He shook his head and slipped his leather jacket down his arms, draping it over the back of her couch. “Nope.”
He stared at her, taking her all in. She was wearing black yoga pants that folded over her hips, clinging to every single curve. She had a sports bra on and her hair was tied up in a ponytail. What he loved best was that she didn’t have a stitch of makeup on letting her true beauty immerse. She was stunning, and the most intriguing part of Cara, was that she was stunning both on the outside and the inside. Her concern for him, her love for him, shined in her hazel eyes. He could get lost in her eyes for an eternity. He snapped out of his trance when she grabbed his hand. She had been talking and he hadn’t heard a single word, he was too engulfed in her to hear.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Why are you in pain?” She said a little impatiently and whole lot nervously.
He laced their fingers together and brought their hands to his lips, placing featherlike kisses along her knuckles. “I love you Cara.”
“I love you too, but you’re scaring me right now.” She croaked.
“Don’t be scared.” He touched a strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail, wrapping it around his finger before tucking it behind her ear. “I don’t want you to ever doubt how much I love you, never, no matter what.”
She swallowed and stared at him, confused. He didn’t know why, but suddenly his words had meaning. He wanted her to know until the end of the time, how he loved her. Maybe it was the stupid doctor’s visit messing with his head, but he followed his gut and said the words anyway. Half full, the glass is half full; he reminded himself and pushed the dread out of his voice.
“When we were in Manhattan you asked me why I never tattooed the left side of my chest.” He cleared his throat, pushing through the emotion that hung in his voice. “Do you remember what I told you?”
She nodded, and glanced at his chest quickly before looking back into his eyes. “I remember.”
He didn’t say anything, instead he nodded to her urging her to repeat his words back to him.
“You said it was sacred territory and when I asked you why, you said it’s the closest place to your heart.”
Jake smiled at her, and dropped her hand that he was holding. His eyes didn’t leave hers and when she went to speak he shook his head, silencing her. He lifted his arms over his head, and looked down at the white t-shirt that was loose around his chest. He watched as her eyes glistened staring at the t-shirt and then back to his. He nodded briefly and she stepped closer. Her fingertips grazed the hem of his t-shirt. She searched his eyes trying to figure him out, but all he imagined she could see is how much he loved her at that moment. He hoped she’d see it, and would remember it, remember how he looked at her that very moment. He closed his eyes briefly, pushing that dread away again. He opened his eyes as she began to lift his shirt up his abdomen, all the way to his chest. The left side of his chest was covered with gauze and taped carefully to his skin. She tugged the shirt over his head, and he still kept his arms raised over his head as the shirt was thrown to the floor.
“Go ahead.” He whispered.
She stood on her tip toes and pressed her lips to his, ever so gently. When she pulled away her fingers delicately worked the tape from his skin and the gauze. He sucked in a breath as she slowly peeled away the gauze. Her fingers trembled as she stared at his chest, revealing the tattoo that covered the entire left side of his chest.
Cara couldn’t read Jake from the minute she opened the door to let him in her apartment. For a moment she thought he was breaking up with her, but when she looked into his eyes she saw a man who was so in love the woman he was staring at her. It was crazy, because she never had experienced love like that. And now he was asking her to repeat his words and un-wrap him as if he was a present on Christmas morning. She peeled the gauze away from his skin, her fingers trembling. Before she allowed herself to stare at what was beneath the gauze she gazed back into his eyes. His smile was wide, and so she looked. She stared at the tattoo in utter shock and awe. She heard her gasp escape, and felt the tears cloud her eyes. She blinked them away, but they slid down her cheeks.
His skin was raw and puffy from the needle and it glistened from the ointment that was applied when it had been finished. The entire left side of his chest had the picture he drew of her tattooed to it. It was as if she was staring into a mirror, her reflection shining back at her. He had tattooed her, her body, her eyes, how she stared at him after they had made love for the first time, looking back at her was the vision of her through his eyes and over his heart.
She brought her hand to her mouth and sobbed. She cried at the sentiment, for the love he had for her, for the man he was. Jake wrapped his arms around her, and brought her against the right side of his body, she felt his lips brush the top of her head.