Chapter 8
Ahmad
What were the odds that the same girl my sister wouldn’t leave me alone about was the same girl that hadn’t left my thoughts since I first met her?
When my eyes landed on Fatima, I was shocked to see her with Autumn. She looked just as shocked. Then when I looked her over, I had to force my dick not to rock up.
She had on a sundress that hugged her slight frame. Outside of her work clothes, I could see that Fatima had a cute little figure to her. It still wasn’t what I was used to, but it fit her. Fatima had a youthful face and body of a grown woman.
When I went to the coffee shop and she wasn’t there, it threw my whole day off. I was hoping to see her in better spirits than the last time I saw her, hoping she had taken my advice and stopped feeling sorry for herself.
Fatima had been sitting across from me in front of Autumn since I started the tattoo.
When she spoke to my sister, she seemed different than when I talked to her.
She wasn’t stuttering over words or nervous.
They had been talking about random shit.
She attempted to keep Autumn’s focus off the tattoo.
Every once in a while, I would look up at Fatima and see her laughing or smiling at something Autumn had said to her.
Her smile brightened up her entire face.
Her high cheekbones would go up so much that her eyes almost squinted. She had a genuine laugh and a soft smile. Her smile was gorgeous. She had straight teeth and they were Colgate white. The lip gloss on her medium size lips made them look bigger and juicier.
I was happy to see she was in a better mood today. When she would catch me looking at her, she would give me a closed lipped grin and then look back at my sister.
“Look, I’m done. That wasn’t bad, was it?” I said, wiping off the tattoo.
“Bull. This will be my one and only tattoo,” Autumn complained.
“You’re dramatic as hell, Autumn.” I shook my head.
Fatima stood up and walked over so that she was closer to me.
“Wow, this looks great.” She looked at me. “You’re superb.”
“What can I say? I’m good at everything I do.” I licked my lips and looked her up and down. Her cheeks turned red and she twisted her hair in her fingers.
“I bet you are.” She bit down on her bottom lip.
Winking at her, I turned my attention back to my sister. “Go over there and check it out.”
Autumn got out of the chair and went to the mirror. “So, you next?” I asked Fatima, cleaning my area up.
“What? No.”
“You scared of needles?” She shook her head.
“No, I just—I mean, don’t you have other people to do today?”
I shook my head. “Nah, she was my last person today.”
“You should, Fatima!” Autumn spoke up.
Fatima pulled on her bottom lip, her orbs shifted to Autumn. “Okay, something small though, right here.” She pointed to the inside of her wrist.
I nodded. “I got you.”
“Alright, Ahmad, I have to give it to you. This is sick.” Autumn complimented me.
“I told you I was official with this shit. Come here so I can take a picture then wrap it.”
Autumn came over and did what I said. While I was getting everything together, I told Fatima to find something she wanted.
“I think I found something,” she said.
“Better not be no corny shit,” I joked.
She smiled at me and handed me her phone.
I nodded. “That’s easy.”
She wanted an infinity symbol with the words “Love Yourself.”
“You want it all black?”
“Can you do color? Pink maybe?”
“I got you. Sit down.” She sat in the chair.
I looked up at Autumn and she was smiling hard at us. “What you smiling like that for?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all.” She took her phone out of her pocket. “I’m going to run next door and get a sandwich. You guys want anything?”
“I’m good,” I said, getting my stuff together.
“Uh, no, I’m good,” Fatima told her.
“Okay, I’ll be back.”
Autumn left the room, making sure she closed the door behind her, and soon it was just Fatima and me.
I grabbed the stuff I needed and drew up Fatima’s tattoo. I really wanted to do some more designing to it, but since it was her first time, I kept it simple like she wanted.
“This isn’t going to hurt, is it?” Fatima asked, staring at my tattoo gun.
“Nah, you’ll be good.”
She gave me a questionable look causing me to laugh. I grabbed her leg and gave it a small squeeze. “I promise it ain’t that bad.” Her eyes went down to my hand on her legs. Her body shifted slightly, so I moved my hand, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.
“Your sister looked like she was about to pass out.”
“She’s just dramatic, that’s why. Plus, yours isn’t as big as hers.” Fatima nodded.
I grabbed her wrist and cleaned it so I could get started. Her skin was so soft that I couldn’t help but run my thumb over the spot I was about to ink up a few times. I could hear a small gasp escape her lips.
My eyes flickered up, her face twisted.
“You’re tense. Relax girl.” She gave me a childlike grin and nodded.
I started my tattoo gun and gave her one last look. Fatima had her eyes glued to the gun in my hand. Keeping my smile hidden, I shook my head and got ready to start.
“How many tattoos do you have?” she asked me.
She flinched when the gun touched her skin. “Don’t think about it or it’ll be worse. To answer your question, shit, I don’t know. I stopped keeping count.”
“What made you get into doing tattoos?”
Her hand balled into a fist. “I always been into drawing since I was a kid. When I got my first tattoo at sixteen, I knew it was what I wanted to do.”
“Mhm, so you drew all the tattoos on you?”
I grabbed a paper towel to wipe her wrist. “For the most part, yeah. I did a lot of them on my arm, too.”
“Wow, so you’re really talented.”
I glanced up at her. Her eyes were glued to her wrist. “I told you I’m good at everything I do.” She looked at me and I could tell I had her flustered. “What about you though? How did you get into photography?”
I glanced at her again and a smile appeared on her face. “My grandpa. He was a photographer before he passed. Bought me my first camera and everything.”
I nodded. “That shit’s dope. You’re good at it, too.”
“Not good enough,” she mumbled.
“Why you say that?” I wiped the tattoo again.
She sighed. “I submitted my photos to this big photography company and landed an interview. When I met with the boss, he wasn’t as impressed as everyone else. Told me my pictures were mediocre and that I should stick to taking pictures as a hobby.”
I stopped tattooing her and looked at her again.
Somehow, being around Fatima was calming for me. Even sitting here with her face balled up talking about her rejection, she still brought a certain energy with her.
“That nigga was stupid,” I told her simply.
“His company is one of the top photo studios in the area.”
“And that means? I saw your work and your pictures were dope as fuck. Just because one person doesn’t agree, doesn’t mean they’re not good.”
“And just because one person agrees, doesn’t mean they are good.”
I smirked. “True, but you got talent. Is that why you were upset the last time I saw you?”
I started back on her tattoo.
“Yeah, I guess I was just discouraged. I watched my grandpa be so successful. He lived and breathed it. I wanted that too. I used to always go to his studio for hours sitting and watching him. He would let me help and give me tips. I just thought I was ready.”
“Fatima, do you know how many people doubted me when it came to me opening up this shop? For a while, even my dad was against it. He wanted me to follow behind him and work for his company. I didn’t let that stop me. I built this shop from the ground up, and now I’m about to open my second one.”
Fatima was quiet for a second. “I guess you’re right. It’s just so hard trying to get people to give you a chance.”
“So, don’t give them an option. Make them.”
“Make them?”
“Yeah. Send copies of your pictures out, book parties or events, anything to get your name out there. Don’t wait for them to come to you.”
Normally I would have finished this tattoo and sent the person on their way, but with Fatima, I was taking my time with it.
It was a simple piece that should have taken thirty minutes, if that, but I was prolonging it.
This was the first real conversation I’ve had with her and she was easy to talk to. Oddly, I wasn’t ready for it to end.
“You know, you’re right.” She paused for a second. “I usually take pictures and keep them hidden, just building a portfolio I never put on display. This was the first time I actually submitted my work, and I got rejected, so it left me in a weird place.”
“So, find other ways to use your talent. I’m sure someone out there wants pictures taken for a baby shower, birthday, or something. Don’t box yourself into only working for these high-end companies who don’t really give a fuck about you for real.”
Fatima was quiet, which was fine with me. The silence wasn’t awkward or forced. It was comfortable. She was going over what I just said, I could see it all on her face. One thing I learned about Fatima from the few times I saw her was that she wore her feelings on her face.
Fatima appeared to have a good head on her shoulders, but she also seemed like she didn’t have someone that would push her to her full potential either.
“Can I ask you something?” She asked after a while.
Normally I would say no, but for her, I allowed it. “Shoot.”
“You and your sister seem so different. You have the same mom and dad?”
I chuckled. “Yep, grew up in the same house and everything. Autumn’s always been like that though. Since we were kids, she always was eager to meet new people and make new friends.”
“And I take it you’re the opposite?”
“If you want to say that. I got who I need in my life for real. I’m not into meeting a whole lot of new people for whatever reason.”
“And what about a relationship? Your sister seems in love with being in love.”
“Yeah, she is. She watched my parents love each other and yearned for that.”
“And you?”