If there was one thing that Billy could pick up on, it was body language. He might not have been the best of reading someoneâs mind, which was ironic when you thought about how easy it was for him to get into someoneâs head the moment their eyelids fluttered closed and a whole new private universe was created in their minds. he would bypass the idea of someone being attracted to him but could tell if someone was anxious, confused or happy just by the way they stood. His curiosity made him observant and right now, his blue eyes kept on Juniper in wonder of what she was thinking, He could see that talking about her sister was difficult for him and she voiced that, causing a smile to pull on his lips, âYou shouldnât trust me?â He repeated, cocking his head to one side as he encouraged her to speak more on that, âWhy not?â He asked but as she gave further explanation, Billy let out a sigh and took another step towards her, âYou know you canât predict everything that happens in life, right?â He pointed out, shrugging his shoulders now, âI mean - I know you would want to since it would make pushing people away a hell of a lot easier for you but⊠It doesnât have to all be bad. You expect the worst before youâve even experienced the best, canât you just⊠Allow yourself to enjoy something, June?â He chuckled, âYou have to believe that you deserve some enjoyment, you know what I mean? Besides, what makes you think this isnât going to work out the way we want? I may surprise you.â I may surprise you. It was a sentence that he had said once before - when they had first started talking⊠A moment that seemed so long ago now when he thought about it. It wasnât though - just this passing summer but so much had happened since then so quickly. So much that had led him to be able to press his lips against hers when she closed the gap between them, his hands finding its way upon her waist and bringing her closer to him.
But she was distracting. So much so that Billy had to make such an effort to focus and doing so not only made his head hurt but made him realise that if he let go of that concentration, no doubt this world would transform into something entirely different from what he had created yet at the same time, he didnât want to stop kissing Juniper. His alternative was to have a bit of fun with it⊠As her hands reached up to his cheeks or her fingers brushed against the hair at the back of his neck, Billy retaliated with the petals, the brush of wind that made them flowers flow around them or the sun brighten above, the sky that little bit bluer. He grinned against her lips, a hum of a laugh passing his throat as he waited for her to pick up on his little games and when she had, Billy pulled away while he let out a laugh, âWhat? Donât you wanna be part of one of those corny movies? I could make it rain and we can run at each other and kiss like weâre both about to lose our heads or something, itâs supposedly romantic.â He teased, rolling his eyes at the thought. Films truly heightened reality to a new level but maybe that was a kind of love that no one could measure up to a beautiful mess that could only exist in fiction. âThanks, I appreciate that.â He said with another winning smile, bowing as a way of showing such gratitude. In actual fact, given that Billy hadnât been taught by anyone of his abilities and that he had very nearly died in the past - he too felt as though he had come a long way. He accepted the brief kiss before the continued to walk on the surreal park. âThis is like the park where I last saw my dad.â He said, looking over at her again, âExcept thereâs no one here and there isnât this awful dog barking.â Billy shrugged his shoulders, looking forward again, âI told you before - I donât really care about my dad or whatever⊠Just when I made this place, it was sort of the only place that came to mind so I took it as a base.â He had always maintained that he didnât really want to have much of a relationship with his father and was absolutely fine with not knowing him⊠ButâŠÂ âHeâs in Norfolk.â Billy revealed now before he could back out from talking about it. âMy dad is from Norfolk, my mom told me a while ago. Itâs why I came here in the first placeâŠâ Billy looked down, kicking at a stone at this feet as he continued, âI donât care about not having a relationship with him but⊠If he has what I have - if he can do all of this -â He explained, gesturing to the dream world around him, âThen I want to know about it. He could teach me way more than I could ever make if he is a dreamwalker⊠He owes me that much.â
His attention was brought back to Juniper as she told him off for deflecting and Billy listened, somewhat amused by her worry for him but he attempted to keep a straight face, nodding his head at her, âI promise. I will try to get some sleep, alright?â He said with sincerity, âBut you donât have to worry about me, you knowâŠâ He said as a hand gently fell over her arm and down to her hand, âIâm better at this than I was before. I just need a little more guidance, thatâs why I fell into dreamwalking and not stopping before.â Billy explained, looking down at their hands as his fingers curled between hers, âI had to try and reach my mom, like I told you before and it wasnât easy. I had to wait for her to be asleep and it took so much effort to get to her when Iâm so far away from Nevada and even when I did - I had to try and manipulate something from her past so that she would dream of my dad since I donât even know his name. I thought I had but the guyâs name on my birth certificate isnât my dad⊠Found that out recently as well.â It was a realisation that Billy had when he looked into the records of the man only to find that the name didnât exist. Asking his mother was pointless, for her emotions would cloud her ability to see logic and burst into tears so Billy had to do it on his own. âHis name is Ezra Young. I mean - Well, I think itâs him. Heâs the only one who fits a description of my dad - age, race⊠All that stuff and when I was in my momâs head - she called him Ezra.â Billy paused for a moment before continuing, âPretty funny though - if I did take his last nameâŠBilly Young. It doesnât sound right.â He was aware that he was offloading, so much so that Billy pressed his lips together now, looking up at Juniper again, âSorry,â He said, sheepishly, actually feeling rather embarrassed for once for his enthusiasm. Usually, Billy took everything in his stride and wasnât ashamed of anything but this was different - not only had he claimed to not give a fuck about his father but now he was rambling about him with a sense of hope in his voice while Juniper hadnât seen her own father for a very long time. âI just havenât told anyone yet and I didnât know when to tell you all of this. Iâm also⊠Not sure if I want to do it now.â He admitted before adding quickly, âAnd Iâm not - expecting you to give me an answer to what I should do but⊠Yeah. just wanted to let you know whatâs going on in my mind⊠Besides, you know - all this.â He added as a joke. God, his words were a mess and for Billy, it was incredibly unusual. He was someone who was often so confident in everything he did, heck, even when he confronted Juniper he did it in a wave of irritation fuelled by his inability to hide behind smoke and mirrors anymore. But here he was, nervous about potentially meeting his father so much so that maybe he truly was downplay the true nature of his feelings.Â
âIf I can get through them, so can you but I will say - I took breaks, my attention span isnât always that great.â He admitted, though he figured that Juniper already knew that from his fidgeting habits. Surprisingly, the habit had decreased slightly on the account that Juniper gave him something to focus on. But he still liked to do magic tricks - one of them being this dreamwaking thing - that was the true magic here, but the tricks he did were for ironic purposes at this point. He sat up, looking down at Juniper as she laid on the grass and grinned once again, âRight, right - Iâll just agree with you before you feel the need to get out a chart of how ânot jealousâ you are⊠And why would I do anything so stupid to have you wanting to kick my ass? You shouldnât feel threatened⊠If Iâm offered any numbers Iâll just slide them right back to them and say Iâm taken.â He teased.
Maybe it was a bit silly to him that after all theyâd been through, Juniper still had trouble trusting him. It was years of experience putting faith in others and falling short. Sheâd put blind faith into her mother to provide from her and Rose, but when the bills started piling up, Mary was still stuck on her husbandâs flighty departure. He left, it was that simple. He left and he wasnât coming back. Little three year-old Juniper had waddled her way towards the front door after her father and grabbed at his jeans. She tugged and pulled at them until he looked back at her with a small smile. âIâll be right back, June bug.â He said softly as he leaned down and patted the top of his daughterâs head. But, he hadnât come back. Years passed, the kids grew older and Juniper stopped waiting by the front door hoping heâd come back for her. She thought maybe, just maybe, heâd come back and take her and Rose away from this horrid woman. He didnât. Juniper never could figure out why her mother couldnât wrap her mind around that. So that was why she didnât trust people anymore. People found always found cruel new ways of letting her down. Lowering her expectations made it hurt less. She didnât tell Billy this, however. She just looked at him, and shrugged her shoulders. There was a reason she couldnât allow herself to be happy. There were several, actually. But they were all more morbid than the next. âItâs easier said than done, Billy. Youâre asking someone with- I mean, years of emotional back up to just be happy and Iâm not really sure what that is. What about my life before you made you think that I could truly enjoy myself?â Juniper wondered aloud, their eyes meeting briefly before she turned away to regain her composure.
Talking about shit like this wasnât easy. It was actually really fucking hard. Talking about her father was hard; talking about the abuse from her mother was hard but talking about Roseâs death? That was the heart of it all. Thereâd always been some sort of emotional lock on Juniperâs heart and it was because of the losses sheâd had. She sighed gently, turning back to him as her fingertips pressed against her thighs. âWell like you said before, I canât predict the future. I have theories, but who fucking knows. Maybe thisâll turn out way better than either of us think, maybe it wonât. But I do know that you are, in fact, full of surprises Billy Rush.â Juniper concluded with a low chuckle. She hoped it would work out for both of their sakes. Kissing him was far too much fun for her to want to stop doing it anytime soon. It was kisses like this that took her mind off of everything going on around her. The hurt, the pain sheâd felt moments ago slowly began to vanish, taking flight with the wind. Billy was right though, he was full of surprises. The corny rom com movie moment wasnât one of his best tricks, but it did make her laugh. âUgh. Donât make me barf, Rush. And just when I was beginning to have a good time too. Way to ruin the moment.â A soft tap to his chest would do. It was something about this dream world that made her soft...or maybe it was just him. Billy was just special. As much as Juniper hated to admit that he was, Billy meant a great deal to her. That was the fucking problem though, wasnât it?
When the topic switched to his dad, Juniper felt a slight chill down her spine. She knew Billy acted like he didnât care his dad had skipped out on him and his mother, but Juniper thought heâd been downplaying it thus far. It meant something. Parents leaving children couldnât exactly be taken lightly, especially in Billyâs case seeing as heâd left him a âgift.â How could his dad just leave him like that when there was just the slightest chance Billy might become a dreamwalker too? Juniper didnât understand it. With their hands intertwined, Juniper gave it a soft tug so his remained closed to her side. The other free arm wrapped around the same one sheâd been holding onto, allowing for her chin to rest against his shoulder. The park mustâve been some sort of value to him if he used it as a âbaseâ for his memory dump. There was something there, even if Billy wouldnât admit it aloud. âWait, what?â It came as a surprise to her that Billyâs father was in Norfolk, though. It reminded her of the reason Willow had come to Norfolk as well; for answers about her birth parents. âI meanâŠChrist, Billy.â Juniper started with a low breath, looking down at the stone he nudged against his shoe. This wasâŠa lot. âI think he owes you more than just an explanation on dreamwalking, but itâs really up to youâŠâ She didnât really know what to say. Juniper had no idea where her father was, and she could feel her insides churn at the mere idea of knowing. Part of her was even a bit...jealous, if that were possible. If Juniper did know where her father was, sheâd have barged into his apartment or his new home with his new family just to scream at him. But perhaps that was the big difference between her and Billy. He silently brooded and she knocked down doors.
Their hands always did seem to find their way back to each other. In this case, Juniperâs worry was no different. As his hand slide across her arm down to her fingertips, she frowned at him, looking into his eyes for an indicator that he might be lying. He wasnât. Billy didnât exactly lie to her ever; he just refrained from telling her his plans. Specifically the time heâd ended up in the hospital. âMhm. Well donât give me another excuse to slap you, because I will.â Caring about him meant that sheâd be angry with him when he got himself into trouble. Even in their friendship sheâd been angry with him. But she didnât know now if that was because of her feelings for him or out of friendship. The topic had found its way back to his father. Ah. Obviously there was something heâd wanted to tell her; otherwise he wouldnât keep bringing it up. Knowing he was in Norfolk was one thing, but if he had a name, an address and a face to go with it, wellâŠperhaps that meant theyâd be going on a bit of a road trip. A short road trip, obviously, but this was a big deal. âWait so youâŠyou basically broke into your motherâs head while she was sleeping, and waited until she conjured up a memory of your dad?â That wasâŠa little fucked up, but the woman had kept this from him his whole life. Juniper was in a similar situation with her own mother. But her fatherâs name had died along with her. Sheâd searched through her motherâs things for years to try and find something, but sheâd come up empty handed. There wasnât a trace of her father left except in her. The only thing she really hard was that damn glass sheâd found a couple weeks ago with his initials on it.
Christ, he had a fucking name. That was something, wasnât it? âEzra YoungâŠâ Juniper repeated back, looking down at their hands before slowly, her eyes found his. She smiled softly at him, shaking her head. âBilly Young doesnât exactly have the right ring to it. Not like Rush does.â Juniper pointed out, gently raising their intertwined hands to her lips. She pressed them against his skin, meeting his gaze when he apologized. Why was he apologizing? There was nothing to apologize for. âDonât say that. You donât have anything to be sorry for Billy. Youâre talking about your dad now because youâre ready to.â Just as she would talk about Rose and her mother when she was ready to. That was the whole point of being in a relationship, or at least thatâs what she assumed this whole thing was all about. For a moment she remained silent and just looked at him. Were they going to do this? He certainly wasnât doing it alone. âIf youâre in, Iâm in.â Juniper decided aloud, giving his hand a light squeeze. âIâll go with you if thatâs what you wanna do. But I wonât tell you what to do one way or another.â Sheâd support him no matter what he chose. They never had to talk about it again if thatâs what he ended up wanting.
They were sitting in the grass now with both of their heads turned up towards the sky. She could feel her headache subside as her vision began to clear. Â Maybe she could deal with this own dream world thing after all. Juniper didnât exactly have time to focus on her subsiding headache when there was talk of jealous. âWhoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on there, Billy Rush.â Heâd already at up, but that didnât stop Juniper from getting on top of him now, laying his hands flat on the grass. âFirst of all, Iâm not jealous. Second of all, youâre getting numbers?â Numbers from who was the real question. Her eyes narrowed down at Billy while her fingers grasped his wrists, holding them down. If he tried to break free, she knew he could easily flip them over, but for now she was in control. The space between them began to narrow as Juniper leaned down, their lips grazing against one another. âIâm not jealous, Rush.â She whispered, âNot in the slightest.â Suddenly, her lips pressed against his as if to silence any retort. With Billy, there was always a retort.
