Who: Juni^baby and Duke^heir.
Where: In town, starting.
When: This evening.
What: Apologies and awkwards.
Status/Rating: Incomplete/We'll see?



Juni had moved out, painted the new flat, and nearly botched a dinner with the mothers. She was now not only a designer but an owner of her very own store that seemed to be doing better than expected. The expectation that she would fail was always there, no matter how confident she appeared to be. She made clothes that made her happy, that suited her mood and not really for anyone else. Where she once sought everyone's approval, she was now seeking approval from only herself, the fear of rejection had slowly died. Now a new fear at settled in her life: loneliness. She had her new husband and Juni couldn't be more grateful for his support even through his own dilemmas. She was missing her girls. She was missing her dad. Juni missed her brothers. She missed her friends and family. It was as simple as that.

Juni knew she had messed up. She tried reaching out but things took time. It was like walking on thin ice, constantly feeling that gut wrenching stab as if she were about to fall at any minute. The girls, her girls, would be the hardest to repair. Things had been shakey as is for Juni. For months she had to deal with them being older or not there at all. Juni had learned to deal with issues of Chris, her mother, Duke...all on her own when she normally wouldn't have back home. She pushed aside her own anger with the girls and backed down to their own feelings. Their feelings mattered more than her own. She wanted things as they once were and yet, she held herself back. Juni knew, after the fact, that she had hurt people and it felt strange. This wasn't who she once was, but at the end of the day, she followed her heart and she was happy. She was honest with how she felt.

Juni had changed and it hurt most that it had hurt others.

Juniper kept up appearances the best she could. It was a gift taken from Petunia. Everything was perfect and yet on the inside, she struggled with guilt. She did not regret the wedding or Bran. It was the consequences of her actions that piled on her. There were people to apologize to and even then, she knew it wouldn't be enough.

Closing up shop, Juni left her store. It was early evening and still rather warm with the sun taking its sweet time in setting. Juni dressed accordingly to the weather: a small, billowy yellow dress and bright red heels with matching red lipstick. The curls in her hair seemed to bounce as she took each step closer to her home. Thoughts ran through her mind as she looked down at the pavement, the rhythm in which she walked slowed as she saw a pair of dark boots. Juni stopped for a moment, hoping she would not walk into the stranger.

With a quick glance upwards, she realized the man that stood before her was no stranger at all, although he might have been at this point.

Duke.

Another person she hurt. A person she hadn't spoken to since she got married. The sting in her gut had deepened. Juni stood there for a long moment before saying anything at all.

"...hey."