the winter i turned intelligent: chapter 8 (pt. 1)

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 8 (part 1):

Belly’s POV: 

“Tay, I’m going to need some more red ribbon.” Taylor and I were tying small bows above the fireplace, while the others were busy decorating the rest of the house.

Jessica, Ashley, and Carlos were baking gingerbread cookies, Nina, Natasha, Trusky, Steven, Zac, and Matt were setting up the Christmas tree, and Jeremiah and Conrad were outside putting up the lights.

This was Conrad’s last weekend here before he had to head back to Yale in time for his finals. Part of me was glad though. Him being out of town meant that we wouldn’t see Natasha as much, at least not until Christmas.

On the other hand, it didn’t look like her sister Nina would be leaving anytime soon. Trusky and her were taking way too long to add each ornament to the tree as they kept whispering and giggling to each other.  

Given how close him and Jessica had been the other day at the skating rink made me wonder what was running through her mind right now. Sure enough, Jessica was glaring at them as she rolled the gingerbread dough. She must have been in deep thought when Carlos reminded her, “Jess, I think that’s enough flour. I know you miss the snow, but you’re getting a little ahead of yourself by a few weeks.” Jessica snorted at him and continued to prepare the cookie dough.

At least I wasn’t the only one struggling with the idea of wondering if you were losing the attention of the person you cared about the most.

Jeremiah’s POV:

We had never put up this many Christmas lights before. The last time Conrad and I had decorated together was at the summer house during the holidays a few years ago. I installed the final string of lights before turning to him, “There, now you’ll definitely see us from Yale.”

He nudged my shoulder in jest, “I’d be disappointed if I didn’t.”

I placed my hand on his right shoulder hoping these past few weeks meant as much to him as they did to me, “when you first showed up on the beach a few weeks ago, I was so angry. I thought you were the last person I wanted to see.”

He nodded with his classic sarcastic smile, “Noted. Love you too.”

“I wasn’t finished Connie.” He looked at me with sincerity, “That day we spent at the pumpkin patch and going through our old family photos was one of the best days of my life. It turns out that you were the first person I wanted to see. I’m just glad you knew it before I did.”

I moved forward for a hug, but he leaned in quicker than me, “Thanks for saying that. That day was special to me too. I’m always just a phone call away Jere.” As he pulled away from the hug, his tone became slightly more serious, “And thanks for taking care of her.”

I knew who he was referring to. It made me happy to finally see us ready to talk about Belly together. It hadn’t been easy for either of us to do so before. Now it looked like he was happy again and more open than ever, especially after being distant for so long.  

Conrad took my beanie and put it on his head, something he always did when we were younger, “I just wish it was snowing already so I could finally take back my crown.”

I took my beanie back as I chuckled. For the first time in a long time, I couldn’t wait until he’d be back again for Christmas Eve.

Next Weekend: 

Natasha’s POV:

Tonight’s practice got moved to tomorrow, which was nice because it meant I had the chance to visit Deborah. She used to be our neighbor and was also my grandma’s closest friend. When we first moved back to North Carolina, my grandma’s English was not the strongest, so she found it challenging to connect with many people. One morning when Carolina was getting the mail, she was introduced to Deborah, who she called “Debbie.” The two instantly became inseparable and had a morning walk together every day, until my grandma got too sick to go out on a daily basis. Shortly after Carolina passed away, Deborah’s family moved her into a senior living home. I tried to visit her at least once a month.

The past year or so, I had visited every other month, and I had felt more than terrible about it. Seeing her didn’t feel like an obligation to me. I genuinely enjoyed spending time with her, and it also made me feel closer to my grandma. I had just been busy with skating, classes, and helping with our family’s shop. Now I was hoping to make up for lost time during the holidays.

Conrad had already left for Yale, and I was looking forward to seeing him again during finals week. In the meantime, FaceTime sufficed. We had a call every other day this week. It was refreshing to get to know someone all over again from the very beginning. I wouldn’t have called us boyfriend and girlfriend quite yet, but I could see it in the future though.

Conrad was everything I’d always wanted in a guy and everything my one and only ex was not. He was respectful, kind, attentive, funny, intelligent, and appeared to be loyal. It was just too soon to determine if this could be long-term.

When I got to the center, Deborah’s caregiver Rosy greeted me and directed me to her room. Debbie would be turning 92 on New Year’s Day, but her spirit was as young as a teenager. She lit up every room she walked in, and time hadn’t changed that one bit. She was watching Breakfast at Tiffany’s when I arrived at her door and had the same smile glued to her face that she had whenever Audrey Hepburn was on the screen, “Hi Debbie!” 

Her eyes grew wider as she hugged me tightly with so much warmth that I didn’t want to let go. The embrace felt so nostalgic that I knew Grandma Carolina had been a part of it somehow. She pointed her freshly painted bright red nails at the TV, “George always brings a smile to my face, but darling this,” She squeezed my left hand, “this is so much better.”

George Peppard was the actor who played Audrey Hepburn’s love interest in the movie, who Debbie had a crush on since she was a young girl, so this was the ultimate compliment coming from her.

She retouched her red lipstick, “Have you eaten yet? Rosy made this lovely cherry pie, let’s go get you some. Rosy?!” She turned off the TV, while she motioned for me to get her walker, “Oh darling, wait until you see this man who helped fix my phone earlier. You’ll fall in love just looking into his eyes. I promise you. I know I did.”

She laughed to herself, and it made me laugh knowing how to this day, she’d always have a new crush each week. This was one thing we both had in common, and we loved sharing our latest one with each other.  

After we had some pie, we walked outside to the patio. There was a small team setting up for the outdoor movie night that the center had planned for tonight. It was supposed to be a formal event, and I now realized that I’d forgotten to dress for the occasion.

I was helping Debbie knit Christmas sweaters for her two granddaughters when I heard her squeal, “Oh honey look, that’s the man I have to introduce you to.” 

I dropped all the yarn from my lap, “The one wearing the navy sweater?” She nodded, and suddenly I felt warmer, “You’re absolutely sure that’s him?” 

She chuckled to herself as she continued to knit the other sweater, “Oh don’t be silly, I wouldn’t forget those blue eyes just like that. Now let’s get you two introduced.” 

She looked so hopeful that I almost felt bad to let her down, “Debbie, I know him already, and he’s engaged.”

Debbie briefly paused her knitting as disappointment filled her face, “he wasn’t wearing a ring.”

Jeremiah hadn’t worn a ring when I first met him, but that didn’t change the fact that he was engaged. It wasn’t until now that I realized I hadn’t even mentioned to Debbie that I had also been seeing someone, “plus I just started dating this guy,” and then I paused for dramatic effect because Debbie loved the drama, “and get this, that’s his brother, and the girl he’s engaged to is the ex-girlfriend of the guy I just started seeing.”

Debbie was in shock trying to process what I had just told her, “my goodness, this is much better than Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

We both began laughing, but the jitteriness I felt underneath didn’t go away knowing Jeremiah would soon notice that I was here. But more importantly, why was he here?

BACK TO JEREMIAH’S POV:

Every time I visited this center, I was reminded why I decided to pursue getting an MBA. Communication was one of my stronger suits so when I learned about the world of marketing, project management, and negotiations, I knew I found a career path that matched my interests. Since this degree was both specific and general, it left for a multitude of industries and jobs to choose from. Whatever I decided to do, I wanted it to have a positive impact on the community around me and myself.

As I was decorating the patio, I felt gratitude for this community of families, peers, and local small businesses that helped us keep this facility here. A little over two years ago, we had found out that the previous owners of the center received an offer to sell the place. The community was in shock at the idea of hundreds of families having to potentially relocate their loved ones when this had been their home for years. Some senior living homes felt a little cold and unfriendly, but this place felt cozy and was filled with the kindest people you’d meet.

My mom used to volunteer at this center when she was younger, and when she grew older, she would bring everyone her special cherry pie during the holidays. She encouraged me to volunteer here when I was in high school, and I made so many friends that now I enjoyed visiting regularly on my own.

One of my favorite people to see here, Steve, was complaining how his wife Margaret wanted him to dress up for tonight, while he insisted on wearing a silly Christmas sweater. He had turned 80 this year, and his wife was 82. They had been married for 60 years, and I was always left in awe at their relationship. When I’d ask him what their magic recipe was he’d say she was his best friend and that he liked her before he fell in love with her. These words always stuck by me knowing how liking someone for all their quirks and qualities was fundamental before you could really love them.

I finished setting up some of the snowflake shaped lights on the terrace. While I arranged the silverware on the tables, I smiled at the first memory of meeting them and then almost dropped a spoon when I saw Natasha.

She was looking at me but then turned around before I had the chance to blink. “Steve, will you excuse me for a moment?”

I walked over to her with apprehension. Her back was facing me, “Hey, what are you doing here?”

She was knitting a sweater and turned around with an artificial expression of shock, “Oh wow, what a surprise.”

My brows furrowed at her weak attempt of obliviousness, “I know you saw me just a second ago.”

She continued to knit and avoided eye contact, “That was you? I was wondering why you looked so familiar.”

I rolled my eyes when she looked away, “okay, I’m going back now. It’s nice to see you again Debbie.”

As I started walking away, I heard Deborah’s voice, “Why don’t you and Natasha work on the decorations together for tonight? It’s a lot of work, and it’s too much for you to do alone dear.”

Before I had the chance to object, Natasha interjected, “I have to finish knitting this sweater...or else I’d love to.” 

Her exaggerated sarcasm for those last words didn’t go unnoticed when Debbie projected, “no honey, I insist, I’ll knit both of the sweaters. You go have fun. This will be a special night, and we need to work together as a team to make it possible.”

I knew Natasha only compromised for Deborah to make her happy when she sighed, “okay.”

We walked in silence until she mumbled, “why are you everywhere I go?”

“What? I could ask you the same question.” She looked surprised to see I heard her.  

I handed her the silverware as she helped set up the tables, “I’ve been volunteering here for years.”

“So have I.” I was surprised we had never ran into each other then.  

She changed the subject completely, “Why didn’t you tell me that the guy your fiancé referred to when you kissed happened to be your brother? You just said her ‘ex’. That seems like a pretty important detail to leave out if you ask me.”

I was thrown off guard, “Why did I need to tell you that? I didn’t know you’d go out with him a week later.”

She moved to the next table, “You didn’t need to tell me any of it, yes, but the fact that you told me everything else but left out a big detail of it seems a little sketchy to me.”

I rose my eyebrows at her, “What are you implying?”

She looked at me fully annoyed, “I’m not implying anything. I just find it odd that you left that out. The night I met Conrad, he was explaining to me how he had just left a party and mentioned how his ex was now with his brother. If you had told me the other night that Belly used to be with your brother, I would have put two and two together. This isn’t a big town. But how was I supposed to know when you left that part out?”

I didn’t understand why she was this mad at me, “I’m not following. Are you trying to say you don’t want to be with Conrad?”

She furrowed her brows, “no that’s not what I’m saying, but I would have had the chance to decide if I wanted to be involved in an existing and very complicated might I add, love triangle.”

I grew more confused as the conversation kept progressing, “You didn’t have to go on that first date or continue dating him. You came to Thanksgiving, you decorated with us last weekend, none of that has anything to do with what I failed to communicate with you, and mind you all unintentionally.”

She paused her work momentarily, “I’m not blaming you. I just found it odd and too much of a coincidence the way it all happened. And I know myself, I wouldn’t have gone out with him if I had known you were brothers. I’m not good with complicated, and this would have seemed complicated to me. He’s an amazing guy, and this has nothing to do with him. I just- forget it.”

It occurred to me that she trusted me enough to tell me all of this because I couldn’t imagine she’d be okay with Conrad knowing about this, “I’m sorry for not telling you. I genuinely didn’t realize I left that part out. None of it was something I originally wanted to even share with you, but I was really vulnerable that day I saw you, and I thought I could trust you.” Her facial expression toned down a little as I asked something that had been on my mind the past week or so, “Did you tell Conrad that I asked you out before?”

My heart was beating faster than I had anticipated it to waiting for her response, “no, did you tell Belly?”

I wanted to tell Belly, but I knew it would upset her even more, given that she had also recently commented about whether or not I looked at Natasha a certain way, “No. Technically I had broken up with her for a short time when I said that to you as well, and I was stupid to have even asked you that, that day, so I felt like it didn’t even count. I didn’t mean it, and nothing really even happened.”

She scoffed, but I felt like some sadness filled her eyes at the same time, “Yeah I know you didn’t mean it, which is why I was annoyed in the first place.”

I couldn’t read her, “I don’t get it. Did you want me to mean it?”

I regretted asking that as soon as I said it. I wasn’t really thinking, and I only asked her that because it sounded like that’s what she was getting at. However, I wasn’t sure if it had crossed a line between what was friendly and overly friendly. I think she was surprised to see I asked her that too, “that’s irrelevant. It wouldn’t have changed anything.”

She went to bring more silverware, and I was left stunned.