022

Yet a month passed, Jon finished his album and had to return to New York before succeeding in meeting up with June again. Though they talked on the phone a couple of times and June kept reminding Jon that worst case scenario they’d be reunited in New York by mid-May, they soon realized that it would be better to resume their contact once they were both at least on the same area and free of job commitments.

One sunset during the second week of May, Richie returned to Jon’s apartment from his afternoon walk with a bottle of Oporto in his hand and a wide grin on his lips. As he walked into the mixing room, Jon threw him a sarcastic stare from the opposite side.

"Blessed be the eyes…I was picturing you walking all the way over to L.A., Rich"

"I got um…delayed on the way. Where did Obie go?"

"Since you weren’t coming back, he left…", Jon teased, but immediately changed his tone. "Actually he had stuff to do. He said don’t wait up"

"Was he angry?", Richie asked with a giggle as he took a couple of glasses from the bar and opened the bottle.

Jon shook his head in silence with an amused smirk on his lips as he took his place on one of the two round, puffy armchairs.

"I’m sure he’s happy you got yourself a girlfriend"

"What?", Jon was surprised, and not at the same time. He hated and loved Richie for the same reason: not being able to hide anything from him. Richie winked and grinned.

"You rascal, you. Does she stop traffic?"

Jon rolled his eyes. "Now that’s classy"

"Look, I’ve had my heart stolen, I can recognize the sparks and shooting stars when I see them, and it looks like goddam 4^th of July around you. Hadn’t seen them in quite a w-..."

"Rich…", Jon interrupted "remind me why I’m letting you keep talking"

"Cause I get bored as I wait for you to spill the beans, so…what are you gonna do?"

"Get drunk…for now"

An hour later Richie had just drunk half a glass, when Jon was already half bottle down, with an empty stomach.   

"I’m all ears", Richie began, and Jon’s ears lit up in bright read. He laughed at himself for his reaction, as if Richie had seen inside his head and caught him drooling for the sister of one of his best friends. "Is she someone I know?... ", Richie hinted when he read Jon’s reaction, not with a certain amount of amusement but genuinely intrigued for that very reason.

"She’s a friend of ours, and the only one in a long time, that has had the courage to make me feel pretentious and conceited". He chortled.

Richie’s expression turned to astonishment. "Ergo…she exists", he stated first and then joked " …and did you make her apologize for that?"

Jon laughed throatily and took the bottle from his friend to pour himself another glass.

"Well….she’s right, after all, you ARE pretentious and conceited", said Richie.

Jon’s mind was blank, but in a few seconds he found himself smiling and nodding.

"She’s John’s sister". Jon’s confession took himself and Richie by surprise. Richie almost spit his Oporto. "I think she knows me better than myself"

"Didn’t she have a boyfriend?", Richie’s question erased Jon’s smile when it exposed something he hadn’t discussed with June.

"I don’t care .honestly", Jon finally said, tasting the bitterness in his own voice, a sort of insolent voice that usually came out when anything stood in the way of him getting something he wanted. 

Richie tightened his smile. "Well, say no more, bro. She’s hot…and a good friend. I’d be happy, if I were you. Why do I sense you’re not?"

"Cause she’s moving…to lord knows where in Asia, a month from now. Not even she knows where to yet"

"Maybe you can convince her to stay. Women usually desire something that’s different from what they think and say"

"So you’re a love guru, now", Jon teased.

"Well, I know a thing or two about ladies", he raised his eyebrows with a certain air of mystery "I remind you you’re talking with a professional of seduction"

Jon felt defeated. There was no way they could have that conversation on his terms, so he decided to play with the ball on Richie’s field.
"So…was there a kiss or wasn’t there a kiss?", Richie used his playful tone, he always felt it was part of his job to keep Jon happy and in good spirits, and he knew how to do it.
"What are you, twelve?"

Jon was mockingly frustrated, but he nodded with a smile. Richie’s enthusiasm was always contagious.

"Is it serious?"

"Well, you know how much I care about John, and his family…you know me. Tell me I’m wrong if I go on with this and I won’t"

"I don’t know", Richie finally shook his head. "I don’t know, bro. Would you stop seeing her if John asked you to?"

"You scare me, Rich". While Richie remained silent, Jon thought about how little he had to offer and how much he wanted to ask from June. "I hope he doesn’t"

"Your brain is rustling, talk to me"

Just to be able to make everything clear, Jon began narrating the story from the beginning up to that morning’s phone call. Richie listened in silence with an attention that didn’t reveal judgment or presumption.

"So you know what you’re getting yourself into", Richie added.

"I think I got an idea"

"When are you seeing her again?"

"Tomorrow"

"Well, life flies by, specially the part that’s worth living, so go get her before someone else does. Destiny’s always around the corner, like meatball sandwich, a whore, and a lottery ticket salesman, its three most common incarnations. But he doesn’t have delivery service: you have to go get it", Richie finished triumphantly as if his sentence was some kind of philosophical pearl.

They remained silent. After a while, Richie placed his glass on the table and stood up.

"Son of a gun", Richie chuckled softly.

Jon laughed and secretly thanked Richie for his good nature. Suddenly, Jon was invaded by the absurd certainty that anything was possible, and he felt hopeful. Richie kept fiddling with the controls and mixing some tracks but didn’t ask anything else. If there was something else Richie should know, he was sure Jon would say it.

It was almost midnight when an impossible slumber hit him and he fell asleep on the armchair. He woke up three hours later, covered with a blanket and a terrible sting in the head which he recognized as the prelude of a fierce hangover. He went to look for Richie to damn the hour he had appeared with that bottle of Oporto but he realized he was alone in the apartment.

…

And Richie, as usual, was right. Destiny waited for Jon the following day at the bookstore around the corner, wearing a grey dress and silk stockings, standing outside the window apparently studying the new releases.

Jon stopped behind her and placed both his hands on her shoulders, pressing slightly before putting his hands back in his pockets.

"You know my house is a block away", he spoke, containing his breath but with a hint of amusement at June’s proposal. They spoke like two strangers that had casually met in front of a window as they searched for each other’s reflection.

"I just met John for lunch and I told him I had a date, he swore he’d ask for specific details later". June spoke trying to keep a straight face.

"Your brother always knows everything, that’s why I like him by my side"

"He swore he would brake the legs of whoever I was meeting if he messed with me", she said, lifting her head up and meeting Jon’s eyes in the reflection. After a brief moment, she couldn’t contain her laughter.

"Well, first he’ll have to find out who I am, and I run way faster than he does", said Jon in a falsely fearless tone.

However, despite the joking dialogue, he noticed June was rather tense, and she observed the passer-by’s as they slid across their backs.

"What are you laughing at? He’s serious about it"

"I’m not laughing, I’m scared to death. I’m just happy to see you"

June smiled briefly and conceded.

"Me too"

"You don’t sound very convinced", he said as he pretended to look at the books on the window.

"I thought that if I saw you by daylight maybe I’d see reason"

"Is that a compliment or a conviction?"

"It’s better if we’re not seen together"

"If you want we can go into the bookstore, on the back there’s a coffee-"

"No. if anybody sees us now I can always say I ran into my brother’s friend by chance"

"Who cares?"

June sighed, "My brother knows half of Manhattan, and don’t get me started on you…"

"I’m beginning to wonder if all this secrecy is about your brother finding out or just to make me want you even more…", Jon chuckled. "Why did you want me to meet you here, then?"

"I didn’t come here to meet you, I came to the bookstore, remember?"

Jon snorted.

"You scare me, gorgeous, you lie better than I do"

Their one block"

June turned around, stiffening a naughty smirk that was immediately mirrored by Jon.

"There’s a storm coming, you’d better hurry"

She kissed him briefly on the cheek and left in the opposite direction of Jon’s apartment, leaving Jon doubting whether he felt aroused, frustrated or just intrigued.

It was 10 past 4 when June arrived at Jon’s apartment, while the city disappeared behind a velvety curtain of water under a lead sky.

"Hello again". Jon said as he opened the door. He approached her to give her a kiss, aiming for her lips, but she turned her head slightly and his lips landed on the corner of her mouth. "You’re trembling", he smirked. "Is it cold or fear?"

"Haven’t decided yet", she said, "but I’m gonna need to borrow some of your clothes, the rain moved faster than I did", she said, directing her gaze at her now wet grey dress.

Jon smiled and took her by the hand. "Come, I’ll give you something dry to wear", then led her along the corridor until they reached his bedroom’s door. "Take whatever you want from the closet. Make yourself at home". His smile was warm and confident.

Once alone in the bedroom, the first thing June noticed was the marks on the walls that apparently corresponded to pictures that once hang on it. In the luscious bathroom she took off her clothes and dried her body first, then her hair. With the towel wrapped around her torso, she walked into the closet and found a satin white shirt and a pair of jeans. She noticed she’d have to do without her underwear, but tried not to give the thought too much room. Being self-conscious wasn’t one of her features. What she couldn’t avoid was the slight stirring of her senses once she put on Jon’s clothes. The fresh and clean scent of the garments comforted and the soft, delicate fabric softly caressed her skin as if it was an ambassador of Jon’s very touch.

For 15 minutes Jon waited, dying of curiosity and impatience, but kept his phlegmatic air that stated that if June wanted to play mystery with him, then he’d be the wiser. His smile was almost triumphant, but maybe the shaking in his hand wasn’t. June’s bare steps approaching behind his back called his attention as he stood facing the window.

"Intrigued?", she asked.

"Vaguely", he teased. His proud tone disguised how his blood sizzled when he smelled her lavender scent.

June sighed and dropped herself on the sofa, with one leg tucked under her hips. Jon remained glued to his spot, almost afraid of turning around, his composure was hanging by a fine thread.

He finally took in some air and spoke as he turned around.

"It’s just you and me now. How’s your life, it’s been a while, huh?", the sight almost took his breath away, he forced his sight to move from June’s nipples pressing against the white satin up to her gray-green eyes. Her wet hair had slightly dampened the fabric just over her breasts, giving it an almost see-through effect. He thought he saw June smile at his reaction a second before he cleared his voice and offered  "Wine?"

"Just a little would be nice, thanks", she smiled warmly.

June started talking as Jon opened the bottle and approached the sofa with two glasses and the bottle in his hand. He sat by her and poured, nodding from time to time. He handed her the glass of wine, and as she talked, he placed his hand on her bare ankle first, then slid it up over the fabric to her knee. By the change on the thickness of her voice, he knew she wasn’t ignoring his attention.

"So you haven’t solved life’s mystery yet"

June laughed softly and shook her head, then took a sip of the delicious wine.

"God, it’s good to see your smile up close and personal ag-", Jon started saying, but June’s phones started ringing and interrupted him. She looked at it, but didn’t make an attempt to answer it. She knew Winston was in town. He couldn’t have come in a more inappropriate moment, it seemed like the only purpose of his visit was to make her second guess her decision. She thanked that Jon didn’t ask, and the phone stopped ringing.

"I told you I’m moving to Asia, Jon…", June reminded him. "…in a month"

Jon faced her stare.

"I want to play with all the cards laid on the table and I want you to tell me that you understand that", she continued. June’s sincerity again caught Jon off guard.

"You got yourself a deal, lady". He wasn’t someone who let somebody dictate the rules, but he curse the moment when men started listening to what dicks and their stomachs had to say. He could have just as easily be saying yes to giving up all his money and belongings.

He leaned over as if to kiss her, but he stopped a fraction of an inch from her lips and spoke with a husky voice. "I got somethin’ to show ya", then grinned widely when June chortled softly at his teasing movement. For the sake of the game, he decided to ignore the urge that her warm breath produced in him. He stood up with the face of a magician about to show a little kid a mind-blowing trick. He opened one of the drawers in the cupboard that covered the opposite wall of the living room and took out a photograph. He triumphantly waved it in the air before approaching June and handing it to her. Before taking it, June placed her glass back on the coffee table.

In seeing it, her only possible reaction was a deep, loud laughter from which it took her a long minute to recover. She finally managed to speak, between small chuckles.

"Oh my god…Look at all that hair!". She couldn’t contain another fit of laughter. "When was that? 89? Isn’t that the night we met?"

"Uh-huh. Rich, Obie and I were nostalgic yesterday and dug up a bunch of old photographs. You look cute in this one"

"Wow…this is insane". June observed all the details in the photograph with astonishment. She remembered all the details, but it was as if an eternity had passed and just a second at the same time. Yet the circumstances were now completely different. "Oh...and before I forget…now that the song’s a hit, I’ve changed my mind: I do want my share of the revenues", June joked. Jon had insisted in crediting her for contributing to the melody of his album’s first single, but she had refused repeatedly.

"Got any new melodies now? I can write a couple lines…", Jon suggested teasingly as he stood up and lit the candles that lay on the coffee table. It was already dark outside.

"Not your lucky day, mister", she said as she retrieved her glass of wine and took another sip. She had now both her legs on the sofa.

Jon didn’t sit back on the sofa. Instead, he took June’s glass and finished what was left in it in one sip, then put it back down on the table. He bent over just enough to take her hands and gently pull her up until she stood up in front of him.

Afterwards, held her and felt her warm breath on his throat, he could also feel her heart pounding in her chest.

"Just breathe. There’s nowhere else tonight we should be but right here, right now"