Page 24 of Aries

“You can, if you want.”

“You said two weeks, right?”

“Maximum, yeah. Why? Are you going to let me draw on you?”

I wasn’t exactly entertaining the idea of a tattoo, but I wasn’t against the idea of giving him more time to spend on my body giving it special attention. “Sure, but it has to be nice, it can’t just be like a cock and balls.”

“Would I?” he asked, holding back laughter. That was the laugh of someone who’d been given an idea. “No,” he said. “I wouldn’t. But I would like to draw a pattern, nothing specific, just ornate, like you.”

“But I can draw a cock and balls, right?”

“If you find somewhere on me that’ll fit a hugecock and balls, you can go right ahead,” he said. “Nothing on the face though.”

“Obviously, I wouldn’t want to do anything to your pretty face, except kiss it.”

“Then get over here and kiss me.”

Kissing was a dangerous game, especially when I knew where it led to, and what I’d get from it. A third canvas was sitting in wait in the back of my mind for an emotional explosion to burst out on it, but that would have to wait until the morning, I’d run my creative well dry.

I’d never heard of temporary tattoo pens, so I made sure to ask plenty of questions. I’d heard about the stick-on ones and then there was henna that I knew people used, although my only instance of it was a TV show that featured a wedding between an Indian woman and an American man, and they used the stuff to decorate her hands and arms.

“We draw, we wait, we wash, and then in the morning it’ll be there,” he explained for the second time. “Although it might not look like you’ve done anything to me. So, you’ll have to make your memorable.”

“Cock and balls,” I said, nodding to my idea. It was the only thing that was memorable enough considering all of his tattoos.

We both stripped down to our underwear, giving us a nice look at our canvases. Gael had a lot of real estate to work with on my body, whereas I had slithers of untouched skin, but plenty of colors to use.

I got to work on him first. Since there wasn’t a lot of space, I just went for somewhere I thought would be funny. Right next to his Daddytattoo. “I’m going first,” I announced. I used the blue pen and quickly realized that it was very liquid. I pressed the pen to his abdomen, ready to draw the balls under the big letterD. It dripped down, over the line work near his groin. “What if it goes over a tattoo?”

“I’m not sure. Try not to let it get on you,” he said. “Your all mine.”

It was too late; it was already on a couple fingertips.

I drew quick, making sure to occupy as much space as possible while attaching the cock and balls to the letter.

He laughed at it, looking down to admire it. “Well, you did say that’s what you’d do.”

“I felt pressured to perform,” I said. “Now it’s your turn.”

“Perfect. I promise not to draw a cock on you, you’re gonna want this permanently,” he said. “Come lay down like you’re in my chair at the shop.” He sat on the bed and patted the spot beside him.

“My back or front?” I asked.

“On your back.”

I laid back on the bed and he immediately grabbed my hand. “I should’ve given you a glove,” he said. “My bad. I don’t even have one for myself.”

“Two weeks, I’ve had paint stain me for longer,” I said. “What are you gonna draw?”

“Lay back, close your eyes, and I’ll let you know when you can look.”

This was just like the blindfold again, except I could look, but I was choosing not to. I didn’t know what to expect, or how I’d look with a faux tattoo.

The pen was cold on my skin, but I stayed still and controlled my breathing as much as possible. “This is like when someone draws on your back and you have to guess what it is,” I said, but it was nothing like that. I couldn’t guess anything.

“You won’t be able to,” he said.

There were a lot of lines and swirls, it felt like I was being stroked to sleep. I didn’t know how much more of it I could take before sleep took over. And I didn’t get to find out because I was being nudged awake what felt like seconds later.

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