Page 12 of Midnight Ink

Most of it’s my work.

Julian and I have been friends for nearly seven years now, since he came into the shop as an aspiring tattoo artist. Eventually he came to apprentice for me. He’s crazy talented. You’d have thought he grew up doing this. He’s fucking incredible and one of the few breaths of fresh air I have in my life.

“I swear to god you better not pop a boner while I’m facing your dick,” I hear Jamie whisper.

I lean down by his ear. “Go fuck yourself,” I whisper.

He chuckles, and I guess at least his sense of humor is back. “Hurry up before Noah gets back. I don’t want him to worry.”

Nodding, I focus on being mindful of my friend but getting this job done. I wish I could say the worst is over, but it’s actually yet to come. I suggested numbing cream, but we tried and it really didn’t help much.

I focus on my job and finish up the outline.

The car accident left him with patchy scars all over his back and chest. They’re a deep purple and shiny. I swallow and wonder if Jamie saw the jeep afterward.

I did.

I saw the jeep, or at least the crushed can it became, and I still can’t believe Jamie’s alive now. For a while I was told he blamed himself, but I don’t blame him at all. It wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t any of their fault.

The fault belongs to one man alone, and he died the night he blew through a red light doing eighty, far above the legal limit. I’m happy Jamie made it out. I’m so fucking grateful for that. I am. Though there are ugly parts of me. Ugly, intrusive thoughts that don’t reflect how I truly feel. There’s always a what-if.

Jamie and I met the summer after I met Maddox. Jamie’s family would come up to their lake house about five minutes from here for the summer, and though Maddox usually spent most of his time with Anna and me, when Jamie came up they were inseparable. I’m happy we’ve reconnected after all these years.

Jamie’s one of those guys who looks like a scary asshole, but he has a heart bigger than most people know. Our bell chimes and I look up. “Fuck.” I hiss.

“Where is my precious baby?!” Noah whirls into the shop with a bag in his hand. I focus on Jamie’s bloody back and try to calm the anxiety in my lungs. It looks worse than it is, but Noah doesn’t know that.

I look to Anna and plead with her.

“Hey, pookie.” She distracts him. “Did you get anything good?”

“Oh yes, my love!” He walks over to her. “I didn’t find anything sapphic, but I did find alien smut. I figured if it didn’t have a human man in it, you’d be okay.”

“You know me so well.” She laughs, reaching with grabby hands.

“Are you almost done?” Jamie whispers. I wince, looking at the section I have left plus the parts that are bleeding pretty bad.

“Come sit with me. They’re almost done.” Anna attempts.

“That’s okay. I can just sit in the cuck chair and watch.”

My eyes snap up at that and I shut off my machine. “What?”

Noah grabs a chair, dragging it across the floor with a thunderous scrape that echoes throughout the shop. “The cuck chair,” he says simply.

Anna barks out a laugh. Jamie sighs. “Noah, that’s not⁠—”

“Hey.” Julian looks to me then to Noah. “What about me? Got anything good in there?”

“Oh, well.” Noah walks over to Julian with a swing of his hips. Noah is very pretty, with his brown curls styled on top of his head. He’s wearing some sort of shimmer along his temple, and today he’s wearing a babydoll T-shirt that I’m sure says something inappropriate, but I’m more focused on his fiancé.

He drops into Julian’s chair. “Well, let’s see, what tickles your testies?” He looks into the bag. Honestly, this is what I love about Noah. He’s open, free, and easy to talk to. Julian peeks into the bag, distracting him.

“Oh, hello.” He takes out a book. “Football captain and cheerleader.”

“They didn’t have many queer romances, but that’s fine. I guess. Well, it’s not, but I’m trying not to let it ruin my mood.” He sighs. “One of these days I’m going to open a book store with tons of diverse romances. Something for everyone. That one looks good, though. You can borrow it. I can grab it next month.”

“Really?” Julian smiles. “Thanks.”