It was a real struggle to get this posted tonight. We've got family in town so the next chapter might be a few days. But I'm glad to get this one out because I had fun writing it. Thank you so much for the support! Hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 3
Monday morning came too soon for him. He wasn't looking forward to dealing with his co-workers at the bar or shop and he knew once he started for the day they would be riding his ass until he left.
Regardless of his reservations, he set about his morning routine as normal by lying out meat from the freezer for dinner, getting cleaned up in his small bathroom with no hot water, and fixing the brake pedal on his truck that suddenly decided to stick on him. He didn't need to be at work until two so he had plenty of time to keep his mind occupied.
Deep down though, he knew the minute he walked in the bar he would look at that corner booth and think about the girl he'd been trying to forget all weekend. That is what he was dreading most.
After the brake pedal was fixed it was near one so he decided to go ahead and get the inevitable over with as he drove down the narrow road that would lead to the bar. He didn't dare turn on the stereo that still held her CD. He had thought all day Sunday about whether or not he should break it but couldn't bring himself to go out and do it.
He pulled up to the bar and waited as several minutes passed trying to convince himself that he didn't need the job, this place, but he did. He pulled himself from the truck and pushed open the door violently and tried to keep his eyes forward to the bar. He failed miserably as soon as he stepped forward and his eyes darted to the corner to look for her. Of course, she wasn't there. Dave kept quiet as he walked past, a small smirk playing on his lips. Daryl pulled back the curtain and looked over his schedule for the day.
Three short sessions and a four hour block to finish up a full back piece he started last month. At least his day would keep him busy.
He set about getting things together for the first appointment and pulled up the lilies the girl had dropped off last week for him to draw up. Daryl could feel someone behind him as he worked but never acknowledged the person.
"Have a good weekend?" Dave asked tentatively. Daryl grunted in response. "You had some messages over the weekend." He turned and looked at his boss hoping that he would get to the point sooner rather than later. "Kevin wants to work on his sleeve, Bob has another army tat he wants to talk to you about, and the last one…" Dave's voice drifted to a close as he held the last piece of paper.
"Who wants what, now?"
"No one. It was Beth." Dave waited for backlash but he got none.
"Throw it away." It was a simple instruction but the weight of his words spoke louder than anything in that moment.
"I'm sorry, man." He didn't say another word as he set the two other messages next to his table and crumpled up the last.
"Dave." Daryl stopped him and he turned around slowly. "Don't worry 'bout it, man. It was just a job." Dave nodded and headed back to the bar. He could hear him talking to Emilia but didn't care enough to figure out what she was saying. He'd forget about the blonde celebrity and his life would go back to normal. But for now, he had people to ink. And that damn dove with the heart in its mouth was boring a hole into his back.
Months passed and three more messages from Beth that went unanswered by Daryl. He finally pushed it past him to the point that he didn't think about her every day. Once a week at most, maybe. He holed back in, his defense rebuilt and fortified around himself and he told himself this is what he needed to do. He wasn't fit for a girl like that and she sure as hell didn't see him more than some redneck nobody that was kind to her one night. Each message left was to thank him for that night, and while slightly annoying, it confirmed to him what he already knew: she was pure and kind. She wanted to make sure her appreciation was accepted.
His routine slipped back to normal. Wake up, keep himself busy preparing meat, working on his truck, or cleaning his crossbow, go to work, have a beer and go home. Today was going to be no different. His schedule had been busy lately. It got to the point that if he wanted a break he needed to write it in his schedule. For some reason the people in this small town seemed to really like him. He was constantly throwing away notes and numbers from random women and having beers bought for him by thankful men for their tits and ass tattoos. When he arrived today he was surprised to see a very large gap from 5 to 8PM.
The day was uneventful with only two small butterflies on a woman's ankle and a crucifix that went from shoulder to elbow on one of his regulars that took up a good two and a half hours of his day. He pulled off his gloves and reached for his burning cigarette to admire the work and wrap it when he heard some commotion coming from the bar.
Jesse, his client, didn't seem to pay it any mind. "Damn, this is sick man!" Daryl smirked and chose to ignore the seemingly already drunk patrons in the other room and moved to ring up his work. Jesse didn't seem to notice as he looked at the work in the mirror.
"Jess! Come on, man. This isn't your first tat! Cover that shit up and leave it alone."
"Yeah, yeah alright." He said as he reluctantly put the medical wrapping back over his arm. Daryl's focus was on the computer when he heard Jesse hiss. "Damn, dude! Who get to work on her?" He mumbled under his breath. Daryl saw the appreciative look on the man's face and turned to see what had grabbed his attention.
She walked into the room like she owned the place. Her eyes were focused and her movements precise. She seems to ooze confidence as she walked with a tight little smile playing on her lips and her hips swaying back and forth. She knew exactly what she wanted and she was headed right for him.
Beth Greene was standing right in front of him.
"I'm ready for that tattoo now. Dave said you had an opening." She smirked and made her way over to the wall and looked for the dove tattoo.
"Lucky bastard! That girl is fine!" Jesse said with a laugh as he punched his shoulder with his tattooed arm. To Daryl's satisfaction, the motion caused him pain and he jerked his arm back, subsequently causing more pain.
"What ya get for being an ass." Daryl grinned as he tossed the slip to him. "Emilia will run you up." He motioned for her to come and take over so he could move to the blonde beauty that had just walked back into this life.
"What are ya doin' here?"
"I promised that one day you would tattoo me." She pointed to the dove with the heart in its mouth. "This one. Right here." She said as she pointed to a spot just below her bikini line. Daryl wanted to groan, to refuse to do this, to tell her to get the hell out but he only nodded and moved to clean his area.
"Give me thirty." She nodded and sat down in front of him watching his every move. He tossed the used ink cups and pulled the needle from the gun and tossed it in the sharps container as he tried to forget what he was about to do.
"I never heard back from you." She whispered. He didn't stop his motions to look at her.
"Figured you were busy. I was." He lied. He could see her nod out of the corner of his eye. They stayed quiet while he prepped his space and printed out the stencil. All too soon he was ready for her to lay back on his table. He suddenly felt very nervous. "Ya sure ya want it there?" He asked hoping she would change her mind.
"Yep." He nodded once and smacked his hand on the table. She hopped up instantly and lay down with her legs hanging off the end of the table. Her hands moved to unbutton the top of her jeans and pull the zipper down. Daryl's mouth felt dry as he watched her. She revealed the area she wanted the tattoo and pointed. "Right here." Thankfully his mind snapped into work mode and he pulled the material back further to allow him more space to work but careful not to expose to much more.
"What's it mean to ya?" He wondered aloud trying to distract himself in any way possible.
"Momma always called me her little dove. She died two years ago just as I was going on my first tour. Couldn't be there for her." He stopped and looked up at her. Her eyes were moist with unshed tears.
"M'sorry. Wouldn'ta asked if I knew." He wasn't expecting to hear her giggle.
"It's ok. And that tickles." More giggles erupted from her mouth as he placed the stencil and ran his fingers over it.
"Gunna have to be still. Otherwise this'll be a very fucked up dove." She tucked her lips into her mouth and breathed deeply. He pulled back the paper and told her to make sure the placement looked good. She didn't move.
"It's perfect." She said, not looking at the dove long enough. He shook his head and began to get the cups out for the ink.
"What colors ya want?"
"The outline of the dove in black with a greyish blue to shade and the heart red." Daryl nodded and poured out baby blue, grey, red, and black into the tiny containers next to the gun. Once everything was ready he started with the outline of the dove first. Before he pressed the gun to her soft flesh he felt the need to warn her.
"S' gunna hurt. Don't move." She nodded and he took that as the go ahead to start. She squealed as the needle pressed into her skin and the buzzing sound filled the room. But to his surprise she was completely still. "Can't back out once I start. Ya'll right?"
"Yes. How long will it take?"
"About a half hour with shading since it's small." After about ten minutes and most of the outline done she seemed to relax and she chuckled softly.
"Doesn't hurt anymore. Or you're just that good."
"Skin's numb. The shading will be tender but not bad." He drew over a few more lines in black and dipped the gun to the water to clean out the black. There were a few spots of blood around the ink and he quickly wiped it away with the paper towel to keep the area clean. She giggled again.
"Apparently not that numb." He smirked and filled the gun with red and turned his attention to the heart.
"Filled in or outline?" He asked as he ran the gun around the outside of the tiny heart.
"What do you think?" He didn't respond. It was her tattoo, she needed to answer. "Outline and then let me see it." Within no time he was cleaning the gun again, only this time of the red ink. The next part would be much more time consuming. He pulled out an empty cup and gently dropped a few drops from the grey into the cup and more of the blue to offset the darkness. He wanted them separate in case one color overtook the over and he could add hints of either if needed. "I thought you were going to let me see it." She protested as he pushed the gun back to her skin.
"Once I'm done. It's easier to decide if it's finished." He pressed his fingers into her skin to stretch the area and make it easier to mark. The beak was left as is but under the wings, head, and back he added the dull blue to make the bird look almost angelic. After another ten minutes of touching up this and adding that he looked back and gave the tattoo one last look as something hit him like a ton of bricks.
He had just marked this girl for life. How would he ever stop thinking about her now that she wore his work on her hip?
He grunted and told her to stand up and look in the mirror. She didn't look down and bounded over excitedly and then gasped.
"It's perfect! I like it as is. Thank you Daryl!" She walked over and gave him a half hug in appreciation and his whole body stiffened again. She giggled as his reaction but said nothing.
"Stand here, keep your jeans down. I gotta clean it up." He could feel his face heat up and he was thankful that the wrappings and lotion were behind him so she couldn't see it. He turned around and the dove was almost eye to eye with him from his place on the stool. He gently pressed the paper towel against her skin to wipe off the excess ink and blood and pulled the antiseptic wipe from its package to give it a final swipe. Once he was certain the area was clean he squeezed out a little bit of lotion and rubbed small circles over her skin to cover it and keep it moist. He felt and heard her suck in a breath as his gloved finger continued its meticulous motions over the tender flesh. "Hurt?"
"Not at all." Her voice was breathy and arousing. He needed to get the hell out of here now. He placed the medical gauze over the tattoo and taped it securely and ripped off his gloves like they were melting to his skin.
"Keep this one for at least two hours. Ya need to put lotion on it tonight before ya go to bed and three times a day starting tomorrow for the next week. It will scab. Do not pick at it. It will fade the ink." She nodded.
"Any lotion?" He shook his head.
"Unscented. Aquafor is best." She smiled softly as her hand ran over the wrapping on her hip and then gingerly pulled up her jeans and buttoned them.
"What do I owe you?" She sounded small, almost embarrassed, as she spoke.
"Don't worry about it."
"But-" She started to say something but chaos seemed to erupt from the bar. Daryl was immediately on his feet and ready to rip the curtain to the side to see what the hell was going on. The screams were not that of the everyday bar fight. Something was terribly wrong. "Daryl?" Beth voice was panicked.
"Wait here!" He called back to her as he poked his head out. The sight was terrifying. The front of the bar was engulfed in flames.
So there is it… they see each other again. Hope you like it! Please let me know by leaving me a little love note down below! It keeps me going!