Chapter Six

The bell on the door jingles as Nicole pushes it open. It only takes a moment for her to conclude that the mental image she had of the tattoo shop was very wrong.

She had expected it to look like a typical tattoo shop. Lots of black, lots of leather, lots of loud, harsh music. What she finds is the exact opposite.

The place is bright, large windows covered only by sheer curtains letting sunlight in. There's a faint, smoky smell in the air that Nicole recognizes right away as incense. (A few years back she had crashed with a friend who burned incense occasionally.)

Some soft guitar song is being played over the speakers. Nicole thinks that she faintly recognizes the song, but she can't quite place it. There's a small waiting area, complete with comfortable looking couches and a coffee table piled with binders that Nicole suspects are full of drawings.

Nicole takes a seat on one of the couches and picks up the nearest binder, flipping it open to the first page. Mostly, the binder has examples of different fonts that are available, but towards the back, more actual drawings start to appear. There are also a few pictures of actual tattoos. They're cute and minimalistic and Nicole counts at least three Harry Potter tattoos in the span of two pages.

She hears footsteps approaching and closes the binder, setting it back down in its spot on the coffee table. Nicole stands up just as Waverly starts speaking, her voice cheery and light.

"Hi, welcome to Earp's Ink, how can I- Nicole! What are you doing here?" Waverly bypasses the counter, instead meeting Nicole for a quick hug and fleeting wishes that she could kiss the woman in front of her.

"I just wanted to drop by and see the shop... See you," Nicole replies. Her hand lingers on Waverly's waist for a moment after their hug. At Nicole's words, a faint blush spreads across Waverly's cheeks and she glances away shyly.

"That's sweet, Nicole," she says. Nicole finally lets her hand drop and Waverly can't help but feel the empty space where she wishes Nicole would touch her again. Waverly clears her throat, her normal bright grin returning. "So, do you think I could convince you to get a tattoo?"

"Who's to say that I don't already have a tattoo?"

Waverly's eyes widen in surprise. Her gaze darts up and down Nicole's body, trying to imagine what and where this surprise tattoo is. "What- really? I didn't think that you were really into that or-"

"I don't actually have a tattoo, Waves. I was just teasing," Nicole says, her dimples showing. "I think I would like one. Maybe not today, but when I do... I think you'll be the first to know."

"Well, I'm not busy right now. I don't have anything scheduled for another... hour and a half," Waverly says, glancing at the watch on her wrist. "We could go get some lunch or something?"

"I could cook for you," Nicole replies almost immediately. "I mean... I've been meaning to try out this recipe that I found and I have all the ingredients back at my place. We could go there and I could cook for you."

"I... okay. Let's go," Waverly says, nodding quickly. "Let me just grab my stuff and lock up, okay?"

"Yeah, no problem," Nicole says, watching as Waverly darts into a doorway that has a thin curtain hanging down to separate it from the rest of the store.

Waverly reappears a moment later, holding her phone and a set of keys. She holds up the keys, shaking them slightly. "Just gotta lock up. Wynonna's not here to be my guard dog."

"Oh? Where is she?" Nicole asks, following Waverly through the door. She locks it and checks that it's actually locked. She smiles up at Nicole after she checks the door. It's small, and Nicole can tell that Waverly is just the tiniest bit nervous. If Nicole is being honest, she feels those same nerves around the other woman.

"She's off with one of her not-boyfriends. His name is Xavier. I've actually met him a few times, which is more than I can say for most of the men she hooks up with... he's nice, if a bit intense." Waverly shrugs, following at Nicole's side as she starts to walk back to her apartment.

"Wynonna seems more than a bit intense. I'm sure that she can handle him."

"They balance each other out. He's quiet, she never shuts up. He's no-nonsense, she's all the nonsense."

Nicole laughs, cocking her head to the side. "From what you've told me about Wynonna, I'm not surprised."

The conversation moves towards a history thing that Waverly had been researching in her time off. Nicole clings onto every word, nodding along. Nicole is sure that Waverly must be magical in some way. She has no idea how Waverly can take something as seemingly boring and mundane as the first ink used for tattoos and make it so fascinating.

"Anyway, then they started to use- oh, we're here," Waverly says, noticing that Nicole had stopped walking. "I guess I kind of took over the conversation."

"No, no, not at all!" Nicole says. She fishes her keys out of her pocket and unlocks the door. "I love listening to you talk about history stuff. You should tell me more later."

The look on Waverly's face is almost surprised. Nicole grins, leading her through the door. "It's just... people usually don't listen to me when I talk about stuff like that. They just kind of tune me out."

"I'm not people," Nicole says. She hesitates momentarily before stretching her hand out to Waverly. She takes it with no hesitation. "C'mon. Let's get upstairs. CJ will probably be all over you as soon as we step inside."

"I have no problem with that," Waverly says. Nicole pulls her into the back room, which is piled high with bags of soil and assorted gardening tools. Off to the side there's a staircase that looks suspiciously old to Waverly. It creaks loudly under their weight.

As soon as they reach the top of the stairs, Waverly can hear insistent meowing from just beyond the door. "Told you so," Nicole says, rolling her eyes playfully. The second that the door is open, Calamity bounds out and winds around Nicole's ankles.

"Hi, kitty. Yes, I know you missed me." Nicole reaches down and gingerly picks the cat up, craning her head away as Calamity tries to lick her entire face. "God, sometimes I swear that she's part dog."

"She's such a good girl. I never managed to keep a pet for very long," Waverly says, scratching the cat under her chin. Calamity's purrs get louder and she leans her head into Waverly's palm.

"Oh, really? Why?" Nicole steps inside, Waverly following close behind.

"I had some hamsters when I was little, but it didn't last for long. My daddy got really annoyed whenever they would squeak or run on their wheel or... anything, really." Waverly sighs softly. "He made me take them back to the lady we bought them from."

"That's terrible," Nicole says, her tone sincerely indignant. "My mom never liked animals very much. A few times I tried to sneak kittens into my bedroom but she always found out. She said they were dirty and dangerous beasts."

Waverly lets out a surprised laugh. "Dirty and dangerous? I think that Calamity would be personally offended if she heard someone call her that."

"She definitely would be," Nicole says, glancing down at the cat now asleep in her arms. "Okay. I'm gonna go get started on lunch. Feel free to poke around up here. I can tell that you're dying to."

Nicole sets Calamity down and walks off to what Waverly assumes is the kitchen. Nicole was right, the second that Waverly stepped inside the apartment she wanted to investigate everything.

The apartment is expectedly small, but it feels like Nicole has already made it a home. There are framed pictures hung up on the wall, most of them featuring Nicole standing in front of some landmark or pretty nature background.

Nicole is very obviously a few years younger in some of them. Her hair is much longer in some of them, instead of her current shorter cut. Her face looks softer, less defined in some of them.

There's a painting on the wall too, a forest scene with a herd of deer far off. Below the painting there's a little end table that Nicole has covered with plants. There are a few flowers that are blooming and even a little cactus. The cactus' pot has a cute little sun painted on it.

There are also cat toys strewn around the room and a scratching post in one corner. Calamity Jane lazily paws at a toy mouse. She doesn't seem really interested in actually playing with it. Waverly also sees a bag of cat treats lying on the coffee table, which is otherwise empty.

Across the room, there's a bookshelf that has a mix of books and random trinkets. There's a snow globe from Oregon and one of those little models of the Empire State Building. The books range from philosophy to history to what looks like a cheap romance novel.

The corner of a white envelope peeking out from between two books catches Waverly's eye. She gently pulls it out, flipping it over to see if anything is written on it. It's blank, but she can feel something inside. She pulls out a stack of photographs. The first one is just like the ones on the wall, but... there's another woman in this picture.

She's gorgeous. Almost as tall as Nicole and slender, with a smile that could rival the stars in brightness. Waverly flips through more of the pictures, most of them having this woman and Nicole in them. There are a few pictures that have just her, and they look like Nicole took them herself.

There's one with her in hospital scrubs, looking tired but happy as she stretches out on a couch. Another where she's in a bed, only her head sticking out of the covers. She looks tired and grumpy with her hair wild.

She doesn't hear Nicole's footsteps approaching. "I'm almost done if you want to- wait, what's that?"

Waverly jumps at the sudden sound of Nicole's voice, the pictures falling to the floor. Nicole steps closer, looking down at them.

"Oh."

"I'm sorry- I just found this envelope and I opened it and I'm so sorry if you didn't want me to see these or something and-"

"Don't worry about it," Nicole says, going down on one knee to start picking them up. "I was in Nevada five years ago doing some rock climbing. I fell and busted my shoulder and she was my doctor. We worked for a while, but she ended up pressuring me to be someone that I didn't want to be. It's all in the past now. I've been meaning to get rid of these pictures anyway, but I couldn't remember where I put them."

Nicole stands up with a smile that looks genuine. "Are you sure? I didn't mean to drag up any bad memories or anything."

"Waverly," Nicole murmurs, placing a gentle hand on her waist. "You didn't do anything wrong, okay? Now, I'm almost done with our lunch. Come on into the kitchen with me now."

"Okay," Waverly whispers, following behind Nicole as she walks back to the kitchen. She pretends that she doesn't see Nicole drop the pictures into her garbage can.

Nicole gestures towards the small, round table sitting in the corner. "Sit down. Food'll be ready in a minute."

Waverly does as she asks, pulling out a chair and sitting down. There's a vase in the middle of the table holding a bouquet of poppies. Her refrigerator is covered with souvenir magnets and sticky notes covered in Nicole's scrawl.

"I'm sorry if it's not very good. It's vegetarian, though." Nicole shrugs, setting a plate carrying a sandwich that would look at home in a gourmet restaurant down in front of Waverly. She turns back to the stove for a moment before returning with her own plate. She sits across from Waverly, one corner of her mouth quirked up into a smile.

"That's always a plus. And it looks absolutely delicious, Nicole!"

"Thank you. There's mozzarella and tomato and basil," Nicole says, her small smile turning into a grin as she grabs her sandwich.

They eat, discussing the food and coming to the conclusion that lunch was delicious and they should meet up again soon.

After Nicole clears away the plates, she lays a gentle hand on Waverly's shoulder. "Can you stay for a while longer? Have a cup of coffee?"

"Of course," Waverly says, covering Nicole's hand with her own. Her hand is warm and larger than Waverly's own, but soft.

"Okay. I'll get the coffee started." Nicole turns away again and Waverly watches as she moves around her kitchen, pulling two mugs out of one of the cupboards.

Calamity Jane wanders into the kitchen, meowing for attention. "Hi, pretty kitty!" Waverly says, reaching down to pick the cat up. She starts purring and kneading happily on Waverly's legs.

Nicole turns, raising one eyebrow. "Hey, no cats at the table."

"Oh, but she's so happy! Look at her, Nicole. Could you say no to this little face?" Waverly asks, gesturing towards Calamity's contented face.

Nicole rolls her eyes playfully. "She knows she's not allowed at the table. She's only getting away with it because you're here."

"I feel truly blessed, and I'm sure Calamity does too." Nicole shakes her head, laughing quietly. She turns back to the counter and pours the coffee.

She opens her fridge to grab the half and half and pours a dash into one of the cups. Nicole pours sugar into the other mug and returns to the table, setting the mug with cream in it in front of Waverly.

"You remember how I take my coffee," Waverly says, slowly spinning the mug. It has little dinosaurs printed on it. Nicole's has cat paws.

"You're a very memorable woman, Waverly Earp."

"I could say the same to you, Nicole Haught. I'm not sure I could forget a woman who owns a dinosaur mug."

Nicole blushes, looking down at the table. "Well, you gotta love dinosaurs. Right?"

"Of course! Dinosaurs are essential for every adult woman who owns their own business and apartment and has a serious life in front of them."

"Oh, stop teasing me. I'm sure I could find something equally as embarrassing in your house."

"I don't disagree. However, while I have the opportunity, I'm still going to tease you relentlessly."

"Oh, alright," Nicole says, groaning into her coffee.

—

"Thank you, Waves."

"Thank me for what?" Waverly asks, shrugging her jacket back on as the two women stand by Nicole's door.

"For coming over, of course. And being such a sweetheart and all."

"Aw, Nicole, I'm always happy to come over," Waverly says, reaching out to grab Nicole's hands in her own. They lock their fingers together, both of them stepping slightly closer.

Nicole dips her head slightly, the tips of their noses brushing together. "Good. Call me when you get back to your store so I know you're safe."

"It's ten minutes away, Nic," Waverly says, giggling as she brings one of her hands up to rest on Nicole's cheek.

"Call me anyway."

Waverly pulls Nicole closer, their lips crashing together. Nicole melts into the kiss, her free hand moving to Waverly's waist.

"I will. See you soon, Nic." Waverly pulls away, shooting Nicole one last grin before she turns and walks out of Nicole's apartment.

Nicole stands staring at the door, a dopey smile on her face.