hello, goodbye [juni/lucia]

Small shoulders slumped down low. A child’s giggle could be heard through the large house on the corner of a rather fancy estate. Juniper was looking after Cody’s little sister that afternoon. This was her new job and she was quite content with it. Becoming a nanny for one of the most famous models to have ever step foot in Newport Beach was as much of an honour as it was fun. Cameron was brought up well in the two years she had spent on this earth and all Juni could do was give praise to Cody for being such an amazing mother figure to this child. She understood how difficult it must have been to raise her and make a name for herself in the industry she worked in.

A loud screech of happiness invaded the room as the eighteen year old girl played patty cake with Cameron. Tiny hands were placed in larger ones and were gently tapped together as the rhyme was said over and over again. Again, a screech was heard throughout the large home, creating the ambiance it had that afternoon. It was as if a whole family had lived there for years, when in reality it was only the three of them and Cody’s assistant at times. Today was one of the days that Juniper was supposed to take off early. She had a few things that she needed to get done, such as visit her aunt in the hospital and run a few things to her brothers. She didn’t mind doing all of these things for everyone else, but did wish at times that there was more time for herself and Henry.

Oh Henry, that was a boy she hadn’t seen in a while. Juniper felt her heart sink at the thought of the blond boy. She was almost ashamed that she wasn’t able to hang around him as much as she had wanted to. Perhaps that was something she could do tonight. Call him up and get together for a movie marathon. Perhaps Star Wars, or a couple of Trek films. There were so many options to choose from. A grin crossed her features and the front door opened. The young woman that poked her head through the living room door was not Cody, but her assistant Josie. Josie was a wonderful friend of Juniper’s and was well in with Cody. On days such as these, Josie would come and relieve Juniper of her duties. Another reason why Juniper enjoyed Josie so much.

“Are you ready to get going, Juniper?” She asked as she placed her shoes neatly by the door. Her long, red coat was hung in a certain fashion in the front closet and her hair didn’t seem out of place. Josie picked up her bag and manoeuvred her way to where Juniper was sitting, playing with Cameron. Juniper gave Cam a swift kiss on her head and nodded at Josie.

“Yeah, I hope you’ll be okay with her this afternoon. She’s been fed and changed and all she needs now is a bath,” she replied. The grin stayed glued to her face as she got up and made her way toward the front door. Her small feet slipped into small wedge heels and a knapsack was placed loosely around her tiny frame. She waved her goodbyes to the two girls and walked out of the home. Juniper’s green eyes scanned the area before she placed them at the bottom of her purse. She dug through the mess for a few moments before retracting a small cell phone. She flipped it open and searched for Henry’s number. Soon, it appeared on the screen and she sent him a text message. She was quite eager for the reply, but hadn’t received one right away. This could only mean a few things. He was either passed out somewhere or was busy doing something or other.

She let an almost inaudible sigh escape her pink lips as she walked along the pavement. A swift breeze passed through the suburbs, making her flowing dress pick up and swirl around her. It took most of Juniper’s might to place her hands by her side to keep the dress from completely flying upward. Giggling at herself, the hothead continued her journey to the nearest bus stop.

The bus had dropped her off downtown. Juniper had another hour to wait before she had to catch the next bus to the hospital. Thinking about what she was going to do for this whole hour, Juniper stopped in front of The Masthead. It was a locally owned coffee shop, which made it all the better in her eyes. Juniper wasn’t a fan of large corporations coming in and taking over small communities like Newport. She liked it the way it was because of all of it’s great locally owned shops. Placing a small finger to her chin, Juniper decided that it would probably be best to stop in and grab a coffee before going else where. It was tiring taking care of a toddler. She pulled open the door to the cool establishment and made her way to the front. Luckily, there wasn’t too much of a line up. As she came closer and closer to the till, Juniper’s eyes scanned the room slightly. There, in a corner booth sat a familiar face. She had remembered this character from her encounter on the beach. Juniper snorted slightly as the attendant at the front counter tried to get her attention.

“Yes, I will have a frozen hot chocolate with a lot of whipped cream.” She handed the clerk her money and took back the change. Once her drink was in hand, Juniper slowly made her way to the table this Russian man was sitting at. The young female placed the straw in her mouth and suckled at her chilled drink before she stopped in front of Lars.

“Well, well. If it isn’t the macho Russian man I ran into a while ago. How’s it going buddy?” She asked. She had wondered if Lars would remember her, especially dressed in the attire she was in. Juniper rarely wore clothing like this. She could usually be seen in a pair of jeans, even on the hottest of days. Today was different. She was at work for one and for two, she had to visit family in the hospital. That called for classy attire. Without hesitation Juniper slid into the booth and sat herself across from Lars, keeping a small smile across her face. Her lips tangled themselves around the straw once more as she sucked the cool liquid from her cup.