Xx...xX
"I can't fucking believe you got me arrested!" Emily slammed her hands against the bars separating us and stared daggers through my skull.
This wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I said we needed to talk...
Xx………………………………….xX
So the day came around that I had made an appointment with Emily to get her tattoo done.
I was an anxious mess and considered canceling, but the masochistic side of me wanted to see Emily.
Trapped.
Under my needle and under my scrutiny.
She'd have to talk to me, give me a chance to explain to her what had really happened. There'd be nowhere for her to escape.
Alas, as I watched the minutes pass by on the cog-and-wire designed wall clock, I eventually had to face the real probability that she wouldn't show up.
"I'm sorry I'm late." And suddenly she was there, yanking me from my haze, nearly causing me to topple from the chair I had been riding back on.
"Hey! You came!" I slammed my feet into the floor and jumped up, both surprise and my lack of balance propelling me upward.
"Was I not supposed to? Did you cancel?" She looked concerned.
I was confused, to say the least.
"Of course not! I just... Never mind." I smiled at her genuinely and ushered her to my station. Perhaps this talking thing wouldn't be as hard as I was anticipating.
"You didn't think I'd want to see you." But this girl is smart and it made me bite my tongue as my cheeks grew warm.
"Yeah well..." I shrugged and indicated for her to take a seat on the bed. "What else was I supposed to expect? You were late, so I just assumed..."
She scoffed and sat down. "I had a friend to see to this morning. I lost track of time."
I don't know if it was just my imagination, but I was so sure that the word 'friend' had a certain inflection to it that sent shivers down my spine.
Alison.
"I see." I nodded solemnly and went to work preparing my work bench. "Where do you want it?"
"That's forward." She smirked.
Was she seriously flirting with me?
"Uhh, I meant the tattoo..." I blushed further and showed her the design I had already drawn to carbon before she arrived.
She indicated for me to extend the room divider that would prevent other people in the shop from looking into our booth.
I gulped, but did so.
She then proceeded to untie a flimsy string at the side of her flowing Gypsy pants to reveal the delicate black lace of some pair of heartstopping underwear stretching over her hip. She then shifted the material and retied the string on the inside of her thigh so that only her one leg was exposed.
"Here." She whispered and ran her fingers gently over the caramel expanse of silken skin on the outside of her upper thigh.
I fainted...
Not really, but it was damn close!
I forced myself through the motions of applying lubricant and pressing the carbon, clearing my throat awkwardly as we waited for it to dry properly in silence. I took out my inks and needles and tested my gun.
Emily simply watched my every move as if I was being examined on my technique. I knew at this stage I'd flunk bedside manner.
"Are you ready?" I steadied my hand, gun cocked, so to speak.
"Will it hurt?" She asked timidly.
"Most likely, but I'll take care of you..."
It was like we were having a conversation about far more intense things than tattoos.
She smiled and nodded, and I got to work.
It took me half the lines to pluck up the courage to start a conversation with her, and the other half for me to figure out what exactly to say. The line job didn't take too long, but it was a good hour or so before we could take a break.
A whole hour spent in silence.
This was super awkward and I could feel it spreading over my skin in uncomfortable goosebumps.
Emily visited the restroom while I had a smoke on the patio. Brian eyed me like a hawk with just the cheekiest little smile etched into the corner of his mouth. He was enjoying the show after I had filled him in on what had happened after I last spoke to the gang.
When I finally moved back to my booth, mentally preparing myself to finally speak with Emily, I found her ready on the bed with a set of earphones blaring loud music in her ears.
I cursed myself.
I continued the job and watched as her face contorted every now and then when I hit a particularly sensitive spot, but she took the shading like a champion.
I wanted to congratulate her, but she had spent that next hour and a half with her music in her ears, leaving me to get lost in her luxurious skin. I hated the fact, at that moment, that I had to wear gloves. I felt robbed of a sensation I was sure was vital to my existence.
We took another break and Emily went to go make herself some coffee while I went for another cigarette.
I realized then, as if a stroke of lightning just fucked me up, that the less interested Emily Fields seemed to be, the more I wanted her.
We went back for the final color highlights and white accents and spent another 45 minutes doing nothing but making awkward eye contact. I calculated about 15 minutes to finish off when she finally removed her earphones.
"It looks absolutely stunning, Paige." She smiled warmly at her tattoo and then at me.
I felt my throat melt into my gut and shook my head with a sheepish smile. "A stunning tattoo for a stunning girl..." I felt my ears go up in flames at my brazen vocalization.
"Paige…" Emily cautioned and I swallowed hard before cutting her off.
"Em, please, we need to talk..."
She eyed me uncertainly.
My stomach dropped further.
I definitely wasn't cut out for this 'playing hard to get' crap.
"Look Paige. I don't want to give you the wrong impression... But... " She sighed and I shook my head to halt her explanation.
"But it's not going to work out. Gotcha." I shrugged hard and wiped her tattoo clean before applying tattoo goo to it and wrapping it up.
"Paige, just, listen." She slowly moved from the bed, careful not to graze her tattoo. "I damn well love this tattoo, I think it's gorgeous work." She touched it tentatively with the tips of her fingers. "But honestly, I'm still mad at you."
"That's why I want to talk Em!" I jumped quickly and added, though more softly, "Please give me a chance to explain."
She eyed me again with that same uncertainty.
"Fine..."
Xx…………………………………..xX
"Paige, this is Shay. You better come fetch your shit before I drop it on the sidewalk. I know how much you love your Metallica vinyls."
The voice message beeped in Paige's pocket.
