Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 71915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
“Hey, nice tattoos,” Tim said as his gaze landed on me again.
“Right? He works at Indelible Ink,” Alex said, his eyes roaming over my chest and forearms and making my stomach flood with warmth.
“Have you done any work on athletes?” Dave asked, and Bailey rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, sure. Plenty,” I replied, thinking of all the jocks who wanted their jerseys engraved in their skin. Or superfans who asked for the most popular players’—like Peyton Miller—football numbers. Sort of weird. Though it hit differently when Cobey Green’s was requested since he was an out player.
Alex nudged my brother. “See, told you.”
Bailey frowned. “I think it’s a dumb idea to get a tattoo.”
“Ooh, what would you have done?” Tim asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe something with water?” Alex mused, and a thrill of excitement shot through me as I imagined inking something on his skin. Alex’s gaze shyly met mine. “Do you have samples of your work?”
“I do. If you come to the shop, I can show you some of my stuff,” I replied, then teased, “You can bring my brother and maybe talk him into one too.”
“No way I’m marring my skin,” Bailey said, which was the exact reply I was expecting, the purist that he was. When I’d announced to my parents I’d be working in a tattoo parlor, his reaction was about the same as our dad’s. And when I started getting ink myself, Mom was the only one who’d complimented the art.
Derek looked over his shoulder. “Has Bailey always been this uptight?”
Alex and I shared a look, then blurted at the same time, “Yep.”
“Screw you,” Bailey said, daggers shooting out of his eyes, likely because his best friend had joined his brother in ganging up on him. When we were kids, he’d rat me out to my parents for one thing or another, and Alex would stay firmly on his side. Until a few years ago, when he’d started trying his best to hide his smirk or eye roll. He knew not to say anything, though. He understood sibling fights within his own family. “Always gotta make waves, don’t you?”
I sighed. Was that really how he saw me? Supposed he did.
“Is that a swimming reference?” I teased. “Making waves, rocking the boat. Oh, look, I’m good at puns too.”
Face red, Bailey stood up and threw some money on the table.
“You heading out?” Tim asked, eyebrows scrunched together, probably wondering what in the hell was happening, and I got it, I really did. We should’ve never barged in on their fun.
“Yeah, gonna try to have lights out before midnight,” Bailey replied, faking a yawn.
Without making eye contact, he turned and left.
Alex briefly glanced my way before shooting out of his seat. “Wait up!”
He caught up to Bailey a couple of tables away, and I could only imagine the conversation.
“Guess Bailey doesn’t want to hang with his brother,” Derek teased. “Why you gotta ruin everything?”
I made a frustrated sound. “Guess ’cause I’m me.”
Derek frowned. “Sorry, dude.”
Thankfully, Bailey’s teammates didn’t ask any more questions. They’d immersed themselves in a conversation about the soccer game on the television above the bar.
“On that note…” I straightened. “I’m outta here too.”
“Think I might stay a while longer,” Derek replied distractedly. When I followed his line of sight, his eye was on the same girl he’d hooked up with the other night. She was in a booth with a group of friends.
I waved my goodbyes and headed toward the exit, nearly smacking into Alex, who was leaving the restroom. “Shit, sorry. I didn’t expect you to still be here.”
“Bailey blew me off, told me to stay and talk to my other best friend.”
I winced. “Sorry about that.”
Bailey needed him to pick a side in our little brotherly war, but Alex was nothing if not Switzerland. He was that way in his own family too—always the super responsible older brother to his sister, who was sick a lot and became his parents’ top concern. I’d always suspected that was why Alex enjoyed our summer trips to Hummingbird Lake—so he had something that was just his to enjoy.
“Ugh. Sometimes I wish…never mind.” Alex forked his fingers through his hair. “Gonna head back to the dorm.”
“Hold up, what were you gonna say?” I asked as I followed him out the door.
We walked together half a block before he eventually replied, “Sometimes I wish for the simpler days when we were kids just having fun and messing around.”
“Adulting definitely sucks,” I concurred.
“I meant in regard to the three of us and how we were as kids.” Alex smiled. “I happen to enjoy being on my own.”
“It looks good on you.” I met his gaze fully now, and his cheeks bloomed with color.
“You too.” He dipped his head in an endearing way. “The tattoos are a nice addition.”
Why did that compliment mean so much?