I turn around, but before I can get a word out of my mouth, I get a clear view of him leaning against the door frame, looking at me with enchanting eyes.How can eyes be so damn seductive?I try to hide my reaction to him, but he can read my thoughts too well based on his smirk.
“You know, Sophia, if you aren’t careful, I might think you actually find me attractive. Your eyes tell meeverything.”
“You’re so full of it,Jackass.”
He lets out a tsking sound. “And you love it.”
“Oh, you wish,” I huff and start to take plates out of the cupboard in the break room. Jax comes over and helps me, as he’s almost a foot taller than I am if I'm not wearing heels. When our hands touch, I can feel the charge buzzing through my body, just like the first time I touched him a year ago. Apparently I’m not the only one who feels it, based on his sharp intake of breath.
After a moment of hesitation, Jax hands me the plates, and I take them, ignoring how my body reacts to his. We both walk over to the table and sit down on opposite sides.
Opening my sub, I get my dinner ready and my eyes land on a comic someone left on the table. “I’m more of a DC girl myself.”
Jax follows my gaze and chuckles. “Thank fuck. My cousins are more into Marvel, and I get tired of discussing those movies every time I see them.”
“I mean, I don’t mind Chris Evans as Captain America.”
“I should have guessed that he’s your favorite.”
I swear, I could feel him rolling his eyes when he said that. “And many others agree with me. He’s the sexiest man alive, after all.”
“So I have heard,” Jax says playfully and hands over my water bottle. “Do you mind if I play some music?”
“Sure, whatever you like,” I tell him.
It doesn’t take long before the speakers in the corner of the break room play Alice Cooper’sTrashalbum. I smile to myself as I knew Jax was going to choose rock music—everything about him screams rock’n’roll.
“What got you interested in tattoos?” I ask Jax after I’ve counted the last item in the storage room and get ready to leave the shop for the night. It’s taken us way over the three hours that I was promised. But I haven’t minded spending more time with him—something I didn’t see coming only a few weeks ago.
Jax smiles before clearing his throat. “Since I was a kid, I’ve been interested in tattoos and how permanent they are. There’s no other way to put it. My uncle Joey has both his arms covered in them, too. Growing up, I would take a crayon and trace the lines of his body art. It stuck with me. It did also help that King, who I have always looked up to, started his tattoo shop when I was only eleven. I would spend hours watching him and others tattooing if their clients were fine with it.”
“Is that how you discovered your love for art?”
“Nah, I have loved all types of art for as long as I can remember. I remember finger-painting back in elementary school and loving every moment. I also loved seeing photos and spent hours studying paintings online because my mother didn’t have money to travel to art galleries and museums. I wish museums had online galleries back then like many do these days.”
I get what he means. “That was me growing up too. I loved art classes and everything related to drawing, painting, and such. My parents were happy that I found my two passions early. But we didn’t travel much, so I mostly got my fix online.”
“You mean art and singing as your two passions?” he clarifies.
“Yeah, those two things have kept me happy for as long as I can remember. I have a big stack of sketchbooks filled with my drawings in the back of my closet.”
Jax chuckles. “Same. Funnily enough, art and music are two things I couldn’t live without either. We have more in common than you would expect.”
My cheeks feel warmer at his words. “So, did you always know you wanted to be a tattoo artist?”
“That or a rock star. But I quickly realized that making it as a tattoo artist would be easier and less time-consuming. However, I underestimated how much training it takes to get to the level I want.”
“But aren’t you like one of thebestat King Tattoo?”
He looks bashful. “I wish, but there are far more amazing artists in our other locations. I hope you meet them one day and see what I mean.”
“I think it’s cool that you found what you want to do in life. I would love to perform, but I can’t take the risk of following my dreams right now,” I admit, and want to take my words back as soon as they leave my mouth.
“Why is that?”
“My family needs me more than my dreams do. If I tried to make a go of performing, I would need at least some savings, which I don’t currently have.”
Jax ponders my words for a bit before nodding. “You know, doing what you love every day is something special. If you ever have an opportunity to sing full-time, I recommend it.”
