The dragonfly tattoo artist

23

Camila tried to call her, to look for her in her apartment, to fight for her, but the painter wasn't willing to welcome her back into her very shattered life.

Was Camila angry with Lauren? Yeah, maybe she still was, but she knew that all minds were different, Lauren's a lot more, and she couldn't hate her just for doing what Lauren thought was right.

After three months, even with a broken heart, the tattoo artist realized that she would've to learn to live without her. Lauren had wanted it that way.

Maybe it was for the best.

Still, every day Camila wondered if she'd see her again, if Lauren still love her, if she'd still remember her.

And, more importantly, she wondered if Lauren lived.

****

Camila didn't expect to see Marco in Dope Tattoos, but she received him with open arms when he asked her to tattoo a phoenix on his neck.

The young brunette had a special glow decorating his dark eyes, and Camila swore she'd never seen him so happy.

"Scott seems to make you very happy" The tattoo artist said with her typical smile.

Marco tried to give him back the gesture, but the feeling of the needle touching his skin for the first time made him shudder.

"I am" The boy accepted, and Camila was glad that having abandoned her at that party at least wouldn't have been a waste of time "...Loneliness, however, doesn't seem to do you much good."

Her smile faded. Camila tried to hide it, to move on, but her chest was still full of sadness.

"I guess you're getting ready for the reunion" her friend said.

"Reunion?"

"That's what I said" Marco answered as he rolled his eyes. "You know, Lauren's new exhibition will be inaugurated in two months."

The machine had moved away from her friend's skin, and Camila could barely breathe.

The exhibition.

The damn exhibition.

The fucking strangers in hiding.

"Didn't you know, Mila?"

The tattoo artist shook her head, trying to get away from the idea of seeing Lauren Jauregui again.

"Sorry, I know it's hard. I won't talk about it anymore" The poor guy apologized "...Anyway, I have news to tell you."

"News?"

Marco took a deep breath, and behind his words lay the reason for his happiness.

"I'm going to start my transition process, Mila" He told with a sigh "Finally I can be me."

***

That night she wondered if attending that exhibition would be the right thing to do.

She not only wanted to see for the first time the painting of her naked body, which the painter had previously forbidden her to do in order to surprise her. Even if she tried to deceive herself, it was more than clear that her main goal was to meet the love of her life again.

"Thinking again?" Dinah asked cautiously.

It was very typical for the girl to do it. It was very typical for Lauren to take up all the space in her head.

"I miss her, Dinah" She whispered sadly.

Her sister simply sat beside her in that squeaky bunk and stroked her shoulder in support.