“Alright… What do you think of this one?”

Juniper stepped out of the bedroom, striking a little pose that sent a pleasant tingling sensation all over John’s body. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat for a moment as he waited for the feeling to subside.

“That is quite pleasing to the eye.” He said at last, clearing his throat softly. “Your mammary glands appear very…” John struggled to find the right word. “They’re quite… Wow.” He breathed at last, relying on the human exclamation to express what mere words could not.

To his surprise, Juniper’s face fell. “Damn it. I knew it was too much.” She retreated to the bedroom once more.

It was very distressing to see Juniper so frustrated and nervous. He missed her smile. Juniper’s smile was the most beautiful thing in the entire universe… But he hadn’t caught a glimpse of it all evening. John rose from the kitchen table and approached her bedroom door uncertainly.

“Um… Juniper?” He called softly. “I… I would like to tell you that I am certain Jane will think you are beautiful no matter what you wear. I am certain of it.” John smiled. “I lov— I mean, she lov—likes you for you. Not for the garments that cover your skin.”

He stepped back as the bedroom door creaked open.

“Thanks, John.” She smiled softly. “So you think she’ll like this one? I decided to go casual… ish. The sweater makes it a little less… like, hoochie… right? But it’s still cute?”

You are perfect. John almost said. He settled for “It’s perfect” instead.

“I hope so. You’re the best, John.” She smiled brightly at him. “I know it’s silly to get all worked up… But I haven’t been on a date in a long time…” Juniper paused for a moment. “Do you think Jane is worrying this much about what she’s going to wear?”

John struggled to hide his panic. I had not considered a change in wardrobe for this evening. Should he wear something different? What sort of human clothing did Juniper enjoy on her women? And what sort of clothing were women supposed to wear anyway?

John was still so puzzled by the strange duality of the human race. The fact that they had more than one gender on this planet was already confusing enough… That males and female were expected to dress and act differently from one another was even stranger.

“Perhaps.” He replied at last. “What are you hoping she will choose to wear?”

John couldn’t help but worry about committing a grave fashion faux pas, and making a fool of himself in front of Juniper. He still remembered that Mr. Grimm had taken great pleasure in mocking John’s fashion choices when he’d first arrived in the neighborhood, though he had never fully understood why. Mr. Grimm wears a dress too, does he not?

“Oh, I dunno.” Juniper shrugged. “I always think skirts and dresses are so cute… Jane always loves wearing pants… I guess it’d be fun if she mixed it up a little bit! And I think she’d look so beautiful in blue… Or maybe green.” An almost dreamy expression came to her face for a moment. “But it’s like you said… It doesn’t really matter. I like her no matter what!”

“I’m glad.” John smiled warmly at her. “And I am sure she will wear something that is to your liking.

For a moment, Juniper bit her lip. “It doesn’t bother you, does it?” She asked softly. “Me talking about her like this and stuff?”

“Of course not. I have moved past my affections toward you.” The lie came so easily now. “But you remain my best friend in this universe. And I believe it is appropriate for best friends to confide in one another about such things.”

“It is!” Juniper agreed. “I can’t wait for you to finally meet her… You’d love her, John. You guys have so much in common!” She reached into her pocket for a moment, glancing at the time on her phone. “She was supposed to be here five minutes ago… I wonder what’s keeping her…” For a moment, her face fell. “But hey, if you stick around, she should be here any minute! I can finally introduce you guys.”

John practically sprinted for the door. “I have just remembered an extremely urgent appointment. Forgive me.”

Juniper watched in confusion as he practically slammed the front door behind him.

Barely five seconds had passed before a soft knocking reached her ears.

“Coming!” Juniper’s face stretched into a wide smile. Wow, great timing! Too bad John missed her…

She opened the door, her eyes widening as they fell on the figure who waited on the other side. Damn… “W-wow… You… You look perfect.”

“Thank you.” Jane beamed at her. “As do you.”

————————————————

“Another strike?! I thought you said you’d never gone bowling before!” Juniper giggled as Jane came to sit beside her.

They’d been having such a fun evening – Juniper already didn’t want it to end. There was something so special about Jane – it was like she’d known her for so much longer than the two weeks it had been since their first meeting. She was the most amazing woman in the entire world. Maybe the entire universe , Juniper thought. For a moment, she found herself thinking of John, but she could not explain why.

“It is true that I have never bowled before.” Jane confirmed. “However, the game has proven easy to master. It is a simple matter of calculating the ball’s trajectory.”

Juniper giggled. “I know I keep saying it, but you definitely need to meet John sometime… He’s so funny… Just like you.”

“Your friend John sounds like a very wonderful individual.” Jane returned her smile. “I would like to know more of your thoughts about him.”

Before Juniper had a chance to answer, a tall, familiar figure came walking toward them. “Hey, Juniper!”

“Hi Randy!” Juniper smiled sweetly at him as he approached. It was very unusual to see him wearing bowling shoes — in fact, she was fairly certain she’d never seen him wear any shoes before. “What are you doing here?”

“Tiff wanted some alone time tonight, so I volunteered to take the kids bowling. “ He nodded over his shoulder for a second. “The little rascals decided to take a break and harass Mr. Grimm on his date, so I figured I’d come do the same to you.” His smile widened as his eyes fell on Jane. It almost looked as though he was holding back laughter, though Juniper could not understand why.

“You aren’t harassing us.” She assured him. “This is Jane, by the way! She’s our new neighbor… But I don’t think she’s gotten the chance to meet everybody yet.”

“Nice to, uh… meet you.” Randy gave Jane a wink. “Definitely never met you before… ‘Jane’.” He winked again.

To Juniper’s surprise, Jane looked almost annoyed. “Greetings, Randy.” She muttered.

“On second thought, you do look really familiar, ‘Jane’… Maybe we have met before…”

Juniper furrowed her brow in concern. “Are you okay, Randy? Is there something in your eye?”

“Oh, I’m fine.” He smiled down at her. “But, y’know, I’m wondering what John might be up to this evening…”

“He said he had an appointment…” Juniper explained. “I guess it was really urgent.”

“Ha! I bet.”

“Are you sure your eye’s okay?”

“Randy! Do you mind taking these two hellions off my hands? They’re driving me up a damn wall.” Mr. Grimm’s gruff voice called out.

“Oh dear.” Jane held her face in her hand as their landlord drew closer. Juniper couldn’t help but wonder why.

Randy laughed softly. “Okay, okay… I’ve had my fun. Nice to see you, Juniper.” He gave her a small nod. “And… Jane…” A loud burst of laughter finally escaped his lips as he led Harry and Jenna back to their bowling lane.

Well he was certainly in a weird mood… Juniper tried to shake off her confusion. “Hi, Mr. Grimm! How’s your date going?”

“Eh. Not bad.” The hooded figure shrugged slightly. “How’s yours?” For some reason, he sounded almost as amused as Randy had.

“It’s great!” Juniper beamed at him. “I’d introduce you, but… You must already know Jane.” She added with a little laugh.

“Oh, I do… We have a very interesting rental agreement.” Juniper could almost hear Mr. Grimm’s smile in his voice. “Speaking of which, I have a new tenant moving in Monday… Shit. I still gotta get the place ready.”

Jane looked almost as surprised at the news as she was. “A new resident will be joining us?” She asked curiously.

“Yup. Assuming I can get that damn plumbing fixed this weekend.”

“Oh! Well, if you need somebody to work on it, I’m sure John would love to help!” Juniper suggested. “He’s always so thoughtful about stuff like that.”

Mr. Grimm nodded. “You’re right, he is! Hmm… Know what? Maybe I should give him a call right now…” He chuckled as he pulled out his cellphone.

“No!” Jane practically leapt to her feet.

Their landlord continued laughing. “No? Why not?” His voice was teasing.

“W-well… Juniper has informed us that he is in the middle of a very urgent appointment. It is best not to disturb him.”

God, she’s so sweet! “You’re right, Jane! That’s so thoughtful of you!” Juniper smiled at her date. Thoughtful… Just like John!

“Eh, it’ll be fine. I’ll just leave a message.” Mr. Grimm lifted his phone and dialed, despite Jane’s continued protests.

A soft musical jingle suddenly filled the air. Juniper furrowed her brow, looking around curiously. “That’s John’s ringtone…” She muttered softly as she searched for the source of the sound. At last, she found the answer. “Oh! Jane, I think someone’s calling you! I can’t believe you and John have the same ringtone… That’s so funny!” I guess they have even MORE in common than I thought!

“Aren’t you gonna answer, Jane?” Mr. Grimm asked with a chuckle.

Jane glared at him. “They can leave a message.” She muttered.

Mr. Grimm just laughed.

And laughed.

“I believe we should bowl another round.” Jane called over Mr. Grimm’s laughter. Her expression finally softened as she turned back toward her date. “Don’t you?”

Juniper eagerly agreed.

—————————————————

Juniper sighed in contentment as she and Jane finally reached her front door. It had been the perfect evening. They’d told each other funny stories, shared a few laughs with their neighbors, showed off their bowling skills (or lack thereof, in Juniper’s case).

This girl is amazing! She’d never had so much fun with anyone before… Except maybe John. But that’s different.

She smiled softly at Jane under the warm glow of her porch light. “I had such a wonderful time tonight.”

“Me too.” Jane agreed. “If only the days on this planet were not limited to twenty-four hours…”

“I didn’t want it to end either…” Juniper admitted. “We’ll have to do this again sometime, okay?”

“Of course.”

She hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “Well… Thanks for inviting me out tonight.” She whispered at last. “Goodnight, Jane.”

“Goodnight, Juniper.”