He smiles, and there goes my heart flapping again.
Penn doesn’t even flinch as the tattoo needle pierces his skin. In fact, I’m pretty sure he’s taking a nap. He only opens his eyes when it’s finished.
He walks over to the mirror, checking it out. It looks amazing. He even colored the guitar in a shiny, almost glittering red ink to match the real thing. It’s incredible, and now I kinda want one.
“You know the drill by now, right?” Jason asks, tidying up his station.
“Yeah. Thanks, man. It’s great.”
“No problem. Let me cover it, and you can get out of here. Unless she’s next?”
Okay, I don’t want onethatbad.
Penn stares at me for a minute, and I freeze, trying to comeup with something to say that doesn’t sound lame, but he turns to Jason, slapping his shoulder. “Nah, man. Maybe next time.”
He nods and places a transparent bandage over the fresh ink. “You’re all set. If you have any issues, let me know.”
Penn grabs my hand and leads me back toward the front desk so he can pay. Ashtyn avoids looking at me while he swipes his card, making sure to tip well.
“Good seeing you again, Penn. I’ll text you when I’m able to make it to a show. I’d love to meet the rest of the guys. Maybe we can all hang out after.”
I narrow my eyes at her. She doesn’t quit, does she? Penn slides his wallet into his back pocket. “We’re usually with our girls after a show. Have a good night.” He wraps his arm around my shoulders, kissing my head before ushering us out. He opens his truck door for me.
“She has your number?” I don’t mean it to sound like an accusation. I’m genuinely just curious.
“She does.”
I scoot to the passenger side and turn toward the window, trying not to pout. The sleet has finally stopped, and the sky is clear, stars dotting the blackness above us like diamonds.
He grabs my thigh, squeezing gently. “She has my number in her system. Not because I gave it to her.I’m not interested in her,” he assures me, his voice gentle.
I smile sheepishly, jealousy forgotten. Mostly. “I like your tattoo,” I say as we head to his apartment, realizing I hadn’t complimented it yet.
“Thanks.”
“I was thinking about getting one,” I muse, avoiding his gaze. I’m afraid he really can read me with just a look.
“That right?”
“Mhm. But once again, you go and make the decision for me.” I sigh. He hits the brakes, whipping the truck to the side ofthe road. I reach out and grab the dash on instinct. “What the hell?!”
Throwing the truck in park, he faces me. “You want a tattoo, Olivia? I’ll take you back there right now, so don’t fuck with me.”
“W-well, I—” I stammer.
He waits for me to gather my thoughts. I wasn’t really going to get one, just like I really didn’t want to smoke weed that time at Travis’s. I was going to do it to spite him because I know what he must think of me. Predictable, maybe even boring.
“Your skin is perfect,” he says. “You don’t need a tattoo.”
“You have tons,” I point out.
He shrugs. “If you really want one, I’ll take you anytime, but don’t get it for the wrong reasons. I’m not trying to make decisions for you, but I can tell when you’re uncomfortable, whether you want to admit it or not.”
Ugh, damn.
“I just wanted to do something spontaneous,” I say.
“And there’s nothing wrong with that. I want you to do whatever makes you happy, but a tattoo is a big deal. It’s permanent. Make sure it means something, so you don’t regret it.”
