10 Things & Then I'll Go

Tattoo Redux

I am grateful for the hectic business at the bakery but I haven't heard from Jackson in three days. I thought we left things on great terms so I figured he would swing by the bakery, text, call or drop in at my apartment by now. The last thing I expected was total radio silence so I don't know how to proceed at this point. It's been entirely too long since I've been in this kind of situation with a guy so I hoped Jackson would make it easy for me and make contact first. I thought I caught a glimpse of Jackson running into his shop one morning. It was raining so hard outside and we had a café full of customers so I can't be sure if it was really him or not.

I am absolutely in love with my tattoo and it's healed nicely. It's the perfect reminder all day, every day, of Paige...and Jackson, making my heart skip a beat each time I run my fingers over the delicate letters.

"Caught ya," Emily's fingers tickle my sides as she sidles beside me behind the counter in the café. I've appreciated the brief lull this afternoon and honestly cannot wait to go home and relax. The last couple of days at the bakery have been busy with me working twelve-hour shifts and still not getting everything done.

"Sorry," I sigh. "Were you talking to me?"

Emily shakes her head as she reorganizes some of the cupcakes in the display case, placing the prettiest ones towards the front. "You've been doing that a lot this week," she states.

My eyebrows crease at her statement. "Doing what?"

"Zoning out, tracing your tattoo, looking out the window." She smirks and heads over to the coffee machine once she's satisfied with how the display case looks.

A customer walks in, offering me a blessed distraction. I box up four cupcakes for the woman and ring her up. All too soon she leaves and when I look over at Emily she's eyeing me expectantly.

"What do you want me to say, Em?" I lean a hip against the counter with my arms crossed. I am not aggravated with her, but I feel frustrated with the entire situation. I don't like to be in limbo and the last thing I want to be is some silly girl pining away for a man.

"Have you thought about going over there?" She nods towards the tattoo parlor.

I look at her like she's crazy.

"What's the big deal? Just walk your cute butt over there and see how he's doing!"

"That is so awkward!" I can't help the whine that escapes. "It's a tattoo parlor."

"So?" Emily crosses her arms and looks at me as if I've clearly lost my mind.

"So, what if he doesn't want to see me? Then I'm stuck in this awkward situation to try and talk myself out of."

"You've been over there once," she counters.

"To get a tattoo," I clarify and hold up my finger, "yes, it was all orchestrated by Paige, but I had a reason to go over there."

As if a light turned on in Emily's mind, she excitedly jumps up and down, clapping her hands.

"That's it!"

I have no idea what she's talking about so I wait for her to continue. She pushes through the door leading back to the kitchen and our offices, leaving me hanging.

"This is such a great idea!" I can hear her yelling through the door so I peek through to yell back at her.

"What's a good idea?"

She bursts back into the café holding her phone. "Why didn't I think of this before?" She frantically thumbs through an app on her phone and then holds it out in front of my face a little too closely for my taste so I bend backward, temporarily blinded by the brightness of her iPhone screen.