Messy Love(12)

I snorted and stared up at the white ceiling and the spots up there that made the shop so bright. Usually, people imagined tattoo shops as dark and edgy, but Kam had taken another spin on it. The walls were all white, but he’s drawn huge tatts on them, some colorful, some black with lots of shading. The whole shop was a work of art. The open space was amazing, but the three stations didn’t offer much privacy if there’s someone here to get a tattoo somewhere more private on their body, so there’s a room in the back, next to the office where Kam or one of his other tattoo artists could work.

“He’s twenty-four.’’

“Ah.’’ He cleared his throat, and I knew that look on his face as he played with the stud in his eyebrow. He’s trying to come up with something reassuring for me. Good luck with that.

“Yeah.’’ I grabbed my phone from my dark blue skinny jean’s pocket and checked the time. Sophie should be here soon to cover the front desk, and the other tattoo artists weren’t expected for a couple of hours when their first appointments get here. “It’s ridiculous to mull all of this over anyway. I promise you I’ll be fine.’’

He nodded but said nothing and I already knew he wouldn’t give me much to do today. Shit, I really wanted to do something with myself instead of only watching the others work even though it’s always very instructional.

I turned around to the front door made of glass and unlocked it. With a last deep sigh, I turned the sign to ‘open’ and promised myself I wouldn’t think of Lydia again today. Or Wyatt. Yes, I needed not to think of Wyatt again especially.

***





WYATT


“You have no idea how much I want to punch you right fucking now,’’ I said through gritted teeth. But the fucker didn’t give a shit. Ralph just laughed, head thrown back as we made our way up 17th Street.

“It’s no different than any other given day, asshole.’’

Since Marissa landed on my mom’s doorstep four days ago, I’d been in a more sullen mood than my usual. I’d also been more prone to let my temper have the best of me. I ended up fucking up an asshole two nights ago at a club when the guy wanted to get a rise out of me. Good thing Ralph had been there or I’d have sent the man to the hospital, and my ass would be in jail now. My parents didn’t need that kind of shit coming from me. I had done enough as a teen.

“Yeah, but since when do you need me to hold your fucking hand when you want ink, huh?’’ Because the jackass dragged me here under the pretense we’d get a coffee before I went back to work at the gym. But instead, he was heading to see Marissa. The idiot must be smitten or some shit like that because he never talked so much about a chick. And the idea didn’t sit well with me. It really didn’t fucking sit well.

He stopped, but I didn’t notice it immediately. It’s when I took three more steps that I realized he wasn’t beside me. I turned around and found him glaring at me. “What?’’

“She hasn’t been in contact with your mother since she visited so stop this shit, man. She’s not goin' to steal your place in the family. It’s not her family anyway.’’

“I know she fucking won’t,’’ I growled darkly, but everything in me was screaming out my fear. I had clenched fists, my whole fucking body was shaking from tension, and if I didn’t stop grinding my teeth like this, I’d have no damn teeth anymore to show my dentist.

“You know? Shit, Wyatt. You’re always waitin' for the other shoe to drop. You’re damn scared she’s goin' to replace you in some way when it comes to your mother. But guess what, asshole? She won’t!’’

“If you want that ink now, let’s go. If not, I have better things to do,’’ I retorted harshly, but it didn’t spite him. He only shook his head and started walking again.

“Then go. It’s not like I can force you to stay anyway.’’ But I didn’t walk away. He’d just given me an opening, and I was still walking beside him, wrung tight and pissed. “Yeah, I knew you wouldn’t mind oglin' her sweet, sweet body again.’’

“Shut the fuck up,’’ I snarled.

His answer was to laugh loudly again, catching off guard a few people walking around us. And most of them got guarded when they saw our tatts, Ralph’s piercings, and crazy hair.

***





MARISSA


“What needle would you use here, girl?’’ Kam asked me as I sat next to him while he worked on a college student here for the first piece on his lean forearm. The piece was a very detailed and realistic cracked hourglass of which sand escaped.

“For this shading? A 5RS?’’ I asked, but really, I was sure of myself. When I had worn Kam down, and he made me the ‘shop bitch’ I had already known a lot, but at the time it had still been theoretical. Since then, I’d learned a lot.

Instead of answering Kam smiled and chatted with his client anew, making sure the guy didn’t tense too much.

“Marissa!’’ Sophie called me, and I looked at her desk facing the front door to find Ralph and a pissed off looking Wyatt close behind. Great.

Kam was still focusing on his work, and I knew nothing short of a bomb could make him look up from the piece he’s working on. I stood up, tugged on my t-shirt with InkSpired written over my chest when it rode high above my waist.