“It sounds like you speak from experience, which makes me jealous.”
“I honestly never expected to be in this situation in my life. I always thought I would end up in prison with my quick temperament and terrible life decisions. But here I am instead, in New York, living the dream.”
“You make it sound so damn easy.”
His expression grows serious. “It’s anything but.”
“I know, but somehow your entire being screams confidence in your talent and where you are in life,” I tell him as I flatten my palms against my dress.
“They say that you should fake it until you make it. That really stuck with me. At times, I’m as insecure as the next person. Then I think about how I can fix that, make changes, wait for the positive results, and move on.”
“What if things go wrong?”
“It’s called personal development; you should google it,” he says as an easy smile plays at the corners of his mouth.
I let out a small chuckle. “Aren’t you just a funny guy, Bennett?”
“Not as funny as you are, Kennedy.”
We finish our break in silence after that. Two hours later, when I get home from the shop, I think about how Jax is nothing like I imagined him to be after he ghosted me. There’s so much more to him than I expected.
13
SOPH
Currently playing: Wannabe by Spice Girls
Jax has organized a night out with the team to celebrate the end of my first week at King Tattoo. I’m excited to relax and get to know the people I work with better, even though I don’t know how to act around the guy who manages the shop.
People stare at us wherever we go as a group, especially the ladies who do double-takes when we walk past them. I mean, I’m the only one out of us who doesn’t have any tattoos and lacks that certain badassery that the rest have in spades. They are like colorful canvases full of art walking around the streets of New York. And let’s not forget how good-looking they are too. The guys—Jax, Dom, Spade, and Rogue—are all hot in their unique ways. Then there’s Nelly, a real-life pin-up girl with tattoos, beautiful dresses, and bright red hair. I wish I had even half of her confidence.
Still, even though all my coworkers are attractive, my boss is the one who comes to my dreams. I try to avoid thoughts abouthim, but it’s simply hard to ignore a guy who looks like he does. Jax’s wearing one of his well-fitted leather jackets today that hugs his toned body. His hair has been cut, and it’s longer on top, shaved on the sides. His long sleeves cover most of his tattoos, but some are still there for the rest of us to admire. Whenever he looks my way, I see my favorite, the Death Moth design.
Nelly notices me watching him. “Girl, you have it bad! I know I teased you about it, but this doesn’t feel like a joke anymore.”
My cheeks feel warm as I try to avoid the topic, embarrassed that she noticed. “Can we not talk about it right now?”
She grabs my arm and squeezes it. “I was just kidding. Guess I hit a nerve with that comment.”
“You did,” I mumble as we stop in front of one of the karaoke bars in the city. I get excited about the possibility of singing something fun tonight and letting loose.
“Who had this brilliant idea of the place?”
Jax clears his throat. “I thought it could be fun to hear Dom and Spade’s unique rendition of “Total Eclipse of the Heart” again.”
Spade pokes him in his ribs. “It wasn’tthathorrible. Are you trying to make me punch that pretty face?”
“Oh yeah, mate, sure, you sounded as lovely as seagulls in heat.” Rogue grins, watching the two.
Dom acts like he’s hurt while Spade pushes him closer to the door. We follow them, ready to get the fun started. I haven’t told anyone in this group that I sing. Jax only knows since he’s seen me perform live before.
We walk to the corner table holding three ice buckets filled with alcohol and mixers reserved for us. While mixing usdrinks, Nelly’s planning her first song and wants someone to sing with her. “I don’t know if I can go up there alone.”
Jax rubs his face after watching her hopeful expression. “Nelly, I could join you for a duet. My voice isn’t that bad.”
She beams like her biggest wish just came true. “No way, you never sing with us!”
“Maybe tonight is the night,” Jax says, taking another sip of the vodka soda Nelly handed him only a moment earlier.
