How did a guy make something like that so sensual? Why the fuck was I finding it sensual? I knew splitting with Susie would lead to some upheaval in my life, but I hadn’t thought it’d entail this much. His other arm snagged my attention, a few details clearer.
“Wait, is your other sleeve Gotham city?” I asked, peering at the art. The bat signal was clear on the opposite side, but I hadn’t caught the full glimpse of it earlier. I’d been pretty focused on the needle that went through my dick instead.
“Oh, hell yeah. Huge Batman fan,” he said, clapping a hand against the piece. “I’d let Batman and all of his Robins—even Steph if she wanted to peg—run a train on me.”
I opened my mouth and shut it again. Holy fuck, Rory was one of the most unique people I’d ever met. Amusement bubbled inside me.
His eyes widened, as if he realized what he’d said out loud, and then he shrugged. “Welcome to dealing with me outside of work. Totally understand if this is too much and you want to lose my number.”
The simple way he stated that, like he’d dealt with rejection time and again, struck me square in the chest. Maybe it was the way he kept me on my toes when I’d grown so used to monotony, but being around Rory sparked my mind to life in a way I liked. He was unpredictable and interesting, and he moved from topic to topic with ease. Considering how stagnant I’d been feeling, how adrift, the fact that he welcomed me in effortlessly had imprinted on me with surprising depth.
“Pretty sure I’m going to keep your number,” I responded. “Who else is going to accept my crusty dick pics?”
Rory’s bright laugh was infectious, and my shoulders quaked as one erupted from me. Susie and I had shared affection, but we were too alike in personality, both of us insufferably practical. And my brothers and I didn’t usually laugh together—it had mostly been them laughing at me.
I took a sip of my beer, savoring the taste.
After Susie and I had split, my nights had become even more monotonous, despite my attempts to start on my list. I wasn’t coming home to take care of a kid or partner—no, it was just me and a succulent that I was pretty sure was dying a slow and belabored death. And Rory—well, within hours of meeting him, my adrenaline picked up, and my whole body responded to his lightness, as if I was a plant craning toward the sun.
Not sure what I’d bring to the table friendship-wise here, but if he wasn’t tired of me after our dinner, I wanted more of this.
More brightness, more laughs, more easy conversation.
I was definitely keeping his number.
Chapter three
Rory
The coffee remaining in the coffeemaker was questionable.
I thought I’d made some last night, but that could’ve been two nights ago. And August didn’t drink coffee because he was crazy and got energy from hopes and dreams or some shit.
“Don’t drink it,” August called over as he walked into the kitchen. “That’s been sitting there for three days now.”
My nose wrinkled. Fine, maybe I could grab a coffee on my way into work later. I glanced at my phone to see no new texts apart from the Brannon family chain blowing up like usual. A small part of me had been hoping Harper’s dad would gift me some dick pics, even if it was just to check in on his piercing. However, that had been a few days ago, and nada. Probably for the best. Harps would kill me if I made a pass at her dad. She hadn’t wanted the overshare on the piercing her dad got, but being the amazing friend I was, I filled her in anyway yesterday.
“Please don’t tell me you did drink it? You’re still standing there staring.” August was shirtless, which was worth an ogle because myroommate was a hottie who kept in shape and happened to be a total sweetheart. Way too sweet for me, to be honest. He’d started college, hated it, then dropped out to apprentice at Alchemy Ink, which had been a perfect fit. The guy’s watercolor-style art was gorgeous.
“Nah,” I said and then scrubbed my face. Most times I’d blurt out whatever was on my mind, but this percolated a bit deeper. And while I was a dumbass, August worked with both Harper and me, and I didn’t want to cause problems on the job.
“You bug Owen yet about the tattoo convention?” August asked.
I squeezed the back of my neck as I plunked down into the open seat. The idea had been brewing around in my mind for a while, and it kept reappearing, which was a rarity for me. No one took me seriously when pitching anything because I was the king of unfinished projects. Ideas burst into my brain like fireworks, but they left just as quickly.
However, this one still had claws in me.
As much as I joked about running low on clients, the truth was, this line of work was unpredictable, which I loved and loathed in the same breath. And making more of a name for myself at a show, getting to put myself out there in a larger forum, would be an amazing way to carve a place on the Philly landscape, not just as a no-name piercer in the burbs. I had no intention of leaving Alchemy Ink, but damn, the urge to prove myself rose up in a real way.
To prove I could not only keep a job but excel at it.
“Maybe,” I muttered, grabbing a rogue spoon hanging out on the table and tapping out a beat on the surface.Thunk, thunk, thunk.
“Right, so you haven’t yet.” August flashed me a grin as he sat opposite me with a bowl of some flaky shit he called cereal. It looked foul to me. He started shoveling it into his mouth with gusto.
My phone buzzed, and I lunged for it on reflex.
Text.
