Body, Ink, and Soul (34 page)

T
he flight went well and the landing was smooth. We were in Las Vegas! We were both excited and anxious to see the hotel room booked by Levi in one of the top hotels. We grabbed a taxi and the trunk was nearly full with Levi’s equipment.

The first night was ours to enjoy together. We ordered room service, then decided to take a walk on The Strip after dinner. The sky had darkened since we arrived and it was much more impressive at night with all the lights blazing. I had my camera ready, I wanted to take tons of picture as Bekka had begged me to.

The MGM Grand, the Bellagio, the Luxor and Circus Circus, I couldn't believe that I was really here and seeing them in real life.

"Star, calm down a little. We’re almost running, baby, we have plenty of time to enjoy the sights."

"Angel, I'm freaking. This is Vegas, where all the casinos are, where people get married by Elvis, it's magic! I can't calm down. I'm so freaking thrilled to be here with you."

"Please, tell me you don't want to get married by Elvis tonight?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Silly, of course not. We aren’t even engaged yet. Beside, Bekka and Val would kill me."

"I wouldn't let them."

"Levi." I looked up at him, he was so serious. Our eyes met and we stared at one another. Words were spoken without any sound. I knew what was going to happen and I was ecstatic. I could hardly believe any of it.

"I love you, Rock Star, I love you so much. I'm sorry I was keeping to myself this past week. I was thinking and going through stuff in my head, and I realized that I can't just be your boyfriend anymore." He paused, for a second, brushing a hand across my cheek. “I want more, Nix. I want to be your everything because that’s what you are to me, my everything."

I was speechless, I couldn't think of a thing to say. "Angel," I murmured.

He pressed his lips against mine. "Let me finish, baby. I know you’re still so young and still going to university and you want to be done with it before we move out on our own, but I think this is something you want too. Not now, but soon, will you be my wife? Will you be the one I get to share my life with?"

"You’re crazy, Levi." I kissed him passionately, right in the middle of The Strip. "Yes, yes, I will marry you, Levi Monroe, because you are abso-freaking-lutely perfect."

We continued kissing, my whole body trembling with emotion. I felt something cool being slid onto my finger. He had just given me a ring. I looked and I knew instinctively, without him telling me, it was his mother’s ring.

"It's beautiful."

"It's my Mom’s ring. The one my father gave her when he proposed, but I’ve had it remade with white gold and kept the original diamond. I hope you like it." He ran a nervous hand through his hair.

"I don't just like it, Levi. It's perfect, just like you, and I love it."

I suddenly noticed the people around us were staring. Some were filming us on their cell phones and a few were even wiping their eyes with tissues. I blushed ten shades of crimson and hid my face against Levi's chest. This trip had turned out to be way better than I had planned.

We walked hand in hand and we both had an unstoppable smile on our faces. I’d never doubted his love for me, but wearing his precious diamond on my finger transformed the feelings into something I couldn't quite explain. My love for him was infinite, indestructible and inescapable. It was so powerful and strong that I almost breathed love.

"You make me the happiest girl in the world, do you understand that? I never expected you to do what you just did and yet, I love you so much for doing it. I will be the best fiancée I can be." I promised him.

"Don't change anything, Star, I proposed to you because you already are the best person for me."

"When I think you can’t get any cuter, you prove me wrong."

We both laughed and stopped to watch the spectacle outside the Bellagio. The fountain of water was grandiose, but it still dimmed in comparison to my love for my fiancé.

After doing the touristy thing for over two hours, my legs were tired and I was hungry for junk food. I wanted a greasy, cheesy pizza. The excitement of the evening was playing games with my stomach. The proposal butterflies had transformed into hunger cravings.

We stopped in a small diner and ordered my 100% pure fat snack. While we waited, I was desperate to share the news with the girls, but I didn't want to ruin our special moment. I was checking my phone surreptitiously and trying to think of a good excuse to call Bekka. Lev rolled his eyes, picked up the phone and dialled a number, then put it on speaker and placed it back on the table.

"Nix, is everything okay?" I recognized Bekka but Levi pressed a finger to my lips, so he could speak first.

"Hey, roomie! Nix is safe, don't worry." He waited a few seconds before he added anything. "Something happened tonight though..." He winked at me.

"What?" Bekka never liked this game, I could hear the anxiety in her voice. "Is she pregnant or something?"

I couldn't help myself, I burst into laughter.

"No, not yet," he said and smiled at me.

What?

"Levi Monroe, don't you make me jump on a plane to come and kick your ass," Bekka threatened.

"Relax lady. I proposed to Phoenix and right now, she’s too busy staring at her diamond to talk to you."

"Nix, I know you can hear me, is that true? How come you haven’t sent me a picture of your ring already?" She sounded mad.

I rolled my eyes at her, knowing she couldn't see me. "It’s a beautiful ring with a huge square princess cut diamond."

"Really? Oh My God! I wish I could have seen the proposal!"

"He was really cute. I couldn't possibly say no to him."

"Okay well send me the picture, right now," she ordered. "I gotta get back to work. Some of us need to work on a Friday night."

"Oh! Come on! I’ll be back on Monday."

"Laters. Don't get married in Vegas or I’ll strangle you, Levi".

"Yes ma'am." Levi grinned. He reached across to take my newly-embellished hand and kissed each of my knuckles in turn.

The waitress brought us our pizza, fresh from the oven. It was exactly the way I liked it. The cheese was perfectly grilled and the crust was crispy. We ate the whole thing in ten minutes.

"That was the best pizza I’ve had in a long time," I announced with a happy sigh.

"I agree, but now I'm full," Levi complained.

"Me too, it hurts."

We both held a hand on our bloated tummies. I had to undo the button of my jeans to help me breathe more comfortably. We paid the check and walked slowly back to our hotel. Levi kept his hand pressed possessively against the curve of my back the whole time.

Back at the hotel room, I was able to pull of my now too-tight jeans and change into some comfy sweat pants. I wished I’d brought something sexier in my luggage, now that we were engaged. It would have been the perfect occasion to spice things up.

Levi was yawning and switching the channels of the TV every two seconds. Nothing seemed to be catching his attention.

"I'm so tired tonight and I feel like we didn't even do all that much," he grumbled.

"Levi, you just proposed to me, I think that’s more than enough for one night."

"Yeah, I did, right?" His smile was back on his tired face. "You’re my fiancée and the future Mrs. Levi Monroe."

"Exactly. I like the sound of that."

"Me too." He caught me by the hand and trapped me in an embrace. "Let’s watch some TV, I need to chill a bit. We ate like pigs."

"I know, but it was so good." I cuddled against his neck and his cologne sent me straight to heaven. "We’ll eat salad for the rest of the weekend," I joked.

"Not happening, I need real food if I’m going to survive this weekend. You have no idea how busy it will get. Kyle couldn’t get here until tomorrow morning, but at least he’ll be here to help me set everything up. We’ve got t-shirts and hoodies to sell and we’ll be doing tattoos. It will be fun, but exhausting."

"I’ll take care of keeping you fed and selling the t-shirts and hoodies."

"You are the best girlfriend, uh, fiancée in the world."

"I know."

He tightened his embrace as he went through all the movie channels. I think I fell asleep before he was able to make up his mind. I woke up early the next morning to find myself in bed with Levi; our arms and legs intertwined together. God, I loved him.

K
yle had arrived at sunrise and both he and Levi were working at their kiosk. They had posters to fix on the walls and the t-shirts and hoodies to display on the table. When that was all done, they both adjust their work areas, with their portable chair, inks and machines. After checking on them, I went to get some coffee and breakfast. The doors were going to open within the hour and I knew the guys were starving.

I could tell Levi was anxious. He had no idea of what to expect over the weekend, or who would walk in and what kind of tattoos he would be doing. It had to be nerve-wracking for him and Kyle.

I wanted them to eat well and get all the energy possible from their breakfast. I wanted eggs, bacon, fresh fruits, sausages and toasts. I asked for suggestions at the hotel’s front desk and they sent me to the restaurant across the street. I ordered the food without looking at the menu and waited patiently. Within ten minutes, I was crossing the street again with my hands full. I walked in to the convention centre and discovered the guys were gone. I knew they couldn't have gone too far away. I put the food down on the table and glanced around.

"Rock Star!" I heard Levi call my name and a smile was immediately drawn on my lips. "I want you to meet our neighbours for the weekend."

"Sure." I stepped across to where Levi and Kyle stood with a few other people.

"Guys, this is my fiancée, Nix. She’ll be helping us out over the weekend."

"Did you say fiancée?" Kyle punched Levi on the shoulder. "And you forgot to tell me? You are such a jerk!" He turned toward me with bright eyes. "Come here, beautiful!" Kyle hugged me and kissed my cheeks. "Congrats Nix, you two are great together."

"Thanks, Kyle."

Levi caught my attention with a warm smile and a wink. "So, Nix, this here is King B. and Pat, this is their kiosk and these guys are Tommy and Alice, they have the kiosk in front of ours."

"Nice meeting you all." I was kind of intimidated by them, as they were all covered in tattoos. I should be used to it by now, but I still wasn't. Levi and Kyle weren’t going out of their way to show off their ink, but the others were wearing wife beaters to ensure their ink was on full display. They had a huge amount of tattoos, a lot more than Levi. Pat had so many, even his legs were covered.

We ended up going back to the kiosk to eat our breakfast. They both thanked me for the huge breakfast and warm coffee. Soon afterwards, people started pouring in through the doors. The organizer were expecting thousands of visitors and I wasn't entirely certain the guys were ready for such huge crowds.

Kyle was quickly set to work with a skull project for a guy’s calf and Levi was drawing a broken heart and angel for a mother who had lost her child. The lady sat in a chair at the front of our kiosk, while Levi drew a really nice piece. I think he could relate to her in some ways. He was a child who had lost his mother and this lady had lost her child. There was a haunting synchronicity to their mutual losses.

Levi had pure, unadulterated talent. The drawing was clean and skillful his lines were perfect and even though it was only an outline, I could see the emotions he’d drawn into the angel’s faces. He had captured every sign of grief, pain and love and incorporated it into the design. I couldn't wait to see the lady’s reaction. There was no way she wasn't going to like it.

"Levi, it's incredible. So beautiful."

He smiled with pride and glanced over at the lady who was patiently waiting. "I was inspired by it. I added a few flowers to it. I hope she won't mind." He got up and showed her his piece of art. No words were spoken as she stared at the drawing. Her lips were sealed, but her eyes were filled with tears which rolled down her cheeks. I offered her a tissue and she took it, then threw her arms around Levi. She cried for a few minutes and Levi patted her back softly. All I could hear was the woman saying thank you repeatedly. She loved it, and Levi had nailed it.

While he worked on her tattoo, I called Val and told her our good news. She screamed over the line and I begged her to stop. Happy couldn’t describe how delighted she was. Overjoyed was more like it.

"This is your moment, Nix, enjoy every second of it. Be happy because you deserve it. I love you, sister. I better be a bridesmaid!"

"You will, that’s for sure. I wouldn't do it without you."

"I'm sorry Nix, but I’ve gotta go, John is waiting for me. He’s taking me out." She sounded apologetic.

"No problem, I’ll call you soon with more details."

I missed her. She meant so much to me and it was hard to be so far away from her.

Apart from selling the merchandise and giving away business cards, I didn’t have much to do and I was bored. Kyle and Levi were busy and quiet, both concentrating on their work. I decided to walk around other aisles and see what the other artists were doing. There was a tattooist from one of the TV shows and he had at least thirty people standing around, watching him work. I saw King B. and Tommy talking with some other guys. They both nodded when I passed them. King B. reminded me of someone, maybe an actor, but I couldn't remember which movie it was.