Read The Hysterics Online

Authors: Kristen Hope Mazzola

Tags: #Romance

The Hysterics (9 page)

BOOK: The Hysterics
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I took a sharp, deep breath in, exhaling slowly. “Nope. Let’s do this shit! I’m first!”

Cruz chuckled. “Alright, let me get these on tracing paper and we’ll get the ball rolling. Dane, if you don’t want to wait, I have a new chick working for me, she’s sick! Want to give her a try? It’ll be on the house.”

“Man, you know how I feel about free tattoos.”

“Yeah, but this one wont suck. Promise. Serena just needs to pay her dues a little here. Tip her and we’ll call it even?”

Dane agreed and Cruz left us to go into his office to trace our designs.

“Did you draw those?”

Dane dug his hands into his pockets and nodded. “I’ve had that tattoo in mind for years. After I took you home from that appointment, I knew it was time to get it.”

“Why?”

“Why now? Or why that tattoo?”

“Why that tattoo?”

“Because some things in life just hurt so much that you need to feel physical pain to start to heal from it.”

“Are you ever going to explain it completely to me?”

He nodded. “I promise, just after.” He twirled his finger, motioning to the shop, and we left it there.

“Dane? Come here for a second.” Cruz popped his head out from his office a few feet away from us. “I have a question about lettering.”

Dane kissed the side of my head and assured me, “I’ll be right back, try to relax.”

“I am relaxed.”

“If shaking knees equals relaxed, then OK.” He gave me a fleeting half smile that sent my heart racing as he jogged over to the slightly open door.

“In black ink my love may still shine bright,” I mumbled under my breath while I waited for the guys to come back out.

DANE

“Cruz, they’re awesome.” I watched as the only tattoo artist I had ever gone to put a needle to my skin and slowly drew the words that were about to be inked on our bodies.

“Do you think the chick will like it?” Cruz held up some of the most beautiful cursive lettering I had ever seen, tailed by a small, simple heart.

“Yeah, it’s perfect.”

I started to walk toward the door of Cruz’s office when his words stopped me. “It’s a big step… getting a matching tat with a chick. She must be pretty special.”

I turned to him and nodded swiftly. “You have no idea, man.”

I joined Fallon where she stood in the middle of the silent shop, looking like a sheep about to head to slaughter. “You know you don’t have to do this. I just—”

Fallon’s finger went to my lips, silencing me. “I love this more than I can even begin to express. Thank you.”

Her eyes were soft and sad while they stared into mine. I knew we both had so much we needed to overcome, but there was a sense of comfort and lack of loneliness when I was near Fallon that I hadn’t known since my life had crashed down around me.

A small girl with almost white bleached hair came around the corner and popped into Cruz’s office. I could hear her soft voice through the open door.

“You wanted to see me?” She sounded more like a middle-schooler than a grown woman.

“Yeah, you’re going to tattoo this onto my friend’s chest. He’s standing out there. His name is Dane.”

With that the she came back into the room and walked right up to us with an outstretched hand. “Hi, Dane?” I nodded while she grabbed my hand and continued, a huge forced grin plastered on her face. “I’m Serena, I’ll be tattooing you.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” I couldn’t help but check out all of her tattoos, from the mermaid pinup on her forearm to the roses on her chest, down to the sunset beach scene covering her feet. Serena had on a loose-fitting white shirt and tight acid washed jeans. She was absolutely adorable with her bubblegum lipstick and matching eye shadow—totally a chick that I would try to take home. For a split second my mind tripped as it tried to figure out what other tattoos might be hiding on her covered skin, but then I looked to Fallon’s raised eyebrow and realized her mouth was moving.

Shit, she’s talking to me.

“Dane? Serena was asking you questions and you just froze.”

“Sorry, I got distracted.”

“Yeah, I bet you did.” Fallon rolled her eyes and walked over to Cruz’s station, talking to him about her tattoo. She pulled her shirt up over her head while Cruz moved the Japanese screen to cover Fallon while she took her bra off. Even her silhouette was striking, erasing any thought of Serena from my mind.

“So, Cruz said you wanted this on the left side of your chest?”

I nodded, not taking my eyes off the screen. Watching Cruz put the stencil on Fallon made my blood boil.

Man, is this jealousy? It fucking sucks.

“Like here?” Serena touched my pec, grazing her fingers along my muscle a little more seductively than could be deemed professional.

I nodded again and looked down at her biting her lip.

“Take your shirt off. Let’s get this shit started.”

Before I knew it, the stencil was on and I was lying on Serena’s table with a watermelon lollypop rolling around in my mouth.

“Ready?” She was hunched over me, putting on her latex gloves.

I nodded.

“You’re not very chatty, are you?”

I cleared my throat as the buzzing of the needle and the stinging started. “No, I am. My mind is just somewhere else right now.”

“Behind that curtain or in the gutter?” Her coy stare was alluring but sweet.

“The first. Or maybe both.” I could feel my cheeks burning while my lips curled slowly as I thought about Fallon.

“She’s cute.” Serena was trying her best with small talk, but I hated talking during tattoos. I liked to zone out and be left to my thoughts instead of the pain.

I nodded.

“Do I know you from somewhere?”

Crap, she is not going to shut up.

“Um…” I pretended to think, but I would have noticed her before. Her tits were too perfect and her tattoos were too sexy. “I really don’t think we’ve met. I would have remembered you.”

Too flirty.

She dug a little deep with a pass and I cringed.

“You look so familiar.”

“My buddy’s dad owns the joint across the street. Maybe I’ve seen you there?”

“Oh, my god!” She screamed the highest pitched, shrillest screech I’d ever heard. Thankfully, she didn’t have the needle near my skin because I jumped about ten feet in the air.

“What?” My heart was racing and it was definitely not from the pain.

“You’re fucking Dane Pearson! Holy fucking
shit
!”

I nodded, completely wide-eyed. I had never met a chick who got so excited about my name before.

“I’m really glad my name makes you so…elated? I guess that’s the word for this.” I propped myself up on my right elbow and watched the red-faced tattoo artist hyperventilate for a second, breathe a few quick, deep breaths, and then look like she wanted to crawl under the table and die.

“You ok?” I finally choked out while trying my hardest not to bust out laughing at how ridiculous she was acting.

“Uh huh. I just can’t fucking believe it!”

“Believe what?”

“That you’re Dane Pearson from The Hysterics and I am fucking tattooing you!”

“You know my band?”

“Know it? I
love
your band!”

I chuckled a little, nervous to even ask, but I needed this tattoo to be over soon or my pain tolerance was going to dwindle down to nothing. “Do you think…?” I pointed to the gun in Serena’s hand and raised an eyebrow.

“Oh yeah! Shit! Ok!”

She chugged a cup of water then gushed for a few more minutes about how she’d been following my band ever since we played a summer concert a little over a year before.

Finally she got back to work and Fallon made her way over to my side. The calm settled back into my chest as I grabbed her hand.

“How’d Cruz treat you?”

“After he got over the fact that I have a tattoo under my left boob, it went well.”

Jealousy bubbled back up in the back of my throat while the sudden urge to gouge Cruz’s eyes out with a dull spoon coursed through my mind.

“Can I see?”

She shook her head. “It’s already wrapped.”

Fallon leaned over my chest while Serena wiped. “Oh, Serena, it’s breathtaking!”

“Thanks! I actually didn’t get your name.”

Fallon looked down at me and I winked at her while she choked out, “Fae, my name is Fae. It’s nice to meet you. Take care of him, will ya? He’s my ride.”

She walked away after glaring deeply and smiling sweetly at Serena, a small but cunning warning of possession. Usually I hated when chicks acted like that but the fact that Fallon-freaking-Dunbar had just laid claim on me made the hair on the back of my neck perk up and my dick twitch.

Fuck, I need her.

“Hey, Fae!” I jumped a little when I heard Colt’s voice call out from across the room.

“Hey, we’re almost done.” Serena pushed my shoulder down and got back to work. “Just finishing the last letter.”

“Dane! That’s sick!” Colt’s deep voice boomed and he leaned onto the table to get a better look at the scrolling letters.

“Thanks, man. What are you doing here?”

“Marty. I went in to grab a beer and he ratted you out.”

“Sorry, man. This one I needed to fly solo on.”

“Solo, my ass. Fae is here.”

“It’s different.”

“Yeah, whatev—” Colt locked eyes on Serena, his mouth open. I think he might have even been drooling a little.

“Colt, this is Serena.”

Her eyes got wide as her gaze darted up to my bandmate. “Ha-hi.” She stuttered as she wiped my chest way too hard for how tender the flesh was.

“Am I done?” I tapped on her gloved hand, which was still wiping tiny
painful
circles over ‘love’.

“What? Yeah! All done! Wanna look?”

I popped off the table with Fallon and Colt by my side as I stared at letters that melded together to form a phrase that meant more to me than I could even admit to myself.

“Excuse me.” I ducked into the bathroom. The cold water splashing on my face did nothing for my shaking nerves. Seeing the words finally on my body brought so much more flooding back to the surface than I had expected.

FALLON

Dane sort of stumbled over to the bathrooms and I was left to watch Colt and Serena make sickening googly eyes at each other.

At least she’s not fawning over Dane anymore.

Serena was all over him, eating out of the palm of his hand. She seemed nice and all but drooling over musicians just never made sense to me.
Doesn’t she know that they shit and fart just like normal guys?

“Yeah, we have practice almost every day. Why don’t you come tomorrow?” Colt was sitting on Serena’s tattoo table, holding her between his legs, his hands resting right on her ass.

That escalated quickly.

“Oh, my god!” Her shrill was deafening. “I would fucking
love
that!”

Colt smiled and cocked his head to the side. “Fae, you should totally come too!”

“Come where?” Dane slowly walked back over to us, looking pale with his hands digging into his pockets.

“Colt invited Serena and me to your band’s practice tomorrow.” Serena popped up and started to clean and bandage up Dane’s new tattoo.

“How’re you feeling?” Her smile had faded as concern washed over her face.

“Oh fine. I’m a big boy, I can handle the pain.”

I laughed. “I’m sure the toilet agrees.” I was hoping to lighten the mood, but everyone just stared at each other until Dane cleared his throat.

“Colt, inviting chicks to our practice, huh?”

Sheepishly, Colt nodded.

“Rodney is going to flip his shit.”

“He can suck it. He’s too much of a prima donna, I’ll take care of him.”

“Alright. Fallon, you ready?”

I said my goodbyes to Colt and Serena then made my way over to Cruz. Hugging him, I thanked him for an amazing job.

Walking into the cool night air, I hugged my hoodie tighter to my sides, feeling the sting of tender skin under the fresh bandage. Dane wrapped his arm around me. “Wanna grab something to eat?”

I shook my head. “I think I’ve had all the excitement I can handle for one night.”

His back stiffened a little as he dug his keys from his pocket. “Yeah, we should get these cleaned up soon anyway.”

We walked through the bustling bar and out the back door virtually unnoticed. Sliding into the passenger seat, I breathed in the smell of worn leather and pine air freshener. The car rumbled to life as Dane took my hand, pressing his lips to the backs of my fingers. “I cannot wait to see that beautiful ink.”

“Cruz did an amazing job.” The weirdest flutters consumed me. I was getting nervous. An overwhelming sense of needing to be alone washed over me. “Dane?”

BOOK: The Hysterics
13.17Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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