Chapter Forty-Three

At dawn, Belly dresses and finds Jeremiah on the phone and Conrad packing up blankets. Hoping for acknowledgment after the previous night’s confession, Belly waits for Conrad to look at her. He avoids her gaze until announcing a friend will pick him up to take him back to Cousins, leaving Jeremiah to drive Belly home.

The distance in Conrad’s tone and eyes confirms to Belly that their on‑again, off‑again attachment is truly over. Internally, Belly releases Conrad, resolving not to keep returning to someone who gives and then takes away. She chooses action: she tells Jeremiah she wants to go with him, says a calm goodbye to Conrad, and leaves first, taking satisfaction in claiming that choice.

Outside, Jeremiah suggests Belly put on the too‑small borrowed shoes; she refuses and opts not to drive, wanting only to go home. On the road, with the window down and wind in her hair, they exchange light remarks, but Jeremiah remains polite and distant.

When Belly asks him to address the earlier kiss at Brown, Jeremiah hesitates and goes quiet. Belly bridges the silence by taking Jeremiah’s hand. He doesn’t let go, and they ride the rest of the way home hand in hand, signaling a tender, forward‑looking shift in their relationship.