Breathless

It's Just Us, Tonight

The text gave me the address and the time to meet, another popping up a moment later to clarify that it was, in fact, Brian.

I giggled at the message, and though I could have sworn it was under my breath, Alex came shooting out of the kitchen and nearly running me over. She was trying to peek over my shoulder and read the message, and it wasn't that difficult with my short height. She started giggling like an idiot, jumping up and down and clapping her hands together. I could have sworn she was happier about this date than I was, and I was the one going on it. I grinned stupidly at her, clutching the phone close to my chest.

I went through the rest of the night counting down the hours until the date. Even though Alex had suggested I go to bed early, both to pass the time and to get a well needed rest, I don't think I could fall asleep even if I tried. I eventually ended up passing out around one in the morning on the couch, dreaming of tomorrows date.

***

I woke up the next morning in the same awkward position I had fallen asleep in. My clothes were wrinkled and my hair stuck out in awkward directions. I looked like a train hit me, and I felt like it too, but I managed to make my way into the kitchen to put a pot of coffee on. I wasn't much of a fan of the bitter liquid, but this morning I knew I needed it. I stood in the kitchen waiting for the coffee to brew when Alex walked in. She looked much better than I did, but her eyes were just barely open and she seemed to wobble where she stood. I could tell she wasn't quite awake yet, so I handed her the first cup of coffee, wrapping her hands around it tightly so she wouldn't drop the cup. She thanked me through a yawn and sat down at the island in the middle of the kitchen. Once I had made a second cup, I sat next to her and drank it slowly, savoring the warmth as it slid down my throat. I was already thinking about the date tonight, even though it was still several hours away. I figured work would take my mind off of it, at least for a while. I mumbled something about going to shower and slowly worked my way up the stairs to my bedroom. I wasn't sure if I had the mental capacity at the moment to pick out a complete outfit, so I decided to work on that after I had showered. I grabbed a towel from the closet and closed the bathroom door behind me.

I twisted the knob until the water was hot enough to wake me up. I stripped of the clothes I fell asleep in and hopped into the shower, shutting the glass door behind me. The instant the water hit my skin, I began to wake up. The haze cleared from my eyes and I was able to mentally prepare for the day. Sometime slipped by before I brought myself to shut off the water and step out of the shower, grabbing my towel to dry myself off. I wrapped it around my torso and pulled the bathroom door open. The cool air hit my bare skin and made me shiver, goosebumps rising on my skin, making me miss the hot water. I darted to my bedroom, shutting the door and dropping the towel around my ankles. I picked out my clothes, nothing fancy, leggings and a sleeveless shirt with a cat wearing sunglasses on it. I threw on my favorite gray knit sweater and tugged my vans from beside my bed and pulled them on. I looked in the mirror and combed my short, white blond hair, all the while giving myself a much needed pep talk to get me through the day. I didn't hate my job, but it definitely took a lot of patience and level headedness that I didn't have today. My nerves were already eating away at me as I made my way down the hall. I knocked twice on the bathroom door and jogged down the stairs, grabbing my purse and heading through the door.

I finally arrived at work, and not surprisingly, I was the first to arrive. I unlocked the door and turned the lights on. There was plenty to busy myself with, though it seems like I finished them all before anyone even arrived. It wasn't until 12:45 that the other artists arrived, busying themselves with setting up their stations, chatting, or making coffee. I leaned over my schedule today, looking to see when my first client would come in. It wasn't until 1:30, but I groaned as I saw it was a rib piece. Getting tattooed on the ribs was painful, and besides the fact that many people flinch and squirm, and sometimes even tap out, when getting their ribs tattooed, the skin was also stretched out when the client was lying down, and so it would look different when they were standing up. I hoped it wasn't a large piece, and I was happy to find out that it was only a small elephant that they wanted done, which would make my day so much easier.