"He punched him?" Ellis asks as we walk down the sidewalk toward Hansen's.

"Yeah," I reply sheepishly, recounting the events of the other day to Ellis and Delaney.

"Oof. All because he thought you were cheating on him?" Delaney asks incredulously.

"That's what Beckett said, yeah," I confirm, nodding.

"Even though he was the one that cheated on you?" Ellis says, her eyebrows pinched together, as she reaches for the door handle to Hansens.

"Yeah."

"Did Wells say something that made him think that?"

"No, Wells just came out, trying to make sure I was okay and then—"

"—He punched him," Delaney finishes.

"Yeah, pretty much, and now I feel terrible. Like I need to make it up to him or... I don't know. Something more than just..." I pause, biting the side of my lip as I try to gather my thoughts.

"Sex?" Ellis says.

"Well... yeah."

"Does it even matter, though?" Delaney shrugs as we reach the front counter. "Isn't that what this is? Just a hookup?"

My steps grind to an abrupt halt, eyes widening as I turn my head toward her, and then quickly scanning my surroundings for any sign of Wells, making sure he hasn't overheard.

"What?" Delaney stops beside me, catching my alarmed expression. "I mean, you are just hooking up with him, right? Just sex?"

"Delaney," Ellis scolds in a hushed tone while I interject, "Will you please shut up?"

"What?" Delaney whispers again, clearly confused. "I thought you guys were just hooking up."

"Oh my god," I mutter, pressing my fingers against my temples.

The sound of shuffling emerges from the back room, and I drop my hands to my side, turning to watch as Nora walks through the door.

"Oh, hey, Juniper," she greets with a smile.

"Hi," I reply, forcing a smile as I study her face, hoping she didn't hear anything.

"Your usual?" Nora asks, adjusting her apron after slipping it over her head and tying the strings neatly. Despite Delaney's big fat obnoxious mouth, Nora shows no signs of hearing what she said.

"Um, yes, please. Thank you," I say, smoothing out my voice as I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Is Wells around by any chance?" I ask, subtly peering past her toward the back room.

"Oh yeah," she nods, grabbing a cup from the stack to start making my coffee. "He's roasting in the back. I'll let him know once I get your coffees going."

"Oh, that's okay," I glance back at her. "I'll probably just text him later."

"Are you sure?" She asks, retrieving another coffee cup from the stack. "I can go get him for you."

"No, it's alright."

"Okay," Nora says, shrugging slightly, then turns her attention to Delaney and Ellis. "What can I get for you guys?" They share their coffee orders, and she quickly jots them down on cups before promptly starting to prepare the drinks.

We stay mostly silent as Nora works on our drinks. I shoot a glare at Delaney, and Ellis leans in, murmuring something to her. The exchange is too soft for me to catch, but the dirty look on Ellis' face suggests she's scolding Delaney again.

After Nora hands over our coffees, we express our thanks and move away from the counter. Once we're out of earshot, I turn sharply to Delaney, my voice lowered to a whisper-yell. "What if she heard you?" I shove her shoulder slightly. "That's Wells's sister."

"Ouch," Delaney exaggerates, rubbing her shoulder with a mock hurt expression. "And she didn't hear me!"

"Delaney, Wells isn't just a hook-up," Ellis whispers as we settle at a table near the window. "Wells is Juniper's Joe Fox."

I can't help but let a smile spread across my face. I think she might be right. I think he might just be my Joe Fox. But a cuter, hotter, version of him.

She furrows her brow. "Who the fuck is Joe Fox, Ellis?"

Ellis rolls her eyes as she removes the lid from her coffee cup. "Do you not pay attention when we watch 'You've Got Mail'? We've seen it like a thousand times together."

She looks around, bewildered. "What the hell does Wells have to do with 'You've Got Mail'?"

Ellis and I exchange a glance, releasing a simultaneous exasperated groan.

"Joe Fox is from– you know what," Ellis says, shaking her head listlessly. "Never mind."

Delaney exhales sharply, growing exasperated. She turns her attention to me while taking a sip of her coffee. "So, if he's not just a hookup, what is he then?"

"I don't..." I sigh softly, setting my coffee down and sinking into the benched seat. "I'm not sure. We haven't exactly talked about it."

Ellis turns to me, her expression incredulous. "You've been together almost every day for the past month, and neither of you has talked about it?" Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

"No. I don't know. We just... It's something... we don't talk about," I stammer, my lips pressing together nervously and I biting down on my bottom lip.

"Well, you better start talking, June, because we leave in six days," Ellis emphasizes.

I squeeze my eyes closed not wanting to think about it. Six days.

I'm not ready to face the reality of things just yet. The thought of going back home, dealing with packing up my things, and moving out of the apartment I technically still share with Beckett—it's all too much. All I really want is to remain in this perfect bubble that Wells and I have created.

"Okay, so he's not a hook-up to you," Delaney remarked, catching my attention. "What is he to you then? You like him more than just a friend?"

"I..." I begin, my hand absentmindedly rubbing against my chest, the tension building up inside me and tightening like a rubber band. I divert my gaze upward, fixing my eyes on the ceiling.

I've been falling for him, I know I have, all this time. It's a truth I've been holding back from admitting to myself. I guess because, I don't know, I'm not ready to acknowledge it just yet. But it's more than just liking him.

I love him.

Shit. I love him.

"I, um—," I stutter, shaking my head and shutting my eyes briefly, not wanting to confess it. "I think, maybe I—"

"You love him," Ellis states matter-of-factly.

I snap my eyes open and find her casually blowing on her americano, a look of certainty on her face.

"What?" I huff out a nervous laugh, my eyes shooting over to Nora to make sure she can't hear us, but she's disappeared into the backroom again. "You don't know that," I whisper.

"Yes, I do. You love him," she drawls, and I simply blink in response. How does she know that when I'm just now admitting it to myself? She sighs, setting her coffee down with boredom etched across her face.

"Oh, come on, June, it's so obvious," she insists. "I mean, it's not just you. He looks at you like you're shitting out rainbows."

I scoff. "He does not look at me like I'm 'shitting out rainbows,' and there's no way he lo..." I pause, shaking my head slightly and clearing my throat. "There's no way he feels the same."

She raises her coffee to her lips, taking a sip while rolling her eyes at me. "June, the man makes you breakfast practically every morning, he let your ex-boyfriend use his face as a punching bag, and he's been ghostwriting your articles so you can work on your book. He loves you."

"How is it—," Delaney suddenly muses aloud, pondering her own thoughts, "—that you can just break up with your boyfriend and immediately fall in love with another guy? Meanwhile, I can't even get a guy to agree to a second date with me."

I groan and slump, burying my head in my hands. "This is bad, isn't it? This isn't normal," I mumble, my voice muffled by my palms.

"What's not normal?"

I lift my head from my hands to meet Ellis' gaze. "Falling in love with someone right after breaking up with someone else," I admit with a sigh. "I mean, I haven't even moved out of the apartment I share with Beckett. Everything I own is still there. And here I am, just hopping from one guy to the next."

"It's fine, June," Ellis says, waving her hand dismissively. "Who cares? You were over Beckett months ago." She then pivots to Delaney. "And you, Delaney, you've got an entirely different problem. You need, like, a relationship coach, a practice person, someone to fake dating, just to get over whatever this is," she gestures up and down at Delaney, "you have going on."

Delaney narrows her eyes, her lips pursed. "Yeah, because you're the relationship queen, right? The girl who let her perfect cowboy ride off into the sunset without her."

Ellis clenches her jaw and shoots a death glare up at Delaney, who simply sips her iced coffee in response before redirecting her attention back to me.

"You should tell him," Delaney suggests, completely ignoring Ellis's glowering stare.

"And tell him what exactly?" I ask, tracing the grooves of my coffee cup's lid with my fingertip. "That I don't want this summer fling to just be a fling? That I actually have feelings for him now? That we should break all these rules I, me, Juniper, set for us? And risk losing our jobs by breaking the 'no fraternizing' rule at work when we go back home? All for him to potentially say he doesn't feel the same way."

"Yes, all of that," Ellis insists, gesturing at me in a circular motion with her pointer finger. "Tell him that exactly."

I let out a groan as my head thumps against the wall behind me, my gaze fixating on the hanging light fixture above our table.

"Rules are meant to be broken. That's why they exist," Delaney adds.

"No, they're not," I mutter, closing my eyes. "They're there to keep things from falling apart."

Which is exactly why I feel like this. Like things are already teetering on the edge of falling apart. And I'm constantly worried and anxious now because of it. There's a relentless knot in the pit of my stomach. I want what Wells and I have, but there's this fear—fear that he might not want the same thing or that he'll feel it's too soon for me to be in a relationship with him and say no.

"June," Ellis interrupts my thoughts, and I look over at her. "Just tell him. He feels the same way. Trust me."

"And you better tell him before we leave on Saturday," Delaney adds.

It feels like too much, too soon. But the thought of not being with him feels even worse.

"Fine, I'll tell him," I concede with a nod, taking a sip of my coffee, then pausing with hesitation before continuing, "I'll tell him Friday."

"Juniper!" Ellis exclaims, while Delaney groans, clearly frustrated with me.

I can't help but hide my face in my hands. "I'm nervous, okay?" I mumble through my fingers.

"Don't be," Delaney simply says, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Wow, Delaney, your reassurance is overwhelming," I retort with sarcasm, glancing up at her. Ellis snorts a laugh out in response, and Delaney smirks at me with a shrug.

Thank you everyone for reading, commenting, and voting. It truly means alot! ❤️