The Summers After

fifty-one

CONRAD
7 YEARS AGO

"I'm really happy for you, Con," His dad says softly.

Conrad looks down at the engagement ring, sitting perfectly in the black velvet box, the one his mom wore for so long. His eyes start to well up with tears, "I can't believe she isn't here for this."

His dad puts his hand on his shoulder, "I know. Me either."

Conrad quickly wipes a tear from his cheek, "She always rooted for me and Belly. She would have been so happy."

"I know your mom and I couldn't really make it work, and I wish we could have set a better example for you. I made so many mistakes, and I know you're going to be a better husband than I ever was."

Conrad looks at his dad, "I hope so. Belly deserves that."

"She does," His dad says definitively, "You're a lucky man."

Conrad smiles. The thought of Belly always makes him smile, and he is lucky. He feels like the luckiest guy in the world.

The front door opens, and Conrad and his Dad both look in the direction.

"Yo!" Jeremiah's voice travels through the house.

Conrad swallows. His stomach flips. He has to tell Jeremiah that he's proposing to Belly. It shouldn't be a huge surprise, but he has to imagine it's going to hurt like hell.

"We're in the kitchen, Jere!" His dad calls.

Jeremiah comes walking in, "Hey,"

"Hi," Conrad says softly.

Jeremiah and Conrad have had a rocky relationship since Jeremiah and Belly broke up. Conrad never wanted to hurt Jere, but he couldn't keep skirting the inevitable. His love for Belly. It was always there, whether they were going to talk about it or not.

"What's up?" Jere says, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge.

Conrad doesn't want to skirt around it, "I'm proposing to Belly."

Jeremiah stares at him, not moving, their eyes just locked. Jeremiah finally nods, slowly, "Okay."

"That's it?"

Jere shrugs, "What do you want me to say? Congrats?"

"I don't know, maybe," Conrad is slightly offended. He knew this wasn't going to go well.

"Fine," Jeremiah spits, "Congratulations. I'm very happy for you both."

"Jere," his dad warns.

"Maybe I'll wait until your wedding day and then profess my love for her," Jeremiah adds.

"I can't keep apologizing for that."

"What?"

Conrad huffs, "It's been 4 years, Jere. Belly and I have both apologized. Would it kill you to be happy for us?"

Jeremiah glares at Conrad, "I'm happy for Belly. Because I want her to be happy. You, I could give a fuck about."

Conrad shoves away from the counter and starts to walk out of the room. Their dad stands up, "That's enough. Both of you."