Page 37 of You Found Me in the Dark
Now I couldn’t wait to show her.
The shop was quiet when we pulled up. It was still closed since it was only ten in the morning. I didn’t have any clients today, and it was rare for Dax to show up on a Saturday before one. I unlocked the door and held it open, watching her step inside like she was crossing into Wonderland.
She took it all in. The high ceilings, dark color, and walls packed with art like a living scrapbook of every tattooist who’d left a mark here.
She spun in a slow circle, awe softening every line of her face. “Reed… this is so much cooler than I pictured.”
I scratched the back of my neck, grinning. “Yeah? You imagined it?”
“Of course I did,” she said, trailing her fingers along a glass jewelry display case. “You’ve worked here forever. I used to sit on the couch and picture you hunched over someone’s arm, being all serious and sexy with gloves on.”
I blinked. She blinked. Then we both cracked up.
“Well,” I said, trying not to let sexy with gloves on completely scramble my brain, “there’s a photo of me doing exactly that, if you want the real thing.”
I gently grabbed her hand, led her past the front desk, down a hallway lined with framed flash designs, and into the back room where my station sat.
She lingered in the doorway like it was sacred. “You brought me to your temple,” she said, voice hushed with admiration.
I leaned against the counter, arms folded. “Told you I’d show you.”
When her eyes met mine. They were wide, shining, completely undone with wonder, and it left me breathless.
I’d finally let her in.
24
WREN
The shop smelled like antiseptic and ink. I turned slowly, taking everything in. There were flash sheets that lined the walls, black leather chairs gleamed under the lights, and so many items neatly organized on his desk. It was all so him. God, I wanted to be a part of it.
I looked over at Reed, still leaning against his station, watching me like I was some kind of miracle unfolding in front of him.
And before I could think better of it, the words tumbled out?—
“Tattoo me.” They echoed in the quiet, louder than I meant.
I froze, heart pounding. “I mean—” I laughed nervously, pinching the bridge of my nose. “That came out dramatic. I just… I’ve always wanted one, and I’m here, and you’re you, and I?—”
I took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. “Tattoo me,” I repeated, softer this time, like maybe I could take it back if I needed to. “Only if it’s not weird.”
Reed’s mouth twitched. He tilted his head slightly, like hewas studying me through a lens only he could see. Like he could already read the words on my skin before they existed.
“Not weird,” he said, voice low. “Not at all.”
Then came that crooked, heart-ruining smile. “What do you have in mind?”
I exhaled, nerves buzzing. “I have no idea. Something small. Meaningful.”
Reed stepped closer, slow and steady, like I was something delicate. But his eyes were warm and curious.
“You trust me to put something permanent on your body?”
“I trust you.” No hesitation.
His expression shifted—just slightly—but I saw it. He felt that. And so did I. This wasn’t just about a tattoo. It was about choosing him. And maybe, deep down, I already had.
He took one more step, and everything in me short-circuited. My lungs forgot how to work. My feet stayed planted, but my heart? It practically launched itself from my chest.
