Deteriorating Hearts

09 || Unexpected Outcomes

// for Aurelia, who made the cute cover in the multimedia section //

I'm so happy that you're all enjoying this and I'm happy that you're seeing into the characters! This chapter is one of my favourites because there's a lot of feels and all.

E N J O Y !
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CHAPTER NINE
Unexpected Outcomes

Charlie Cox's eyes scanned the room before his eyes settled on his bed. He picked up the teddy bear and stared right into Juniper Stauff's eyes trying to figure out why she was in his room in the dead of the night, why he was cuddling with a teddy bear and why on earth he had shaving cream on his face. He knew that whatever the reason was, it wasn't pleasing at all.

"Uh," Juniper stuttered. "Well, good seeing you!" And she ran to the window, climbed through it and rushed to Dimitri's car running as if her life depended on it. The shouts from Charlie grew distant as her legs carried her away from that room, away from that letter and away from the unbearable memories.

Juniper slammed the door of Dimitri's run-down car and almost shouted, "drive!"

The further they travelled away from the Cox's household, the steadier her heartbeat became. Slowly but surely her heart beat returned back to normality.

Images of the past flickered across her mind and she shut her eyes in an instant, her hands fisting instinctively. Blood. All she could see was blood upon her hands. All she could hear were the screams that emanated from his throat. All she could smell was the alcohol from the tortured body beneath her hands. All she could do, all she was able to do, was black out.

No, she thought. She must not cry in front of Dimitri.

Dimitri sensed that something had gone wrong and he nudged Juniper to get her attention. "June, are you okay?"

"Huh?" she asked, dazed. Dimitri's voice had reeled her back to reality.

"Are you alright?" he repeated. He was sure that she was going to lie to him but he was wrong. Juniper had been doing a lot of that lately; lying. And he saw through the false pretense. He just wasn't sure if her intentions were pure and right, and more importantly, what they meant.

"I'm cool as a cucumber," she said, her lips curling up into a convincing smile. When Dimitri did not return the gesture she turned away and faced the window so he wouldn't be able to see the tears that were threatening to break through. "No," she said at last. "I feel terrible."

It was very hard to believe that Juniper could feel 'terrible'. She had always been rainbows and sunshine. He was ashamed of himself that after all these years of the friendship he was unable to spot her flaws and her little white lies. He fell for her façade like everyone else did. He had put his attention on entirely different matters.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

She swallowed down the lump that formed in her throat and looked back at Dimitri as a forced smile made its way to her lips. "I'd rather not," she smiled. "But how about we go to Eiling Beach? There's this place that's there that is not only a good scenery but also a place to think things over and make sense of the shit in your life. It's my sanctuary in other words. Plus, it's only a fifteen minute drive!"

Dimitri knew better than to urge the situation and ask her what was really bothering her. While he knew that she wasn't on good terms with him for seeking revenge on Charlie, he knew that what put her into this stress was none of his doing. "Okay," he finally said and set his eyes on the road and they made their way to Eiling Beach.