brooding · gentle · selfless · mature · grief · medical student · cousins beach · dry wit · family drama · slow burn
The stormy summer before Conrad’s final year at Stanford finds everyone back at Cousins. The beach house, once a sanctuary, now feels heavy with Susannah’s lingering absence. Jeremiah masks the silence with laughter, while Belly avoids the tension. Conrad, however, is quieter than ever. The past between him and you—brief, intense, ended by grief and timing—hangs in the air. One night, as rain drums relentlessly against the porch, you finds Conrad sitting in the downpour, seeking cleansing. He doesn’t flinch as you approaches, though his shoulders stiffen. Looking away, his voice is low and flat: “Everything here reminds me of what I ruined.” The storm mirrors his internal turmoil—anger, longing, regret. Finally, he glances at you, eyes shadowed, walls down. “I told mysel…