DAY
Eden, June, and I stand in front of Tess's apartment door. June knocks twice, and seconds later a strange man opens the door. He seems familiar though.
"June!" He shouts and pulls her into a big hug. By his tone of voice they seem close. She hugs him back with the same enthusiasm. "Happy birthday!" Oh so it's her birthday.
"Thank you Pascao," June says politely back to him with a smile on her face. Now his eyes shift over to me. He looks just as excited to see me and Eden as he was when he saw June. I must know him. He grabs my hand to shake it, and does the same to Eden.
"You probably don't remember me, but we fought together in the war. I'm Pascao. Eden and I met as well, but he was young, and I didn't know you as well as Tess and-" Tess suddenly appears, I'm assuming from the kitchen considering she has food all over her clothes, and interrupts Pascao.
"Oh! You're here!" Tess pulls June into a tight hug and says, "Happy Birthday Junie!" She the turns to me with an enormous smile on her face and hugs me as well. "Daniel, I missed you so much."
"I missed you too cousin." Tess then hugs Eden, and we head into her apartment.
"I'm not finished cooking yet, but you all can wait in the living room. I'll be no more than ten minutes." Tess disappears back into the kitchen. There's one couch and a recliner chair for us to sit in. Pascao sits on the couch first, and June sits next to him. There's one spot left on the couch but I choose the recliner because I don't know if June would want me to sit next to her. Eden takes the spot instead.
Eden and June start talking about the Republic, and how much he missed it, and a whole goddy load of other crap. But the way they talk to each other it seems as if they have met before.
I decide to start small talk with Pascao. "So, how did you and Tess meet?"
"Actually I met her through June. Well we became friends because of June."
June stops her conversation with Eden. They both look over, but June glares at Pascao. "June was friends with Tess, and I was friends with June, so Tess and I became friends."
"So June, how do you know Tess" I ask her. I couldn't tell if she didn't like Pascao talking about this in general, or if she just didn't like Pacao talking about this to me.
"Uh, we met at a skiz fight." By the look on Junes face I could tell that she didn't want to be questioned anymore. I start to stare at June. It all seems too familiar. I remember her pulled back hair, brown eyes with flecks of gold and calculating face, but don't have any stories to match them to.
June catches me staring at her, and then looks away. Her cheeks turn a bright red quickly. You'd think I would be the one who was blushing.
That's when I remember. June was the girl that visited me when I woke up from my coma at the hospital. 10 years later, and she is still just as beautiful. I don't know if there is anything more between June and I or, if it's just me wanting there to be a past between us.
I can feel the tension in the room growing in the silence so I decide to get up and walk to the kitchen. "I'm going to go help Tess with the food. It's taking goddy forever."
"Okay." June, Pascao, and Eden say. I feel them all watching me as I head toward the kitchen. As soon as I'm out of sight I hear them whispering. I can only guess that it's about me.
Talking to Tess was one of the easiest things I've ever done, and I need someone I could talk to right now. I needed someone to tell me about June. But it's been ten years, and I don't know if it's the same. Tess could be closer to June for all I know. Because while I was in Antarctica they were here.