-why?"

"I need to," Joel says, his breathing quick and sharp as his gaze meets yours. “Need to-“

The door opens and you hear two older women gabbing, chuckling to one another as Joel abruptly stands. You may be in the far stall, but a man on his knees is going to cause a scene if they glance the way of your stall, you’re sure of it.

You wait for him to grow anxious and wait them out, but instead he pulls his hard and throbbing cock from his jeans. Your eyes blow wide when he grips you by the middle, lifting you by the ass and urging your legs to wrap around his waist. You do it, feeling the cold metal of the stall wall against your spine as he pins you there with his body.

His hand goes over your mouth when he slides into you, groaning gently as he does, as if this is what he’s been living for all these months.

“Need to remind you who this pussy belongs to,” he murmurs against the curve of your ear when he begins to thrust into you. “Remind you who you come for.”

His hand remains stuck over your mouth, sealing in any disagreement from your side. He’ll have found none even if his hand was taken away. The sound of the women chatting is distant, in another world, like insects in the grass of a summer day.

“All that money and that pretty boy can’t make you feel half as good as me,” Joel grunts against your temple. “Cuz fucking him doesn’t feel as good as fucking a married man, does it?”

Your lower belly tightens, your brows saddle. You worry Joel doesn’t understand that being married is the least enticing part in all of this. That you just want him because he’s Joel Miller. But Joel is feral, fucking into you harshly as he maintains your silence.

“He doesn’t make you wet like this, does he?”

You shake your head, watching with fascination as Joel’s mouth curves into a triumphant grin. He thrusts faster, his breathing punched out with each pump before his mouth is on your ear again.

“He make you come just talkin’ to you on the phone?”

Another head shake.

“But you come so easily for me, don’t ya?” Joel grunts quietly. “Cuz your cunt was made for this cock. No one’ll ever make it feel as good as I do. And no cunt makes me feel as good as yours. Can’t get it outta my fucking head.”

You can’t help but whimper behind his palm at the sound of that because it almost sounds as if there’s longing in his voice.

“Shhh shhh shhh,” Joel hushes you, eyes widening slightly. The sound of the women washing their hands is heard distantly. “You don’t want us caught before you come do you?”

But he needn’t have worried. You’re there, fucking yourself against his thrusts as he sends you into a dizzying climax, one that has your eyes clenched tightly and your eyes ringing.

“I feel that,” he murmurs against your lobe. “I feel you squeezin’ me, baby. Fuck keep going. Ride it out.”

You come with his palm sealed tightly over your mouth, arching back as Joel watches you with appreciative awe, soaking his cock. The women exit the bathroom with casual laughter as they talk about the entrees and you shudder violently against the man who has you pinned to the wall. When he’s sure you’ve finished he slowly lowers you, waiting until your rubbery legs can stand independently.

Joel pulls himself from you slowly, his hardened cock waiting. You don’t even hesitate, you just sink to the floor and take him into your mouth, sucking as he winds his hands in your hair and fucks your mouth. You taste your mingled release when he comes down your throat seconds later, breathing in sharp little huffs of good girl my good girl as he does. You swallow it down, your eyes on him the entire time before he brings you to your feet.

His mouth is on yours, tongue tangling with yours as his hips pin you to the stall wall. Your hands clutch at his neck, lacing there before he pulls back, the heat from his eyes dimming as he realizes how far he’s gone. The air thick with tension as you both realize what a monumental mistake this was.

“You go back first,” he tells you huskily. “I’ll wait a few.”

You nod, smoothing down your clothes and hair, checking the mirror to make sure that your makeup is still presentable. You wash your hands and come back to the table to find the group finishing up.

“You sure you’re feeling okay?” Conrad asks as you slip in beside him. “You’re all flushed. I hope you’re not too sick for our trip.”

Of course that’s all he cares about. You’re convinced if you actually were sick Conrad would somehow blame you for it, as if it were within your control. Instead you just assure him with a tepid smile and a light head shake.

“No no, I’m fine. But I think we should head out. I wanna finish packing.”

You can’t be here when Joel gets back. Just the idea of catching sight of him after everything that’s happened has your knees buckling. Conrad throws back the remainder of his drink as you and he cast goodbyes to Sarah and Charlie.

“Let’s go,” Conrad says slipping an arm around your waist as he stands. “Just lemme pay.”

Your skin prickles as a husky voices sounds out behind you.

“No need,” Joel says with a smug smile as he approaches the table. “Already taken care of.”

#joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller smut #joel miller #dad joel miller #fanfic #pedro pascal #smut #fanfiction #joel miller tlou #dbf!joel miller #dbf!joel #bfdjoelmiller #jealousy #pining

[sirianasims]

I listened to Myra’s slow breathing. Her mom had taken us out to dinner at a fancy vegan restaurant to celebrate Myra’s birthday and then we’d watched a movie. It was tradition. It had been a nice day until we were in bed and Myra started another tirade against the popular kids in school.

I didn’t know what to say. She still didn’t know about the party last weekend, and I didn’t want to argue with her but I couldn’t quite bring myself to agree with her anymore. She ended up giving me the silent treatment until she fell asleep.

I quietly got up and went to the bathroom. It was dark, but Myra and I had been best friends since kindergarten when her parents moved to Copperdale so her dad could work with my dad. I knew their house like it was my own.

I washed my hands and looked at myself in the mirror. Was it really so bad to want more friends? To be a part of a group? Maybe I really was just a superficial person who wanted everyone to like me. I definitely wanted Oscar to like me. We hadn’t kissed since the party but we were messaging on Social Bunny every day, and yesterday we’d locked eyes across the hallway and I had to look away before Myra noticed.

The lights were still on downstairs. Myra’s mom never went to bed before her dad came home from the hospital. My own mom did the same.

I quietly walked down the stairs and Daria looked up from her laptop.

“Can’t sleep? Is Myra snoring again?”

“No, I’m just thinking a lot.”

“Want to talk about it?”

I told her about the Spooky Day party. Somehow it had always been much easier to talk to Myra’s parents than to my own.

I did leave out the part about Oscar though.

“So since then I’ve been posting a few pictures of other costumes I’ve made. And now some people are asking for tips and I thought it would be fun to maybe make a channel and stream the process or something. Or make tutorials and post them online.”

“That sounds like a great idea! I’ve always been impressed with the stuff you come up with.”

“But what if Myra sees it as me just trying to be popular?”

“And what exactly is wrong with being popular? She should be supporting you in whatever makes you happy. Myra has a lot of strong opinions, Griffin stubbornly insists she gets it from me. But don’t let her hold you back.”

“Myra says having people like you online is dumb because they’re not real friends anyway.”

“Sometimes I think my darling daughter forgets what I do.”

Daria gestured towards her computer.

“My podcast has a couple hundred thousand listeners. Are they all my friends? No. But some of them have actually become friends, because sharing what you love with a community that likes the same thing is a great way to meet people. You can even teach others and inspire them to share their own passions. I think you would do great, and I know you’re talented. But don’t take it from me, take if from those girls at school, because I’m probably too old and hopelessly uncool to listen to.”

I couldn’t help but smile. Daria was the coolest person I knew, second only to my grandpa Conrad. They didn’t care what people thought about them, but unlike Myra, they also didn’t spend hours talking about how little they supposedly cared.

Daria was telling me all about her podcasting gear when Myra’s father, Griffin, came home.

“Evening, my love. Oh, hey Julia, you’re up late.”

“Hey Griffin. You’re right, I should probably go to bed.”

“Alright, let us know if Myra’s snoring gets too bad, we still have spare earplugs.”

He winked at me.

“And remember, we love to see what you do, Julia. So you’re guaranteed at least two followers who are also real friends.”

She stood, but then leaned down and kissed my forehead, just like she used to do when Myra and I were little.

“Goodnight, kiddo. Don’t let anyone tell you how to live your life, OK? Not even my dear daughter. Always be yourself. And if you want more tips on getting a proper recording setup, just ask me.”

beginning / previous / next

#duchellilegacy #duchellichapters #duchelligen5 #julia duchelli #myra hart #daria moon #griffin hart

[mesillusionssousecstasy]

TSITP 2x05 - “Love Fool” : Jeremiah’s point of view

“- Conrad could have chosen his words better. But he’s not wrong. The truth hurts. All of it hurts.”

“- Our dad was never going to win a Father of the Year award. He was flawed, that’s for sure. But when it counted, he was there at the end. Conrad just couldn’t see it. He didn’t want to.”

“- Sometimes I hate myself for how long it took me to notice it. That invisible force between the two of them. I wanted to tell Conrad that he had no right, that he’d ignored Belly for all these years. But it wasn’t just up to Conrad. It was Belly’s choice, too. So I forced myself to let it go. There were more important things to worry about then, anyway.” 

“- Being around Belly this week has made me remember all over again. And my genius plan to stay pissed at her and keep her at arm’s length is a failure. So I just keep telling myself over and over, it’ll never be me. It’s always going to be Conrad.”

“- When she looks at me like this, I can almost let myself believe she sees me the way she used to see Conrad.” 

“- Does he know how badly I’ve wanted to take Belly’s hand like that? Would he care?”

“- I can remember the exact moment when everything changed. From the first moment I saw her last summer. She’d always been just Belly. A girl I’ve know my whole life, my friend. Except what I was feeling in that moment was so much stronger. I wanted to grab her and hold her and kiss the shit out of her. And the feeling never went away. But I wasn’t the only one. I tried to convince myself for a long time that they weren’t inevitable. That I had a chance. But it’s pretty clear to me now that I never actually did.”

“- I was annoyed with Conrad that day, with everything about him. He’d gotten to take Belly to her prom, and he’d acted like it was some big chore. If it had been me, I would have done it right. I wouldn’t have forgotten the corsage. I’d have given her the perfect night. (I was heartbroken).  - Conrad forgot Belly’s corsage? That’s shitty of him.  (...) - You always remember what makes Belly happy. You still have feelings for her.  (Susannah) - No, Mom. I got over that crush a long time ago.  - You never let anyone see you hurting. Yeah, well, sometimes I think you’re a little too good a being fine. (Susannah) - Well, isn’t that what everyone wants me to be?  - No. Not me. This is all my fault. I got so excited at the prospect of Belly being with one of my boys. It must have been so hard for you, seeing her with your brother. (Susannah) - I don’t want you have to worry about that, Mom. - Promise me. You and Conrad will never let anything come between you. You will always put each other first. (Susannah) - Mom, Con and I are fine. I promise. You don’t have to worry about that, okay? She chose him. They chose each other and I’m... - Her best friend (Shit not the thing to say). This is just the beginning of your story, Jere. And I can’t guarantee anyone’s feelings. Or promise that no one will get hurt. But the fun in life is figuring out where the rest of the story goes. Do you know what my graduation quote was? Amelia Earhart. “Adventure is worthwhile in itself.” Remember that. I adore you, sunshine boy. (Susanna)  - My day always loved Conrad better. But I had my mom. She was the only person who ever really saw me. Her and Belly.”

“- My whole life, it’s always been Conrad for Belly. But maybe... maybe, for the rest of the story, it could be me.” 

#jeremiah fisher #belly x jeremiah #jeremiah #Team Jelly #the summer i turned pretty season 2 #the summer i turned pretty #tsitp #tsitp 2 #tsitp season 2 #tsitp thoughts #tsitp 2x05 #tsitp quotes #tsitp 2x05 quotes

[sandwaveswater]

𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚐𝚕𝚘𝚠: 𝙰 𝚝𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚙 𝚛𝚎𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎

Synopsis: You return to Cousin’s beach after three years and suddenly everything has changed. Torn between the two brothers, a complicated family and a new job you try to make the best of this summer, hoping that maybe different can be good.

Part 1: Summer nostalgia

Word count: 3k

It’s finally summer. For the first time in three years you are finally returning to Cousin’s beach. You are sitting in the passenger seat, your mother driving while your older sister sits in the back, headphones in her ears. The radio is playing softly and the wind is blowing through the car.

You have been waiting for this for months now.

The last time you walked these paths was when you were fourteen, and it seems forever ago that you last swam in the ocean. You can still remember the way you swam around with Belly, Steven, Conrad and Jeremiah.

Over these past three years you had only really kept in contact with Belly, her being the only one to know what actually happened. You kind of froze the two Fisher brothers out which had not been fair to them but you had been overwhelmed at the time.

Now you regret your choice. You missed, still miss them. They had been your best friends and the few ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘Merry Christmas’ texts weren’t nearly enough.

Belly had sent you photos and videos of all of them together, but it was not the same. She had never been allowed to tag along with them, Steven always making sure to exclude her while you had always been allowed to go. Half of the time you still spent your time with Belly, not wanting her to be lonely but the memories you made with the boys had been special too.

You look down on your phone and see that you missed a text.

Belly:) : i’m here already (3:28pm)

Belly:) : please tell me you are coming over for dinner (3:28pm)

Belly:) : i’m completely drenched and miss you :( (3:29pm)

You had never stayed at the Fisher’s house in the same way that Belly had. Your family had always rented out the same small apartment a few minutes away from the Fisher’s house, but you often slept over anyways.

“Mom, can I go over to the others for dinner tonight?”, you asked your Mom.

She made a left turn and you were only a few minutes away now. “I’m sorry sweetie, but I think you are going to have to make dinner tonight.”

Not trying to show your disappointment you smiled, “Yeah sure. Are you both okay with noodles and red sauce?”

Both of them nodded.

Your mother caught your eyes and worded a ‘thank you.’

You: i can’t today, have to make dinner (3:56pm)

You: i’m totally coming over after tho (3:56pm)

Belly:) : can’t wait!! (4:00pm)

You lean back in your seat and look out of the window. This summer was going to be different than usual but it was going to be fine. Everything was going to be fine.

~*~

When you had settled back into your room you walked past your Mom’s room and you realised why she had asked you to take care of dinner. A little over three years ago your parents had gotten divorced. Then, one day on the way to court your father had been in an accident and passed away. Your mother had never truly gotten over the guilt she felt because she had been the one to suggest the divorce.

This apartment was still full of memories of your Dad and your Mom must remember them the same way you did because she was only sitting blankly on the bed, staring at the wall opposite her.

You clenched your fists and walked away. There was nothing you could do for her when she got like that. Her therapist had told you that these episodes would fade but with these new memories it must be a setback for her.

In the kitchen you boiled the water and put in the salt. Everything was going to be fine. You knew how to make a few basic dishes without burning them or you now and you knew how to take care of your mom now.

It was going to be fine.

After setting the table you called your sister. When she saw the way you had only set out two plates instead of three she shot you a betrayed look and left the table. Mom had always been her favorite parent and she was mad at you for wanting to come here even though it meant that mom wasn’t going to eat with you for a few weeks.

You eat alone.

After washing your dishes you prepared a plate for your Mom and knocked on her door.

She doesn’t look up from that sopt of the wall and you sit down next to her.

“Hey Mom, you haven’t eaten yet.”

She barely hummed in response.

You sent a text to Belly to tell her that you were going to come later than expected.

Cutting the spaghetti in smaller pieces you put some on the spoon and nuged your Mom with your shoulder.

“Look, I even cut them in the way you like.”

She turned her head to you but her eyes still seemed far away. Still, you put the spoon in her hand and made sure she ate at least half of the plate while chatting about your friends back home.

After you looked in the mirror and hung your head. Was this really worth it? When you talked to her therapist she told you it was, but now you weren't so sure anymore. While changing into your favorite jeans, a top and a button down texted Belly that you were on your way now.

Climbing out of your window and landing soundly in the grass you almost ran over to the other’s house.

You had never been more glad to live on the ground floor.

~*~

When you arrived at the house you saw Belly sneaking out the back. You waved at her and she made a sign to come and follow her so you did.

“What are you doing? I thought we were just going to stay in?”

“Shhh, keep your voice low,” she gestured toward the living room window where Laurel and Suzannah sat on the sofa.

You nodded.

Around the corner on the way to the beach she let out an audible breath and giggled, “I can’t believe I’m sneaking out of the house now.”

“Me neither,” you answered, “what are we doing anyways? Not that I mind going out with a pretty girl like you.”

You winked at her, she laughed some more and linked your arms. “Tonight you see, we are going to go to the bonfire.”

That peaked your excitement. You had always loved the bonfire. “You look so pretty in your dress, but are you sure you aren’t going to be cold?”

“Yeah I think I am. I just, I don't know, I wanted to be the pretty one too, you know? But I kind of regret it now.”

“We aren’t having any of that today,” you said and took a step away from her to stand in front of her, “this summer is going to be your summer and you are going to look pretty every single day, okay?”

Shaking her head at your words but smiling she agreed.

You still took off your button down and handed it to her and when she accepted it you made your way down to the beach.

~*~

At the bonfire you made sure that the creep that approached Belly was really gone and when Steven came over with a girl by his side you made sure to introduce yourself to her too.

The four of you chatted for a while but it was clear that Shayla and Steven wanted some alone time so you and Belly made your way closer to the bonfire.

“I want to get a drink, you want something too?”, you asked her.

She shook her head and after making sure that she was going to be fine there you made your way to the cooler. From what Steven told you you were allowed to just take the beer so you did just that.

“Hey there, are you here alone?”, you got asked by a guy standing next to the cooler.

Not really wanting to talk to anyone new today you said that no, you had company but he didnt seem to get the hint and kept talking to you. When you searched for Belly you found her at the side of the party, sitting in the sand with another guy you didn’t know. You wanted to yell her name but when the other guy put his hoodie over her shoulders you hesitated because she looked really happy.

The guy was still talking to you and you really tried to get away but you didn’t want to be rude in case this was his beer.

But when he leaned closer and asked you, “Do you want to get out of here?” you panicked a little but still said, “I’m sorry, but I-” when you get interrupted by an arm around your shoulders.

Who-

“Dave, hey man, but she is actually here with me today, aren't you, love?”, he looked at you and fuck you knew you had to answer, so you mumbled a ‘yes’ and the other guy backed away.

Jeremiah Fisher.

It was Jeremiah Fisher. And he had grown up. Really grown up. Before you had always thought of this little idiot but now he was taller than you and he looked good. Better than good even. Your breath got taken away for a second there.

“Y/N it really is you, I can’t believe it!”, he said as he put both of his hands on your shoulders.

“Jeremiah?”, and that smile he gave you was the same it had always been, but his teeth seemed a little straighter than years ago.

His expression melted into something softer and he swept you off your feet, literally and twirled you around. You laughed because nothing had changed. There had been no reason to be nervous about the boys, they had always been your best friends and a few years wouldn’t change anything.

When he put you down you both just looked at each other for a second before he buried his head in the space between your head and your shoulder and you hugged him back just as tightly. He whispered, “I really missed you.”

Your throat closed up, but you whispered, “I missed you too.” back anyways.

Then the moment was over, he put his arm around your shoulder and you took a sip of your still cool drink.

“Come on, I have to find Conrad so that we can all catch up together,” and with that he leads you a little further away from the fire, in the opposite direction of Belly.

“I actually have a job this summer.”

He turned his head at that, “No way, me too? I’m a lifeguard at the country club.”

“No way, I’m a waitress there!”

“We totally have to take the same shifts. Steven is probably going to have a weird schedule because I bet that Shayla is going to rope him into being an escort.”

“Steven? An escort? I can’t believe this.”

He laughed and tilted his head back and you admired his face, illuminated by the moonlight and the fire. Your eyes trailed down his jawline and his throat and against your best wishes you blushed a little. This was insane, it was only Jeremiah.

“Me neither, but when you really like someone, you sometimes do really dumb shit, right?”

And for a second time today you looked him directly in the eyes and you suddenly felt very aware of the fact that you haven’t slept through a full night in a week.

A figure moved closer and you broke eye contact. It was Conrad. And fuck when did the two of them become hot?

Jeremiah tightened his arm around you but when Conrad came closer he happily said, “Look who I found getting a free beer!”

Conrad, whose eyes haven’t left you since he saw you nodded at you, “Y/N. I didn’t know you were gonna be here today.”

You were still kind of distracted by his height, his hair and his eyes, just a shade darker than Jeremiah’s.

“Belly kind of sprung it on me, but it’s nice to see you too.”, you said with a smile.

He just shook his head and smiled a little. When he held out his arms you left Jeremiah’s side and hugged him. His hands felt larger than before.

“I’m glad you are here,” he said against your hair, and you answered, “Yeah, me too.”

Behind you his brother cleared his throat, “A very touching moment, but I’m pretty sure that someone just said cops so we should really get out of here.”

You let go of Conrad immediately and the three of you ran your way up the beach while you tried to find Belly in the crowd. When you saw her and the other guy hand in hand you smiled to yourself.

At Jeremiah’s car the five of you met up and when Jeremiah pushed a still slightly uncoordinated Conrad into the car you got into the other side of the back of the car. When the car suddenly stopped and you realised that you were still missing Steven you got out as well, and when you looked back to the car you saw that Conrad was reaching out to Belly. Something constricted in your heart but you weren’t sure if it was jealousy, pity or understanding.

When there was a knock on the window and the cop asked you, “Have you kids been drinking?” you knew you were fucked.

~*~

Laurel’s lecture was not as harsh as you expected, but as you stood in the doorframe to the kitchen you realised that you didn’t really want to go home.

So, after she dismissed all of you hung back. You heard her and Conrad exchanging a few words when she turned to you, “I’m sure that you can sleep over in Belly’s room. I’m going to text your Mom in the morning.”

You couldn’t tell her that your Mom’s phone was currently in your possession, knowing that otherwise she would keep scrolling through old pictures, not sleeping, so you only nodded.

After making sure her door was closed upstairs you snuck out to the pool. There you sat, your head tilted back to look at the stars. It was a clear night.

Then, to your surprise, the door to the patio opened again. At first you were scared that it was Laurel but it was only Jeremiah. You breathed out. “You scared the shit out of me. I thought it was Laurel, ready to chop my head off now.”

“Sorry to disappoint you. I noticed you weren't behind Connie on the stairs so I came looking for you.”

Of course he did. It was Jeremiah.

“You could never disappoint me, you know that. Aren’t you tired?”

He sat down next to you. “Yeah, but never enough to not hang out with you.”

Warmth spreads through your body. Both of you enjoy the silence for a while.

“Last year I broke my arm while surfing”, he told you.

You hummed in response. “Did it hurt?”

“At first not so much, I was more focused on getting back to the land, but once my Mom asked if everything was okay I started crying really hard.”

“Last year I stopped playing the piano.”

“A few years ago I had a marshmallow eating contest with Connie and won.”

“Last summer my cousin taught me how to skate but I was miserable at it.”

You talked for what seemed like a few minutes and a few hours at the same time. Both of you had missed so much of the other’s life that it made your heart ache.

After a while you felt your eyes start to get heavy. Jeremiah nudged you with his shoulder and when he offered you his hand to get up you took it.

When you got into the house you realised that Belly was most likely still asleep. “I really don't want to wake her. Maybe I should just go home.”

He dragged you upstairs with your interlocked fingers. “You can crash in my bed, I don't mind.”

Too tired to refuse, you said yes.

He closed his door as quietly as possible and tossed you a green hoodie and some of his old basketball shorts.

“I’m just gonna,” he pointed at the wall, “turn around.”

You mumbled a thanks in response and started to up on the hoodie and take off your jeans. Here you were, in Jeremiah’s room, in his hoodie, taking off your pants while he stands not even five feet from you. This time you really blushed.

“I’m done now.”

“Do you want me to sleep on the floor?”, he asked, nodding towards the bed.

“Don’t be ridiculous, your bed is big enough for the two of you. Besides, we have shared a bed before, right?”

“Right. I wanted to ask anyway.”

You ruffled his hair and deliberately did not notice that it was really soft. “Thanks.”

With your phone secure on the nightstand you flopped down to his bed, opening your eyes when he didn’t immediately follow you. He just stood there, on his side of the bed, looking at you, with something indescribable in his eyes.

Then he broke away and laid next to you.

Trying not to think about how everything smelled warm and just like him, you fell asleep, calm and comfortable.

~*~

When you woke up in the morning you were huddling closer to the warmth. Sleepily blinking you eyes open you noticed that this wasn’t your bed. Your sheets weren’t blue. Then the events from yesterday came back to you and you opened your eyes completely.

You were cuddling with Jeremiah. His arms were around your waist, your head slightly tucked under his chin. It seems that in your sleep you did the same, your arms in the same position as his, your legs tangled. Immediately you wanted to get up and leave, but you were still so tired that you couldn’t bring yourself to. So instead you cuddled a little closer, enjoying this moment for as long as you could and closed your eyes again.

The next time you opened your eyes you were alone and you ignored your disappointment.

----

And that's it!! I hope you all enjoyed it! I will reveal the endgame after the next chapter and add content warnings as soon as I figure out how to do a masterlist.

I'm sorry that this is a week late but my depression kinda took a turn for the worse over the last few weeks so. yeah. fun.

Stay tuned for the next part coming at the end of the week. [if you want a sneak peek you can send me an ask and maybe I will share something ;) ]

#belly conklin #conrad fisher #jeremiah fisher #tsitp #the summer i turned pretty x you #tsitp imagine #tsitp x reader #tsitp fanfic #tsitp x y/n #conrad fisher x reader #conrad fisher imagine #jeremiah fisher x reader #jeremiah fisher imagine #the summer i turned pretty x reader #the summer i turned pretty

[beardedmrbean]

A Michigan teen who doused her sleeping father with a chemical drain cleaner because he was too drunk to drive her to a hair appointment grinned before the cameras when she was sprung from prison after just 506 days.

Megan Imirowicz, 19, faced a possible life sentence when she was found guilty in June of tossing lye powder on her dad, Konrad Imirowicz, 64, while he was sleeping, the Oakland Press reported.

The attack caused extensive chemical burns that required his feet and part of his leg to be amputated, as well as infections and kidney failure.

He was unable to recover from the severe injuries and died after five months in the hospital, on March 6, 2022.

Imirowicz denied throwing lye at her dad and claimed she had thrown some bread at him to wake him up.

Prosecutors said she attacked him because he was drunk and was unable to take her to a hair salon before her 18th birthday party, according to the outlet. Imirowicz was sentenced Tuesday to one year in jail, with credit for time served — meaning she walked free after the hearing. The teen was also given five years probation for the crime.

The young woman, smiling at the cameras, admitted she was shocked when she heard the slap-on-the-wrist sentence from Oakland County Judge Victoria Valentine, Court TV reported.

“I was praying for a miracle today and that’s what I got,” Imirowicz said.

“I’m really happy I get to go home with my family. I’m scared to feel anything about my dad right now. I miss him a lot. I’m not ready.”

After being greeted by her sister Morgan and brother Ian, who had pleaded for leniency, Imirowicz headed to a local McDonald’s, where she ordered Chicken McNuggets and French fries, according to the outlet.

Earlier, Imirowicz made a tearful plea in front of the judge as she read from a statement.

“Nineteen years ago, I was placed into the arms of the first man to ever love me, the man I’m lucky enough to call my dad. Growing up he became so much more, he was a storyteller, a tooth fairy, a friend, and hero, through it all the one thing never changed, was that he was mine,” the Groveland Township woman sobbed.

“One of the biggest things overlooked in this case is that me and my siblings lost my dad too. That loss has severely broken us,” she added. “The prosecution has tried to make me look like a monster but that’s not me and never was.”

Imirowicz also quoted the Bible.

“The evil are ensnared by the transgressions of their lips, but the righteous escape from trouble,” she said, quoting Proverbs 12:13, Law and Crime reported.

Her mother, Julie Conrad, also asked the judge to go easy on Imirowicz.

“We were a broken family before this began and now, we are even more broken, while her (Megan) age and her body is 19 years old. Her maturity and emotional level are not that of an adult,” she said.

Chief Assistant Prosecutor David Williams told the Oakland Press that “this was not the sentence we advocated for, however, the judge ultimately decides what sentence will be imposed.”

Megan was the second child the couple had adopted and was brought home to her older brother, Austin, when she was just a few days old.  

#nunyas news #what the actual hell #evil aiding evil imho

[thereading-corner]

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han - Blog.

*Spoilers Ahead*

The Summer I Turned Pretty is a love story trilogy written by American author, Jenny Han. The three books are called The Summer I Turned Pretty, It’s Not Summer Without You and We’ll Always Have Summer. I have never cried more while reading these books, both for happy and sad reasons. I would recommend these books for summer-loving teens or any hopeless romantics. 

The 3 Books Summarised:

*SPOILERS*

The Summer I Turned Pretty:

16-year-old Isabel (Belly) Conklin has grown up at the Cousin’s summer house. Her mum, Laurel, and older brother Steven have been going there for as long as they could remember. Laurel’s best friend Susannah (Beck) Fisher owned the house, and her 2 sons Conrad and Jeremiah had been going there every summer alongside Belly and Steven. But this summer, something has changed. Belly has had a crush on Conrad for as long as she could remember, and she notices everything about him, like how odd he had been acting this summer. Did he know something she did not? Did he finally look at her like she was an equal, rather than a child? Or was there something wrong? A long way through the summer, the secret that Jeremiah had been keeping from Belly escaped him. He told her she liked him, only a few days after she had kissed Conrad. However, the worst secret came when she was told that Susannah had cancer again. Just before they had left, Belly wondered if this could be their last summer together.

It’s Not Summer Without You:

Over winter, Belly and Conrad had been dating but on the day of Belly’s prom Conrad decides to break up with her, and on top of all this Susannah’s funeral was just around the corner, Just the thought of Susannah made Belly’s heart sink to her stomach. The days had been and passed when Jeremiah showed up at Belly’s door asking if she had seen Conrad. He had run away from college right before his midterms. Belly and Jeremiah find him at the beach house and they soon find out that Mr. Fisher is trying to sell it. But Conrad would not let his dad do that when all his life all he had been was a shitty father and a bastard of a husband. Through all this pain and sorrow, Jere and Belly somehow seem to reconnect, stronger than ever. But now Belly had to make a decision. Conrad or Jeremiah?

We’ll Always Have Summer:

Belly joined Jeremiah’s college, and is also dating him. That is until she finds out that he cheated on her while on holiday in Cabo. To fix this Jere does the one thing he can think of to fix this, which is to propose to Belly. Naively, she says yes, and they plan to get married that summer. In 2 months. In the Cousins beach house. Everyone approves of the engagement, except 2 people. Laurel and Conrad. Laurel refuses to go to the wedding, and Conrad refuses to show any emotion. As the day of the wedding nears, Laurel eases up to the idea of the wedding and agrees to go, however, the reality of it sets into Conrad, and 2 nights before the wedding, he tells Belly how he still loves her and how she should give him another chance. Belly is still trying to get over Conrad so, she ignores this. The night before the wedding, Belly tells Jere what happens and he runs off. Conrad finds him the morning of the wedding but things don't go to plan. The wedding is called off. It seems Jere always knew that Belly would end up with Conrad. 4 years later, Belly is 23 and is on her way to getting married to the true love of her life, Conrad, with everyone supporting her, even Jere. On the way to the wedding, Belly and Conrad decide to stop at Cousins beach for the last time, before they are finally together. Forever. So I suppose in a way, they always will have summer.

#the summer i turned pretty #tsitp belly #tsitp jeremiah #tsitp conrad #books #tsitp books

[thatgirlwholikestowritestories]

The Summer I Fucked Up (Ch 14)

A Conrad predominant retelling of The Summer I Turned Pretty TV show and book series.

Did you read the books and want to understand what was going on in that little noggin of his? Read my fic to find out that this man has zero thoughts

Chapter list

CONRAD

Susannah’s grave was barely even cold when Conrad found out that his dad was trying to sell the Cousins’ house.

He’d come home briefly to pick up a few textbooks for his summer semester. His studies had been hard enough on their own without the burden of his mother’s passing, and now it was unbearable. For the first time in his life, he was failing. He had to enrol in summer classes if he had any chance of making it to next semester.

His dad had taken over Susannah’s office which, in the months before, had become Laurel’s office while she’d been helping take care of her. Before the wake, a bunch of stuff had been shuffled into the office, including his textbooks. He’d barely noticed until now.

He shuffled through the room, looking underneath everything that Laurel and his father had deemed unsuitable for prying eyes. He saw the textbook peeking out from underneath some papers on the desk. Conrad was about to move them aside when he saw a photo of the beach house on one of them.

He read the page and reread it, snatching up the others and reading them too. His dad was selling their house, her house. Adam didn’t even have the dignity to tell them.

“The bastard.”

His dad’s planner was there too, and Conrad flicked through the pages. The movers were coming in a few days to pack up their things. Well, not if Conrad had anything to do with it.

He hopped in his car and drove back to Brown, dropping off his textbook that he somehow managed to remember. He threw a bunch of things in a bag.

As he was rushing back out of his dorm room, he crashed into Ari the RA.

“Woah. Hey, where are you going?”

He didn’t stop. “I’m going to the beach.”

He was half out the door when she called out, “Don’t you have exams coming up?”

None of that mattered. He was on his way to Cousins.

Conrad missed two classes, but he arrived just in time to send the movers away.

The house still smelled like her—Susannah. He let his hands run over everything, the couch, the tables, the counters. All of this, all of it was hers. Conrad’s jaw clenched at the idea that any of it would belong to someone else. It couldn’t. It wouldn’t.

He spent two days alone in the house. It was strange. In all the summers he’d been here, it had never been this quiet. The only time it had ever come close was Christmas with Belly, and even then, their laughter had echoed throughout. Conrad pushed the thought out of his mind.

It had been two months since they’d spoken, longer than that since they’d been happy. Of everything that Conrad avoided thinking about, Belly was one of the biggest. She would creep into his mind at different hours of the days, and he would have to shove her back out again. Conrad was afraid to touch the happy memories at risk of souring them. If he took them out and examined them, if he revelled in those joyful moments, it would only make him feel guilty. How could he think about being happy when his mother was dead? The sad, the angry memories were just as bad. They embittered him.

Go to Hell. I hate you. I never want to see you again.

No. If he thought about them, he would lose himself in that ever-growing canyon forming in his stomach. If he thought about them, he would have to think about what he said, what he did.

He gripped onto those feelings of rage and disgust and disappointment as if they were tangible, something that could keep his head above the constant and crashing waves.

He’d had spent the morning on the water, grateful that the surfs were large and punishing. He was dumped by wave after wave, but it was something he could handle.

He noticed Jere in the kitchen straight away and scoffed. Jeremiah shouldn’t be here. Conrad’s face shifted into something unwelcoming.

He noticed her a second later. He wasn’t expecting her. Belly. He only allowed his eyes to look at her for a fraction of a second, but the pang in his chest made him look away. Instead, he turned his hard glare at his brother.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Conrad’s voice was stone.

“I’m here to pick you up and take you back to school. You really messed up, man. Dad’s going out of his mind.”

“Tell him to screw himself. I’m staying.”

“Con, you’ve missed two classes and you’ve got midterms on Monday. You can’t just bail. They’ll kick you out of summer school.” Jere explained as if it wasn’t Conrad’s life he was talking about.

“That’s my problem.” He couldn’t ignore her presence anymore. He still couldn’t look at her, but everything in him needed to know. “And what’s she doing here?”

She was backing away now.

“I brought her with me to help.” Jere looked in her direction. Conrad noted the hint of concern there. “Look, we’ve got all your books and everything. You can study tonight and tomorrow and then we can head back to school.”

“Screw it. I don’t care.”

“What’s your problem?” Jere asked. Conrad almost wanted to laugh. What wasn’t his problem these days?

“Right now, this is my problem. You and her. Here.” He needed both to be gone. He hated that they were here to try and save him. He didn’t need saving. The house needed saving. He turned to Belly then; she’d been frozen by the sliding doors. “Why do you want to help me? Why are you even here?”

He didn’t keep the iciness from tone or the sharpness from his stare. Her mouth opened to respond, but nothing came out. She closed it. He waited for her to try again, but she didn’t.

It was bitter sarcasm in his voice next. “I thought you never wanted to see me again. You hate me, remember?”

“I don’t hate you.” Her voice was as small as the child he treated her like. Then she was gone. Out the door. Vanished in the wind.

He wished that made him feel better. He raked his hands through his hair.

Jere stared at the spot where Belly vanished from. He took a step towards it, like he considered going after her, but decided against it. When they were younger, Jere would always chase after her when she was upset. He'd hated the thought of anyone being sad, especially Belly.  

“Like I said, Jere, I’m not going anywhere.” Jere turned his gaze back to him. “But I can’t stop you from being here either.”

Conrad got up then and went and got changed. He left the house. He didn’t want to be here when Belly got back.

By the time he’d gotten back, Belly had already been and gone. When she did come back, he and Jere were drinking beer on the back deck. She was carrying a paper bag. He could smell the clam rolls from here.

She sat down beside Jere. “Pass me a beer.”

The old Conrad would have said something. He wanted to, but he couldn’t muster up the energy to. He just continued to stare out at towards the setting sun.

Belly and Jere bickered in the background; except he wasn’t really listening. Instead, he reached in and grabbed out one of the rolls and dug in.

She noticed this, like she noticed everything. “You’re welcome.”  She added.

He just grunted his thanks. He didn’t trust himself to say anything.

Jere’s phone started buzzing on the table. They all stared at it, but no one moved to answer it. Conrad could assume who it was. Jere had said earlier that their dad had been calling every 15 minutes since they’d arrived in Cousins.

“I’m not leaving this house. Tell him that.”

Jere sighed and took the call inside.

It was just him and Belly out there now. The air was heavy with everything said and unsaid between them. He expected her to say something. In moments like these, she always did.

Instead, she sighed and got comfortable in her seat, her eyes staring out as the sunset painted the skies wonderous colours.

Conrad could pretend, for a second, that everything was fine. Like this summer was like all the others, that his mum was okay, and that he and Belly were… were something—something good.

The next day after Jere and Conrad went surfing and picked up dirt bombs. It would have felt like old times, if it wasn’t for that dark pit that had settled in Conrad’s heart after Susannah died.

Belly came down while they were in the kitchen eating them. Her shorts were so small, he couldn’t help but appreciate the length of her legs. He looked away quickly. Neither of them noticed as Jere offered her a dirt bomb and she dug in.

They turned to him to ask what was going on next.

“You guys should head out soon, if you want to miss the Fourth of July traffic,” Conrad said.

“We’re not leaving without you,” Jeremiah told him.

Conrad exhaled. “Look, Jere, I appreciate you coming here. But as you can see, I’m fine. I’ve got everything under control.”

“Like hell you do. Con, if you’re not back on Monday for your exams, you’re out. The only reason you’re even taking summer school is those incompletes from last semester. If you don’t go back, then what?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll figure things out.”

“You keep saying that, but dude, you haven’t figured out shit. All you’ve done so far is run away.”

Conrad glared at him. He wanted to punch Jere mainly because he was getting on his nerves, but also because he was right. He didn’t let his eyes flicker to Belly. Instead, he thought about how he ran from his dad straight here. Or, how he ran from summer school.  

When he didn’t respond, Belly spoke instead, “So, how are you going to become a doctor without a college degree, Conrad?”

His head whipped in her direction. It felt like he was back in the car with her at Christmas on their way to Cousins. When he was hopeful. When he was going to be a doctor. When he was someone completely different. That Conrad was buried with his mother.

“I never said I was going to be a doctor,” he snapped. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She did know—that’s what irritated Conrad the most. He had told her, and she remembered like she always did.

“Then tell us,” Belly said.

No one spoke.

He wasn’t sure if it was the way she said it or their expressions as they looked at him, but Conrad debated telling them then. It would be just as simple as saying, “Dad’s selling the house, and I’m trying to save it.”

Except if it was that simple, why couldn’t Conrad just say it? Why hadn’t he said it when they first arrived? They might have left already if he said it, or they might have stayed. No, Conrad wanted to keep this to himself. He wanted to let Jere keep that image of their father he’d once shared intact. It was his job to protect him, just like he’d promised Susannah.

Conrad stood up. “There’s nothing to tell. I’m gonna head back out there. Thanks for the dirt bombs, Jere.” He turned to Belly and said, “You have sugar all over your face.”

If everything were normal, he would have found it endearing.

He had to pretend that he wasn’t running away when he left this time.

When he returned to the house an hour or so later, Belly was swimming in the pool.

He lifted her towel from where it was lain out on the seat and took its place.  

Like so many other times before, Belly didn’t notice him. She went back and forth and back and forth. Regardless of how many laps she did, how many breaths she took, Belly’s pace remained the same. Conrad found comfort in its familiarity, her strokes like a pendulum swing.

She noticed him finally, and Conrad ignored how it made his heart skip a little.

She smoothed her hair back as she hopped out of the water in a gingham bikini he’d never seen before. She never used to wear bikinis, her preference usually for a swimmer’s one piece. Belly only started wearing them last summer. He remembered the purple one she’d worn when she, Jere and the others played chicken last year. He looked away before she noticed that he’d been watching. She was still in her own little world. She wrapped her arms around her body, shivering slightly. He held out her towel without a word and she wrapped it around herself.

She took a seat down next to him. They didn’t look at each other.

He felt the need to say something. He wanted to talk to her despite himself. “Do you still pretend you’re at the Olympics?”

“No,” She hugged her knees to her chest. “Not anymore.”

“When you swim,” he started to say. He almost didn’t finish his sentence. Belly just gets under his skin so easily, and he was still angry at her and everything that happened between them, but grudging respect won over, “You wouldn’t notice if the house was on fire. You’re so into what you’re doing, it’s like you’re someplace else.”

Before she could respond, he started getting up and going back into the house. As the door, slid shut, he heard her call out, “That’s why I like it.”

Conrad didn’t expect Sandy Donatti to show up at the house herself. He’d seen her name on a couple of the documents from his dad’s office. They’d even been pencilled in for a lunch last week.

They were going back and forth about the fact that Conrad had sent away the movers when Belly made her way down the stairs. Sandy looked in and noticed her, her mouth forming in a straight line. “I was told the house would be empty.”

“You were given erroneous information. I’ll be here for the rest of the summer.” He gestured back at her. “That’s Belly.”

“Belly?” she repeated. Was she deaf and dumb?

“Yup. She’s my girlfriend.” He answered without hesitation. Conrad hadn’t noticed he’d said anything wrong, until Belly choked a little in the background.

Crossing his arms and leaning against the wall, he continued. “And you and my dad met how?”

Sandy became nervous then, and Conrad knew he had her on the ropes. With a play of the dead mum card, he sent her packing, saying she would be reaching out to his dad.

“Make sure you let him know the house is off the market.”

Then she was gone.

Conrad closed the door, and without turning in Belly’s direction said, “Don’t tell Jeremiah about the house.”

“Why not?”

He wasn’t going to answer at first. She must have thought he wasn’t going to answer at all since she started moving back upstairs.

“I’ll tell him about it. I just don’t want him to know yet. About our dad.”

She stopped, and leant against the railing, down at him. “What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean.” Conrad looked at her, his eyes steady.

Belly had always been pretty easy to read. If it were any easier, her thoughts would just be projected onto a TV screen. She knew his dad was an asshole, and that he wanted to protect Jere from that a bit longer. Except Conrad could also tell that she believed Jere already knew and that he definitely deserved to know the house was for sale.  

For some reason, it annoyed him. Why should it surprise Conrad that Belly cared about Jere? It shouldn’t, they’d been thick as thieves for years. But if she cared about him too, she should have already said yes.

“So can you do that for me, Belly? Can you keep a secret from your BFF Jeremiah? I know you two don’t keep secrets from each other, but can you handle it just this once?”

He felt her glare in his bones, and her mouth opened to respond, probably tell him to fuck off. He didn’t give her the chance.

“Please?” It was a plea. If he let the asshole bit go for a moment, she’d do it. He knew she would.

“All right. For now.”

“Thank you.”

That afternoon on the waves, Conrad considered telling Jere about the house, but he hadn’t pushed him about school, so he didn’t want to ruin it. Conrad figured that they could enjoy this solitude in solidarity.

They had been joking around as they made their way up the stairs. He saw Belly first, she sat with her towel covering her whole body with her knees to her chest and a beer held tightly in her hand. He wondered why until he noticed his father sitting next to her.

Conrad felt all his muscles go taut, and Jere mumbled a swear next to him.

Conrad didn’t bother to say hello like Jere did, he went straight inside with his father on his heels. He noticed that Jere and Belly didn’t follow immediately, except he did hear her giggle at something Jere had said. Something stirred in his stomach.

Conrad went straight the fridge and got a beer, and Adam started going in on him and Jeremiah about messing with the sale and Conrad not being at college.

Jeremiah was clearly surprised about the house, but it didn’t stop Conrad from shooting shots back at his dad saying he didn’t care about Susannah and only cared about money and Conrad wasn’t like that.

When Adam said he knew what Susannah would have wanted and that he “lost” her too, Conrad saw red. He punched the wall closest to him, wishing it were his father.

“You didn’t lose her. You left her. You don’t know the first thing about what she would have wanted. You were never there. You were a shitty dad and an even shittier husband. So don’t bother trying to do the right thing now. You just fuck it all up.”

Jeremiah said, “Con, shut up. Just shut up.”

Conrad swung around and shouted, “You’re still defending him? That’s exactly why we didn’t tell you!”

“We?” Jeremiah repeated. Conrad had made them out to be some co-conspirators. The colour drained out of his face as he turned to Belly.

Her head shook, in a placating way, “I just found out today, I swear—"

She couldn’t finish because Adam cut her off, “You are not the only one hurting, Conrad. You don’t get to talk to me that way.”

“I think I do.”

Conrad and his father stared each other down. No one else was moving or breathing. He could see that his father wanted to hit him, and Conrad’s eyes dared him too. Adam might be bigger, but Conrad could take him, he just wanted the excuse.

Instead, Adam looked away. “The movers are coming back, Conrad. “This is happening. You throwing a tantrum can’t stop it.”

He left soon after, saying he’d be at the inn in town and would be back in the morning.

It was a while before anyone else spoke, like they’d been frozen in the moment.

Jere was the first to speak. “I can’t believe he’s really selling the house.”

Jeremiah had a much higher opinion of their father than Conrad did. “Believe it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about it?” Jeremiah demanded.

It was enough to ignite an argument between them too. Conrad saying that Jere didn’t need to know and Jere firing back saying he had every right to know, and that Conrad hadn’t saved the house anyways. Conrad retorted calling him a kiss ass and who doesn’t actually see who their father what he is: a dirtbag.

“Don’t call him that.”

“What kind of guy cheats on his wife and then leaves her when she has cancer? What kind of man does that? I can’t even stand to look at him. He makes me sick, playing the martyr now, the grieving widower. But where was he when Mom needed him, huh, Jere?”

“I don’t know, Con. Where were you?”

Conrad sucked in a breath. He would have rather been punched. He had thought about Susannah every day he wasn’t by her side. He had tried—tried to be there, but she wouldn’t let him stay away from school, despite the fact he couldn’t even focus when he was there. He’d offered to stay. He wanted to.

Jeremiah would take it back, he was about it, but Conrad tried to play it off instead. “That’s a low blow.”

“I’m sorry,” Jeremiah said.

Conrad shrugged, brushing him off like it didn’t matter either way.

And then Jeremiah said, “Why can’t you just let it go? Why do you have to hold on to all the shitty stuff that’s ever happened to you?”

“Because I live in reality, unlike you. You’d rather live in a fantasy world than see people for who they really are.” Some small part of him thought this about Belly as well, how she had lived with this fantasy of them rather than notice his cracks.

Jeremiah must have picked up on this too because he bristled, his gaze flicking to Belly and back to Conrad. “You’re just jealous. Admit it.”

“Jealous?” Why had he looked at Belly when he said it?

But the next thing he said wasn’t about her. “You’re jealous that Dad and I have an actual relationship now. It’s not just all about you anymore, and that kills you.”

Conrad actually laughed. It was a bitter, terrible sound. “That’s such BS.” It was his turn to turn to her. “Belly, are you hearing this? Jeremiah thinks I’m jealous.”

They were both looking at her then, expectedly, waiting for her to pick a side. Belly looked like a deer in headlights, frozen in terror. Her eyes shifted wildly between them with indecision.

Jere turned back to him when Belly still hadn’t responded. “You’re an asshole, Conrad. You just want everyone to be as miserable as you are.” And then he walked out. The front door slammed behind him.

“Am I an asshole, Belly?” Conrad asked Belly, even though he suspected he already knew the answer, he wanted to hear her say it. He grabbed a beer, just to give his shaking hands something to do.

“Yeah. You really are.” She confirmed. She went over and peered out the window as Jeremiah drove off. A crease had formed between her eyebrows—the same one that belonged to her maths problems.  

“He’ll be back,” Conrad said.

“You shouldn’t have said that stuff.”

“Maybe not.” He conceded.

“You shouldn’t have asked me to keep it a secret from him.”

He could tell she was regretting that she did what he asked.

Conrad shrugged, but his eyes glanced at the window as the Jere’s taillights vanished out of view. He’d be back. He had to come back. If anything, Jere wouldn’t abandon Belly to be here alone with him forever. He wouldn’t punish her like that.

Grabbing another beer, he threw it to her. She caught it and popped the top like she’d done it a thousand times, except Conrad noticed the tiniest little wince when she took a sip. Her lips smacked loudly.

His heart ached a little to see the small ways Belly had changed since they’d spoken last. “So, you like beer now, huh?”

She shrugged. “It’s all right. I still like Cherry Coke better though.”

At least some things hadn’t changed.

He almost smiled when he said, “Same old Belly. I bet if we cut your body open, white sugar would come pouring out of you.”

“That’s me,” I said. “Sugar and spice and everything nice.”

He thought about the funeral when he said, “I don’t know about that.”

A quiet hang over them.

She took another sip of her beer, putting it near him. “I think you really hurt Jeremiah’s feelings.”

He shrugged. “He needed a reality check.”

“You didn’t have to do it like that.” She bit at her thumb nail, still staring towards the door Jeremiah had left through.

She was probably right, but Conrad couldn’t seem to do anything right these days. Instead, he saw an opportunity to turn it on her, to pry. “I think you’re the one who hurt Jeremiah’s feelings.”

It was just starting to come into vision now, all the looks he’d caught Jere sending her way, the fact that Jere even asked her to help find him in the first place. He even seen Jere go into her room the other night to talk. He was probably more hurt that Belly hadn’t said anything to him, hadn’t picked his side than anything else Conrad had said. He wondered how much of it Belly was picking up on. She had always been oblivious to that kind of thing. She had been when it was him and her.  

She gave him a sidelong glance. He wanted her to ask what he meant, but instead she said, “What now?”

“What now with you and Jeremiah or with you and me?” His voice was teasing, but the question was genuine.

Maybe it was cruel to tease her like this, knowing he can’t offer her anything. He could see her cheeks redden.

“What now with this house, was what I meant.”

He leaned back against the counter. “There’s nothing to do, really. I mean, I could get a lawyer. I’m eighteen now. I could try and stall. But I doubt it would do anything. My dad’s stubborn. And he’s greedy.”

She looked to her feet, considering her words, “I don’t know that he’s doing it out of—out of greed, Conrad.”

Belly didn’t know their father as well as he did. He felt his face shut like blinds. “Trust me. He is.”

“What about summer school?”

“I couldn’t care less about school right now.” School would always be there, but the beach house wouldn’t be.

“But—” She tried.

He cut her off. His tone allowed for no further conversation. “Just leave it, Belly.”

He didn’t want to be in the kitchen with her anymore.

Next Chapter

#conrad fisher #conrad pov #belly x conrad #belly conklin #conrad fic #conrad fisher fic #The Summer I Turned Pretty #TSITP #tsitp fanfic #tsitp conrad #the summer i fucked up

[purpleplaid17]

Jess Watches // Wed 3 Jan // Day 103 & Thu 4 Jan // Day 104 Synopses & Favourite Scenes & Poll

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget Film (with friend)

When Ginger and Rocky hatch a little girl called Molly, Ginger’s happy ending seems complete. But back on the mainland the whole of chicken-kind faces a new and terrible threat. For Ginger and her team, even if it means putting their own hard-won freedom at risk – this time, they’re breaking in!

The sequel to a beloved childhood favourite was the perfect comfort film to watch yesterday. Another zany caper featuring all the original recipe chickens and their now grown up offspring. Very over-the-top and silly at times, proper finger-lickin' good British fun. Did anyone else think Frizzle, the very Scouse one, was Jodie Comer?

The Resident (with mum) 2x19 Snowed In

When Atlanta is struck by a severe snowstorm, Mina must perform a big surgery - without the help of The Raptor - to save the life of a young father, while Kitt and Bell get stuck babysitting the man's children. Nic and Conrad experience a disagreement with a patient's treatment, causing further strain in their relationship.

AJ risking frostbite, and worse, to get back to the hospital because Mina says she needed him. "Then neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night shall stay this doctor from the swift completion of his appointed rounds." Like AJ, I was so proud of her for a successful solo surgery. Also, I was worried the doc that likes Nic was going to mistreat her sister somehow. He's been sketchy lately. I do not trust him. Also also, go to hell, Bob.

Unprisoned (with mum) 1x04 In Dad We Distrust

Paige's daddy issues get in the way of her new relationship, while Edwin makes a bold decision about money that impacts the whole family.

The chemistry between her parents and them having the steamier scenes has been an unexpected highlight. And that they are played by Delroy Lindo and Brenda Strong is an added bonus.

#chicken run dawn of the nugget #the resident #unprisoned #polls #tumblr polls #jess watches #day 103 #day 104

[sarasidles]

It’s never gonna be the same again. No, it’s not. It’s gonna be better. 

#theresidentedit #the resident #conic #conrad hawkins #nic nevin #things I made #m: the resident #happy father's day conrad is a dad now

[ao719]

A Night to Remember

Happy 100 weeks @wackydrabbles! 🥳 I am participating in this weeks challenge with the prompt This is huge - we need to celebrate!

A/N: Thank you to @dcbbw and @burnsoslow for prereading!

Word Count: 1992

Warnings: Very mild language, but other than that, none.

The Soho penthouse elevator door slid open; Catherine and Gideon stepped out, followed by a sullen Reyna shuffling behind them. “Well, I’m glad Vince is alright,” Gideon said as they stepped into the kitchen. “I’ll give him hell for putting you in danger once he’s recovered; I can’t exactly kick his ass while he’s down.”

“It’s ‘kick him while he’s down,’ dad,” Reyna mumbled.

Gideon casually shook his head. “Not this time.”

Reyna slumped onto the stool at the counter and pressed her forehead against her palm as she heaved a sigh; Catherine rested her hand on Reyna’s shoulder. “You’ve been looking forward to it for so long, Reyna. There’s no reason you can’t still go and enjoy yourself.”

Reyna shook her head. “There would be nothing enjoyable about going alone.”

“Do you want to come to Miami with us?” Gideon asked.

“No. I’ll just … stay home and wallow. Alone.” Reyna stood and walked towards her room; Gideon and Catherine shared sad smiles.

****

Liam glanced at his watch as he finished dressing; he wondered if Reyna was home. She told him it was senior week; he didn’t understand what the hell that meant, but he knew she didn’t have school because of it, and she’d been out almost every day this week with her friends.

Ever since his birthday ball last month and his realization of how strong his feelings for her truly were, Reyna had been on his mind more than usual. He knew it was one-sided, however, so he tried -- and failed -- to brush it off.

Liam sat at his desk, figuring he would try to call Reyna before starting his day. He opened his laptop and hit the video call icon; he felt his stomach flip when it started to ring. Reyna’s face appeared on the screen a moment later, and Liam smiled; his smile fell when he noticed her red-rimmed eyes and tear-stained face. “Rey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Reyna sniffled as she wiped her cheeks. Liam cocked his head to the side and gave her a knowing look. “It’s so dumb,” she shook her head.

“Tell me anyway.”

“I … I can’t go to my prom,” her breath hitched.

“Why?”

“Because my date is an idiot, and he can’t go … so now I can’t go,” she sniffled.

“What happened?”

Reyna took a breath in an attempt to collect herself. “I was supposed to go with this guy, Vince. A bunch of us were out yesterday when his dad called to let him know he received his acceptance letter into Brown University; it’s a prestigious school and the one he really wanted to get into. So he was all excited and said, “this is huge - we need to celebrate!” So we decided to spend today at Coney, and we rented jet skis. I was riding with him, and he was trying to show off and started messing around. He wasn’t paying attention to what he was doing or where he was going, and the corner of the jet ski hit the concrete slab of the pier, threw me off, and he managed to crush his ankle between the concrete and the jet ski. It broke in three spots, and he has to have surgery …”

“You’re lucky you didn’t get hurt, Rey!” Reyna forced a halfhearted smile as she wiped her cheeks; leave it to Liam to be more concerned about her safety than anything else. “So, just because he can’t go, why does that mean you can’t go?”

“I mean … I could. But all of my friends have dates … I don’t want to ruin anyone else’s big night by third-wheeling it.”

“What exactly is prom again? I don’t understand these things you guys do in the States.”

“Imagine a ball … that’s pretty much what it is, just with less pomp and circumstance … to commemorate the end of senior year.” She looked down at her hands in her lap. “It’s fine. I don’t need to go,” she said quietly.

Liam chuckled, and she looked back at the screen as he offered her a sad smile. “Then why are you so upset?”

“Because prom is like a rite of passage, Li! It’s something my friends and I have talked about all year. It’s supposed to be this amazing night to remember …”

Liam looked away from the screen for a moment; in the background, Reyna heard someone tell him that he needed to go. He looked back at her and gave an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Rey, I have to go meet with my father. But I’ll call you later, ok?”

“Ok,” Reyna nodded.

*******

On the day of Reyna’s prom, she spent most of the morning lying in bed until her parents called from Miami to check on her. Gideon informed her that he had enlisted her aunt to keep her company for the day. Reyna insisted she was fine, but Elsie showed up at the penthouse just before lunch and dragged her out anyway.

Reyna hadn’t heard back from Liam since he called her a couple of days ago. She knew he was busy taking a few meetings for Leo, who was away on a diplomatic trip with Constantine, but she wished she could talk to him; he would tell her to stop sulking and crack a joke about why she should be glad she was missing her prom.

After a day of retail and mani-pedi therapy with Elsie, Reyna suggested they grab dinner, but her aunt insisted she get back to the penthouse. Reyna was confused since Elsie had practically forced her to come out, but she shrugged it off.

“Thanks for taking me out today,” Reyna said.

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Now, get inside,” Elsie shooed her with a grin. Reyna gave her a curious look before entering the building.

As the elevator made its ascent to the penthouse, Reyna couldn’t help but think of her friends at that moment; they were all at the Conrad by now, their night just beginning. She sighed as she slumped against the metal wall of the elevator. When the doors opened, she stepped out, carrying her shopping bags in both hands. She froze when she saw a figure round the corner, and her eyes went wide.

“Liam?” Reyna dropped her bags and rushed towards him; she squealed as their bodies collided when she jumped into his arms.

“Hey, you,” Liam chuckled.

Reyna drew back from their embrace to look at him. “What are you doing here?”

Liam couldn’t contain his smile as he set her back on the ground. “I have a surprise for you.” He took her hand, guiding her down the hall to her bedroom. When they stepped inside, Reyna turned to look at him. “I need you to get dressed.”

“Where are we going?”

“Not far,” Liam smiled. “And you need to wear that.” He nodded his head to her closet.

Reyna turned to see the unworn garment she had stuffed away the other day now hanging on the door; she looked at him with her brows furrowed in confusion. “My prom dress?” Liam nodded with a smile. “Why?”

“Stop asking so many questions and just get dressed.” With that, Liam left her to change.

****

A short time later, Reyna emerged from her room. Hearing her come down the hallway, Liam turned to look at her; his eyes widened as a smile split his lips. She gave a little spin, and his eyes traveled over her; she wore a powder blue backless A-line gown. He had seen her dressed up countless times before, but in that particular moment, she took his breath away. “You look … wow, Rey …”

Reyna smiled as she looked him over; he had changed into a pair of black dress pants and a white dress shirt complete with a tie. “You changed, too.”

“Of course,” he grinned. He could see the confusion in her expression and offered his arm. “Come with me.”

Liam guided Reyna up to the private rooftop terrace of the penthouse. When they stepped out, Reyna was met with soft music, and her eyes widened. Liam had it decorated with flowers, candles, twinkling lights, and white and gold balloons. “Liam,” Reyna choked out, “what is all this?”

“I was going to offer to take you to your prom, but when I talked to your parents, your mother informed me that you had already given your ticket away. So … I decided to create a prom for you …” Liam offered her a smile and turned, grabbing something off the ledge. “My research on proms told me I should give you one of these.”

“You did research?” her voice cracked, and Liam nodded and took her hand, slipping a white rose corsage onto her wrist. Reyna’s vision was blurred as she looked up at him. “Liam, I …” She trailed off, finding it hard to speak over the lump in her throat.

Liam smiled as he brushed a tear from her cheek. “I know it’s probably not the prom you had envisioned, but-”

Reyna cut him off with a shake of her head. “It’s not … it’s better,” she tearfully smiled.

Liam took her hand and gestured to a nearby table that was set for two. “My research also told me there’s typically a dinner involved before the actual prom.” Reyna glanced around the decorated terrace, still in shock, as Liam guided her to the table; he helped her into her seat before taking his own. He lifted a large cloth off the center of the table to reveal a pizza box from her favorite pizzeria, and Reyna let out a laugh as she wiped the tears from under her eyes. “It said fancy dinner, but this seemed more -”

“Us,” they said in unison and smiled. “Jinx.”

“It’s perfect, Liam. All of this --” Reyna motioned around “-- I-I can’t believe you came all of this way … and did all of this for me …”

“I just wanted you to have your night to remember.” Liam smiled, seeing Reyna’s eyes glistening in the soft terrace lighting. “I do have something your prom wouldn’t have had, however.” Liam reached down next to him and lifted a large bottle of Cordonian apple wine with a grin. “They wouldn’t serve you this.”

“Definitely not,” she giggled as Liam poured them each a full glass.

****

After consuming the entire pizza and two glasses of wine each, Liam loosened his tie and stood from his seat as a slow song started to play. He offered Reyna a lopsided grin and his hand. “Dance with me?”

Reyna took Liam’s hand, and he led her to the center of the terrace; he gave an exaggerated bow, and she laughed before looping her arms around his neck as his arms wrapped around her waist. She rested her head against his chest as they started to dance.

Reyna still couldn’t believe that Liam had made the long flight from Cordonia just to make this night happen for her. She swore any time she was with him, those secret feelings she held since she was 16 grew, but this made that unrequited love she had for him even stronger. This was one of those moments that, if she could, she would capture and hide it away just to relive it.

Reyna glanced up at Liam, unable to stop her smile as he returned his own. She perched on her tiptoes and pulled him down, pressing her lips to his. It wasn’t anything they hadn’t done before: a kiss under the guise of alcohol to mask their true feelings. Liam pulled Reyna closer, so there was no space left between them as they became lost in that one perfect moment. When she drew back, she stared up at him, reminding herself that they were just friends.

“Thank you, Li,” Reyna whispered.

“For what?”

“For giving me a night that I won’t forget.”

Liam smiled as he stared down at her. “I’d do anything to make all of your nights like this, Rey …”

******************************

This is part of my Always You universe. If you’d like to be added or removed from tags, please let me know!

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#wacky drabbles celebrates 100 weeks #wacky drabbles #trr #choices trr #the royal romance #choices the royal romance #trr liam #trr fanfic #trr fan fic #trr fanfiction #choices trr fanfic #trr au #trr au fanfic #choices trr au #liam rys #king liam rys

[sirianasims]

Chapter 32

Never Grow Up

Less than a year later, Samuel and I were married.

The wedding was everything I’d dreamed of. I’m sure our parents would happily have paid for an enormous wedding if we’d asked them to. But that wasn’t our style.

All I wanted was a small, intimate affair with our closest friends and family while I said ‘I do’ to the love of my life. We rented the Myshuno Observatory. It almost felt like my grandma Cora was with us in spirit.

Even Charlie showed up. I knew it meant a lot to Samuel, although his brother couldn’t stay for long.

At least he was there for the ceremony, and he came over to congratulate us afterwards.

He said he had a flight to catch, his band was on tour at the moment. I suspected that he was also trying to avoid talking to Colten and Kailani.

I wondered if Charlie actually preferred his solitude, or if he secretly wanted to be a bigger part of his family than he was.

I was grateful that I got along with my own family, especially my sister Grace. I couldn’t believe that she would be starting high school after the summer, it felt like yesterday that I’d taught her how to cross the monkey bars in our backyard.

By the time Grace and I headed inside for the reception, Charlie was gone and Kailani was talking to Jessica. Jessica had volunteered to do the decorations, beautiful blush-coloured roses everywhere, my favourite.

We kept the wedding alcohol-free for my dad, and Griffin and Daria had offered to do all the food for us as a wedding gift. It was impressive, the entire menu was vegan since Griffin had also stopped eating meat after his first visit to the cadaver lab during medical training. I didn’t blame him, it sounded horrific. Samuel hadn’t seemed as bothered.

Over by the cake, Conrad was making my dad and Cecilia crack up with outrageous anecdotes. It was strange to see my parents interact with each other. It had happened before, of course, they had celebrated my birthday together a few times when I was younger, but I couldn’t remember if they had been in the same room since my mom and Conrad moved to Del Sol Valley.

Looking at the four of them now, it was impossible to tell that things had ever been bad between my parents. Still, I couldn’t imagine two people less likely to work out. They both had a certain desperation to them, and they both needed someone to temper them, not stoke the flames.

Conrad, with his extravagant approach to life, gave my mother a safe outlet, a way to release all that intensity so she didn’t blow up.

Cecilia, kind but unwavering, calmed my father down and turned his particular brand of chaos into something less destructive.

But who was I?

Was I like my dad, prone to holding on in an attempt to do the right thing until I finally self-destructed?

Or was I more like my mother, desperately trying to make people love me until I gave up and left them in the dust?

I needed to do better than both of them. I wanted everything to work out. I shook my head lightly, trying to chase away the dark thoughts. This was my wedding day, why was I only thinking about disaster?

I went to find Samuel. He pulled me close and kissed me.

This was what I needed. My husband.

Samuel would temper me, like Conrad and Cecilia tempered my parents.

We would be fine.

By the time we were back in our bed that night, I was both exhausted and deliriously happy.

I took Samuel’s hand, marvelling at the ring on his finger.

“I can’t believe we’re actually married.”

He sent me a mischievous smile.

“Me neither. But you better let go of my hand. I need it for something.”

I was glad that we’d had some practice over the last year, otherwise I might have chickened out of my wedding night completely.

Samuel was gentle, always making sure that I was satisfied.

A small part of me wished he’d be a little less restrained, that he would lose himself in it, the same way he made me lose myself, but it was still good.

beginning / previous / next

#duchellilegacy #duchellichapters #duchelligen4 #freya duchelli #jessica clemons #samuel ward #griffin hart #daria moon #conrad richards #katherine gilscarbo #eric duchelli #cecilia bell #kailani ward #colten smith #charlie ward #grace duchelli

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

An egg-cellent day for an adventure

It's another fun filled day of baking sweet treats at the camp as we've got a surplus of eggs to use up. Good thing Emilia decided to drop by along with her daughter Michele Toni for a well deserved mother-daughter weekend. I was hoping for the day when Emilia would stop by for a visit and now she's here!

(Psstt... Andrea, Selene, Paget, Lena, Rini, Malka, Kate, Annie, and Luciana- camp's open all year round for visitors so if you can, come on over!)

Along with collecting eggs scattered across the camp and making baked goods, Emilia's also filming a travel-style vlog for her channel Emilia Eats. She mainly does recipe videos with an occasional vlog, something she's been doing for about ten years now. Along with making videos Emilia runs a local catering company of the same name.

I've always loved Emilia's cooking and baking - it's one of the many things I look forward to when I visit home - second to my mom's, of course. Also I love her videos as she's got a sweet personality that makes me feel enthusiastic about baking. I've saved a lot of her recipes for reference and sometimes I just like watching her videos just to see old friends like Serena, Tony, and Michele.

I'm glad to see Emilia in a much better place. We caught up a bit at the wedding, where I got to know Michele Toni a bit more as well as catch up with her dad. The past few years have been rough on them but now it looks like things are finally settling down for Emilia and Mr. Phillips.

Little Michele Toni's so cute, she's almost like a mini-me of Emilia. Hard to believe she's a toddler now and it's so cute seeing her take an interest in baking! I always love seeing her "cooking" alongside her mom in various videos.

Around the time before Michele Toni was born, Emilia was going through a rough time. Up until then, the Phillips-Conrad family were a happy bunch. The family had a bit of unwanted publicity as Mr. Phillips was, and still is, a big name in town, so the fact that he, a white man, adopted two young black girls was something the media wanted to dig up dirt on. Truth is, there was nothing to stir up - Emilia and Michele's mom and Mr. Phillips were good friends and he was always like a father figure to the girls. Both didn't have much living family so they assigned each other as godparents to their kids.

For years they were a happy family - Emilia, Tony, and Michele. Tony was the one who helped Emilia get started with her channel, teaching her how to film and edit videos as well as get more views. Michele was the one who helped Emilia come up with recipe ideas and in the videos where she's featured, the two would often talk about their mom. Emilia always spoke fondly of her as did Tony while Michele would listen intently when the two told stories of the past. Those videos are always bittersweet to watch, especially now that Tony and Michele are gone.

Things changed when Tony went off to college, traveling abroad and rarely coming home. Michele also went abroad and later got caught up in a hectic, stressful lifestyle, leaving Emilia in Rosevine balancing her life as a baker and a Galaxy Fighter. We all had a feeling that Tony and Michele were going to leave while Emilia stayed so it was expected that the three would go their separate ways. They were still a close knit family though - none of us suspected that something was wrong.

The deaths of Tony and Michele were a huge shock to the community. Both were struggling with alcoholism and drug addiction as their lives took a toll on them. Tony died from a drug overdose and Michele drove off a bridge, both were at their lowest point due to unlucky breaks. Then months later Serena died in the Crystal Shadow War so in that time span Emilia lost her siblings and best friend.

It was a difficult time for everyone. I was also going through some rough patches myself so you can imagine how bad it was. Pretty much everyone I knew from home was going through a terrible time because the universe somehow decided to be a dick and throw all these tragedies at us.

Thankfully, those days are behind us. Months later I opened the camp, Emilia and the other Galaxy Fighters had their spirit revived thanks to a band of adventurers - I guess you can say the darkest hour is just before dawn. Not everything's perfect right now, but we're all doing a lot better, and that's what matters.

Along with some new friends sort of turning Rosevine upside down, Emilia was in for another unexpected turn. Not too long after Serena's death, Emilia started seeing some guy who wasn't good for her. Then Michele Toni was born and she was probably the best thing to ever happen for her mom and grandpa in light of the tragedies that plagued them. It wasn't until last year when Michele Toni made appearances on Emilia's channel and stole the show. Seeing the two of them bake together makes me so happy - and I'm glad that Emilia finally feels comfortable embracing her role as a mom.

Michele Toni had a lot of fun bringing us eggs she found while exploring the camp, her favorite place being the beach. Emilia says her favorite hangout spot is Sunburst Island because it reminds her of her family's summer home in Watercolor Vineyards. I've never been there but from how she, Tony, and Michele described it, the island sounds beautiful!

While sightseeing and scavenging for eggs, Emilia filmed for her vlog and caught me and Daisy Jane  up on everything that's been going on at home. Selene, Arianne, and Vitoria are up to the usual, their latest adventure happened to be with Team Magic involving smoke screens, zombies, and frozen tidal waves. Kate's got a big tennis match coming up while Malka has a concert in a couple weeks. Rini and her grandma are doing well, running the shrine as usual and planning for their yearly spring trip to Tranquility Falls. Lena and Annie are busy at the hospital saving lives and helping others. Paget's doing all right, holding her own, taking it one day at a time. Andrea and Robin are doing their best too, keeping up with Selene and the others. Luciana's checking in on everyone as usual, coming to the rescue in the nick of time.

Hunting for eggs was a lot of fun! Emilia showed off her powers a little for the campers. As a Galaxy Fighter, she's Guardian Cyclone and her powers involve manipulating air into wind, creating powerful blasts that can be as strong as a hurricane. Since a good batch of the eggs are in hard to reach places (Why, Zipper, why?), it's a good thing we have Emilia here to help her out because she's currently the tallest person here right now, she's an agile climber, and can use her powers to drop eggs that are impossible to reach. In a stroke of luck, not a single egg was broken - and we were kinda rough with them.

Once we were satisfied with the amount of eggs we collected (maybe not satisfied but you can only collect so many eggs before you get annoyed by them popping up everywhere you go), it's time to get cooking! For savory dishes we made a bunch of quiches to put many of the eggs to good use and so we can freeze them for later. We made a bunch of different kinds - spinach and feta, four cheese, kimchi, salmon and cream cheese, shakshouka, garden veggies, sausage - it's a good thing we labeled everything! Of course, we used Emilia's trusty old recipe for a buttery, flaky crust that's not only delicious, but easy to make and freezes well.

The desserts was where we went all out. I happened to score a nice bargain with a barrel full of perfect peaches so we made a lovely pie with those. Daisy Jane taught us how to make egg tarts, a sweet treat I haven't had in forever. Coco made carrot cake cheesecake bars, Claude baked a giant quadruple chocolate mousse cake, and Dora made a lovely assortment of digestive biscuits to go with freshly brewed tea. Emilia made up a recipe on the spot - lemon vanilla cardamon bars - which turned out really good.

Since the lemon vanilla cardamon bars were such a hit, Emilia's gonna make a recipe video of it - at the camp. I still can't believe that Daisy Jane and I are gonna be on Emilia Eats - first for the vlog, now a recipe video! It's taken her years but Emilia plans to get most, if not all, her friends to appear on her channel. She plans to get Team Magic on next as she's planning a video with Mariposa and Skully, developing a recipe with Angie, figuring out what she wants to do with Luna that won't blow up the kitchen, and waiting on Pippa and Willow.

I can't wait to see what Emilia Eats has in store because Emilia's been knocking it out of the park lately! Her videos have always been consistently good but in the past few months she's been putting a lot more heart into it. Even when times were tough, Emilia always managed to put on a brave face. I remember watching her videos during those times, how despite everything that was going on, Emilia continued making recipes. We all have our different ways of coping with grief and hers was to continue with business as usual, which can be a good and bad thing.

Hanging out with her and watching her play with Michele Toni, I know for sure that Emilia's going to be all right. We can't undo the past and bring back lost loved ones, but we can carry on. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but I think I see a little bit of Michele Toni's aunt and uncle in her. She's definitely got her mom's heart and spirit.

After a fun day of collecting eggs and baking, it's time for a well deserved bonfire dinner of quiches, seafood chowder, and freshly baked sourdough bread. Then tomorrow will be more egg hunting, baking, filming, and good old camping fun!

#animal crossing #animal crossing pocket camp #Diary of a Junebug #headcanon ramble

[tiny-maus-boots]

Queen of Hearts pt 7

As a rule, Aubrey never let anyone insult or try to intimidate her. She had been bullied and been a bully so she was familiar with all the ways to cut a person down with no more than a glance. It’s why she wasn’t the least bit phased by the idea of facing the Conrads, they were polite bullies but bullies just the same. She glanced to her right at Lilly holding her Halliburton briefcase then back at the large front door that was swinging inward. A housekeeper stood just inside, smile pleasant and calm. Aubrey tipped her head in a shallow nod of greeting, her voice a low, warm burr.

“Hello Louisa, are Mr. and Mrs. Conrad home?”

“Miss Aubrey, how unexpected.” She looked past Aubrey and Lilly toward the driveway then frowned slightly. “Miss Stacie isn’t with you?”

“No, I came to see the Conrads on my own.”

One dark and perfectly tweezed brow raised in silent question. Louisa was a kind enough person, she certainly seemed to feel real affection for Stacie, but it was clear she was the gatekeeper and none would pass unless she approved first. Aubrey didn’t expect to get that approval simply because she’d shown up last time and been announced as Stacie’s girlfriend. Louisa and the Conrads themselves didn’t really know her. And that was precisely why she was there now. She wanted them to know exactly who she was.

“And what should I say your visit is regarding?”

While she respected the woman’s backbone, she didn’t really feel like explaining herself. “Personal matters.” Louisa’s eyes narrowed slightly judging and measuring her. Aubrey stood there patiently waiting for a moment before she opted to explain further. “Regarding Stacie.”

“All right. If you’ll follow me.” Something passed across the woman’s face, a slight softening of her features and she gave a slow nod of agreement. She led them down the same hall Aubrey had been before, taking them to the large drawing room at the end. “Please make yourselves comfortable and I’ll see if the Conrads are available for guests.”

“I would like to speak to Mrs. Conrad first and alone if possible, please.”

Another raised brow but a slow, uncertain nod was her only response. Lilly, her silent shadow, walked around the room, eyes roving over everything in it. Louisa watched her for a moment then turned and left, presumably to find the Conrads.

Aubrey settled herself on couch, casually stretching an arm along the back of it. She wasn’t scared exactly because she wasn’t afraid of anything really. But she was nervous. Helene Conrad was an imposing figure and one she hoped to win over. If for no other reason than to hopefully ease the tension between Stacie and her parents. Or. At least. Her mother. The blonde seriously doubted that August Conrad would come around to accepting her in any part of their lives.

The grandfather clock along one wall ticked by exactly in time with her watch with metronomic proficiency, each second passing loudly in the otherwise quiet room. It wasn’t a very long wait but enough to ratchet Aubrey’s mild nervousness to a slight panic making her want to loosen the suddenly chokingly stiff tie and collar. There was a chance Helene would never accept her, causing the rift between mother and daughter to widen to a gaping chasm. The thought of that caused her lips to pull down into a frown.

Stacie already had a difficult relationship with her parents, Aubrey didn’t want to do anything to make that worse. She might not have all the advantages and money that Stacie had growing up but she had at least had one parent that encouraged and cared for her. A parent that taught her to be the person she was with patience and understanding. A parent that accepted who she was without question simply because she was their kid. One parent that would have fought the whole world to protect her. Compared to Stacie, Aubrey felt rich for having a dad that loved her unconditionally.

If her dad had been alive maybe it would be different. Maybe this wouldn’t be as important to get right, because in the end Mickey Posen would have treated Stacie as his own. She knew her father would have swept Stacie into a welcoming hug the second he set eyes on her. The frown eased back into the blank neutrality of her poker face as soon as her ears picked up the muffled sound steps.

Helene came around the corner to the room and stopped to take in the sight of Aubrey looking entirely too at ease on her couch and Lilly looming in the corner giving the other two women a modicum of privacy. The older woman gave her a mildly assessing stare and let that perfectly bland smile settle onto her face.

“Miss Posen, to what do we owe the pleasure of such an unexpected visit?”

It was politely said but Aubrey could hear the annoyance in it. She showed up unannounced and Helene Conrad wasn’t above pointing it out. The blonde gave an easy smile and let out a calming breath before she raised her shoulder in a half shrug.

“I thought it prudent we speak; I would have made an appointment to see you and your husband but I didn’t want to run the risk of getting the run around.”

“Touché.” Helene dipped her dark head in acknowledgement that Aubrey would indeed have gotten the brush off. “Would you care for some coffee or a beverage?”

She honestly wasn’t thirsty and she wondered if Helene was offering it just to be polite. Aubrey considered it a tick before nodding slightly as she stroked a hand down her tie to smooth it into place, if it were being offered it would be rude not to accept.

“Tea would be lovely if you have it.”

The other woman gave her a measuring look before turning to Louisa with nod and a quiet thank you. Though Stacie might not agree, she was clearly her mother’s daughter. The resemblance was striking in more than looks alone and Aubrey found herself smiling softly at the curious tilt to Helene’s head and the slightly narrowed gold-flecked green eyes she levelled at the blonde.

“I get the impression you prefer to be frank, so let us cut to the chase. Why are you here Miss Posen?”

“I came to apologize.” It was the very last thing that Stacie’s mother had expected judging by the long slow blink she gave. Aubrey leaned forward a little with earnest intention, her elbows resting on her knees in a pose that had Helene raising a brow. “We left dinner so quickly I didn’t get a chance to thank you for your hospitality and…I never intended to cause a scene. I wanted to say I’m sorry about that.”

“Your humility is admirable and appreciated Miss Posen.”

It wasn’t a lot of a leader and but Aubrey knew it meant something to the other woman. She gave a dip of her head in a nod of acknowledgement and sat back as Louisa returned with a tray of tea. She waited to be served then took a sip before smiling her thanks at the housekeeper. Louisa left quietly closing the drawing room doors shut behind her but the quick inquisitive look she gave Aubrey as she left gave the impression that the woman heard every word ever spoken in that house.

“Stacie’s happiness is important to me Mrs. Conrad. I would never intentionally cause her to be hurt or embarrassed.”

“I think you believe that.” Helene took a sip of her tea and shrugged. “Be that as it may, the truth remains that you are a criminal Aubrey. You make your money off illegal activities and sooner or later, intentionally or not, it’s going to catch up to you and you’re going to get my daughter killed.”

She respected the directness even though it was a punch to the gut. Aubrey let the scalding tea cool a little longer, staring into the depths of her cup for several seconds as she weighed her words carefully.

“As I understand it, you and your husband weren’t this concerned about her safety when Weston was putting his hands on her.” The sudden silence made the tick of the clock sound thunderous. The blonde raised her eyes to meet Helene’s and waited as the woman worked through her outrage at the comment. “You know what the police found, what he was. He would have killed her sooner rather than later the way he was going. Do you honestly think she was better off then?”

“That was…regrettable. Of course, we never wished for Stacie to be in that situation but perceptions-“

“Perceptions mean a lot to you and your husband. I know. You can’t be seen openly accepting her life no matter how happy she is now, or how safe with me she may be. Right? What would people think?”

The older woman stayed silent as Aubrey placed her cup down gently on the tray and nodded her understanding of the position the woman was in. She wasn’t judging her for what she hadn’t done to protect Stacie in the past, she was simply acknowledging what was more important to the Conrads.

“You’re not quite the woman I expected you to be Aubrey.”

Aubrey raised her chin a little as she stood and straightened her tie. “No? What were you expecting?”

“A liar and among other things a brute.” It was surprising and she frowned in confusion. “I’ve met my fair share of liars, you’re not one. You’re nothing like he was.”

It was startling and she raised brows nearly to her hairline in question. Aubrey slipped her hands in her pockets and blinked at the still seated woman. Helene Conrad’s poker  face was nearly as good as Beca’s and Aubrey couldn’t read anything in it. She assumed the ‘he’ was Weston and that being different was a good thing.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The smile was faint and fleeting but Aubrey was sure she’d seen it. She found herself re-evaluating her and wondering if Stacie’s mother might one day come around. Either way it was as much of an endorsement as she was going to get from the woman she suspected. Aubrey sighed softly and nodded feeling like she needed to say something in case there was any lingering doubt.

“I love her, Mrs. Conrad. Like I have never loved anyone or anything in my life. Lei è il mio sole, il centro del mio universe. It means-“

“I know what it means. And…if things were different…”

It was a theme in her life and Aubrey gave a short nod of understanding. If things were different, she wouldn’t be under a federal investigation, Beca would be her best man, and Stacie’s parents would love her more than they loved themselves and their reputations.

“I’ve asked her to marry me.”

“So, you’re asking for what? Permission or a blessing?”

“No, because we’re gonna get married with or without it. I came here to tell you that despite perceptions, I hope you’ll show Stacie that you care about her happiness and attend the event. She loves you very much.” Something passed behind Helene’s eyes but Aubrey couldn’t read the emotion in it with how quickly is disappeared. “Thank you for your time Mrs. Conrad, if it’s all right I’d like to see your husband now.”

Helene studied her a moment longer then placed her cup down and stood. Aubrey followed her to another room across the hall with Lilly still trailing behind them. The heavy oak door was closed and she could just barely hear the murmur of a man’s voice rising in frustrated anger from the other side. The brunette woman stopped and turned to really look at her one last time, still searching Aubrey’s face for something only she knew.

“He’s…obstinate.”

“Is that a warning?”

She didn’t answer, choosing instead to knock on the door and push it open. August Conrad looked up from the papers on his desk and frowned when he saw them standing there. He dropped the heavy pen on his desk and grunted.

“I’ll call you back.” Stacie’s father reached out and hung up the phone before leaning back in his chair and gesturing to Aubrey. “Posen. What do you want?”

Helene gave her a look and exited the room. Aubrey nodded and Lilly moved silently to the corner. The door closed with a click and she sauntered closer to the desk. It was different facing him, than it was Stacie’s mom. He was never going to approve of their relationship or accept Aubrey. She knew that and wasn’t there to try and bridge any gaps between him and his daughter.

“I’m here to talk business.”

“Business? As far as I’m concerned, we don’t have any business. You’re just the crook trying to get a slice of someone else’s pie.”

The tiny voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like Detective Mitchell made an entirely inappropriate comeback but she only gave the barest twitch of a smile. It was just too easy and truthfully, she didn’t want to fall into the trap of playing his game. She didn’t wait to be offered a seat, Aubrey just settled into the nice plush chair across from him and crossed one leg over the other.

“That is exactly what I expected you would say in front of your constituents. But they’re not here right now and neither are the cameras.” She gestured around the otherwise empty office negligently as if he hadn’t noticed there was no one to grandstand for. “Do you know why I’m so good at the work I do Mr. Conrad?”

“I wouldn’t even begin to imagine.” He leaned back in his chair watching her with interest despite himself. It caused a muscle in his cheek to twitch with irritation.

“Research.”

“I’m sorry?”

She smiled slightly at his deliberate obtuseness and tipped her head slightly to the side in deep measuring thought. It made him uncomfortable and the cheek muscle spasmed again. People like August Conrad were never as clever as they thought they were.

“You see people come in and out of our lives so frequently that it’s hard to know who you’re really dealing with. In my particular line of work not knowing who you’re dealing with can be more than just a little dangerous, it could be devastating.” He gave her a bored look and she smiled wider. “I imagine you must go through the same thing with so many people clamoring to get your attention.”

“What the hell does that have to do with the price of tea in China?”

The bluntly unimpressed glare let her know he hadn’t put the dots together yet. Aubrey felt the amusement drain from her face even if the smile held steady. He wasn’t a stupid man by any means but he underestimated her and that was a mistake.

“I research everyone that I think might have a potential impact on my life. Including you Mr. Conrad.” She could see his feathers ruffling as he sucked in a breath to respond with but she waved him off. “Please. Let’s not pretend you don’t have a private investigator doing the same for you. The difference is I have access to information you won’t find on any credit report.”

“I don’t know what you’re implying or what you think you know but you won’t catch me caught up in anything untoward. I take my oath to public service and the office seriously.”

What started as an occasional twitch in his cheek was now a rapid uneven flutter of constant movement. His tone and his demeanor were right but his tell gave him away and she gave a slow nod as if she accepted him at face value.

“Weston was your money man, wasn’t he?” A glimmer of unease flickered in his eyes and she tsked softly. “I heard through the grapevine that he stole a lot of money from his clients.”

He said nothing, in fact he didn’t even breathe. She was treading to close to something he was worried about and she knew it. Aubrey drummed her fingers idly on her knee letting the silence stretch between them. She could feel him slowly suffocating in it as his anxiety rose high, pressuring him into speaking to break the quiet around them.

“Are you implying something Posen?”

“Not at all.” For a second, he seemed to breathe in a short sigh of relief but her lips quirked again in amusement as she casually gestured toward him. “Of course, if you had lost money, I’m sure you could recoup it from your campaign fund. But that would be illegal and you’d have to account for those funds somehow before too long. And you would never do that would you?”

August Conrad licked his dry lips and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. His right hand came up to scratch lightly at the ever-present twitch. “No. I would not.”

“Of course not. Only crooks like me think that way, right?”

They stared at each other for a long minute, the new knowledge that they weren’t so different filling the space between them. She raised a finger and gestured for Lilly to come forward. Aubrey stared at him as locks on the briefcase clicked and popped open. The hinges gave a soft creak with the rising lid and he couldn’t hold her gaze any longer. His eyes drifted to the open case and widened at the cash lined in neat perfect stacks. It was impossible for him to hide the greed that twisted his distinguished features.

“What is this? A bribe?”

“Consider it a campaign contribution.” Aubrey jerked her chin at the desk and Lilly set the briefcase on it directly in front of him. It was too much temptation and he reached out to stroke the cash reverently. She stood easily and started for the door stopping to look over her shoulder at him. “I can be a very generous friend Mr. Conrad. We could help each other.”

He snorted at that and pulled out a stack to count the bills. Arrogance made his chest puff out as he tossed the money back into the briefcase negligently. It was the height of disrespect and he was just so damned sure of himself. Like every other politician and crook she’d ever met.

“She’ll hate you for this. Buying her off like a whore won’t win you any favors, Posen.”

Aubrey froze with her hand on the doorknob, her spine rigid with the flash of sudden anger. Her head turned slowly until she could pin him with an icy stare. She turned fully, deliberate steps bringing her to the front of his desk. One hand slowly pushed the lid of the briefcase shut as she leaned forward threateningly.

“The only whore I’m buying here…is you, August. I’ll call you when I want you to do something for me. And you’re gonna do it with a fucking smile on your face because you don’t ever want to disappoint me. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

A fine tremor made his jaw tremble as he nodded quickly and Aubrey nodded in return. She eased back and tugged her vest down with a settling sigh before looking at her watch. She didn’t have time to hurt him and it would be counterproductive. A threat would work just as well as a beating in this case.

“And August? You call my future wife a whore again and I’ll cut out your tongue and hang you with it.”

She didn’t have to look back at him to make sure he got the message, Lilly playing with her butterfly knife was clear enough. He slumped back into his leather chair with relief the second she had stepped out of the office. It hadn’t been the opened armed acceptance she’d hoped but it could have gone worse. Still it gave her a better understanding of her soon to be in laws and her heart panged in her chest for Stacie.

“Family dinner tonight, Lil. Make sure everyone knows, hm?”

Aubrey couldn’t make up for the way Stacie had grown up but she could make sure it was just a distant memory. Maybe they were just a band of violent criminals. But they were a family, her family…their family. And that was more than anything that the Conrads had ever been to Stacie.

[frvyas]

「olivia holt & cis female」⇾ nilsen, freya, the junior radcliffe student’s records show that she is a leo and 21 years old. she is studying marketing, living off-campus and can be assured, exuberant, facetious & remiss. when i see her i am reminded of a missing mother’s found necklace, sleeping through well-intentioned alarms, automated ‘to accept this call, press 3 now’ messages seemingly on loop.

ella again! with her second character. again if u would like to plot, smash that like button and i’ll hit u up!!

(addiction tw) freya’s comes from a family that has plagued lovell for years with their stunning reputation! father, conrad nilsen, was a menace and there was more than enough stories about him from his heyday. mother, holly koch, came from a family where everyone was constantly at each other’s throats. holly dealt with the drama of it all through drug use. as was common in holly’s family, an accidental pregnancy was the next step and thus, freya was born. their happy family of three didn’t last long. the reasons as to why her parents just ditched her are plenty if you wanted to explore them! a real baby is scarier than the idea of a baby, conrad had non-baby plans and holly wanted to follow after him, and finally, addiction is a bitch. freya grew up in her aunt fiona’s care for the majority of her life.  

it’s not as if her parents suddenly disappeared from existence, although freya prefers pretending that they did. it’s easier to deal with them as nondescript figures in her life. and, at the end of the day, they ditched her. in reality, collect calls from correctional facilities let her figure out that her dad’s been locked up. memories of a woman in youth that looked so much like her and so much like fiona proved that holly was still in and out in lovell. freya also remembers that holly never acknowledged her as her own before disappearing once more. she never figured out if it was done purposefully or if it was because that’s just the way her mother functioned. that being said, all potential contact with either parent was short and brief and freya learned to not let it mean anything. there hasn’t been any substantial contact for years now either way.

as for freya’s aunt, she was on the younger side when she took freya in and as she was being raised, it was more of a weird friendship/sibling sort of relationship rather than a proxy mother-daughter one. that meant freya had too much freedom, but it also meant there was a lot of screaming matches between the pair and a lot of times freya was left directionless. her aunt also loved serial dating so there was a lot of strange men in and out. not the most reputable guys either, but truth be told those men were providing them with financial support, so fiona was never quick to let them go. 

very independent. freya has a lot of practical smarts, although most of the time it’s used for nothing good (knows how to shoplift without getting caught, can talk her way out of most things, knows how to get what from who). she’s someone who does what she wants! discipline is foreign to her and god forbid if anyone tries it. in typical teenage fashion, heightened by the fact that life was set up for her to fail, she’s always had this aura of apathy. her general approach to life is to accept it as it is but make sure she’s having so much fun as well. of course, as most people do, there was an inkling of yearning there. the shiny gold possibility that she didn’t have to become another nilsen-koch lovell deadbeat staple hung at the back of her mind. that she could possibly get out and have some dreams was encouraged by a few teachers. so she ended up trying as much as she could possibly try in her last few years of high school and proved to herself that she wasn’t completely useless. although, it was soon clear that getting into a good out-of-state college requires more than just making an attempt -- extracurriculars and money and other obvious yet non-obvious things that freya lacked. at the end of the day, her best option was the local college at radcliffe, which wasn’t a defeat by any means cause she had made it and it was college. still, she was stuck in lovell. she decided to major in marketing after her sophomore year. good at numbers and can talk the talk baby.

kind of always has her foot out the door though. it didn’t take long for freya to fall back into old habits because her life is her life. there’s always a lack of money, another man fiona’s caught up in, another wrench thrown in the works. her education has been spacey and has cracks, and i’ll be honest, i don’t think she’ll make it to graduation but she’s here now! unfortunate bc she’s the kind of person who could accomplish things if she cared or tried, but the problem is that she does not and no, she will not ask for help! she refuses to take anything seriously.

other fun facts is that she’s a leo! she knows how to have fun and knows how to track down a party. i don’t think she’s someone that would ever bring the mood down. like i said she doesn’t really get Deep about things so if your muse needs someone to fuck around with freya is your girl. if your muse needs help with something serious, she is not your girl! her general relationships and friendships are all over the place. i think she’s someone who doesn’t make much of an effort in anything, but will also be totally fine picking things up weeks later. there’s a handful of relationships she holds closer than the rest, though. careless with people and things. catch her in your muse’s favorite sweatshirt that went missing a week ago. currently working at the local diner, which she has been for a few years now. been known to pick up shifts in place of classes. follows paris hilton’s advice of screwing things up the first time so you don’t have to do them again. currently living in an off-campus apartment with lana, maggie, and rosa and lana frequently covers her part of the rent (blows her a kiss).

#ruhqintro #addiction tw

[yespolkadotkitty]

Breathless, pt 11

Part 10 here

The moon hung, heavy, waxy in the sky, as you watched Conrad check and load two weapons.

“Where did you get those?”

He smiled over at you, his gaze enigmatic. “If you know where to look, who to ask, it’s not so hard.”

The man was a master of understatement.

He offered you what looked, to your untrained eye, like the sort of handgun they used in spy films.

“This is a Glock. Do you know how to shoot?”

You took it carefully, looking at it like it might bite you. “Uh… point and pull the trigger?”

His lips curved, a little. “Aim, too.”

You chuckled; he was lifting the mood again, curling the fear out of you a little, bending it so it didn’t bite so much. “Yes, Sir.”

His gaze darkened ever so slightly, and you thought, pulse kicking up, I’ll dig a bit deeper into that if we survive whatever happens now.

You both dressed quickly, leaving surplus belongings in the room. You’d come back for them, if you were able.

Conrad pulled you in for a quick, hard kiss by the door, and you drank him in, your fingers tangling in his short, thick hair, your tongue dancing with his. You spread your arms over his back, hugging him tightly, trying to compress the feel of his lean, solid warmth into your muscle  memory.

When he let you go, you saw sadness in his gaze.

“Whatever we find, we’ll still have each other?” he asked, cupping your chin.

“Always.” You had no idea how he would fit into your life, but you would make any sacrifice for it to happen. To have him would be to need little else.

You left the little hotel. All was quiet; the ferry didn’t run this time of night. Animals chattered in the darkness as you passed a fast food outlet with a few tourists milling around outside, drinking beer. The moon shone down as you crossed the bridge together, the temple illuminated by small floodlights by the pillars, likely places for tourists who came by in the evenings or early in the morning.

The steps to the temple were wide, not too steep. Conrad held up a hand, and you recognised him put on what you thought of as his game face. Eyes like a hawk, all senses alert. He crept up the steps to where the huge, heavy wooden doors, ornately painted, stood open. The darkness yawning between them like a tomb.

Your own heartbeat sounded loud in your ears as you followed Conrad up the steps. The courtyard through the huge, ornate doors waited, empty. At the right side a little gate had been left ajar. Conrad jerked his head towards it, silent. You nodded agreement. The night here was so still, like a heavy cloak, you were almost afraid to breathe out.

You both slipped through the gate. The Glock felt heavy, tucked into the waistband of the back of your jeans. You hadn’t been sure where else to put it, where it wouldn’t be completely obvious. Maybe it was, anyway, as you weren’t used to firearms.

Neither was your kid brother. Or was he?

Beyond the gate, more steps led to a smaller temple. You looked up. Conrad held up hand up, fist clenched. 

“I see movement,” he whispered.

Your stomach freewheeled for a moment.

“Ready?” he asked.

You nodded, although you had no idea what would greet you.

In the end, your worst fears both were and were not realised. In the smaller temple, Ben and Trish sat on one of three low wooden benches. Ben stood when you entered the doorway, his hair tousled. A few days’ worth of stubble hugged his jaw, and he looked so much like your dear, departed father that a sob escaped your lips.

Conrad glanced at you, concerned.

A few days ago, you’d have run into Ben’s arms, held him tight, cried for his safety. Now you stood stock still. 

He looked…. Fine. Not trapped or co-erced.

Wearing a Malay tie-dye dress, Trish smiled coldly.

“Hey, sis,” Ben said, his tone flat. “You can call off your attack dog.”

Anger rose inside you at his words. “I don’t think I will, yet. Why all this cloak and dagger stuff?” you demanded. 

You let your gaze trail over him in the darkness. He was still your brother, and yet… not. A stranger clothed in your brother’s body, speaking with Ben’s voice.

“Why do you think?” he asked, lazily.

You had the feeling that the rug was about to be pulled from under your feet. “I really don’t know, Ben,” you hissed, struggling for calm. “I’ve wasted a lot of money, trying-”

“Money! It’s always about money with you, isn’t it?” He exploded, eyes shooting daggers. “And control of it.”

Trish glared silently.

You opened your mouth and shut it again, speechless. Finally you asked, “What? If you needed money, I’d have given it to you.”

“Would you? I get an allowance. Like a child. You control it, and me. I’m a grown man, I don’t need to be kept like a dog on a leash by my sister,” he seethed.

What? It was late, you were tired. “I don’t..”

“Of course you don’t, you stupid bitch. Mom and Dad doted on you. The super smart, pretty first child. Left everything to you, left you in control of what I did. I had to go to Harvard to get the allowance, had to do everything by the book, while you got to run free.”

You listened, aghast. “But Dad’s will… that wasn’t anything to do with me, Ben.”

“The hell it wasn’t! You all wanted me to be the perfect image of a well mannered, polite little rich boy, without my own free will. I want to be truly free.”

You glanced at Trish. Had she orchestrated this? It was hard to say. 

“Why lure me here?”

“I had to get you away from all of it.” He gestured to Trish and she slid a small laptop out of a canvas bag. “Make you see sense. I just want freedom, sis. To be myself, with Trish. Money would help.”

Trish opened the laptop and tapped a few buttons.

“Just transfer some of the Trust fund to me.”

You gaped, then shut your mouth, hearing the click of your teeth. “I…. I can’t.”

Ben glanced across at Trish.

“Of course you can,” she snapped. 

“No, I really can’t.” Your hands itched to reach for the gun, but what good would it do? “What’s this about, Ben?”

He sighed dramatically. “You think it’s easy? To live in your fucking shadow? Dad’s shadow? To be told at Harvard - oh, your father would’ve known how to behave. Your father would have done it like this. I’m not my father!”

He roared the last bit, and tears burned the back of your eyes. “I miss him too, Ben. But you can’t just escape-”

“Yes, I can. Trish and I are going to have big adventures where no one cares who my father was or what my last name is. I can be free of his judgement.”

Your heart pounded. “You can’t know-”

“I know that you took over after they died. Did everything. Poor Ben, Ben is so sad, he needs help-”

“You did need help!” you shout back. “Anyone would have!” Any reservations you might have had about Conrad seeing your family drama play out had disappeared with your fears for Ben’s mental health. “Just take a step back, Ben. Please. I can help.”

“I’ve had enough of your help,” he quavered, pulling a gun from the back of his own cargo pants. Your heart just stopped. “Just do it.”

“I can’t. You can have all my money-”

“I want mine!” he snapped, the gun wavering. 

“Ben,” Conrad began. “Losing loved ones is very hard on anyone, let alone losing a parent.”

“Shut up!” His hair and eyes wild, Ben shook the gun. “What do you know? You’re just a rottweiler for hire.”

Conrad stood perfectly still, not rising to the bait.

Trish took the laptop down to you, holding it out. “It’ll take seconds.”

Your heart jumped. Sweat trickled down the back of your neck. “I really can’t. I want to help you, Ben, but-”

“You’re just like Dad!” he shouted. “He wanted to help. But what happened? He left you in charge.”

“What are you not telling me?” you asked, your voice low, but carrying across the near-silent temple floor.

“I told Dad I wanted to be free. Didn’t want to go to Harvard. Wanted to explore for a few years. He said I should be more like you. Responsible. Make something of myself. But I was sick of living in your shadow.”

Your stomach sank like a stone. “Did you….”

He laughed, a hollow sound. “Did I kill them? Fuck, no. I loved them. But they didn’t understand me. I’m not a lawyer, or a congressman. I just want to be free. And then their deaths sealed my fate. I wouldn’t get any money unless I graduated.”

“I don’t understand…”

“I’m failing, okay? I can’t make the grade. And Dad’s lawyer came to tell me there’d be no trust fund money in three years’ time unless I graduate.”

Oh. You hadn’t known that. “You can have my money.”

Ben’s gun hand stopped shaking for a moment. “Another handout from you? Wouldn’t that make you happy?”

“No, Ben, it wouldn’t,” you sob. “I don’t have access to the funds. I really don’t.”

He lifted the gun, and you realised that he was probably having a fully fledged nervous breakdown. Did Trish know? Was she using it? Had she known all along?

“Please, don’t make me do this. If I die, you don’t get anything.”

He smiled grimly. “Surely if you die, I’m the sole heir.”

Oh, God.

You held a hand out.

“If you pull that trigger, I will put a bullet in you,” Conrad told Ben, voice eerily calm.

“It’ll be over, either way,” Ben said softly, his eyes wet.

Everything happened at once. Two shots, Ben’s body on the ground, Trish’s, too. The laptop screen shattering into a thousand shards. And Conrad shouting.

****

You came to in a stark white hospital bed, your vision blurry. When you blinked, clearing it, you saw Conrad sitting next to you. You jerked fully awake.

“Ben! Ben?”

“He’s alive,” Conrad told you softly.

The hospital room smelled of antiseptic and fresh, sea air.

“We’re in Kuala Lumpur,” he added.

“What happened?”

“Easy. You’ve got a concussion from where you fell. You’ll hardly believe this, but it seems that Bill grew a conscience from when I saved his life. He’d had us followed. When Ben pulled the trigger, I jumped at him, pushing him in time for the shot to go wide and hit Trish. It only grazed her arm. She’s in another room. You fell back on to the stone floor. A second later, Bill and two of his…. Associates arrived in the temple, and thank Christ they did, as three of us needed medical attention.”

You breathed in deeply. “He’s not well, Conrad.”

“I quite agree. I’ve had a long chat with Trish.”

You winced on Trish’s behalf, angry with her, but knowing that a chat with Conrad would have been fairly terrifying. “And?”

“She’ s harmless. Along for the ride, and the wealth. A groupie,” he said sadly. 

Your heart ached. “I think a long visit with a doctor is on the cards for Ben. Does he hate me?”

“If he does, you’ve done nothing to deserve it,” Conrad reassured

“How was Bill involved?”

“Ben promised him a big cut of whatever you transferred,” Conrad growled. “I guess in a way, following us was, in his mind, protecting an investment.”

Tears burned your eyes. “Oh, Ben. I should have paid more attention.”

Conrad soothed you, kissing your forehead. “You only loved him. What he did with that was his business.”

You lay back on the pillows. “All that’s left now is to go back and pick up the pieces of my life. I guess.”

Conrad stroked your hair back. ��Our life, I rather hope?”

Love bloomed in your chest. “I don’t know how we’ll fit together, Conrad. Do you?”

He stood up from the chair and pulled something from his pocket. A little piece of card. He unfolded it to reveal a single pressed flower from the Botanical Gardens, the stem long. As you watched, confused, he took your hand and tied the long, soft stem around your ring finger. His blue eyes lit with mischief. “I don’t have all the details yet, love. But I hope you’ll let me spend a lifetime figuring them out with you.”

THE END.

Thanks to @hopelessromanticspoonie​ for the beta!!

And thanks to EVERYONE for coming on this journey with me. I hope the ending was OK.

Tagging: @just-the-hiddles​ @lotus-eyedindiangoddess​ @peacope​ @lady-loki-ren​ @vodka-and-some-sass​ @nonsensicalobsessions​ @amarisyousei​ @jessiejunebug​ @villainousshakespeare​ @arch-venus25​ @myoxisbroken​ @xxloki81xx​ @wiczer​

#james conrad fic #imagine james conrad