AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Thanks, Max,” I said, sitting down.
“You’re welcome,” he mumbled.
Wes beamed and handed him a new sterile pair of gloves, and he pulled them on to finish up the last of the music notes on Arsen’s chest.
“Are you sure it doesn’t hurt?” I stressed, looking at the red skin and dots of blood.
“Yeah, real bad.” He pouted, wiggling his fingers at me. “Maybe you should hold my hand.”
“Lame,” Max told him.
Arsen winked, and I held his hand while Max bent his head and got back to work. I didn’t like watching the little needles stabbing into my boyfriend’s skin, so I averted my attention to the bear on his shoulder.
It was my favorite.
“The bros want to meet at Shirley’s in an hour,” Wes announced a little while later.
“I’m starving,” I complained.
“There’s snacks in the wagon.” Arsen reminded me. “Go get one.”
“A bear tattoo and snacks?” Max deliberated. “I’m embarrassed for you.”
Wes made a rude sound. “Says the guy with a fish tattooed on his inner thigh.”
“No one asked you, brat.”
Wes grinned.
After Max finished up the music notes, he cleaned up the areas and applied medical-grade plastic wrap over the new ink. Then he went over the aftercare procedure with Arsen, which he already knew. Keep it clean. Keep it hydrated. Don’t scratch or pick at it. Keep it out of the sun.
After paying, Arsen pulled on a loose black tank that left his wrapped shoulder and some of his sides exposed. He had a lightweight army-green jacket but didn’t put it on, instead draping it across my back.
“You guys meeting us at Shirley’s?” he asked, slipping a hand over the small of my back.
“Yep, see you there,” Wes said and waved as we headed to the door.
The second we were outside, I spun and grabbed his arm so I could look at the bear again. “You really got this for me?”
“For us,” he murmured.
Leaning in, I pressed a barely-there kiss to the edge of the plastic covering. “I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.”
I started for the wagon, but he made a sound and tugged me back. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“To eat?”
“You forgot one,” he said, tugging away the fabric of the tank to expose his chest.
Smiling, I leaned in and kissed the music notes. One, two, three.
“Good boy,” he whispered, and the praise poured over me like honey.
The drive to Shirley’s was short, and all the bros’ cars already filled the lot. The semester had ended just a few days ago, so the diner would be a lot less crowded than we were used to.
“I’m getting a cheeseburger,” I told him, reaching for the handle to get out. “Extra fries.”
