Chapter Fourteen
Atlas
Feeling better about where Cora and I are at, I head to my station and greet my next client. He found us online and is older than the people we normally see. If I had to guess, I’d say somewhere in his fifties, but he’s a client.
Cora said he specifically requested me because he wanted a stacked heart mandala. No color swirls: he just wanted to see if I would do it in blue lines instead of black. Different, but should still look cool.
Cora is back at reception now and is busy working on our social media page while sipping her coffee. It fills my chest with a warm, possessive feeling, knowing that not only did she accept my apology, but she seemed happy with what I brought her. She didn’t throw it out or in my face, so I’m taking it. I love being the cause of her happiness. I hope she gets used to it. Providing something for her makes me want to puff my chest out.
“Hey, man,” Aidan greets. “Thanks for fitting me in. I appreciate it.”
“No problem. Where are you thinking of for placement?” Looking over his skin, I notice his other tattoos. Most of them arebright and colorful, but I can tell they weren’t done well. The color is spotty and faded in some areas, and I’d be willing to bet my stake in the shop that he went to a ‘friend of a friend’s tattoo party’ and got some of these. There are skulls, snakes, and a blade, so the heart mandala he requested almost seems out of place.
“I’m thinking here.” Aidan points to the inside of his forearm. “I want it to be visible to me at all times. It’s to remember a family member who passed away a few years ago. I’ve been away and recently got back in the area to discover they’re gone.”
Nodding, I prep the area. After removing a few stray hairs and cleaning the skin, I place the stencil to get confirmation before I start.
“Yeah, man. That works for me.”
“Should only take a couple of hours. Just let me know if you need any breaks. Ready?”
After he nods, I get to work. He doesn’t talk, which is fine with me. It gives me time to think. The buzz is just background noise at this point.
Wiping away blood as I work, my mind drifts to Cora. She sits across the room from me, but I wonder if I’m capable of a relationship. There’s no doubt I want Cora with every molecule of my being, but I don’t want to frighten her. I never knew my parents, and Emma never really dated. Her ex-husband was quite the asshole. I lack guidance, and I’m already on thin ice as it is.I can’t afford to mess this up.
She’s currently laughing at something Kash said, which makes me want to punch him, but I see the way she pats his hand and shakes her head, and I know that she’s entertaining him.
“That his girl?” Aidan interrupts my thoughts.
“Nope.” I don’t offer anything else.
“That your girl?”
“Nope.” I’m not telling this fucker anything.
He laughs. “Not a man of many words, are you?”
“Just focusing, that’s all. Don’t want to give you any bad work, ya know?”
Getting back to it, the silence washes over me.
There’s rock music playing out of the shop speakers, and Rhett is working on a client, but other than that, it’s quiet. It’s how I prefer to work. It’s not a hair salon, and a lot of my clients do most of the talking, which works for me. I’m better with silence. When you’re silent, you can’t say the wrong thing.
An hour passes, and then two more. Aidan hasn’t asked for a break, and as I work, I realize he’s just about done.
“So, is she single then?” My hand freezes and my blood heats as I lift my head to look at him.
Why is he so stuck on Cora?
Noticing the change in my demeanor, he shrugs and shifts nervously. “I meant no offense. I just figured if she wasn’t his girl, maybe you were interested. She seems nice enough and about your age.”
Sitting back on my stool, I level him with a look. “She’s nice, but she works with us, so we look after her. We don’t get into each other’s business.”
“Like I said, I meant no offense. Just trying to have a conversation is all.”
“She’s an off-limits topic. We’re about done here, anyway.” Usually, I don’t rush my work, but judging by his other tattoos, this guy probably won’t notice the difference. I want him out of the shop. He’ll be blacklisted too.
Fortunately, Kash has found his way back toward the reception area where Cora sits. He’s pulled up a chair to look at something she’s pointing at on the computer screen. The fucker is sitting too close to her.
