Juniper went to the kitchen to fetch water for them when Alie cleared her throat. "I’ll do it. You must be tired after work. Why don’t you sit in the living room with Zilia?" she suggested gently.
Juniper humd in agreent and walked back to the living area. As Zilia settled onto the sofa, Juniper noticed a visible bump through her clothing.
"Congratulations on your pregnancy," Juniper said, taking a seat across from her in an armchair.
"Thank you," Zilia smiled, her expression radiating a newfound softness.
"What month is this?"
"Second and a half," Zilia replied promptly. "And the doctor says I’m expecting triplets."
"Really? That’s wonderful!" Juniper remarked, a genuine smile breaking through her fatigue as she recalled their old conversations. "It turns out your dream of having many pups with Cas has finally co true."
Zilia’s eyes sparked with joy at the mory. "Of course. Sorry for visiting you so late. I have been trying to find the right way to approach you, but I didn’t know your whereabouts until recently."
"I planned to stay away from everyone," Juniper answered honestly. She saw Alie walking toward them and rose to her feet, insisting that her guest didn’t have to serve her in her own ho.
"It’s fine, really. I’m only serving water," Alie said with a warm smile, handing a glass to Juniper and then one to Zilia. After placing the tray on the table, she took the last glass for herself and sat beside Zilia.
An awkward silence settled over the room as Juniper gripped her glass. Alie finally found a way to break the ice. she lifted one of the bags and held it out toward Juniper. "We bought sothing for you on our way here."
Zilia nodded encouragingly, helping to hold the bag up. "I hope you like the gifts. We spent quite a bit of ti picking them out."
Juniper hesitated for a second before reaching out to take the bag. The material was heavy, and as she peeked inside, she saw several carefully wrapped parcels.
"You really didn’t have to," Juniper murmured, her voice softening. "But thank you. Both of you."
"June, honestly, I wanted to apologize to you for everything that happened because of in your life. I never wanted it," Zilia whispered with guilt.
"You were never at fault, Zilia," Juniper stated firmly. "All you have ever done is spread love. And even for , you did the sa. My own greed destroyed everything and, truthfully, I needed this realization to know myself better."
Her words revealed the profound shift in her character over the months. The bitterness that had once defined her was gone; she refused to bla anyone else for the life she led now.
"I still believe it started—" Zilia began, but Juniper gently cut her off.
"No. Nick and I were never suitable for each other as husband and wife. That’s why it all happened. It was never about you, or even your brother, Idris," Juniper explained, her expression softening at the ntion of the boy she had hurt. "I’m sorry for bringing pain to him. Just tell him I feel guilty for what I did."
Zilia and Alie exchanged a look of quiet amazent. The woman sitting before them was no longer the sharp-edged woman they once knew, but soone who had found a difficult, honest peace in her own independence.
"He doesn’t hold a grudge, June," Zilia said softly. "But I will tell him. It might give him the closure he needs."
Alie lowered her glass onto the table with a firm click. "We didn’t just co here to bring gifts or apologies. We ca because we missed you. And Zilia traveled all this way because she believes we must spend ti together. Just the three of us! No n allowed."
Juniper felt a lump form in her throat, her eyes shimring with unshed tears. "Really? You actually want to be here with ? Do you both truly believe in ? What if... what if I end up hurting one of you?"
"You won’t," Zilia stated with absolute certainty. "You never did. I know that in my heart. June, I never wanted our friendship to dissolve like that. I—I still miss you every day," she murmured.
"I don’t suspect you of anything, either," Alie added, her tone supportive and steady. "Whatever happened in the past... Is in the past now. We are here for the present."
Juniper finally let out a breath she felt she’d been holding for months, a genuine smile breaking across her face. Having people around her again, especially Zilia, who had once been her closest confidante, made the heavy burden of her isolation finally begin to lift.
"In that case," Juniper said, wiping a stray tear from her cheek, "I was just planning to celebrate my first paycheck. Since you’re here, I think the ’treat’ should be for all of us. I’ll order the best dinner in the neighborhood."
"Wow! You got your first paycheck! Congratulations," Zilia said, her smile brightening the entire room.
"Yes. Finally, after a full month. It’s not a huge amount, but I’m so happy," Juniper replied, her eyes sparking with pride. "I’m going to order from a restaurant nearby where an old lady does all the cooking. They only take a limited number of orders each night, but her food is truly homade, she makes everything from scratch."
"You’ve certainly explored a lot around here," Alie remarked, looking impressed. "I haven’t even had the chance to find gems like that."
"You live in the Central District, that’s probably why," Juniper noted with a small laugh. "Everything there is so high-end and fast-paced." She pulled her phone from her purse and opened the local delivery app. "Tell what you’re in the mood for. Since it’s her kitchen, the nu is small, but everything is incredible."
Zilia leaned in, looking over Juniper’s shoulder at the screen. "Anything vegetarian for , the triplets are being very picky today."
"And I’ll have whatever the house specialty is," Alie added.
As Juniper scrolled through the options, she felt quite happy that she wasn’t alone tonight and there were people to celebrate her happiness.
Reviews
All reviews (0)