6. Kaden
Kaden
I’m by the counter, going over the schedule for the week, when Kit comes bursting through the backdoor like his ass’s on fire.
“I’m heading home,” he says, not even looking at any of us. “Who’s opening tomorrow?”
“I am,” Seth says, from the couch. “Iggy’ll be here by one, I think.”
Kit nods. “How long will you be needing the car?”
“Well,” Seth drawls. “The demolition derby’s tomorrow, so… Thursday okay?”
Kit pinches the bridge of his nose, sighs and locks his eyes on the ceiling for a beat. Then he turns around to face me.
“Remind me why we took him in?”
“You thought he had potential,” I grin, making air quotes.
The day Seth first walked into our shop was a Monday. Everyone was a little tired after the weekend, and Kit was grumpy as hell. The doorbell chimed, and Seth walked into the shop dressed in baggy jeans, a band shirt, and sneakers. His hair was basically bleached white.
He roamed his big, blue eyes over the paintings and tattoo designs covering the brick walls in the studio before he strode over to the counter, dumped a thick sketchpad on it, and declared he was looking for an apprentice position.
Kit had cocked an eyebrow, glancing at me and Diaz before he stepped up to the counter. He swept another look over Seth, snatched the sketchpad, and started flipping the pages.
“You’ve got skills, kid,” he’d said. “But you’ve got a lot to learn.” Then he turned to me. “Kaden!” Hefting a thumb at Seth, he shocked me all to hell when he said, “He’s yours,” before he went back into his office.
“What?” My eyes ping-ponged between Diaz and blue-eyed stranger.
Diaz licked his teeth, squared up and turned to Seth.
“Don’t touch anything, unless you’re told so. Don’t piss off the boss, and don’t eat eggs in here,” he’d said, pointing at Seth, before he turned around and walked out. I stared after him until the door shut behind him and Seth cleared his throat.
“Hi, I’m yours—I mean, I’m Seth. Avery.” His cheeks turned a little pink as he grinned and stretched out his hand towards me. And I had no other choice but to grab it.
And the rest is, as they say, history.
Seth followed me around until I got sick of him.
And then I got used to him.
And now he’s basically a part of me.
Kit swirls around, casting a glance at Seth. “The truck’s back on Thursday.”
“Yeah—”
“In one piece.”
Seth shoots him a wink, and Kit sighs before he marches out.
“How’d it go today?” Iggy asks as we dump the food on the coffee table.
It’s Tuesday which means tacos, according to Seth. He introduced—and forced us into to—Taco Tuesday some years ago.
Not hating it.
We used to hit a new place almost every week, but when COVID hit, we started bringing the food here instead.
It’s always just Iggy, Seth and I, though.
Diaz laughed his ass off when Seth asked if he wanted to join in and Kit didn’t even answer.
Just gave him one of his usual tired looks, raised an eyebrow and walked off.
“I finished the back piece,” I say, unwrapping my taco.
“Oh, no,” she cries, leaning back on the couch, hitting me with those brown puppy eyes. “Can’t believe I missed it. Did you see it?” She turns to Seth.
“Oh, man, it was sick!” he exclaims, throwing his head back, eyes closed. Definitely overdoing it only to rile her up.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were finishing it today?” She smacks my arm, almost making me drop my taco.
“The hell?” I wipe some sauce off my pants. “Calm down, crazy. I took pics.”
“What about you?” she asks Seth.
“Only had a small one today.”
Iggy sighs, picking out a pickled onion from her food. “Fucking COVID.”
We all nod in agreement, because even though people are more than willing to get tattoos now that we’ve opened up again, Kit’s been keeping the rules of not letting in more than two customers at a time, but preferably only one.
Which means we usually have to schedule around each other.
And with Jude coming in today for his last sitting, that meant Seth only had time for a small one.
Sometimes it makes me feel a little guilty. I know Kit and the rest of them wouldn’t mind loosening all the restrictions, and I know Kit keeps them for me. Because I’m not ready, and he knows that.
“Well, my date went straight to hell last night,” Iggy says. “I’m swearing off boys now. You’re shit. I’m sorry but it’s true,” she adds, looking between me and Seth.
“What happened?” Seth asks around a bite.
“I don’t even want to talk about it. Just know: men are shit.”
Seth and I share a look.
“How’s it going with your stalker, by the way?” Iggy says then, looking at Seth.
“My stalker?” he frowns.
“That old guy with the moustache? Your neighbor?”
He snorts a laugh. “He’s not old. He’s like… forty. And he hasn’t stalked me. He’s not a creep. I don’t think,” he adds, frowning a little.
“Have you let him into your pants or not?” Iggy prods.
“Uh… Sort of?” Seth says.
“Sort of?”
He takes a breath, leaning back and spreads his legs wide. “You know how he’s been kind of—”
“Stalking you? Yes, we know.”
Seth clicks his tongue. “Whatever. So, he came over and I gave him head, and…” He trails off as he scratches his nose. “Then he left.”
“What do you mean? He just left?” I say around a bite.
“He patted my cheek, thanked me, then left.”
“He thanked you?” Iggy says as she stops mid-movement.
“That’s fucked up,” I say, shaking my head.
“I mean, my services are excellent.” Seth shrugs.
“What a piece of shit!” Iggy says, shaking her head again before she picks out a piece of mango from her taco. “Does anyone want this?”
I roll my eyes, clicking my tongue. “Why don’t you just order without if you don’t like it?”
“I like the taste, not the texture.”
Seth and I share another look.
“Also,” she continues. “What’s with the moustache?”
“What?”
“Your neighbor,” she says, looking at Seth. “Tell him he needs to shave it off. No, wait, write him a note, don’t talk to him.”
Seth chuckles around another bite.
“And who the hell does he think he is? Magnum PI? Henry Cavill?” she scoffs. “Dead serious, had he been Henry Cavill, he wouldn’t have left you hanging. He would’ve been all over that thang.” She waves at Seth.
“Aw, that’s so sweet that you think I could have a chance with Henry Cavill,” Seth says, a hand over his chest.
“Honestly, though,” Iggy continues, ignoring him.
“I thought gay men were like a different breed. Like, sure, I basically expect that from straight men—” She shoots me a look out of the corner of her eye, and I frown back at her.
“Can’t tell you how often I’d had to finish myself off.
” She raises her brows, licking sauce off her finger. “But a gay man?”
“Well, apparently, he’s not gay, so…” Seth says, crumbling the wrapping paper into a small ball.
Iggy scoffs. “Someone needs to tell these guys that getting a blowjob from another dude is pretty gay.”
“I think they think they can’t catch it if they’re only on the receiving end,” Seth snickers.
I snort, and am just about to take another bite when Iggy whacks my arm again.
“Why are you so selfish?” she asks.
I look down at the taco now located on the floor and the sauce all over my Vans. I close my eyes for a second before I turn to face her.
“Stop smacking me, woman! And why are you mad at me? I didn’t leave him hanging.” I gesture at Seth.
“You’re the only straight guy here, so—”
“So…? Obviously, the guy’s not straight, or he wouldn’t have shoved his dick down Seth’s throat, am I right?” I snatch some napkins from the table and start wiping the sauce off my shoes.
“He’s not gay either, apparently,” she air-quotes.
“So, maybe he’s bi, and that’s your fucking corner. You take responsibility then.”
“But I’m not a man,” she says, staring me down.
I drag a hand down my face. “You’re not making any sense. And not that it’s any of your business,” I add. “But I always finish the job.”
“Ha!” she yells. “You sure?” She cocks an eyebrow at me, crossing her arms.
“Pretty sure, yeah.” I frown.
“Pretty sure?” she parrots. “Oh, my sweet summer child.” She sighs and pats my knee. “Ever seen When Harry Met Sally?”
I look from her to Seth and back again.
“We fake it, Kaden,” she says. “All. The. Time.”
I glare at her.
“You too?” Seth chuckles.
“Hell no!” She tosses a used napkin on the table. “If a man can’t get me off, he’ll know.”