Chapter 17 #2
Kane stared at me for a few seconds before laughing. “That’s what you worried about?”
“I’m not worried. I asked a question.”
“I’ve never bought her shit. Not even no food, Scottie. Chill.”
I hated when he used my government name.
“I can’t undo shit I did before you. If I could, I probably would, just so I wouldn’t have to see your face looking like that.”
I rolled my eyes.
Kane placed both hands on the car, trapping me between his arms. “You heard what I told her.”
“I heard.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“And I’m with you.”
My attitude weakened a little. “Okay.”
“Say it like you believe it.”
“You’re with me,” I mumbled.
“Only you.”
I looked up at him.
His face was serious now. “Kayla can call, run up, send smoke signals, or hire a damn plane to fly over my house. It ain’t changing shit. I chose you, Slim.”
My heart squeezed. I tried to keep my face hard, but Kane knew me too well. His lips curved into a smirk.
“You smiling.”
“No, I’m not,” I lied.
“You are.”
“Move.”
Kane kissed me before I could push him away.
The kiss was slow and soft, and my fingers curled around the front of his windbreaker.
There went that feeling again. Heat rushed through me so fast that I forgot we were standing in a mall parking lot.
Kane pulled back first, staring at me with heavy eyes.
“Get in the car,” he said.
His voice sounded different.
I swallowed and hurried into the passenger seat.
For the next ten minutes, neither of us said much. Kane drove with both hands on the wheel this time. I kept my eyes out the window, pretending my whole body wasn’t tingling.
When we pulled into a tattoo shop, I sat up.
“You were serious?” I asked.
“You said that’s what you wanted.”
“I thought you were going to try to talk me out of it.”
“You eighteen today. Do you.”
I smiled as I unbuckled my seat belt. “Is it gonna hurt?”
A loud guffaw escaped from Kane’s lips. “It will but depending on the area, it might not be too bad,” he answered, opening his door. I followed his lead, now a little shaken up, but this was my idea and I had to push through to show Kane that I was no punk.
“You don’t have to do this,” he spoke up.
I laughed nervously. “Is my shaking that obvious?”
“Damn near Harlem shaking,” Kane jested.
He opened the shop’s door for me and I walked in, the cool air greeting us before anyone else.
“Welcome to Tatt World,” a Black man covered in tattoos, including his face, called out. “What can we do for y’all today?”
“My girl wants a tattoo,” Kane answered for me and butterflies swarmed my stomach. Every time he called me his girl, it does something to me.
The man nodded. “I’m Pat, the owner,” he replied placing a hand on his chest. His eyes focused on me. “Do you have an idea of what you want?”
My head bobbed up and down. “A basketball with wings.”
“Nice,” Pat responded. He guided us toward a counter and handed me a clipboard. “Fill this out and I need to see identification, so I can make a copy of it.”
I never went anywhere without my driver’s license, so I dug in my pocket, pulled it out and handed it to him. Then I quickly filled out the paperwork.
“Alrighty. Give me a couple of seconds to prep the work area and I’ll have y’all in the back.”
“Okay, thank you,” I told him. I turned on my heels to face Kane.
“Still nervous?” he quizzed, wrapping his arms around me, pulling me into his body. The bulge I always felt when he did this, pressed into me.
“A little, but I want it,” I told him.
“The angel wings…”
“Vani,” I swiftly replied, then bit down on my lip to keep from tearing up. Kane just held me tighter.
“It’s gon be nice,” he whispered in my ear. “Just don’t get another nigga’s name on you,” followed behind it.
On the way home, I kept admiring the tattoo on my rib cage.
The basketball was shaded perfectly, and the wings stretched around it like they were protecting it.
Underneath, Pat had added Vani’s death date in small Roman numerals.
I will never forget that day. It haunts me, but it felt right to add it.
“Put your shirt down before you mess the bandage up,” Kane fussed.
“I’m just looking at it.”
“You done looked at it fifteen times.”
“It’s mine. I can look at it as much as I want.”
Kane reached over and gently tugged the bottom of my shirt down. “And when it gets infected because you keep touching it, don’t call me crying.”
I looked out the window so he couldn’t see the smile spreading across my face. Kane had already done too much for me today. The clothes, shoes, food, and tattoo would’ve been enough for ten birthdays. I didn’t know what I had done to deserve somebody putting this much thought into making me happy.
We passed the street that led to my neighborhood.
I sat up. “You missed the turn.”
“I know.”
“So, where are we going?”
“You ask too many questions.”
“It’s my birthday. I’m supposed to know what’s happening.”
“You ain’t planned shit, so no, you’re not,” Kane rebutted. He glanced at me briefly while licking his lips and then focused back on the road. My body heated.
It only took another ten minutes before Kane pulled into the parking lot of a bowling alley. I stared at the building and then at him.
“Bowling?”
Kane nodded. “Yeah. You wanna do that?”
I smiled real big and goofily. “Yes. You know I like firsts with you.”
Kane’s jaw tightened. Not in an angry way, but as if he was trying to control what he would say next.
“I bet you’re a pro at it,” I continued when he didn’t say anything.
His jaw relaxed and changed into a sly grin. Kane shrugged. “Somewhat. I’m good at everything I do, and you know that.”
“Cocky ass,” I laughed, mushing his head. Kane caught my hand after, and pulled me to him.
I hate how I got mushy with him. It felt like an out of body experience, still, even though me and Kane have been together for a while now. I was still getting used to being in a relationship. Liking a boy period. It was still weird to me.
We kissed…a long, slow kiss. A kiss that made me warm all over and caused my core to throb uncontrollably. Tonight…was the night. I wanted to give Kane all of me. That’s what my body was saying…my heart too.