AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Eli popped his head out from the bedroom. He smiled as his mind filled with lustful thoughts. “Join me?”
Ali chuckled, but she stood to join him in the shower nonetheless.
As he dried off his hair afterwards, he couldn’t help but feel truly blessed. He didn’t know how life could possibly be better than this. He grabbed a pair of jeans out of his dresser and pushed a small box of trinkets to the back of the drawer. Ali didn’t know it, but inside was a ring his dad had given him, a ring that he intended to put on her finger one day soon. He just wanted to be sure she’d say yes. It was hard to tell with her sometimes.
Ali dressed on the other side of the room, wearing the same jeans as the day before and an old shirt of his that was too small for him. She didn’t keep many of her own clothes here, despite how often he suggested it. One day they’d find a home together instead of staying at his dad’s house. One day soon.
They walked through the center of town and down a jagged path. A few trees had burrowed through the rubble and had grown into giants on the side of the path. Their leaves changed to radiant golds and reds and fell to the ground below them. The further they walked down the path, the more dense the trees became.
Eli finally stopped in front of what appeared to be a cave, but he knew what lay beyond the entrance. He held Ali’s hand and guided her through the dark tunnel. A few moments later, it opened up into a small atrium. The glass ceiling was shattered and natural light shined down on them. The walls were lined with small vials, herbs, and other trinkets.
He could feel Ali’s hand shaking in his and tightened his grip reassuringly.
“Eli, I didn’t expect to see you so soon.” Carter, the man who had drawn all his other tattoos, stepped out from the shadows. “And you brought Allison?”
Eli wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Yep, we’ve got a first-timer.” The matching grins that Carter and Eli shared caused Ali to shrink in panic. He gave her a little shake to loosen her up.
“It’ll be fine.”
“Mm-hmm,” she squeaked.
Eli had a design in mind, but she had to trust him. He wanted it to be a surprise. He whispered to Carter, and his friend nodded in understanding. She sat on a stool and bared her collarbone, allowing Carter to clean the skin just below her protruding clavicle. She turned her head away from Carter and toward Eli.
“I can’t look.”
“Hold my hand,” he said, clasping her fingers and intertwining them with his. She flinched as Carter tapped the tool against her flesh and the ink sank into her flesh.
She put on a brave face and tried to hide the pain, but Eli could feel her hands turning clammy. “Deep breaths, Ali. You’re doing great.”
“You owe me so big for this,” she muttered, scrunching her brows.
“Anything you want…it’s yours.” He would give her the world if she asked for it.
Carter made quick work of her tattoo. It took very little time compared to the one he’d just finished on Eli’s rib cage. Ali dropped his hand, and he clenched it a few times, shaking out the pain from her tight grip. He was pretty sure she had cut off the circulation from squeezing so tightly. She looked down at the new design above her chest and smiled.
“The sun?” she asked curiously.
Eli simply nodded. He took his turn on the stool and Carter imprinted a new design on his chest in the same location as Ali’s. She watched this time, and her face went pale at the sight of his blood.
“I’m glad I didn’t watch during mine.” She turned away and exhaled, her hands gripping her knees. Eli reached out and rubbed soothing circles across the back of her hand.
When Carter finished, Eli tilted toward her to show off his new tattoo.
“The moon…does it mean something?”
“Did you know the light from the moon is just a reflection of the sun? It means…I’d be nothing without you, Ali.”
Her eyes glistened with tears. He sat up straight and turned toward her. He hadn’t meant to make her cry. That was not the reaction he had expected. She bowed her head and then met his gaze once again. “You have it backwards, Eli.”
They spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in town. Ali sat with some of the older ladies, one of which was teaching them to play a game with dice. Ali was terrible and couldn’t get the hang of it. It was a good thing they gambled with pebbles and not real currency because she would’ve been in major debt.
Eli played a game of ball with the younger kids. They had so much more energy than him and for the first time, he felt old, despite only being in his twenties. He just could not keep up with them. They ran in circles around him and easily kicked the ball away. They tackled him on numerous occasions and overpowered him as he struggled to get back to his feet. By the time they were done, he was drenched in sweat.
He nuzzled against Ali as he sat down next to her, and she cringed from his sweaty head.
“Disgusting,” she declared, but she placed a hand on his thigh anyway.
“Are you winning?” he asked.
