[2024 WATTYS SHORTLISTED] [18+]
In the picturesque lakeside town, the calm waters mask the storm within Juniper Jenkins' heart. Betrayed and broken by her cheating boyfriend, she flees to the sanctuary of her friend's lakeside house, to work remotel...
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"Oh my god, are you okay?" Nora calls from behind the counter as Juniper and I step through the doors of Hansen's Coffee.
"I'm fine," I respond, casting a quick glance her way.
"Are you sure?" She leans over the counter, her concern evident as we walk by. "I'll bring you some ice!"
"Wells, I'm so sorry," Juniper says, walking a step behind me as we make our way inside.
"Don't worry about it, Juniper," I reply, glancing back at her before falling onto the couch at the back of the shop. "It's not your fault."
I was sorting through the storage closet when Nora called me out to the front. "Wells, I think you should come out here. I'm pretty sure Beckett just kissed your girl," she said.
I immediately abandoned the box I was holding and went to the front to check if she was serious. And there stood Juniper with Beckett, looking visibly upset. For a brief moment, we both stood there silently, observing the situation. I hesitated, uncertain if it was appropriate for me to interfere, but when I could see Juniper withdrawing emotionally, I knew I had to step in and see if she was okay.
I just didn't think he would actually punch me.
"It was my fault," she insists, her voice thick with unshed tears, settling beside me on the couch. She tucked her feet beneath herself, brushing away a tear.
I hate that she's crying. I fucking hate that she's crying over him.
It's like taking a blow to the gut this time, seeing her like this. Every part of me aches just seeing it. Her face, swollen and red, tears streaming down her cheeks. She looks devastated. Devastated all because of her ex. I thought all these emotions she'd moved past were already gone, but here they are, right back at the surface because of him.
Fucking perfect.
Maybe I should have punched him back. I'm not an idiot, though. Beckett is taller than me by at least five inches, weighs around 250 pounds, and could probably bench over 300 pounds. There was no way I was going to get in a fistfight with a guy that almost went into the NFL.
The last time I threw a punch was back in middle school when Adam Bates stole my Nintendo DS and made fun of me for playing Pokémon during lunch. I punched him, he punched me back, and I told myself never again.
What would punching him have accomplished in the end anyway? I think it probably would have made Juniper more upset.
"It's fine, Juniper. Honestly, I'm okay. It's not that bad." I gently, shaking my head, trying to reassure her.
"But he punched you in the eye!" Her voice carries a tinge of panic. "That's bad. Really bad, Wells!"
"It wasn't that bad," I mutter, pulling out my phone to take a look at my eye in the camera. Already swollen, but I try not to inspect it too closely with Juniper right here.
