Siempre Hay Algo Más - Chapter 7
Title: Siempre Hay Algo Más
Rating: R
Pairing: Pepa/Silvia
A/N: I'm kinda on a roll with this story, eh? I ended up really liking this chapter. :-D Hope y'all enjoy it, too.
Chapter 7
“Hola, Lola!” Silvia greeted profusely as she strolled into Los Cachis.
“Hola,” the other woman said as she emerged from the kitchen to stand behind the bar, wiping her hands down with a towel before dropping it down on the counter. “How have you been doing, stranger?”
“Stranger?”
“I haven't heard from you in two weeks. I thought maybe aliens had abducted you.”
The redhead rolled her eyes as she took a seat on the stool across from her sister. “I've just been...busy lately.”
“Busy with work?”
“Ahh, no, not quite. Well, there has been a lot of work, but no, I've been busy with...someone,” Silvia nervously admitted.
“Someone,” Lola drawled out the word and her eyebrows lifted in surprise. She had no idea that her sister had been seeing anyone. “And who, pray tell, is this someone?”
“Hmm, you remember the woman that Pepa brought to Papá's birthday? Her name was Eva...?”
“Yes, I remember her,” Lola replied. “So, you and she...?” Her question trailed off as she leaned across the bar conspiratorially.
“...are dating,” Silvia concluded with a wide smile on her face. “Things are going really well. I think...I think she could be the one.”
Lola flashed a smile in return, but her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. She wanted to be happy for her sister, she was glad that she had found someone...but there had just been one too many times that Silvia had found 'the one'. One too many times that her sister thought she had found love in a relationship that was, in reality, one-sided or unstable. She had seen her sister try to convince herself, over and over again, that what she had with someone was real, as if she could force herself into living out a kind of fairytale. This time, this woman, could be different, sure, but Lola was well aware of her younger sister's propensity to throw herself into relationships that had no chance of working, that were no good for her.
“What's wrong? You don't seem too happy to hear it...”
“It's just...I don't want to see you get your heart broken again.”
“Ay, Lola, this isn't anything like with Claudia...or Paula,” she responded with a hint of defensiveness.
“Or Magda, remember?” Lola added with a sigh and shook her head, deciding to change direction. “Vale, I'm happy for you then. I'd really like to meet this Eva woman again. Invite her to come have dinner with the family one night, sí?” She figured it wasn't particularly fair for her to judge the other woman before she got to know her. And even if this ended up being just like all of Silvia's other relationships, she knew that pushing her sister was the worst way to go about things. If she wasn't ready to face up to something, then she just wasn't ready. There was no use trying to pry her eyes open...it would only bring out Silvia's stubborn streak, ensuring that she'd shut her eyes all the tighter.
“Actually,” Silvia said while glancing at her watch, “she's supposed to be meeting me here for lunch soon.”
Just as those last words exited her mouth, her phone started to ring. She reached into her purse and pulled it out, smiling when she saw the name on the screen. Lola watched her sister answer the call and tried not to eavesdrop on the one-sided conversation.
”Hola, cariño, are you on your way?”
Lola picked up the towel she had earlier discarded to wipe down the counter, but her hand stopped in mid-swipe as she saw Silvia's face drop.
”Pero qué? What happened? Is she okay?
Silvia swiveled on the stool as she listened to what Eva was explaining.
”No, don't worry, I can go there. Vale, I'll be there in a few minutes.”
Silvia ended the call and slipped the phone back into her purse before turning around to face Lola again, taking in her questioning expression.
“She can't make it here for lunch...” Before Lola could jump in and ask why, Silvia continued. “She's with Pepa...she was taken into the hospital.”
~*~*~*~
11 years before
The room was dark, and the two girls sat on one bed, their backs against the headboard, talking and giggling under their breath. They had spent a lovely day at the beach with Paco, Lola, and their niece, who was now asleep in the other bed nearby, knocked out from a long day in the sun and water.
When their elder siblings invited them to come on this vacation with them a week ago, they both jumped at the chance to spend a few days on the coast even though they knew they'd be tasked with taking care of and entertaining Sara.
“You know the only reason they invited us was so that we could babysit the brat and they could have a room all to themselves.”
“Stop calling her 'the brat',” Silvia admonished for the hundredth time, “Anyway, I like babysitting, and it's good for Paco and Lola to get some alone time together.”
“You mean 'sex time' together, right?”
“Pepa!” The redhead exclaimed making sure not to raise her voice too much, aware that her niece was a light sleeper.
Pepa only began to laugh harder at Silvia's dismay, prompting the smaller girl to swiftly backhand the brunette across the shoulder.
“Ow!” They both cried out.
“Ow, Pepa...you see what you did?”
“What I did? You hit me!” She whispered furtively.
“You made me move too fast, and now my sunburn hurts again,” Silvia responded in accusation. She gingerly reached over to the bedside table to grab the bottle of aloe she had left there earlier.
“Right, right, I made you move too fast. I would offer to put the lotion on, but now I think I won't.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest, feigning anger.
“Well, I'm glad you admit it's your fault,” Silvia replied with an impish grin. “So it'd only be fair that you get my back to make it up to me.”
The taller girl didn't move or say a word. She just sat there with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. She wasn't really angry; she just wanted to make Silvia beg.
When the redhead realized that her friend wasn't going to move, she leaned over so that her face was in front of the other girl's and plastered on her best pout. “Please, Pepa...it really does hurt.”
The brunette acquiesced, rolling her eyes, acting as if she were making a huge sacrifice. With a dramatic sigh, she scooted Silvia forward so she could fit in behind her and extended her legs to either side, trapping the girl in between. With another exaggerated sigh, she threw her hand forward, waiting to be handed the aloe that the redhead was still holding. She was acting as though Silvia had to twist her arm to get her to do this favor, but the truth was that she would never turn down an opportunity to put her hands on the other girl. She knew how ridiculous the whole scenario was...rubbing lotion on her friend's back and shoulders, holding her breath and biting her lip to keep from turning her platonic task into something entirely unplatonic. So cliché. But she wasn't above using any excuse to touch Silvia. Like asking her to dance at that party. Like insisting they go see horror flicks together, knowing that she could hold the redhead against her when things got particularly brutal or tense on screen. Or like now, rubbing aloe onto Silvia's warm, sunburned skin.
She contemplated whether she should remove the straps of the tank top that were currently obstructing her path. She knew Silvia wouldn't think anything of it, but would she be able to control herself? She bit her lip harder...Oh, fuck it, she thought as she carefully pinched each strap and pulled them down the redhead's arms. Silvia aided in the venture by lifting her arms and pulling them out, freeing them from their constraints. Pepa squeezed another dollop of aloe onto her palms and began to smooth the cool gel over the expanse of skin, now unencumbered by any material. Another minute went by as Pepa completely lost herself in the process.
“Pepa...”
No verbal response, but the hands kept up their steady work.
“Pepa...”
Still nothing.
“Pepa!” Silvia called out, jerking her shoulders to get her friend's attention.
“Huh? Wha..? Yeah,” Pepa said, shaking her head to regain her senses. “Did I hurt you? I'm sorry, pelirroja...”
“No, no, you didn't hurt me,” Silvia quickly affirmed, turning around to face Pepa and give her a small smile to provide more reassurance. “I just...I wanted to ask you something...but you have to promise you won't laugh,” she added quietly as she turned to face forward once again.
Pepa deftly put the cap back on the aloe bottle before depositing it on the nightstand. “You can ask me anything, princesa. I promise I won't laugh.” She said the words seriously and wrapped her arms around the other girl's waist, pulling her back against her softly, conscious of aggravating the sunburn.
“What's it...” Silvia began hesitantly, stopping to sigh before forging on with her question. “What's it like to kiss someone?”
...Not exactly what Pepa was expecting. It took her a few beats before she could formulate a response. “You mean, you and Javier haven't, you know...?”
Silvia released a long sigh,“No. We haven't. Nothing.” She placed her arms on top of the ones crossing her waist. “I know we've been dating for three months, but...I don't know. There just hasn't been the right moment.”
“There's never really the right moment.”
“But, well, even when it's been close to happening...I've just backed out because I was scared.”
“Scared of what?”
“I don't know...of it not being what I want it to be. Of not being able to do it right.” She resettled in Pepa's arms, letting her head fall on the other girl's shoulder in frustrated dread. “What if I'm horrible at it??”
"Ay, pelirroja,” Pepa said while dropping a kiss on the other girl's temple. “Your problem is that you think too much. Kissing is supposed to be one of those things you just 'do'. You can't think your way through a kiss, you just have to feel your way through one."
Silvia got more tense as Pepa spoke, her anxiety rising as she processed the brunette's words. She was just not the kind of person who could lose themself to sensations, who could let their heart dictate their actions. "But, how am I supposed to do that?? I don't know how to feel my way through anything. I have to think things through first!”
“Silvia...princesa,” Pepa said calmly, tightening her arms just a bit to hug the other girl in a comforting gesture. “It's really not that hard.”
But the redhead was still worked up. “Why aren't there instructions for these things!? Aren't there any steps I could follow? Just tell me exactly what you're supposed to do. Telling me to feel my way through doesn't help!!”
“Shhh, you're going to wake up Sara.”
“Sorry,” Silvia apologized, bringing her voice back down to a whisper.
"It's not something you need a manual for, you know. There are no steps, no process...it's not a science experiment, Silvia, and the best way to learn is just to practice,” she said, swallowing hard. She knew her next words were heavy with risk, but she'd been holding back for so long, fighting herself for so long..."I could show you how.”
Silvia turned in Pepa's arms and stared at her, her eyes going wide at the offer, not knowing exactly what to make of it. She continued to look at Pepa and consider her suggestion...and a pleasant warmth began to flare in her belly. Slow, flaming tendrils spread outward to burn a path all the way to her fingers and toes. Her eyes slid down to lock on Pepa's lips, just a few inches away. She licked her own lips subconsciously. “Va...vale,” she finally said in a nervous whisper.
One of Pepa's hands traveled away from Silvia's waist. Her left hand held its spot, but her right hand lifted to the other girl's arm. She lightly trailed her fingertips up Silvia's limb and her fingers continued their unrestrained trek across a bare collarbone. Her hand continued upwards until it finally settled, cupping the redhead's cheek, and Pepa didn't know if the heat emanating from it was just from the sunburn or if Silvia was also flushed. It didn't really matter, because as she started to lean in, she saw Silvia close her eyes, tilt her head back, and slightly part her lips in anticipation. She almost whimpered at the sight before closing her own eyes.
Everything else faded away for the both of them. Silvia's hands moved of their own accord, tightening around Pepa's waist. Their lips were so close they could feel each others' breath dance across their own skin.
Just another second and their lips would meet.
Just another second and they'd be kissing.
Just another second and....whack!!
The girls immediately pulled away after being smacked in the head by something, startled by the sudden intrusion and completely disoriented.
What the hell was that??
"Hey, tontas! What are you doing over there?!" A high-pitched voice rang out from the other bed followed by maniacal laughter.
Silvia cleared her throat as she sprung off the bed, lifting the straps of her top back up and ignoring the way it made her sunburn sting again. The brunette looked down at her side to find a pillow...the pillow that had just prematurely ended what was sure to be the single most perfect moment of her life. No, no, it really wasn't the pillow's fault. She grabbed both ends of it in tight fists, her knuckles turning white as she stared daggers at her giggling niece. She stood up with the pillow still clenched in her hands and started to stalk towards the other bed, figuring that homicide was perfectly justifiable in this situation.
Rating: R
Pairing: Pepa/Silvia
A/N: I'm kinda on a roll with this story, eh? I ended up really liking this chapter. :-D Hope y'all enjoy it, too.
Chapter 7
“Hola, Lola!” Silvia greeted profusely as she strolled into Los Cachis.
“Hola,” the other woman said as she emerged from the kitchen to stand behind the bar, wiping her hands down with a towel before dropping it down on the counter. “How have you been doing, stranger?”
“Stranger?”
“I haven't heard from you in two weeks. I thought maybe aliens had abducted you.”
The redhead rolled her eyes as she took a seat on the stool across from her sister. “I've just been...busy lately.”
“Busy with work?”
“Ahh, no, not quite. Well, there has been a lot of work, but no, I've been busy with...someone,” Silvia nervously admitted.
“Someone,” Lola drawled out the word and her eyebrows lifted in surprise. She had no idea that her sister had been seeing anyone. “And who, pray tell, is this someone?”
“Hmm, you remember the woman that Pepa brought to Papá's birthday? Her name was Eva...?”
“Yes, I remember her,” Lola replied. “So, you and she...?” Her question trailed off as she leaned across the bar conspiratorially.
“...are dating,” Silvia concluded with a wide smile on her face. “Things are going really well. I think...I think she could be the one.”
Lola flashed a smile in return, but her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. She wanted to be happy for her sister, she was glad that she had found someone...but there had just been one too many times that Silvia had found 'the one'. One too many times that her sister thought she had found love in a relationship that was, in reality, one-sided or unstable. She had seen her sister try to convince herself, over and over again, that what she had with someone was real, as if she could force herself into living out a kind of fairytale. This time, this woman, could be different, sure, but Lola was well aware of her younger sister's propensity to throw herself into relationships that had no chance of working, that were no good for her.
“What's wrong? You don't seem too happy to hear it...”
“It's just...I don't want to see you get your heart broken again.”
“Ay, Lola, this isn't anything like with Claudia...or Paula,” she responded with a hint of defensiveness.
“Or Magda, remember?” Lola added with a sigh and shook her head, deciding to change direction. “Vale, I'm happy for you then. I'd really like to meet this Eva woman again. Invite her to come have dinner with the family one night, sí?” She figured it wasn't particularly fair for her to judge the other woman before she got to know her. And even if this ended up being just like all of Silvia's other relationships, she knew that pushing her sister was the worst way to go about things. If she wasn't ready to face up to something, then she just wasn't ready. There was no use trying to pry her eyes open...it would only bring out Silvia's stubborn streak, ensuring that she'd shut her eyes all the tighter.
“Actually,” Silvia said while glancing at her watch, “she's supposed to be meeting me here for lunch soon.”
Just as those last words exited her mouth, her phone started to ring. She reached into her purse and pulled it out, smiling when she saw the name on the screen. Lola watched her sister answer the call and tried not to eavesdrop on the one-sided conversation.
”Hola, cariño, are you on your way?”
Lola picked up the towel she had earlier discarded to wipe down the counter, but her hand stopped in mid-swipe as she saw Silvia's face drop.
”Pero qué? What happened? Is she okay?
Silvia swiveled on the stool as she listened to what Eva was explaining.
”No, don't worry, I can go there. Vale, I'll be there in a few minutes.”
Silvia ended the call and slipped the phone back into her purse before turning around to face Lola again, taking in her questioning expression.
“She can't make it here for lunch...” Before Lola could jump in and ask why, Silvia continued. “She's with Pepa...she was taken into the hospital.”
~*~*~*~
11 years before
The room was dark, and the two girls sat on one bed, their backs against the headboard, talking and giggling under their breath. They had spent a lovely day at the beach with Paco, Lola, and their niece, who was now asleep in the other bed nearby, knocked out from a long day in the sun and water.
When their elder siblings invited them to come on this vacation with them a week ago, they both jumped at the chance to spend a few days on the coast even though they knew they'd be tasked with taking care of and entertaining Sara.
“You know the only reason they invited us was so that we could babysit the brat and they could have a room all to themselves.”
“Stop calling her 'the brat',” Silvia admonished for the hundredth time, “Anyway, I like babysitting, and it's good for Paco and Lola to get some alone time together.”
“You mean 'sex time' together, right?”
“Pepa!” The redhead exclaimed making sure not to raise her voice too much, aware that her niece was a light sleeper.
Pepa only began to laugh harder at Silvia's dismay, prompting the smaller girl to swiftly backhand the brunette across the shoulder.
“Ow!” They both cried out.
“Ow, Pepa...you see what you did?”
“What I did? You hit me!” She whispered furtively.
“You made me move too fast, and now my sunburn hurts again,” Silvia responded in accusation. She gingerly reached over to the bedside table to grab the bottle of aloe she had left there earlier.
“Right, right, I made you move too fast. I would offer to put the lotion on, but now I think I won't.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest, feigning anger.
“Well, I'm glad you admit it's your fault,” Silvia replied with an impish grin. “So it'd only be fair that you get my back to make it up to me.”
The taller girl didn't move or say a word. She just sat there with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. She wasn't really angry; she just wanted to make Silvia beg.
When the redhead realized that her friend wasn't going to move, she leaned over so that her face was in front of the other girl's and plastered on her best pout. “Please, Pepa...it really does hurt.”
The brunette acquiesced, rolling her eyes, acting as if she were making a huge sacrifice. With a dramatic sigh, she scooted Silvia forward so she could fit in behind her and extended her legs to either side, trapping the girl in between. With another exaggerated sigh, she threw her hand forward, waiting to be handed the aloe that the redhead was still holding. She was acting as though Silvia had to twist her arm to get her to do this favor, but the truth was that she would never turn down an opportunity to put her hands on the other girl. She knew how ridiculous the whole scenario was...rubbing lotion on her friend's back and shoulders, holding her breath and biting her lip to keep from turning her platonic task into something entirely unplatonic. So cliché. But she wasn't above using any excuse to touch Silvia. Like asking her to dance at that party. Like insisting they go see horror flicks together, knowing that she could hold the redhead against her when things got particularly brutal or tense on screen. Or like now, rubbing aloe onto Silvia's warm, sunburned skin.
She contemplated whether she should remove the straps of the tank top that were currently obstructing her path. She knew Silvia wouldn't think anything of it, but would she be able to control herself? She bit her lip harder...Oh, fuck it, she thought as she carefully pinched each strap and pulled them down the redhead's arms. Silvia aided in the venture by lifting her arms and pulling them out, freeing them from their constraints. Pepa squeezed another dollop of aloe onto her palms and began to smooth the cool gel over the expanse of skin, now unencumbered by any material. Another minute went by as Pepa completely lost herself in the process.
“Pepa...”
No verbal response, but the hands kept up their steady work.
“Pepa...”
Still nothing.
“Pepa!” Silvia called out, jerking her shoulders to get her friend's attention.
“Huh? Wha..? Yeah,” Pepa said, shaking her head to regain her senses. “Did I hurt you? I'm sorry, pelirroja...”
“No, no, you didn't hurt me,” Silvia quickly affirmed, turning around to face Pepa and give her a small smile to provide more reassurance. “I just...I wanted to ask you something...but you have to promise you won't laugh,” she added quietly as she turned to face forward once again.
Pepa deftly put the cap back on the aloe bottle before depositing it on the nightstand. “You can ask me anything, princesa. I promise I won't laugh.” She said the words seriously and wrapped her arms around the other girl's waist, pulling her back against her softly, conscious of aggravating the sunburn.
“What's it...” Silvia began hesitantly, stopping to sigh before forging on with her question. “What's it like to kiss someone?”
...Not exactly what Pepa was expecting. It took her a few beats before she could formulate a response. “You mean, you and Javier haven't, you know...?”
Silvia released a long sigh,“No. We haven't. Nothing.” She placed her arms on top of the ones crossing her waist. “I know we've been dating for three months, but...I don't know. There just hasn't been the right moment.”
“There's never really the right moment.”
“But, well, even when it's been close to happening...I've just backed out because I was scared.”
“Scared of what?”
“I don't know...of it not being what I want it to be. Of not being able to do it right.” She resettled in Pepa's arms, letting her head fall on the other girl's shoulder in frustrated dread. “What if I'm horrible at it??”
"Ay, pelirroja,” Pepa said while dropping a kiss on the other girl's temple. “Your problem is that you think too much. Kissing is supposed to be one of those things you just 'do'. You can't think your way through a kiss, you just have to feel your way through one."
Silvia got more tense as Pepa spoke, her anxiety rising as she processed the brunette's words. She was just not the kind of person who could lose themself to sensations, who could let their heart dictate their actions. "But, how am I supposed to do that?? I don't know how to feel my way through anything. I have to think things through first!”
“Silvia...princesa,” Pepa said calmly, tightening her arms just a bit to hug the other girl in a comforting gesture. “It's really not that hard.”
But the redhead was still worked up. “Why aren't there instructions for these things!? Aren't there any steps I could follow? Just tell me exactly what you're supposed to do. Telling me to feel my way through doesn't help!!”
“Shhh, you're going to wake up Sara.”
“Sorry,” Silvia apologized, bringing her voice back down to a whisper.
"It's not something you need a manual for, you know. There are no steps, no process...it's not a science experiment, Silvia, and the best way to learn is just to practice,” she said, swallowing hard. She knew her next words were heavy with risk, but she'd been holding back for so long, fighting herself for so long..."I could show you how.”
Silvia turned in Pepa's arms and stared at her, her eyes going wide at the offer, not knowing exactly what to make of it. She continued to look at Pepa and consider her suggestion...and a pleasant warmth began to flare in her belly. Slow, flaming tendrils spread outward to burn a path all the way to her fingers and toes. Her eyes slid down to lock on Pepa's lips, just a few inches away. She licked her own lips subconsciously. “Va...vale,” she finally said in a nervous whisper.
One of Pepa's hands traveled away from Silvia's waist. Her left hand held its spot, but her right hand lifted to the other girl's arm. She lightly trailed her fingertips up Silvia's limb and her fingers continued their unrestrained trek across a bare collarbone. Her hand continued upwards until it finally settled, cupping the redhead's cheek, and Pepa didn't know if the heat emanating from it was just from the sunburn or if Silvia was also flushed. It didn't really matter, because as she started to lean in, she saw Silvia close her eyes, tilt her head back, and slightly part her lips in anticipation. She almost whimpered at the sight before closing her own eyes.
Everything else faded away for the both of them. Silvia's hands moved of their own accord, tightening around Pepa's waist. Their lips were so close they could feel each others' breath dance across their own skin.
Just another second and their lips would meet.
Just another second and they'd be kissing.
Just another second and....whack!!
The girls immediately pulled away after being smacked in the head by something, startled by the sudden intrusion and completely disoriented.
What the hell was that??
"Hey, tontas! What are you doing over there?!" A high-pitched voice rang out from the other bed followed by maniacal laughter.
Silvia cleared her throat as she sprung off the bed, lifting the straps of her top back up and ignoring the way it made her sunburn sting again. The brunette looked down at her side to find a pillow...the pillow that had just prematurely ended what was sure to be the single most perfect moment of her life. No, no, it really wasn't the pillow's fault. She grabbed both ends of it in tight fists, her knuckles turning white as she stared daggers at her giggling niece. She stood up with the pillow still clenched in her hands and started to stalk towards the other bed, figuring that homicide was perfectly justifiable in this situation.