“I always have a good time when we spend time together. I’ll text you when I get home, okay?”
“Sounds good.” I watch as Jin gets his shoes and coat on before heading to the door. “Good night, Jin.”
Jin grins, leaning in and kissing my cheek one last time before stepping outside. My insides are a mess, my cheek is flaming, tingling from the kiss, and my mind is racing.
My fingers tighten around the clothes in my hand, pulling them to my chest. I walk deeper into my apartment, stepping into my bedroom. I know I should toss them in the dirty laundry. I know I should, but instincts, once again, win out tonight.
In my bedroom, there are two beds. One is just a normal bed I use for sleeping, but the other is just a mattress that sits on the floor in the corner of the room. There are sheets hanging from the ceiling like a privacy curtain.
I bite my bottom lip so hard I’m worried I might actually cut it open. Before I can overthink, I open the curtain just enough to toss Jin’s clothes onto the mattress before turning around and leaving the room. I’ll deal with that later. Right now, I’m going to finish watching Blue’s stream.
Chapter Seven
Jin
I step into thetattoo shop, looking around with wonder. There’s so many beautiful designs all over the walls. I want to sit down and look at them all, to admire each piece the same way someone would wander a museum.
“Jin! Hey!”
My eyes snap forward, finding Tilly. During the time we’ve been messaging, I’ve gotten to learn that she’s just as new to town as I am. The parlor might have only been open for a few months, but it already looks incredibly established in my eyes.
The tattoo on my shoulder burns as I think about it. If she’s using magic, then how did I end up with my own wings on my shoulder? How does that make any sense? Wouldn’t it have been better if she’d just tattooed nothing instead?
Ugh, everything is so confusing, made even more confusing by my feelings for Leo.
“Hi, Tilly! Thanks again for seeing me.”
“No problem at all,” she says with a smile, setting her sketchbook down. I eye the design, my stomach swooping.
“Tilly,” I say softly, staring down at the art she’s just been working on. The design is gorgeous. A phoenix with its wings spread wide, fire dancing against its feathers. “That’s the most beautiful design I’ve ever seen. Is that for someone?”
Tilly shakes her head. “Just something I was sketching out for fun.”
“Please, let me have it.”
“Like the drawing? Like this piece of paper?”
I shake my head quickly. “That can be my next tattoo. Right across my chest.”
Tilly chuckles. “I’ll save it for you, but I don’t think you wanna start with a giant chest piece, dude. We can work our way up to it.”
“Promise you won’t give it to anyone else?”
“I promise,” she says with a smile. “Now, let’s talk about what you were so worried about.”
I let out a deep sigh, rubbing at my face. “Okay,” I say softly, “I don’t want to be that guy and say maybe your magic was faulty when you did your tattoo but…” I let my voice trail off.
“Bold claim,” she says, but there’s a smile on her face. “Why do you think that?”
“I’m a Seraphim,” I explain slowly. “You tattooed my own wings onto my back.”
Tilly stares at me for a long moment before her lips curl up into a little smirk. “Okay, so because you’re a Seraphim, that clearly means you and only you can have wings?”
“Obviously not, don’t be ridiculous. It just seems like quite the coincidence that you tattooed wings that look exactly like myown on my back when it’s supposed to somehow be related to my soulmate.”
There’s a long pause where we both stare at each other. Tilly cracks first. “I don’t normally need to spell these things out,” she says softly. “Maybe, and hear me out here, there’s a chance your soulmate also has wings that are similar to yours?”
I hum, thinking. Every time I think about the possibility of a soulmate, I picture Leo’s face. His thick, messy, black hair. His gorgeous brown eyes. His soft smile. His broad shoulders and thin waist.
