02 - moments that we stole

                                    

                                          

— 🌙 —
juniper did not enjoy waiting. especially, if it consisted of waiting for her sister to come home. she sat on the steps in front of the house and watched the gate, that separated their driveway from the street. she rested her head on her knees, pulled up to her body and eyed the metallic bars as if she could coax them open with only her thoughts. 
     in her imagination, she could. a black car would slowly turn into the driveway, with tinted windows and bright headlights. the gravel would crunch under its weight, dying screams as the vehicle would come to a stop. 
     but the gate stood unmoving, the dark iron a contrast to the grey sky. clouds were hanging low, heavy with rain that wanted to be spilled. juniper shivered in the cold, her loose sweater not offering much warmth. it was mid november, the temperatures were dropping and winter already stretched its icy fingers to coat the land in frost and darkness.
     but juniper did not care. instead, she sat and waited for taylor's car to finally turn into the driveway. she had texted juniper minutes ago, informing her that she was going to be there soon. and juniper wanted nothing more than to hug taylor and never let her go again. 
     they hadn't seen each other for a few weeks now, only catching up over texts and occasional facetime calls. therefore, juniper could not contain her excitement when taylor's message had come through, skipping right outside to greet her sister as soon as possible. 
     "juni?" andrea's voice sounded from inside, through the small gap in the front entrance. a few seconds later her blonde head appeared, eyes searching the driveway in front of her. "is taylor here yet?" 
     juniper threw a quick glance at her phone, checking the time, before turning to her mother. a small grin rested on her face. still, she shook her head. "she's gonna be in a few, though," she told andrea. "we're baking cookies, by the way. chai cookies." 
     taylor's infamous chai cookies were juniper's favorite. sweet and spicy, she thought they were the perfect treat for fall and winter. at this point, it had become a tradition for the swift sisters to have endless cookie baking afternoons in evermore season. today would be the first time baking in a year and juniper was delighted. 
     "juni, baby," andrea sighed, but her lips held a small smile. "why don't you come inside? you're gonna catch a cold." 
     juniper just shrugged. "it won't take much longer now, mom. i'll be all right." 
     andrea's hand tightened around the door knob, but she nodded, retreating back into the house. there was no point in trying to convince her youngest daughter, anyway.
     the teenager's gaze lingered on the house for another second before focusing on the driveway again. and at the right moment, it seemed. 
juniper's eyes widened a little, another wave of joy rushing through her body. she scrambled to her feet, and down the stairs, just as the car pulled in. 
     seconds felt like hours for juniper in that moment. she could not wait any longer to finally wrap herself around her sister again. however, the car hadn't even stopped yet and juniper squeezed the dear life out of her own hands to hold herself back. 
     finally, gravel scrunched and the door in the back opened. the windows were tinted and she couldn't be sure if it was actually taylor stepping out. but juniper did not care. she eagerly made her way over, just as taylor's blonde locks came into view. 
     that was enough for juni. with a soft squeal she took the last few steps, pushing herself into her sister's arms. 
taylor laughed a little, pulling juniper into her embrace. "hello to you, too, june." she squeezed her sister gently. "i've missed you."