Page 174 of Not My Type
She starts tattooing my skin, and the needle sinks in. A sharp sting shoots through me, and I can’t help but scream. The ink digs deeper with each pass, leaving a burning trail under my skin.
“No... mi nuh bother wah yuh dweet,” I cry, nervously.
“Zara stop make daddy disappointed,” Nickoi jokes. He’s at the door watching.
“Chro... alright,” I blush as she keeps working, the sting getting worse with each line.
I flinch but Nickoi sits next to me, wrapping his arms around me. His touch calms me, easing the pain as she continues. It still hurts, but with him close, I feel braver. Awwww.
“Yah G enuh,” he smiles. “Cya fraid a tattoo Mami.”
“It hotttt,” I whine.
They laugh. “A she asks fi tattoo enuh,” Nickoi says to Stacy.
“Yuh ever hear say style come wid pain?” She teases and I nod pitifully. Nickoi looks at me with a goofy smile.
52. DON
Zara
“A you did wah roses enuh,” he teases and I roll my eyes playfully.
“Stop the noise,” I whine, focusing on the needle as it moves precisely through my skin.
“Keep steady,” Stacy advises and I close my eyes.
Nickoi is next to me, holding my arm. As the needle dances around on my skin. It feels like a sharp knife tearing through my skin. Mi nah lie.
A you tek up yuh nuff self bout yuh wah tattoo, my subconscious laughs.
I hiss. Stacy dips the needle in the ink before she starts applying it to my skin again. How people get full body tattoo and them sup’m deh?
Dem want the style so dem bear the pain.
For the remainder of the session I focus on Nickoi as he rubs my arms in an attempt to comfort me. It serves as a well needed distraction from the pain. A sigh of relief leaves my lips when the pain subsides.
Stacy rubs a gel on the area that starts taking effect seconds after. I watch her intently. When she’s finally done, she rubs a cream on it and she tells me a list of things of do’s and don’ts.
“Mi put the plastic wrap pon it now... a it a go protect the tattoo from bacteria,” I nod.
“And make sure you rub some Vaseline pon it twice a day,” she reminds me and I nod.
“And like how Nick been a do this he can guide you,” she adds.
Nickoi continues to rub my arms, even though the pain reduced a little but mi nah tell him fi stop because something about him rubbing me feels so heavenly. Yuh feel like yuh in a heaven eeeh, my subconscious laughs.
I smile, trying so hard to hold my laugh. “So how long it a go hurt?” I ask softly
because I hate the pain.
“Well it a guh hurt yuh fi a week or so,” she says and I breathe. Jesus that nuh sound good.
“Okay,” I say.
“A you that though... it well cute and thing,” she compliments her and I laugh.
“Yes and thank you. You did such a great job,” I smile, looking at it.
