The Happy Birthday Song ✓

Chapter Nine

Thursday, May 19th 2011

Wooloongabba, Brisbane

8:04 PM

When her shift ended, Junie pulled on her coat and said goodbye to Tulip and Cara. They gave her a small smile and waved back with a touch of exhaustion. She would see them again tomorrow afternoon at the same time.

Junie had managed to strike up a schedule with the boss about her hours at the cafe, it fit around her other job and her school . She quite liked waitressing at Lolita's, the hours were good, the pay was much better than her last job and she was friends with all the employees.

Junie sighed and stepped out into the breeze of the crispy night.She walked out of the back yard of the cafe and came to the main road, where she stood underneath a street lamp and waited for the rush of cars to stop so she could cross.

"Junebug!"

She spun around and when she found Dylan, leaning against the hood of his car she grinned. Junie started walking towards him but soon broke into a run. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. Dylan let out a surprised yelp and laughed, the sound warming her chest.

"Hey babe," He rested his hands on her hips and burying his face in her neck, he said, "How was work?"

Her body hummed at the feel of him pressed against her.  A whole week. She had not seen Dylan for a whole week. Although that may not have seemed long but for Junie it felt like years. They had both been busy with the upcoming exams, college applications, school and just life in general.

Dylan pulled back to look at her, still grinning like a boy on Christmas morning before he leaned forward and kissed her. It was warm and sweet and sent electricity buzzing throughout her. She felt alive, her heart jumping in her chest as his mouth parted for her and he deepened the kiss. When she pulled away, Junie felt dizzy, lightheaded like she buzzed on alcohol. It was always felt good to see her boyfriend. 

That still felt surreal to admit. She didn't think she was ever going to get used to that. She had wanted and wished for this —them —so long, that she hadn't thought it would ever come true. But it had, and it felt like a dream.

"So," Dylan said as they turned and hopped into his car. "It's your birthday today, there's a cute little restaurant not far from here and I thought it would be cool if we—"

"No."

Dylan glanced at her, "What?"

It had been a long day and to be truthful, Junie was absolutely exhausted. For the past two weeks Junie had, what felt like, an endless series of exams. Everything had been so stressful. It was hard trying to balance, exam revision, work and looking after her little brother. She was thankful that her aunt was always on hand to help.

Fiona babysat Isaiah most of the time. So, it gave Junie the time and space she needed to properly concentrate and study meticulously for the infinite list of exams she had. Next Thursday Junie had her most imperative exam of all. Advanced Astronomy and out of all her subjects, that was the one she had studied the hardest and most thoroughly for. She needed to get the top grade if she wanted to pursue a career in Astronomy.

"Sorry, I'm just so tired, I've literally only had, like, four hours sleep these past few weeks," she said, "These exams have just been stressing me out so much, I just...wanna go home and sleep."

"I understand," he said but she could hear the touch of disappointment in his voice, "But I am definitely taking you out tomorrow."

She gave him a wearily smile, "Okay."