𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄, conrad fisher

𝟢𝟣𝟨. sparks fly

──────────── this love.
𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐃𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑, 𝘚𝘜𝘔𝘔𝘌𝘙 𝘏𝘌𝘈𝘛
𝟢𝟣𝟨. sparks fly

AFTER TATE DISAPPEARED to the house, she never returned and her and Conrad hadn't seen each other since their heated kiss by the outdoor shower. Tate was more than happy about it, she had practically been begging and waiting for it to happen since she first saw him when she got here, but everything got in their way. Now, it seemed there was nothing else in her way.

The sun had set and it casted a dark, ominous glow through the house. Susannah was asleep and Laurel was out. Tate had stopped by Belly's room, eager for a night swim but only to find her sound asleep in her bed.

Tate stepped out of the house and to the back and set her towel down before she noticed Conrad on the end of the dock, watching the fireworks pop in the air. She had a small smile on her face before her feet took on a mind of their own and brought her to him.

It was silent between them for the first few minutes. They both sat in silence and watched the fireworks, neither of them knowing what to say, but having so much they wanted to. "Jere was right," Tate says with a slight laugh. "The firework show truly is the best this year."

Conrad nods. "Yeah, it is pretty cool, huh?"

Tate nods and she looks at him, a small smile creeping on her face as he looks at her. Conrad smiles as well before a breeze comes through and gets caught in Tate's hair. He brushes a strand behind her ear and her cheeks flush a faint pink color.

She turns back to the fireworks and places her hands on the railing. Conrad notices and watches her for a few moments before placing his hand atop hers. She looks down at his hand and then him and they both smile as they intertwined their fingers.

Tate lays her head on his shoulder and they go back to watching the fireworks. "Hey, Tate." Conrad says after a few moments of silence.

"Hm?"

"That necklace really was for you. Not Belly." Tate picks up her head and looks at him. He looks down at her. "I didn't give you it because..."

Tate shakes her head. "You don't need to tell me, Conrad. You already told me—"

"I didn't." Conrad interjects. "You asked me and I avoided it. I avoided it and then kissed you, but I want you to know." Tate nods. "I got you the necklace because I wanted to tell you that... you and me... us... it's never going to be dead. There's always going to be an us, whether we want there to be or not. When I said we were infinite, I meant it."

TWO SUMMERS AGO !

Tate and Conrad sat on the roof of her room at nearly one o'clock in the morning that Fourth of July. Fireworks had been going on like crazy that year, and even at almost one, they were still going strong.

Tate had her head on Conrad's shoulder as he watches them with her. Their hands interlocked as they sat in a comfortable silence. The two hadn't talked about their kiss on Tate's birthday since Tate's birthday. They hadn't talked about it, but whatever chance they got, they took to their advantage. For the past two weeks, they've been stealing kisses in secret and swooning over each other from afar.

Now, they were enjoying each other's company while questioning what it meant. Tate wanted to be with him, more than anything. Every time she saw him her heart did cartwheels. She wanted to be able to call him her boyfriend and go on dates with each other and hold his hand in public. She wanted him, and she didn't know it, but he wanted her just as much.

Conrad pointed to the sky after a gnarly firework popped in front of them, lighting up the whole sky with it's neon colors. "Look at that one."

"Wow," Tate breaths. "It's beautiful."

Conrad looks at the girl whilst her head rests on his shoulder. "Almost as beautiful as you."

Tate's cheeks flush and she shakes her head. "That was so cheesy, Connie."

Laughter rumbles through him. "It's true. You're really, really beautiful, Tate."

Tate lifts her head and shakes it, hiding and stuffing it into the sleeve of her shirt. Conrad simply looks at her with hearts in his eyes. "Hey, Tate." Tate lifts her head and looks at him. He pushes her brunette hair behind her ear. "I really, really like you."

Tate smiles. "I really like you, too, Connie."

"Tate, I want to be with you. Like, I... I want to be your boyfriend and I want you to be my girlfriend. I want to be able to kiss you in public, and... and... and hold hands on the boardwalk. I just.. I want to—"

Tate cuts him off by pressing her lips to his. "You talk too much."

Conrad laughs as he pulls away from her. "I want you to be my girlfriend, Tate."

Tate bites her lip while her mouth creeps into a smiles. "Okay."

Conrad smiles at her and laces their fingers. They turn back to the fireworks and she rests his head back on his shoulder. "Should we tell everyone?"

Tate shakes her head. "Let's give it some time. See how we deal with if first."

Conrad chuckles. "Okay."

Silence fills the air between them as the fireworks reflect in their eyes. Tate sighs. "And, Conrad?"

"Hm?"

"This isn't a summer thing, is it? Like we'll still be together even when we're not in Cousins?" Tate picks up her head to look at him.

Conrad nods and looks down on her. "Summer won't change anything, Tate. No matter what season it is, no matter the weather, I'm still going to want to be with you. We're infinite."

Tate smiles. "Yeah. We are."

PRESENT DAY !

Tate blinks at Conrad as she recalls the memory from two years ago. She looks down at his hands and grabs them. "Conrad, I hope you know just how much that kiss truly meant to me. All I wanted was to know that my feelings weren't one sided, because it was driving me insane."

Conrad nods his head and grabs her waist, pulling her closer. "I know, Tate, and I'm sorry. Everything is messy right now and I know I've been a dick, but... God, I just... I can't get out of my head. I think about you all the time. I still want you, Tate. I never stopped wanting you."

Tate bites her lip and she looks at his eyes and then his lips before pushing herself to her tip-toes. He meets her halfway for the kiss, but as soon as their lips are pressed together, they're pulled apart by a firework flying merely feet away from them.

They chuckle together in disbelief and Conrad wraps his arm around Tate's waist and she lays her head on his shoulder. She smiles to herself as they watch the fireworks.

They are infinite.