remember to vote and comment!!! this chapter is probably one of my faves <3
ten. as it was
you know it's not the same as it was
As the evening sun cast a warm glow over Cousins, Katherine sat in the kitchen, anxiously waiting for Sebastian to arrive for dinner. She had invited him over after their date at the cafe the other day, and now she couldn't help but feel both excited and nervous about spending more time with him.
Conrad, who had been moping around the house, ignoring her ever since he snapped at Katherine, couldn't help but notice her anticipation. He tried his best to hide his jealousy, but it was clear to everyone that he was not pleased about the new guy in Katherine's life.
As Katherine fidgeted with the table settings, Conrad casually walked into the kitchen. "So, this is a big night, huh?" he said, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Yeah, just dinner, with our family." Katherine replied, trying not to give away her own excitement. "You know, nothing too fancy."
Conrad raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Right, just dinner with a guy you met up with at a cafe. Nothing to be excited about, I guess."
Katherine rolled her eyes, not wanting to engage in an argument with Conrad. "It's just dinner, Conrad. Why do you care so much anyway?"
"I don't," Conrad shrugged. He walked out of the room.
Soon, Katherine realized that she had nothing to be scared of since the dinner went as well as she could have hoped for. Her family took little to no time to warm up to Sebastian. That is except of Conrad, who refused to speak to the boy.
As the lively dinner conversation continued, Katherine couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions swirling inside her. She tried to focus on the banter and laughter around the table, to Sebastian who enjoyed his food right next to her, but her mind kept wandering back to Conrad.
They were all celebrating Belly's birthday with a delicious feast of lobster. Susannag had gone all out this year, even arranging for special flower crowns to be made for the girls which Katherine really felt like a princess in.
"So Cam," Jeremiah broke Katherine's train of thought. "Do you mind if I call you Cam Cameron?"
The boy just smiled lightly, "Feel free. That's funny."
"Cool"
"I'm glad you're here, Sebastian and Cameron," Susannah grinned at the boys, "I know your moms from the club. You both are quite the buzz with the ladies, they think very highly of you."
"Thank you, Susannah," Sebastian replied, giving Jeremiah who was snickering a look, "My mom says hi."
The conversation continued as Laurel offered Cameron a Korean dish which was a birthday tradition in their house. She was careful in noting that she kept the food vegetarian as per his preferences.
"So why don't you eat meat, Cam Cameron?" Jeremiah playfully asked. Katherine knew he wouldn't try to bug Sebastian much since they were already friends but apparently, Cam was not as lucky.
The boy shrugged, his eyes meeting Belly's fondly. "The meat industry is like the number one contributor to global warming... and, uh, I like animals."
"Just don't come for my leather jacket," Taylor chimed in with a smirk.
Steven, never one to miss an opportunity for a joke, laughed, "I'm pretty sure you mean pleather."
Katherine found herself flickering her eyes between Taylor and Steven, feeling a hint of satisfaction rise within her. She didn't like the idea of them flirting because of Shayla but there was a part of her that had always shipped her cousin with the girl.
Jeremiah, seemingly unaware of the tension, continued teasing, "But, you know, Belly eats meat. So, you let her kiss you with those lips?" Katherine shot him a wide-eyed look as Sebastian grinned.
The playful banter went back and forth until Cam leaned in and kissed Belly, leaving the room in complete silence. Katherine tried to mask her surprise, but her heart swooned at how adorable it was at the sight.
"I'm sorry, I just don't understand why someone would want to kiss somebody who once fully shat in the bathtub," Steven burst into laughter.
Katherine couldn't help but join in, shoving his shoulder playfully. "Oh, shut up, Steven. You're the one who peed in the fireplace and stunk up the house for days."
Everyone erupted into laughter, and Steven tried to look indignant, but a smile spread on his face. "We were drunk. We were drunk," he defended.
"I had to blame the neighbor's cat!" Susannah added, causing even more laughter.
"So Sebastian... that's your name, right?" Conrad interrupted before Sebastian could even respond. He kept on speaking without giving the other boy a chance to answer, "Are you just planning to lifeguard, or do you have bigger ambitions in life?"
"Conrad!" Katherine put her cutlery down, annoyed at his behavior. "Could you, for once, stop being yourself?"
"No, no, Katherine, it's cool," Sebastian said with a calm demeanor. He had a positive aura around him. "I'm planning to study computer science after I graduate high school."
Before Conrad could reply back with some snarky remark, Belly tried to break out of the chaos and suggested, "You know, I think maybe we should go to Nicole's party."
Katherine jumped up from her seat, feeling a surge of excitement and gratefulness. "Yes! Let's go!"
Belly and Nicole had formed a new friendship, and while Katherine had no issues with the girl, she felt a pang of jealousy deep down. After all, it was hard to like the girl your ex-boyfriend, your first love, was now hooking up with. Anyways, Nicole seemed to like Belly more than she liked Katherine. To anyone paying attention, it was obvious that something lingered between Katherine and Conrad.
"Hey, Nicole. You look so pretty," Belly smiled.
"Me? Look at you. Oh my goodness. Are those real flowers?" Nicole pointed at the flower crowns on Katherine, Belly, and Taylor's heads.
"Yeah, Susannah picked them out," Katherine nodded.
"Incredible. Well, we have to show Gigi." Nicole linked arms with Belly.
"Yeah– yeah, totally," Belly nodded before turning to her friends. "You guys want to come?"
"Nah. You have fun over there," Katherine replied.
"Yeah, I'll just stay here," Taylor added, stepping a little closer to Katherine.
"How much do you wanna bet Belly's gonna forget all about us tonight?" Taylor muttered bitterly as they downed their first drink. Katherine didn't drink often, but today she felt like she needed some alcohol in her system.
"Hey, I know you came all this way to spend time with her, but she is actually making friends and talking to people, like you wanted her to," Katherine said, drinking the punch from the red solo cup. Her eyes darted to Conrad, who was having a drink a few feet away from them, oblivious to what was happening around him. Sebastian was with Jeremiah and Cam, who were having a little karaoke session.
"Conrad," she approached him, "We need to talk."
He looked up at her, his eyes drinking in the sight of her like a fine wine. She had been dressed in one of Taylor's dresses, and it was doing a great job of showing off her curves. Perhaps it was the booze she had been drinking, or the dress that made her feel so confident.
She followed him as he led them outside, away from the music. Her mind made a checklist of things she needed to talk to him about. She needed to tell him to lay off telling Sebastian anything or being so hard on him. Tell him so many things.
"What do you see in Sebastian?" He beat her to it and broke her from her thoughts.
As Conrad's question hung in the air, Katherine felt a mix of anger and hurt bubbling inside her. She took a deep breath to compose herself before responding.
"Why do you even care?" Katherine's voice wavered slightly, but she refused to let him see how much his words affected her. "You're the one who ended things between us, remember? You made it clear that you didn't want to be with me. And then sometimes you say it's a mistake and then you say 'you can't tell me'. Why do you care, Conrad?"
Conrad looked taken aback, as if her words were not what he expected. "I... I care because... because you are important to me," he stammered, his eyes searching hers.
"Important? Is that all I was to you? Just important?" Katherine's voice rose with each word, and she couldn't help but let her emotions spill out. "You can't just waltz back into my life whenever you feel like it, Conrad. You can't act like you care and then push me away again. And then say you care about me. You can't call us a meaningless fling, you cannot hide things from and you cannot fucking try to roast my date at the dinner table. You cannot say you care and then keep hurting me. It's not fair."
"I know, I messed up," Conrad replied, his voice softer now. "But you have to understand, Katherine. It was all too much, and I didn't know how to handle it. I didn't know how to be in a relationship. I can't tell you some things but I just couldn't back then."
Katherine felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she blinked them away, refusing to let him see her cry. "That's not an excuse, Conrad. You hurt me, and you never even bothered to explain yourself. I deserved better than that."
"I know, and I'm sorry," Conrad said, his voice sincere. "I never meant to hurt you. I just... I didn't know how to handle my own feelings, let alone someone else's."
"Well, you certainly know how to handle yourself now," Katherine retorted, feeling a surge of anger. "You seem perfectly fine with Nicole, don't you?"
Conrad's face hardened at the mention of Nicole. "It's not like that with her," he said defensively. "We're just... hanging out."
"Hanging out?" Katherine scoffed. "You're always hanging out with her, and you never gave me a fraction of the attention you give her. Conrad don't you get it? You are still hurting me and when I'm trying to move on, you won't let me. I want to like Sebastian and I want to fix the heart that you broke."
"Katherine, please," Conrad pleaded, reaching out to touch her arm.
But Katherine pulled away, not wanting to be swayed by his touch. "No, Conrad. I can't do this anymore. I can't keep letting you come in and out of my life whenever you feel like it. It's not healthy for either of us."
Conrad looked hurt, but Katherine knew she had to stand her ground. She couldn't let him continue to toy with her emotions.
"I still care about you, Katherine," Conrad said softly, his eyes searching hers.
"Then prove it," Katherine said, her voice steady. "You keep saying that but you never do anything about it. You try to be friends one day, and then ignore me the next. Prove that you care by giving me the space and respect I deserve. If you truly care about me, you'll let me go and let me move on."
Conrad looked torn, but after a moment, he nodded. "Okay," he said quietly. "If that's what you want."
"It is," Katherine replied, her heart aching but knowing it was the right decision.
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Conrad standing there, his emotions written all over his face. It was painful to walk away from him, but she knew it was the only way to protect her heart and find the happiness she deserved.
Katherine took a deep breath, trying to compose herself after the intense conversation with Conrad. She looked around the party, her eyes searching for Sebastian. When she spotted him chatting with Jeremiah and Cam near the karaoke machine, she made her way over to them.
"Hey, Sebastian," Katherine said, trying to sound casual despite the turmoil inside her. "Could you do me a favor and give me a ride home?"
Sebastian smiled warmly at her. "Of course, no problem. Are you ready to leave?"
"Yeah, I am," Katherine replied, grateful for his understanding. "Thanks for being my escape route."
"No problem at all," Sebastian said, offering her his arm. "Let's go."
As they walked out of the party, Katherine felt a sense of relief wash over her. Being around Conrad had been emotionally draining, and she needed some space to process everything.
In the car, Sebastian glanced at her, concern evident in his eyes. "Are you okay?"
Katherine managed a small smile. "I'll be okay. It's just... complicated."
Sebastian nodded understandingly. "Take all the time you need. I'm here for you."
Katherine felt a rush of gratitude towards Sebastian. Despite only knowing him for a short time, he had shown her kindness and support in a way that Conrad never had. With him, she felt seen and heard, and it was a comforting feeling.
"Thank you," Katherine said softly, her voice tinged with emotion. "I really appreciate it."
Sebastian reached over and gently squeezed her hand. "Anytime, Katherine. I'm here for you, no matter what."
As they continued driving, Katherine felt a sense of peace settling over her. She knew that healing from her past with Conrad would take time, but having someone like Sebastian by her side made her feel hopeful about the future.
As they arrived at her house, Katherine turned to Sebastian and smiled. "Thanks again for the ride."
Sebastian leaned towards her, his eyes darting to her lips, ""Anytime. I'm here for you Katherine."
Katherine leaned in too. This was happening. He liked her. She could like him too. Instead of giving a reply she just kissed him.
Their lips met in a soft and tentative kiss, a spark of electricity passing between them. Katherine's heart raced, but she felt a sense of rightness in the moment. The kiss deepened, and Sebastian's arms gently wrapped around her, pulling her closer. It was a kiss filled with both comfort and desire, a mix of emotions that had been building between them.
As they finally pulled back, both slightly breathless, Katherine's cheeks flushed with a mix of embarrassment and excitement. She looked into Sebastian's eyes, seeing a reflection of her own feelings.
"I... I'm sorry," Katherine stammered, feeling a little unsure of herself.
"Don't be," Sebastian said, a smile playing on his lips. "I've wanted to do that for a while."
Katherine and Conrad were sitting side by side on a large driftwood log, their shoulders lightly touching. The air was filled with a mix of excitement and nervousness as they both felt the unspoken tension between them. They had been friends for years, but something had shifted that summer, and they found themselves drawn to each other in a way they hadn't experienced before.
As the night grew darker, the stars emerged, twinkling in the clear night sky. It was a perfect night for stargazing, and Katherine found herself stealing glances at Conrad, wondering if he felt the same way she did.
"Do you believe in shooting stars?" Conrad asked suddenly, breaking the silence between them.
Katherine smiled, "I think I do. They say if you make a wish on a shooting star, it might come true."
Conrad chuckled softly, "You know, I've never actually seen a shooting star before."
Katherine's eyes widened in surprise, "Really? Well, let's keep an eye out. Maybe we'll get lucky tonight."
As they both looked up at the sky, Katherine couldn't help but feel a rush of emotions. She wanted to reach out and take Conrad's hand, to feel the warmth of his touch. But she was hesitant, afraid of what it might mean.
Just then, a streak of light shot across the sky, leaving a trail of brilliance behind it. Katherine gasped, "Look, a shooting star!"
Conrad turned his gaze towards her, his eyes shining with wonder. "Quick, make a wish," he said.
Katherine closed her eyes for a moment, her heart pounding in her chest. In that moment, she knew what she wanted more than anything. She wished for Conrad, for him to feel the way she did. She wanted him to like her the way she liked him.
When she opened her eyes, Conrad was looking at her with an intensity that made her heart skip a beat. Before she could think, before she could second-guess herself, she leaned in and kissed him.
It was a soft and gentle kiss, filled with all the unspoken words and emotions that had been building between them. In that moment, everything else faded away, and it was just the two of them, lost in each other.
When they finally pulled back, Katherine looked into Conrad's eyes, searching for any sign of regret or hesitation. But all she found was warmth and affection.
"Wow," Conrad whispered, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Yeah," Katherine breathed, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time."