Chapter Text
Belly lay curled beside Susannah on the bed, her face damp with tears. This could be one of the last times she’d ever see one of her favorite people. The thought sat heavy in her chest — an ache pressing against her ribs, sharp and unrelenting.
Carefully, she slipped off the bed and went to find her mother.
“Hey, Bean,” Laurel said softly when she saw her.
“Mom…” Belly’s voice wavered. “Are the doctors sure that…”
Laurel nodded, eyes already glassy. “Yeah. They tried a new medication a couple of weeks ago, but it’s not working. The scans came back right before prom, but… we wanted you kids to have a good night.”
A chill swept through her. “A couple of weeks ago?”
Pieces started to fall into place — the way Conrad had looked when he visited her during spring break. Tired. Distracted. Not cold, just… elsewhere. He’d mentioned the doctors were trying something new. She’d done her best to comfort him, and he’d even smiled. She’d let herself believe that meant things were getting better.
But prom night had been different. He’d forgotten her corsage. He hadn’t asked her to dance. He’d barely looked her in the eye.
And she…
She’d been too caught up in the wonder of it all — in the fantasy of her perfect night — to see that he was falling apart.
He’d asked her to talk. Wanted to step outside, to get away from the lights and the music. To tell her something.
Had he known?
He must have. He’d known there wasn’t any hope left. And here she was, expecting him to play the part of her perfect boyfriend, pretending everything was fine.
Her voice cracked. “Mommy, I think I made a huge mistake.”
Laurel pulled her into a hug without hesitation. “Oh, Belly…”
“I need to go to Brown,” she choked out. “I need to fix things. I need to talk to him.”
Laurel kept her arms wrapped tightly around her. “First, you need to breathe. You can’t drive like this, sweetheart.”
Conrad lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
He should be home.
He needed to be home.
He knew Laurel had brought Belly to Boston this time — another sign. Another quiet confirmation that his mother was dying. That there wasn’t any hope left. That they were going to lose her.
He swallowed hard but didn’t move.
Somewhere in the background, he vaguely registered Trusky grabbing his keys and leaving the room. The door clicked shut behind him.
A few minutes later, it opened again.
“Connie?”
Conrad sat bolt upright.
He hadn’t expected to see her. Not here. Not now.
But there she was — standing in the doorway of his dorm room, still in her blue dress, his grandmother’s pearls resting gently against her collarbone.
“Belly?” he croaked, his voice raw with disbelief.
She didn’t speak right away. Just stood there, picking anxiously at her fingernails, like she wasn’t sure if she should take another step forward.
“Hi.”
“What are you doing here?”
She chewed her lip for a second. “I—I was talking to my mom, and…”
He watched as tears welled in her dark eyes, his heart sinking.
“I’m so sorry I was such a brat at prom,” she whispered. “I was being selfish. You knew, didn’t you? I wish you’d told me.”
Conrad looked down at his hands, then back at her.
“I tried to,” he said quietly. “That day I came to visit in March. But you were so happy. And it felt selfish. Like… like saying it out loud would ruin everything.”
He paused, voice cracking.
“And then I ruined everything anyway. I wanted prom to be perfect, but I forgot the corsage, and I forgot to tell you you looked beautiful, and I didn’t ask you to dance.”
He shook his head, shame flickering across his face.
“I really thought I could give you one perfect night before everything fell apart. But I failed.”
Belly crossed the room and sat beside him on the edge of the bed, close but not quite touching.
“You didn’t fail,” she said softly. “I was so mad at you. It wasn’t even about the corsage or not dancing. I thought… I thought you didn’t want to be with me anymore. That you were only taking me to prom because it’s what Susannah wanted and…”
Her throat closed up.
“I wanted to take you,” he said quickly.
He turned to look at her, eyes red-rimmed, voice breaking.
“But I was losing my mom. I am losing her. And I didn’t know how to be with you and hold that at the same time. I was terrified of dragging you down with me.”
She reached for his hand, threading her fingers through his. His grip was shaky, but he didn’t let go.
“You don’t have to hold it alone,” she said. “We’ll do it together.”
Conrad let out a shaky breath — something between a sigh and a sob — and leaned into her shoulder for a moment. Then, slowly, he pulled away, reaching into the drawer beside his bed. She watched him, curious, as he rummaged for a second before pulling something out — something small, and familiar.
The infinity necklace.
Belly’s breath caught.
He turned it over in his fingers before holding it out to her, palm open.
“It's yours if you still want it,” he said.
Her hand trembled as she reached for it, fingertips brushing against the cool metal.
“I do,” she said softly. “I never not wanted it.”
Conrad let out a breath — almost a laugh, but it cracked with emotion. “Are we okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah. We’re okay.”
“Are we okay?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yeah. We’re okay.”
Belly pulled her dark hair to one side, tilting forward so he could clasp the chain around her neck. Goosebumps prickled across her skin as his fingers grazed the back of her neck — gentle, familiar, warm.
Then she leaned in, pressing her forehead against his. It wasn’t quite a kiss. Not yet. But it was everything else.