Jessi pulled her car up in front of an old, red brick building with a black awning and big, blocky, white letters that read Inner City Ink. Even after the pep talk we’d just had, I couldn’t shake the nervous feelings that were swirling around inside me. I mean, there was a guy in there somewhere, holding a little humming machine with a needle attached to one end that was about to go plunging over and over into my skin. You see my dilemma now, don’t you?
Seriously, what kind of person can think up something like this? Was it some crazy individual who went to the doctor when he was sick, got a shot and decided, “Hey, that felt fucking amazing! How about we do it over and over again at about 10,000 revolutions per minute, add some ink, and make some art!” Yeah, I bet it all went down a little something like that.
A tap on the window jolted me out of my panicked musing, and I turned to see Jessi standing on the other side—I hadn’t even heard her get out of the car.
“Come on, chicken shit. We’re here now. Let’s do this.”
I considered locking the door and pouting until she gave in and took me back to the dorm, but she had the key fob for her car, and I knew my fight would be in vain. We were already there, and Jessi had her mind set on getting those tattoos. We’d talked about getting them for years; she would make sure we followed through.
Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the door handle and opened the car door. A warm breeze washed over me when I placed one foot on the ground, and my eyes closed as my mind drifted back to warm summer days—lying on a blanket with my mom, blowing dandelion after dandelion, and watching the seeds fly and swirl above us.
“Where do you think they will go?” I asked her. I was talking about the seeds, but she knew that. She always knew everything. If I was sick, she always knew what would make me feel better. If I was hurt, she knew the right song I needed to hear to make me forget about my pain.
She placed her warm hand over mine, and I turned to face her.
“Anywhere and everywhere my sweet, Kelsey. They are free now to go off and have adventures of their own—and do you know who set them free to do so?”
I shook my head.
“You did, my sweet girl. They were stuck here on the ground with us and just one tiny breath from you has them flying high and free as the birds.” She smiled.
“I wish I could fly like that,” I sighed as I turned to watch the tiny little seeds flitter off into the distance.
“Me too, baby, me too.”
I crooked my head to look at her again. For a brief second, I could have sworn I saw a hint of sadness in her eyes; but it was gone as soon as I noticed it. Her bright smile was back, and I didn’t think about anything else—except her, the dandelions, the birds, and me.
I opened my eyes to the dingy, red brick building. What I wouldn’t have given to go back to times when all I had to think about was setting those tiny seeds free. With the memory fresh in my mind, I was more sure than ever about the design I’d chosen to mark my body with forever. There was still nervousness—but it was due to the fear of the pain, not the fear of making a mistake.
I’m going to do this … I’m going to do this for her.
The shop was cleaner than I had imagined it would be—like, it was impeccably clean. There was a scent of disinfectant in the air, and the whole place had a sterile feel to it; making me feel a great deal more relaxed. The hum of the tattoo machines could be heard from down a hall that was just off the waiting room, and a dark-haired girl with bright purple streaks running through her hair was sitting behind the desk.
She glanced up at us and smiled. “Welcome to Inner City Ink. My name is Melody. Can I help you ladies with anything?” Her voice was so light and sweet, again, not what I had been expecting.
I need to stop being so judgy all the time. I mean, isn’t that how my life was before I came here? People always judging and assuming they knew me, just because they knew what had happened to me?
“Yes, Landon sent us. We have appointments with Lucas. Jessi”—She pointed her well-manicured finger at her own chest—“and Kelsey.” Jessi then leaned a little closer to Melody, “Kelsey being the one hiding back there.” She chucked her thumb in the direction where I’d been standing a few feet behind her.
Melody glanced down at the book lying on the counter in front of her. “Yeah, I see it right here. If you want to have a seat for just a few minutes, I will go let him know you ladies are here and he will be right with you.” She smiled again before heading out of the room.
I walked over and sat on one of the black sofas they had in the waiting area and began scrolling through my phone absentmindedly, needing the distraction. Jessi plopped down beside me, and nudged my shoulder with hers.
“You ready for this girlie? If you’re really not sure about this, Kels, we don’t have to do it. You know I was joking, don’t you? I would never force you to do something you are uncomfortable with. You know that right?” The smile she’d had all day began wavering just a bit.
I took her hand in mine and tried to assure her. “I know, Jessi. And, yes, I’m sure about this. At first I wasn’t, but I’m happy with the tattoo I have picked out. I know I won’t regret this in the long run.”
She nodded, wrapped her arms around my neck, and squeezed. “I love you, Kels. You’re my best friend. I wish so hard that I could change so many things in your past, but I can’t. The only thing I know that I can give you is me and my friendship.” She paused and pulled back, looking me in the eye. “I will always be here for you, Kels. I know you think you’re all alone in the big ‘ol world now, but you’re not. You never have been. Where you go, I go ‘til the end, babe.”
I looked at my best friend’s face—I mean really looked at her. She’d meant every word from the bottom of her heart … I knew she did. While I loved her and her family dearly, they weren’t my real family. I would be forever grateful to them for taking me in when they didn’t have to, but I had no family. Just shattered memories and regrets.
“You must be Jessi and Kelsey,” a deep voice drew our attention, and we twisted to see a man standing in the doorway. With the exception of him being covered in tattoos, and the fact that he had an eyebrow piercing, I would have sworn it was Landon standing there looking at us.
Oh boy, to have been in his head when he came into the room and saw two girls just sitting on the couch in his waiting area, hugged up together and staring deeply into each other’s eyes. Yeah, he probably thinks we’re ten kinds of crazy right about now.
We stood and walked over to him, and he extended his hand for us each of us to shake.
“My name’s Lucas. What can I do for you pretty ladies today?”
“We are wanting some ink,” Jessi stated the obvious. “I was thinking I would get some music notes going along the outside of my foot. Nothing too crazy.”
He nodded in acknowledgement to Jessi, and then looked at me. “And what is it you have in mind?”
I cleared my throat, “I want a dandelion on the back of my right shoulder and I want the seeds blowing off it, flying to the left and traveling toward my neck. But I also want the seeds to turn into birds as they reach the base of my neck.”
He stared at me for a minute as he absorbed what I had just told him. “Nice. I think I can do that for you.” He stepped back and glanced at the both of us. “If you want to have a seat for a few more minutes, I can draw this up real quick, and then we can get started.”
We walked back over to the sofas and waited for Lucas to come get us. It had only been about thirty minutes or so when he came walking back through the doorway.
“All right, girls, take a look at what I have for you.” He held out what he had drawn up from our requests.
Jessi’s was just beautiful, and fit her well.
When it came time for him to see mine, I was full of nervous excitement. I wasn’t sure how he would interpret what I had told him, but my hand flew straight to my heart when he laid that paper out in front of me. It was perfect. Exactly how I had imagined it.
“I love it,” my voice cracked on the last word. I was so happy Jessi talked me into doing this now. I couldn’t wait to have this beautiful piece on my body in remembrance of my mom.
“All right then, follow me this way. We will throw some stencils on ya and get to work.”
We followed Lucas down the hall to a room with dark blue walls covered in gorgeous, vibrant paintings. Each one in a thick black frame. I walked up to the nearest painting and took it all in. It was beautiful. The girl in the painting was crouched on the ground, hugging her knees to her chest. She was surround by a room full of faceless, blurred people. And even though they encircled her, the emotion on her face, in her eyes, let you know she was alone.
Like me.
It was beautiful, and my chest tightened when I looked back at her sad eyes. She stared at me like she knew what sorrow was in my heart—and for some ridiculous reason—I knew she felt the same pain as me … like she understood me.
“You like?” Lucas’ voice drew my attention away from painting.
“Yes, very much so. Who is the artist? They are beautiful.”
He laughed softly, “I am.”
Oh, that was right. Landon had told Jessi that his brother started out drawing and painting. I should have known he would have some of his own work displayed in his shop.
“They are really beautiful,” I told him again as I turned to take one last glimpse at the painting.
He thanked me, and then started getting everything set up for the first tattoo. I had decided Jessi would go first since this was all her idea; but after Lucas had prepped and the stencil was on her foot, she began nervously tapping that foot against the table. She quickly scooped my hand up in hers and squeezed.
“Jess, I love you, but you’re kind of hurting me.” I glanced down at our locked hands—mine was turning a deep shade of red from the death grip she had on me.
She immediately let go. “Oh, sorry! I’m a little nervous.”
“Obviously”—I smiled at her—“It’s going to be fine, Jess. Remember?”
She nodded her head profusely before taking a deep breath and looking at Lucas.
“You ready?” he asked as he wheeled his chair over to where Jessi was sitting on the table.
“Let’s do this!” she exclaimed as she flung one hand over her eyes, the other reaching out for me again.
The second the needle touched her I felt her tense up. She was taking it well though; at least there was no screaming or moaning on her part. Just the occasional squeeze to my hand that was strong enough to make me flinch.
We were about halfway through Jessi’s tattoo when we heard loud voices coming from the front of the shop. A few moments later, Landon and Kane appeared in the doorway to the room we were in.
“How’s she doing?” Landon looked at me and smiled.
I gave Kane a small smile when he followed Landon silently into the room, before turning to look at Landon. “Ready to switch? I don’t know how much more my hand can take,” I joked and pried my hand from Jessi’s, earning me a glare, as Landon made his way around the table to take my spot.
“Damn you weren’t kidding. She has one mean grip.” Landon cringed at the force of Jessi’s hold making everyone in the room laugh.
I walked over to Kane and leaned against the wall like he was. He looked down at me and absentmindedly flicked his lip ring. I loved and hated when he did that. Loved it because it was so hot, and hated it because it was so damn hot. Kane messing with that lip ring made my body tingle in places I never knew it could.
“So you still getting one?” he asked and raised an eyebrow at me as he waited for my response.
“Yup.” I dug my hands in my pockets.
“Really now. What did you decide to get?”
“Can’t tell you. It’s a secret. You will just have to wait and see.” I playfully bit my lip. I noticed his eyes zero in on my mouth, and that also for some reason made me tingle all over.
Oh my.
“You’re going to get my name tattooed on your ass aren’t you?” he said, and gave a sly smile.
“HA! Keep dreaming big boy,” I laughed.
At least he seemed to be in a better mood than when I’d seen him earlier. This was the Kane I had come to know.
“All done,” Lucas’ voice filled the room.
He wiped the excess ink from Jessi’s tattoo, and we all gathered around the table to take a look.
“It’s beautiful, Jess. And it’s so you.”
“Yeah, I guess it was worth the pain,” she said as she twisted her foot back and forth to get a better look at her new tattoo.
“Let me go over the care instructions with Jessi for a quick second, and then we will get your stencil on you, Kelsey.”
I nodded and began to gather my long hair into a messy bun on the top of my head. It was a good thing it’d been a warm day and I’d happened to wear a halter-top. This way I wouldn’t have to take my shirt off.
After Lucas had gone over the care instructions with Jessi, he placed the stencil on my shoulder and neck and handed me a small hand mirror. After agreeing on the placement of the tattoo, I laid down on the table and braced myself for the pain.
I heard the wheels of Lucas’ stool get closer and held out my hand for Jessi to take, but the hand that grasped mine was much larger and rougher than I’d been expecting. I glanced up to find Kane smiling down at me.
“I got you, Kelsey. It’s going to be okay.”
His words soothed more than just the nervous jitters I was feeling about the tattoo. When he said those words, I felt them to my core. Like he already knew all about my past, and was telling me it would all be okay in the end. I smiled at him before laying my head back down on the table for Lucas to begin on my tattoo.
The sting when the needle first penetrated my skin wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. Don’t get me wrong, overall, the whole experience hurt like hell … I’m not even going to play like it didn’t. But every time I thought the pain was beginning to be too much, Kane was there whispering words of encouragement in my ear. Letting me know that it was almost over and that it would be worth it in the end.
After what seemed like forever, the tattoo machine finally shut off and I felt Lucas pour the cool, cleaning solution over my raw skin before applying ointment to the fresh ink. I couldn’t wait to finally see it. When he was finished, Kane helped me slowly rise from the table to a sitting position, and made me take a few minutes to sit there and make sure I wouldn’t take a dizzy spell and come crashing to the floor. After a few minutes of insisting I was fine, Kane finally let me stand and walk over to the larger mirror in the room. That’s when I noticed Jessi and Landon were missing.
Kane must have seen me looking for them because he answered my unspoken question, “She saw you bleeding a little and kinda freaked out. Landon took her to get something to eat. They are waiting for us at the restaurant now.”
That made sense. Jessi never had been good with blood and she kept her hand over her face throughout her entire tattoo.
Lucas followed me to the larger mirror and placed the smaller one in my hand again. Taking a deep breath, I lifted the mirror to take a look at my back. When my eyes landed on my new tattoo, I felt the tears well up in my eyes. It was beautiful—perfect.
I looked at Kane and then Lucas; both were smiling at me as I tried to find the words to tell them how much I loved my tattoo … but all words seemed to fail me at that moment. I took one last look before handing the mirror back over to Lucas.
“Lucas … I love it. Really. It’s like you saw right into my head and how I pictured it, and put it on my body. You really are amazing at what you do. Thank you so much!”
“Really, Kelsey, it was nothing. I enjoyed doing this tattoo too. I’ve never done one like it before so it’s always fun to do something different and you did great by the way. You sat like a rock through the whole thing. For this being your first tattoo, that’s something.”
After Lucas went over the care instructions with me, I thanked him again, and Kane and I exited the shop into the cool night air. The temperature had dropped quite a bit from when we first went into the shop, and my halter-top wasn’t so perfect for the weather anymore. I shivered from the cool night breeze as we walked to the restaurant where Jessi and Landon were waiting for us.
“Cold?” Kane asked, and I nodded.
“A little, but it’s not too bad, and we should be there in a few minutes anyway.”
Kane stopped and began to pull the black long sleeve shirt he was wearing over his head. As he pulled it up, his gray undershirt went up part of the way with it—revealing a flat, toned stomach, and the top of gray boxers. If I wasn’t mistaken, I thought I’d caught a glimpse of a tattoo peeking over the top of his boxers.
After pulling the shirt all the way off, he tugged his undershirt down before holding up the other shirt for me.
“Kane, really, you don’t have to do that. We will be there in a little while anyway.”
“Kelsey, I insist.” He gave the shirt a little shake to let me know he was waiting.
I stepped closer to him, but he didn’t hand the shirt over to me. Instead, he held it above me and pushed my head through the collar before telling me to slide my arms into the sleeves. Anyone passing us on the street may have found it odd to see him dressing me right there on the sidewalk, but my stomach was so full of butterflies that I really didn’t care what anyone else thought at the moment.
Now that I was dressed in his shirt, we continued on our walk to the restaurant. I couldn’t help but secretly lean my nose closer to my shoulder to get a whiff of the sweet smell that was Kane.
That smell would forever be burned into my memory. Just like his eyes were.