Chapter: The College Beach in November

The cold wind whipped around them as Belly and Taylor trudged down the deserted shoreline. The once-busy Cousins Beach now lay quiet, its charm untouched by the off-season. Belly tightened her scarf against the breeze, while Taylor huddled in her oversized parka, a sharp contrast to the summer days they once spent here in bikinis.

"This was such a bad idea," Taylor grumbled, her teeth chattering. "Who goes to the beach in November?"

"You agreed to come," Belly reminded her, nudging her lightly with her elbow. "Besides, I needed to be here."

Taylor rolled her eyes but softened. "I get it. Closure or whatever."

Belly stopped and stared out at the ocean, its waves gray and restless under the overcast sky. She stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets, her breath fogging the air.

"It just feels different now," Belly said quietly. "Like it's not even the same place without—" She stopped herself, biting her lip.

Taylor sighed. "You mean without Conrad or Jeremiah."

Belly didn't answer immediately. Her silence said enough.

Taylor turned to her, her voice unusually gentle. "Bells, you can't let them ruin this for you. You've got, like, ten million memories here that don't involve them. Remember the time we dared each other to swim out to the buoy at midnight? Or when we snuck into that beach bonfire?"

Belly chuckled. "Yeah, and you tripped over the cooler and blamed it on a seagull."

"Because it was a seagull! I swear it flew right into my face." Taylor crossed her arms indignantly, but her grin betrayed her.

The tension between them eased as they laughed. Taylor picked up a smooth stone and hurled it into the waves, her attempt at skipping it failing miserably. The rock plopped straight into the water, causing a small splash.

"I guess I'm not a natural beach girl," Taylor admitted.

Belly picked up her own stone, weighing it in her palm. She bent her knees and flicked her wrist, sending it skimming across the surface.

Taylor groaned. "Show-off."

"I had a good teacher," Belly said. Her smile faltered for a second, and Taylor caught it.

"Okay, enough of this pity party," Taylor declared, grabbing Belly's arm. "Let's go find some hot chocolate. I'm not freezing my butt off for nothing."

Belly let herself be dragged back toward the boardwalk, the warmth of Taylor's determination chasing away some of the chill. As they walked, she realized that while summer might belong to Conrad and Jeremiah, moments like this—the quiet, unexpected kind—were all hers and Taylor's.

And maybe, just maybe, that was enough.