The doors dinged at the final floor of the hotel, opening to reveal yet another luxurious room, this one much like a suite with an open-plan kitchen, two bedrooms off to both sides, and a huge lounge area in the middle with the most comfortable looking couches imaginable.

  It felt too luxurious for words...especially contrasted with how awkward the next few minutes felt as Alice stood there waiting for Juniper's next move…

  "...Come on in," the pop star said over her shoulder, already kicking off her gold high-heeled boots inside the door. "Make yourself comfortable."

  Alice hesitantly took a few small steps inside the suite.

  She didn't want to get too comfortable, but the place was just so nice inside that she was tempted to forget all her doubts...at least for a moment.

  Her eyes scanned every corner of the room, taking it all in.

  The furniture was all top-notch, clearly expensive and clearly a sign that money wasn't any kind of problem for the superstar.

  Alice couldn't help herself, her gaze lingering on Juniper's golden high-heeled boots for a bit before she finally spoke.

  "...Nice place."

  "Thanks. I like it," Juniper replied, throwing herself down onto a nearby couch with an exaggerated flop.

  She laid sprawled out over the cushions like a star-struck diva, arms draped dramatically across her face as she let one leg dangle loosely over the edge.

  There was something almost childish about the way she'd kicked off her heels and dropped herself directly into her place in the center of this oversized couch in her tight skirt suit.

  But still, there was no denying how good it felt to finally kick off and relax for a bit, too.

  Alice stood awkwardly by the doorway, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

  She wasn’t sure if she should sit down or not, this whole thing felt so surreal, like some kind of bizarre dream where a pop star had teleported her into a luxury hotel for answers about Juno.

  Her fingers twitched at her sides before finally curling into loose fists as she forced herself forward and onto one of the smaller chairs near Juniper’s sprawled-out form on that ridiculously large couch.

  “So.”

  Juniper didn’t even move an inch beyond lazily peeking through splayed fingers now aimed directly toward Alice seated across the way—but despite lack visible movement otherwise? Her voice held quiet amusement when next spoke:

  "Wanna talk about why your best friend ain't dead yet over the best strawberry shortcake you've ever had in your life?"

  Juniper reached for a tray, pulling it forward and removing the pure-gold lid. Alice’s eyes locked onto the cake, her stomach growling almost instantly at the sight of it.

  She had been so caught up in everything that she hadn’t even realized how hungry she was…until now. The strawberries glistened, dusted with what looked like edible gold flakes, and the cream? Fluffy perfection.

  For a second, just one stupid little second, she forgot all about Juno and her mission to get answers…

  Then Juniper smirked as if sensing Alice’s internal struggle between curiosity about Juno versus sheer hunger for dessert…

  And then: "Dig in."

  Alice hesitated, her eyes still glued to the delicious-looking cake…but eventually her stomach won out.

  She took a small slice from the luxurious shortcake, her mouth practically watering as she bit into the first bite.

  It was heavenly.

  She'd never tasted anything like it before. The strawberries were fresh and juicy, the cream melted in her mouth, and...wait–was that gold leaf in the dessert?

  She had to stop herself from simply downing the whole slice in a single bite. God, she was starving...

  "It's bussin', yeah?" Juniper asked with a smirk, "For real, the first time I ate this? It made me cum. Hard."

  Alice nearly choked at Juniper's blunt comment, her cheeks flushing red as she sputtered, "I—I'm sorry, what?!"

  That was...quite an image, and definitely not something she needed to imagine as she was trying to enjoy the best dessert she’d ever eaten in her entire life.

  But still, she found herself struggling not to laugh at the absurdity of it all as Juniper sat there, still sprawled out on that couch in all that finery...

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  And yet so...unprofessional and informal at the same time.

  Juniper smirked wider, amusing herself at how easy it was to make Alice blush with just one little comment.

  She propped herself up on one elbow as she replied with an almost-innocent shrug.

  "What can I say," she said, "Strawberry shortcake is just... that good. And I have good taste."

  Juniper gave Alice a sly wink at that last part, which did nothing to make her cheeks any less red.

  Alice's eyes darted back and forth from the delicious cake in her lap to Juniper's sly grin on the couch.

  Her cheeks flushed again as she tried to regain some composure in this bizarre situation.

  She took a deep breath, trying to keep her thoughts focused on what was important here.

  Answers about Juno. That's why you're here, idiot. She told herself silently, taking another spoonful of the decadent dessert and trying her best not to let it distract her.

  A small part of her wanted to keep enjoying the moment with this surreal pop star, though…

  Juniper watched Alice struggle, her grin widening even more as she observed the mental turmoil written all over her face.

  It was adorable how Alice was fighting so hard to stay focused on the real reason she was here...yet still couldn't help succumbing to her base desire for some good food and conversation with a celebrity.

  Juniper was good at reading people...and she already knew exactly how to play this girl like a fiddle.

  So, she decided to push just a little bit more…

  After another few minutes of awkward silence, the two just sitting there in that luxurious suite, Alice eventually found herself caving in to her curiosity.

  Just one question. She told herself. Just one question to get the ball rolling.

  Taking a small breath to steady herself, Alice finally spoke up, breaking the uneasy silence with a question that had been gnawing away at her for far, far too long...

  "Can I ask you something?" She began cautiously, fidgeting a bit in her seat as she waited to see how Juniper would respond.

  Juniper’s smirk froze in place, her expression going eerily still for a split second.

  Then, just as quickly, her usual playful demeanor snapped back into position, but something about the way she moved felt forced now… like she was trying too hard to be casual.

  She sat up straighter on the couch and leaned forward slightly before answering:

  "Yeah?" Her tone light again despite everything else screaming otherwise internally (or so Alice would later realize).

  The superstar’s fingers drummed against one knee absently while waiting expectantly for whatever question came next…

  Alice noticed the subtle shift in Juniper's demeanor.

  She hadn't missed how the pop star had frozen for a fraction of a second...and how the way she sat up and leaned forward so suddenly felt far from casual.

  Despite it all, Alice pressed on anyway, still hoping beyond hope that this strange superstar might know something about her long-lost best friend.

  So, in a voice far steadier than she actually felt in that moment, she finally voiced the question that had been weighing heavy down on her heart...

  "...it's about Juno.”

  Juniper’s fingers stopped drumming against her knee.

  The air in the room shifted, something unreadable flickering behind those dark eyes of hers before she leaned back again, stretching out lazily across the couch as if nothing had happened… but Alice could see right through it now.

  There was a beat of silence where Juniper just watched her, then finally answered with an amused tilt to one corner of that perfect mouth:

  "Hm? What about her?"

  Alice stared back, her heart hammering like a drum in her chest.

  Don't show it. Play it cool. She thought to herself, fighting the urge to fidget as she held Juniper's gaze.

  She wasn't naive. She could see that subtle shift in Juniper's demeanor, even if she couldn't quite pinpoint what had caused it.

  So, with her voice still steady despite the racing pulse-point in her throat, Alice repeated—

  "I need to know where Juno is."

  Juniper tilted her head back slightly, her dark hair shifting softly behind her. She smirked again, but this time there was a hint of something else beneath the surface, some unvoiced question flashing across those sharp features that made her look almost predatory all of a sudden...

  For a long, long moment, Juniper didn't say a word. She just sat there sprawled out on that ridiculous couch, watching Alice with those unreadable eyes, until finally...

  "Beats me."

  "Wha—"

  Alice felt like she'd been gut-punched by that simple answer.

  No. This wasn't right. She tried not to let the shock show on her face, tucking away that pang of disappointment that threatened to bubble up inside her, so she tried again, pressing:

  "You...what do you mean you don't know?”

  Juniper raised an eyebrow, her smirk growing wider at that reaction.

  She just loved toying with people. Especially ones like Alice, so eager to find answers, so desperate to find the answers to their questions.

  There was just something so satisfying about it...watching them all squirm underneath that fake-casual manner she was so good at...

  "I said." Juniper repeated slowly, her voice taking on a mockingly-condescending tone, "Beats. Me."

  Alice bristled at that reply.

  The arrogance in Juniper's voice was almost too much to bear...yet at the same time, it was clear that the pop star had absolutely no intention of giving her a straight answer.

  Damnit.

  She fought back the urge to snap, taking a deep breath and trying to hold on to some scrap of composure in this completely ridiculous situation.

  But then, in a moment of desperation:

  "You're lying." Alice blurted out.

  Juniper's smirk shifted at that, a flicker of something unreadable passing behind those dark eyes for a split second.

  But then she just let out this long, slow laugh, almost too exaggerated to be real, before replying,

  "Meeee? Lying? Puh-lease."

  She leaned forward on the couch, resting her chin on her palms as she continued to stare at Alice, her brow lifted in amused disbelief.

  "Why on earth would I lie?" she asked, feigning innocence. "About anything at all, let alone about your precious friend. She was being possessed, so I had to send her away before she attacked you.”

  Alice felt something inside her snap. She'd played along, she'd tried to stay calm and composed and polite, but now, she was done.

  This pop star was toying with her, and it was driving her insane.

  "Bullshit." She spat, all restraint gone in one single second.

  "You know something. You have to. So just—"

  Alice's voice caught in her throat as she forced herself to take a breath, trying to regain some composure before she finished through gritted teeth:

  "Just. Tell. Me.”

  Juniper's smirk widened, her entire body practically vibrating with amusement at Alice’s outburst.

  She leaned back again, stretching her arms above her head before letting them drop lazily to the couch cushions beside her as she finally answered:

  "Fine."

  A beat of silence.

  Then:

  "But you're not gonna like what I have to say."

  Alice's heart stuttered in her chest at that statement. What the hell did Juniper have to tell her that she wouldn't like?

  She stared at the pop star in disbelief, almost frozen in place by the sheer weight of those words.

  ...But she had to know.

  So, in a small, quiet voice:

  "Try me.”