Chapter 23
twenty-three
. . .
Felix
Whistling, I make a coffee and pull out the chocolate chip cookies I’ve made. The whole loft smells like them, and my stomach growls. These are Eden’s favorite, right down to the mix of semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips.
Yesterday was…interesting. Kris was hostile but open about it, while Kyle was broody and sulky like I stole his toy.
What he needs to understand is that Eden was never his and to move the fuck on.
What I really don’t fucking like is the way he stares at her.
It’s not just flirtatious. It’s predatory.
And the fact that the expression changes when Eden looks at him tells me all I need to know about her so-called best friend. He’s dangerous.
Swiping my phone off the counter, I send Eden a text.
Felix: Goooood morning, Pretty Thing.
I start cleaning up while I wait for her to respond. I’ve just started the dishwasher when my phone dings.
Instead of answering right away, I take my phone and head to my office.
There on the monitor, Eden is sitting up in bed. Her hair is tousled from sleep, and she has the most innocent yet eager look on her face. My Pretty Thing is perfect.
Eden: Good morning. You’re chipper.
Felix: I’m always chipper when it comes to you.
She smiles, and follow suit.
Felix: What are you up to today?
She looks around the room, the glow slowly fading from her eyes.
Eden: Nothing. I guess I should find a job.
Like hell that’s happening. I’ve already got a plan for her that will earn her money and keep her close.
Felix: I have a much better idea. I’m going to kidnap you.
I watch her closely and love how she chews on her bottom lip.
Eden: Where are you kidnapping me to?
Felix: It wouldn’t be kidnapping if I told you. Be ready in forty-five minutes and dress comfortably but warm.
I zoom in on her face, and the happiness that is only there for me, just as mine is only there for her.
She is the single bright spot in my world, the beacon that pulls me back from the edge when it all becomes too much. For so long she’s been that person even if she doesn’t know. Now I get to be the light guiding her through the darkness.
Eden: You’re very mysterious.
Felix: I am. Now get ready. I’ll see you soon. Xoxo
I stay to watch what Eden does next. With a wide smile, she slowly gets up. Still stiff on her right ankle, but so much better than even a week ago. Eden pulls the t-shirt off over her head and tosses it into the hamper.
My entire body reacts. The lustful need I feel to claim Eden makes me as feral as any wild animal. I beat it back, but barely, as she removes her shorts. I capture the image on the screen and save it as she unknowingly looks directly up at me.
My magnificent angel, sent to me by fate and destiny. Reaching out, I slide my finger down the center of her body and am almost able to feel her skin.
“You don’t have to agree with me,” I say to the screen. “Just believe me when I tell you I’m trying to keep you safe my Pretty Thing.”
Eden begins her morning routine while I shut down the computer and secure the door with a heavy padlock. Then I head back to the kitchen to put my sweet treat in a container.
Five minutes later, I jog down the stairs, through the door that leads to the back side of the tattoo studio.
No one else has access. The four other stores in the building aren’t connected to the upstairs section, and the three floors above have a separate front entrance.
This was originally the manager’s living space and office, but when I bought it, I remodeled it to fit my needs and privacy.
Rock music can be heard before I even open the door and poke my head inside. I’ve painted everything to look like a popular graffiti spot. Black and grey walls purposely aged. Splashes of bright color and the studio name, Devil’s Pulpit. Tagged by yours truly.
“Hey, how’s it going?”
I walk into the studio to find Matt tattooing a client’s forearm.
He can’t have been in the chair more than an hour, but he’s sound asleep. Matt has that effect on people. I call him the whisperer.
“Great,” he says, stopping long enough to glance at me.
Walking over, I inspect Matt’s work. The snake winds its way down the guy’s arm, and the head rests on the back of his hand. Each fine line is perfectly placed, and the image is really coming together.
“Looks good. I love how the scales are turning out,” I say, veering over to the counter to leave the open container of fresh cookies out for customers.
“Thanks, it’ll look sic once I shade it.” He sniffs the air, eyes landing on the container. “Fuck…you love to torture me. I’m going to be sitting here the next two hours smelling cookies,” he complains.
“You know I love to make your life hell,” I tease.
“Are you taking off?”
“Yeah, I’ll be back in a bit, and I’m bringing a guest.”
That gets his attention.
“You’re bringing Eden here?”
“Yeah, she doesn’t know it yet. It’s a surprise.” I shrug on my jacket and grab my keys.
“About time. I have to get a look at this girl,” he says, and my movements stall.
“Not too close a look,” I say, and he shakes his head.
“Man, you’ve got it bad. Don’t worry. I owe you my life. I’d bury a body for you,” he says, turning back to his work. “I’m certainly not going to make a move on your girl.”
Matt and I went to high school together, but we weren’t close until grade ten.
He was a foster kid, in and out of homes, and living on the street half of the time.
My mother always worried that I didn’t have friends.
So when I asked if Matt could move in, I think she was relieved and all too happy to help.
He’s been living with me ever since. Now he has one of the other apartments upstairs and pays his rent by working for me.
He is the friend I didn’t know I needed or wanted, and yet he’s helped me get through some really tough times.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
I stop with my hand on the door and look back at Matt.
“Hey, do me a favor. Don’t mention Sam’s or Mum’s deaths to Eden. She just lost her parents, and I’m trying to keep sad conversation to a minimum.”
“What if she asks me about my life? Half of it is kind of tied to all of you.”
“That’s fine, just keep things…happy.”
“You got it, man,” he tosses over his shoulder.
I step out into the bright winter morning where the snow catches the sun and throws it back twice as bright.
It’s stunning, and yet Eden outshines even the golden rays that give us life.
There is nothing in this universe or beyond that compares to her beauty.
She ruins traditionally beautiful things just by standing near them.
I should know. She ruined my heart for anyone else long ago.
With a sigh, I picture Eden standing in my space…in our home, and know that this is finally the beginning of the rest of our lives.
eden
Felix seems lighter today, more carefree. He’s smiling, making jokes, and teasing me. It has been the closest thing I’ve had to a regular day in a month.
We pull up in front of a four-story building and park. It’s not quite downtown Pembrook, but a few streets over and still in the busier section.
It’s a perfectly old-fashioned, square sticking up out of the ground on a corner. The old architecture gives it a lived-in feel. It’s clearly been around for generations.
If you can call a structure quaint, then that is exactly what it is. I look at Felix in confusion.
“Where are we?”
Felix smiles wide and gets out without an explanation. Before I can even open my door, he’s there helping me like a gentleman. Where did this guy come from? The world really needs more of him.
Taking my hand, Felix puts it through the crook of his arm and walks us to the corner. My steps falter when we round the building. There, in bright, glowing red Devil’s Pulpit Tattoo Studio.
“Oh my god…Felix, is this your place?”
I look up at him in shock. It’s like something you see in a magazine for a store in London City where new and old collide.
“It is.” He points up to the top floor. “And that’s my loft. I like looking out toward downtown and seeing everything.”
“It’s stunning.”
“I thought it was time you saw the version of me before the crash. The parts of me that I’ve never let anyone else see. Not just my business or where I sleep, but where I dream, think, and live. I want you to know every part of me.”
Tears prick my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. I’ve spent too many days and nights crying. They don’t belong in this moment and space between us.
“Come on, I’ll introduce you to Matt.”
I remember him mentioning that name, and happily go with the flow.
Everything hits me all at once. The bright colors mixed with black and grey.
The leather chairs and couch, and the black-and-white framed photos on the wall.
I know right away it has to be Felix who took them.
I recognize most of the locations from around town.
I’ve stepped into a whole other world. One that is not filled with sadness or marred by emotional damage.
A hot guy who looks to be the same age as Felix stands up from the reception desk with a wide smile. He has a warm and welcoming personality that makes me feel at ease.
“Hey there…you must be the infamous Eden,” he says, holding out his hand.
Matt has tawny eyes, black hair, and piercings in his eyebrow, lip, and ears. Tattoos run up both arms and disappear under his black t-shirt.
“I am. You must be Matt. It’s nice to meet you.”
We shake hands, and then Matt punches Felix in the arm.
“Did this guy tell you that he worships me?”
I chuckle as Felix rolls his eyes.
“Spare me. It’s more like the other way around,” Felix grumbles.
“Shut up, man. I’m trying to look lit.”
“You’re failing,” Felix drawls, making me laugh.
I’ve never seen this side of Felix. Light, funny, and teasing.
“Fine…whatever. I guess it’s the other way around,” Matt grumbles.
“No, he didn’t mention anything. Why is that?”
“He basically saved my life, and he’s been stuck with me ever since. He taught me everything I know about tattooing and is the closest person I have to family.”
“Matt exaggerates. We had a spare room, and it wasn’t a huge inconvenience. He worked his ass off part-time to help pay bills. And he’s an incredible artist all on his own. He didn’t need me.”
“Just take the fucking compliment, man,” Matt says, wrapping his arm around Felix’s shoulders and giving him a shake. “This guy would never be in the spotlight and just stay locked up in his loft if I didn’t force him to socialize now and then.”
They are total opposites, but I can see why they work. Like two halves to the same whole.
Matt holds out his hand like he is showing off a castle.
“Come on in, take a look around. You may even see a tattoo Felix can do for you. Trust me, you can’t go wrong with his work.”
Felix seems mortified and a little shy. This is so not the man I know.
“Give me your jacket, and I’ll hang it up.”
After passing him my coat, I strike off to investigate his personal space. A container just like the one my mum used to store her homemade cookies in catches my eye. The little sign on the counter says “Take one,” so I do. I’m not one to pass up a home-baked treat.
I take a bite and moan. Then, like hitting a switch, tears stream down my face. Felix is right there, hands on my shoulders.
“What’s wrong?”
Holding up the cookie, I try to get out the words.
He looks at it.
“You don’t like it? I didn’t know my cooking was that bad,” he teases, and I manage a little smile.
“They taste…” I suck in a steadying breath and look at the delectable cookie. “It tastes exactly like my mum’s recipe.”
“I’m so sorry.” His face falls, and he reaches for the container. I quickly stop him.
“No, don’t. Just leave them. They’re…wonderful. Perfect even, my favorite. I just wasn’t expecting it.”
And I suddenly understand how grief sneaks up on people. It isn’t anything big. It’s just a cookie.
“Are you sure?”
The initial shock wears off, and I manage a nod.
“Yeah…it’s this tiny random piece of my past, but in the best way possible. It’s like my mother was here, making these for us. Does that sound crazy?”
Felix slowly smiles and then shakes his head.
“No, it doesn’t. In fact…you’re giving me an idea for your tattoo,” Felix says.
“Oh, I don’t know…”
“Let me guess…a virgin,” Matt says, and my eyes go wide.
“What?” I squeak.
“You know, like you’ve never had a tattoo before,” Matt clarifies, and I relax, feeling wholly stupid.
“I actually have a small one already.”
I lift my jeans and show off the tiny turtle tattoo just above my ankle.
“I got it for my high school graduation. My friend Kris and I both got one at the same time. From a place on Main St.”
“The Needle Queen? Yeah, I know it. Felix used to work there,” Matt says.
I turn to look at Felix, and he nods. “For around five years.”
“Wow, small world. I wish I’d seen you,” I say, and Felix chuckles.
He lowers his voice, making it sound eerie.
“Maybe I saw you, and you never knew.”
He gives me a devilish wink, and I blush.
“Trust me, when Felix says he has inspiration, you must jump on the opportunity. You can’t go wrong with him,” Matt says, and I bite my lip as my eyes dance between the two of them.
“Okay, let’s do it.”
“Fuck yeah,” Matt cheers, like we’re at a sporting event, making me laugh.
Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into?