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“Say Heather...” Nephenee wrung her hands together, splashing her feet in the water. It was a warm summer afternoon, a pleasant setting for an outing between...whatever they were. It had been a few weeks since Heather knocked on their door, stating that she came clean to her mother about where her money was coming from, and she needed some honest work.
After a long day of back breaking work that the beautiful city slicker was still getting used to, Nephenee chose to show the ex-thief one of her favorite spots from her childhood, a section of the local river hidden by a grove of large oaks.
When young Nephenee had finished her long, hard mornings helping her folks around the farm, she loved to come here to cool off in peace, closing her eyes and enjoying the sounds of early bird crickets... the even croaking of the frogs...the tweeting songbirds...
...and now, the quiet breathing of the woman she----
---deeply admired. Let’s go with that for now.
“Hm?” Heather looked away from her fingers, which had been plunged in the crystal clear water, to meet the other woman’s gaze, “What is it?”
It took Nephenee a moment to catch her breath, embarrassment filling her veins, losing much of her gumption as those stunning blues looked her over, “Ah, can I ask ya’ something? If that’s fine.”
The blonde smiled, lifting her hands up and shaking them dry, “Of course. You know I’d never turn down a chance to hear your voice.”
“See there ya’ go again, with those pretty words of yers,” Nephenee muttered, barely loud enough to be heard by the other, “My head’s always spinnin’ and my heart races and my face gets real hot and I just...I don’t ever really know when yer serious or not.”
There was a beat of silence between them, and in that moment Nephenee could no longer meet the other’s eyes. When she finally regained her courage, she regretted it. Disregarding rough spots in battle during the war, she had only ever seen warmth and smiles on Heather’s beautiful face, but now, there was hurt. Not anger, or sadness...just, hurt.
“Do you think I’m making fun of you?”
“No no no!!” Nephenee shook her hands wildly, before yanking her feet out of her water to bring her knees up to her chest, “I m-meant that... I know ya’ don’t just throw sweet nothin’s around to everybody, but...is it...” she gestured to them both, “Is this just friendly teasin’? Do you do this to every gal you’re sweet on?”
So caught up in the words tumbling out of her own stupid mouth, Nephenee failed to notice Heather inching forward, and nearly jumped out of her skin when a delicate hand was placed on her knee.
Heather was quiet at first, looking pensive. When she did speak, there was no confusion about the sincerity in her voice, “I have a bit of a silver tongue, I don’t deny that. It’s delightful fun, and I never say something I don’t mean. The world is full of lovely ladies, and they deserve to know. But... I never say the kind of things to them I say to you. ‘Do you do this to every gal you’re sweet on?’ Neph...” the hand on the other’s knee squeezed tighter, “You are the only woman I’ve ever been ‘sweet on’. There’s no one quite like you, honey.”
Nephenee’s cheeks were as hot the bonfire at the harvest festival, and that made Heather smile.
“When we first met, you tried to hide the way you speak, hide your face...I never quite understood that. Because all those things are absolutely adorable. Sometimes you’ve got wisdom beyond your years, other times I show you some trinket I swiped from a greasy nobleman and your eyes light up like the stars. I don’t think I could make up anything nice to say about you, because it’s all there already.”
“Wha--- what are ya’ sayin’---”
“I’m saying that I’m sorry I wasn’t straightforward enough with you, and made you worry like this,” she took a deep breath, resting her head against the hand on Nephenee’s knee, before looking back up, “I like you, Nephenee. I’m ‘sweet on you’, whatever you want to call it. I’m not here to tease you. I’m here because there’s nowhere else I’d want to be. It’s not just anyone that could get me to buckle up my bootstraps, and earn my money for my mother’s medicine with good old fashioned hard work.”
Nephenee’s mouth opened and closed like a bass caught with his trousers down, “Ya’...did that for me?"
“Of course. Thieving was dangerous and illegal work, but it was easy and suited to my...unique set of skills. But after I met you, fought by your side... I realized that I couldn’t keep living the life of a dashing and charming wandering thief anymore. Well actually, my mother beat that lesson into my skull,” she laughed, flipping some of her hair behind her shoulder, “All this hair sometimes blocks ideas from getting in my head. She told me that if you really meant as much to me as I said you did, then I better get my sorry butt over there, and make myself an honest woman.”
Nephenee was barely able to process everything she had just been told. Heather...really liked her, so much so that she was willing to completely change her lifestyle jus to stay by her side. She was a simple country lass, who managed to capture the heart of a worldly traveler, it sounded like a far fetched story old grannies told to anyone who’d listen.
And yet it happened.
“What about you, darling? Am I just dreaming?”
What did she feel?
...
Acting like she needed to hesitate was a cruel joke. She knew, she always knew.
“There ain’t never been someone who my hearts ached for like yerself, Heather. I thought my heart would explode when you said all that. I ain’t never been so happy as I am right now, not once.”
By this point Nephenee’s posture had relaxed, and this had opened her up to be gathered in a tight hug by Heather, who was shaking with elation. They stayed like that for a moment, in a long overdue embrace, illuminated by the the slowly setting sun streaming light through the leaves above. When they finally pulled away, it was only enough so they could meet each other’s eyes.
“May I...” Heather’s voice was low and heavenly, “Kiss you?”
“Please do,” the response came out before the thought even finished in her head.
Their lips met and Nephenee felt like she had been struck by lightning magic. She’d...wait to bring it up, but that was her first kiss, and it was far better than all the times she had imagined this very scenario. Heather, the person she loved and admired most, was kissing her. Wanted to kiss her. Would probably kiss her again at some point.
Unfortunately, they needed to breath, and there was a indeed a heavy intake of breath from the both of them.
“Sweet as pie,” Heather said, licking her lips.
Nephenee thought she might die.
“S-Speakin’ of pie, Ma’ ought to be wondering where we’re off too, it’s about time for dinner. Pa’ told me she made a cherry pie for dessert. We, we shouldn’t miss it.”
Sighing with a knowing smile on her lips, Heather nodded and was the one to separate them by standing up. She grabbed both their boots in one hand and extended the other to her...lover? Girlfriend? There’d be time for that later, Nephenee accepted the gesture, not letting go, and the pair held hands on the entire walk home.
“So, should I ask you parents permission to court you, or are you feeling scandalous?”
Nephenee’s cheeks turned so red that she put the cherries in that pie to shame.•