Chapter 10 #2
Juniper was caught blinking and unmoving. While she appreciated the flattering commentary on her curves, maybe a little less in front of the ex-love of her life and her new lady friend.
Wren finished laughing and enunciated, “Junie. Scoot. In.”
“Oh, shit sorry,” Juniper stammered as she slid her body down the booth into the space cleared for her earlier, and time stood still as she waited for the close proximity of Rowan’s body.
As Rowan moved into the seat next to her, Juniper breathed in Rowan’s scent, like cedar and sea salt, with a sweetness that felt familiar, like a home she hadn’t known in fifteen yearst. She felt the fabric of Rowan’s jeans and the length of her thigh press directly against her own bare thigh.
She closed her eyes as an intense heat overwhelmed that point of contact and radiated quickly inward.
She dragged her sweaty palms down her thighs in some effort to hide what she was feeling. Or maybe the additional physical touch could cause enough distraction to divert her attention from the thudding between her legs. Or maybe she just wanted to touch herself.
Friends, Juniper Banks. Friends don’t fuck each other. Well, most of the time.
“Hi Junie,” Rowan whispered as she leaned her upper body in to bump Juniper.
“Hi.” It hung in her throat, so she cleared it. “Hi,” she repeated. Fuck.
“So Rowan, who’s your friend?” Wren asked after they had all situated.
“This is Claire Bowers.”
“Hi Claire, I’m Wren, and that’s my cousin Juniper. Juniper and Rowan used to be best friends as kids.”
Claire looked across Rowan and smiled at her. “Aww, how sweet.”
Juniper gave her a tight-lipped smile back and swirled her empty highball glass around in circles on the table, willing it to magically fill itself back up.
“How did you two meet?” Wren asked.
“I followed her for a while on social media watching the work she was doing with environmental protection and Indigenous rights.”
“Oh,” Wren hummed.
“I’m an ecology professor,” Claire promptly added, “so when I saw she posted about being back home I wanted to see if she would come speak to my coastal ecology class. Plus she’s so cute it gave me an excuse to slide into her DMs.”
Even though most at the table laughed earnestly, except Juniper, she also noticed how every word made Rowan sink further into an awkward uneasiness.
“Dr. Bowers, you should teach a class on successful DM-sliding,” Kyle laughed and others joined in, except Juniper and Rowan again.
Claire added, in what Juniper could only characterize as an ingratiating manner, “Oh, please call me Claire. I think the work you all do is so important. And people like me need to listen to you all and learn from you.”
Wren made eye contact with Juniper across the table in their secret cousin nonverbal communication, they way they got on the same page about the trouble they were about to cause.
Wren turned her gaze back to Claire. “I think the only other person here who does that kind of work is Junie. Right, Junie? None of the rest of us are that smart.”
Rowan turned her head at Juniper’s feeble attempt at subduing a snort.
“Oh, I just mean Indigenous people in general. We have so much to learn from you,” Claire added, not picking up on the Indigenous sarcasm.
Rowan interjected. “Wren, have you had a good birthday so far?”
Juniper smirked, dragging her glass to her lips to beg the liquifying ice mixing with the remnants of alcohol to help her out some more.
“I did! My baby boy, well he’s not a baby anymore, but he’s my baby. He made me breakfast in bed this morning. Toaster strudels you know,” she said with widening eyes and a nodding head to playfully demonstrate just how important that was to a nine-year old.
Everyone chuckled and Kyle added, “Only the best for his mama!”
“Oh yes, he even shared his cinnamon roll ones, which is a big deal for him. Then I basically laid around all day doing nothing, and that was amazing. And then I went to Junie’s house to borrow an outfit for tonight and get ready.
” The mischievous sparkle reappeared in her eyes, and she added, “This see-through shirt is hers. Scandalous, isn’t it?
You guys should have seen the lingerie I pulled out of her drawer to wear underneath. ”
“Oh, okay, Junie,” Kyle teased, tucking his hand under his chin and resting his elbow on the table.
“I couldn’t wear any of her bras though. Her boobs are way bigger than mine.”
“Wren,” Juniper snapped abruptly while kicking her leg at her under the table.
“Does anyone need another drink?” Rowan asked while starting to stand up.
“I’ll go with you,” Claire quickly answered.
“Crown and Coke. Double.” Juniper slid her empty glass across the table toward Rowan with one finger. “Thanks.”
She didn’t even consider telling Rowan she could put it on the open tab she had for herself and Wren at the bar. Wren looked at her from across the table, and Juniper didn’t like the worried expression she saw as Wren’s eyes tracked between her, the glass, and Rowan, then back to her.
As the night went on, Juniper’s drink number went up. Her thoughts were running wild, and they were about to take her to a place she wouldn’t be able to return from. She had always worn her heart on her sleeve, and that was made infinitely worse with alcohol.
The larger group dispersed into smaller groups across the bar, dance floor, and game area. Rowan and Claire went back to the dart boards, and Juniper and Wren were at a stand-up table.
“I still can’t believe that,” Juniper blurted out.
“Can’t believe what?” Wren asked.
“That when the topic of my lingerie comes up she gets so uncomfortable she has to leave with her girlfriend.”
“I don’t know. Did you know she was seeing someone?”
“No! And did you see the way she changed the subject after you called out her girlfriend’s irritating comments pandering to Indigenous people?”
“I admit I did call her out, even though she obviously didn’t pick up on it.
But don’t you think you may be reading too much into their dynamic?
It doesn’t seem like they’re together together.
She didn’t introduce her as her girlfriend.
Maybe they have something in common, and they’re just having some fun?
I doubt she has any other friends around here. ”
Juniper rolled her eyes at Wren’s attempt to rationalize.
“I’m sorry, Junie, she mentioned she already had plans tonight and asked if it would be okay to bring someone, and I didn’t think anything of it. I was just excited to see her again, and I didn’t realize you… you know.”
“Whatever, she can have her. I guess now we do know her type,” Juniper fumed while pulling out her phone.
Wren, apparently sensing the escalation of events, asked timidly, “You texting someone?”
Juniper was silent. She knew she had been caught, but she didn’t care. If Rowan was going to be out with someone then so was she.
“Junie, are you texting Jess?”After another silent pause, Wren continued, “Please don’t do that. I’m sorry I pushed you earlier about your feelings, I thought we were just teasing and having fun.”
“What?” Juniper asked defensively. “She said she wanted to see me, and if I get some free drinks and some attention from it, so what. She said she’s only ten minutes from here.”
Wren sighed, “I guess, but this feels like a lose/lose situation, Junie. There’s never no-strings-attached with Jess.”
When Jess finally showed up, Wren visibly grimaced.
“What’s up baby girl,” Jess directed at Juniper with a head nod as she approached the table.
“Hi,” Juniper responded coyly.
Wren attempted a smile, but it turned out more like a sneer as soon as Jess wrapped her arm Juniper and immediately looked back down at her phone.
Kyle approached the table and stopped abruptly as he noticed the new guest.
“Thank Creator, just in time,” Wren murmured under her breath.
Kyle gave a polite, but short, hello to Jess. He was aware of their past too. He made a show of dragging his eyes over to Wren’s before widening them.
“I know,” she acknowledged in a whisper. “Kyle, I think I might go with you if you have space?”
“Of course! Are you sure you want to go home now though, birthday girl? We could go some place else? I hate for you to put this outfit to bed already, especially not from someone else doing it.”
“Yeah, I think I’m ready to cuddle up in bed by myself. Maybe with my new vibrator.”
“Love that for you.”
Wren and Kyle laughed together as she gathered her things.
“Just give me a minute with Junie, and I’ll meet you outside.”
Wren pulled Juniper aside. “Are you going to be okay if I leave? I’m sorry I just don’t want to spend my birthday as a third wheel with Jess.”
“I’ll be fine. I can get Jess to take me home,” she responded.
Wren sighed, “That’s what I feared.”
“Wren, I’ll be fine. I’m a big girl. You know I won’t drive myself home.”
“Okay, but please call me if you need me. Or Kyle. Or anyone, seriously,” Wren added before hugging her and walking out of the bar.
At this point Juniper could tell she was getting a little sloppy. She turned, walked back toward Jess and asked, “Wanna play darts?”
◆◆◆
Rowan watched Juniper set up a game of darts on the lane next to hers and Claire’s while the woman she was with leaned back on the stool and opened her phone. Juniper brought the darts back to the end of the dart lane and handed one to her.
“Here you go, baby,” Juniper said.
Baby?
The woman took several seconds to look up from her phone that she had been glued to intently since she’d seen her sit down.
“Give me a minute, you see I’m looking at something,” she said in an annoyed tone.