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All Juniper can do is watch the clock in the cafe, every minute Athena being late becoming more taxing than the last. Looking across the way at the empty seat again, her fears creep in that she’s been stood up. She coughs a bit, then with a deep breath, she grabs her Riney and holds him close as she looks at the lovely weather outside, the sun brightening the pathway to the park to get her mind off things.
If she has been stood up, perhaps she can go to the park and enjoy her drink there before starting her day. Her thoughts are interrupted as the bell to the cafe’s door rings and she looks over to see Athena walking in, wiping her brow from her morning jog. She slides into the chair across from Juniper with a small gift, placing it in front of her.
“Oh, what’s this?” Juniper asks, raising an eyebrow as she reaches out for the gift.
“An apology for being late,” Athena sighs. “I slept through my alarm. I must have been really tired because I even slept through my mental alarm. I drove like a crazy woman to get here on time! I probably should have been pulled over, honestly.”
“Oh? Weren’t you going to take your morning jog here?”
“Well, yeah, that was the plan, but then I would have been two hours late, not the fifteen minutes I am now.” Athena sighs. “Sorry again. You order yet?”
“No, I was waiting for you.” Juniper shakes her head, placing Rhiny back in her bag. “If you’d like, we can order now?”
“Yeah, I think I’m going to need a quad shot.” Athena rubs her head, then her eyes. She yawns, stretching her arms up. “What are you going to get?”
“Hmm, I heard from Hugh they have really good teas here, so probably that.” Juniper smiles, looking at the menu. She hums, adjusting her sun hut as she looks at all the delicious options.
She reads through each description through the flavors that the cafe offers as she hums at a vanilla rose tea. She goes up with Athena as she orders a large americano with tons of sugar, syrup and four shots of coffee.
That’s a lot of coffee...will Athena be able to handle herself with all that caffeine?
Juniper orders her tea with a side of honey as the two go to sit back at the table. What are they supposed to do now? Her hands are sweating in her gloves as she looks down a bit, trying to not panic. Juniper’s actually never been on a date...
“Oh!” Athena clasps her hands, “I’m thinking about going to the park if you have the time.”
Juniper smiles, “I’d love to. I kept my day completely open for this.”
Athena’s eyes water up, her eyes lighting up as she smiles. “Y’know you’re just so sweet, Juniper. You waiting for me so patiently and keeping the whole day open for me? Have you been to that park?”
Juniper nods, “When I was still in school, we’d go there from time to time with Professor Courte and get some air. I haven’t done everything. I always wanted to go to the aviary there.”
“Oh! Actually!” Athena digs through her bag, shuffling through her cards as she allows herself to exhale as she brings out a thin brown card. “Oh, thank god...”
“Huh?”
“I did remember my membership card! Phew!” Athena laughs, stuffing the card in her purse.
“Oh, how did you afford that? That’s really expensive!” Juniper recalls Hugh talking about the prices and fees of the aviary at some point. Even he was wondering why his wealthy parents would drop money on it.
“Oh, yeah, I’m kinda the mooch in this situation. Simon got a family membership and put my name on it when I went with him. So I can go anytime I want with some guests.”
“Oh, that’s very kind of him.”
“Yeah! My brother’s the best!” Athena smiles. “He put his sister on too when she gets out of jail. I lost track of time and she’s going out on probation next month. Maybe we should go together?”
Juniper pauses, thinking in her spot for a moment before responding. Are they supposed to talk about such deep conversations? Well, this probably isn’t a normal date, after all. They’ve been best friends for years. Plus, this seems to be causing a lot of turmoil in Athena...
“Would you be okay to see her?”
“Honestly, probably not at first.” Athena looks away as their drinks are placed on the table. “I’ve been visiting with Simon and she apologized for accusing me of my mother’s death. However, it’s gonna take lots of time. Lots of it.”
“Perhaps not, then. If you do, take Simon with you? I am curious if you’re okay with answering. Is anyone forcing you to forgive her?”
“No, it was on my own call. My therapist said that it might do me good to try.” Athena twirls the straw, taking a sip. “Oh, I should have asked for less sugar. Hoo, that’s sweet.”
“Oh, I bet,” Juniper laughs. “At least it’s not burnt, right?.”
“Oh yeah! It’s brewed perfectly. Just too sweet.”
“Oh...I wanted to ask.” Juniper sips the drink, “ Sorry to bring it back to this, but what happens if it doesn’t work out? With Aura?”
“It’s okay.Then, it really doesn’t work out, I guess. Aura and I aren’t trying to force anything, but honestly, I want to remember the woman that helped raise me. I know she did it all for my mom, but something tells me she must have loved me at one point, too.” Athena’s voice falters, “Some of my memories are completely gone from before the incident and my therapist told me to not do too much of personal searching without help.”
“Do you not remember us?” Juniper frowns, holding her teacup close. That would be devastating...
“Not all of it,” Athena admits. “I read some diaries from when I was younger and I was able to remember those times and a few memories here and there. I remember being happy with you, and that’s what matters to me.I just remember I really liked you and that you were my friend. Oh, and that you always were good with boys.”
“Hehe, you’ve mentioned that before about the boys. Was it jealousy?”
“As jealous as a little ten year old can be.” Athena chuckles a bit. “Well, hey, here we are on our first date and I’m bringing up trauma. I really threw my brother’s advice in the trash can. Don’t bring up personal matters. It’ll ruin the date, he said.”
“Oh, he’s such a hypocrite,” Juniper sips her tea, giggling. “I bet the first thing he did when he went on his date, he went up to Mr. Sahdmadhi for his greeting…”
Juniper coughs a bit, then purposely lowers her voice, trying to intimidate a British accent.
“‘I served in the clink for seven years. I’ve seen some shit. Try me, Monk.’”
Athena howls in laughter as she throws her head back. She shakes her head, trying to catch her breath as Juniper giggles. Athena wipes a tear from her eye. “Yeah, I bet that’s how that went down.”
“I’m sorry. I should be more respectful of your family, but what I meant to say is don’t feel bad, Thena. I really am enjoying just hanging out with you.”
“That’s a relief. Let’s keep it that way. We should definitely go to the aviary right after this before it gets too hot. I wonder how that hatching is doing anyway.” Athena hums, chugging more of her drink. “Simon would probably like an update.”
“An update?”
“Did I not tell you? Weird. Musta forgot. It’s been a busy week. We found a little hatchling and brought it over last Sunday. That’s when he got the membership.”
“Oh, would you mind going again, though?”
“Nah, I wasn’t able to finish looking around, actually. A ton of people were really interested in seeing Taka up close so we barely got anywhere.”
“I think Simon wouldn’t like that.”
“Oh yeah, he definitely was bitchin’ about it. He didn’t like how many kids wanted to carry Taka, but he was never rude about it. I’m pretty sure he’s used to it by now.” Athena shrugs, “We got to the rainforest exhibit before I realized how late it was.”
“It must be nice to have siblings to do things with,” Juniper smiles. “He seems to love to spend time with you.”
“Yeah! We help each other out. He moved in with me when he got out of jail. Turns out, when you leave jail, it’s really hard to find housing. At least he was employed already. If he weren’t, honestly, he probably would have been screwed.” Athena sighs, shaking her head. “It’s crazy how bad they really screw over people that have served their time. I’m actually really worried about Aura and what she’s going to do...Sorry, I didn’t mean to go off track again!”
“Has he done anything for you?” Juniper asks. “It seems you give a lot.”
“Oh yeah, he’s always helping with my construction projects in my apartment and brings dinner if I have some sensory overload issues or if I’m dissociating really badly that day.” Athena smiles, then frowns. “I really went off about myself, huh?”
“It’s okay, I like listening to you talk,” Juniper smiles. “I really don’t have a lot to add into the conversation anyway.”
She means it, too. She remembers Athena doing this as kids, going off on topics for hours. Though with the way she keeps going back to the prison system, Athena must be nervous about Aura getting out of jail...
“Huh? Really?” Athena raises an eyebrow. “You’re always doing stuff, though! You gotta have something.”
“I’m afraid my life is mundane compared to yours. It’s usually just chores and tasks.” Juniper sips her tea again. “Just the usual gardening and working on my judicial license.”
“Come on, you gotta take a break. Get a hobby or something.”
“Oh, you know what? I did pick up a hobby and made you something.”
“You did? You’re so sweet, you really didn't have to!”
“Yeah! I have gotten into sewing a lot recently and made you this.” Juniper hands over a package. It’s not her best work, but it’s something Athena desperately needs. Her hands are still so sweaty...
Athena tilts her head and opens the gift to find an apron. It’s a simple navy blue with the logo of her favorite show embroidered in the apron pocket.
“You really went for it!” Athena smiles. “Most people who start sewing start with something a lot smaller than an apron! How did you know I needed one?”
“Oh,” Juniper smiles. “When I was at your house a couple weeks ago, I noticed that you didn’t have an apron. Do you cook often?”
“So-so. I have some easy meals for the days when I can’t function or I’m too overwhelmed.” Athena sighs, “Though I’ve been trying to learn more complicated recipes. I miss having Simon as a roommate because he was really good at cooking. I’ll admit my diet’s been shit since he got his own place.”
“There’s some easy healthier recipes I can show you,” Juniper offers, digging through her bag to see if she can grab her calendar and find a day to help out.
“That’d be great, but that’s not the full problem. Even with basic recipes, sometimes I’m so far out of focus I can’t get out of bed.” Athena pouts. “Well, either way. I do appreciate the offer. We’ll plan on that later.”
“Oh, that would be wonderful,” Juniper hums. “I know some meals I can help you prepare at the beginning of the week you can store in the freezer. It would be good to just spend time with you, too.”
“Well, I hope this date was a good start.”
“Definitely. This is wonderful.” Juniper hums, sipping the tea. “You know, I really was nervous, but because we're already so close, it felt natural. It’s nice to catch up with you. My tea’s almost done. Are you ready to go to the aviary?”
“Yep!” Athena stands up, grabbing her bag and coffee as she follows Juniper out of the cafe. “I think you’re going to like the swans. They’re really pretty and if you catch them at the right time…”
Athena trails on as Juniper’s fears that the date isn’t going well melt away. Athena reaches out her hand to her with a look of admiration in her eyes Juniper hasn’t seen before. They hold hands to the park, crossing the street and looking forward to the rest of their day.