3
Lauren
After our late night out, Isaac had woken early the next day and went to work. It was a Saturday, the tattoo shops busiest day, but Isaac never arrived before noon on a Saturday. He had claimed he needed to go over the books and work on the schedule for the upcoming week. They had hired a new artist and he needed to get him on the schedule.
I spent my afternoon going over table centerpieces for the wedding reception. I had selected an adorable design from Pinterest: glass mason jars painted with an antique white paint and filled with plum, silver, and cream colored roses. It was simple, yet country chic. Melanie ended up venturing over too to help me out. When we were all finished, I tried to place all of the boxes of decorations in our storage closet. As I began moving items around, I found a box of Halloween costumes.
“Mel, you have to see this,” I yelled as I pulled out our Peter Pan and Tinker Bell costumes from our first Halloween together.
Laughing, Mel mused over the memory. “You guys looked hilarious. And, Isaac in those tights,” she smirked.
We began reminiscing about that night as we sorted the boxes.
***
WE WERE AT APPLEBES’S, and Mel and I were finishing up a girls day. Cole and Isaac came to see us with bags in their hands.
Cole handed Mel the bags to sort through as he and Isaac anxiously waited for our reactions.
“Let me see that?” I demanded as I pulled the costumes from Mel’s hands. I began inspecting the outfits and to my surprise, and Mel’s, it was a Peter Pan and Tinker Bell costume set.
Now Cole and Mel were the ones laughing. Isaac, who looked wounded, paid careful attention to my now dumbfounded expression.
“Do you not like it?” he asked, his voice sounding defeated.
He was so cute as he looked nervous. “It was all they had left. I thought you would look hot in tights.” He added.
Laughing, Cole examined the bags too. “Hey, I hate to tell you, but I think the tights are for you man,” Cole said as he laughed so hard he was almost crying.
“What?” Isaac shrieked, as he looked at all of us. “No way, I thought the tights were for Lauren.”
I began to laugh too, so hard I had to hold my stomach because it hurt. “It’s ok, Isaac you will look great in tights.”
Isaac glared at Cole, Mel, and myself.
Throwing my arms around his neck, I kissed Isaac on his cheek. “It’s ok baby,” I said. “I think you will look great. This was really sweet for you to do.”
His face blushing, Isaac tried to look like he was not absolutely mortified about the idea of wearing tights with his costume. I was now realizing Cole knew all along what the costume entailed, he was just messing with his buddy. Isaac, who had multiple arm and back tattoos, would be rocking his green Peter Pan costume, tights and all at his party on Halloween night. I didn’t think I could love this man anymore, but knowing he was about to make a fool of himself just for me, somehow strangely made my heart flutter.
***
AS WE CONTINUED LAUGHING remembering Isaac in green tights, we finished putting away the boxes. Mel left and promised to return again to help with the reception gift bags.
I decided to surprise Isaac at his shop. He had been there all day and it was almost dinner time.
I had tried to text him all day to see if he was busy, or if he wanted me to bring him something to eat, but he never responded.
After Melanie left for a date night with Cole, I packed away the centerpieces we created and hopped into my car and began to the drive to the shop.
As I pulled into the shops parking lot. I saw Smalls.
“Hey,” I waved.
“Hey, if you are looking for Isaac, you just missed him. He said he had some business at Cole’s shop,” Smalls stated as he got into his large truck.
“Thanks,” I said as I waved again.
That was weird, what business would he have back at Cole’s auto body shop? I drove the short few blocks over to the shop and when I pulled into the lot, I parked my car, a shiny silver Honda Accord, and glanced at my phone for the time. It was past seven and Cole should have already closed the shop for the evening. What could they be doing here? I noticed Isaac’s Ford Truck sitting around back. However, I also spotted a sleek, black BMW parked near the back entrance too.
Maybe he was with another client? Maybe Cole had a customer who wanted some work with Isaac? I thought about turning and leaving, but I decided not to. I wanted to surprise Isaac and more importantly find out what this business was all about.
The front door was locked so I began walking around back. After I had reached the back of the shop, I began to hear loud voices and arguing.
“I told you to pay up or we would have problems,” an angry voice bellowed.
The pure terror that voice caused sent shivers down my spine. I stopped dead in my tracks, not sure what to do next.
“I told you, I would take care of everything. Your guys said they would pay me this week. You will get your cut on Friday,” Isaac stated in an eerie calm voice.
“Do I need to send someone over here to make sure you follow through?” the man stated with a threat lacing his words.
“No, I told you. My friend Cole can’t know what I’m doing here. Trust me, I will take care of it,” Isaac stammered.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Who was Isaac talking to? Who was paying him? Everything around me began to spin as dark thoughts rushed through my mind.
“I told you, Isaac, if you were going to allow this to happen in your friends shop and take a large cut of my profits, you better pay up on time. If not, we will have some issues to discuss,” the man growled again.
“I told you, it is all taken care of,” Isaac replied again, this time his voice rose in what sounded like anger and fear mixed together.
Before I knew what was happening next, both men began walking toward where I was standing just feet away. I didn’t have time to think. To move. To hide.
“Lauren?” Isaac asked in shocked bewilderment.
“Who is that?” the man asked. He was medium height with slicked-back brown hair. He wore an all-black suit and a smug smile that gave me the creeps.
“That is... no one,” Isaac stated as his eyes screamed apologizes at me.
I wasn’t sure what hurt worse; Isaac calling me a no one or knowing that he was lying to me about something very, very wrong.