'Til Sun Beams Find You [COMPLETED]

One

She watched as the ink mark her friend's otherwise smooth brown skin. Jada was an artist herself, and while she loved oils and brushes, she could appreciate the talent it took to be trusted to paint on somebody's skin permanently.

"And to get some food. I'm starving," Nico added after a moment.

"There's this new Thai spot that opened right down the street. Food is amazing."

"On 3rd Street, right?" Nico chimed and saw him nod. "I checked it out the other day. That's the place I was telling you about," she directed to Jada. "The one that I went to with Brian. Remember I said we had to try it out. I forgot it was around here. Damn, they're probably gonna close soon if they haven't already."

It was late.

"Nah they stay open til 2. God bless 'em."

"Yeah, Nico works around here a lot. Surprised she's never told me about this shop," Jada murmured with another look around.

"I've never gotten a tattoo here before, genius."

Carter chuckled at their back and forth. "You work around here?"

"Yes and no. Mostly no," her voice lulled off. The cold needle entering her skin along with Carter's warm hand pressed up against her throat had her concentrating on not moaning from the pain, or the fact that it felt good.

She was holding back a moan that Jada scoffed at.

"..Are you single?" Jada blurted out over the buzzing noise.

It took Carter a second to realize the girl on the opposite stool was speaking to him.

Jada rolled around on the stool while she waited for his answer as he continued drawing the needle along Nico's skin.

In the midst of the silence, she thought he hadn't heard her.

"Am I single?" He repeated the question.

She nodded. "Yes. Are you single? My friend Nico is. I think we can both agree that she's extremely beautiful. Right?"

There was a smirk that grew on Carter's face but he didn't lose his focus for a second.

"And she thinks you're cute."

Another moment of silence passed before he turned off the buzzing of the tattoo needle.

"You speak for your friend Nico?" He directed his attention to Jada.

She gave a simple head nod saying 'yes'.

Evidently so, as Nico was too stunned to utter a word.

When she turned her head, she wanted to die ten times over at the purely amused look on Carter's face.

He turned the machine back on, nearly finished with her session.

Nico locked eyes with her best friend but in that moment, she was too busy reeling from the embarrassment to get angry.

Her eyes yelled "OMG!"

"SPEAK!" Jada mouthed back to her friend, who had yet to say a word.

The buzzing turned off and he was wiping at the excess ink on her skin with a towel.

"Well, yes, I do think you're good looking. I don't need my friend to speak for me on that."

Nico was usually way more direct when it came to what she wanted but being beneath him was putting pressure on her, literally.

"Thank you," he was genuinely flattered by the compliment.

"You're welcome. Are you single?"

Then he flashed her a smile. "Nah. I got a girl."