The second the bell rang Tyler rushed me out of school. We drove downtown to this tattoo parlor I'd only heard things about. Tyler and his friends had been talking about going in for almost two weeks now. I'd, of course, been against the idea of going and so Tyler decided not to. Not that I stopped him or anything, he just didn't want to go if I wasn't interested.
I didn't think I could crush on him any harder. But when he said those words, I dreamt of marrying him.
Tyler pulled over in front of a small battered shady looking shop. It had two entrance doors. The inner door was smaller, transparent, kind of looked like glass, and the outer door was made of steel. The steel door was wide open and at the top of the shop was a big brown wood hanging boldly with the words Maggie's Tattoo. Tattoos of different shapes were littered all over the steel door. And as if that wasn't descriptive enough, the letters T.A.T.T.O.O were boldly written on the glass-like door. At the entrance was a white vase with green plants sitting at the corner. I only realized the plant was artificial when we went closer.
Tyler squeezed my hand tightly, and when I saw his face; the excitement and the thrill, I swallowed everything I wanted to say about how bad of an idea this was.
When we entered, on reflex I did a head count. A red haired woman who smiled as she saw us, two oddly looking guys who busied themselves were all that were present. I looked around, and if I didn't think it'd be rude to frown, I would have. Not like I was expecting much after what I'd seen on the outside but I'd hoped that the inside of the shop wouldn't be a sore sight.
The entire decor gave me the creeps.
"This must be your girlfriend." The red haired covered in tattoos said to Tyler. On her shoulder was drawing that caught my attention. A snake wrapped around a flower. I couldn't help wondering what it meant.
The red hair, though obviously older than us, kept giving Tyler some kind of flirtatious look. I was immediately repulsed by her.
"Yeah. This is—"
"You look like Ivan said you would. Of course, the picture of you he showed helped too ." She interrupted rudely.
I wanted to punch that silly smile off her face.
"First time getting one of these?"
Tyler nodded.
"Take a seat." She pointed at a black long chair. "We'll start in a minute. And don't worry. It won't hurt… too much." She smirked and went behind a door.
A few minutes later she returned. I made sure I sat closely beside Tyler.
"What would you like?" She took the other empty seat that was also close to Tyler. "A drawing? Art? A name?" She placed her hand on Tyler's shoulder. "Would you like me to recommend something?"
"No. I know what I want. Sal." Tyler smiled.
"Sal? Is that the name of your girlfriend?" She said 'girlfriend' like the word tasted bitter in her mouth.
"My name is Sophie." I said rudely, eyeing her. I couldn't hide my disgust for her behavior anymore.
"Sophie Avante Landry. S.A.L. Sal." Tyler smiled at me and I swear my anger dissolved.
Nothing mattered anymore. He was doing this for me. His first tattoo and he chose my name.
"Wait. Is this permanent?" I asked panicking.
"Yes." The red haired answered.
I looked at Tyler with shaky eyes. I hated thinking about this but I couldn't help it. "What if we break up?"
Very few words have felt this heavy in my mouth.
Tyler squeezed. But almost immediately, he smiled again. "Then I guess I'll just have to date only Sals' for the rest of my life."
I hit his shoulder lightly, blushing at his joke.
"I'm serious."
Our eyes locked. "I don't plan to let you go, Sophie. Not ever. You're stuck with me. Do you understand?"
I flushed. I was super happy, but not so happy that I was willing to fight the urge to steal one glance at miss inappropriate. She was frowning. It was all the encouragement I needed to lean in and place a small kiss on his lips, and Tyler, as always, refused to let my peck on his lips remain just a peck.
I liked that he didn't care where we were or who was looking before showing me how much he 'liked' me.
"Let's get started. We don't have all day." The red haired said bitterly. Even then, Tyler still didn't pull away from me. He took his time leaving my lips.
A couple of minutes later and my name was boldly tattooed on Tyler's chest. He'd chosen the left side.
I'd thought it would hurt a lot, I'd even expected Tyler to do more than wince; I wouldn't think less of him if he did, but he quietly endured the pain. All through the process, his eyes never left mine.
"Does it not hurt?" I asked when we were inside his car.
"Nah."
"Really?" I lightly touched the bandage over his shirt. He winced.
"Okay. Maybe a little." He chuckled.
I laughed. "Only a little?"
"Maybe just a little bit more than a little." He laughed.
Tyler took my hand in his own and began to drive.
An hour plus later, he pulled up in front of my house. It was already dark.
"Thanks for coming along."
I smiled at him and nodded.
"I'll pick you up tomorrow morning?"
I nodded again.
"Okay." He placed a kiss on my cheeks. "Goodbye for now."
"Goodbye for now."
I tried to jump out of his car, but Tyler refused to let go of my hand.
"I kind of need my arm if I want to leave."
"Do you? Do you want to leave?"
"It's late, Tyler. You should go home."
"It's only nine. We could sit out."
"We've sat out. And nine is late. Plus, I have a test tomorrow. We have a test tomorrow. Not all of us have a basketball scholarship to lean on."
"But like… can't I go in for a minute?" The way he begged was so cute.
"Tyler…" I gave him the eye.
"No. It's not what you think. I don't want to—it's not about sex. I just… I miss you already Sophie. A lot. I always want you to be with me. Is that such a bad thing?" He squeezed.
I placed my hand on his cheeks and rubbed softly.
I liked that he wanted me this much. That he liked me this much. I liked him too. I always wanna be around him. Being with him has been my dream. But I needed to draw a line. I needed to be careful. I'd already made one mistake because I was too emotional, I couldn't afford another. Especially now.
"I meant it when I said I'd wait till you're ready to have sex. This isn't me pushing you." He explained. I could have sworn I saw a glimpse of fear in his eyes.
"I know. I know."
"But like, can't we sleep on the same bed without doing it? I think that's possible for us. And, and, and you know you have nothing to worry about with me, right?"
Of course I had nothing to worry about with Ty. I trusted him, maybe more than I should. The problem was me. It was me I didn't trust. Sleeping next to him, I'd want him too much. I'd thought the second I got with Tyler I'd let him take me. But after last year, after everything I had done, my priorities had to change. They just had to.
"How about this? Let me think about it. Please. Is that okay?"
He kissed my lips. "More than okay."
"Okay. Now, can I go?"
"Of course my lady."
I blushed.
"Good night."