Despite my intention to filter out the naughty scenes while telling the story, my mind couldn't help but linger on them.
[Flashback]
Don narrowed his eyes at the diagram Barry showed him, studying it with intent focus. And when I thought Don would crack a smile, just a little one, a tiny one, he didn't smile.
I let my eyes stay on his face as I couldn't help but watch him, intrigued by his mysterious, non smiling nature.
"Man, I've seen some pretty weird stuff in my time as a werewolf tattoo artist" he commented, looking fixedly on the image in Barry's book. "But I keep seeing weirder shits every day, I mean, what in heaven's name do we call this diagram and what in hell does it even represent?"
Barry chuckled, finding Don's reaction amusing.
I leaned in, trying to catch a glimpse of the diagram in the book. Don was right—it did look strange. It was an image of tiny, unrecognizable words surrounded by an oval wolf logo.
"Are these not... Greek words?" Don ran his eyes over the image, like he was studying hard.
"Yeah, they are" Barry answered with a lopsided smile. "Ena antifatikó eváloto kardiochtýpi pou pléketai me éna skoteinó vléma." He read the words aloud, and I couldn't help but focus on his red lips as they pronounced each Greek word. Honestly, Barry can make even simple actions look really sexy.
"So, what do they mean?" Don asked, his eyes filled with burning curiosity.
Barry was silent for a moment, his stare staying on the diagram before responding, "It means 'A conflicted, fragile heart entwined with a dark gaze.'"
The words echoed in my ear even with the emotions used to pronounce the meaning.
"The wolf design surrounding the words symbolizes being part of a wolf clan, surrounded by it." He elaborated, while I kept my gaze fixed on his face as he parted his lips to explain, his expression serious. "And the person with the conflicted, fragile heart and those intense... dark eyes, remain in the middle."
I wondered what inspired him to want to ink something like that on his body. Was he talking about himself, or did he stumble upon it in a book and fall in love with it?
"You may seem like an unserious fellow," Don said, his face unsmiling, a look I'm beginning to get used to now. "But you're definitely intelligent. The way you speak tells me how much you seek knowledge when no one's looking."
Don's words rang in my ears, my brain processing it and then it made sense to me. It made me realize that maybe deep down, Barry is actually like how Don had described him, and the tattoo should be talking about himself.
"And yeah? Aren't you gonna get a book from me today?" Don asked.
"Wait, you sell books?" I asked in a surprised tone.
"I don't sell usually books, but Barry likes to buy them from me" Don gestured his head towards the books arranged on a shelf at the corner of the room. "He said he's not gonna return the books if he borrows them from me, so he finds a way to pay me"
"I never knew Barry is a bookworm" I remarked.
Barry glanced at me, and I could see the slight and unfamiar timidness in him at the moment, then he quickly returned his eyes back to Don.
"He does not allow many people to know he is actually like that. He gives people the bad boy show, especially the girls because they all wanna date a bad boy and Barry wants to date all the hot girls" Don explained in a friendly voice but with an unfriendly expression.
Barry rolled his eyes, frowning afterwards "I don't really do dates" His tone was nonchalant "Going out with girls is not something I do"
"Says the guy that brought a girl with him to a tattoo parlor" Don retorted sharply.
I knew Don was referring to me, but I remained silent, my gaze on Barry. He flicked his eyes to my face, our eyes locking in the process before he quickly flicked his eyes to the other side of the room to avoid eye contact with me.
I darted my eyes towards the tattoo image inside the book, staring at it like I was studying every word and Greek letters. The beautiful oval wolf logo drawn around it gave it a stunning look, and suddenly, I didn't find it so bad anymore.
"P, what do you think about it?" Barry asked about the image, returning his gaze back to my face. He was staring at me with an unsure expression, something I rarely see on his face.
"It's uhmm... it's....beautiful" I replied truthfully, tracing my fingers on the sketching.
"You really think it is?" Barry asked, his emotions uncovered.
I smiled at him. "I mean, the tat is weird" I glanced at the diagram, my smile still on my face. "But yeah, it's beautiful."
"What exactly do you find beautiful?" He questioned, looking at me like he wanted to know everything on my mind. "Do you find the dark eyes beautiful or the conflicted, fragile heart?" He asked with a low tone, staring intensely into my eyes, completely forgetting the existence of Don in the room with us.
The emotion in his voice engulfed me, and I couldn't resist the urge to touch him, to caress his face and let him know he is beautiful in his own way. He is beautiful with his fragile heart and dark eyes.
My hand trembled a little as I reached out to touch his face, then I withdrew, watching his reaction. His eyes softened, silently granting me permission to continue.
I gently ran my fingers through his soft hair, pushing locks back as he watched me carefully, his intense gaze swallowing me.
"I find the combination of a fragile heart and those dark eyes so beautiful" I whispered, tracing my fingernails down his cheek to his jawline. "Right now, I find you beautiful."