Page 155 of Tattooed Love

I’d pushed the only woman capable of leading beside me, away - to another country!

“Amber, I can’t…” How do I say this?

“You can,” she said firmly. “You can lead. You can make the club bigger, better. You can do it.”

She had faith in me, pity I didn’t have the same faith in me.

“I need to see you,” I said. My need to see her was killing me.

“Ok, then facetime me.”

Was she serious? She was seriously going to let me see her? After everything I’d done?

“You serious?” I said, not believing her.

“Yes.”

“Alright, I’ll be one second.” I didn’t want to hang up on her just in case she didn’t answer my call when I called again. Was she just asking me to facetime her so she could get off the phone to me?

“Ok,” she said, not sounding like she was blowing me off.

I hung up and facetimed her. My heart rate increased when I read the ‘connecting’ on the phone.

She actually answered.

Then there was a black screen.

“Give me a sec,” she said, and then the lights came on, and my screen lit up. She was frowning, and squinting from the light. “Ok, that’s bright,” she said, and yawned then looked into the camera, a frown on her face again. “You look tired Jax.”

I had given up on sleep. I couldn’t sleep. Not without her.

“You look great.” I said, matter of factly. She looked fucking perfect. Her black hair fell forward, and I frowned. “You cut your hair.”

“Yeah, it was getting too long. And in the way.” She moved on the bed, and I noticed a tattoo on her collarbone.

“New ink?”

She frowned and then realized I had seen her tattoo on her collarbone. “Oh yeah.” She smiled. “Got it when I got here. Thought it was about time I made a mark on my body, and not someone else.”

“What is it?” I looked closer, trying to work it out; looked like writing.

“It says exhale the past,” she answered me and shrugged. “Sort of was fitting.”

Was I the past she was exhaling? The small smile on my face that appeared when I saw her disappeared. She really had moved on.

“So, what have you been doing?” I asked, wanting to have a normal conversation with her. How many times had I wondered what she was doing? How many times had I just wanted to call her, just to know was she ok?

She smiled, and it was a full blown smile. “I’d tell you, but you wouldn’t believe me.”

I arched my eyebrows. “Your brothers have reason to be worried about you, don’t they?” She already had me worrying. But I was starting to think maybe there was more to it now. What was she up to?

“I’ll have you know, I can look after myself.” She said smugly. “And…” She got up and the camera followed her as she walked through her bedroom and then her face disappeared and I was looking at math notes, “I’ve just been studying.”

“Advance maths, hey?” I said, taking in the figures. “You hate maths.” It was a statement, not a question or a maybe; it was a fact. Amber was allergic to homework and anything to do with school.

“That was when I didn’t think it was important,” she said, and the camera was back on her. “So want to explain the whole club thing?” She arched an eyebrow at me, knowing me too well.

“Don’t want to talk about the club.” I wanted to talk about her. I wanted answers to all my questions. One that was bugging me from when she picked up the phone. “Who is Tae?”