Page 22 of The Tea Witch’s Secret

I shrugged. "It needs a lot of salt, so we never did it very often. Even weather witches don't have unlimited riches."

"True. But we could try making some?" she suggested.

I nodded. "Eva would like that too. She likes grated salted egg over salad."

Pepper gave me a curious look. "I have no idea what to expect from them. But that's a good reason to try making them," she said brightly. "Thank you for sharing with me. And the recipe for mooncakes too. I don't bake with other people often. I used to, with my dad before he passed. But since then, baking and cooking has been something I do on my own so this was...lovely. It was lovely." She reached out and put her hand over mine, making my heart skip a beat in response.

A warmth spread through me. "Thank you for caring about our traditions and for making us feel welcomed and included. It's very thoughtful."

"I'm glad you feel like that, Lian. I want you to feel welcome," Pepper said, smiling at me. She pursed her lips before speaking. "You've got some crumbs on your face."

"Here?" I reached up to wipe my mouth.

"No, more like here." Pepper swiped her thumb down my chin, making me realise just how close she was standing to me. She didn't even need to move closer to do it and was now staring at me with a strange intensity. "You have a lovely mouth, did you know that?"

My stomach fluttered as the comment registered, and what it meant. That was a compliment, a personal one at that.

Compliments, shared tea, and we'd breached intimate topics. Those were the three markers of courtship, so maybe she was flirting with me. Was that true, or did I simply want it to be true? It was hard to tell when excitement and worry were mixing in my chest.

Making connections with people was a fool's errand for people like me who moved around so much. The last time I had serious feelings for someone, we changed location, and it broke my heart in ways I never experienced before and hadn't since. It had taught me not to get too close to anyone. It would only end in tears.

The worries were pushed back when Pepper leaned in, her shadow falling on my face. She paused, her lips hovering a breath in front of mine. My senses heightened and then faded as she pressed her mouth against mine. Her lips were soft and smooth, and I felt the kiss in my knees.

It felt nice to be kissed by her. She was gentle, letting the kiss bloom naturally instead of rushing through it and involving hands or tongues. I liked that, it made me feel as if I could take this at the pace I wanted to.

She pulled away, still looking intensely at me. "Was that all right?"

I swallowed hard, my feelings even more conflicted than before. It was nice to have more clarity. The other three markers were always circumstantial, but a kiss was easy to decipher. It was the surest sign of courtship.

And that was exactly the problem. What was I doing getting close to someone? I should be guarding my heart, not letting an attractive woman kiss me. I didn't know how long we were going to be in Purple Oak or when we would inevitably move on.

When that happened, any bonds I forged here would only cause pain. For me and for the people on the other end of them.

"I liked the kiss," I said, feeling like my stomach was twisting into knots. "But we shouldn't do it again."

"Oh." Pepper's smile faded away as she took a step back. She looked upset but didn't lash out. "I apologise for overstepping."

And just like that, the kitchen no longer felt warm and comfortable but oppressive and suffocating. And it was all my fault for not being firmer with my boundaries and my heart.

Chapter 13

Lian

The memory of Pepper's kiss was lingering on my lips much more firmly than it had any right to do. Except that wasn't true. I wanted the kiss. I'd felt that kiss in every part of me and wanted more of it. So it had every right to linger. It had every right to be in my thoughts and drive me to distraction.

The problem was that I couldn't let my heart get involved. Not when it would inevitably end up breaking when Eva and Max moved on from Purple Oak and found their next assignment. I'd go with them, just like I left home to come with them here. That was how things went. They were weather witches, in demand and talented in a way that I could only imagine. I was supposed to be the one travelling with them and making sure that everything ran smoothly for them. That was what our parents had taught me. During all the lessons with my uncle about how to use my tea magic, he'd continually stressed to me the importance of serving the twins just like he served our mothers.

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. I loved my cousins more than anyone. They had been my only constant friends our entire lives, and I was sure that would continue long after now. But the thought of not having my own life was starting to feel like a constraint that I could no longer stand.

I tried to rid my mind of those thoughts, but between the kiss and my rejection of Pepper, I couldn't.

I packed up Eva's combs and put them back in her vanity with her beautiful hairpins and delicate accessories. I didn't understand how she could wear so many dangling decorations without it driving her to distraction, but she didn't seem to mind.

There were times when I wished I could wear pieces similar to hers, but whenever I put something like that in my bun, the clattering of the beads always made me irrationally upset. They also always made me feel like an imposter. What was I, a lowly tea witch, thinking by wearing something so fancy?

"Thank you for doing my hair," Eva said, giving me a smile and reminding me that she was in the room. I was so lost in my thoughts that I'd temporarily forgotten.

"Of course," I said, staring at myself in the mirrored surface. When I saw my reflection, I didn't understand what Pepper saw in me.