Chani had offered to ferry me to my date with Arthur, but before the date, we agreed to get a couple of tattoos together. I was thankful to use the money from Arthur on it, to get something fun with the money, even if I should have been saving up to pay off my loans. Each of us got a couple of smaller tattoos, costing less than two hundred each. We left the parlor and headed towards the Brown Palace Hotel, where Arthur told me to meet him. Chani told me she was rather jealous, as she had always wanted to eat there. I told her I'd take her some time.
"I actually haven't seen Alice in a few days." I chewed on my lip in concern. I had texted and called her a few times but to no avail.
"Are you sure she's okay?" Chani reached over to turn the music down more.
"Well, she has been posting stuff on her Instagram with some girls from the college, so assumedly, yes." I shrugged weakly.
"You just think she's ditched you again, huh?"
"Mostly." I sighed.
"Sorry to hear that, Mal."
"It's fine. I guess I should just get used to it. I'm just thankful I've found you. I don't know what I would've done without you."
Chani smiled softly. "I'm glad to have you too, Mali. Well, we're here." Chani slowed down to a stop. "Well, as close as I can get you. It's just down thataway." She pointed in a direction.
"Cool. Thank you again, Chani. I appreciate the ride."
"Call me if you need me to pick you up."
"Will do." I nodded, before crawling out of the car, making sure I had my purse. I started in the direction she had pointed out, before finding myself outside of the Brown Palace, where Arthur was waiting for me.
"Hey." He smiled widely as he saw me. He opened his arms for a hug, which I reciprocated, hugging him back.
I stepped back to see him in more casual wear this time. He looked just as handsome. "You look great." I smiled up at him. He was a good half a foot or so taller than me, though I'm pretty short.
"You do too." He guided me inside and up the elevator until we got to our reserved spot. "Looks like you've got some new tattoos. I noticed the wrap." He pointed towards my arms.
"Yeah. Wanna see them?" I held my arms out to him to survey. I had gotten a quote on each one. One was along my forearm, and another on my other wrist.
"They look nice. They suit you well."
"Thanks." I smiled. "I wanna get a lot more. Like covered in them, but I'm nervous about getting a bigger piece."
"It's not too bad. You've already dealt with these ones, so you know the pain."
"Do you have tattoos?" I titled my head to the side. "I love tattoos on people."
"I have a handful." He nodded with a small smile. "I'll show you sometime. I also noticed your bandaged hand. Are you alright?"
"My friend and I went to an abandoned sugar mill, and I fell down and cut my hand open." I explained with a smile. "I had to get stitches."
"Ouch." He winced. "I hope you're alright."
"It's nothing too bad." I shook my head. "I'm fine."
We chatted through the rest of dinner until we finished dessert and tried to decide what to do next. Arthur suggested we could go back to his place and watch a movie. I agreed, and after he paid, we headed out. He had brought a different car this time, a Shelby Cobra. My dad had always been a fan of cars, so I was pretty knowledgeable about them for someone who didn't drive.
"I'm still not ready to have sex or anything." I admitted to him after he crawled into the car.
"That's fine, Malia. I don't expect anything from you. Just having your company is enough." He paused for a moment. "I told you about my divorce. I'll admit that I'm just lonely. My ex and I held out for so long, through misery, so I'm just happy to have you around. You're like a ray of sunshine."
"Even though I'm dressed in all black?" I smiled.
"Even so." He nodded. He reached over and gently squeezed my hand, before releasing. It was a loving gesture.
----
Arthur sat down on the couch next to me, the popcorn bowl in hand. We had settled on a somewhat new action movie neither of us had seen before.
"Hey, Arthur?" I looked over at him.
"Huh?" His eyes were still trained on the TV as he stuffed a handful of popcorn into his mouth.
"Why'd you decide to get a sugar…baby, instead of dating like normal?"
"I wanted to help someone like you, someone who needed financial help." He shrugged, looking over at me. "Plus, I wanted a breath of fresh air. Someone very different from my ex-wife."
"I guess that makes sense." I nodded. "Sorry, we can watch the movie now. I'll quiet down."
"No problem, Malia." He smiled, putting his arm comfortably behind me. "I don't mind the questions, and if we're going to be together, you have a right to know. By the way, thank you again for trusting me with those pictures of you. It means a lot to me."
"Of course." I smiled up at him. "I'm glad you liked them."
"You have very good taste." He squeezed my shoulder gently.
The movie ended up being alright, but somewhat boring. I ended up falling asleep partway through, with my head on Arthur's lap.