Karen snatched one and eagerly stuffed it into her purse. Mina recognized the gleam in her friend’s eyes. It was the same look she got every time she scented a whiff of possible publicity in the air. She’d take any opportunity to get her work out there where it could be seen, even in the smallest of venues, such as a local tattoo artist’s online portfolio. “You won’t be disappointed by the photos.”
“Great.” Eric had gone back to work already, leaving Mina no chance to offer her blessing on the use of the images.
Not that she minded. She would have said yes to any artist asking the same favor, and Eric was certainly no exception. In fact, the thought of him admiring the photos of her tattoo lit a spark of satisfaction somewhere in her middle. She’d found herself looking forward to coming to the shop each day not just to watch her carefully-planned tattoo develop, but for the sheer pleasure of spending time with Eric. That was why she’d invited Karen to come along today. She’d run out of small talk to make with him and lying on the vinyl chair in silence made her nervous. She could count on her chatty best friend to keep conversation flowing.
An hour later, Mina climbed stiffly out of the chair. “Careful,” Eric said. “Get up too fast and you might pass out.”
Mina’s heart skipped a beat as he gently gripped her arm just above her elbow, steadying her. “Thanks.”
He began to clean her tattoo, sponging away the ink that was smeared from her ribs to the waist of her jeans. When it was finished, the design would span her entire left side, stretching from just below her shoulder to her hip in an intricate scroll of blossoming vines. “This is going to look great,” he said, thoughtfully surveying her side as he prepared a long length of bandage.
Mina wondered what it might be like to have him look at just her without studying his work, and her spine tingled. His blue eyes were intense and vivid, like a summer sky just before a storm rolls through. A heavy feeling settled into the pit of her stomach as he applied the bandage and she pulled down the hem of her shirt, ready but reluctant to leave.
“So, see you tomorrow?” he asked, finally meeting her gaze.
She stopped herself before she could frown, and when he leaned casually against the counter, she tried not to notice the way his biceps shifted beneath his sleeves. “Not tomorrow. Wednesday.”
“That’s right.” He nodded. “Sorry, I got used to you coming in every day and forgot.” His full lower lip jutted out just the tiniest bit, the motion so slight that she might have thought she’d imagined it if the corners of his mouth hadn’t turned down for half a moment before he plastered on a surprisingly charming smile. “See you Wednesday, Mina.”
“Looking forward to it,” she replied, unable to resist smiling back as she exited the booth, shooting one last glance at his biceps. He wore long sleeves to ward against the late September chill, but she’d bet anything that they were tattooed. And there was nothing quite like a set of muscular tattooed arms, as far as she was concerned.
“What was that all about?” Karen asked as soon as she and Mina stepped out of the shop, emerging into the brisk early fall air.
“What?” Mina asked, half-lost in a daydream about what kind of designs Eric might have inked across his biceps – or anywhere else, for that matter.
Karen shot her an incredulous glance. “Uh, the way he pouted when you said you weren’t coming back tomorrow?”
“He didn’t pout.” Even as she said it, she had to suppress a smile. If Karen had noticed it, it was true – Eric had been disappointed to know she wouldn’t return the next day. She bounced on the balls of her feet as she strode down the sidewalk. “You must have imagined it.”
“Oh no I didn’t.” She touched Mina playfully on the shoulder. “He’s got a crush on you.”
“A crush? What are we, seven?”
Karen shrugged. “OK, he’s got the hots for you and is probably thinking about how to get into your pants right now. That grown-up enough for you?”
Mina snorted, pretending indifference as Karen’s proclamation sparked a flood of very grown-up, very vivid thoughts. “Come on. I’m going to be late.” She quickened her pace as they rounded the corner and a parking garage came into view. “Jess will be waiting for me.”
****
“Mina, I finally found it!” Jess seized her backpack from where it hung on the back of her wheelchair and began to rummage through it enthusiastically as Mina closed the apartment door.