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After all this time, the same guy runs the place. When I made arrangements for tonight, I had asked him why he’s never retired but he insisted he loves his job so much that retirement was never something he considered. He said he hoped that someday, one of his children would take over, but that he wasn’t holding his breath.
“Jovi, you’re still here?” June rises and hugs the round man after he’s set the pizza on our table.
"Until the day I die." He embraces her and pulls away to look her over, but not in the creepy way that most men do. "You're all grown up, kid." He smacks my shoulder. "You both are." Jovi glances between us. "But don't let me interrupt. You two have a wonderful evening, and if you need anything don't be afraid to holler. I'll send Jonah out in a bit to check on you."
“Thanks, Jovi,” June calls after him.
The two of us settle into our chairs, cutesy grins on our faces like we transformed back into those kids who were scrounging for change to get a slice of pizza to share. And now I have more money than I know what to do with, my heart still belonging to that same girl from all those years ago.
June digs into a slice, closing her eyes and moaning as she chews. “This is exactly how I remember.”
“You haven’t been back?” I ask her.
She wipes at the corners of her mouth and swallows the bite. “Nope. Have you?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“I avoided anything that reminded me of you.” June sips from the glass of water near her. “It honestly took me a long time to go back and visit my mom, afraid that her ghost wouldn’t be the only one I’d find.”
“I never meant to ruinthatfor you.”
She shrugs. “That was the past.”
“I’m sorry.” I reach for the champagne bottle. “Here’s to the future.”
“Co?”
“Hm?” I fill her glass and then mine.
“You never really told me what happened.”
“With what?” I respond, afraid to meet her gaze. There are few things in this world I’m afraid of and she’s at the top of the list.
“With everything, really. Your dad, why you had to leave, why you never came back, why you’re…differentnow. I mean, you’ve told me bits and pieces, but never the whole story.” June nibbles the edge of her pizza and waits for me to say something, anything.
But where do I begin? And how can I prepare either of us for the truth of it all?
That the sweet boy she fell for ten years ago transformed into a murderous lunatic.
“Why didn’t you come back? Tell me that, at least.”
"I thought I was protecting you," I confess the only truth that isn't too ugly to admit.
“How?”
“I…I did some terrible things, J. Things I thought I had to do. Things that changed me. Things that were supposed to bring me closer to you, but ended up being the very thing that made returning to you impossible.”
June stares at me, her gaze scanning my face. “And I thought it was because you didn’t love me.”
“Exact opposite, really. Everything I did, that I stilldo, is because I love you, maybe too much.”
“You know I waited for you?” She continues to look directly at me, her eyes glistening. “I went to your house every day for months. I sat on your porch, glancing up at every vehicle that went down your road. I broke in through your window and slept in your bed, hoping and praying that I’d wake up to find you there. I couldn’t tell you how many times I checked and rechecked our answering machine to see if it still worked. If I ever hear the automated words,no new messagesever again, I’ll probably lose my mind.
“I was sad for the longest time. And then my sadness turned into anger. It was easier to be mad at you than anything else.” June chuckles. “My whole personality is based around being constantly pissed off. I’m not even sure if I could fix it if I tried.”
“I thought you were happy.”
“How would you know? You never bothered to find out.”
