Page 72

"I mean, hell, Kieran, you even met my ex and my sister." Nic pokes my cheek, completely ignoring my question. "And we don't even get to meet the person you deem close enough to tattoo your fucking ass?"

"I don't follow. Why is it so important who tattoos my ass?"

Evan winces and pats my calf. "Bro, that's as if I'd never introduced you to Brooke or my brothers."

I turn my head to shoot him a glare over my shoulder. Traitor, I mouth. But he only shrugs and gets back to sketching out my leg.

"Brooke?" Lauren immediately asks. Of course she’d pick up on the name.

"My sister," Evan explains. Now he’s preparing his tattoo machine. I don’t need to check the sketch because we’re doing my other leg, mirrored. He’s got it. I can hear the distinct sound of him tearing plastic packages open to put the needle into his machine.

“Listen, I only just got her to not hate me. Let’s not jinx it by talking about her.”

"It's not as if she hated you." Evan pats my calf with a gloved hand. "But you're my ex. I'm not surprised there were some complicated feelings."

And there it is. Fuck. I thought we’d be inching towards this particular part of the conversation, not full-on steamrolling into it.

“Fuck. Habit, I’m so sorry,” Evan whispers, color drained from his face, but I shake my head.

"He's your ex?" Nic and Lauren stare at me, mouths agape.

I brace myself for their reaction, trying to prepare myself for whatever follows. "Oh, fuck." I groan and stare at the two of them like a deer in headlights.

"You're gay?" Lauren asks, voice an octave higher than usual. I’m not sure if it’s a good or a bad thing.

"I’m bi," I mumble under my breath, not daring to meet their eyes.

"Why did you never tell us?" Nic crosses her arms in front of her chest, but if anything, she sounds disappointed. "I could have set you up with that cute guy who came over to install my AC the other day." Lauren’s head whips to her.

Breathe, Kieran. This is going well.

Way better than I ever thought it would.

Don’t mess it up.

"Oh, he was cute? How am I only now hearing of this?" I pout, trying to not show how monumental this conversation is for me.

Lauren leans forward and flicks my forehead. "Because we didn't know you'd be interested."

"Seriously?" Evan asks dryly and starts tattooing. I wince. The first time the needle digs into my skin is always the worst, and since I’m being interrogated, I can’t exactly get into my Zen zone.

"Hey, I don't go around assuming things about people." Lauren jumps up and paces through Evan’s studio. Which makes me want to do the same. But I can’t.

"Alright, alright, settle down. And stop pacing. It's making me antsy." I point to her chair. "Seriously, sit down, Lauren. Don’t distract Evan, he’s kind of marking me for life and I’d prefer he doesn’t fuck it up."

God, everything inside me is itching with the need to jump up and run away and ignore the fact that this conversation is happening. But alas, I am pinned under a tattoo needle and the distinct stares of three people.

Yet, for some reason, I'm not panicking as much as I imagined I would be during this long overdue conversation.

"I don't exactly go around and advertise my sexuality because I've received some mixed reactions to it before." I shrug, earning a flick to my calf that makes me glance over my shoulder. "Yeah, yeah, keep still, sorry Evan.” Then I turn back to Nic and Lauren. “You know, hetero friends being okay with it until I was in a relationship with a guy, and the LGBTQ community acting weird once I got into a straight presenting relationship. So I prefer keeping it to myself."

Nic's face falls and her eyes glisten. She gulps. "Did you seriously think we'd shun you for being into guys?"

When I glance at Lauren, I notice tears also shimmering in her eyes. Guilt gnaws at my conscience, making my stomach all bubbly.

"No, of course not," I assure them and let out a deep sigh. "It’s not you, it’s me.”

I wince. Even I realize how out of place my joking is in this conversation.