Page 20 of Write Me For You

I met her eyes. There wasn’t sympathy or pity there, but there was understanding…

and affection. Such raw affection, it made me want to share this—this deep, pained part of me that I hid from the world.

“He left, Junebug. One day he left and just never came home. My sisters were tiny. My mom was shattered, heartbroken. Her childhood sweetheart just up and leaving her.” I blew out a long breath.

“He told me he loved me, yet he still left. No word, just…gone. We haven’t heard from him since.

” I ducked my head to hide my embarrassment and the pain I knew was etched on my face, but June’s hands cupped my cheeks, tilting my head.

She looked me square in my eyes, more serious than I had ever seen her before.

“You are so loveable, Jesse Taylor.” Heat raced through my veins.

“You are kind, you are beautiful…” She searched my gaze more.

“And I’m not sure if you have guessed it yet, but you have wrapped yourself so tightly around my heart that you are the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing I think about before I close my eyes at night. ”

I slid my hands around June’s waist and held her tightly.

“I used to wake up and fear would hold me captive for several minutes before I could move. Now…” she said.

“Yeah?” I whispered, desperate for her to continue.

“I wake up happy. I wake up excited…because I get to see you . I go to sleep content because we’ve spent the night out here, talking.

One on one, I have spent more time with you than anyone in my life—my parents excluded.

And…” I held her tighter, desperate for her to keep speaking.

“I’m falling for you, Jesse Taylor. So hard. And more and more every day.”

June leaned in and kissed me. She was never the one to initiate a kiss, too reserved.

But she held my cheeks and kissed me, and that kiss made me believe every single thing she’d just said.

When she broke away, she said, “Cancer is trying to take me from this world.” My heart thudded on the ground.

“I despise it. But I will forever be grateful that it led me to you.”

I smiled, my cheeks aching with how wide. “It may have taken my hair and every inch of muscle tone, but it led me to you and for that reason alone, I can overlook it…just this once.”

June laughed, and it was a damn balm to my soul.

She linked her arm through mine and repositioned her notebook that had fallen down the middle of us. She opened page, and said, “Please read.”

So I did.

JESSE

Jesse and June’s Happily Ever After

The sun shined through my window, and the birds were singing.

I took that as a good sign. Even my body ached less today.

The immunotherapy had floored us all again this week, but Chemo Club was still in full force and helping us cope together.

We’d debated calling it ‘Immuno Club’ now that the chemo portion of our treatment had ended, but the original name had stuck, and we felt rather attached to it.

We were on another few days’ break from treatment, days to rebuild.

And today was a big day for us all. Phase one had come to a close.

Today, we got our first month’s results back.

Dr. Duncan would be telling us if the treatment had started to work or not.

I refused to let nerves take hold. It would be working.

June’s would be working. Everyone’s results would come back with positive news.

That was the only outcome I would entertain.

I knocked on June’s door. She opened it with the same happiness evident on her face that was running through my veins.

“You ready?” I asked, searching the room for her parents.

“They’re meeting me in Dr. Duncan’s office,” June said, understanding who I was searching for. “I told them I wanted to be with everyone else for a while first.”

We’d all agreed to meet in the rec room, just to hang out and be there for one another as we got our results.

Tucking my football under my arm, I held out my free hand to June, and she slipped hers in mine.

I stood straighter, as she did, and even the ache in my throwing arm seemed to not be as bad today.

“You nervous?” I asked June as we headed down the maze of hallways that we were now much better at navigating.

June squeezed my hand. “I’m trying to be positive and keep imagining only receiving good news.” She nodded firmly. “We’re gonna be okay,” she said, and I kissed her on the head.

“Group two for the win,” I said, struggling to hold out my fist because I was holding the ball.

“Group two for the win,” June said, laughing at my contortion act but bumping my fist all the same.

As we turned into the rec room, I saw we were the final two to arrive. “Are we ready?” I said, loud enough for the other six to turn to us.

“Hell yeah!” Chris said, walking across the room and throwing his arm around me. I let go of June to slap his back.

Emma hugged June, then blew out a shaky breath. “I didn’t sleep last night. I could barely eat!”

“Is your mom coming?” Chris asked me, just as the parents who were staying on-site began to trickle in.

“Cherry?” Neenee called. She was clearly up first.

I was distracted as I watched her go, keeping my eyes on the door as I answered Chris. “She couldn’t get time off work, but I’ll video call her, so she gets the results when I do.”

“Cool,” he said as I only half listened.

June’s slim hand slipped into mine, and she led me to a couch. I watched the clock on the wall, feeling like I was crawling out of my skin. I just wanted these damn results back.

June was talking to Emma, and she laughed—that laugh was enough to pull my attention away from the length of Cherry’s appointment and just stare at my girl.

A flash of fear cut down my spine. What if Junebug’s results weren’t good? What if mine were and hers weren’t?

My throat clogged up just at the thought.

June must have felt me watching her, as she turned to me.

Her eyebrows pulled down, just as the sound of Cherry leaving the doc’s office sailed into the room from down the hallway.

We all stilled. You could have heard a pin drop—we were that quiet.

Cherry’s mama’s cries came next, and my heart began to beat faster.

Was that a good cry or a bad one?

We didn’t have to wait long to find out though because Cherry came in, a wide smile on her face and said, “It’s working.” She seemed to be in complete disbelief.

I exhaled a breath I hadn’t even known I was holding. Mr. and Mrs. Scott came into the room and went straight across to congratulate Cherry and her parents.

“It’s working,” Emma said in disbelief.

I think, deep down, we had all been too scared to truly believe it could.

“It’s fucking working!” Chris said loudly, excitedly, and practically jumped on me in celebration. “Did you hear that?!”

“I did.” Excitement took hold of me. “I fucking did!”

“Jesse, can we do without the F-bombs, please?” Neenee said, but I saw even she was grinning.

“Anything for you, Neenee,” I said, and she shook her head at my cheekiness.

“Chris, you’re up.” Chris went with his parents, smiling and confident in his steps. Cherry sat with Silas, Kate, and Toby, full of life. Her happiness was infectious.

“I’m so happy for her,” June said. Emma echoed the sentiment. We were actively watching people’s dreams coming true.

One by one, people saw the doc—Emma, Silas, Toby, Kate—until it was my turn. All with positive results. I took hold of June. I didn’t want her to be last, but she rubbed my arms in excitement.

“I’ll be here when you’re done,” she said.

Mr. and Mrs. Scott came over. Mr. Scott put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Do you need anyone in with you, son? I’d be happy to come with you.” The way my throat closed in appreciation was instant.

I cleared my throat but said, “No thank you, sir. We’re video calling my mom. But I really appreciate the offer.”

Mr. Scott nodded, then tapped my arm in support. Mrs. Scott gave me a tight hug, and June blew me a kiss. I followed Neenee into the doc’s office in a daze. I quickly video called my mom. Her face came on the screen, and I could see the worry in her eyes.

“I’ll get straight to the point,” Dr. Duncan said, looking at his computer.

Every muscle in my body stilled. “I’m happy to say that your blood and scans are showing that the new chemo and targeted drug therapy are having a positive effect on your AML.

” I blinked and blinked again as I heard my mom begin to cry in relief.

“These are still early days, and we have more to come, but I am very pleased with your initial results.”

Dr. Duncan nodded, and I looked down to my phone. “Jesse…” my mom said, searching for words. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you, Mom,” I said, voice barely there from shock. Since I’d been diagnosed, there hadn’t been one bit of good news. This felt foreign. It felt… I didn’t even know.

“Call me later, Sunshine,” Mama said, and I walked like a zombie into the rec room. June and her folks were the first people I saw, and June jumped to her feet, brown eyes wide.

“It’s working,” I said, and caught another triumphant whoop from Chris somewhere in the room. June’s happiness engulfed her face, and she ran to me, wrapping her arms around my waist. She was petite, but it felt like her embrace swallowed my six-foot-two frame.

I held her back, needing her to get the same news.

“June,” Neenee called.

June broke away from me.

“Group two for the win,” I rasped, fist held out.

“Group two for the win,” she said back and bumped my fist. I cupped her face and kissed her lips, then watched her walk to the doc’s room with her mama and daddy flanking her side.

“You wanna sit?” Emma said and patted the seat between her and Chris on the couch. I shook my head. My body was a live wire, waiting for June to be told what all of us in this room had.

“She’s got this, you know?” Chris said, but I didn’t look to my friend. I kept my eyes locked on that door, hearing nothing but white noise as I stayed suspended in time, ready for when my girl came back through.

I didn’t know how many minutes had passed when June left the office and came down the hallway.

I held my breath, heartbeat slamming in my ears.

But then she turned my way, and a euphoric smile etched on her lips.

I didn’t wait for her to enter the room.

Instead, I ran right into the hallway and picked her up.

I held her tightly, her feet dangling off the floor.

“It’s working?” I asked, pulling back enough to see her face.

“It’s working,” she repeated, and I kissed her.

I kissed her and kissed her until Mr. Scott jokingly pulled us apart. But June’s parents’ smiles were huge. Relieved.

The treatment was working. We were going to get through this. And I had my Junebug by my side. Life was only getting better. And it was going to be cancer free.

When the chapter ended, goose bumps had broken out all over my body. June’s arm was still linked with mine, but by her sudden stillness, it was clear she knew I’d finished.

“You’re so talented,” I said, and gently closed the notebook.

June exhaled, then said, “I want that to happen for us all. I want Dr. Duncan to give us all that news.”

“You’ve written it,” I said, “so it must happen. Right?” My voice held humor, but I wished for it too.

June smirked. “I’m not sure it quite works like that, Jesse.”

“You never know. Your pen might have special powers, a direct line to God or the universe.”

June rolled her eyes.

“Keep going,” I said, dropping my teasing. “I want to know what happens next.”

“You do?” June asked. She clearly didn’t understand her talent if she had to ask that.

I was hooked. I covered her hand with mine. “Show me our future, Junebug. ’Cause it looks kinda amazing from where I’m sitting.”

“Okay,” she said, relief in every breath. She cuddled in beside me.

The countdown was on for those results she’d written about. I stared up at the stars and replayed her words over and over in my head, trying to feel that joy that I’d felt as I read that we’d all responded to the treatment and our cancer had stopped spreading.

June laid her head on my chest, listening to my heartbeat. If it all worked out like we wished, she would be listening to my heartbeat, just like this, for many, many years to come.

It sounded like heaven.