Page 14 of Beck

“Be kind, Beck. You never know what you’ll end up getting.”

Drake disappeared, and Beck pushed off the tree, brushing himself down again. He glared at Drake’s retreating back and sighed. Maybe he’d go to bed early so he was asleep by the time Drake came into the bedroom. Maybe then he’d leave him alone.

Laughter reached his ears, and he shook his head, sprinting off in the direction of the foster siblings he actually liked.

Beck startled awake, but it only took seconds for him to reorient himself. Waking up on the sofa was a regular occurrence, as was the sweat coating his skin. He breathed deeply before pushing to sit upright. His head spun a little, but he closed his eyes and waited until it passed. Once it had, he headed for the kitchen; coffee was calling his name. While he waited for the kettle, he stared out of the window into the early morning light, watching the commuters drive past his flat.

It wasn’t a luxurious place to live, but it was his, and he couldn’t be happier with it. His little house was between an estate agent’s and another house and had two floors. The first floor had a living room, kitchen and bedroom, and the top floor had two small bedrooms. He rarely used the top floor, except for storage, but it was handy if anyone needed to stay over. Not that anyone did.

The noise from the road wasn’t as loud as he’d found it to be in other locations, so that was a bonus, but it sometimes got worse whenever there was an event going on at the bar or club down the road. But as he didn’t sleep much, it wasn’t a huge issue. Sometimes, he even went to join them.

The kettle clicked off, and he poured the hot water into the mug, the scent of coffee rising into the air. Despite being extremely hot, he wrapped his hands around it and stared out of the window some more. He had plenty of time before hehad to be at work, but he would be there far too early, anyway. What else did he have to do? Between pining after Kole and nightmares about his past, he didn’t have much taking up his time. Tattooing was the best release he ever had.

Once he finished that coffee, he made another and headed for the shower, finally washing off the nightmare he’d experienced. He didn’t feel much about them anymore; they were just…there. If he didn’t dwell on them, he was fine. But sometimes, nausea and headaches accompanied them. By the time he was dressed, that coffee was making its way through his body. He made one more for the road, which should give him enough energy to keep him awake for several hours, especially with more caffeine throughout the day. No one would be the wiser.

The radio kept him company on the thirty-minute drive to Life in Ink, and despite getting caught at every possible traffic light he could, he still made good time. He unlocked the door, switched off the alarm and locked the door behind him. He still had over an hour before he needed to open the doors to the public, so he dragged his ass up the stairs to his studio, flicking lights on as he went.

Immediately, he turned on some music, nodding his head when Bon Jovi started playing. No one could ever go wrong with Bon Jovi. Going through his usual routine, he set his studio up, pausing only when he received a message from Joey through the group chat.

JOEY: We have some amazing news!

He waited, but nothing else came through, so he typed:

BECK: You’re pregnant! Congrats!

JOEY: Close, but not quite.

He knew sarcasm when he read it. He waited again, but still nothing. Sighing, he sent another guess.

BECK: You’re emigrating to Australia?

JOEY: A little bit closer.

BECK: You’re eloping?

JOEY: Your guesses suck. Anyone else?

DALLAS: You’re pregnant?

DALLAS: Shit, Beck already did that one.

DALLAS: You’re marrying a prince?

JOEY: I’ve found my prince, Dallas. Don’t need another.

BECK: You’re closing up shop.

JOEY: What a traitorous thought! No way!

DALLAS: You’ve found someone to pay off your huge gambling debt from our visit to Vegas three years ago?

JOEY: I didn’t have a debt! Asshole!

JOEY: If anyone did, it was you.

DALLAS: Get real. I won plenty.

BECK: Ethan has decided to dump your ass because he realised I’m a much better catch?

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