Charlie was just about to protest when Nick turned and nodded. “Yeah, Charlie. You should come.”
Surprise curled through Charlie’s gut—-both at being included and at how good being included felt. He spent so much time alone in front of a computer that he’d nearly forgotten how being with others chased the cold loneliness away and filled him with warmth. He hadn’t had that in so long. A lot of which was his own fault. He definitely acknowledged that.
Down at Hard Ink, Jeremy led them through a darkened lounge space at the back of the shop and into a square room. He flicked on the lights, and the walls came to life with pictures of tattoos, large pencil drawings, framed memorabilia, and more.
“You can sit there, Charlie,” Jeremy said with a smile. He pointed to a folding chair by the edge of a counter. Nick pulled another chair, this one with padded armrests and a back that appeared to recline, into the center of the room and sat.
Jeremy moved around with a calm efficiency born of experience. He looked the way Charlie felt when he sat in front of a computer, which made Charlie all the more fascinated with what he was doing. Charlie studied Jeremy as he made a stencil to add the seventh soldier into the current tattoo design and had Nick check its placement, as he cleaned and prepped his workspace, and as he poured black ink into a tiny cup and assembled the tattoo machine.
And then Jeremy sat on a rolling stool beside Nick and asked, “Ready?”
Nick gave a single nod. And then a low buzz filled the room as Jeremy dipped the machine’s needle in the ink and leaned in to work.
Truth be told, Charlie was overwhelmed. Both by the significance of another man commemorating his father on his skin, and by how freaking sexy Jeremy was as he brought the image to life. Did Jeremy even realize that he kept flicking his tongue against the piercing on his lip? Because Charlie was about ready to combust at the sight of it.
The tattoo was done way too quickly. Charlie could’ve watched Jeremy work all day.
“Perfect,” Nick said as he checked out the finished ink in the mirror. Jeremy bandaged his arm. “Game for doing one more?”
“It’s like Christmas morning,” Jeremy said. “When am I not game for one more? What do you have in mind?”
Nick pulled a piece of paper from his back pocket, unfolded it, and handed it to Jeremy. “I want it here,” he said, pointing to his upper left forearm.
Jeremy’s expression went soft for a moment, like whatever was on the paper moved him, but then he nodded. “All black?”
“Yeah,” Nick said, sitting again.
They repeated the process with the stencil again, and that was when Charlie finally saw what it was. A tribal sun with an ornate letter B in the middle.
It only took Charlie a few seconds to understand Jeremy’s expression. “Sunshine” was Nick’s nickname for Becca. Nick was permanently marking his body for Charlie’s sister.
“Does she know?” Charlie asked, gesturing to the stencil.
Nick shook his head. “Thought I’d surprise her.”
“Might want a box of Kleenex handy when you do,” Charlie said, glad that Becca had someone who loved her the way Nick did.
Jeremy laughed. “Right? I’m getting a little misty over here myself.”
Nick cuffed him on the back of the head. “Shut up.”
“Dude. Why do you always hit me?” Jeremy asked. “Seems a little imprudent when I’m about to get my hands on you, don’t you think? I’m not above tattooing a Hello, Kitty on your grumpy ass.”
That time, Nick was the one to laugh. “Do that and you’ll wake up tomorrow morning with a shaved head.”
Jeremy held up his hands. “That’s not cool. You don’t threaten a man’s hair.”
Charlie grinned as the exchange went on until Jeremy finally settled down and got to work. This tattoo took longer than the first, and had turned the skin on Nick’s forearm bright red by the time Jeremy finished. But it looked phenomenal, the black stark and crisp on his arm.
Becca was going to flip out.
“Great work as always,” Nick said as Jeremy bandaged the second piece.
“You’re welcome, man,” Jeremy said. Then, a moment later, he added, “You’re that serious about her?”
Nick smirked. “You waited ‘til after it was done to ask?”
Jeremy shrugged, a small smile playing around his lips.
“Yeah. I absolutely am. I’m that serious and I’m that sure.” Nick smoothed a finger over the tape on his arm.
“Well, I’m glad for you. I really am. Becca’s the best,” Jeremy said.
“Way better than me. But somehow I got lucky.” Nick walked to the doorway and turned. “Can you two come up around seven and relieve the women from reading? They’ve been at it all day.”