Copper Heart (Coco Cruz x OC Fanfic)

Chapter 8

Pea slammed the door of her car closed as she gathered her hessian shopping bags in her hands. She tried to avoid coming into Santo Padre as much as possible, feeling much safer within the fence lines of her small property. But groceries weren't going to buy themselves unfortunately. After gathering her fruit and veg from the small shop on the corner she stopped in at the flower store, speaking with the owner and buying some seedlings before she made her way to the butchers. She pushed the door open, the little bell jingling above her head alerting the man behind the counter to her presence. Felipe Reyes turned to greet his costumer, a smile growing on his face as he realised who was in his store. "Ah sweet Penelope, I haven't seen you in so long querida." Pea smiled as Felipe rounded the corner and swept her into a hug.

"I know Felipe, I'm sorry the days just get away from me," she smiled, holding the man at arm's length. "You look well." He chuckled at her words. "You're too kind. My sons age me." Suddenly they were interrupted. "The fuck?" Pea turned, her face screwing up in confusion as she saw Angel standing in the doorway to the back room mouth half open and a bitten burrito in his hand with EZ standing behind him, eyebrows furrowed. "What are you doing here?" the three of them asked at the same time, causing Felipe to laugh as he walked back behind the counter. "Ah I see you already know my sons." Angel swallowed the portion of burrito in his mouth before he walked towards Pea, throwing an arm around Pea's shoulders. "Why the hell you so friendly with our Pops huh?" Pea laughed and pushed Angel off of her as EZ swept her into a quick hug. "I had no idea Felipe was your dad Angel. I've been getting my meat from here for years," she laughed. Angel chuckled and poked her side gently before he turned to his dad.

"You know she's Coco's old lady right?" Pea's jaw dropped and she lightly hit Angel on the arm as EZ laughed behind them, shaking his head. "Oh my god I'm not his Old Lady what the hell is wrong with you Angel?!" She looked to Felipe and could see that he was forcing a smile, her stomach turning as she realised, he seemed to be trying to hide a frown, perhaps of disappointment. She moved away from Angel and gratefully took the package of meat from Felipe that he had been wrapping up whilst they spoke – her usual order. "Thank you, Felipe. I'll see you next month. Bye guys," she waved to the two brothers as she exited the store. She packed her groceries into the boot of her car and made he way into the driver's seat. As she pulled her door closed a hand grabbed it, making her jump. She looked up and saw Angel standing over her with a grin on his face.

"Where you off to now hermana?" he asked. She smiled flatly at him. "Just home. I've got to pot these seedlings," she pointed to the back of her car where they sat. "Come to the clubhouse? Just for a bit," he pouted, making her laugh softly. "I don't know Angel. I should rea-" "Oh come on just for 20 minutes! The guys will love to see you. Especially Cocoooo..." he trailed off, laughing when she poked her tongue out at him. "Fine, just for a bit. I'll follow you there." Angel smiled and nodded before he headed off in the direction of EZ and their bikes. "Let's go boy scout. Mrs Cruz is following us there." Pea flipped him off and he laughed loudly. Moments later they pulled into the Romero Brothers scrapyard. Pea got out of her car and followed the brothers up the stairs and into the club house. Pea was greeted by Gilly and Tranq first, both of them giving her a quick hug as she moved further into the room. Bishop pulled her into a hug and held her at arm's length looking her over. "Are things okay at your place mija?" he asked, his eyes filled with concern.

"Yeah Bish it's all good. No need to worry." Bishop nodded, his mouth pressed into a firm line as he patted her on the shoulder and let her continue on. She met Taza at the bar and hugged him tightly. "Hi tio," she smiled at him. He grinned back and patted her cheek gently. "Missed you Pea. Sorry I haven't gotten out to see you lately." She shrugged at him and shook her head. "It's okay. You're busy with the club." "Yes, I am but family is important too. We need to spend as much time as we can with each other." She smiled softly at the man. Suddenly he stood a little taller and looked over her shoulder with a smile on his face. "I'll uh.. leave you two to it then." She frowned and turned around, her face softening when she saw Coco standing a few feet from her, wringing his hands in front of himself nervously. "Hi Coco," she smiled, walking towards him slowly. "Hey mi corozan." She could feel her ears beginning to warm up at his words. She hadn't seen him since the night he had kissed her. They had sat together on the porch most of the night, talking a little but mostly just enjoying being in each other's presence. He had kissed her a lot, as if he was worried that she would disappear or suddenly reject him. She understood his jitters. This was all new to her too and certainly unexpected, although not unwelcome.

He softly grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her waist and gently rubbing her lower back. "Missed you," he mumbled, his warm eyes staring into her own. She nodded and ducked her head a little, her stomach twisting with butterflies. "I know I missed you too. You haven't been out in a few days." He swallowed guiltily, feeling shit about the situation even though it wasn't really his fault. "I know. I'm sorry. Been busy with club shit." She nodded and ran her hands up the front of his kutte before gripping the collar, her stomach flipping when she felt him shiver a little under her touch. "You don't have to explain yourself to me Coco, I mean it's not like we're a couple," she muttered, her fingers running over his patches. He pulled his arms from around her waist and grabbed her hands, kissing her knuckles before he looked her in the eye. "I know we ain't, but I want to tell you. Don't want you thinking I'm runnin' off or some shit. Ain't gonna do that. Meant what I said. Gotta know more about you baby." She laughed lightly and – suddenly feeling bolder – she clutched his face in her hands and pulled him in to kiss her. He kissed her back eagerly, and suddenly he realised that he would never have his fill of kissing her. He would never come back up for breath if he didn't have to.

Pea knotted her fists into the shirt he wore under his kutte, both of them forgetting their surroundings and current company as they drank each other in hungrily. That's until an exaggerated cough caught their attention and they pulled back quickly, turning to face the others in the room. Bishop and Tranq sat looking at their coffee cups, their eyebrows raised and smirks on their faces. Gilly and Angel were both clutching each other's arms, wide smiles of excitement on their faces as they stared at Pea and Coco. Taza was leant up against the bar again, arms folded and a small smile on his face. "Aye show times over," Coco proclaimed, finally breaking the silence. Bishop and Tranq stood and moved towards Templo before disappearing behind the doors. Angel and Gilly began to laugh wildly, slapping at the table and wheezing before Angel shouted "yo you two gotta chill on the tonsil hockey!". Pea groaned and moved forward, placing her forehead on Coco's shoulder as he laughed, the sound rumbling through her own body as he placed a hand on the small of her back. She felt a light tap on her shoulder and turned, finding Taza before her. She grinned guiltily and looked at her feet, the realisation that she had made out with one of his brothers in front of him dawning on her. "I like you two together. I do," he smiled warmly. "But please... no more of that in front of us old folk!"