He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 11

Macy Xavier ran inside, out of breath, and nearly crashed right into Juniper Lane, who was on her way out.

Taking one look at her outfit, Juniper knew she had been at the bar again.

She grabbed Macy's wrist. "Are you really planning to see Mrs. Lucille looking like that?"

The lipstick on her mouth was practically smeared across her face.

Macy violently yanked her hand away, rolling her eyes. "Mind your own business. Who do you think you are to me?"

She was five years younger than Juniper. Having grown up in the same small town, she used to shadow Juniper everywhere like a loyal sidekick.

Back when Nelson Saint was exiled to Oakley, no one hated him more than Macy.

Because Nelson relentlessly hovered around Juniper, Macy felt like her best friend was being stolen away, which led to plenty of ridiculous stunts on her part back then.

She was the one person in the world who least wanted Juniper and Nelson together, which was exactly why she had done what she did...

At the thought of it, anger flashed across her face. "You're just our neighbor. My life has nothing to do with you. And you better not run your mouth to my mom. If the stress makes her sick, you're the one who'll have to deal with it!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, a wet wipe was handed to her. Juniper's tone remained calm. "Wipe the makeup off your face."

Macy froze. Recovering quickly, she snatched the wipe. "I told you to leave me alone!"

Despite her harsh words, her hands obediently began scrubbing the heavy makeup off her cheeks.

Juniper noticed a small, reddish mark on her neck. Knowing exactly what it was, her expression instantly darkened. "Are you dating someone?"

Macy clamped a hand over her neck and bolted toward the elevators.

"You're so annoying, Juniper. Stop prying into my life."

Juniper stood in the hallway, taking a deep breath.

She had always treated Macy like her own little sister. Back in the day, whenever Macy got her hands on something good, she always shared it with Juniper first.

She didn't know what had happened to make the girl so rebellious and defensive.

Rubbing her throbbing temples, Juniper headed out of the hospital.

He was just about to hit the gas when she called out to him. "Nelson!"

It wasn't the desperate, tearful cry from when she was pushed to her absolute limit, nor was it the breathy, impassioned whisper from their nights tangled in the sheets.

This time, his name slipped from her lips as if cutting through the years, gathering up every little memory of their youth. She looked as though she had just made a monumental decision.

Nelson's fingers tightened on the steering wheel. Suddenly, he didn't want to hear whatever she was about to say.

But Juniper looked at him with an overwhelming sense of relief. The tension in her shoulders finally melted away. Ever since their reunion, she had been tightly wound.

She had felt inferior in front of Yvonne Saint, inadequate next to Lydia Thorne, and walking on eggshells around Nelson himself.

But it didn't have to be this way. She didn't owe any of them a damn thing.

"Nelson, we're over."

It was the breakup she never got the chance to initiate four years ago, the words she didn't get to say when they ran into each other at the recent reunion.

She had always admitted to being incredibly stubborn. Because she never officially broke it off back then, she had spent all this time clinging to a sliver of hope.