Jeremiah stole Belly’s first kiss to make Taylor jealous, but Conrad was the boy who noticed
Long before the pool kiss turned Belly and Jeremiah into a serious romantic option, the original book gave them a much messier beginning. Belly was fourteen, Jeremiah wanted Taylor’s attention, and a game of truth or dare placed Belly’s first kiss directly in the firing line. She did not choose Jeremiah. She barely had time to react before his lips were already on hers.
Taylor had spent her visit flirting with the Fisher boys and enjoying every ounce of attention. During the game, Steven asked whom she would kiss in the room. Taylor picked Belly and teased everyone about Belly growing into someone boys might finally notice. Jeremiah challenged her answer, and his annoyance made his interest in Taylor obvious.
Belly was already uncomfortable. When Conrad suggested Taylor should kiss her, Belly firmly said nobody had permission to do so. A few moments later, Taylor dared Jeremiah to kiss anyone in the room. Taylor expected him to choose her, and Belly expected the same. Even Belly was curious about what their kiss might look like.
Jeremiah had another plan. He turned toward Belly, asked if she was ready and kissed her before she could answer. Belly tried to push him away, but he continued for a few more seconds. When he finally leaned back, everyone stared with open mouths. Conrad was the only person who did not look surprised.
Belly could barely breathe. She had imagined her first kiss would feel special, yet Jeremiah had turned it into a move designed to provoke Taylor. Belly described the kiss as stolen and knew his attention was aimed at the girl sitting beside her. Taylor’s narrowed eyes confirmed Jeremiah’s plan had worked.
Jeremiah then acted casual and made a fake-flirty joke about Belly owing him a back rub. Belly found his behavior patronizing and embarrassing. Her first kiss had become ammunition in a little game between Jeremiah and Taylor, and Jeremiah behaved as if Belly should laugh along.
Taylor made the situation even worse. She stayed behind with Jeremiah instead of following Belly upstairs. When she entered their bedroom an hour later, she told Belly she forgave her. The nerve was almost impressive. Belly had never asked Jeremiah to kiss her, yet Taylor treated her like the girl who had crossed a line.
The whole setup becomes even more ridiculous once Taylor’s real crush enters the picture. Belly later catches Taylor kissing Steven on the beach. Jeremiah used Belly to get a reaction from a girl who was secretly interested in Belly’s brother. Nobody came out looking mature, but Belly was the one whose first kiss got dragged into their mess.
Conrad’s role is smaller, but his reaction gives Bonrad fans plenty to chew on. He got up when Belly left the room and confronted her in the hallway. Conrad teased her about enjoying the kiss, so Belly accused him of being too obsessed with himself to notice anyone else. Conrad replied that he noticed everything, including her, before walking into his bedroom.
Cam later adds another delicious detail. When he asks which Fisher brother gave Belly her first kiss, he immediately guesses Conrad because of the way Conrad looks at her. Belly insists Conrad hardly looks at her at all. Conrad says he notices her, Cam catches him looking, and Belly remains convinced she is invisible to him. Jeremiah owns the first-kiss fact, but Conrad owns all the tension surrounding it.
The first book also refuses to turn Jeremiah’s kiss into a romantic win. After Belly’s relationship with Cam ends, Jeremiah admits he has feelings for her. Belly turns him down because she is still in love with Conrad. Jeremiah pretends the conversation never happened, and they return to being friends. For all the attention attached to Belly’s first kiss, Jeremiah was the first boy to kiss her while Conrad remained the first boy she loved.
The series rewrites their history completely. The childhood kiss disappears, and Belly’s first onscreen kiss goes to Cam. Belly and Jeremiah’s first shared kiss happens during their midnight swim. Conrad has already pulled away from Belly, and she has declared herself finished with waiting for him.
Jeremiah tells Belly he has wanted their friendship to become more. He admits he kept waiting because Conrad was always in the picture, followed by Cam during the current summer. When Jeremiah asks whether Belly could ever feel the same way, she answers yes twice and kisses him back.
Belly’s agency changes the entire mood. Book-Belly loses a moment she wanted to save for someone special. Series-Belly makes her own decision and turns toward Jeremiah because she wants to explore her feelings for him. The pool kiss gives their relationship a far cleaner and more romantic beginning.
Conrad still hangs over the scene. Jeremiah names him while explaining why he waited, and the opportunity only opens after Conrad rejects Belly out of fear. Even during Jeremiah’s biggest romantic breakthrough, the conversation leads straight back to his brother.
The rewrite repairs Jeremiah’s beginning with Belly, but the original version remains deliciously awkward. His first claim on her heart began as a play for another girl’s attention, while Conrad was already watching Belly closely enough to challenge how she felt. Jeremiah won the technical first, but Conrad walked away with the part fans still argue over: meaning.