Omega Lost

14. Building Trust

Chapter fourteen

Building Trust

A couple days later, Ali came home halfway through the day. "Come on, I'm taking you to get your first ink," he told me.

"Really?" Excitement ran through me.

"Sure. You know what you want?"

I nodded and went to the office to pull out a piece of paper. I'd spent a lot of time sketching up ideas and this was my finalized one. Tucking it into my pocket, I followed Ali out the door.

"We'll take my bike," he told me, handing me a helmet.

When I fumbled with the awkward strap, he came to gently help me, tucking my hair behind my ears and pulling the helmet down over my head. He fastened the strap and pulled the visor down. "Perfect."

I'd never been on a bike before and my stomach was full of butterflies as I clumsily got up behind him. Once he was sure I was properly settled and had my arms wrapped around him, Ali pulled out of the driveway and we headed to town.

It was only a ten-minute ride, but when I slid off the bike after he'd parked it, I felt more alive than I had in months. "That was awesome."

"You make a good backpack," he told me. "This is the tattoo shop where most of us get our ink. They know you're coming."

"You made an appointment?" I was surprised.

"Sure did."

I followed him into the shop where a woman covered in ink and piercings greeted us.

"Hey, Al, good to see you again. When's Zeke coming in for that dick cactus?" she chortled.

I looked at Ali in confusion.

"He lost a bet," he told me. "But he reneged. Maisy, this is our omega, Melody. She has a design she wants done."

"Hi." I pulled the paper out of my pocket and handed it to her.

Maisy looked at the drawing for a long minute and then nodded. "I can definitely do this for you. This size or bigger?"

"That size," I told her. "On my shoulder."

Within a few minutes, I was seated in the most comfortable chair I'd ever been in, with my shirt off. Maisy hummed as she scanned the image and printed it off.

"How do you feel?" Ali asked.

"Excited and a little scared. Is it painful?"

"Not really, not in that area," Maisy told me cheerfully.

When she finished prepping me and had the transfer on, I checked in the mirror and approved the placement. Then she bent her head and started working.

The buzzing sensation was far from unpleasant and I actually enjoyed it as she etched the lines into my skin. Ali sat beside me, holding my hand and watching. He hadn't seen the original drawing and the transfer wasn't easy to picture, so he had no real idea what it was about.

It took over an hour for Maisy to finish the tattoo. It wasn't huge, but it did cover my upper bicep. When she was done, she wiped it clean and held up the mirror.

"I love it!" I beamed.

Ali moved to get a better view, his eyebrows shooting up. "Damn, you're both amazing artists."

The dragon I'd drawn was now in deep tones of purple and blue, its claw wrapped around a dandelion that it was blowing on. Little tufts and seeds drifted across my shoulder toward my collarbone on curls of wind. It was exactly like I'd drawn, but Maisy had somehow made it better and more vibrant.

"Thank you so much," I told Maisy as she applied the second skin to it.

"Come back any time. It was a pleasure working with you," she smiled.

Ali paid and we walked down the street to a little cafe. "This is where we always have lunch after a session," he told me. "They have the best mac and cheese burger you've ever tried."

"I've never tried a mac and cheese burger."

"Well, you are in for a treat then!" He led me inside, waving at the woman behind the counter. "The usual times two, please, Jan."

"You've got it. New ink?" she asked.

"My girl here got her first ink," he said proudly, slinging an arm around me.

"Congrats!" the woman gave me a welcoming smile. "I'll be out in a minute with your food."

We settled in at a table near the back of the cafe and I looked around. It was a simple place, but the walls were packed with random things . . . I spotted a Barbie stuck up with duct tape alongside an inhaler. Paintings of all styles were hung on the walls and surrounded by more random objects.

"This is quirky," I commented.

"Right? We love it here."

We chatted about tattoos and Ali showed me some of his, on his arms and ribs. "I have one on my ass, too, but you don't get to see that one yet."

"I should think not, we're in public," I pointed out.

Jan returned with our burgers and I stared. They were huge. The thick beef patty was topped with fried mac and cheese, the homemade kind, as well as lettuce and tomatoes. The entire thing was half the size of my head.

"How am I supposed to get this in my mouth?"

"That's what she said," Ali smirked. Then he pressed down on his burger, flattening it out until he could cram the edge into his mouth.

I copied him, but it still didn't fit and I ended up taking two bites, one top and one bottom. "Oh, this is good."

"So good," he moaned around his own food.

Despite the burger being amazing, I barely managed to finish a third of it. Ali finished the rest of mine while I picked at my equally good fries.

Finally, we finished up and headed home. I was stuffed and happy, peeking at my tattoo on the drive. It was oozing a bit under the film and I was disappointed to see it wasn't as visible anymore.

"It will be fine," Ali assured me. "It's just a matter of waiting. Once you wash it off, you'll see it's still perfect."

"I sure hope so." I followed him into the house and realized we'd been gone so long that the rest of the guys had beaten us home.

"Just in time for dinner," Miriam called as we walked in.

"I can't eat any more," I groaned.

"We'll just sit with them."

"What were you two up to?" Angel asked, looking suspicious.

"Just took our girl for her tattoo," Ali said innocently, pulling out my chair for me and then slipping into his own. "She was amazing, not a single tear."

"What did you get?" Tiago looked intrigued.

"A dragon," I told him.

"She drew it and it's amazing," Ali told them. He pulled out the piece of paper, "I snagged this off Maisy." He held it out and Tiago grabbed it.

"Damn, you can draw!"

They each looked at the paper and I blushed at the compliments. "Maisy did a great job of bringing it to life," I said. "I can't take credit for her talent. But I guess you have to wait to see it."

Sitting there as the men ate around me, I realized I was starting to feel at home here.