The phone connects.
"Juno."
"Adam, is the wedding over?"
On the other end, Juno asks with a cheerful grin, "Back in New York yet?"
"Yeah, it's done."
Adam chuckles, "I've been back for a while. Just saved a life at the hospital, actually."
"Congrats!"
Juno knows how crazy Adam is about saving lives and immediately celebrates with him.
"Heh."
Adam's in a good mood. "So why're you calling now?"
"Well, next Thursday's Thanksgiving, right?"
Juno laughs, "Only four days away, and it's just a one-day holiday. I figured you're not heading back to Texas, huh?"
"Nope, not going back."
Adam shakes his head. "A one-day break isn't worth the hassle of traveling."
"Knew it."
Juno giggles, "So here's an idea: on Thanksgiving, Karen and I come over. You invite Peggy, maybe call a few friends, and we all celebrate together. How's that sound?"
"Sounds great!"
Adam nods without hesitation. "I'll have to check with Chandler and Monica, though. Most others will probably head back to their families. Lily's going to Matthew's hometown for the first time this year—it's a big deal for them. But if Chandler and Monica are in, Phoebe might tag along too. You know she doesn't have family…"
"I know."
Juno cuts in, "I already asked for you. Monica and Chandler are on board. Phoebe's still up in the air—her call. We'll leave the Thanksgiving feast and setup to Monica and Karen. You just sort things out with Peggy, and we're good."
"Uh…"
Adam freezes.
Wait, you've already happily planned this out and still asked if I'm going back to Texas…?
"What's up? Wanna spend Thanksgiving alone with Peggy?"
Juno teases over the phone, "Getting all clingy already? Really?"
"Oh, come on!"
Adam quickly fires back, "No way."
"Good to know."
Juno smirks, "Otherwise, it'd be like you've got a new girl and forgot the old ones~"
"…"
Adam's lip twitches.
Why does Juno feel… off today? She's throwing shade left and right.
"What? Don't like that?"
Juno chuckles lightly, dragging her words, "You didn't even ask what Heather's up to."
"Ahem."
Adam coughs, feeling a twinge of guilt. "So, uh… what's Heather's plan?"
"I was gonna invite her along originally."
Juno sighs, "But she's too sweet on someone and thought it'd be awkward. Ugh, girls like her—so big-hearted, always quietly giving—end up losing out the most."
"Heh."
Adam forces a laugh. "I'll call her later and invite her to join us for Thanksgiving."
"Is that okay?"
Juno smirks, "What about Peggy? How're you gonna introduce them?"
"…"
Adam's lip twitches again. Okay, Juno's definitely messing with him now.
The thought of Peggy meeting Heather? Yeah, that's a headache waiting to happen.
"Hehe."
On the other end, Juno seems to picture his face and giggles like crazy.
"Juno!"
Adam snaps, exasperated.
Her love for stirring the pot deserves a serious eye-roll. 🙄
"Feeling the pressure now, huh?"
Juno keeps laughing, "We all know you're into Peggy. At our get-togethers, even Heather chats about her all the time. She's cool with it, but the rest of us? We're just sticking up for her."
"You guys talk about Peggy together?"
Adam gives a wry smile, "What do you even say?"
"Everything."
Juno smirks playfully, "Mostly wondering what magic Peggy's got to turn a player like Adam Duncan into a lovesick puppy. Tsk tsk!"
"Quit exaggerating."
Adam pushes back, "Who's a lovesick puppy? You ever seen a guy with this many female friends acting like that?"
They're best buddies, after all.
Constant late-night chats.
Juno's always asking about Adam's day-to-day.
Whether it's Kate showing up begging him to sort out a case overnight,
or that Halloween night when Marvel's SHIELD deputy director faced off with DC's Aquaman's mom,
or even when Lily sent him to Robin's place to patch up Robin's guilty conscience—
Juno knows it all.
She's dying to dig into the juicy details, but Adam never bites.
Bro talk is bro talk—bragging's fine.
But spilling deep, personal stuff? That's a line he won't cross.
He's not a creep!
"Peggy's different, though, isn't she?"
Juno cuts to the chase, "She's got something Heather and the others can't touch, right?"
"You're blowing this way out of proportion…"
Adam groans.
"Isn't it true?"
Juno drawls, "You and Heather were so tight back then. That time at the cabin? We could hear how much you adored her from the next room."
"That's… different."
Adam's face flushes.
Juno laughs, "You saying Peggy's got a better figure than Heather?"
"Of course not."
Adam shakes his head.
Heather's the real deal—top-tier.
Her looks are killer, and that insane figure? She's still number one among Adam's female friends, hands down.
Peggy's got that pure, icy beauty vibe going for her—beats Heather on face alone.
But overall?
Eh, Peggy's the innocent type.
No comparison…
"There's your problem."
Juno grins, "If it's not looks, it's gotta be something inside. Otherwise, why'd you drop everything for Peggy—buying her a house, hiring six bodyguards, a personal assistant, even walking the red carpet as her wedding date? Tsk tsk!
Name one other friend you've done any of that for.
Trust me, Heather's way better to you than Peggy ever was.
So why does Heather—gorgeous, sweet, and there first—still lose out to Peggy in your heart?
They're all your 'female friends,' so why's the gap so huge?"
"It's not like that!"
Adam protests, "I offered you bodyguards too, and you said no!"
Silence on the other end.
"What? Speechless now?"
Adam smirks triumphantly.
Juno finally speaks, slow and deliberate, "Am I one of your good friends too?"
"…"
Adam's lip twitches again.
He can practically see Juno's face screaming, "I treated you like a brother, and you wanna hit on me?!"
"It was just an example!"
Adam laughs awkwardly, "And I'm not wrong—you are my best friend, right?"
"Heh."
Juno just chuckles, dodging the question. "Don't worry. Even if you invite Heather, she won't come.
She's usually stuck at the estate—no time to hang out, especially not on a family holiday like this.
If she showed up at your place, her adoptive mom would lose it.
So, it's just me and Karen—Peggy's old pals.
No headaches for you."
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