𝐕𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐄, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐫𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫.

030.

jeremiah stared down at cindy from the poolside ledge as he flashed her a smile, "is this one of your solo night swims, or can i join?"

"sure," she nodded, a mixture of surprise and curiosity lighting up her face as she watched him shake his head before gracefully diving into the water. his wet curls clung to his forehead as he resurfaced, the water glistening on his skin.

he swam closer to her, keeping a small gap between them, he tilted his head to the side, his gaze fixed on her. "are you sad you broke up with matt?"

"no, it, um... it was the right thing," cindy insisted. she nervously tucked her hair behind her ear, biting her bottom lip as jeremiah continued to gaze at her intently. "what is it?"

"it's nothing," he gulped, momentarily breaking their eye contact before looking back at her. the weight of his words hung in the air. "everything. you're my best friend. there were times i wanted it to be more."

cindy's lips parted in shock, her head spinning with the realization of his confession. her eyebrows furrowed softly as she struggled to find the right words. "really? uh... why didn't you say anything?"

"well, there was always conrad," jeremiah hummed, his voice tinged with a touch of regret. "then, this summer, it was matt. and i guess i was just waiting."

"for me?" cindy mumbled, a mix of nerves and excitement coursing through her.

jeremiah fisher had waited years.

jeremiah nodded, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "yeah. do you think you could ever..."

but before he could finish his sentence, cindy smiled, her eyes shimmering. she inched closer to him, shaking her head slightly. "yes."

susannah swore that she was destined for conrad. but here she was, inches away from kissing jeremiah fisher.

their lips connected, a surge of electricity coursing through their bodies. his hands found her waist while hers wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer. the water lifted her slightly, granting her a momentary height advantage over the boy. gasping for breath, they reluctantly pulled apart, their faces flushed.

cindy could feel the heat in her cheeks as jeremiah gently held the side of her face, their laughter mingling in the night air. in that moment, they knew that their friendship had transformed into something more.

"guess i'm the prince charming now," jeremiah smirked, his eyes sparkling with delight.

"shut up," cindy rolled her eyes playfully, unable to hide her happiness as jeremiah leaned in to reconnect their lips. he had been waiting for this moment his entire life.

turns out all along cindy had been in love with the wrong brother.

jeremiah had always been there, dropping hints.

author's note, how the tables have turned