I pressed the side button and focused on Zahra.
“You were saying?”
She shrugged. “Never mind.” She pulled in next to a tattoo and piercing store, which looked like a place I would never go. “We’re here!”
“Why, if I may ask, do you need a tattoo?”
She turned off the engine, turning to look at me. “I already told you, but you didn’t hear… texting and all, come on.” She smiled. “I’ll explain while we’re in there.”
The store wasn’t too small or too large, but the music was odd and disturbed my ears. Sounds of tattoo needles on skin came from behind a door to the left. It was a little dark inside, black leather seats pressed against the artful black walls littered with several colors in drawings and eye-catching designs. It was a little warm, and the smell of ink couldn’t be covered by whatever air freshener was busy spitting out fragrance every minute. There was a faint smell of sweat that also irritated me.
I hated the environment, but I kept quiet.
Zahra walked to the little reception desk, occupied by a woman with a buzzcut and piercings on her lips, nose, andbrows; tattoos littered her skin. “’Sup, Tatty,” Zahra greeted with a grin. “Been a while!”
Tatty responded with a surprisingly calm smile. “Zahra, I’m shocked; what has it been—a year?”
“Business these days—got myself in a bit of a situation that had me off the grid for months now. It’s been crazy.”
Tatty’s eyes shifted to me. “Oh, I see; who’s the beauty glaring at us?”
I was not glaring.
“He’s with me, and trust me, that is not a glare,” Zahra said, glancing briefly at me. “Where’s Julio?”
A door opened on one side, and a big, tatted man emerged with a huge grin on his face. “Zahra, mi amor,” he said.
She turned, and beamed…beamed.
“Julio, mon cœur, I’ve missed you!”
And then they were hugging.
Right there, a few feet away from me.
I had suddenly become invisible.
The man looked to be in his late twenties; he had a young face, and it was apparent that he visited the gym frequently.
They pulled apart, and the man’s eyes took her in before settling on her chest, raising his hands in an attempt to touch her. “How are these beauties—”
My feet moved, and my hand grabbed the man’s wrist before it could meet her chest; I squeezed it, aiming to shatter his bones beyond repair.
“Nng—Ow, ow, ow, amigo!” the man screeched, his body bending with my hold, trying to stop me from breaking his wrist.
Zahra’s gasp reached my ears as she grabbed my arm, trying to release my hold. “Elio, what the fuck? Let go of him.”
My stare burned into his. “Do you just touch women without their permission?”
“What the—No, I was trying to check—”
“Check what?”
“To see—Ah!”
“Jesus, Elio, let him go! He’s Julio; remember the guy I told you about, the one who did my piercings?”
My grip tightened, and the man folded, dancing on his feet in pain, pain that was reflected in his face.
