The smell of warm cooked food greeted June as she strides confidently into the house with a grin , her eyes catching onto the small woman behind the kitchen counter who seemed to be making some type of pie filling .
The woman looked up , startled, before her eyes widened in surprise and a hopeful smile tugged at her pale pink lips.
"Oh hello! Are you June? I've heard so much about you . I was beginning to wonder if my Cora had imagined you right up!" She exclaimed with a relieved laugh as june nodded along in amusement .
Smiling broadly at Cora's mum and letting out a small giggle.
"I am as real as can be I suppose." She said with a shrug as she wandered over to the counter looking at the large clear jar on the dinner table that was filled with all different types of sweets .
Leaning her forearms on the table as she leant down to look through the glass with amazement.
"This is brilliant !" She told her in awe making Cora's mum flush with pride.
"I've never seen one like this before . Usually people have bowls of fruit don't they?" She mused standing back up to full height .
Cora's mum , Lucy , nodded with a smile .
"They do but that's awfully boring isn't it? Who doesn't like a quick sweet after dinner? You can take a few if you want honey." She told her kindly still in slight shock that her unsocialised daughter actually had a friend .
A really pretty blonde who's smile was like sunshine nonetheless .
Practically holding back a squeal as she looked back over to her daughter who was lingering by the kitchen arch and fiddling with her jacket .
"Did you two girls have a nice time ? What did you get up to?" She asked curiously .
June's lips twitching in humour as she watched Cora's pale cheeks flush , her eyes darting over to hers quickly with a flash of fear .
Shaking her head at how childish and fearful she was , june fished a handful of sweets into her hand before looking over at Lucy with a warm smile.
"We went shopping . I've been wanting to add a bit of colour to my hair for summer and convinced Cora to help me ." She told her casually , watching as the woman's eyes lit up .
Setting down her cup , she walked a short step over to Cora and lifted up a stand of her hair with a hum.
"That's such a good idea ! I've heard that all the cool kids are doing it now ." She said enthusiastically running her fingers through her daughters hair .
"You should do it as well cora! You too could make a night of it ." She gasped excitedly at the thought of Cora having someone over for the first time ever .
Cora cleared her throat nervously and looked back over to june for help "I don't think -"
"That sounds like a great idea ! We can do each other's hair , it'll be so fun ." June cut her off happily , beaming over at Lucy who looked ready to cry .
A hand glued to her chest as she looked between the two girls , watching keenly as June nudged Cora's shoulder jokingly .
Leaning against the counter behind her she looked between the two of them.
"well go on then girls! I'll make you some snacks . Do you like chocolate cake June? Any allergies or anything I need to worry about ?" She asked her sweetly .
Swallowing down one of the sweets in her mouth she quickly shook her head , her heart feeling full in her chest at Cora's mothers attentiveness .
She wondered if this was what having a mother was like , someone who will always love you and care even if you're a little strange .
"I feel like I've entered heaven." She stated in a daze looking at Lucy with heart eyes making Cora huff in amusement.
"I love chocolate cake . Anyone who doesn't is automatically on the avoid list ." She said seriously .
Laughing loudly, Lucy flushed.
"Amen to that! You girls go get started and I'll bring you both a slice when it's done !" She shooed then away into the hall , a beaming smile on her face .
Following Cora up the stairs quickly, she looked around at all the pictures on the wall .
Of Cora as a baby and a load of different family ones from birthday and Christmases .
Pushing down the bitter jealously pooling in her stomach , she sighed contently.
"You know Cora your mother is amazing . You've got her eyes too." She mused .
Popping the lollipop between her lips as she opened the door to her bedroom and gestured for june to follow her in .
The room was a pale pink and white , a old fashioned cream bed and antique furniture placed neatly around the room . Even the throw on the bed was silk and the pillows big and fluffy .
Kicking off her shoes , she walked over to her dressing table and thumbed through the odd bits and Bobs scattered around on top .
"I didn't realise you were such a princess ." She breathed out looking up at the sparkling jewelled light shade hung in the middle of the room.
Her own room seemed like a dump compared to this.
Cora groaned and chucked the stolen hair dyes onto the bed , running her hand through her hair with a anxious sigh .
"I'm not but my mom just-" she hesitated tilting her head as she thought over the best way to describe her overbearing need for a perfect family .
June looked over her shoulder with a raised brow.
"She just loves you . You can feel it oozing out of her , you shouldn't take that for granted . I would kill for someone to care even half of that amount ." She told her firmly .
Deciding that she liked the woman down stairs very much .
If she had a mother she would have hoped that she would have been like Lucy . Sweet as sugar and love in her heart all for her.
It was nice to consider if even for a moment the possibility of having something so precious .
Feeling reprimanded Cora blushed sheepishly having forgotten that June didn't have a mother .
"You're right . It can just be a bit much sometimes that's all . She must be vibrating in her skin now that she's met you , she was certain that I was lying ." She told her slightly embarrassed.
June only laughed loudly in response .
"That something you do? Am I going to meet Goldilocks and her six friends ?" She teased walking over to the bed and picking up on of the tubes of dye , reading the instructions on the back carefully .
Rolling her eyes Cora grinned "how are we doing this anyway? I've never done anything to my hair before ." She murmured while picking at a strand warily .
Shrugging off her jacket, June shrugged .
"Well I'm just going to do a couple of strands here and there . Do you want just the bottom coloured or are you going all in?" She asked her while walking over to the joined bathroom across the room.
Pushing open the door and eyeing the large bathtub and marble counter with a small amount of judgment .
Exhaling heavily , Cora pursed her lips thoughtfully.
"Well if I'm going to do it once I might as well do it all right ? Do you think it will look good?" She nervously inquired while lifting up the tube to her hair and comparing them in the mirror .
Grabbing a towel , she walked back into the bedroom and laid it down on the floor in front of the mirror .
"It'll look better than what you have now . Lennon will love it I bet ." She purposely mentioned her new boyfriend and held back a grin as she watched her friends cheeks heat up from just his name .
Spinning her head around to face her with wide hopeful eyes , just like her mothers.
"You think so?"
Humming , she waved her hand down in front of her.
"I do . Now sit down and let's get this started otherwise it'll be to dark to do anything soon!" She exclaimed pushing her down onto the towel and grabbing the dye with a manic grin .
Fifteen minutes later and Cora was sat beside June with a bag wrapped tightly around her hair, pearl jam playing quietly in the background from her record player .
Watching closely as June grabbed the light blue hair dye tube and aimlessly applied it to random Strands throughout her hair .
The pink had already been applied and mixed in with the stark whiteness of her hair, she was already looking like a Mermaid of some kind .
It was looking pretty cool .
However Cora was sure that June would be able to pull any colour off , she just had this way about her .
This easy confidence that Cora both envied and admired .
June just didn't care about what other people thought , worrying was a waste of time after all.
"Have you told your dad that your staying overnight ?" She asked her quietly, picking at the chilled nail polish absentmindedly.
June's lips parted as she carefully applied the blue onto another small strand of hair.
"Yup . I texted him and he's fine with it . He doesn't give a shit Cora , I could leave for the week and he wouldn't even report me missing." She muttered not seeming bothered by her statement .
Cora was . Her eyes wide as she met June's in the mirror .
"Really That's not very good . He doesn't like .." she hesitated before deciding to just ask.
"He doesn't hit you or anything does he?" She was worried for her friend . June made him sound like a real deadbeat.
Snorting humourlessly , she shook her head in response.
"He can try ." She started to grin mischievously.
"-but i can hit even harder, Jett would tell you ." She laughed in amusement .
Recalling the look on his face when she had slapped him for dragging her around . His cheek was red the whole weekend and she hoped that he had learned never to bloody her knees again.
Confused , Cora tilted her head.
"Jett? That's your boss right?" Hearing the fondness in June's voice startled her .
Why would her boss know how hard she hit ?
June paused for a long moment before putting the tube of dye down and carefully pushing her hair over her shoulder .
Turning back around to face Cora, she decided that it wouldn't hurt to tell her a little about Jett .
She didn't seem like the type that would go around gossiping and she could use a friend to talk to .
"Yeah . He's really good at what he does too , he's kind and funny and a real treat when he wants to be ." She gushed reaching over into her jacket pocket and pulling out her phone .
Cora was still frowning .
"I didn't realise that you two were so close ." She warily spoke catching June's attention again .
Raising her brow at the sceptical look of worry on her face .
Humming as she spun her phone around between her fingers feeling her chest warm as she thought about Jett .
She wondered what he was doing right then . He had told her he was going to finish painting the bookends and glossing them up to send off .
"He's amazing Cora . Really he is ." She muttered with a dreamy sigh .
"Strong too." She added after a moment biting her lip as she thought about how easily he could pick her up and -
"Wait - you guys aren't ...?" She gasped with scandalised eyes as she looked at her friends lovestruck face with horror.
"June !"
Snapping out of her daze, she scowled over at her.
"What ? Why do you look so concerned ? We're not doing anything wrong !" She snapped suddenly annoyed and defensive .
Jett was her dream . He was her pain in the ass and she wasn't going to let someone else judge him so harshly when they didn't even know him !
Cora gasped at her in shock. "He's your boss June ! Is he making you do this ? Is he forcing -" she couldn't even finish her accusation before june vehemently cut her off .
Glaring at her viscously "he isn't forcing me to do anything . I can do what I want, I don't need anyone telling me what to do with my life Cora !" Taking in a deep breath she schooled her face once she noticed the frightened look in Cora's eyes .
Deciding that Cora was definitely not going to come around to the idea , she needed to back peddle quickly .
"- and you didn't even let me finish ." She scolded her lightly.
"I was going to say that it isn't like that . I see him more as a father figure , he's been teaching me all these new things . Things that my own father couldn't even be bothered to do !" She exclaimed annoyed and narrowing her eyes down at Cora.
"Do you really think so badly of me Cora? That I would shag my boss who's twice as old as I am? Huh?" She decided to add .
Holding back a grin at the wince she gave.
Flashing red as she quickly shook her head in mortification.
"No of course not! I'm sorry . It's just you sounded like you really liked him and I just jumped to conclusions . I didn't realise !" She rambled feeling guilty at the hurt look on June's face .
She was behaving like such a terrible friend lately , her mother would ring her neck if she knew how badly she was blowing this already.
Exhaling noisily , June rolled her eyes at her.
"Don't be so daft . And anyways it's all very innocent ." She lied easily.
"I just really like him . He's been the only consistent person in my life and he's be willing to do anything for me too." She said truthfully knowing that it was true .
Jett was as loyal as a dog. Same big puppy eyes too.
Cora nodded slowly in understanding "so you're not...?"
June giggles and nudged her shoulder playfully.
"fucking ? Nope . And even if we did it wouldn't be anyone's business but our own would it ?" She hummed standing to her feet and staring down her nose at Cora who looked bewildered and confused.
"He really is a sweetheart." She sighed walking over to the bathroom to wash out the dye , pausing by the door to look over her shoulder at her
Tilting her head in thought "-all though I'm not sure he would like you ... with all the accusations and those judgmental eyes . He mightn't be so nice." She said before tapping the doorframe with her fingertips twice and disappearing into the bathroom completely .
Leaving Cora to stare at the door with wide eyes wondering what the hell that was.
And wondering why it sounded like a threat.
June looked up from the magazine she was skimming through as Cora exited the bathroom with a nervous yet excited look on her face . Running a hand through her hair anxiously as she looked over at june expectantly , practically vibrating in her fluffy socks as she waited for her reaction .
Deliberately humming decisively , she tilted her head to the side slightly and admired the way the dark purple strands shone silkily from the crystal light in the middle of the room .
Purple was definitely a good colour for Cora. June decided proudly as she gracefully rolled off the bed and padded over to her with a grin .
"You look like a bratz doll." She told her in amazement , taken aback by how much better she looked with a little colour in her hair .
It's seemed to add a new shine to her eyes , making them seems brighter than before .
Fingering a couple of strands hanging by her cheek she smiled softly as Cora's cheeks heated pink.
"You look fabulous ." She admitted to her.
"I like the fact that it's a darker purple too . Not as obnoxious , it's suits you well." She told her honestly.
Patting her shoulder like a proud mother before moving away.
Missing the delighted look on Cora's face as she beamed at the back of June's head . Her approval meaning everything to the girl .
June was so effortlessly cool and beautiful , that to hear her say that she looked good made her feel like she could fly .
"Thank you ! I was a little worried that I'd look silly ." She admitted to her laughing lightly as she looked at June's own pastel streaked hair in admiration.
"I really like yours too. It looks amazing !" She complimented her in awe as she joined her on the bed, sighing contently as there backs sunk into the fluffy pillows behind them .
She grinned happily at her "I feel it too. I might dye it all cotton candy pink one day. I feel so much better . It's good to feel pretty isn't it ? I can understand the need that a lot of people have to feel like this everyday . It's simple yet powerful ." She mused while kicking her feet up in the air like a kid .
Cora hummed in agreement as she grabbed the cable knit blanket from the bottom of the bed and pulled it over them making sure it covered them both properly . It got chilly at night .
"It really is . I don't think I could be bothered to do it often though , I'm much too lazy." She murmured to her with a small tired smile .
Hooking her hand under the pillow and turning her body to face june fully .
June mirrored her so they were facing nose to nose , her eyes bright and clear for once . She felt peaceful and oddly content laying there with Cora .
She could admit that this was a first for both of them . June had never slept over at a friends house before either . She didn't think that Jett would count seeing as there relationship was much more complicated than 'friends'.
She thought that he would agree too. He might slap her silly if she said they were just friends .
The thought made her giggle airily , pulling to edge of the soft blanket further up her shoulder and looking into Cora's warm brown eyes .
This whole having a friend thing wasn't so bad at all.
"We should do this more often . I haven't really done the whole girl get up before either ." She whispered to her feeling weird admitting such a personal thing .
She found that she hardly ever told the truth anymore , so doing so made her heart take a little spin deep in her chest .
Vulnerability was not something she could afford or wish for . She had never found the right person to be honest with .
Realising then that she had hardly been honest with Jett either , and maybe not even herself .
She could at least admit that she made a excellent liar . That was something .
Cora felt her face soften , feeling accepted and pleased that june really wanted to spend more time with her too.
No boyfriend could compare to the feeling that came from friendship . This was much better , much more sweeter than that.
"I'd like that. Mabye we can finish our painting day next time too. " she suggested sheepishly . Still
feeling awful for how that day had ended.
June bit back a amused smile "good idea." Was all she said instead . Snuggling deeper into her pillow with a content sigh .
They were silent for a few more minutes , the air both comfortable and warm between the two friends .
"Have you ever been in love June?" Cora finally found the nerve to ask as she turned her head gently to look back over at the girl beside her .
Oddly enough the question didn't annoy her like she thought it would .
Instead she really thought about it for a moment , a slight frown burrowing between her brows .
She supposed what she felt for Jett could be something close but how could she know for sure?
She had never felt the love of someone else before .
Her father had never said it or expressed it and most probably never felt it either .
How could you understand love if you had never felt it , touched it , seen it and held it between the palm of your hands?
Jett made her feel a lot of things . Amusement . Anger . Lust . Protectiveness . She wanted to hold him close and bare her teeth wildly at anybody who dared to even look wrongly at him .
She wanted to feel everything he could give . The cruel and the goodness . The pleasure and the pain . She wanted to hurt anyone that had done the same to him . She wouldn't. She had promised hadn't she?
She liked the swooping in her stomach she felt every time he smiled crookedly at her . She liked the fury she felt whenever he threatened to deny her , whenever he held her just a little too tight .
She liked the goosebumps that prickled her skin when he gazed at her from the doorway whenever he thought she wouldn't see. She liked it all. She liked him .
But love ? How could you know love without ever receiving it ? If love is not familiar how can it become so ? How can you accept a stranger and call it love ?
Was that what she felt for the man she would kill for ? For the man who hurt her and demanded she hurt him twice as bad ?
"I don't know." She finally said .
Her voice a soft whisper as she laid her head softly onto Cora's shoulder . Feeling her friends hand start to run her fingertips soothingly through her hair .
The tenseness melting from her shoulders as she snuggled into her neck and let her eyes fall closed.
"I think- I think that love isn't something that comes easy -" she started quietly.
"I think that if it feels too good to be true then it most likely is ." She admitted truthfully .
For maybe the first time in her life she let herself be honest .
"I think that love comes in all sorts of different ways . Some see love in pain and others search for it only in pleasure . But those who both accept the pleasure and crave the pain ... the feeling that if that one person hurt you ... yet you known that they would make it all feel better with just one kiss . Just one look . I think that love is something to be desired yet there's still so much to learn from it . It's strange and it's something that I can't see yet so badly wish to feel . It's all a bit odd isn't it?" She whispered deep in thought .
Her arm wrapping tightly around Cora's waist as she cuddled against her , there legs tangled together firmly .
Cora leaned her chin on top of her head gently with a sad frown , inhaling deeply as she let June's words sink deep inside .
"Love doesn't have to hurt june , it's meant to be this beautiful feeling you feel every time you look at your person . Not pain." She said .
Wondering why june looked at life the way she did .
She felt sorry for her in a way . Sad .
June deserved to feel love , the type that didn't leave a scar that you would be ashamed to look everyday .
She was sure of it.
June smiled softly and pictured jett , his big ears and his intense warm eyes . The good , the bad and the ugly .
June had never liked perfect , perfection didn't leave much to be desired did it ?
There would be nothing to change , nothing to work on , nothing to think about if everything and everyone was perfect .
"Sounds awfully boring ." She mumbled tiredly , feeling her eyes grow heavier and heavier.
"If I ever fall in love i want to feel it all. Too much happiness is bad for you I think , it's like candy isn't it? It's nice every once in a while but if you overindulge yourself you'll get sick . Love is the same . It's nice in doses , you have to feel the bad to know the good is worth staying for after all ." She yawned feeling like a weight had been lifted from her small shoulders .
Jett wasn't perfect and neither was she . She liked them that way .
Love wasn't supposed to be boring and june liked the thrill of walking the thin line between good and bad .
It never made for a boring day .
"Goodnight Cora . Sleep well." She breathed out gently before letting the darkness welcome her back home .
Love was never easy . That's what made it fun .