Page 87 of The Relationship Clause

It’s definitely not as nice as cuddling with Owen, but until he gets back, I can live with the alternative.

“Okay, Juniper, spill.”

I look up from my desk to find Kiera and Summer staring at me intently. “You’re not allowed to call me Juniper,” I say, returning my eyes to my computer. “It’s weird coming from you, Kiki.”

Kiera rolls her eyes. “Fine. Junie. It’s time to spill. Tell us what’s going on.”

I sit a little straighter in my seat, doing a quick glance around the office to see who might be trying to listen in on the conversation. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say a little quieter.

Kiera leans over my desk, matching my tone. “Bull. You and my brother go on a romantic vacation together, come back early, and then he and Shane leave again. You know something. I know you do. What is going on?”

I take great care to control my facial features. I am a stone statue. “Whether I know anything or not is irrelevant, because even if I did know something, which I’m not saying I do, I wouldn’t be at liberty to tell you.”

Kiera makes a pouty face, but Summer looks as if this is exactly what she expected. “Can you at least tell us when they’re supposed to be back?” she asks.

“Um…I don’t think even they know when they’ll be back yet.”

My mood immediately darkens. Not to sound like an overdramatic preteen, but the last twenty-four hours without Owen have been some of the saddest, loneliest hours of my life. And that’s saying something.

And, okay, yeah, so maybe I perpetuated those feelings by holing myself up in Owen’s apartment, snuggling his cat, and watching some of the most depressing movies imaginable, namely The Fox and the Hound, Titanic, and The Notebook, but what was I supposed to do? I’m kind of new to this whole committed relationship thing.

Despite all that, I survived and charged into Monday morning with a pep in my step, knowing Owen would be back in another twenty-fourish hours. Or at least, he was supposed to be.

Less than an hour ago, I got a brief call from a very stressed-sounding Owen who apologized and explained that they had to cancel their Tuesday morning flights. Some things came up, and it is going to take longer than they originally thought to smooth out all the bumps and hiccups caused by Breanna, Linda, and Craig.

I did my best to act supportive and understanding over the phone, but on the inside, I kind of shriveled up and died.

YES, I KNOW I’M BEING AN OVERDRAMATIC PRETEEN.

Is this how it’s going to be from now on? Always counting down the minutes until we get to be together again whenever we’re separated? Because if it is, I may have to reevaluate…

Kidding. Just kidding.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Kiera says, reading my mood.

“It’s okay, because I’m not thinking about it. In fact, I’m not thinking about it so hard that I thought it might be fun for you guys to come to my house—my house-house, not the apartment—tonight so you can help me install my new cabinet drawers that arrived.”

Summer and Kiera look at each other. “Excuse me,” Summer says, “but do we look like the kind of people who know how to do that kind of thing?”

“I know I’m not,” says Kiera, reaching over my desk to grab a few paperclips.

“Yeah, but we could if we wanted to be,” I say. “I watch girls do DIY things on Instagram all the time.”

Summer grimaces. “Right. Well, we’ll come over, but no promises on the DIY stuff. Hey, do you want to have lunch with us? We’re thinking of ordering from that sub shop down the road.”

I shake my head. “Sorry, no can do. I’m having lunch with my dad a little later. Rain check?”

Kiera’s eyebrows lift. “What? Lunch with your dad? I didn’t know he was coming into town.”

“Yeah, we just barely made the plans,” I say, concentrating a little harder on my computer screen.

“You don’t seem as excited about that as you normally would be.”

She’s right.

Usually, I’m way hyped up to meet with him. I literally count down the hours and make little lists in my head about all the things I want to make sure I talk to him about. But this time…

I swallow, wishing I could make this little knot of worry in my throat disappear. The thing is, I decided I was still going to tell him about Owen. Even though they won’t be able to meet, I want to tell my dad all about him and how happy I am when we’re together. I even want to tell him how scary it’s been to make this leap and how I’ve never done something more terrifying yet exhilarating in my life.

---