Page 95 of The Relationship Clause

I jump from the bed as if I’ve been burned. Panic rises in my chest. My throat is tight, and my mouth is dry. The queasiness I was experiencing earlier turns into a full-blown, stomach-turning, rocking-back-and-forth, gonna-throw-up-any-second feeling.

I call Junie, but she doesn’t answer. Again, nothing. Again, nothing. Despite the AC running full-blast in the room, I’m sweating like I’ve run a 5k in the middle of July.

I’m packing my things before I even realize what I’m doing. My flight is first thing tomorrow, but that’s not soon enough. I need to get to Junie now. There’s got to be a flight that leaves tonight. A red-eye. I’ll buy a ticket at the airport.

Do people even do that anymore? Is buying tickets at the airport possible?

I have no idea, but I’ve got to try.

As I’m flying around the room, grabbing my things, I’m vaguely aware of the door to the hallway opening. It’s Shane. Probably just coming back from the conference room. I’ll have to explain on the run.

I rush past the open door into the bathroom, sweeping my toiletries off the counter and into my bag.

“Shane, I’ve got to go.”

“Owen,” Shane says behind me.

“I need to get back to Junie.”

“Owen.”

“I can’t explain. I might not have time to cancel my other flight. Tell them—”

“Owen!”

My hands freeze at the sound of a voice that is most definitely not Shane’s. It’s a voice that at once fills me with relief and worry, and it doesn’t make sense. Junie isn’t here. My neurons are freaking out right now and some signals have been mixed up, and now I’m hearing things. Wishful thinking at its most painful.

“Owen.”

I turn slowly, struggling to understand what I’m seeing. Junie is framed in the door, looking disheveled, a bit tired, but still radiantly beautiful.

“Juniper.” Her name drops heavily from my lips. “How did you— I mean, I thought—What are you doing here?”

She shrugs, her gaze dipping to the floor as her cheeks blaze pink. “I had Kiera text Shane to find out where you were staying. You weren’t answering your phone.”

I wave behind me but can’t, for even a second, take my eyes off of her. “It died. I’m an idiot and forgot my charger. I’m so sorry.” Step by step, I approach her until we’re toe to toe. I want nothing more than to wrap my arms around her and pull her into a hug, but something about her body language, the way she’s got her arms wrapped around herself and won’t look me in the eye, stops me. “Will you come inside?”

There’s a long pause, which is almost as painful as sitting in a meeting with Em3rge’s legal team, but then she nods.

“I’ll give you two some space,” Shane says. I’d almost forgotten he was here. He leans inside to punch my shoulder. It’s a punch that says, You’ve got this, and then he’s gone, closing the door behind him. Now it’s Junie and me in this hotel room. She moves further into the room, looking around, and when I come closer, she backs up, creating more space between us.

At least she’s here, I remind myself. That has to mean something.

Hopefully it doesn’t mean something bad.

“Are you hungry? Thirsty? I think Shane might have left a soda in the mini fridge.” I scrounge around for a second and hand her an orange Fanta. She doesn’t back away this time but puts the drink on the nearby desk. More silence follows, and I have to fill it with something. “Junie, I’m sorry I didn’t text you when we got here like I said I would. We were thrown into a meeting right away, and it’s been one thing after another since then. I feel awful. I was in survival mode, but that doesn’t make it okay. You deserve better than that… Maybe you deserve better than me—”

“I told your parents I love you.” Junie claps her hands over her lips.

My mouth hangs open. The jittery, tense energy buzzing through me seconds ago hums and quiets. The AC cuts off at the same time, plunging us into silence.

CHAPTER 31

JUNIE

“Y-you… What?” he asks.

Oh my gosh. What am I doing here? What the heck am I doing here?

---