All The Summers Between Us | TSITP

The Space Between Then And Now.

The drive to Cousins was just as it had always been—winding roads carved between tall green pines, the faint salt of the ocean creeping into the air before you even saw the water.

Lydia rolled down the window as they passed the last bend, her chest tightening at the familiar stretch of beach that appeared in the distance. Four summers had come and gone since she'd last been here. Four years since the house had been full of laughter and late-night secrets and a kind of love she hadn't known how to name.

And now she was back. Older. Changed. Spoken for.

"You okay?" Daniel asked, glancing at her from the driver's seat. His tone was gentle, the same steady calm that had anchored these last four years.

Lydia nodded, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yeah. Just... weird being back."

He reached over and squeezed her knee. "I get it. But it's going to be a good day."

She wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe that walking back into this world she'd left behind wouldn't feel like pressing on an old bruise. But deep down, under all the smiles and assurances, her heart was restless. Because today wasn't just about memories. Today, she was going to see him.

————

The backyard looked exactly as it had four years ago. The hydrangeas were in full bloom, the air heavy with the smell of sea salt and fresh-cut grass. Laurel and Adam were setting up tables near the garden, Jeremiah and Belly were laughing by the rose bushes, and Steven was manning the grill with Taylor stealing fries off his plate.

"Lyd!" Belly squealed, spotting her first. She ran forward and wrapped Lydia in a hug so tight it knocked the breath from her chest.

"Oh my god, hi!" Lydia laughed, hugging her back.

"It's been too long," Jeremiah said, grinning as he pulled her into a hug next. "Look at you, all grown up and fancy."

"I'll take that as a compliment," she teased.

It felt like no time had passed—and yet, every second of the last four years hummed beneath the surface. Daniel said hello to each one of them, one by one, they had met him before, Conrad was the only one who had no clue about Daniel, having lost contact with Lydia. He was charming and polite, warm in a way that put people at ease almost instantly. Laurel hugged him. Jeremiah shook his hand. Belly beamed. Adam shook his hand. And still, there was one person missing.

"Is he—" she started, but before she could finish, the back gate creaked open.

Conrad stepped through.

For a heartbeat, the world slowed down. He was taller, broader, older. California sun had kissed his skin bronze, and his hair was slightly longer, falling into his eyes the way it used to when he was too lazy to get it cut. But those eyes—they were the same. That deep, storm-green gaze that had once felt like home.

"Hey," he said softly when he saw her.

"Hey," she breathed back, her voice catching in her throat.

There was a pause—small, suspended, and impossibly heavy—before he took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her. The hug was brief but grounding. When he pulled back, his smile was warm, but his eyes searched her face like they were trying to memorise it all over again.

And then Daniel walked up.

"Hi," Daniel said, holding out his hand. "I'm Daniel."

Conrad blinked, caught off guard. He shook his hand slowly, confusion flashing in his eyes. "Conrad."

Daniel smiled. "Nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot."

Conrad's gaze flicked back to Lydia. She opened her mouth to say something—anything—but the words stuck.

"Yeah," Conrad muttered.

————

Dinner was set up on the long wooden table out back—plates of grilled shrimp and salad, Laurel's famous potato salad, bottles of wine and lemonade sweating in the summer heat.

The evening sunlight stretched golden across the yard, laughter echoing against the salt-heavy breeze.

Conrad sat between Jeremiah and Belly, trying—and failing—to focus on Jeremiah's story about work. Across the table, Lydia was laughing at something Daniel said, her hand resting slightly on his arm. It was a small gesture. Tiny. But Conrad felt it like a punch to the chest.

"So," Laurel said, cutting into the hum of the conversation, "how are the wedding plans coming along?"

The fork slipped from Conrad's hand, clattering against his plate. "Wedding?" he repeated before he could stop himself.

Lydia froze, her cheeks flushing. Daniel, oblivious to the tension twisting in the air, smiled.

"We're thinking in a couple months. Nothing too big—just close friends and family. Maybe a beach ceremony."

There it was. The word. Wedding.

It should have meant nothing—they hadn't spoken in years, and life had gone on. But hearing it... knowing it... felt like the ground shifting under his feet.

"Wow," Jeremiah said, grinning. "That's amazing, you guys."

"Congrats," Belly added warmly.

Conrad forced a smile, every muscle in his face aching with the effort. "Yeah," he said, his voice thin. "Congratulations."

Lydia glanced at him—just once—and the look in her eyes was complicated. Apologetic, maybe. Unspoken. But she didn't say a word.

————

When the night ended, the hugs were long and the goodbyes soft. Laurel promised to visit soon. Steven and Taylor left for a midnight swim. Jeremiah and Belly lingered by the car, laughing about some inside joke.

One by one, they drifted away—all except Conrad.

He stayed on the porch long after the last taillight disappeared down the road, the night heavy and still around him. His chest ached, his pulse unsteady. The starts above Cousins glittered like they always had, but they felt farther away now—unreachable.

Lydia was getting married.

And for the first time in four years, Conrad Fisher didn't know what to do with the pieces of his heart still tethered to her.