THE WINTER I TURNED INTELLIGENT: CHAPTER 15
Important Note from Dreamy Plots & Story Talks: This story contains suggestive language and sexual content and is only suitable for readers that are 18+.
Chapter 15:
Jeremiah’s POV:
Time flies. One minute you’re at your high school graduation teasing your best friend’s brother on who he’s going to take to the prom and then the other you’re sitting next to that same friend who just got married a week ago. I couldn’t predict anything then, and I still couldn’t now. But one thing’s for certain that the group of friends in this car have been a constant rock for me over the past few decades. And the tradition of spending the Fourth of July weekend together. Today was the day after the Fourth and exactly one week before Steven and Taylor’s honeymoon.
The fact that they waited to celebrate the holiday that we’ve all spent together for years proved my point. The drive down to Cousins Beach was bittersweet. The air felt more and more familiar with each mile that we grew closer to its shore.
For once, everyone was pretty tired so we hadn’t planned to do much other than relax. After Belly and I placed our beach towels onto the warm sand, she changed into her swimsuit still leaving me filled with just as many butterflies years later. I almost didn’t hear her when she turned to me with a confused expression and asked, “Remember how we used to race?”
“When did we-” As I was about to reply not remembering what she was referring to, I immediately got reminded as she grinned back at me before running towards the water.
“Clever,” I replied as I followed towards the sea. When I joined her in the ocean I started splashing water at her as she giggled.
Splashing water back at me, she playfully added, “I can’t believe you forgot about that.”
“Shit. I know. I’m sorry. As soon as you started running though I instantly got flashbacks of the nightmares I got before you’d come over on the first day of summer.” Her mouth opened wide as I teased, “Competitive Belly still terrifies me. Although a little less.”
She rolled her eyes before smiling back. As her legs wrapped around my waist and her lips barely touched mine, Steven’s voice made us jump in the water, “We’re playing volleyball if you wanted to join when you’re done making out.”
Belly pursed her lips flipping him off even though I knew she wanted to join. Volleyball was still her favorite sport, and it had been a minute since we’d played it not only together but also in the sand. I suggested, “Let’s go. We can come back after.”
When she kissed my cheek in excitement I knew how much she missed this.
Spending a good ten minutes arguing about the teams since there was five of us, and it wouldn’t be even definitely made this feel more like a throwback to years ago.
Taylor, Belly, and I finally decided to be on one team while Steven and Conrad were on another. As Taylor was getting ready to serve the ball, Belly asked, “Where did you get the ball from Steven?”
He replied with sarcasm, “I found it in the ocean.”
She flipped him off again, and I replied, “I brought it. I thought it would be fun.” Then I added with laughter teasing her competitive nature, “You know, as long as I would be on your team.”
She rolled her eyes before replying, “You’re the best Jere. Thank you.”
Then Taylor’s voice startled us, “Focus guys. Loser’s buying pizza tonight.”
Belly directed her attention towards her brother and added, “Oh you guys are on.”
I still wasn’t the best at this sport so I mainly let Belly and Taylor do their thing. Conrad only got better at beach volleyball with time, and even Steven was still better at it than me so if anything I viewed this game more so as entertainment than anything else.
After a few spikes from Belly, Conrad added sarcastically, “It’s good to know that Belly’s less competitive now.”
Steven agreed, “Legit only time I’m scared of my sister is during volleyball.”
Belly yelled back as her next spike won us another point, “As you should be!”
To this day, Belly’s competitive side always left me in awe. She was already a confident person, but in times like this, she became fearless. And it was a sight to see. I went up to her right after and grinned, “Is it bad that I’m a little turned on right now?”
She bit down on her bottom lip while finally giving me the kiss that we both wanted when we were in the water.
Before either of us pulled away, Steven shouted, “Minus 5 points!”
Taylor defended with a wide smile at her husband, “Babe, you guys would still be behind.”
Steven rolled his eyes before it was finally his turn. He served the ball a little farther than usual. When none us could reach it, Conrad and him obnoxiously cheered in unison before Belly questioned, “Clap all you want. That didn’t count.”
Her brother replied with confusion, “What are you talking about? That for sure counts.”
Belly reasoned, “No. That was way out of line.”
Steven rolled his eyes, “What lines? This isn’t an actual volleyball court. We’re in the sand.”
Belly scoffed, “Okay. If you’re going to cheat, so are we.”
I added, “She has a point. Rules are rules.”
After a few more rounds, our team won by a few points. Belly jumped into my arms almost knocking us over while adding, “We fucking did it! Good work.”
I managed to reply, “Bells that was like 95% you, but I’ll take the compliment,” as my laughter subsided.
Taylor then turned towards Belly, “I’m feeling like we need more than pizza? Maybe some pasta, some fries, a little bit of dessert. Who’s paying again?” Then she looked towards Steven and Conrad.
Steven pretended to not hear Taylor’s voice and instead told Conrad loud enough for all of us to hear, “Where’s the cheapest pizza place in this city again?”
Conrad quickly replied, “I know the perfect place where their dough feels like cardboard.”
Steven replied, “Sweet. We’re going there.”
Taylor poked Steven’s arm playfully. “I dare you to take us there only if you want to go on your honeymoon by yourself."
Conrad and I laughed while Steven scoffed, “Fine. Only because most of the things we booked for Fiji are for two people.”
Conrad added pointing out the overly confident response from his friend, “I would maybe not lead with that but okay.”
I added to Conrad’s point, “Yeah, man. You’re brave.”
Taylor rolled her eyes and told Steven, “You’d be bored out of your mind if I wasn’t with you.”
As they continued to bicker, we walked to a pizza place down the street that was pretty busy. I’d only ever remembered going there once or twice.
By the time we ordered everything, we were all starving. When the food arrived, the order didn’t look quite right. I added, “Didn’t we get three pizzas?” There was only two at our table.
Belly replied, “No. We got four. Maybe the rest is coming later? But why are there so many pepper flakes on it? I thought that comes on the side.”
Steven looked at his sister with a confused look, “You asked me for extra pepper flakes.”
She quickly defended, “No I didn’t. I asked you for extra paper plates.”
Steven’s brows furrowed, “That is not what you said. And you couldn’t have asked for that after we got the food??”
When the waiter came back with the rest of the food, the order still didn’t match what we expected. I didn’t mind since everything that did arrive tasted pretty good. But it was an experience to say the least. The more Steven and Belly tried to fix the order, the more of a mess it became. To the point where Conrad and I ended up laughing between bites before Taylor turned to Steven and concluded, “Maybe we should have gone to the other place.”
After dinner when the sun was about to set, Steven and Conrad tried looking for a fire pit to have a bonfire. Unfortunately, everyone was already using the ones that were available at the beach. After putting on our sweaters and still feeling cold, we decided to leave. Although none of us wanted to just yet.
Conrad suggested, “There’s this outdoor bar with a heated patio that has a view of the ocean not too far from here if you guys want to go?”
We all agreed and got there fairly quick. It was a pretty large patio so Belly and I took a moment to sit near the section directly facing the ocean to have a better view of the sunset. I brought our blanket that I made sure to bring with us for later in the evening and wrapped it around her when she added, “Aren’t you cold?”
I brushed over her cheek. “Next to you? Never.”
She rolled her eyes with a wide smile. “I’m serious. I don’t want you to catch a cold. Here. We can share.”
She tried to wrap the blanket around her side and shoulders, but it barely fit. When she tried placing more of the fabric around me, it completely fell off of her. Then she moved some of it back to cover her side, and now I didn’t have any of the blanket left on me. I laughed through her determination on making it work. “It’s okay. Just that back and forth made me warm enough.”
Her laughter only added to the goosebumps that the cold air gave me. Then she turned towards me. “What about I just hold you?”
I playfully placed my arms out towards her with enthusiasm as she laughed wrapping her arms around my sides, now leaving the blanket covering both of us. I added, “Hey, I didn’t even think that would work. But what do you know?”
She nodded quite calmly, “Oh, I wasn’t even thinking it would work. Just wanted an excuse to hug you.”
Leaving me speechless, I started placing small quick kisses on her cheek, by her ear, and on her neck through my smiling lips.
Through her laughter, she added, “I don’t think we ever needed that blanket.”
I smirked knowing what she meant. Judging by how warm I suddenly felt, I clearly agreed with her.
And it got me thinking how I used to think that summer was my favorite season. It was the one attached to most of my memories with Belly. The one where my mom seemed the happiest. The one where Conrad and our dad got along the best.
Somehow problems didn't seem as significant when the weather got a little warmer and the sun shined just a little brighter. As I got older, I learned something beautiful about each season.
While spending more time with Belly outside of summer helped lead me to this realization first, I started noticing the subtleties of each section of the year even with memories that I made without her.
For starters, winter, my least favorite season previously, quickly became more pleasant than it ever was before. Sure, the sun wasn't as strong, and days were gloomy at best during those months, but they felt just as bright with her presence around. Leaves changing as summer turned into autumn and the flowers that bloomed once snow finally melted during spring suddenly felt just as important as the nostalgia of summer air.
Now it’s hard to choose a favorite season. Even if summer was still my favorite, it wouldn’t be the same without the first person who came to mind when thinking of these warmer months. At the end of the day, spending my favorite season without Belly would never live up to the joy of spending my least favorite one with her.
Although, I still couldn’t deny that staring at a sunset by the beach during summer is a feeling that’s almost impossible to replicate.
Judging by how Belly was gazing at the view right now as well, I’d guessed that she felt the same.
When she noticed me look at her, she turned to me with the smile that I’d never get used to.
Even if it was pouring rain right now in the middle of winter this moment would be just as nice.
After all, some of the biggest lessons that I learned were during winter, most of which led me to the happiness that I now have during summer. Without one, I couldn’t imagine having the other.
Additional Note for The Ending of This Story:
Some readers requested for there to be a wedding between Jeremiah and Belly included somewhere in the plot since the original story doesn’t include one, while some other readers requested for there not to be one so that it follows the original story the way it was written. After thinking very carefully on what would be best for the story, I decided that leaving the ending open for interpretation was the best way to complete it. So while the epilogue is still left for the story, a wedding between Jeremiah and Belly is not included in this story.
The main reason behind this is that this story is based on the original story of The Summer I Turned Pretty written by Author Jenny Han. I admire and respect her work greatly, and because of this I felt that it would be wrong for me to have such a different change in the ending since ultimately this isn’t my story or my characters, with the few exceptions of characters I added like Natasha.
If you’ve followed this story from the start and the idea behind it, the main purpose of it was to give more of a detailed perspective of a character that so many readers admired but felt that his story ended unfinished almost. It’s not my place to say who Jeremiah, Belly, or Conrad should end up with, and I want it to be fair for all readers to have their own interpretation on how the story should end.
Of course The Winter I Turned Intelligent ends with Jeremiah and Belly still in their relationship since this story highlights Jeremiah’s story.