Page 63 of The Marriage Narrative
“But I want all the other wives to be jealous of me,” she joked.
“Are you calling me a trophy husband?”
She gave him a cool look. “We both know exactly who the trophy is in this relationship.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Both of us?”
“You damn right. Look at me.” She cackled and twirled in a circle. “Look at us.”
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “CanIsay something extremely inappropriate?”
“No. Stop trying to steal my lines. Let me see your arm.” His tattoo covered his entire shoulder—a large starfish with rich blue waves spiraling behind it and flowing down his upper arm. “It’s so big.”
He snickered.
“Oh, you know what I meant. Cut that out.” She tapped his arm. “Did it hurt?
“A little bit, yeah. Do you have any?”
“Needles freak me out. I was born with all my artwork. See? I have eight of them.”
He reached out and stopped a few inches shy of touching the spotted cluster at the base of her sternum. “Uh, sorry. I’ve noticed the ones on your legs before.”
“Yeah,” she said absently, thinking about grabbing his wrist and placing his hand on her birthmark. Imagining how his calloused palm would feel on her skin…
He cleared his throat. “Zin?”
“Huh? Yes! Right. Birthmarks on my leg. Those are called Easter Egg and Swiss. I’m like a Rorschach test. Everyone sees something different, but I name them based on what I see.” She pointed to her chest. “Speckled Ridge.” Lifted her right arm. “The Whale.” She pointed behind her and laughed. “Cumulonimbus on my left ass cheek.”
“Can I see it?”
She palmed the starfish on his shoulder, riding the wave that went down his tricep with her fingertips.Touching is fine, she thought, trying to communicate with him telepathically. Reading each other’s faces wasn’t enough. She had big psychic dreams for their future.
“Maybe someday.” She let her hand fall to her side and climbed onto his bed. “Probably the same day you tell me what your tattoo means.”
He inhaled sharply, eyes on hers. “Deal.”
ZnO2 Group Chat
FIONA:Give me details! tell me everything!
ZINNIA:He snores
FIONA:…that’s it?
ZINNIA:Really loudly
FIONA:So nothing happened? you honestly just slept?
ZINNIA:He did tell me that he usually sleeps naked. I didn’t want him to change for me so I took my clothes off too
ZINNIA:Why are you calling me? I thought you were working
Jordan
He truly slept like the dead—on his back, barely moving, but he’d inexplicably blipped awake three times during the night.
During his first burst of consciousness, Zinnia was sprawled out like a starfish with one hand holding his wrist in a death grip.
