𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐍² , 𝗧𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗣.

love affair, 2

we walked back into the kitchen after staying a long while outside. mom cleared her throat gaining everyone's attention.

"i owe you all an apology. you guys have been there for each other, and i haven't, and i'm deeply sorry for that." mom said.

"we've all made mistakes, mom." belly said, quietly.

"well, my biggest one is trusting that susannah and julia had come to an agreement about the beach house before she passed. it's probably too late to change things, but i'd like to try. I'll talk to julia, see if i can change her mind." mom said.

"thank you, mom." steven said.

"thank you, laurel." jeremiah said, walking to her and hugging her.

"you're welcome." mom said.

"before my mom gets here, though, we should probably try and make this place look less... shitty." skye said. everyone agreed.

"now, that, i'm thinking about it. i'm sick to clean." i said and fake coughed.

"haha." jeremiah said, sarcastically before throwing a clean cloth on my face.

"can i at least have an advil?" i asked.

"check my bag." mom said.

"yeah and also check if she has a secret stash of candy in it." steven said.

i turned around hearing the door open and i yelped, running to my mom. ignoring the complaints julia let out, my mom spoke.

"hey, julia, thanks for coming." she said.

"uh, skye didn't give me much of a choice, so..." julia said.

"can we have a chat while the kids clean up?" mom asked.

"okay." julia said and then walked away.

"chop chop, kiddos." i said, sitting on the counter and grabbing a water bottle.

"ew, is this vommit?!" steven yelled, looking at a spot on the floor.

"blegh, disgusting," i said.

-

everyone, minus me, stopped cleaning when mom and julia walked back inside.

"i've.. decided to pull out the sale." julia smiled. i smiled and looked at steven as skye ran to hug julia. jeremiah picked up belly and pinned her.

"let's not celebrate yet. we still need to convince your dad to buy the house from julia." mom said, as she took out her phone and went to call adam.

i grabbed the trash bag belly told me to take out. i walked out to see conrad aswell. "after you." he said, i smiled and dropped the trash bag inside. nd then he did.

"i, uh, wanted to talk to you about last night." i said, collecting up the courage. he nodded.

"i... i know that the last year had been hard for both of us -- all of us -- because of susannah's cancer and then her passing. it was something that we should've talked it out instead of hurting each other, constantly. i love you a lot, conrad, and you made me happy and feel love in the small moments where we just happy boyfriend and girlfriend. other than that, you and i have hurt each other." i spoke.

"i've had a crush on you for 11 years and it sucks that we didn't spend the time we had when we were together, happily. this week i had spent with you, connie, it made me realize that maybe we-we are just better off us friends. because i've noticed that we don't hurt each other." i said, my throat was burning and my heart was hammering against my chest.

he stayed silent, just looking at me. i couldn't read his expression or his eyes. he was always good in hiding his emotions. 

"maybe we weren't meant to be.. and if we were than maybe.. we'll find each other again. in the future. when we've grown and learned." i said.

"no.. no, don't say that because it doesn't happen." he said, shaking his head and i grabbed his hands, stepping close.

"connie. it- that's not the point. the point is.. let's not hurt each other more with these hidden emotions and countless and not talked about hook ups. i hope you understand what i'm trying to say." i said. he didn't say anything, my grip on his hands slightly tightening.

"friends?" i asked. he stayed quiet, didn't say nor do anything for a while before he nodded.

i smiled, a little and hugged him. he hugged back, tightly for a long while before i pulled away and walked inside.

-

the six of us stayed hidden behind a wall as mom talked to adam. 

"oh, i'm not here to back you up." i heard mom say which instantly bought a smile to my face. "i'm here to back up the boys. you can't let them lose this house, adam."

"well, it's done. julia sold it." adam said.

"actually, i, um, changed my mind." julia said, walking into the kitchen.

"okay, well." adam chuckled, "lets get something straight here. i'm not letting them lose anything. this has been out of my hands since the start. so don't go make me the bad guy." just as adam said that conrad was about to walk out but me and jeremiah stopped him.

"i'm not making you out to be anything." mom said. "i'm trying to help you."

"let someone else try to solve a problem for once," jeremiah whispered.

"so, what? you're just going to dissolve the trust and gift the boys the beach house?" adam asked, probably julia.

"no, she cant do that. she has a child of her own to consider." mom said.

"yeah, well, i'm not gonna squander their trust to buy this house and frankly, i'm surprised that you would support that." adam said.

"when did i ever say that? i just want you to move some money around to buy it for them." mom said.

"what?" adam asked.

"fair market value, terms negotiable, of course." julia said.

"i think, um, i'm gonna go now, because that's not happening, end of story." adam said and my fist clenched.

"you know what? i have a question for you." julia said. "why is it that those boys have been trying harder for the last three days to save this house than you have in the last several weeks?"

several weeks?!

"adam, listen to me-"

"no, shut up, laurel. you don't have a vote in this, okay?" adam said, how fucking dare he? conrad looked at me as i controlled my anger.

"i know suze made you feel like this house is part yours but it's not." adam said and this time we couldn't stop conrad and he walked out.

"where do you get off saying that shit like that?" conrad asked as we followed after him.

"con.. it's for the best." adam said. "did you really think railroading me would change my mind?" he asked, looking at my mom.

"excuse me, but fuck you!" she answered, i smiled.

go mom.

"all right, all right." julia said.

"suze wouldn't want us fighting like this." he said, i scoffed at the audacity.

"you have no idea what she would want!" conrad exclaimed. "you lost her a long time ago."

"can't you get past your own grief and see what it means to the boys?" mom asked.

"look, i thought it will be better this way. easier for everyone if we let this place go." adam said.

"easier for you." conrad said.

"yeah, being here is hard. it's hard." adam said.