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“Fucking stupid? Yeah,” Dacia nodded. “It was when everything first happened, and I was so… lost. Angry at everybody. Confused. Scared. It felt like taking my power back, until I thought about how it might hurt other roses. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to be sorry,” I told her, brushing off the apology. “I played it off well enough, but she still believes it. I didn’t say anything to you or Alicia or Pen because I… honestly I figured it was one of us, trying to figure shit out. But it beingyouis … wild. You show up and all the coincidences start raining in.”
Dacia smiled. “Yeah well… I’ve got one more for you.”
“What’s that?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “I don’t know if I can take anymore.”
“This one might be pretty simple… maybe?”
I put down my pouring vessel to prop my hands on my hips. “Girl spill it.”
“I want to get my rose covered.”
Any annoyance I’d been feeling dissipated. “Oh! Really?”
More than once, she and Alicia had both been vocal about not wanting theirs removed or covered, for whatever their personal reasons were. So it was surprising to hear this now.
“Yeah. I just… I feel like I’ve made so many strides, towards getting to a place of normalcy. Finally feeling human again. And then… I look in the mirror, and all the horror and ugliness comes screaming back. I don’t want that anymore.”
I nodded, knowingexactlywhat she meant. That same feeling had plagued me for a long, long time before I finally took that plunge, and I hadn’t looked back.
The rose never crossed my mind anymore, not unbidden.
“You’re right,” I told her, wiping my hands. “That oneissimple. You need a tattoo, and you want to meet Tristan, right?”
She smiled. “Right.”
“Cool. I think I know a way to get both of those covered.”
It didn’t take much.
Just a quick text to Tristan, who happened to have a short opening where he could squeeze in a favor for me. Hedidgive me a look when Dacia showed him the rose in the same place as mine, nearly identical except for the color.
But he didn’t comment any further.
He turned it a fiery phoenix for her.
Not as much detail as mine since he’d worked her in, but still beautiful, and still enough to meet the desired goal.
One less woman defined by a mark she hadn’t chosen.
We thanked him, helped clean up before his next client, and then left, feeling good for different reasons.
Dacia was excited about her tattoo, rightfully so.
And I… was excited for her.
It was new to me – all of this. Having friends to be happy to reunite with, friends I wanted to call in favors for.
Having a friend – alover– who could carry that favor out.
Happily.
This new, full life was so different from a few months ago.
And I wantedeverymoment of it.
