Chapter 21: Cloves and Tobacco

"In the city was a girl. A girl who loved coffee. A coffee girl," Lucy began in a singsong voice. Courtney had recommended this book to her and brought her a copy. It was a big hit among the nanny crowd. Lucy thought the drawings were sweet and wistful and Brady seemed to like it, so this was the third night in a row she read it to him while Grimmjow finished the dinner dishes before he came in to read him another few stories.

"And in the city was a shop. A modern, warm, and cozy spot; a coffee shop."

Grimmjow appeared in the doorway as she finished the line.

"Hey Babe, do you want to finish this one? I have to make a call…" Lucy looked up at him with pleading eyes.

Grimmjow smiled at the blonde woman and nodded. "Yeah, I'll finish reading it to him, though he's probably heard this story a million times. He always asks for someone to read it to him," he said as he looked at his girlfriend. Hopefully in a couple of hours, Lucy would be something completely different to him. "Hey Luce?"

"Yeah?" she asked, smiling at him as she took Brady off of her lap and set him down beside her on his bed.

"Can we talk later? I have something I want to ask you."

Her smile widened. "Absolutely," she said, walking over and pecking his lips before slipping past him and heading to the door. "Don't stay up too late! Only a couple more stories."

The blue-haired man read his son four more stories before he left the room, leaving Brady's bedroom door opened just a crack. He found Lucy sitting in her home office. "You done?" he asked leaning against the door frame.

She spun around in the swivel chair and looked up at him. "Yeah, what's up? You wanted to talk to me about something?"

"I want you to become my wife." Simple and straight to the point. Grimmjow reached into the pocket of his jeans and produced a black velvet ring box. "I love you, Lucy."

She grinned at him and shook her head, chuckling a bit. "Well, it took you damn long enough. When do you want to do it?" she asked, standing and approaching him with an outstretched hand. Despite her no-nonsense words, her eyes were soft and glassy.

He took the ring out of the box and playfully chucked the container behind him. He'd pick it up later. "Next week? I'll call Nnoitra-" Grimmjow saw her look of disgust and cleared his throat. "I'll call Ulq to be our witness. I wonder if he's back in the States again."

She snorted. "Fine, but I will have a real wedding later. I deserve a huge party after waiting for you for four years."

"I had to do some growing up," Grimmjow replied in a serious tone before he grabbed her by the hips and slipped the ring onto Lucy's finger. "You deserve everything. We'll get married. I'll knock you up again, and then we can have a big shotgun wedding, okay? I'm kidding about the knocking you up again."

"Well, too late, because unless we wait until next year, it will be a shotgun wedding," she said with a wide, evil grin, then bit her bottom lip and waited for a reaction.

Grimmjow's eyes went wide and he looked at his woman. "Yeah? Are you serious? Oh man. We need to tell Braids he's gonna be a big brother then."

"Maybe after we tell him that Mom and Dad are married," she said.

It was weird. Being back in Evanston was like stepping back in time. It wasn't exactly the same, though; she wasn't the same person she had been when she left. She had a new apartment. She had a little old car. She had some stability in her thoughts and emotions. She was a published children's book author.

She never expected that when Byakuya sent her back to Warrenville she would end up this way nearly five months later. She had been so broken back in April, both physically and mentally. Those ten days in in-patient therapy had been hard, but so worth it. The continuing therapy helped. She slowly began to accept that she wasn't just Louise's worthless daughter. She was her own person. She deserved love, even if it was only the love she gave herself.

She still had her down moments, or days, or even weeks. It hadn't been all rainbows and sunshine after that first breakthrough. She had to face some other hard truths, too. She had been to the doctor for a physical for the first time since she was a child. She had been given a lecture about her sexual irresponsibility. She was grateful to get confirmation that Grimmjow hadn't left her with any unexpected surprises in the way of diseases.

She was also lectured about her use of alcohol to deal with her problems instead of working through them in a mature, healthy way. She still drank now and then, but she no longer tried to drown herself in a bottle whenever she couldn't cope.

The thing with the book had been a trip. Byakuya came to visit her at the end of April and told her that a friend of his was starting up a publishing company with a group of investors, and he was one such investor. He had seen her illustrations that were in storage at RBM, and knew she was studying creative writing in addition to art. He encouraged her to write a book for him, as a personal favor. It would be a test for this new publishing company. RBM would help with the publicity. He told her not to expect huge things, and she hadn't.

They had both been wrong. The Perfect Cup was a best-seller. The text was sweet and the cadence was cute and catchy. The illustrations were very much in line with the Coffee & Sadness angry bird logo.

She dedicated her book to several people:

To Byakuya, Susan, Karen, Julie, Charlie, and everyone at Rotten Brand Management, for making this book possible.

To Aunt Kathy, for giving me the best she could. I love you.

To GJ, for pushing me away and forcing me to find myself

To UC, for whom this book was written, and who does things that make me very happy.

She sighed as she sat on her bed in her new place in a building a couple blocks closer to work than her old one. She swung her legs back and forth. She still had nearly three weeks before classes started back up for her last semester, part two.

Maybe some coffee was in order?

Rangiku picked him up from O'Hare. She drove him back to Evanston in silence. When he walked into his coffee shop there was a celebration. People welcomed him back. Rangiku smiled and handed him his vest and tie.

Ulquiorra felt rested, but his mind was still full of turmoil. His hair was growing longer. He put on that mask of indifference and went to change into his uniform. He didn't want to interact with customers, but since Rangiku was his boss, she made him run the cash register. Ulquiorra was very surprised to see the same old lady walk in and order her coffee. He was surprised to see someone come in with the RBM stationary and order a weird seven cup order.

By the time his break time rolled around Ulquiorra was ready to leave for the day, but he stood outside and smoked his cigarette. When he came back, Rangiku handed him a package, wrapped in brown paper.

"What's this?"

"A welcome home present," she said.

So he opened it. He tore the paper off and saw a book inside of it. It was titled, The Perfect Cup, by Orihime Inoue. His mouth dropped open, and Ulquiorra had to take a seat at the nearest table.

Orihime… She had gotten a book published.

Ulquiorra flipped the cover open. The Perfect Cup told the story of a young woman who went into a coffee shop. There she encountered a barista with whom she became infatuated. She would watch him and imagine what kind of secret life he led after he left the coffee shop. The drawings that followed made him smile, with his teeth showing.

He was a knight who fought off a white and orange dragon. He was a pirate who sunk a blue-haired pirate's ship. The next page he was a bat-like superhero and thief who stole the heart of a redheaded woman. He was a rockstar ready for the stage. He was a police chief.

There were few words to tell the story. Mostly just images.

As he neared the end of the book, the woman discovered that the barista was just a normal guy who loved making coffee, and made her the perfect cup. The book ended with the words, "And it made her very happy."

Ulquiorra had to blink rapidly to hold back his emotions. This was a deeply intimate, and very weird gift. He looked up at Rangiku with a pained expression. "Why?" He asked his former lover.

"Look at the dedication," Rangiku said, with an equally painful look.

So he did. Ulquiorra read it.

He had to take great gulps of air to maintain his composure.

To UC, for whom this book was written, and who does things that make me very happy.

He made her happy? Ulquiorra made Orihime happy? She seemed very unhappy around him. His green eyes raised from the book to the door of Coffee & Sadness when it opened, the bell chiming. There she stood. Orihime.

Fuck.

He was still in love with her.

Orihime didn't know what she expected when she walked into Coffee & Sadness. She hoped it would still feel like home. She hoped it would still smell the same; with the coffee and the baked goods and the-

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

Cloves and tobacco. Safety. Happiness.

Tears sprung to her closed eyes and her chin wobbled. She breathed slowly and tried to get it together. A few breaths later and she opened her eyes, blinking away the remaining wetness after wiping them with her fingertips, and walked past the entryway into the line at the register. She hadn't seen Ulquiorra yet; her vision was too blurred during her approach to the line.

She blinked a few more times and it cleared more. She saw Rangiku come near the counter. Of course she was still here. She offered the woman a small smile and looked down at her feet.

He pushed the chair he was sitting in back and stood up. Ulquiorra walked until he was standing in front of the redhead, leaving the book where it lay on the table. He focused on her face. "Orihime," he said; his voice quiet.

Her face rose to his quickly, and her brown eyes widened. "Ulquiorra?" she asked, as if she would ever in a million years mistake his voice for someone else's. She felt a swell of emotion expand her chest, and despite a small voice in her head telling her to be cool; don't get carried away, a glowing, unguarded smile broke her previously uncertain expression. "Hi, I'm back," she said.

"I just got back today; this morning," he stated. Ulquiorra reached a pale hand out to Orihime and took her hand. "Come upstairs with me, please?"

Well, this was a surprise. "Um, okay?" she responded, her cheeks brightening a bit and her head tilting in confusion.

The man turned and looked at Rangiku, who just nodded. "Can you put the book in the office? I'm going to-"

Rangiku waved him off. "Go. We got this," she said, grabbing the book and taking it behind the counter.

His face turned pink as he turned back to Orihime. "We need to talk."

"Alright," she said, following him as he stepped toward the private exit. "You can start by telling me where you went," she offered to try to keep things from getting too tense too quickly.

"Uh, around the world. London, France, Berlin, Athens, Dubai, Sydney, Seoul, Tokyo..." Ulquiorra trailed off as he closed the door behind him. He pulled her closer to him as he started up the stairs. "Have you been taking care of yourself?"

Those were the words in that last text he sent her. The words she had read over and over and over again. The words she read when she felt like giving up. The words she read when she needed courage to do the right things for herself, even when she felt afraid. "I have. I've been working really hard to take care of myself," she admitted quietly.

Ulquiorra was silent as they continued up the stairs. He unlocked the door to the apartment and let Orihime inside. "Good. I'm glad. I make you happy?"

Well, he must have seen or heard about the book. She looked into his eyes and felt that same old urge to fall into them and fantasize, but resisted. "More than anyone I've ever met," she answered, not breaking eye contact as her heart pounded.

Ulquiorra had to swallow at the truth that came from her mouth. He shuffled his body closer to Orihime and tilted her face up. "You make me happy, too," he murmured. "Do you want another blind taste test?"

"I do?" she asked, her brows rising in disbelief. "Another blind taste test?"

He had her against the door the next moment. He didn't do anything but slowly stroke the sides of her neck. "Do you close your eyes when we've kissed?"

Her lips were slightly parted, and she breathed a couple of times before she licked her dry lips and whispered, "Yes."

"Then it's a blind taste test," he murmured before lowering his mouth to hers.

This time, when he kissed her, there wasn't a mental barrier between them on her end. This time, when he kissed her, a tiny whine escaped her throat and she pushed back into it, her small hands finding their way to his chest, the fingers curling into the front of his vest.

Ulquiorra broke the kiss a moment later, letting out a small sigh. "Can we be friends again?" He asked, voice trembling slightly as he continued to touch her neck.

She nodded, reaching her hands up the front of his vest and pulling him down into a tight hug, with her chin over his shoulder and lips close to his neck. "I would do anything," she whispered, trying not to cry. "Anything to be your friend again."

"Is the big author busy tomorrow night?" Ulquiorra hid his face in her hair, letting his arms wrap around her waist.

"No. I am free every night from now until the end of time," she said with a watery chuckle.

"Heh." It was an echo of Orihime's laugh. "Can I try to make you fall in love with me?"

This time she sniffed and swallowed and blinked tears out of her eyes before she answered. "You won't have to try very hard," she squeaked.

Ulquiorra almost stopped breathing for a moment. He wouldn't have to try very hard? Was she serious? The green-eyed man pulled back to look at Orihime. He breathed her name once before kissing her slowly again.

She could barely believe this. Her eyes fluttered closed again and she returned his kiss, letting her mouth mold against his and keeping her hands behind his ears. It was her heart on her lips, and she could taste his on the tip of his tongue. There was no wild sense of urgency. When the kiss broke, she sighed and laid her head against his chest for a moment to catch her breath.

"Ulquiorra?"

"Orihime?"

"Thank you."

His forehead wrinkled as he heard her words. "Why are you thanking me, and for what?"

She squeezed him around his waist and sighed, releasing some old hurt that had been hanging around her. "For you. For saving me. For being you and for seeing me and wanting to know me. For making me coffee. For being my friend. I am so, so grateful for you. Thank you," she breathed.

He gave another small laugh. "I will make you coffee any time you want. I will be your friend and your lover until there is no more life in me," he whispered to her.

Orihime held him tighter. She didn't want to sound insecure, but she had to know. "Why?"

He hummed, running his hands through her hair. Ulquiorra pressed his body against her, just to let her know how she was affecting him as he brought his head down again. His lips hovered above her mouth just as he had done in the bathroom at Starrk's almost a year ago. His lips parted and he flicked his tongue against her upper lip before he pulled back. Ulquiorra had to take a moment to calm himself, breathing deeply. "Why? Why not? You know about me and aren't afraid of me. You've never once tried to use me. The first day I saw you I wanted to be with you. I would do anything for you, Orihime."

It was all too much to comprehend. She hiccuped, choked, and took a harsh breath. "You and Rangiku?" she asked. She had to know that, too.

"She never mattered to me. She was just a bandaid to help me through your rejection," he answered.

Another hiccup. "You have to know, the reason I did that was never because I didn't want you. It was my misplaced sense of loyalty to Grimmjow. I couldn't be his girlfriend and friends with you, not when I…I..." she cried for a moment before continuing.

After gasping a couple of breaths she pulled back and steeled herself for her confession. "Not when I had stronger feelings for you than I had for him."

"He's getting married, you know, to that Lucy. He asked me to be a witness when they went to the courthouse," Ulquiorra said. He pulled Orihime closer. "I understand why you couldn't be friends with me. We both felt too much for each other. I still feel that much for you, though."

She looked at his face and then watched as her fingers slid up the sides of his cheeks and sunk into his hair, then looked back at his face. "I didn't know that. Good for them. Good for Brady," she said with a small smile. She stared at him like she always used to do and then stood on tiptoe to peck his lips with a soft, lingering kiss. She dropped back down to her heels and found his eyes again before adding, "I still feel that way about you, too. It only gets stronger over time."

"So you'll have dinner with me? You'll be with me?" Ulquiorra was back to asking questions.

"Yes," she said with rising inflection and a quirky smile. "Let's start with dinner and see where it goes?" Her heart was telling her to ask him to marry her, but her mind told her heart to have patience; that he was worth taking the proper steps to avoid repeating the kind of mistakes she had made in her previous relationships.

"Sounds good," he said with a smile. "Um..." Ulquiorra suddenly felt like a ball of nerves as he looked at Orihime. He was offering everything he had to her in an emotional sense. Was he dumb? "Right, we should take it slow instead of just jumping in feet first."

Her smile widened and she blushed a deep pink, embarrassed for both of them. "I mean, there is no one else I'd rather fall off a cliff for, but I'm expecting the scenery on the path down to the water to be worth looking at, if you know what I mean…" She wasn't quite sure she knew what she meant with that clunky metaphor, but hoped he got it anyway.

"You mean taking the scenic route instead of just running from point A to point B?" He shook his head then pressed his lips to her forehead. "We can get to know each other better before we do this."

She giggled. "Uh, I think we're doing this," she paused, bringing her right hand down and resting it over his heart, "already."

A/N: Thanks for reading! What do you think? Also, I couldn't NOT actually write and illustrate The Perfect Cup! What I lack in artistic skills, I make up for with a not caring about how bad my art is! LOL. I can't link to the book directly, but you can find it under hashtag the perfect cup on my Tumblr at jkrobertson or if you head over to my Ao3 (JKRobertson) or search Ao3 for Coffee & Sadness there is a link to the story in PDF format and a direct link to the Tumblr post.