"Small victories baby, small victories."
The more I thought about it the more I realized that he was right, it was a small victory. I used to be big on negativity, I always gravitated towards it and was never able to pull away from it. Now, now it's different.
"You wanna get out of here?" I ask and stood up, grabbing my bag.
"That sounds like an invitation to sex."
I laughed. "I wanna do something but it's not sex."
"What thing?" He asked and joined me at his feet.
"Give me your keys and I'll show you."
Ricky hesitated and stepped forward. "Does this thing involve burning down a house, putting someone in a coma, or disappearing to Chicago?"
I chuckled, "no just give me your keys please."
"Well since you asked so nicely." Ricky tossed his keys over to me and we put our shoes back on; making our way up to the car. "What are you up to?" Ricky asks me through squinted eyes.
After getting in the car I started the engine. "Relax, it's nothing crazy."
"I don't believe that."
"I'm tamed now," I defend weakly.
"I really don't believe that."
"Haha." I replied sarcastically as I made my way onto the road.
I knew exactly where I was going, this was something that I wanted to do for ages. I wasn't lying when I told Ricky is was nothing crazy, it isn't, it's normal, but maybe that's crazy to us.
Turning onto a side street, I kept my eye out for the tattoo parlour I've passed by almost everyday. I pulled in front of the shop and parked the car on the street.
"You're kidding," Ricky voiced just as I pulled the keys out.
"Nope." I said quickly and got out of the car, throwing the keys back into his possession.
I took my book with me and we headed inside. We were greeted by an older woman at the front desk who was covered in tattoos. "Hi, I'm Connie. What can I do for you two tonight?"
"You take walk-ins?"
"For you? Of course, my love." The kind woman gestured Ricky and I towards the back of the shop.
"What are you getting?" Ricky asks me as Connie began setting up.
I ignored him and turned over to Connie. "Have you got any paper I can use?" I ask her and she points over towards the front desk and I steal a page. I handed it to Ricky along with a black pen.
"And what am I doing with this?"
"I need you to write something for me." I tell him and open up the book to the page I left the bookmark in.
"And what am I writing?"
I point to a small quotation in the book. "That," I reply.
The quotation read a few simple words. 'There will always be us'. When reading the book, that was the moment Patti and Robert reminded me of Ricky and I. Despite everything that went on in their lives they always had one another, I felt Ricky and I had that.
"You're getting this tattooed on you? In my handwriting?" Ricky questions, slightly stunned.
I nodded.
"Why?" He kept rolling questions in.
I let out a short sigh and stepped towards him, placing my hands on his shoulders. "I don't care how we end," I say. "I'm remembering you, I'm remembering us. Just let me get the damn tattoo."
