3. Ian
THREE
IAN
“Fucking fuck!” I stop my machine and wait, even though he didn’t ask me to. And I don’t comment on the blood even though I want to. I knew this was going to be rough, but it’s on a different level. Not much shakes me after years of putting ink on skin, but this is turning my stomach.
I’m nearly done with the outline, though. I hope he can sit long enough for me to finish it. “I’m okay,” Jamie finally says.
I knew he’d say that. Maddox used to tell me he’d push himself too much. “We can take a break. No problem.”
I glance up at his face, his eyes pinched shut. I have him lying on the table with a pillow because I was afraid having him sit in the chair would hurt his back more.
“No. It’s almost done, right?”
“Jamie—”
“It’s okay. I got this.” I should have started with the scarred parts, maybe it would have been easier to get through. Note for next time. Our door opens and I half expect to see Noah, Jamie’s fiancé, but instead my attention catches on Julian.
More so my attention catches on the white tank top he’s wearing, with the extremely wide arm holes—if they can even be called that.
They’re wide enough to display his ribs almost down to his waist. The lion I tattooed pops against his umber skin.
It’s aged well. Still clear and crisp as the day he got it.
The same day we met.
It’s funny, when we met he had no tattoos, but now they cover his body. I think he has more than me at this point.
Most of it’s my work.
Julian and I have been friends for nearly seven years now, since he came into the shop as an aspiring tattoo artist. Eventually he came to apprentice for me.
He’s crazy talented. You’d have thought he grew up doing this.
He’s fucking incredible and one of the few breaths of fresh air I have in my life.
“I swear to god you better not pop a boner while I’m facing your dick,” I hear Jamie whisper.
I lean down by his ear. “Go fuck yourself,” I whisper.
He chuckles, and I guess at least his sense of humor is back. “Hurry up before Noah gets back. I don’t want him to worry.”
Nodding, I focus on being mindful of my friend but getting this job done. I wish I could say the worst is over, but it’s actually yet to come. I suggested numbing cream, but we tried and it really didn’t help much.
I focus on my job and finish up the outline.
The car accident left him with patchy scars all over his back and chest. They’re a deep purple and shiny. I swallow and wonder if Jamie saw the jeep afterward.
I did.
I saw the jeep, or at least the crushed can it became, and I still can’t believe Jamie’s alive now. For a while I was told he blamed himself, but I don’t blame him at all. It wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t any of their fault.
The fault belongs to one man alone, and he died the night he blew through a red light doing eighty, far above the legal limit.
I’m happy Jamie made it out. I’m so fucking grateful for that.
I am. Though there are ugly parts of me.
Ugly, intrusive thoughts that don’t reflect how I truly feel. There’s always a what-if.
Jamie and I met the summer after I met Maddox.
Jamie’s family would come up to their lake house about five minutes from here for the summer, and though Maddox usually spent most of his time with Anna and me, when Jamie came up they were inseparable.
I’m happy we’ve reconnected after all these years.
Jamie’s one of those guys who looks like a scary asshole, but he has a heart bigger than most people know. Our bell chimes and I look up. “Fuck.” I hiss.
“Where is my precious baby?!” Noah whirls into the shop with a bag in his hand. I focus on Jamie’s bloody back and try to calm the anxiety in my lungs. It looks worse than it is, but Noah doesn’t know that.
I look to Anna and plead with her.
“Hey, pookie.” She distracts him. “Did you get anything good?”
“Oh yes, my love!” He walks over to her. “I didn’t find anything sapphic, but I did find alien smut. I figured if it didn’t have a human man in it, you’d be okay.”
“You know me so well.” She laughs, reaching with grabby hands.
“Are you almost done?” Jamie whispers. I wince, looking at the section I have left plus the parts that are bleeding pretty bad.
“Come sit with me. They’re almost done.” Anna attempts.
“That’s okay. I can just sit in the cuck chair and watch.”
My eyes snap up at that and I shut off my machine. “What?”
Noah grabs a chair, dragging it across the floor with a thunderous scrape that echoes throughout the shop. “The cuck chair,” he says simply.
Anna barks out a laugh. Jamie sighs. “Noah, that’s not—”
“Hey.” Julian looks to me then to Noah. “What about me? Got anything good in there?”
“Oh, well.” Noah walks over to Julian with a swing of his hips.
Noah is very pretty, with his brown curls styled on top of his head.
He’s wearing some sort of shimmer along his temple, and today he’s wearing a babydoll T-shirt that I’m sure says something inappropriate, but I’m more focused on his fiancé.
He drops into Julian’s chair. “Well, let’s see, what tickles your testies?” He looks into the bag. Honestly, this is what I love about Noah. He’s open, free, and easy to talk to. Julian peeks into the bag, distracting him.
“Oh, hello.” He takes out a book. “Football captain and cheerleader.”
“They didn’t have many queer romances, but that’s fine.
I guess. Well, it’s not, but I’m trying not to let it ruin my mood.
” He sighs. “One of these days I’m going to open a book store with tons of diverse romances.
Something for everyone. That one looks good, though.
You can borrow it. I can grab it next month. ”
“Really?” Julian smiles. “Thanks.”
Noah takes out a little journal from his bag and opens up to a page.
“What are you doing?” Julian asks.
“Writing down the title and who’s borrowing it.”
“That’s pretty serious.”
Noah snaps the book closed. “I take book borrowing very seriously.”
“I’ll protect it with my life.” He smiles then looks to me. I love his eyes. Warm and soft. It’s not the first, third, or millionth time that thought has crossed my mind.
Warmth pools in my belly.
“Pathetic,” Jamie whispers.
“What?”
“Just ask him out.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I ignore him. Clearly, he’s delirious from pain. I focus on finishing while Anna and Julian both have Noah distracted.
“Your hot coworker you keep undressing with your eyes.”
“Shut up.” I’m not doing that. Yes, Julian is very fucking hot. I have eyes and they work perfectly. It’s not even his looks, really, it’s . . . everything else. He’s a bit of a nerd, he’s funny, and just has this easy way about him.
He’s also insanely kind. He just has this warmth about him.
Without sounding super fucking cheesy, Julian lights up this shop.
I was drowning before I met him, and now I can’t imagine my life without him—I mean this shop, working here without him.
“It’s okay, you know—fucking son of a bitch!” Jamie’s fingers ball into fists at his sides.
“What’s wrong?” Noah’s head perks up.
“He said I was a fine son of a bitch,” I joke.
Noah’s green eyes narrow behind his glasses. “Don’t make me fight you!” His lips purse. “I wouldn’t win, but I’m scrappy!” He holds his hand up with the band on his ring finger. “I don’t share.”
“Message received.”
“You’re an idiot,” Jamie grunts as I finish up the piece. “I’ll drop it for now, but don’t think I’ll forget how much your ass is pining after him.”
I grab the green soap solution, and I really shouldn’t take as much pleasure in this next part, but he’s irritating me. “Ready? This is going to suck.” Jamie cries out as I spray down his tattoo and clean him up. I wipe off the blood just as Noah comes over. Thankfully, it’s clean just in time.
“Holy shit.” Noah’s alarmed eyes look to me. “Are you okay?” he bends down to Jamie’s level, giving him a forehead kiss.
“I’m alright.” He’s a little breathless now.
I help him up and kind of second-guess this entire thing.
I mean, it’s a little too late with the outline finished, but he can always stop at any point.
It looks a little swollen, but even with the sharp pucker of scars it looks amazing.
It’s going to look sick. I wouldn’t have even started it if I wasn’t confident.
“Here.” I help him off the bench and walk him to the floor-length mirror, holding up a smaller mirror so he can see behind him, and I laugh when I see the penis tattoo on his chest. A little over a year ago, I tattooed this ridiculous cartoon penis that Noah drew on him.
“Holy shit, Ian.”
“Yeah, huh?” I wink. The bird’s outstretched wings go shoulder to shoulder.
There are some smaller details I want to add, but we’ll see where we are when the bird is done.
Jamie normally prefers black and grey tattoos, but I convinced him to go color on this one.
“Not as good as Maddy, but I still got it.”
I watch Jamie swallow. “This is incredible. He’d be fucking proud.”
I’d like to think so, but honestly, I’m struggling. Tattooing is my life, don’t get me wrong. I was born to do this shit. Ink is in my veins. However, there’s a lot of shit that comes with owning a business that I didn’t want. It’s the side Maddox assured me I wouldn’t have to worry about.
“Thanks.” I clear my throat and grab a clean wrap to cover his back. I don’t bother with the aftercare speech, Jamie knows it by heart, but as he goes to make another appointment with Anna I pull Noah aside. “Do you work tomorrow?”
Noah’s big green eyes blink up at me behind his glasses. “No, we’re here for a few days so he can heal a bit before we drive.”
“Good. I’m not going to sugarcoat anything. Tomorrow is going to suck. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t crash when you both get back to the house. He needs to sleep and rest.” Noah nods. “Just be patient. Help him with the healing lotion. That’s going to hurt. A lot. Be gentle. Even if he’s a dick.”
“I know how to handle his dick. I mean—” Noah grins. “How to handle him when he’s a dick.”
Oh, Noah.