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“Damn straight!” Izzy said, throwing an arm around Kris’ waist and leaning her head against her side.
Kris gave a nervous laugh and folded her arms around Izzy’s neck. They stayed like that for a moment, looking at the lights, then Izzy looked up and smiled. Kris felt her heart flutter.
“We need to celebrate, cutie pie,” Izzy said, letting go of Kris to grab one of her art books off the desk. She slouched on her bed and motioned for Kris to join her.
“What do you want to do?” Kris asked, sliding down on the bed beside Izzy.
Izzy flexed her eyebrows. A devilish look washed over her face as she said, “Let’s get tattoos.”
Kris felt her jaw drop as she stared at Izzy. “Tattoos?”
Izzy laughed at the horrified look on Kris’ face. “Yes, cutie pie. Matching tattoos. Look at this.” Izzy flipped through the pages until she found a drawing of a topless mermaid with long, flowing hair and starfish pasties covering her nipples. “What do you think?”
“I don’t really have the money,” Kris said with a relieved sigh. “Maybe we can just get our nails done.”
“Don’t be a pussy!” Izzy said with a smirk, already tearing out the picture of the mermaid from the drawing pad. “Come on. I’ll let my parents pay for it. It’ll be my Christmas gift.”
Kris chewed on her lip as she stared nervously at the drawing. “I don’t know, Iz… It’s just so… permanent.”
Izzy crossed her arms and gave Kris a steely look. “I’ll tell you what. If you don’t want a tattoo because you really don’t want it, I’ll drop it. But if you don’t want the tattoo because of what other people might think, then I won’t drop it!”
Kris didn’t say anything for a moment, but she knew that Izzy had hit the nail on the head. Kris would LOVE to have one of Izzy’s drawings tattooed on her body, but what would her parents say?
She had spent her entire life avoiding things she really wanted out of fear of what her parents might say or do, particularly her father, who was possibly the most j
udgmental man on the planet.
If she was to really discover herself as she wanted to, it was about time for her to start doing all the things that made her happy without worrying about the wrath of her parents.
Izzy was looking at her with a raised brow. Kris took a deep breath and offered a slow nod that turned into a grin. She said, “Alright. Let’s do this.”
“That's my girl!” Izzy said, pumping a fist in the air before wrapping an arm around Kris’ neck and planting a rough kiss on her cheek.
Kris’ face turned several shades of deep red as she rubbed the spit off her cheek and watched with glee as Izzy stuffed the drawing into her back pocket and said, “OK, cutie pie, let’s do this!”
As they wandered off campus Kris regained control of her voice and asked Izzy if she knew where they were going. Izzy grinned and headed for the subway.
“Sure I do. There’s a really awesome guy downtown. I tried to get an apprenticeship with him, but he told me I had to finish school first.”
“Oh, wow. Really? He’s going to let you work for him after you graduate?”
“If all goes as planned.” Izzy grinned and winked at her friend as they made their way to the platform.
Kris nearly melted at the wink, but forced herself to keep her wits since the train was pulling up to the platform. As they found a place to stand in the crowded train, Kris realized that Izzy was still holding on to her hand. Much to her surprise, she didn’t blush or tingle or felt warm. She just felt comfortable and happy.
Slowly and surely Kris was realizing that Izzy was her happy place. She was where Kris felt safe and warm, and she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she would never get over the feelings she had for the most amazing woman she had ever met.
CHAPTER FIVE
The two girls ventured out into the city hand in hand. Kris was awed at the bright neon lights that lit up the dark streets. She and Izzy had gone downtown a few times before, but not for long and never at night. Kris was like a kid on Christmas morning, amazed as she took in the sights, smells, and sounds of the city.
New York City had terrified Kris at first, but now it felt like home, thanks to Izzy. Actually, anywhere Izzy was felt like home to Kris.
They walked for nearly thirty minutes before Izzy led them to a rundown building off a side street downtown. The sign above the door read DECREPID DESIGNS and Kris thought the name didn’t inspire much confidence. Still, she trusted Izzy and followed her inside without a second thought.
The inside of the shop looked like something out of a gothic horror movie. Three of the walls were painted flat black, accented by a fourth wall that was exposed red brick. Gothic furniture and tattoo drawings framed in gorgeous golden frames filled the space.
At the center was a glass and wood counter, where a huge man covered in tattoos was typing on a computer. His shoulders and arms were thickly muscled. His barreled chest strained against the fabric of his black t-shirt. His head was clean-shaven, but his face was covered in stubble and a goatee hung several inches off his chin. Kris thought he was the most intimidating human being she’d ever seen.
