24. Veronica
Chapter twenty-four
Veronica
One unfulfilled skittle.
~ One Week Later / August ~
Noah and I exit his car parked along the street before he walks around the hood and takes my hand on the sidewalk. He kisses the back of it with tenderness as I guide him toward my main girl’s shop in Brooklyn, pushing the door open as the bell chimes, indicating a new client’s arrival.
“Hey, Bear!” I wave to the big burly man sitting on his rolling stool as he prepares his equipment for his first client that waits patiently in the tattoo chair next to him.
“There’s my favorite Skittle girl! It’s about time you graced us with your presence. These big boys keeping you locked up in their big fancy tower or what?” he calls back, laughing.
“Aw, did you miss me, Pooky Bear?” I pout my lips, sarcastically fluttering my eyelashes at him, to which he barks out a laugh and shakes his head.
I turn to Noah and lean into his side, my hand falling to his chest. “Casanova, this is Bernard, but we all call him Bear.” I turn back to the big mountain man. “Bear, this is my boyfriend, Noah.”
“You mean one of them.” Bear laughs as Noah chuckles.
“Shut up. Maze in yet?” I smile.
“Yeah, she’s in her section waiting for you. Head on back.” He points with his thumb behind him.
“Thanks!” I call as I pull Noah along with me to the divider at the far end that separates Maze’s section from the rest of the tattoo parlor. “Hey, babe.” I smile once I see her lounging in a laid-back chair, scrolling through her phone.
She puts her phone away instantly, throws her legs over the side of the chair, and hops off before striding toward us with a devilish smile. “Ah, I get to meet boyfriend number two today. Hey there, Noah. I was wondering when she’d drag you along.”
He smiles. “Hey, Maze. I’ve heard a lot about you. Nice to finally meet the person behind my Kitten’s colorful appearance.” He reaches a hand forward and shakes hers.
“All good things, obviously. I’m a saint.” She winks at him, then claps her hands. “So, what are we doing today, girly? You giving me free rein?”
I smile up at Noah. “Actually, I was thinking you could pick.”
“Me?” he questions.
I wind my arms around his neck as he circles my waist. “Yeah, whatever color you want.” I press my lips to his, smiling against them.
I haven’t been this happy in a long time, and it feels amazing. Noah and Gabe are bringing the old me back, day by day. The one who smiled at everything and saw only the good in the world, the one who didn’t fear anything. And I can’t thank them enough for it.
“Okay.” He smiles back. “Maze, let’s turn her into a real-life skittle,” he says without taking his eyes off me.
“Yes! I knew I’d like this guy.” She pumps a fist. “Come, my darling. Let’s make you the prettiest fucking rainbow we’ve ever seen.” She brushes her fingers through the end of my hair. “Same length too?”
“Actually, no more cuts. Just the ends and the dye.”
Maze’s eyes bounce up to mine, a wide grin spreading on her lips before she looks over to Noah. “Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it. It’s about time she let go.” She then grabs my arm, spins around, and drags me toward the chair.
Four hours later, we’re walking out of Maze’s shop with my new skittle hair.
Flashy orange, red, yellow, blue, purple, and green all over.
It’s a little crazy, but I love it. She also took the time to style my hair into beautiful curls, and now looking at my reflection in Noah’s car window, I feel like a thousand bucks.
He comes up behind me, holding onto my hips, and presses a kiss to my shoulder. “You look absolutely stunning, Kitten.”
“Thank you. You picked well.” I turn in his arms and seal my lips to his, melting against him with a soft moan. “Can we go see Trinity now?”
He pulls away with a warm smile. “Yeah, let’s go.”
We buckle up inside the car and make our way over to Noah’s sister.
My phone starts pinging with new messages from my group chat with the girls.
Cecilia is sending us pictures of the setup for the birthday party they’re organizing today for a little ten-year-old boy who suffers from Paraplegia.
He’s really big into Mario and Luigi, so the whole room is now decorated like the Mushroom Kingdom.
Their launch party last weekend was beyond successful. It was amazing to watch them talk about their cause and goals for the future with so much devotion. The Mackenzie Rose Funhouse Foundation might seem like a silly organization to some, but I personally think it’s wonderful what they’re doing.
Their main goal is to host pro bono events for children who come from low-income families. Whether it’s birthday parties or graduation parties, holiday parties or charity events for orphanages and churches. They simply want to help the community by giving them their very own special day.
They already had a handful of sponsors and donations before the actual launch even happened, thanks to the boys constantly bringing it up with the media and reporters. But from what I’ve heard from Em and Cece, the launch brought in so many more, and they are now booked solid through the next year.
They’re already planning on hiring more employees and eventually expanding to a bigger location to host more events at once.
It’s beautiful to see them at work. You can tell just how much they love what they’re doing, that they’ve finally found their calling.
I’m beyond thrilled for them, but a part of me can’t help but feel envious of what they have.
All my friends have a purpose in life, a goal, a dream.
Morgan has her own interior design company.
Cecilia and Emma now have their rapidly growing foundation.
Even Aubrey has been saving up for the past few years to open her own bakery.
She has the whole five-to-ten-year plan written out and already has a book filled with her own recipes for when she finally opens it.
And then there’s me. Me, who has no idea what she’s doing with her life.
Me, who’s never had a goal or a dream, a path she wanted to follow.
And I hate that. I want to be excited about something.
I want to have a purpose like they all do.
I want a job that brings me joy and makes me smile knowing I’ll get to do something I love every single day.
“Hey… what’s that sad look in your eyes for?” Noah watches me as we stop at a red light, his hand coming to my thigh and squeezing lightly. “What’s going through your mind, Kitten? Are you worried about Victor?”
Hearing his name used to make my skin crawl, but now that I have Noah and Gabe, it doesn’t have that same effect anymore. I feel safe with them, and I guess knowing we’re constantly being followed by Julian’s men helps a bit, too.
I shake my head. “No, it’s not that.”
“Then what is it, Kitten? I can tell something’s bothering you.”
I sigh as he turns his attention back to the road but glances at me every few seconds, letting me know that I still have his attention. “It’s just that seeing Cecilia and Emma so happy with what they’re doing kind of makes me feel…” I trail off.
“Unfulfilled?” he finishes for me.
I rest my head against the seat. “Yeah… They all have these great plans and accomplishments. And I just have… nothing. I don’t even know what I’d want to do if I had the opportunity.”
“Hmm,” he hums, not saying more for a minute. “What is it you like doing, Veronica? Even if it’s simple, what brings you joy when you do it?”
“I don’t know. Being with you and Gabe makes me happy.” I smile when he does.
“You make us happy too, Kitten. But that’s not really something you can do as a career. Although I would pay you to stay with me forever.” He chuckles. “Tell me, do you like what you’re doing right now? Working for us, I mean.”
“I guess, yeah. I mean, I’ve always liked cleaning and keeping things neat, but I prefer the organizing part.
I really like doing those things for you guys and making it simple and easier to use.
There are so many different ways it can be done, and the finished product always makes me smile.
It’s crazy how even the messiest place can look beautiful once it’s well organized. ”
When I gaze over at him, he stares at me with wonder.
“You see what just happened there? You lit up talking about that. If it’s something you enjoy doing, why not make a career out of it?
You could start your own business. Doesn’t have to be big or take up all your time.
It can just be a small thing that you do for fun and get paid at the same time. ”
That piques my interest but also makes me a bit nervous. “I wouldn’t even know how to start a business, and I don’t know many people like you guys do. How would I even get customers?”
He smiles but keeps his eyes on the road. “That’s simple; we can help you with getting it started. You could even ask the girls for help since they’re all involved in the business world,” he suggests.
“And when it comes to customers, ear-to-mouth is always the best way to start, but having a website always helps too. You could take pictures of the things you’ve done in the penthouse and use them to show off your work.
Then we’ll all help spread the word and get you some customers,” he finishes as his thumb caresses my thigh.
“Is there even a clientele for that kind of business? Do people really hire others to organize their stuff for them?” I have a hard time believing there’s such a thing.
Noah snorts. “You’d be surprised at the number of rich people who hire people specifically for that simply because they’re too lazy to do it themselves or want to make it look like they have their shit together. Trust me, Veronica, you’d have many requests.”
“Okay, and how much would I charge for my services? I don’t even know what people in that line of work charge.” I nibble my lip, a thousand questions and thoughts popping into my head.