“Which I blame on you. She will be twice as persistent about it now that you’re married. I hope you’re proud of the position you’ve put me in,” he joked.
“It isn’t like you won’t settle down. Sooner rather than later, if your recent sleepover is any indication.”
Elias took a drink of his beer. It wasn’t like his cousin didn’t know that he liked Eri. Hell, anyone who saw them interact could tell. He wasn’t hiding it or being subtle, but it was the first time they had addressed it. He hadn’t told anyone about the weekend’s events, so he could only assume that Eri had told Avian, and that was how Marco had found out.
“It wasn’t like that. She needed a place to stay for the night, so I let her stay with me.”
It wasn’t a lie. The pretense of her being at his house was because she’d been stranded, not because she’d wanted to spend that time with him. Yes, it had inadvertently served the purpose of spending time together, but not in the way he wanted it to happen for the first time they were alone. Elias wanted to ask her out, plan a date, and show her a good time. Not that they didn’t have fun when she was there, but there was a distinct difference between hanging out together and dating. The latter was what he wanted.
He’d been biding his time since he met her because he knew the wall she had up was higher than a skyscraper, thicker than the Amazon rainforest, and fortified. She was guarded, and he wanted to work on her letting it down before he took that step, and she had. At least marginally, and he would take that as a win, considering the time he spent with her was usually in someone else’s company. He needed to change that soon.
“It may not have been like that, but I’m sure you wanted it to be.”
Elias wouldn’t deny it. “I do, but I’m not in a rush either.” He’d never shied away from working for what he wanted, and he wanted Eri. This meant he was willing to put in the time and effort and be patient until it paid off in his favor. If she was so hellbent on denying their attraction and turned him down, then he would take the rejection on the chin and leave her alone.
“How did operation: Put a baby in Avian go?” he asked, changing the subject.
“I guess we’ll know in a couple of weeks. It’s not because of my lack of effort if she isn’t. It’s her birth control being a hater.”
Elias laughed. “She’s on birth control, and you’re trying to get her pregnant?”
“Correction. She’s on birth control, and I don’t mind if she ends up pregnant. Trust me, if I wanted her pregnant, she would be by now. I can wait until she finishes school and decides what career path she wants to take, if any.”
“That’s good news for me because Avian announcing she’s pregnant would only fuel my mom more, and I’d never hear the end.”
Marco chuckled. “True. You realize that when you start dating seriously, you’ll never hear the end of it, anyway.”
“Don’t remind me. The ultimate example of being between a rock and a hard place.” He took a drink of his beer. “Anyway, when are you putting up the post for the available chair?”
“In a few months. I want to catch up on my appointments first.”
“And you want someone who can pierce.”
“Ideally, I’d like to have someone who can do both, but I’m not opposed to hiring two people if the right candidates come in. I can always turn the room we use for storage into another private room. It’s small, but it will work.”
Elias nodded. Currently, there was only one private room at the parlor, and Marco used it most of the time unless one of them had an appointment to tattoo somewhere intimate. Having another would be beneficial, especially for a piercer. The number of people who liked to get nipple, clit, and dick piercings was higher than one might think.
“You should ask Eri to make the digital flyer for you. It would likely catch a lot of eyes.”
Marco smirked at him, and Elias rolled his eyes. It made the most sense to ask her since she majored in graphic design. It would also work out in the shop’s favor. More eyes meant more candidates and a bigger pool to choose from, but of course, his cousin thought he had ulterior motives.
When Eri was mentioned doing the flyer, the conversation about the tattoo competition they’d discussed several months ago came up. Marco still wanted to do it, but they needed to nail down a date and start planning all the details.
He lost track of how long they’d been discussing it or been in the kitchen, but they were both on their second beers when Avian came in.
“Eri and I are going to take the thank-you cards to a drop box and probably pick up some food. Is there anything you two have a taste for?”
“Well, since you asked—”
“Something that is food that can be consumed,” Avian cut Marco off, and Elias laughed.
“Trust me, I can consume it, but no, I’m good with whatever you want.”
“Elias?” Avian asked after shaking her head at Marco.
“Dealer’s choice,” he responded, and she nodded and left.
“Come on. Help me put these gifts away,” Marco stated a minute later after the front door closed.
