just Conrad proposing to you WAYY better than Jeremiah ever could trust me and I didn’t really look over this story so there might be some mistakes
It started like any other late summer afternoon at Cousins — or at least, that’s what you thought.
The sky was that perfect, hazy blue that only exists at golden hour, streaked with soft clouds and the warmth of July. You hadn’t been to Cousins in weeks — not since school got so busy.
But Conrad had called you the night before, asking, “Come to Cousins with me tomorrow. Just for the day.”
You didn’t question it. When it came to Conrad, you never really could.
Now you were driving with the windows down, his hand resting on your thigh, the scent of salt and sunscreen already filling your lungs. Music played low on the radio, but he wasn’t singing along like he normally would. He was quiet. Not distant, just… quiet. Like he was trying to keep something inside.
You parked in the same driveway you always had, the house just as you remembered — white trim, sea-worn wood, and tons of summers past hanging in the air. But Conrad didn’t let you go inside.
“Come with me,” he said, his fingers lacing with yours.
You looked at him curiously. “Is this the part where you tell me you found a hermit crab and named it after me again?”
He smiled — that crooked, nervous Conrad Fisher smile — and shook his head. “No. Something better.”
You passed the firepit. The volleyball net. The log where you and he sat for hours talking about constellations and fears and forever. And then… you saw it.
Except now it looked like a dream.
String lights were hung around the posts. A blanket was spread out at the end, weighted down by candles in glass jars and hydrangeas that looked like they’d been picked with care.
“Wait,” you breathed. “What is this?”
He turned to face you, eyes soft and nervous and so full of love it almost hurt.
Before you could say anything else, he let go of your hand, dropped to one knee — and for a moment, the world just stopped.
Conrad Fisher — your Conrad — was looking up at you like you were the only thing he saw, kneeling in front of you with a velvet box in his hand.
“I’ve been trying to figure out what to say for weeks,” he began, voice low and trembling. “I’ve rewritten this in my head a thousand times — when you’re asleep next to me, in the car when a song reminds me of you, during random moments when I look over at you and realize all over again that I’m in love with you.”
“I don’t think I ever believed in soulmates — not really. Not until you. You changed everything for me. You were never just the girl I liked. You were the girl who stayed. When I pushed you away, when I pulled you in, when I shut you down — you were still there. You’ve seen me at my worst. And you never gave up on me. You reminded me that I was worth loving, even when I didn’t believe it.”
“I’m not perfect. I overthink everything. But you — you make me want to be better. You make everything feel possible. You make love feel like coming home.”
“I want every version of life with you,” he said, his voice thick now. “The messy parts. The mornings when nothing goes right. The nights when we’re just laughing on the couch, half-asleep with takeout. I want to fight with you and make up with you. I want to grow old with you, even if we still argue about who’s better at Mario Kart.”
You laughed through the tears, shaking your head.
“I asked your parents last week,” he added softly. “Your mom cried. Your dad tried to act tough, but he hugged me before I even finished asking.”
Your hand flew to your mouth.
“And now I’m asking you,” he said, finally opening the box.
The ring was a gold-and-silver stone. Beautiful. Classic. Him.
“So I’m not just asking if you’ll marry me,” he said. “I’m asking if you’ll choose me. Over and over. The way I’ve always chosen you. My forever?”
You dropped to your knees right there in front of him, face wet with joy, hands trembling.
“Yes,” you whispered. “Yes. Yes. Always.”
He let out the softest breath — part laugh, part relief, part sob — and slid the ring onto your finger.
And when he pulled you into his arms, both of you kneeling on that dock lit up with soft lights and candle flame, the waves crashing behind you like applause, you knew:
This wasn’t just the end of a love story.
It was the beginning of forever.
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