Page 44 of When October Starts

I broke the kiss, then placed a few more on her cheek and forehead before pulling her to the bench to sit down.

I grabbed both her legs and pulled them over my lap so she had to sit sideways. Her left arm stayed around my shoulders, and her right hand fisted my coat tightly, scared that I would leave her again.

“I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart,” I assured her, kissing the tip of her nose before looking back into those beautiful, deep blue eyes. “I want you to tell me everything. How’s college?” I asked.

Juno smiled softly while I caressed her thighs and held her close with my other hand around her waist. “I’m liking it so far.” She kept her answer short, and I knew she wanted to turn this conversation around.

“Where did you go after you left?” she asked.

“Went back to my parents. They own a bar, and they let me work there. I stayed at the apartment above the bar.”

“So…you’ll go back to Canada?”

I shook my head. That was probably my cue to tell her what I had in mind. I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out a little box with a bow wrapped around it. “Happy birthday,” I told her. It was yesterday, and until now, I didn’t get a chance to congratulate her on her eighteenth.

Her smile grew, and she took the box out of my hand with her eyes shining bright. “Can I open it?” she asked, and I nodded.

“Go ahead.”

She made quick work of the bow, pulling it off in one swift move. I caught the bow before it landed on the floor and then I watched as she opened the lid.

“A key,” she said surprised. “What’s it for?”

“For my new apartment. It’s near Lakewood College, and I chose it to be close to you.” Her lips parted, and she stared at the key before she turned her head to look at me.

“Are you serious?” she asked, her eyes wide.

“Of course I’m serious. I told you once we can be together, I’ll do whatever it takes to stay with you, Juno. I want you to use that key whenever you feel like sleeping over at my place.”

She threw her arms around my neck. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she exclaimed with joy, and finally her sadness was slowly fading away.

I rubbed her back and took in her scent. “Anything for you, sweetheart,” I whispered.

“Can we go there right now?” she asked as she leaned back to look at me.

“Actually, there’s one thing I’d like to do before taking you to my place.” I brushed her hair away from her face, tucking the strands behind her ear. “I need to introduce myself to your mothers.”

Chapter Thirty-Six

Juno

It was awkward. At least for me it was. Seeing my mothers talk to Ezra while we all sat in our living room was definitely a situation I had to get used to.

Mom didn’t look as pleased as Aggie did, but since our little fallout in June, I didn’t really care about Mom’s opinions.

Aggie was more supportive. She asked about Ezra a lot, wondering if I ever chose to text him while we were apart. She cared about my feelings, about my thoughts.

“And where is this little apartment of yours, Ezra?” Aggie asked, pouring him a cup of tea.

“Thank you,” he said, keeping his hand wrapped around mine tightly. He hadn’t let me go since we sat down on the couch. “It’s a five-minute walk from Lakewood College. I figured whenever Juno doesn’t feel like taking the bus, she can stay at my place. Or she can come over for lunch, or to do homework.”

That sounded like a very good plan. I was often tired after taking the bus back home, and staying at Ezra’s a few nights a week was a great idea.

“You don’t teach anymore, right?” Mom asked, sounding rather annoyed.

“Uh, no. I’m not allowed to teach at regular schools anymore. But I am allowed to teach instruments, and I found a job as a guitar teacher.”

He had told me that on the ferry, and I thought that fit him well. He loved playing guitar, and what better way to use his talent other than teaching it to others?

---