Tuesday evening rolled around in what felt like the blink of an eye and with it, came Peppers visit to the city.
Despite the rough turbulence of our relationship, Pepper had been extremely persistent in wiggling her way into my heart following our little talk on the beach all those weeks ago. Working with/for me at the company also worked strongly in her favour since it made it impossible to avoid her. The fact that she and Anthony were clearly perfect for one another and would no doubt one day get together - well, when Anthony pulls his head from his arse anyway - also meant that no matter what, she would be around in some capacity.
My limited communication however did nothing to deter her and while I would not show her any signs of the fact - she'd become a strong figure in my life.
Don't get me wrong there was very little depth to our conversations but I had a sneaking feeling that Anthony had been giving her pointers as regardless of how hard I pushed she continued to spring back, constantly there, checking in and taking care of me with a suspiciously similar nature to Anthony.
It wasn't something I was particularly comfortable with at first, especially given the fact that Maria has been the only constant female in my life for over ten years now, but she does get closer to me day by day. Whether she knows it or not.
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"Pepper, I'm back!" I called out from the dimly lit entryway as I kicked off my shoes, before dumping my work bag haphazardly alongside them. I was extremely grateful that I was put on pre and post ops today so the work day had run pretty smoothly and I actually left on time for a change giving me ample time to pop to the store for a few bits.
As I shook my coat off a brief shout of 'kitchen' echoed off the walls giving me my destination to shuffle off to.
I'd added Pepper, Maria and Anthony to the security teams key holder list at the buildings front desk as soon as I moved so they never had to sign in, along with providing them all with a set of keys each meaning they could come and go as they pleased, without having to coordinate with my schedule. My only rule - they let me know when they're staying.
Turning the corner of the hallway into the open plan kitchen/living room, I spotted Pepper propped up on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. Her usual formal attire now swapped out for a pair of plain black leggings and a cream t-shirt covered by an oversized knitted cardigan. Her blonde hair hung loosely over her shoulders, slightly curled from the bun it had previously been styled into, as she hunched forward slightly, eyes raking over the papers scattered over the counter in front of her.
"Sorry I'm late back, I stopped off at the store for some ingredients." Since I have nothing here I thought to myself as I moved to place the shopping on the side, ready to unpack, knowing full well she'll scold me and more than likely give me a lecture when she finds out.
Raising her head from her work the moment she heard me enter, her face brightening with a delicate smile as she followed my movements across the room. "Hey hun, you didn't need to do that, I figured we could just order in. I'm sure you're tired."
Scratching the back of my neck lightly, I avoided her eyes as I spoke. "Yeah well I thought maybe I'd cook for you or something as a kind of small thank you for ya'know, all your hard work and stuff..." After a few beats of painful silence I returned my gaze to her only to find her smile had grown brighter.
"Darling you don't have to thank me for anything but I wont turn down one of your home cooked meals." Scoffing, I moved over to the sink to wash my hands quickly, ready to begin prepping. "I'm especially honoured considering there's nothing but water in your fridge and you've clearly not cooked in days." I froze midway through unpacking. How the hell could she even know I hadn't cooked!? Flicking my gaze in her direction, a single, perfectly arched eyebrow rose to meet me. "If you thought I wouldn't know you are sorely mistaken. Hun, have you been eating?" She pressed.
