Hello June

Seventeen

June texted April about the dinner at Scrumptious, and made sure to mention that it was a friends gathering.

Why?

She didn't know that either.

Ever since seeing Seth almost skip his way out the café like some little girl, June had been lightheaded. It was muscle memory which got her through her shift. And then through the next one she covered on request too. The customers and sometimes Becky's son were the ones who kept her from overthinking herself into oblivion.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake it off.

She could still feel the ghost of a pair of arms wrapped around her, their warmth seeping into her, making all the thoughts fade to a distant purposeless whisper.

His mere presence had been keeping June's thoughts from diverting towards the stained corridor and flickering lights.

From the very second Seth had stepped into the café, he had been the only centre of her attention. The rest of the world was just there, present in the background doing what background people do.

June watched each and every move he made. She watched him lift his cup to his lips, take a quick sip, and then unconsciously place the cup back as he was busy answering some question. She watched his hands as they flipped through pages, handed over some document to the other man, or waved around as he talked or explained something. June observed every stretch of his smile, and every crease in his brow. Every nod and every tilt of his head.

Their eyes accidently met twice or thrice too, but still—even though she kept reminding herself that she had work to do—she couldn't keep her eyes off him.

For a moment, she felt as if it was almost six years ago, and she was in her living room again. from the kitchen she watched as Stanley and his father talked about something important which they refused to tell her, other than that it was some family issue—some property matter—and June shouldn't be concerned.

June remembered Stanley doing a little smack with his lips too, just after he took a sip and started to talk. He too, talked both verbally and physically when he was interested in the subject. He too placed both his palms flat on any surface in front of him when he made a proposition, and then pursed his lips as he waited for an answer.

And then when Seth had hugged her...

The memory of her dream had been haunting her before that. But the instant Seth pulled her into his embrace, all she remembered was the scent of cologne hiding that of the after shave, and the feel of a sheep wool sweater on her cheek.

The ding of the message on her phone bought her back out of her thoughts to the real world. The locker room was empty now. The evening shift had just started and every one was either busy or had left for home. Alex had come to pick up Chase a few hours ago, and June had only realised that when Becky finally came out of her office to inspect what was happening in the Café. Now Becky, too, had left, as it was Jen's time to supervise everything.

Turning away from her locker as fast as possible, June pulled her phone out of her pocket. There on the screen, flashed a text notification from April.

Where are you? I am waiting!!

"coming." She said out loud, pocketing the phone and stepping away from the locker.

It took June few minutes to pick an outfit and get ready. Then she sat on the couch in the living room, waiting as April ran around the house picking an outfit, all the while cursing June for telling her on last moment, and for the weather for keeping her from wearing the best dresses.