Page 6 of Maggie

He slammed the door, sprinted to his car, and peeled out of her driveway. His hands trembled as the reality set in about the nightmare he’d narrowly missed.

* * *

The next morning, Wylder stood at the doorway to his best friend and co-worker, Zeke’s, tattoo room while Zeke worked on a back piece for a regular client. The tattoo gun buzzed in his hand.

“I’ve never heard of anything like it,” Wylder said. He shook his head.

Zeke laughed and flashed Wylder a grin. He looked like a stereotypical tattoo artist, covered in colorful ink with his ears gauged. “I told you that woman was crazy.”

“Who does that, though? I rushed out of here because she called in a panic and said it was an emergency, only to find out that the ‘emergency’ was that her entrapment effort didn’t work.” Wylder sighed and pressed a hand to his eyes. “I don’t understand. Morissa tried to entrap me, but then when it didn’t work she freaked out and gave herself away. She got so upset she let the cat out of the bag before she could do it. She foiled her own plan. It makes no sense.”

“It doesn’t have to make sense. She’s fucking nuts.”

Wylder sighed and lowered his hand. “True story.”

Zeke shook his head. “Plus, think about it. Your ‘ship name would have been Mori + der. That’s ‘Morider’. Which is close enough to ‘Moridor’ to give me the willies. RIP Your Greatness Tolkien.” Despite not being Catholic, he crossed himself.

Wylder laughed.

Zeke said, “Dude, your life is like a soap opera. This crazy shit doesn’t happen to most people.” He paused. “You know, you’re lucky she flipped out when she did. Imagine the mess you’d be in if you’d seen her true colors after you got married and had kids together.”

“Oh, I know. I’m glad she freaked out before anything serious happened. I’m not ready to be a dad. Did I tell you she tried to convince me to go without condoms the last time we had sex? She lied and told me she was still on birth control. Thank god I’m a paranoid asshole and insisted on using a condom.”

Zeke laughed. “Right. Thank god you’re a paranoid asshole. I’ll bet no one else has ever said that before.”

Wylder rested his shoulder against the door frame and sighed again. His head throbbed. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. He didn’t want to think about Morissa anymore.

He opened his eyes and asked, “Did you hear who was in here last night?”

“No.”

“That female rock band that everyone loves. Lovely Oblivion. They played a show in town and the whole band came here afterward for matching band tattoos.”

Surprise flashed across Zeke’s face. “Really? Were they cool people?”

“Yeah, they all seemed cool. I did tats for each of them.” A smile touched his lips when he thought about Maggie. He’d immediately been attracted to her. It didn’t help that her nervousness called out his inner caveman. He’d wanted to wrap that woman in his arms and never let her go. He’d had to keep repeating to himself that he had a girlfriend. Maggie tempted him like never before, but Wylder would never cheat on his girlfriend. He’d compromised with himself and settled for keeping his distance from Maggie but still comforting her through her first tattoo.

He’d stayed loyal to Morissa, but marking Maggie’s skin with his ink... Giving Maggie her first tattoo... His inner caveman couldn’t be prouder. His mark would be on her skin permanently.

He said, “I hit it off with one of them. I almost asked her for her number. But then Morissa called with her emergency.”

Zeke frowned. “That sucks. I’m sorry, man.”

Wylder waved his hand. “It’s probably for the best. My life is here. This shop, my tattoos, my friends and family. She’s a celebrity, on the road all the time. I’m not an exciting guy. We probably wouldn’t have lasted long, even as friends. Plus, in the long run, I’d be here, and she’d be elsewhere. I want to meet someone that I can share my life with. Who could be around for all the milestones and happy memories, you know?” He cleared his throat. “Someone who isn’t crazy, that is. I met Morissa through a dating app, and I’m a little bitter about how she acted... Makes me not want to try the apps again. I think I might step away from dating for a while. Maybe I’m better off alone.”

“I dunno, man. I think your odds of finding someone special are good. Most women would call you a ‘catch.’ You own this shop, you’re a talented artist, you make good money, and you give a shit about the people who are lucky enough to get close to you.” Zeke paused a second, then glanced at Wylder. “Hell, I’m not even gay, but I know we can make it work. Will you marry me?”

Wylder laughed. “Fuck you.”

Zeke grinned and blew Wylder a kiss. “No? Shit. I love you, anyway. Let’s go out for beers later.”

“Sounds good. Go to the bar after your shift ends?”

“That works. See you tonight, man. First round’s on me. Good riddance to crazy bitches.”

Their receptionist, Sharia, walked into the room. She loudly chewed her gum and popped a bubble. Immediately, Zeke tensed up and took a break from tattooing. He acted as though he was checking his equipment. Zeke and Sharia had an on-again/off-again relationship, and the air felt thick between them. Apparently, they were off-again.

“Zeke, you’ve got a custom request. It’s probably going to be a multi-session application. You up for a dual session Saturday and Sunday about a month from now?”

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