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Author's Note
Pepper's Penance is a slow burning romance that unfolds over the course of twenty-three chapters. This is not a wham-bam story. But, if you're into that sort of thing, I think you'll like this one.
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Chapter 9: The Girl with the Henna Tattoo
I made up my mind. The next time Pepper showed up at my door, I was going to hug her for all I was worth and ask her to tell me everything about Natalie?at least what she was willing to share. I was still struggling with the kisses and the hand holding, and what it all meant, but I couldn't deny the friendship that was growing between us.
But making promises in my head and actually following through with them are two distinctly different things. And when Pepper showed up Saturday afternoon, well after her usual lunchtime arrival, I chickened out.
"The tiramisu turned to mush. I had to throw it out."
"'S okay." Pepper shuffled in. She was wearing a hoodie that said, "The first 40 years of childhood are the hardest," and chomping on gum. Her eyes were puffy and red, like she just woke up or maybe she hadn't slept. Trixie trotted after her.
"Most everyone's left. Dave's here. He's looking at tablature books. I'm going to close up when he's done," I said. "But if you still want to play, you can. You look like you might have something on your mind you need to let out."
"I'm a shit human being, Ash. Don't need to sit at the piano to express that. It's pretty obvious."
"Pepper," I said, as I leaned in to give her a friendly arm around the shoulders. It wasn't the full on hug you 'til I die that I had convinced myself I owed her, but it was a start.
There was something odd about it. It wasn't just the fact that I was chickening out and not hugging the stuffing out of her like I planned. There was something else. I sniffed. Her hoodie smelled like fabric softener.
"Pepper, did you quit smoking?"
She nodded and then flashed her teeth, showing me the gum clenched there.
"Cold turkey? No wonder you're a mess."
"It's nicotine gum, Ash, but yeah, I'm a little off my game."
"Stay put, hon, I'll get you a Diet Coke."
On my way to the cooler behind the register, I got Dave's attention and made a show of tapping my wrist. He gave me the thumbs up and brought his final beylikdüzü escort selection to the counter. Trixie got in on the action too, demanding a handful of treats.
After taking care of everyone else, I locked up and focused on Pepper. She was still standing in the same place I left her. I cracked the seal on the bottle and handed it to her.
"Thanks, Ash." She tilted her head back for a swig and when she was facing me again I saw a tear streaming down her cheek.
"Come here," I said, and did what I had told myself I was going to do from the start. I wrapped my arms around Pepper and hugged her for all I was worth?like a true friend should.
After a while, she lifted her head.
"Do you want to play something? Get your feelings out?"
"I have a piano at home."
"So you've told me, several times, but yet here you are."
Pepper sniffled. "Actually, can you... nah, this is stupid."
"What?"
Pepper fidgeted around, not really looking at anything other than the Diet Coke in her hand. "Can you paint some more henna on me? It... It relaxes me."
"Sure. I just need to count out the register. You're welcome to pull up a stool."
"I was kind of thinking... You mentioned you had a couch. Upstairs, was it?"
"Um." My heart fluttered in my chest, causing me to suck a quick breath. Thoughts of prior kisses and hand holding flashed through my mind in rapid succession.
"It's okay if you don't... It was a stupid idea. I should probably go. Thanks for the Diet?"
"Pepper." I turned to face her, reached out, and took both of her hands in mine. "Don't talk like that, okay? Don't act like you're an inconvenience to me. You're not. I'll put the drawer in the safe. We'll go upstairs and I'll make you some soup, because honestly, you look like you haven't eaten. And if you want me to paint henna all the way up your arm, I'll do it."
Pepper stood frowning and nibbling at her lower lip. I gathered up the cash drawer under one arm and Pepper in the other. Trixie loped along behind.
* * *
"Don't judge," I said as we walked in. "It's the maid's day off."
"It's fine." Pepper found the couch and plopped down in a heap.
"How's the flower on your hand holding up?" I asked, while dumping out a can of soup. "Your fascination with baggy avcılar escort hoodies makes it hard to see."
"It's good. I like it. Can you add onto it?"
"Sure." I popped my head out of the kitchen. I was surprised to see Pepper standing in a black sports bra, with her hoodie in a pile on my floor.
"Can you do a full sleeve? Up to here?" She pointed to the top of her shoulder.
"Um." I stared. I didn't mean to. It's just that I'd only ever seen Pepper in one of her famous hooded sweatshirts. I had no idea what was underneath all that bulk, but now here she was. My goodness, here she was.
"Ash?"
I struggled for a moment, doing some mental calculations. She was older than me, I knew that. Maybe not old enough to be my mother, but certainly there were double-digit years between us. But this was just mathematics. The years had certainly been kind to her, particularly judging from what she let slip as to the kind of life she led.
"Ash."
"Hmm?"
"Do you have enough henna to do up to here?" She tapped her bare shoulder. Either she didn't catch me staring or she just didn't care.
"If the design's not to busy, yeah, maybe." I sighed. "I gotta stir the soup."
* * *
Pepper volunteered to clean up the dinner dishes while I got my supplies. When everything was done, she stuck her left arm out and said, "Where do you want me?"
I pointed to the couch.
"I'm thinking about wrapping a vine around your arm, starting with the flower already on your wrist and ending up with another big flower on your shoulder here. I traced my finger over Pepper's skin, showing her where I wanted to go. "What do you think about that?"
"You're the artiste. I'm in your hands."
I reached out, slipping my fingers under hers. She curled her fingers to pull me in. Her skin was warm to the touch. I brushed my thumb over the flower I had drawn last time. I felt her fingers tighten.
"We'll start here," I said, still stroking her stained skin with my thumb. I slipped my fingers from her grip and touched the end of the stem. "When you're ready, we'll go here."
I began tracing a slow spiral around her forearm with the tip of my index finger just lightly skimming over her skin. "I'll extend this stem we have into a vine."
I got up to her elbow when I heard esenyurt escort her sigh. I cradled her arm with my other hand, lifting it so I could continue my journey over and around, tracing out the spiral pattern over her warm, soft skin. I ended with my fingers on her shoulder.
"This is where I want to put the big flower." I sent my fingers dancing over her shoulder, each one extending out to draw an imaginary petal and then pulling back in while I sent the next one out.
I was on the eighth or ninth petal when Pepper began slumping into the couch. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm ready," she said.
"I'll be right back," I said, intending to get my supplies. Though it took me a while to pull myself up of the couch. In that time, I traced out another dozen or so petals in my mind.
"It might be a little cold at first, but hold still, okay?" I threw an old towel over my lap to catch any drips and went to work on Pepper's arm.
"Feels nice," she said.
"Just let your arm go limp. I've got you."
Pepper sighed again. I felt her fingers loosening in my hand as I rotated her arm this way and that. I traced the spiraling vine all the way around and came back to add leaves here and there.
The big flower on her shoulder took the longest. Every so often I would pause to blow it dry before starting up again. Not that it really needed it.
"We should make sure it's all dry before you put your sweatshirt back on. Might take a while."
"I know." Pepper scanned the length of her arm. "It's beautiful, Ash."
I held Pepper's hand in mine, caressing her palm with my thumb, working up my nerve. "If you're... If you need someone... I've got a double bed. Just friends. You're welcome to?"
Pepper slipped her free arm around me until her hand was on the back of my neck. She came in, leading with her lips, and not a quick brush on the cheek this time, but a full on the mouth kiss.
"You sure about this?" she said. "I can always crash on the couch. I've had worse."
That was definitely not a crash on the couch kiss I just felt. I squeezed her hand.
"It's fine, Pepper. Let me get Trixie a bite to eat."
"You got hamburger or something? That should be okay."
I walked to the kitchen and pulled a can of Alpo out of the cupboard. "This do?"
"You don't have a dog, but you have dog food?"
"I don't drink Diet Coke either, and yet..." I raised my eyebrows and grinned.
For the first time that day, I saw Pepper smiling.