012

After their random meeting at the café, despite their geographical proximity and due to their constant traveling and busy schedules, June and Jon’s paths diverted. It was only at Jon’s daughter’s first year birthday party that they saw each other’s face again.

It was a crisp, sunny day in New Jersey and Jon’s house by the river was the perfect scenario for the celebration, which was nothing short of fit for a princess. Except for her brother, the members of the band and some of the road crew, most guests were strangers to June, but she wasn’t a stranger to them. Everyone collaborated in making her feel perfectly comfortable. By talking to different people June confirmed that John’s chronicles were accurate, specially those concerning the social dynamics inside the group and their different personalities. She recognized many faces she’d seen on John’s pictures and was glad to finally be able to put faces on some names.

The general atmosphere was joyous, added to the great success the band’s new album was having. The single Always was breaking all the charts and putting the band back on the podium of rock n’ roll stardom. A little tint of pride filled June’s heart at acknowledging the key role her brother had played in the management of the press.

The band, in a way, was an ordinary part of her life through her brother, but seeing Richie’s fiancé in the flesh gave the situation a certain aura of surrealism. As a writer, June was used to navigating fantasy worlds in her novels, but the house, the scenery, the lush decoration and the people that crowded the whole space she was in at that moment conjured to make June feel a little overwhelmed.

She’d always had a good connection to the little ones and enjoyed watching them about their games and playing, it made her feel energized and helped her change her focus so at one point, June left the crowd and sat on the grass, leaning back against a tree. From her spot she could have a general view of the event: at one corner of the special they had a playground that had been built specially for the occasion, June spotted Jon playing with his little daughter. He was so obviously beautiful June didn’t feel a shadow of embarrassment when she found herself admiring his stunning physique: his blue jeans and dark grey T-shirt fitted him like a glove and reproduced every curve of his musculature. Not only was every muscle in his body perfectly trim and defined, but she also realized that with every year that passed Jon seemed to be becoming more and more handsome. The hair was a couple of inches longer that it was just over half a year before, it was also lighter and shaggier. Two gold earrings hung from his left ear. 

Stephenie took up the whole of her father’s attention: he just couldn’t get enough of her. His throaty laughter and wide smile was echoed in a smaller scale and higher pitch by his daughter’s. June was sure that behind his sunglasses, Jon’s eyes sparkled with love and pride for his progeny, but what she couldn’t figure out was if the sadness in his eyes she’d seen some months ago was still there or not. What she could tell, however, was that in the over three hours she’d been at the party, not once she’d seen the married couple together, but her brain automatically attributed that to them being busy entertaining all the guests. Jon suddenly turned his head in her direction and smiled. His marital status had never been an excuse for him not to appreciate a woman’s beauty, and what his eyes were seeing right now was beautiful: June glowed in her light orange summer dress even when she was sitting on the shadow of a tree. She still kept a rather short hair, but long enough that had allowed her to hold it up in a ponytail, while her short fringe was pushed to a side. She smiled back and waved her hand. A minute later, Jon lifted his daughter up and placed her on his hip, then walked over to June.

“She is so adorable, Jon”, June brushed her thumb on Stephenie’s soft cheek after standing up as soon as the father-daughter pair reached her spot.

Jon replied with an impossibly wide smile, and looking at the little girl’s face, he spoke. “She is, isn’t she? Wanna hold’er?”

“I’d love to, yeah” exclaimed June and at the first gesture of her hands the little girl extended her arms in front of her, leaning forward to pass on to June’s arms. “For God’s sake, Jon” June rolled her eyes in surrender, “She’s so sweet”.

“So John told me you’re going back to college?” Jon stuck his hands in his back pockets. “You’re outta your mind, did ya know that?”, he teased her.

June chuckled at Jon’s reaction, the fact that he’d never been a fan of attending classes was a secret to no one. “I won’t take into consideration your last comment, thankyouverymuch, so I proceed with my answer: yes, sir, I’m going back to college. Wooo-ooo”, she played with her hand in the air in a mock scary gesture. Stephenie giggled and tried to imitate her, then went back to playing with her hair. June continued carelessly while she gestured to the little girl. “I took asian studies and Chinese at college just for fun but it became a true passion, so I’m taking this hiatus between books to do some changing of scenery”.

“Whadda ya mean ‘change of scenery’? You’re leaving?”

“I’m going to China for 6 months after semester’s over. I need it if I want to be serious about understanding the culture”.

Jon let out a puff of air “Jesus, woman”.

“Then we’ll see where it goes from there, it’s gonna be fun”. June finished with a grin and a nod.

June had developed a deep interest in translation issues between western and eastern languages, how to adapt their work to asian languages without losing the author’s true meaning was one of writers’ biggest concern and she felt she could contribute to the cause.

Jon nodded silently and pursed his lips as he shrugged. His wife’s voice calling him from across the yard made him snap his head back.

“The cake!”

June silently passed Stephenie back to his arms and the three of them walked over to rejoin the party.

The two met again at different moments of the party, joining different groups of conversation, then when the party was over just an hour before sunset, everybody but Richie and his future wife left. John and his sister were invited to stay over for dinner and drinks at the private bar Jon had recently had built near the house. June noticed the distance between Jon and his wife, even when their mutual approach was still in terms of endearment. Dorothea excused herself for not being able to join the group for drinks on the base that she was exhausted by the day’s event, which was perfectly understandable, but June (and apparently everybody else in that room) just knew there was something not quite right about it. A veil of silence was placed on the subject and the rest of the night went on in a normal and amicable atmosphere. Being the only two women in the group, June and Heather naturally engaged in conversation, Heather’s personality making up for any discomfort June might have felt at her presence.

“John!” the platinum blonde exclaimed. “I can’t believe this lady is still single! I take it you’re not keeping all men away from her with a cane are you?”, she waggled her index at the man that was winning a pool match against her future husband.

“Oh no no no, that she does by herself” John lifted his hands up in surrender. “Don’t look at me”.

June just limited herself to smile demurely. It wasn’t the time or place to talk about her point of view about relationships, to hear the same things her friends always told her when, one after the other, she ended her relationships the very moment she felt the littlest of things was wrong. It would fail in the end, so what was the point? There was nothing as terrible as feeling love disappear inside herself and from the eyes of the person that was holding her hand. That night, she didn’t feel like allowing anyone to try to convince her one more time that eventually someone would come and make her let go, take a chance again.

John turned back to face the pool table and hit the white ball with such accuracy that it pushed the black ball directly into the hole he had intended. Richie cursed loudly.

“I guess we can call this a night, ladies and gentlemen”, John boasted and June stood up in agreement that it was time to take their bows.

“Come on, the man can’t tell a color from the other and you feel proud for winning?”, Jon commented from his spot by the dark oak wood bar.

Jon accompanied his friend and his sister to the car, where they finally said their goodbyes. John greeted Jon first and got into the car. Then Jon turned to June and pulled her close for a hug.

“It was nice to see you again, Jon, thanks for the invitation, and please say goodbye to Dorothea for me, ok? It was a lovely party”

“Will do, thanks for coming, guys” Jon replied and broke the hug. “I’d say see ya soon, but somehow we always manage to see each other once in a blue moon, don’t we”

“Let’s just say I hope we see each other before I leave” June added with a gentle smile before getting into the car.

Little did they know how long it would actually be before they met again.

…

Litlle did they know, too, what was waiting for them ahead of the road. That years later they would be at June’s brother’s apartment, walking out of John’s office after having sex on his desk, pretending that nothing but a friendly interaction had gone on in there.

At dinner Jon and June naturally sat next to each other but each had their own conversations with people sitting in their proximity, every once in a while they exchanged a couple of comments. All of a sudden Jon dropped his fork and swiftly reached under the table to get it, taking advantage of the split second in which John looked away to signal for the waiter to bring another set of cutlery, to slid the back of his hand all the way up against June’s bare calves as he incorporated himself straight up in the chair. As she listened to John’s girlfriend talking about her leaving in the morning for a fashion show in Milan, June tightened a smirk provoked by Jon’s gesture, then looked askance at him. He did the same and lifted his left eyebrow.

After dinner the guests again scattered around the generous are of the living room and John and June found themselves on opposite sides of the room. At 12.30 June approached her brother from the back and circled her arms around his waist, plastering herself against his back in her usual gesture of endearment. Her brother responded by twisting his torso and hooking her neck with his arm to bring her to his side. He kissed his sister on the cheek and continued his speech, but as soon as he paused to let another guest reply, June spoke to him in a low voice.

“I’m off”

“What? You’re not staying?”, John asked with a frown.

“Nope, I guess I’m going home. I’m tired and this looks as if it’s gonna go on for a while longer”

“Oh come on, it will take you at least an hour to get to your house, and this is not gonna last that long, I gotta take Mimi to the airport in a couple of hours. You might as well hang on for a little more and stay here, spend Sunday in the city? Just the two of us?”

“Gawd, you’re as stubborn as I am, ain’t ya?” she shook her head but ignored her brother’s sheepish expression. “However, as enticing as that sounds, I’m leaving anyway, we can meet up tomorrow”. June looked down, she knew she wouldn’t be available the following day (not one second, hopefully), and she hated to have to lie to her brother.

“Yeah, well, can’t blame a caring brother for trying can ya?”

June smiled and chuckled softly, then kissed her brother on the cheek and the two shared a warm hug. When they pulled apart June looked around looking for her (according to all indications) future sister-in-law, and frowned. “Where’s Mimi?”

“She left a minute ago. I think she realized she’s forgotten something at her apartment and went to fetch it”, he chortled. “Man, I love that woman, but she’s such an airhead”, he spoke with a sparkle in his eyes. “She’ll probably be a while, it always takes her twice as long to do anything than a normal person”. Jon turned to begin his walk towards the door. “Come, I’ll see ya off, then”.

“No need, my friend” Jon’s voice was friendly but firm when he intercepted them. “I’m not sober and I need a ride home. I suppose this pretty lady won’t have a problem with giving me a ride, will she?” he surrounded June’s shoulders with his arm and pulled her close to him.

June rolled her eyes teasingly “And you say it like I could stand a chance…you’re shameless”

Jon grinned in response and stamped a kiss on her cheek, then looked at John: “Oh, you want one, too, don’tcha?”, he grasped John’s head with both hands and John resisted by pushing Jon away.

“Jesus, dude, there’s an audience! Save that for when we’re alone”, he joked, and the three of them burst out in throaty laughter.

A few minutes later and after saying goodbye to the host, June and Jon stood in the corridor. As June took a step forward to push the button and call the elevator, Jon placed his hands on her hips, then circled her waist when she leaned back on him and surrounded his arms with hers.

“You understand that you are so not going to your house tonight, don’t you?” he purred against her ear and she chuckled as his raspy voice made her ear tickle. “I believe we got some catchin’ up to do, missy”

“Oh, we do, sir” she said seductively as she lifted her face and placed her right hand on Jon’s cheek to pull him close for a kiss. A soft “ding” that indicated the elevator had arrived to their floor interrupted their kiss and as the doors slid open they prepared themselves to walk in, Jon’s hands resuming their place on June’s hips.

However, their advance was prevented by the tall, thin person storming out of the elevator that bumped into June.  June only managed to resist the impulse by grabbing the girl’s narrow hips.

“Oh crap!” Mimi cursed and mumbled as she walked towards the door, holding her cell phone next to her ear. “So sorry guys…gawd…baby, I’m a mess…I forgot the keys so I can’t get into my apartment or yours, can you open up for me?”

Jon and June didn’t get the chance to reply, so they remained silent and walked in. The elevator’s door closed in front of them just as John opened his apartment’s door for his girlfriend, then Jon and June looked at each other with eyes wide open.

“Phew”, Jon whistled and took June’s face with both his hands. Brushing her lips with the tip of his nose, he spoke with a secretive, mischievous voice. “That was damn close”.