The water clung cold to your skin, but Conrad’s hands steady at your waist kept you grounded. You were still laughing when he finally let go, and the sound came out softer, breathier, the kind that seemed to ripple between just the two of you.

That’s when Jeremiah surfaced nearby, his curls dripping as he swiped the water from his eyes. His grin was gone.

“Unbelievable,” he muttered, splashing toward you. “You just had to play the hero, didn’t you, Conrad?”

Conrad turned, brows furrowing, though his tone stayed calm. “She didn’t want to go in alone. Not a big deal.”

Jeremiah barked a laugh that was anything but lighthearted. “Not a big deal? You carry her in like some knight in shining armor, and you think I’m just gonna stand here and clap for you?”

You opened your mouth to defuse it, but Conrad’s jaw tightened, eyes flashing. “Jeremiah, it’s not about you.”

That struck a nerve. Jeremiah swam closer, water churning with each sharp movement. “It’s always about you,” he snapped. “You get to brood, act like you don’t care, and somehow she looks at you like you hung the moon. Meanwhile I’m the one keeping things fun, keeping things alive, and I’m invisible the second you so much as breathe in her direction.”

The words hung between the three of you, raw and stinging.

Conrad’s silence was heavy, but his hand brushed yours under the water, almost instinctively, protective. Jeremiah caught it, his chest heaving as if the ocean itself wasn’t giving him enough air.

“Fine,” he bit out, voice shaking with both anger and hurt. “If it’s a choice between you and me, I already know who wins. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

Then he dove under again, kicking hard, disappearing into the dark water.

Conrad exhaled slowly, his arm brushing against yours again as if to steady you. The night was suddenly thicker, charged, the sound of the waves loud in the silence Jeremiah had left behind.