x

“Nope,” Riley said, popping the P, “Thank god or there might be an actual fight. Everyone knows I’m the best nail tech at the spa so she’s shit out of luck.” Really, there was no competition. You want tiny flowers? Ombre? Gems? Hell yes, he’s got you. He was the king of self-care for a reason. “You’re the best, for real. I’d actually like to keep my job,” he said. Not that he’d be fired for any valid reason but enough skipping out and customer complaints and he’d probably end up teaching snowboarding. No thanks. 

Riley cocked an eyebrow, surprised by what June had to say, “I didn’t think of that. My friend wasn’t even the one to initiate the well… line crossing so I guess you might have a point there.” Was it bad that June was making him feel hopeful? Well, of course, it’d be easy to fall for him, he was Riley Kim, but this was… different. He was really trying to keep his ego down this time and actually having feelings and just messing around wasn’t the same thing, obviously. “It wasn’t a choice but I guess my friend isn’t upset with that just… cautious. Damn, I’m getting jealous just thinking of it,” Riley chuckled, “I really hope it is perfect for them, Monica and Chandler style.” 

“Anyway, enough of that. I’ll tell him what you said but I didn’t actually come here to talk about someone else. It’s June and Riley time, my other friend is just going to have to wait. So, what are you ordering? I don’t know about you but I’m so hungry I might actually die,” Riley lamented, picking up the menu and glancing over the options, “Last time I came here the chicken was drier than the Sahara desert so that’s a big nope.” 

“speaking of, i’m thinking about getting a manicure soon,” june started, examining her hands, “when are you open? you’re literally the only person i can trust to do my nails.” when it came to spa treatments and getting herself professionally groomed, june was a picky client. it all started with a hair treatment appointment from a stylist she wasn’t familiar with that ended up in a nasty haircut. 

              ian’s nodding along to her words as they navigate out of the building.   he enjoys the times spent with june.   she tapped into a part of ian that she didn’t try to tap into,   she didn’t look for it or had to wait to discover it.   before he started hanging out with june,   he enjoyed this sort of thing alone.   sometimes with charcoal or pastels,  but he’d be the only one sitting on the roof of his car and staring at an endless night sky.   the conversations he had were limited to the inside of his brain,  but now he could point out a shooting star when he saw one and not be speaking to the darkness next to him.   “  not gonna lie,  this is almost better than a booty call.  ”   late-night drives usually ended with alcohol with other people,   and while ian enjoyed that too,   it was nice to be sober every once in a while. 

   “  what ?  no fucking way,  ”   ian shakes his head,   giving june an incredulous expression when she hands him the aux cord once they settle into her car,   refusing to take it.   “   i want to hear what you made.  ”

“almost?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow and feigning an offended expression. “times spent with friends are much better than times spent boinking, ian,” june retorted playfully, pulling her phone out and opening spotify. “it’s nothing phenomenal, it’s just a bunch of 70′s and 80′s hits. it isn’t a road trip if we don’t jam out to queen and abba, right?” the blonde plugs her own phone to the aux cord, before handing it to ian. “your taste in music is better than mine. the shop’s only a few kilometres away from here, so pick your favourite.” 

aylie: they think they are better than they actually are

aylie: it's FINE, i'm a great teacher :)

aylie: but what is new with you? besides working the clinic every day, i need to live vicariously through you

june: you ARE a great teacher, you have to teach me how to ski

june: though i'm sure i'm going to be wobbly and just...bad at it

june: :( someone brought their pet dog to the clinic! the owner had to leave it outside but it was a golden retriever and it was so so so adorable

              ian was in the middle of a mario kart race when he received june’s call.   he didn’t say much in the way of a hello when he answered,   engrossed in the game with his phone tucked in between his shoulder and ear.    he didn’t need to,   really,   because june was straight to the point in her intentions to invite him out,   and honestly ian didn’t need more than that to say that a phone call was successful,   even when his phone drops to his leg when the call ends and it makes him wince. 

he’s just about ready when he opens the door.   his hair is sort of a mess from his earlier shower,   but his hoodie’s on and he smells good.   ian is smiling when he sees her,   eager to leave,   and he greets her with a distracted peace-sign and an  ‘ ayo ’  while he reaches over to pocket his keys and make sure that he has his phone and wallet.    “   autobots,  rollout.  ”    he puts his arm around june when he steps out,   comfortable as ever,   keeping her next to him while he closes the door and begins walking down the corridor.    “  you brought your car ? ”

“i did!” june said, looping her arm around ian’s waist. while she wasn’t really the touchy-feely type, nor was she the type to initiate physical affection, she is the most comfortable around ian. “i figured we can stop by a grocery store on the way. i was driving around town just a few nights ago, and i found an amazing spot just up north. it’s straight out of a john green book, i swear.” even as they walked out of ian’s apartment complex and to the parking lot, june still stuck by his side, only extracting herself from his hold (and warmth) to unlock her car.

“Well, can’t say I disagree with you there. Unfortunately, the world is going to have to wait for that debut since I think I want to stick around here for a while,” Riley smiled. For someone who was a glutton for notoriety, he was getting awfully complacent recently.  “I’ll still take your love and affection though and maaaaaybe a doctor’s note for when that crazy lady comes back into the spa and I have to bail suddenly again. The boss man wasn’t too happy about that last time,” he chuckled, remembering the lecture. It wasn’t Riley’s fault the lady had dry cuticles and berated him for making her bleed a tiny bit. 

“I guess I-… err, he can’t really boil it down to one moment. It happened so gradually he didn’t even realize it himself at first,” Riley said, pursing his lips and trying to decide how much information he could divulge without being totally obvious, “They’ve been good friends for a long time, best friends even, he doesn’t want to ruin it, y’know? Even if things have been… crossing lines lately.” Okay so maybe crossing lines was a bit of an understatement but that wasn’t the point. Pondering June’s advice for a moment, Riley’s face relaxed. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s okay to…” Riley swallowed, “ask about it at least.”

june found herself writing more sick notes for her friends—she wasn’t sure if it was legal or not, and she had no plans on looking it up, because she wouldn’t be able to handle the guilt. ignorance is bliss. that, and some customers were just maddeningly tiresome. “i’ve got you, don’t worry. she hasn’t returned since, has she?”

believe it or not, cleo genuinely enjoyed hanging out with june. in fact, she was probably one of her favourite people to spend time with these days. for whatever reason, she never really felt the need to keep up the snarky, bitchy front around the blonde, like she could finally just breathe and be herself. “junie, are you trying to make a move on me?” her lips curled up into a teasing smirk. “angela needs to get a life. she’s just salty that you have one. i still think you should let me make her a tinder or something. kat’s on christian mingle,” she laughed, referring to her manager.

‘ what if you just don’t go ? ’, she asked curiously. ‘ the only reason i would really go is because they’re paying for some fancy dinner, but you can easily get that with a quick swipe right on tinder. ’, callie truthfully stated. her blonde head nodded in agreement when june put out a shirt. ‘ yup ! ’

aylie: i'll pitch it to the spa here

aylie: ooh, tell me about it. i think ski week is coming up, too, which will probably be a bit worse

aylie: even my advanced lessons have been messy lately

june: what! even the advanced lessons? omg why

a bitter smile curved his lips. “i guess that’s why we’re not really friends anymore.” there weren’t a lot of people who knew not to overstep, and marco truly appreciated that june wasn’t insistent at all that he explain what happened.“well, i’m sorry for scaring you. but at this point, are you really surprised? i could probably pick a fight with someone i just met at a bakery.” he mused as he braced himself. “fuck,” marco winced, his hand instinctively coming up to hold onto her wrist. “jesus, fuck, that hurts like a bitch.” 

“Moody?” Riley questioned, raising an eyebrow. He was about to argue when June continued. “Well, my face really is perfect for that kind of thing. But it comes at a price, so what will you give me in return?” He smirked, resting his chin on the back of his hand, “Of course, besides making sure my photos reach as many people as possible.”  

“Bothering me?” Riley asked, sitting up straight again, a slight frown gracing his features. “No… not the water, even if it is kind of stale, but nothing really, honestly,” he mused, thinking about the state of things currently. Really, everything was perfect for the most part, how could it not be? He always managed to get what he wanted. Well. Maybe except one thing, “Though… I have this friend and he really likes someone and he’s not sure what to do about it. It’s not me of course, I would definitely know what to do because, well, I’m a blessing on this earth, but I think an outside perspective would be beneficial for him, ya feel?” 

“my endless love and appreciation,” june said, batting her eyelashes playfully. “it wouldn’t be a fair trade, because you know that i love and appreciate you a damn lot. in all seriousness, you should try modelling.”

her mouth formed a little o when she remembered what they were picking an outfit for. ‘ no, yeah, i really like the pink one though. i would offer you my closet, but…. ’, she started but let out a small laugh in between. ‘ i own a wide collection of hoodies and roman’s sweaters so i don’t think it’ll help you out that much. ’

aylie: spa month sounds great but at that point i would hope they start giving us a discount

aylie: like frequent flyer miles

aylie: is brad working you too hard?

june: imagine getting a rewards card for going there all the time... the dream

june: not brad, we've just been getting more newbie skiers

okay, so jo hadn’t thought about this before – and thank god she hadn’t, what considering she was introduced to both of them by cats ( she was already acquainted with idris elba ) – but she did have an immediate answer… “ would, like, anyone say james corden ? like, no question – jason derulo. ” she had also seen the movie enough times to have her own question ready. “ your go – are you, like, gonna ‘boink’ sir ian mckellen or, like, dame judi dench ? ” truly no obvious answer there. 

-ˋˏ ✄ –– @junecosta​ at the hot chocolate shack ––

WREN HAD LEFT HIS APARTMENT THREE MINUTES BEFORE HE NORMALLY DID THAT AFTERNOON. by doing so, he knew that he would beat june to the hot chocolate shack, allowing him to order her drink for her before she got there. sure enough, when he arrived at his destination, the blonde was nowhere in sight. the ordering process was easy, and by the time june got to the shack, the drinks were ready. he scooped both of them up in his hands and handed her one. “your regular,” he said with a smile.