Matt
"What are your plans for tonight?" I asked Vanessa through the phone while I stirred a pot of macaroni and cheese. I frowned at the runniness of the consistency before checking the instructions on the box.
Ah. I was supposed to add four cups of water, not four quarts. Oops.
"I don't know," she replied, frostiness in her tone.
"There's a marathon of Christmas movies playing tonight that you could binge," I cheerfully suggested.
"Yea," she answered, completely disinterested.
I sighed. Even though Vanessa still answered my phone calls and chatted with me, it was apparent from her short answers and steely tone that she was still furious with me over attending the Halloween party with Addison.
I glanced up at a knock on the back door. "I have to go but I'll call you later. I love-" She hung up before I could even finish the sentence, solidifying exactly how she felt about Addison coming over to work on homework.
"Come in," I hollered. "It's unlocked."
As Addison strolled into the kitchen, she sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose. "What are you cooking?" She asked with disdain.
I stared at her. "Macaroni and cheese. You don't like it?"
She grimaced as she glanced into the pot at the soupy mixture. "Not when it's doused in a neon orange broth."
"Oh," I said, setting down the wooden spoon in my hand in dismay. "I was trying to be polite and make you dinner. Would you believe that my dad called me rude because I don't offer you food when you come over?"
She sat down at the kitchen island and tossed her glossy locks over one shoulder. "Um...Matt, you are rude. All the time." She gestured at the cook top. "And trying to poison me with your cooking doesn't help your case."
Defeated, I turned off the stove and sat down across from her. She eyed me as I propped my head in my hand. "You look miserable," she commented.
Exhaling, I raked my hands through my hair. "V is still pissed at me for hanging out with you. I'm worried that I made a colossal misstep in my relationship that I won't be able to recover from."
She cocked her head to one side. "Well, judging by the way we aren't having sex on the countertop right now, I'm going to go ahead and say that she's giving you grief for nothing." She reached over to pat my hand. "She'll come to grips with reality soon enough."
I dropped my head into my palms and groaned. "Why is she doing this to me? I've never given her a reason to believe that I would be unfaithful."
At Addison's sudden gasp, I whipped my head up. "What? Is the macaroni on fire?" I quickly spun my chair in the direction of the stove but didn't spy any flames lapping at the cabinets.
I gave her a quizzical look. "What?" I repeated.
"You added more piercings to your ears!" She exclaimed.
"Oh," I answered, my fingers automatically moving to glide over the cuff I had added to my helix alongside the second hole I had acquired on each lobe. "Yea, I did."
I anticipated the barb she would make about comparing my body to Swiss cheese or something of the like, but she never did.
Instead, she surprised me by reaching over and grazing my ear lightly with her fingertips. "I like it," she confessed. She dropped her gaze to her lap, a shy smile on her lips. "Sometimes, I have the urge to get my navel pierced but then I chicken out."
I tried to stifle my laughter at her admission, pressing my fist to my mouth. She stared at me with a wounded expression. "Why is that so funny?" She demanded to know.
"I'm just not surprised that you would choose the signature staple of the 2000's pop star as your desired piercing. Do you want to get one of those dangly charms to accessorize it too?"
She glowered at me before turning away and rigidly pulling out her textbooks from her purse. "For once, I thought you might actually think that I was doing something cool instead of labelling me as a joke."
Shit. I've hurt her feelings. Great job, Matt.
I cleared my throat. "No, hey, that is cool. I approve. When are you going to do it?"
She glanced up at me, the light slightly returning to her emerald eyes. "I'm not sure. I don't even know if I will," she rushed out. "It's just something that I've sort of been fantasizing about."
"How about right now?" I suggested. "I've been toying with the idea of getting my tongue done. We could take the leap together."
She bit her lip. "I don't know..."
"Aw, come on," I encouraged. "It definitely suits your personality and will look cute on you-"
"Okay," she readily agreed. "I'll do it."
***
"I think I'm going to get another tattoo while we're there," I announced as we drove to the parlor.
"Scandalous," Addison teased, grinning as she combed back her waves that were being disheveled by the wind that blew them around her face. "What of?"
"Don't laugh," I began, blowing out my breath. "I know this sounds silly, but I want the Big Dipper. It was the first constellation my mother ever pointed out to me."
"I don't think that's silly," she whispered, glancing over. "That's quite touching, actually. If I were to ever get some ink, I would want it to have meaning." She reached over to squeeze my fingers. "If you ever want to talk about her, I'm here to listen."
I drew in a shuddering breath, not needing her to see how emotional the topic of my mother still made me. "Thanks," I replied gruffly, trying to counteract the ache in my heart. "Now, let's worry about your piercing."
***
"That's it? It's over?" Addison sat up in the chair as the bearded man with a full sleeve of tattoos covering the length of his forearms turned away from us to sterilize his piercing gun. She slid a glance over at me, a dazed expression on her face. "That wasn't so bad."
"Yea, sure," I replied sarcastically, shaking out the hand that she had been clutching onto with every ounce of strength in her body while the guy worked on her. "Perhaps, next time, you won't even break my fingers."
"What do you think?" She asked, staring down at the silver ring adorned to her navel.
I nodded with approval. "It looks good. What do you say we do your nose next? Or your lip?" With a wicked grin, I nudged her. "I know! How about you get really daring and get the girls pierced?"
"No way," she laughed, her eyes dancing with humor. "I'm stopping at just this one." She elbowed. "Your turn. Switch seats."
I traded places with her and settled into the chair. The bearded man, whose name turned out to be Zach, made quick work of my tongue before moving on to the tattoo.
"Where did you say you wanted it?" He inquired, prepping the needle.
"Right here," I answered, pointing to my pelvic region.
Zach gave me a skeptical look. "Do you have any other ink, buddy?"
Holding up my forearm, I pushed back the sleeve of my hoodie to reveal the piece I had done there. "Just this one."
He chuckled. "I can promise you that this will feel nothing like that one. Are you sure you don't want to pick a different location?"
"Absolutely not," I insisted even though I was hesitating on the inside over Zach's warning.
"Okay, if that's what you want." As I heard the buzzing of the tattoo gun, my palms began to sweat at the anticipation of getting jabbed. I had been calm up until he had spooked me with his threats of pain.
I inhaled sharply as the needle made contact with my hip bone. Addison stared at me with wide eyes. "Does it hurt?" She whispered. "You look as though you're about to pass out."
"It's nothing," I squeaked out through clenched teeth. "I can scarcely feel it."
She smirked at me. "Do you need to hold my hand?"
I closed my eyes tightly, willing myself to focus on something other than the searing white hot vibrations coursing throughout my system. "Pssh...don't be ridiculous."
Yea, Matt, I chided myself. Don't be silly. You're fine. After all, you're a sucker for pain, remember?