Prologue
Seth
Now playing:
“Shut Up, I Want You To Love Me Back” by Blue October
December 2019
“Fuck,”Igroan,squeezingmy eyes shut.
He pauses. “You okay?
“Yeah, keep going.”
He starts up again and I wince at the burn. It’s far from my first time but I’ve never been good with pain, and it always hurts a little. I try to focus on the faint whiffs of his cologne hitting my nose in waves, and the Blue October song streaming through the speakers, but then I wince again.
“Almost there,” he mumbles.
“Yeah? You’re close, baby?” I bite my bottom lip to suppress a grin.
“Yeah, it’s ju—” The buzzing sound stops as he turns the tattoo machine off and looks at me. “Fuck you very much!” he deadpans.
I shoot him a wink, and he cracks up.
“Why do I put up with you?” he says, shaking his head.
“I don’t know,” I shrug. “Maybe you should put out instead.”
“Dude.” He throws his head back, laughing. “You’re really bringing your A-game today.”
“You’re making it so easy, it’s not even funny,” I say on a laugh as I shift on the chair, the leather groaning under me.
He shakes his head, dips the needle into the ink and keeps going.
“You know you owe me now, right?”
I glance at him out of the corner of my eye. “And why’s that, Kadey-babe?”
“Oh, let’s see. For coming in here on a Saturday. For making me deal with that bullshit. Again.” He throws me a look. “For spending three hours tattooing your ass when my back’s already killing me. Don’t know, man.” He shrugs slightly. “Take your pick.”
“Okay,” I snort. “First of all, you love it here. That you even have an apartment is truly beyond me, considering how much time you spend here. And—shut up, I’m not done—and I know that for a fact because you always drag me with you, so, don’t even try.”
“Drag you with me?” he shrieks, laughing. “Bro, I couldn’t shake you if I wanted to. You’re like a pup—you’restilllike a fucking puppy. Always waggling your tail around me.”
I scoff. “What do you meanstill?
He wipes some excess ink off with a paper towel, and smiles. “When you started here? Remember? I couldn’t get rid of you then, and I obviously can’t get rid—” I aim a kick his way, and miss by a mile as he scoots his chair back and laughs.
“Asshole!”
“Uno reverse,” he says, still chuckling. The piece of gum between his teeth catches my gaze, and because it’s Kaden, I can’t tear my eyes away.
He’s a work of art and I’m not even talking about the tattoos covering most of his pale skin. He’s all sharp angles—everything from his jawline to his nose and that cupid’s bow over his full lips.
Black, slightly wavy hair that falls perfectly over his forehead. Muscles I can’t even name that make me drool if I stare at them too long.
It also makes me want to punch myself in the face because Kaden’s my best friend, and you shouldn’t look at your best friend the way I sometimes look at Kaden.
