Chapter Twenty-Seven
Memorable Presents Are My Love Language
Gabe
“You sure you want to do this?” Luke has asked me the same question at least twenty times in the past week. I don’t know how to say it any other way to make him believe me.
“I’m positive,” I say as he opens the door to his friend’s tattoo shop. Once inside, there’s no mistaking it’s Halloween season, from the excessive amount of pumpkin, ghost, and skeleton décor around her shop.
“Look who it is. My favorite chef who can take burns like they’re nothing, but squirms for hours when I put a needle to his skin.” Luke always said Star likes to tease him about his low threshold for pain when it comes to his body art.
“Yeah, yeah. Get it out now.” Luke smirks as he hugs her. “I may bitch and moan about it, but I still sit longer than most of your clients.”
“This is true.”
Luke mentioned how gorgeous Star is, but he didn’t do her justice.
Her platinum blonde hair reminds me of Ender’s—only much longer and in braided pigtails.
She’s tall and curvy in all the right places, and covered in tattoos.
Even though they’re close friends who obviously care about each other, Luke always said the only reason they never hooked up was because she’s a lesbian.
I'm thankful for that—if they'd ended up together, I'd probably never have met Ender.
“Gabe, this is Star. She’s going to hurt you.” That gets him punched on the bicep, and I can’t help but laugh. “Fuck, Star. I was just going to tell him to say thank you.”
“Liar.” I like her spunk. “Okay, let’s go. Who’s first?”
I follow her to the back, ahead of Luke. “I’ll go first.”
“Yeah, you don’t want to see the big baby go first. You’ll chicken out.”
“I’m not as bad as she makes me out to be.”
“I’ll see for myself soon, right?” Luke’s eyes roll as I hop onto Star’s chair.
“I like this guy already.” Star laughs as she breaks out her tablet. “Luke said you wanted something little for your first time. What’s your plan?”
I give her the details of what I want and where. The look she gives me in response makes me nervous. “You sure you want this?” she says with a cocked eyebrow.
Why does everyone keep asking me that question?
“Yes.” I don’t mean to sound frustrated, but I think she gets it when she goes about her work, drawing and setting up her station without another word about it.
While she works on my tattoo, she continues to rib Luke about everything and anything she can.
It helps distract me from the pain. Except for those first few minutes, it’s bearable.
Mine is small compared to all of Luke’s, but I only plan on getting one, and this is important to me.
Star finishes my artwork in just over an hour. I refused to look along the way, so when I finally see it completed, I’m taken aback. “It’s perfect. Thank you, Star.”
“My pleasure,” she tells me, and continues to give me all my aftercare instructions.
“Next up!” She quietly places a couple tissues next to Luke as he sits—he laughs at her as she turns to me. “You should get out your phone. You’re going to want proof if you plan on telling anyone.”
“Damn, she’s brutal.” My cheeks hurt from being in her company so long—she’s funny.
When I pull out my phone, my best friend gives me the same look he does when he knows I'm doing dumb shit. Reluctantly, I put the phone away. When Star’s needle touches down on Luke’s skin, and he instantly hisses through his teeth, I can tell she wasn’t exaggerating.
I haven’t seen Ender in almost three days, and my skin is literally itching with anticipation.
I’ve checked the front door camera at least five times since he called to say he’s on his way over.
When the doorbell finally rings, my feet move so fast that I almost trip over them.
The door swings open, and I let out a sigh when I see that infectious smile, swooping him into my arms.
“Blue, baby. I need to breathe.”
“Not right now. I need this,” I whisper into his hair as he chuckles at me with the little breath he has left.
My palms find their place behind his neck, thumbs on his jaw. “I missed you so much.”
“I was only gone for two days.” I’m not as amused as he is, as I muffle his laughing.
His lips taste like mint and lavender—it makes my heart flutter knowing that he stole my lip balm again.
I drag him into the house, closing the door with my foot behind him, and pin him firmly against the wall.
The passionate embrace inflames my entire body, Ender finally matching my enthusiasm.
His lips are soft against mine, and his body responds to every touch.
My dick is already hard, and he’s not far behind me as I grind against him.
“Shit.” I pull my arm back from where he grasped me, and, startled by the sudden motion, he hits his head on the wall. “I’m sorry, Bean. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“What the fuck?” he says, both of us rubbing his head. “What is that?” He notices what I’ve been dying to show him.
I lower my arm so he can see my tattoo, watching his reaction the entire time.
“Blue, is this…for me?”
“No.” His puzzled eyes meet mine before I can continue. “It’s for us.” His fingers hover over the blue feathers that weave through the infinity symbol as he traces it along my forearm.
“You got it in the same place as my phoenix.”
“Yes.” His misty eyes connect with mine.
“You told me your phoenix meant your rebirth—when Ender was born—and the blue was because your life finally calmed down.” He nods when I swipe a tear from his cheek.
“I wanted you to know my entire world suddenly felt calm, peaceful, the moment I laid eyes on you. Nothing made sense before you. I was lost and alone, thinking I was happy with my life—I wasn’t.
I didn’t realize it until the night I met you.
” His cheeks glisten in the light, and I almost hate myself for making him cry.
“And now that I have you, I don’t ever plan on letting you go. There’s no going back for me, Ender.”
His body trembles in my arms. “I won’t go back either. I love you, Blue.”
Instead of telling him how much he means to me, I’ll show him for the rest of our lives, starting with taking him farther into the house for the rest of his surprise. He stops dead in his tracks when the family room comes into view.
“Babe, what did you do?” We both laugh, as we stare at our candlelit dinner setup and the outrageous amount of stargazer lilies the florist decorated the room with just before he got here. “How many lilies did you order?”
“Eighty-eight.” Ender’s grin tells me he gets it.
“You’re amazing and ridiculous all in one,” he says, wrapping his arms around my waist. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Thank you, Gabe.”
“You’re welcome, love, but don’t government name me ever again.”
His words are barely recognizable over his belly laugh. “You government name me all the time!”
“Only to remind you, you’re not who you were before.
” My gaze fixes intently on his eyes, those pretty hazels staring back at me as if hanging on my every word.
“You’re Ender. The strong, intelligent, loving, gorgeous human being who anyone would be lucky to have in their life.
And I’ll remind you of that every single day.
” The way he melts into my arms has my chest swelling with emotion.