Page 28 of You Found Me in the Dark
The question hit harder than I expected.
“She’s… not,” I said finally. “Not yet. Maybe never. But I—I couldn’t not be there. When I found her last night…” My throat tightened, uninvited. “She looked so lost.”
Dax nodded slowly. “Sounds like you already crossed the line, man. Even if you haven’t said it out loud.”
I didn’t answer.
He bent down to whisper in my ear. “Finish this piece and then take a walk, clear your head. Or call her. Whatever helps you not mess up the next dragon tattoo.”
I gave a small smirk. “It’s a wolf.”
“Even worse,” he muttered, heading out of the room. “More lines to screw up.”
I continued the tattoo, thinking about the girl I hadn’t named and how much of my chest she’d unknowingly carved open in one single night.
After finishing the first tattoo of my day, I headed out back with water and a granola bar. The back alley behind the shop smelled like cigarettes and fresh-cut grass, but it was quiet. Quiet was rare on days like this.
I leaned against the brick wall, phone in hand, the hum of the tattoo gun still buzzing in my bones. My head hadn’t stopped running loops since I woke up this morning. Since her.
I didn’t have a name for what was happening between us. I just knew I wanted to be the one she turned to. Whether that meant showing up in the middle of the night or saying the right thing over text in the middle of a hangover morning.
My thumb hovered over her name for a second before I finally gave in and typed:
Me
You guys okay?
The reply came quicker than I expected.
Wren
Barely. There’s a very hungover Lena throwing up three feet from me. Harp’s been trying to get her to drink water like she’s a feral cat.
I laughed quietly, shaking my head.
Me
Sounds like you’re living the dream.
Wren
Living something, anyway. You survive your dragon-wolf-demon tattoo or whatever it is you’re doing today?
Me
Wolf. And yeah, still breathing. Dax keeps staring at me like I grew a second head.
Wren
You did go full knight-in-shining-hoodie mode last night. Maybe he’s just impressed.
I paused, reading that line over twice. I wanted to ask if she was okay, but I didn’t want to push. Not through text. Still, I had to say something.
Me
I keep thinking about the look on your face when I found you last night.
There was a longer pause this time. I watched the little typing bubble blink in and out, like she kept starting and stopping.
