BACK TO YOU

twenty-one. please still love me

▬▬ "YOU, THIS IS DOPE." Steven grinned, looking down at his phone as he sat at a table with his parents, Belly, and Lennox in a packed restaurant. “I’m going viral on TikTok.”

“Is that a good thing?” John asked and Lennox chuckled as she brought her glass of water up to her lips.

“What, millions of people around the world watching my speech on a loop?” The boy asked sarcastically. “Yes, dad, that is a very good thing.”

“It was a good speech.” Lennox told him, getting a smile in return. “Made me cry.”

“You’re an easy crier.” He shrugged.

“Am not.” She muttered, playfully hitting his arm before she poked at what little bit of food was left on her plate.

“Are too.” He argued and she rolled her eyes, making Laurel and John chuckle at them. “I gotta forward this to Con and Jere, man.” He mumbled, typing on his phone and Lennox smiled a little but she watched as Belly’s smile faded at the mention of the youngest Fisher boy.

“Thank you so much.” The waiter placed a small basket of fortune cookies on the table.

“Thank you.” John told him, picking up the basket.

“Oh, uh, I’m sorry, could I get a box for all of this?” Steven asked, and the waiter walked away from the table as everyone took their fortune cookie, but before Lennox could break hers open, her phone buzzed against the table.

She picked it up, her eyebrows bunching up at the first several words of the text that Jeremiah had sent, she quickly unlocked her phone and opened the message.

JERE-BEAR
Are you with Conrad? I can’t
get him on the phone and he
won’t answer my texts

“Um, excuse me.” Lennox mumbled as she pushed herself up from the table, smiling at everyone before she walked away, making her way out of the restaurant. She quickly hit the phone icon and it rang a couple of times before the boy picked up. “Jere, what’s going on?”

“Are you with Conrad?”

“No, I’m with Belly and Steven, why?”

“Conrad’s gone.”

“No, he’s at school.”

“No, Len, he’s not. Apparently he told his roommate that everything is fucked, and then he just took off.”

“No, he…”

“He’s gone and he won’t answer my texts or pick up my calls.”

“I’ll, um, I’ll call him and let you know.” She hung up before he could respond, then she went to her contacts and clicked on Conrad’s name before holding the device to her ear, while she toyed with the charm that hung from her neck.

And her mind drifted again as she waited for the boy to pick up, there was only one other time that he hadn’t answered her call…

Lennox sunk into her couch, spooning strawberry ice cream into her mouth as she watched Halloweentown, like she did every October. She hoped the movie would cheer her up, since her boyfriend had basically ignored all her attempts to reach him and she tried to tell herself that it was just because school had gotten hectic.

She shoved another spoonful into her mouth just as a knock came at the door and she looked up as Louisa, the maid her father insisted on hiring, hurried towards the door. 

“Miss Lennox, it’s for you.” The woman spoke, gaining the girl’s attention. Lennox pushed herself up, tugging at the Stitch onesie she wore. She sat her ice cream on the coffee table then she crossed the living room.

“Thanks, Louisa.” She smiled at the woman, who nodded before she hurried back to the kitchen.

She had mixed feelings about the maid, she was a nice woman but Lennox felt bad that she was working when she could and had been keeping the house clean on her own. On the other hand, she liked having someone else in the house, even if they were paid to be there. Lennox moved closer to the door, her eyes meeting the blue eyes she loved so very much.

“Happy almost-ugh” he groaned a little when Lennox jumped towards him, basically slamming into his chest as their lips met, he smiled against her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Her feet dangled above the ground and she kept her arms tight around him, even as he left little kisses across her jaw.

“Wait, wait…” she patted his shoulder and he pulled back, putting her back on her feet. “What are you doing here? And why haven’t you been answering my calls?”

“I brought candy.” He smiled, raising his hand out towards her and she smiled at the little bouquet of blow pops. “And I wanted to see you, I missed you.” He let his hand rest on her hip, tugging her closer to him. “And I didn’t answer because I wanted to surprise you.”

She smiled up at him, her hands resting on his rib cage under his coat. “You wanted to surprise me?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “I also wanted to see this onesie.” He leaned back a little, letting his eyes drift down her to take in the full thing.

The soft, almost blanket-like fabric was blue, some spots a little darker than others. It hung loose on her small frame, it being just a size too big. And she looked absolutely adorable in it, just like she had in all the pictures she'd sent him as she excitedly explained that she was gonna be Stitch for Halloween.

And she pretty much had lived in the onesie since she got it. It had easily become her favorite thing to wear.

He reached behind her and pulled the hood back onto her head, his smile wide. “Such a weirdo.”

“You love me.”

“Yeah, I do.” He leaned down, his hand on her cheek as he shoved the suckers into his pocket so he could hold her closer to him. Then he softly pressed his lips against hers and she stretched up onto her toes.

She pulled back, taking a couple breaths. “Do you wanna come inside?”

“Yes, please.” He mumbled, passing a quick kiss to her lips then she turned, lacing her fingers through his before she led him into the house.

And after sending Louisa home for the night, the two cuddled up on the couch and watched the entire Halloweentown series, well, not the last one. Lennox didn’t count that as part of the series.

“Lennox?” Conrad’s voice pulled her back to the present and she let out a sigh of relief.

“Where the hell are you?” She rushed out, pacing on the sidewalk a little, her sundress bellowing in the warm breeze. “Jere texted me and he’s worried about you. Said you ditched school and…” she stopped and took a breath, her eyes closed for a moment. “Did you lie to me?”

He sighed and her shoulders slumped a little, “I’m sorry I just… I wanted to figure this out on my own but I-I can’t.”

“Figure what out?”

“I need you, baby.”

She hated the shake in his voice, it only spiked her anxiety. “Where are you?”

“Cousins. And I need you, please.” He pleaded. “I’ll explain everything, I just… I want you with me.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat as she nodded her head, “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

A relieved breath left him and the sound made her relax a little, “thank you.”

“Yeah, Yeah, of course.”

“And, Len, I’m okay.” He told her softly and she let out a soft chuckle. “You’re playing with your necklace, aren’t you?”

Her fingers stopped and she dropped her hand, holding back a laugh. “I’ll see you soon.” And after saying their goodbyes, she hung up and let out a small breath.

“Hey, Len.” She jumped and little, turning to see Steven and Belly. “You okay?”

“Yeah..”

The boy nodded, “So, are you staying for the party?” He asked with a wide smile. “Belly’s going.”

“Um, I-I can’t. I actually have to head out. But I’m super proud of you.” She hugged the boy and he smiled as he patted her back. “Call me if you need anything, but I really have to go.”

“Everything okay?” Belly asked and Lennox’s lips parted but she wasn’t entirely sure how to answer.

“I-It will be.” She managed a smile. “Have fun at the party.” She rushed out, hugging the boy once more before she pulled Belly into a hug. “Call him, he really needs someone.” She whispered, her voice quiet. She pulled back, nodding her head once before she looked up at the boy again. “Love you guys.” She waved as she turned and made her way down the sidewalk to her car.

>>>>> • <<<<<

▬▬ "YEAH, YEAH, I'LL CHECK ON HIM."

“Thank you.” Lennox sighed, leaning her head back into the seat but she kept her eyes on the road, it had gotten dark but she just kept driving. “I’m still about an hour and half out and I’m really worried about him.”

“Yeah, no, I get it.” The boy told her. “I’m getting in the truck now. But, um, are you sure he’s gonna wanna see me?”

“I don’t think he wants to see anyone, but I’m me and I worry.”

He chuckled and she heard a door close on the other end of the call. “Oh, I  know. I’ll text you after I talk to him.”

“Thanks, Nate. I owe you.” She let out a relieved breath.

“Bye, Len.” He told her and she hit the red button on her phone as it rested on her thigh. She took another breath, her fingers tapping against the steering wheel as she chewed on her bottom lip. She had been driving for a while, and she was getting tired but she was too worried to let herself stop. She knew she was too worked up to sleep.

And despite Conrad telling her that he was fine, mostly, he hadn’t told her much of anything and that worried her. And the only people she knew – and trusted – in Cousins were Nate and Callie. She knew that it probably wasn’t the best idea, but she was desperate.

She glanced down at her phone, tapping on the screen a few times until she pulled up Conrad’s contact, then she hit the call button before putting it on speaker.

He answered on the second ring, “Hey, baby.”

“Please still love me.”

“Always… why?” He sounded confused.

Her heart thumped against her chest, she knew he would be pissed. “Well, um, I called Nate. He’s gonna check on you for me.”

“Len, I don’t need-”

“But I do.” She cut him off, pressing harder on the gas as traffic thinned out. “I’m worried and I-I need to know that you're not…” she didn’t finish the sentence, the word dying lodging itself in her throat as tears brimmed in her eyes, but she blinked them away. “I know that you said you’re fine, but I know you're not.”

“Baby,” he sighed.

“Please, just humor me. Let him see that you’re okay, so I can hear it from someone else. That’s it.”

“Okay.” He conceded and she let out a breath, though it was small. “How far out are you?”

“A little over an hour, it’d be faster but my little bug can only go so fast.”

He chuckled, a breathy sound and it brought a smile to her lips, “Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t ask him sooner.”

“I held off for as long as I could.” She mumbled then they fell quite for a few seconds, her fingers still beat against the steering wheel and her teeth dug into her bottom lip again, but she made no move to hang up.

Then the boy broke the silence. “Stay on the phone until you get here, please?”

She smiled a little, but tears pricked behind her eyes. She hated how vulnerable he sounded and she hated even more that she wasn’t with him. “I was gonna ask you the same thing.” He chuckled a little, the sound a little rough, like he was holding back his own tears. “So… did you see Steven’s speech?”

“Yeah, yeah, I saw it.”

“He made me cry.”

“You’re an easy crier.”

She laughed, the sound light and he couldn’t hold his own laugh back. “Asshole.”

“Sorry, baby, but it’s true.”

“Whatever.”

And they stayed on the phone, even when Nate showed up a few minutes later to confirm that the boy was indeed in one piece. They had even fallen back into a comfortable silence, not really talking but it was a comfort to have the other on the phone, especially when Lennox had to pull into a sketchy gas station to fill her car up.

⚘‎ nova speaks┆the fist few chapters of this act are a little rough because i was struggling a little with all the flashbacks, but i think everything everything makes sense and ie hope if flows okay !!