𝐕𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐄, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐫𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫.

035.

sitting on a random curb, a thin material covering their exposed bodies, barefooted.

cindy prayed that jeremiah would put speed on it, shivering slightly at the cold weather.

she lifted her head at the sight of jeremiah's bright colored jeep, conrad's car parking opposite of his, both brothers frantically exiting the vehicles.

"oh, my god, cindy, are you okay?" jeremiah hurried over, running his eyes over her confused expression.

she nodded, flicking her eyes over at conrad, "what are you doing here?"

"nicole... she told me about, um..." he trailed off, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

taylor scoffed loudly, narrowing her eyes at the brunette boy, who handed the girls the bag he had. "i hope you told her to watch her back."

the boys held up the larger blanket-like material as the girls got dressed.

she gulped, turning to her friends after they'd got dressed, "are you cool if i go with jeremiah?"

they both nodded quickly, fully on board with it. "oh, my god, are you kidding me? yes. thousand percent yes."

cindy flashed the girls a smile, trailing behind jeremiah as the two girls got into conrad's car.

she helped herself into the bulky truck, shutting the door softly as jeremiah hopped into the drivers seat, the engine rumbling.

jeremiah breathed out softly, turning towards the girl slightly, "so i heard conrad may be taking you to the ball."

"who told you that?" cindy furrowed her eyebrows. "well, he's not. i still don't have a date." cindy insisted, looking at him as he drove, his jaw clenched, "can you pull over?"

jeremiah glanced at her, "yeah."

the car came to a stop, jeremiah shutting the engine off as he faced her with concern.

"thank you for coming to get me." cindy smiled softly, feeling her heart rate pick up as he stared at her.

"i'll always come and get you." jeremiah assured her.

cindy glanced down, "can you hear that?"

"hear what?" he tilted his head.

"my heart's pounding." she giggled, leading his hand to touch her skin, holding back a breathe at the touch.

"yeah it's beating really fast." jeremiah nodded.

both of them leaned forward, their lips meeting in a kiss as jeremiah slightly lowered his hand.

"you sure?" jeremiah had to make sure the girl wanted this.

"yeah," cindy nodded, her voice barely above a whisper.

the two leaned back in kissing for a few seconds before cindy pulled back.

"so will you go with me to the deb ball?" she laughed and jeremiah just kissed her again.

that was her answer.

—

cindy laid on her bed, browsing through netflix shows, contemplating which one to watch. when her phone suddenly chimed, interrupting her browsing.

curiosity piqued, she grabbed her phone and glanced at the text message from conrad. "u up?" it read.

a mix of emotions swirled within her as she quietly slipped out of the door, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she made her way towards the dock. conrad's eyes met hers.

facing him, she crossed her arms, her voice laced with a mixture of frustration and vulnerability. "stop texting me. it's triggering. bad things happen when you text me."

conrad's expression shifted, and an air of defeat washed over his features. cindy almost felt a pang of sympathy for him. "i know. i know. i'm sorry," he apologized, his voice filled with remorse. "i feel like i keep doing the wrong thing when it comes to you. this is yours."

her gaze shifted downward, and she noticed the tiffany box he held out to her. memories of stumbling upon it in his junk drawer a few weeks ago flooded her mind. with a gulp, she reached out and took the box from his hand, flipping it open.

cindy's fingertips brushed delicately over the silver jewelry, tracing the curves of the infinity pendant. it felt both familiar and foreign in her hands, a symbol of the connection the two had shared.

"uh, you don't have to keep it or... anything," conrad stuttered, his gaze shifting between the wooden deck floor and her hands cradling the box. "you could throw it in the ocean, burn it. i... i just..." he trailed off, struggling to articulate his thoughts.

"what?" she asked, her voice just above a whisper

conrad rolled his lips into his mouth, finally mustering the courage to meet her gaze directly. "i just... don't want to lose you."

cindy had waited for this moment her whole life.

reaching out, she cupped his hands in hers, guiding the delicate piece of jewelry from her palm to his, closing his fingers around it. their eyes locked, and she fought back tears, focusing on the depths of his gaze. with a gentle smile, she mustered the strength to speak her truth. "it's too late."

she couldn't let the same thing that happened with matt to happen with jeremiah too.