𝐕𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐄, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐫𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫.

029.

"you're back," cindy's voice carried a mixture of relief and anticipation as she caught sight of conrad, who had returned after what felt like an eternity

conrad acknowledged her presence with a small nod, his attention focused on the paintbrushes he was gathering. the air between them was thick with unspoken tension, and cindy was determined to break through it.

"let me help you," she offered, stepping closer to him, eager to bridge the gap that had grown between them.

"how are you and your parents?" conrad asked, scratching the back of his neck, desperately trying to avoid the awkward silence.

cindy furrowed her brows, momentarily caught off guard by the unexpected topic. she pushed her lips out, trying to gather her thoughts. "my parents? we, uh, we're... we're good," she responded, her voice carrying a hint of confusion.

with a nonchalant "cool," conrad accepted the stained apron she handed him, shifting the focus back to their task at hand. cindy couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment at his detached demeanor.

she climbed back up the three steps, leaning casually against a column as she observed him. the words were on the tip of her tongue, ready to spill out. "i ended things with matt," she confessed, hoping it would prompt a reaction from conrad.

"really, why?" conrad asked, the lack of eye contact speaking for itself.

"last night, you and i kissed," she revealed, her voice quivering with a mixture of disbelief and hope.

"did we?" conrad keept his eyes locked down on the deck floor beneath him. "i was pretty wasted. i don't really remember much."

her laughter was weak, tinged with disbelief at the surreal nature of the situation. "wait... are you serious?"

finally, conrad met her gaze, flicking his ocean eyes between hers. he saw the anger gathering in her features, the hurt evident. with a shrug, he reluctantly acknowledged their shared moment. "okay, we kissed."

"what..." she trailed off, staring at him blankly.

"what do you want me to say, i'm sorry?" conrad's chin tilted up, his eyes searching hers for answers.

cindy's lips parted, tears welling up in her eyes, the ache in her chest growing. "are you sorry?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, longing for a definitive response.

"i don't know." conrad averted his eyes once again, his jaw clenched as he stared at everything but the girl in front of him, "i don't... cindy, i think about you. i do, and you know i do. i just...can't."

her heart shattered in that moment, the realization sinking in. here she was, back at square one. she crossed arms and tears threatening to spill, her voice came out harsher than she intended. "i'm not waiting for you anymore."

she was crying over conrad fisher again.

despite what jeremiah had told her, here she was.

cindy turned away, her footsteps echoing in her ears as she fled into the house, her room. she slammed the door behind her, locking it. the thought of facing conrad, made her feel sick. she crumpled onto her bed, burying her face in her knees, the weight of her emotions overwhelming her.

conrad didn't run after her, he just watched her run into the house.

even as a child, the moms had made predictions about cindy's future, convinced she would marry one of the fisher boys.

susannah always believed it would be conrad, whereas laurel and sophia always said it would be jeremiah.

susannah believed that the two balanced each other out. cindy was always the outgoing one, never stopped talking and conrad just sat there and listened.

sophia and laurel believed it would be jeremiah simply because the two were the same. they were both full of energy, constantly seeking adventure and laughter.

they had much more in common than her and conrad.