CHAPTER 10
JETTE
Jette locked the door and leaned against it in shock.
Her mind was racing a million miles an hour and her breathing had yet to slow down either.
The shop was too still and silent for comfort.
Right now, she craved distraction. She anxiously bit her bottom lip and glanced around the room before quickly pulling her hair into a tight ponytail and wiping down the counters, taking care to disinfect anything that had been touched throughout the night.
A tiny pink tube on the couch caught Jette’s eye.
Self-consciously, she ran a finger over her own lips.
Reese’s chapstick was left wedged between the velvet cushions and Jette didn’t need to examine it to know that it was cherry flavored.
She safely tucked the small tube into her pocket, unsure if she wanted to relive the memory or push it away just yet.
Jette had always been sure to keep her feelings in check.
Her thoughts had drifted into inappropriate territory before, sure, but Jette held herself to the fact that she and Reese were friends—and only friends.
It had never even crossed her mind that Reese could be the one to make the first move.
If she was being really honest, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before her own resolve wavered.
And even though Jette must’ve envisioned kissing her a hundred different times, tonight had been nothing like she imagined.
Her mind reeled as the events of tonight replayed over and over again.
They had kissed. Reese had followed her down the hallway and kissed her.
Hard. A heady flush crept up Jette’s neck as she slipped into the back hallway.
The space felt foreign to her now; like it had completely changed the moment that Reese grabbed her hand.
Jette’s lips were frozen in a small smile as she recalled the way Reese felt beneath her fingertips.
She flitted around the room, hastily cleaning in an attempt to distract herself.
Several minutes later, her phone vibrated.
REESE
Just got home
Jette chewed on her lower lip and debated if she should reply. It had been ages since she felt this self-conscious when texting Reese. Before she could agonize any longer, another text came through.
REESE
Are you still at the shop?
JETTE
Well, yeah, someone had to clean up after dinner
Jette included a playful emoji to indicate she was joking. Even against her better judgment, she couldn’t resist the urge to tease Reese, who earnestly replied almost immediately.
REESE
I’m sorry. I should’ve stayed to help
JETTE
We wouldn’t be cleaning right now if you stayed
She hit send and turned off the screen before tucking the phone into her back pocket.
She couldn’t bear to watch the three dots under Reese’s name appear and disappear over and over again.
It was a risky text to send, that much she knew.
But she was having a hard time regretting it at the moment. Nothing she said felt like a lie.
Jette had basically kept her pressed against the wall, hips pinned flush against hers.
Hell, Reese’s hands had been under her shirt, frantically exploring lower as Jette kissed her.
Neither of them seemed to have any intention to stop.
Had Reese’s phone not rung, Jette was positive the night wouldn’t have ended as innocently as it did.
Not that the night ended innocently at all, but still.
They’d only kissed, but Jette couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so worked up over a kiss.
Jette tossed the damp paper towels into the trash and leaned against the counter, standing still for the first time since Reese left.
She dragged her stool toward the old red toolbox that held all of her supplies and ran her finger over the small rainbow flag propped against it.
Her tiny workspace would sit empty for the next couple months, possibly longer.
She hadn’t let herself think too hard about it for the past couple weeks, but there was a real possibility that tonight might’ve been the last time Jette tattooed someone here in the little corner studio.
The sobering thought sank into her gut and Jette paused to take in every little detail around the room.
Her eyes tightened painfully. The place had become a pillar of routine in her life for the past five years and the idea of leaving it behind stung.
She pulled the top drawer open and grabbed the rusty keys that had been sitting in the corner for so long that they’d gathered dust. The tool box locked with a satisfying click and Jette patted the top affectionately.
She fondly remembered lugging the old chest into the room nearly five years ago after haggling with an elderly man at a neighborhood flea market.
He hadn’t been willing to give her a good deal.
Instead, he had insisted the old piece of metal held too many good memories to be valued so low.
Standing here, reminiscing about everything that had happened in this room, Jette finally understood what he meant.
It wasn’t just the room that left her feeling strangely homesick.
She’d spent the last five years devoted to the work.
Tattooing had given her the chance to meet hundreds of people, each with their own unique and complicated stories.
And in doing so, Jette felt like her own story was now permanently intertwined with every client who walked through the door.
It was more than just the standard client relationship.
There was a certain level of intimacy that came with creating works of art etched onto someone’s skin.
Every person who had sat in her workspace had come away with a tiny piece of her, permanently embedded in their story.
Flicking off the chipped light switch, Jette turned her back on the dark room.
She solemnly gathered her belongings and headed for the front door.
She bumped the thermostat down and pulled a bulky winter coat over her shoulders.
The phone in her pocket seemed to burn against her leg as curiosity ate away at her.
Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a single message had slipped through unnoticed just minutes before.
REESE
fuck
Jette’s fingers trembled but she wasn’t sure if it was from the text or the cold wind whistling through the crack of the door.
She shakily engaged the security system and locked the heavy front door behind her.
The cold had reached a bitter new low for the season.
It burned her cheeks and fingers and slowly seeped through her boots.
She quickly typed a message before stuffing her hands back into her pockets.
JETTE
Sorry
REESE
Don’t be
Reese’s response chimed back almost immediately and Jette bit her lip as it flashed across the screen.
Her mind refused to quiet the entire walk home.
A combination of wind and the memory of Reese’s mouth on hers sent shivers down her spine.
The frigid walk was almost unbearable and Jette was unable—or rather, unwilling—to take her hands out of her fleece-lined pockets.
Once she had finally made it inside the apartment door, her shoulders shuddered violently from the sudden presence of heat. A muffled chime came from her pocket.
REESE
What perfume do you wear?
JETTE
Why?
REESE
I swear I can still smell it and it’s driving me crazy
Jette pulled her lip between her teeth and paused.
It seemed highly unlikely that the stubborn perfume molecules had permanently affixed themselves to Reese’s clothes.
But she also could’ve sworn that Reese’s scent had been lingering on her too.
It wafted off her as she moved around the studio and now again as she tidied up the living room.
She thought it was just a byproduct of the vivid memory of Reese’s hands in her hair, Reese’s lips trailing down her neck.
JETTE
Crazy in a good or bad way?
The fact that Reese was still able to smell her perfume made Jette’s cheeks flush. But her excitement was immediately tempered by Reese’s honest reply.
REESE
both
Jette waited for another reply that never came. She wasn’t sure what she hoped to hear Reese say back. But knowing that Reese was still thinking about her left an unsettling feeling in the depth of her stomach. Jette shrugged to herself and tapped out another message anyway.
JETTE
Finally home
Jette’s eyes watched the three dots under Reese’s name appear and disappear for a few moments before tossing the phone onto the couch.
She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes, all too aware that she was smudging her makeup.
Her reflection in the round mirror caught her eye as she moved closer, bumping into the sleek black suitcases that had taken residence by the entryway table leading up to the tour.
Jette let out a shaky breath and ran both hands through her hair.
She needed to thoroughly decompress and her mind wandered to the drumset upstairs.
It was too late to practice at this hour, her neighbors would be livid.
So instead, she slumped onto the couch and groaned as she resigned to scroll through social media.
Reese’s name popped up amongst her notifications.
She tapped the icon to find Reese had tagged her in a story.
It was a detailed picture of the fresh tattoo on her inner arm.
Jette never liked to brag about her work, but she was damn proud of it.
It was only an added perk that it now belonged to one of her favorite people.
Her finger froze, holding the image in place as she admired it again.
Noticing a blurry looming figure in the background, Jette could feel a lump growing in her throat.