Nina |18+|

01

Cheryl, I'll never forgive you if I have to wait another three weeks.

Theo glanced down at the watch on his wrist. "Twenty minutes. I would have waited, but you didn't call to let me know you're going to be late."

His voice was deep, with a slight hint of an unfamiliar accent. It was barely there, but it was noticeable. Theo was also tall and when the wind hit us in a certain way, I caught a whiff of his subtle cologne.

He was almost expressionless but through my years of conversing with men—it wasn't hard to tell that he was a little annoyed. Or impatient. Or whatever it was.

"I know," I muttered, looking back at my shitty parking. "I apologise."

Theo paused, following my gaze and his full lips tilted into a small, amused smirk. As soon as it came, it was gone.

"Stop apologising," Theo murmured, inserting the key and unlocking the door. "Come inside."

I grinned, almost fucking cheering because he wasn't forsaking me. "Thank you."

He looked at me once and shook his head, pushing the door open. Theo switched the lights back on, illuminating the interior of the tattoo shop. My jaw almost dropped at the amount of artwork on the walls and the ceiling. Art hung evenly, all of them signed Theo.

The ceiling had a mural of the sort, and it was a lot more colourful than the rest of the place. It smelled sterilised, and fresh—which was also another relief.

Theo walked through the entrance, pass the designated receptionist area which was empty.

"Through here," he said, using his forearm to push a curtain to the side. He watched me, his face serious but his eyes glinting underneath the harsh light. "Make yourself comfortable. We're just going to talk about the tattoo you want, right?"

I nodded, sitting down on the soft chair. Theo sat opposite me, pulling out a notepad and pen. My gaze wanted to shift to the ink on his arms and hands, but I chose to not be a fucking creep.

"Is this your first time?" he asked, peering at me through his unbelievably thick eyelashes.

I shook my head. "No."

It wasn't my first time, or the second—and I had a feeling it wasn't going to be my last. I needed to stop, but how could I when my will to live depended on it?

Theo nodded slowly. "How big do you want it to be?"

I almost winced, slightly afraid that my specifications would be too much to handle. "Big."

Theo raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yeah," I murmured. "It's my first tattoo of that size."

The area I had planned on getting tattooed was possibly the most painful spot I could have chosen for myself. I had my doubts, initially, but I wanted it and I was going to have through multiple sessions and teary eyes. Come hell or high waters. And from the looks of it, Theo was very much talented.

It was a bonus that he specialised in the exact ink I wanted, and it seemed as if he was the only one in the city with enough experience and enough art in his portfolio.

He allowed me look through it while he asked me the relevant questions, which flowed off his tongue smoothly as he had been doing it for years, and years.

Theo nodded, scribbling down in his notepad. He went on to asking me questions about the design, the colour. I had sent reference photos, but Theo had explained that he doesn't duplicate art—and he had to make it original. Which was unexpected but not impossible to work with.

"Lastly," Theo sighed, leaning back in his seat. "Where on your body do you want it?"

I tightened my lips before answering. "My rib."

Theo's eyes widened, his dark brown eyes seemingly surprised at my chose of placement. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. "I'm sure."

Theo leaned forward, crossing his toned arms on the table. "Do you understand how painful that will be?"

I had a bunch of tattoos, and none of the previous artists had made it known how painful or painless it was going to be. Was Theo underestimating me, or was he just informing me? I couldn't differentiate, but I didn't think about it too much.

I crossed my arms on the desk too, narrowing my eyes at him. "You're not heavy handed, are you?"

Theo waited before answering, and he shrugged. "I don't think I am, but usually that depends on the person's pain tolerance."

I gave him a smile. "I think I'm good."

"Okay," Theo said, nodding his head. "Then we're all set. I'll see you tomorrow at five. Have a meal, drink water and wear loose clothes. I'm sure you know the drill. "

After class. Perfect.

I grinned, pushing myself off the chair. "I'll see you at five."

As I exited, I prayed that he couldn't tell how fucking nervous I was.

After all, how could I not be nervous when the hottest man I'd ever seen was about to tattoo my skin? In such an intimate, personal area?

Shit.

Get it together, Nina.

• • •

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