“Okay! Talk to you later! And Emma? Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do…” she warned, laughing.

“I think I’m covered then, Allie, because we both know there’s not much you wouldn’t do!” I replied drolly.

We hung up and I walked into Luke’s room. Brandon came by to tell him his appointment was there, and Luke went out to greet them. He came back with a college-aged boy in tow, who was talking his ear off about his tattoos. When they got in the room, Luke waved to where I was seated on a stool in the corner, asking if the guy had any problem with me being in there to watch.

The boy shook his head no, staring at me wide-eyed. He then cleared his throat and asked timidly, “Could she come hold my hand?”

I laughed and smiled at the poor thing, while Luke narrowed his eyes at him. The boy lowered his eyes and mumbled sorry to Luke, who shot me a dirty look. I waved his look away and pulled my stool up beside the chair where Luke had him sit, and I held out my hand for him to take. He blushed and took it. I got the impression he was trying to be macho with Luke, but seeing me had triggered his nerves.

Luke stared at me a beat before turning back to his client. He explained the process, and pulled out the transfer sheet to show him the design that Luke had previously drawn up for him. The design was a sweet ass nautical star, two toned with black and red. The top corner point of the star was drawn to look like it was ripping into the skin, and two blood red droplets were suspended from the opposite bottom corner point, underneath which the words Under My Skin were scripted. Inside the lower droplet, which was placed so it almost seemed like it dotted the ‘i’ in Skin, was a tiny skull and cross bones.

Wow. I was seriously impressed with Luke’s skills, and I was only seeing the drawing.

“Okay, Mike, we’re all set if you’re satisfied with the design. You’re still wanting this to go on your right pec?” Luke asked.

Mike nodded and then looked worried as Luke had him lie back on the chair after taking off his shirt. He blushed furiously as he took it off, glancing my way out of the corner of his eye. I ducked my head to hide my smile.

Luke did his thing, shaving the area where the tattoo would be placed (even though Mike didn’t have much going for him chest hair wise), set the transfer and had Mike check it in the mirror. It looked awesome.

When Luke set up his machine and starting inking the liner needle, Mike reached out blindly for my hand again, and I took it, squeezing it reassuringly. He took a deep breath in and held it. And held it.

Luke finally looked up as he swung toward him with the gun in his hand and said, “Dude, you gotta breathe. Cant have you passing out on me in my chair while I’m working on you, man.”

Mike let his breath out slowly and I decided to try to take his mind off of it. I asked, “So does the tattoo have any special meaning to you, Mike?”

He nodded, eyes wide as Luke started the outline. I felt him squeeze my hand a little bit more. Then he finally spoke. “I met this girl last year. Freshman year. I’m a sophomore this year at Cincinnati. Anyway, she’s so beautiful but she just doesn’t see it. She keeps telling me that I’m just after one thing and that’s all it would ever be between us, but its not like that. I mean, I like this girl, man! She’s the one. Ya know what I mean?” He looked over at me and nodded, apparently answering his own question for me. “So, anyway, we went out a couple times and I think I’ve got her almost convinced. But she’s under my skin. And I don’t see her going anywhere.”

Luke looked up and caught my eye as he paused to wipe off the excess ink and reink the needle. I nodded imperceptibly, letting him know that I knew what he was thinking. And it made me feel kinda warm inside.

I looked back to Mike and asked him, “Well, what happens if something happens and she’s not convinced? Not that I’m second guessing you or anything, but, you know?”

He nodded. “I thought of that, but it really wouldn’t matter either way. She’s under my skin and if something happens, then it’ll just be a reminder that I let someone get under my skin, that I need to be more careful in the future.”

Hmmm. Mike was a pretty smart cookie. Oohh…cookies. My stomach growled loudly, reminding me and everyone else in the room that I hadn’t had breakfast this morning.

I grinned sheepishly as everyone looked at me, laughing.

“Emma, why don’t you run down to the café and grab us some breakfast?” Luke asked.

“Sure,” I replied. I asked Luke what he wanted, his reply being to surprise him. Mike declined anything, reassuring me that he didn’t need my hand anymore, and I headed down the hall to find Brandon to see if he wanted anything. I found him in his work room with the door shut. I knocked on the door, opening it when he yelled, “Come in!”

Whoa! I was not expecting to see him seated on a stool with the chair raised up high in front of him, a buxom blonde coed half-reclined on it with her legs spread wide, skirt hiked to her waist. She grinned and giggled at me, shrugging her shoulders before saying, “I’m getting my hood pierced! Isn’t that like, so cool?”

I barely managed to keep from rolling my eyes at her, and Brandon grinned at me from over her hip. All I have to say about it is thank God the chair was facing away from the door. I’d have been traumatized if it hadn’t been. I asked Brandon about food before hot footing out of the room, closing the door behind me. Before I got completely away from the door I heard the perky, high pitched voice of the blonde squeal then say, “Ooh, pretty!”

I couldn’t stop the eye roll this time. But, hood piercing…I wonder what that-? Nevermind. I’m not even going there.

After getting food and coffee from the café, I brought everything back and divvied it up between the four of us. Four, because Mike decided he was hungry too, so I shared half of my sandwich with him.

Luke finished Mike’s tattoo and it was amazeballs! I loved it so much that I was contemplating actually getting another tattoo. Me! The girl who swore I’d never let a needle anywhere near me voluntarily! Weird, right?

After Luke cleaned everything up and did what he needed to do, we headed out, leaving Brandon in charge at the shop. He had a couple appointments coming in, and was back with another walk-in piercing ( I didn’t ask, I didn’t want to know this time!).

Luke surprised me by not heading to his house, nor did we go to mine. Instead, since it was the beginning of October, he took me to The Patch, the best pick-your-own pumpkin farm in southern Ohio. We spent a good hour wandering through the vines, looking for the perfect pumpkins to carve. He found a couple immediately and set them to the side in a pile for him and Brandon. I, however, am very picky about my pumpkin. I finally found it, jumping up and down like a little kid while Luke laughed at me.

On the way to the front with our pumpkins, we went by the little pumpkin area, and I couldn’t help but pick out a couple little pumpkins to carve, along with a few tiny gourds and the cutest, tiniest little pumpkins to decorate my front porch with. We stopped at the store after leaving The Patch and got a couple of those really cool carving kits with the nifty tools and killer patterns, candles for the pumpkins, and Luke surprised me again by grabbing the stuff to make s’mores with.

As we were leaving the store, my cell phone rang and I answered it without looking at the screen.