Summer

Every morning, Piper made a pot of black tea. She waited as the kettle boiled and tipped just the right amount of leaves into the teapot; no pocket teabags around this house. Both Piper's mother and grandparents always insisted on using the 'real stuff', so of course that's what she did too. You really can tell the difference, especially if tea is your main hot drink.

Piper poured the steaming water slowly into the pot and placed the lid on top. A few minutes later, she removed the small strainer and threw the wet leaves into the bin. Her favorite mug was then filled to the brim. Piper took a cautious sip; it was the perfect temperature and just strong enough for her liking.

She sat on a stool at the kitchen counter, catching a glimpse of the shopping list she'd started. She thought of something else she needed to buy and wrote it down. After a shower, Piper knew exactly what she wanted to eat for breakfast; some pancakes with maple syrup and a dollop of butter.

Her mother had taught her how to cook from an early age. Madeline's recipes were all contained in a rather battered looking book, which had been passed on to each firstborn child in the Harcourt family. Piper could remember most of the recipes off by heart and pancakes was definitely one of the easiest things to whip up.

The smell of the batter frying to a golden crisp, caused her stomach to make hungry noises. She carefully transferred them onto a plate without any falling on the floor. The syrup oozed over the fluffy round pancakes and the butter instantly began to melt. She grabbed a knife and fork, pouring herself another mug of tea as she went.

The first day of summer was, as the weatherman had promised, sunny and bright. Piper could only spot a few white puffy clouds in the sky. It had already started to become warmer inside the house. As soon as she was done with her food, Piper drew back the curtains and opened up a couple of windows, to allow a cooling breeze through.

She retrieved her work laptop from the bedroom and set it up on the dining table. She scanned her personal emails, before logging into Phoenix Proofreading and Editing Services. She had at least fifty manuscripts of varying lengths, to read, correct and send back.

********

Her phone buzzed during her lunch break. She smiled when she saw the name pop up. Antonio Sullivan; a brilliant tatoo artist. His own body wasn't decorated with ink, but he did have several piercings in his ears and a small stud on his left eyebrow.

His hair was coal black and wavy, but short. He had deep brown eyes, tanned skin and a well toned yet not too muscular frame. He owned a blue and black motorcycle, which he'd rebuilt almost from scratch. Antonio also shared custody of a six year old daughter. He and Candice's mother Holly, were on much better terms now than when they first broke up.

So, how did he and Piper meet? Four years ago, he was in the middle of finishing a back piece for a client, when Piper walked in through Electric Mayhems' door. She picked up a folder of new tattoo designs and happened to glance Antonio's way, catching him staring. She lowered her gaze, a little thrown by his sudden focus.

Fortunately his collegue, a turquoise haired girl named Serena, came wandering over. "Hello. Welcome to our shop. How may I help you today?" Piper was grateful that Serena was now blocking her view of the other tattooist, if only for a moment. She was able to regain her composure. "Hi. I've been wanting to get a tatoo for a while but have been unsure of what I want."

Piper held up the folder. "There are some amazing drawings in here and it's given me a spark of inspiration." "We're all great artists, but Antonio in particular has a gift. What did you have in mind?" The two girls sat on a large couch by the front door. Piper began to describe the design, while Serena held her sketchbook. Her hand flew across the page.

"Okay, here's a rough draft. Let me know what you think." The heart, rose and angel wings with the halo over the top, was incredibly detailed; Piper already knew what colours she was going to ask Serena to use. "Very cool." The female tatooist was happy to have gotten the gist of her client's idea. "Where do you want it?" "My right shoulder blade."

"You realise that this will hurt no matter what part of the body the tattoo is inked on?" "Of course. I am ready." Serena hopped up from her seat and grinned at Piper, her eyes lighting up with the project at hand. "Alrighty then, just let me refine the drawing a bit and make up a tracing; my work station is prepared. I should be about ten to fifteen minutes." "That's fine."

To stop herself from thinking of whatever pain was about to come, Piper continued talking. Serena went along with it. "I like your hair by the way." "I change it every few months, usually to something unexpected. There's this product that just recently became available; a shampoo that colors your hair for you. I plan to buy some soon." "The blue looks good on you." "Thanks. I'm considering a shade of green next." "Go for it!"

They touched on random topics and learnt they had a few similar interests. Serena was wondering about the origins of Piper's tatoo and the meaning behind it. She began to tell the story, touching on memories she hadn't let herself think of for a while. "My step sister Jemina committed suicide last September. This is a tribute to her. We used to go to same school but we never hung around the same people so I didn't have the chance to know her properly, until our parents became involved.

Neither of us had siblings. We soon developed a strong connection. I thought we could tell each other everything and we usually did. But then, she met Trevor. At first, he seemed like an okay guy and he did seem to really love Jemina. I was the first one to clue into the fact that something was wrong with the relationship. The bruises I spied on my stepsister's arms and her sudden shift in personality told it's own tale.

One day, I confronted her. She denied it. Things got worse when she ended up in the hospital. Trevor vanished without a trace, leaving Jemina totally distraught. We knew she was struggling, but none of us realised just how close she was to the edge. Until the police came to Mum and Gerome's house and broke the news to them. They called me soon after."

Serena handed Piper a tissue to wipe away a few stray tears. She had nearly cried herself. "My co-workers and I hear all kinds of stories from the people who sit in these chairs. Sometimes it does appear to help, talking with a stranger about a tragic event, while the ink is running. I'm genuinely sorry that she's no longer with you." "Thanks."

Piper's tattoo covered most of her shoulder blade. It took the best part of two hours to finish. She did feel the pain, but in all honesty, she thought it would be a lot worse. After paying for her ink, Piper didn't notice that she'd forgotten to return her purse to her bag. It lay on the counter. Antonio was the one to call out and hand it to her.

He seemed so bold earlier, but now standing in front of her, she sensed that he was a little nervous. Then he just said it. "Can I ask you to join me for dinner?" Piper couldn't help blushing as she smiled. " Sure. Hand me your phone, I'll type in my number. Call me when you have a time and place sorted." He smiled back at her. In a completely old fashioned gesture, Antonio grabbed Piper's hand and kissed it softly. "I will. See you soon."

They had been a couple ever since.

*******

Her boyfriend's text read 'I have Candice for the weekend. She wants to visit the zoo. Would you care to tag along with us? Piper responded straight away. 'I'd love to.' 'Am I allowed to come over and spend the night with you?' 'Should we get takeaway or would you fancy something home cooked?' 'I love your food, but at the moment I'm really craving super spicy Indian curry.' ' I'll make the order and you can pick it up on the way here.' 'Sounds good.'

She finished their chat, found the last can of lemonade in the fridge and went back to work. At six o'clock on the dot, she finally called it a day. Her laptop was shut down and she set it aside. Working from home, she never had to worry about a uniform or dressing the part. Antonio had seen her in all manner of clothing, both with and without makeup.

But every now and then, Piper did make an effort to enhance what nature had given her. She let loose her cinnamon brown hair from it's messy pony tail. In place of her old shirt and shorts, she chose a red and black blouse with leggings. She applied a dab of concealer and some gloss. Her pale green eyes had a sparkle to them as she glanced in the mirror, to put in silver chain earrings. The final touch was a tiny spray of perfume on her wrists.

Antonio greeted her with a warm hug and an intense kiss. "I missed you." Piper laughed, removing the containers from their bags. "Sap. We only saw each other last week." "I know." They shared the food into bowls and immediately tucked in. Their eyes were filling with tears from the spices, but the delicious flavors made it all worthwhile.

Piper brought a bottle of wine and two glasses to the table. She could tell Antonio was thinking of something he wanted to say, which he clearly hadn't told her before. She sat there in silence, waiting patiently for him to speak. Piper had her suspicions of what he'd end up asking her and she was right. "Don't you reckon it's time we were living together?" As if she would say no!

THE END