AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Biting my lip, I slammed my eyes shut and blurted, “I want a tattoo.”
Callie paused, her gaze sliding up to mine. She would never charge me for using my skin as a canvas, not when I was the first person to sign up when she needed practice. I could pay her; she just wouldn’t accept it. No, we’d trade just like always. She smiled, still staring at her phone. “And I want my nursery painted.”
Sly bitch. I couldn’t help smiling at her cleverness. “Deal.”
No questions were asked why I wanted it or what I wanted to get. She likely knew by now that my eagerness for ink was more like an addiction at this point.
She hopped off the counter. “Excellent. Should we ask if Natty would like to join us for an afternoon of ink and dessert?”
“Dessert?”
She tossed the corkscrew pasta aside. “Yes, at this rate, I’m going to starve.”
“Touché. I have no idea what I’m doing.”
We both laughed and then exited the apartment.
We stood in front of Natty’s door, hoping she’d give us another chance. We were frustrated in our own way with how she responded, but we also respected her privacy and knew there had to be a reason she wasn’t telling us anything.
Her door swung open after a minute or so. Her eyes held a sorrow that tugged at my chest in a painful way. She’d been crying, her eyes were red rimmed, and her mascara had run.
Callie stepped forward first. “We’re sorry, Nat. Let us make it up to you.”
Natty’s gaze flicked over to me, and then her nose twitched as she sniffed. Her hair was still braided; little strands were frizzy, framing her face, but her raw beauty was still so striking. I often thought of Natty like a fairy-tale character or a Disney Princess. She was pretty in a way that didn’t seem real. She didn’t have pores, or pimples, or any scars that I could see. She had a few sparsely placed freckles, which only blended beautifully with her dark brows and lashes.
Her bowlike lips pursed as she considered what Callie was offering.
“Where are you going?”
Callie looked over at me, then returned to her. “I’m giving out tattoos, if you want one, of course. Laura is getting one, and we’re hungry.”
Natty glanced behind her and then let out a sigh.
“Only if Laura agrees to a girls’ night at The Hollow and sings a song of our choice.”
Callie slowly turned toward me, as my face nearly caught fire.
“What’s she talking about?”
Natty looked between us, fresh panic on her face. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know?—”
I shook my head. “It’s fine. I was going to tell her, I just…”
“First, you hold out on details regarding Killian, and now this.” Callie held up her hand, her mouth open, irritation leaking into her words.
“Let me grab my jacket and purse.” Natty pulled us both inside and then shut the door behind us. Callie continued to stare at me.
“I have a difficult time sharing certain things, I’m sorry. Natty only knows because she showed up. I didn’t tell her.”
My best friend’s hand moved to her slightly swollen stomach and let out a sigh.
“I get it. When I came back and was working through everything, there were tons of things I didn’t share right away.”
She brought me in for a hug, and then we started inspecting Natty’s room.
The space was warm and cozy. With a small counter and sink, her humble kitchen looked similar to something you might find in a college dorm room, but it didn’t seem to deter her from cooking. She had a dish rack with two plates, glasses and three pots drying inside.
Her living space had a smaller L-shaped couch with fuzzy cushions, and a small television rested on a white dresser. Her full-sized bed was directly behind her couch, and with several strings of fairy lights lit up, it made the space above her window glow. She had green vines trailing around her frame and up along the upper wall, which, mixed with the lighting, was so relaxing and cute.
