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Saturday, The Next Day
Juneparkedhercar on a side street and walked to the nondescript door that Phoebe had texted her about. There was no sign on the door that marked it as an entrance to the bar, so June was second guessing herself as she walked in until she saw Phoebe.
The smaller woman was perched on a barstool, chatting animatedly to the bartender, a surly looking hipster with round glasses and tattoos snaking up one arm. June walked over to her and slid onto a barstool next to her.
“Hey,” she said, giving an awkward wave.
“Hi!” Phoebe’s energy and positivity radiated out of her. June steeled herself - that was certainly not the vibe she was giving off, she knew that. “June, this is Declan, Declan this is June,” she indicated the bartender, who was watching Phoebe carefully, green eyes only flickering to June for a second when he gave a grunt of acknowledgement. Phoebe rolled her eyes, “Try to at least be kind of personable, Dec,” Phoebe chastised. “Isn’t that a basic requirement of a bartender?”
“Phoebs, you know as well as I do that I am exactly who I am,” Declan replied, though June noticed he warmed up slightly after being playfully chastised by Phoebe. He turned to face June. “What would you like?”
“Any Mountain Friend on tap?” she asked, referencing the local brewery in town. Declan nodded and pointed to a tap handle of a lager. “Great, I’ll take one.”
“Another mule for you?” Declan asked Phoebe. June definitely noticed how his voice softened just slightly when he talked to Phoebe, how his eyes scanned her face as she spoke. While their drinks were prepared, June and Phoebe made small talk. June asked Phoebe about the museum she worked at and made plans to visit it next week.
“It’s a cute little historic house, but it’s a special place,” Phoebe was saying as Declan placed their drinks on the wooden bar. “But you’re not here to talk about my job or to be my friend. You want to talk about Colin and how you’re in love with each other but neither of you will say it.” She took a delicate sip of her mule, a cocky smile on her face that reminded June so much of Colin it hurt.
“I do want to be friends with you!” June sputtered. “That part isn’t true.”
“But everything else?”
“Ugh, yes, fine,” June admitted. “These last two weeks have been entirely shit and I don’t know how to say sorry.” June picked up a coaster and spun it on its edge. “How’s he been doing?”
“Honestly?” Phoebe asked.
“Yeah, honestly.”
“You really fucked him up,” Phoebe responded. Wow, this girl pulls no punches. “I mean, he’s still going to work and everything, but he’s just sad. And it’s weird.” She took a moment to sip her drink and ran her hand along the back of her neck, rubbing gently. It was an oddly specific gesture, something she had caught Colin doing from time to time when he was thinking.
“He does that too,” June said, more to her beer than to Phoebe.
“Where do you think he learned it?” she cracked, then offered June a sympathetic smile. “Look, I can tell you’re in a rough place right now, and that’s even without knowing everything that Kevin has kept me informed of.”
“Since you’re so wise, what should I do?” June tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice, but winced slightly when she heard the tang in her words. She groaned, “I’m sorry - I’m not usually this miserable.”
“Don’t worry, Colin’s been snapping at me since you left, too. At this point, I’m going to do my best to avoid anyone who’s in love so I can avoid the shrapnel that comes off them,” Phoebe had a wry sense of humor and an almost-but-not-quite way of being annoyingly observant. “Right, Dec?”
The bartender, who was unloading the dishwasher, pulled out a glass and flicked the water at her, his tattoos moving as he did so. “Whatever you say, Phoebes.”
“Anyway,” Phoebe said, assuming a businesslike air and turning back to June. “Here are a few things that I’ve noticed,” she held up her fingers and ticked each digit down as she made a point. “One, you and Colin have both been absolute chores to be around since your week at camp ended. Two, you’re here, asking me for advice. Three, Colin has called me more ‘just to talk’ in the past three weeks than he has since he left for college and wouldn’t admit he was homesick. Four, you didn’t argue when I mentioned love a few seconds ago.” Phoebe looked at her four curled fingers, representing the points she had just made, then gave June a thumbs up.
“Why are you giving me a thumbs up?”
“Because there’s an easy solution.”
“Huh?”
“Tell. Him. You. Love. Him,” Phoebe said, and June could all of a sudden see why she was an educator, though something in June bristled at being talked to like she was a child.
“But, I still have this job!”
“So? Like you’ve never dated as a teacher.”
“I live here in Vanberg!”
“It’s an hour and a half drive if there’s snow - I do it like once a month. That barely qualifies as long distance.”
“I don’t know what I’m doing!”
