June

I follow Tess into the kitchen.

"So what're you cooking for us, Tess?" I ask. The kitchen smells like meat and herbs and everything delicious.

"Pork edame. But that's not what I brought you here for," Tess says.

"Oh," I say, not particularly surprised.

"Look, I know you cut ties with Daniel–Day–for a reason," Tess begins. "but I think it's been a long time since…you know. You last saw each other. And Day knows something is off. He keeps talking about how he thinks he lost someone really important to him–a girl."

I suck in a sharp breath.

"Just–what I'm saying, June, is I think you should give it a chance, yeah? It's been a while, and I, for one, never thought that you two were just going to live the rest of your lives not seeing each other again."

There is a lump in my throat, and all of a sudden I feel tears burning behind my eyes. "Okay," I say.

"Yeah?" Tess looks at me with her big, kind brown eyes.

"Yeah. Thanks, Tess. Really," I say.

"Oh shoot, the pork!" Tess exclaims, whirling around, grabbing a pair of oven gloves and flinging open the oven door.

I smile, take a deep breath, and wipe my eyes. Just then, Eden and Day come into the kitchen.

"That smells great, Tess!" Eden is saying enthusiastically.

I help Tess carry the food to the table, and we all sit down to eat.

Day

I haven't had pork edame in so long. In fact, I barely remember what it tastes like. When I taste it, though, something sparks my memory, and I have a hazy recollection of eating it with June. We were laughing, just like Tess, Eden, and June are right now. I watch as they drink good wine and laugh at some joke Eden has told. I grip the edge of the table. I need to pull myself together, and just for tonight, have a good time.

"You know Tess, you've glowed up since I last saw you," Eden says with a smile.

Tess blushes. "Oh, please. That's all you. I could hardly recognize you with your new haircut!"

"Oh." Eden runs his hand through his hair self-consciously.

"Don't worry, it looks great," Tess adds quickly.

I smile at their obvious flirting, despite it being my little brother and my best friend who used to have a huge crush on me. I turn to June.

"So, what do you do?" I ask, not sure what else to ask.

"Oh, me? I'm a police commander," she says.

She seems nervous. I am taken aback. I always imagined a police commander to be some sort of gray-haired, stone cold woman who never smiled.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah." She laughs slightly. "A lot of people think I'm too young."

"Yeah, I kind of thought that. And I kind of imagine a police commander to be some middle-aged person who never smiles. But, you know, you're…"

Some mysterious force seems to constrict my throat. God, what is wrong with me today? This usually comes to me so effortlessly. Talking to girls, I mean. I can usually get inside a girl's panties in five seconds flat. "You're…"

June blushes and looks down with a little laugh. She looks up again.

"What about you? What do you do?" June asks with a curious smile.

"I'm the Minister of Education. Back in Antarctica."

"Oh, wow."

June seems impressed, but she doesn't seem surprised.

"I'm sure you make a great Minister of Education," she says, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Why's that?"

"Oh, just because…" She looks down quickly. "You seem kind, and caring, and…"

I stare at her, trying to figure out what she is thinking.

"Well, I'm sure you'd make a great police commander. You seem really intelligent and perceptive," I respond. A small laugh escapes her.

"Thank you. You seem like you are, too."

We talk and get to know each other again. We flirt, too, just like Eden and Tess. The tense, nervous feeling I had at the beginning of the evening goes away, and I find myself, for the first time in years, really having a good time.