Tabby walked into the shop her head down and her ear phones rammed in, it was still far too early in her books.
'Morning sunshine," she glanced up and scowled at Jade who was leaning against the counter sipping her coffee contently. 'You know maybe if you tried caffeine we wouldn't have to put up with grumpy cat every morning?' She smirked.
'Good one,' Tabby replied blandly as she trudged in and sat down with a sigh. Jade found it hilarious to call her a variety of different cat names because everyone called her Tabby, there was grumpy cat, lazy cat, playful kitty and so on.
Jade winked as she took long slurp off her coffee, 'No problem sweetie,' she teased pushing a mango smoothie across the counter towards Tabby with a soft smile. 'Just because you may be the only British person not to like either tea or coffee and should be deported for that, doesn't mean you should go thirsty.'
'What did I do to deserve such a brilliant friend?' Tabby drawled sarcastically rolling her eyes flicking a piece of Jade's blue hair. 'Still can't believe you dyed your hair blue?' She said with a fond smile settling down behind the counter taking a long sip of her smoothie laughing as Jade hit her as the slurping noise sounded loudly.
'I am being creative so shut up and don't hate,' Jade laughed pouting and flashing a peace sign at her jokingly. Tabby snorted in reply and shoved her I-Pod and bag into the pigeon hole and sat down playing with the phone wire. 'We got any appointments today Wabby?' Tabby looked up an unimpressed look on her face before opening the notepad that between the two of them they had covered in doodles some of which related to the shop name of Alice in Inkland and others which were just random. For a business note pad that held all the appointments and notices it really wasn't taken very seriously, Zayn had drawn the mad hatters tea party in this week's top right hand corner and Jade and Tabby had an intense few games of noughts and crosses which she had won the majority of, in which securing herself first pick of the Krispy Cream Doughnuts that had been brought in that day.
'There's a couple yeah,' Tabby nodded shoving over the book for Jade to check out.
As Jade flicked through todays appointments, she stared at herself in the blue sparkly mirror that was cracked in the right corner (they really needed to get a new one but no one was willing to buy it) kept on the desk she pushed back her hair and studied her left ear. 'Should I get my second done or not?' She sighed scowling; she'd been trying to decide whether or not to get her second ear piercing done on her left ear. Every time she decided to do it and sat down in the chair, she would wimp out and decide against it causing whoever was about to try and pierce it high levels of stress.
As expected whenever they had this conversation Jade raised her eyebrows, 'Like I've said every single time you've asked me this, I think yes.' She said exasperatedly sucking on the pen and glancing at the clock.
'I know it's just, I don't know,' she sighed shaking her head and letting her dark hair fall back around her face.
'You and your indecision are going to be the death of me,' Jade said grabbing her empty smoothie cup and chucking it in the bin glaring at her. 'Will you stop with the slurping, it's disgusting.' She scolded causing Tabby to snigger; they had this conversation almost every time they worked mornings in the tattoo parlour together.
'No need to fear I'm here ladies,' they both glanced up at the same time unimpressed looks on their faces as Zayn stood there his arms out wide the fresh tattoo that had been slightly red yesterday had now calmed down, there was also something else that had them both raising their eyebrows further.
'You look like a badger,' Tabby said simply struggling to keep her face straight as she watched her boss.
'I tried to tell him, but he insisted,' Perrie laughed appearing behind her fiancé the ends of her white blonde hair now dyed pink in celebration to her engagement and winding her arm around him.
'I think I look cool,' Zayn pouted, 'and you work for me, you should be kissing my ass not insulting me.'
Zayn and now Perrie too actually owned the tattoo and piercing shop Alice in Inkland that Jade and Tabby worked for, it did extremely well as there were two universities around so many students came there to get things pierced and tattooed. Zayn for all his craziness ran the place well too, anyone he even suspected to be intoxicated or reluctant would not be allowed to get anything done, as he promised them from experience waking up after and regretting something you got done was a serious bitch.
Zayn had set the shop up straight after graduating from Art College with his best friend Liam (who had just finished business studies). Liam however hadn't wanted to run a tattoo place but he did want a business so that's what they did as right next to Alice in Inkland was a coffee shop named The Mad Tea Party. They shouldn't have worked but somehow they did and The Mad Tea Party was not only popular with students but everyone came to have their drinks there.
Zayn had done all the designs for the places and she would admit it was brilliant, personally she thought his art ability was above tattooing random people and painting walls but it was what he loved to do, and if someone loves to do something you should let them do it. Unless it's like murder or rape then you should get them to stop and find a new hobby.
The wall of Alice in Inkland that faced the reception counter was constantly getting re-painted as when Zayn and Perrie got bored they would paint a new scene taken from Alice in Wonderland on it. It was their idea of couple bonding and one of the best ones in Tabby's mind, she'd adore doing that with her boyfriend but she couldn't draw to save her life so that was why she was stuck doing the reception job. Even Jade had been promoted to piercings now, but Tabby didn't trust herself to stick a needle through anyone's skin or however they did it so was actually fine just working the phone and setting up appointments, she couldn't be sued that way.
'Stop looking like a badger and we'll think about it,' Tabby teased sending him an easy grin and laughing as he scowled at her, not even the stupid face he was pulling could take away from his natural beauty. Zayn Malik was beautiful, it was a fact. He had black hair, brown eyes, dark toffee coloured skin and eyelashes that shouldn't be that long, and it was weird how long they were to tell the truth. Perrie was a lucky girl, and she was stunning too though. When they have a kid it will have hit the genetic jackpot.
'I should fire you both right now,'
'You can't fire us; we get here before you do. If anything you should be the one getting fired,' Jade laughed winking at him and turning back to scan the appointments again. 'Okay so first appointment of the day is Mr Harry Styles, who is nineteen years old and wants a tattoo. He should be here in half an hour.'
'Awesome, let's go get set up then,' Zayn nodded as him and Perrie pushed their things into their pigeon holes and headed into their separate rooms. His room was labelled 'The Mad Hatter' and had a white door with teacups, kettles and a variety of different hats painted on and hers was 'The Queen of Hearts' with a collection of roses, tarts and of course hearts on.
'Is anyone else coming in this morning?' Tabby asked taking a bite of the cookie and cream doughnut that Perrie had placed on her desk wiping the back of her hand across her mouth to remove the chocolate.
'Yeah Louis is back for another one, after Harry.' Jade nodded grabbing her own doughnut and scoffing it down so she wasn't breaking any health rules before traipsing into her room which was labelled 'Cheshire Cat' and slamming the purple and pink stripped door shut behind her as she always did causing Zayn to yell, same as he always did, about what had he told her about slamming doors when he was setting up. The Cheshire Cat door had always creeped Tabby out. Jade the funny old girl she was said it was her natural cat instincts playing up. It was actually because of the large yellow eyes and white grin that were painted onto the door, the eyes were so lifelike due to Zayn's skill it just made her feel uncomfortable.
Now alone at the reception desk she dug out her head phones stuck on the latest song that though some may claim was rubbish and nothing but manufactured was actually extremely catchy and fun to listen to and waited for either the phone to go or for the first client Harry Stevens or something to arrive.