Page 81 of Lethal Infatuation

"Now, back to what I was saying. I hope you'll at least try to listen to me. If you feel like you can't handle your—feelingsjust call me, okay?" I nodded.

"I've got your number on speed dial," I repeated Gabriella's words, laughing to myself. Of course, he didn't understand the inside joke. Even when we were apart, all I could think about was her.

"You fucking better." Slowly but surely, I was learning to accept help from other people, because I was always the one who took care of everyone around me.

I was also coming to terms with these newfound feelings and trying my best to navigate through it. Even though I'd never admit it aloud, I really was appreciative of the men I considered friends.

They were like brothers to me.

"Tattoos and a piercing?" Kehlani asked me as we walked towards the tattoo parlour. I looked at her, shrugging. "You're awfully daring today."

"I've always wanted both." I smiled widely. "After the year I've had, I deserve it."

"Sounds like you're getting more than one." My best friend eyed me. "I approve, I just don't want you to regret this because you can be quite impulsive at times."

"I'm not impulsive," I gasped. "Okay,maybethere are times where I can act on impulse, but I can assure you I'm certain about this."

"If you're one hundred percent sure about this decision, then you know I fully support you." Her long, cherry coloured hair looked extra shiny under the sunlight. "What kind are you getting?"

"I want the tattoos and the piercing to be a surprise, so you'll see it once it's done." She laughed softly, shaking her head.

"Very well, then. If you can get through both without taking any breaks, I'll buy you whatever you like."

I smiled mischievously. "So I take it the price of whatever I like shouldn't be an issue?"

Kehlani clutched her stomach, unable to hold back her laughter. "Gosh, what did I get myself into? To answer your question, though, the price definitely isn't an issue."

When we arrived at the parlour, thedoorbell chimed upon entering. I could hear the buzzing of the machines, RnB music playing in the background, and soft chatter.

A young woman with short blonde hair approached us. "Good morning, ladies." She smiled. "Do you have an appointment or would you like to make one?"

"Good morning," Kehlani and I greeted her in unison. "I've got an appointment for 11:30 p.m. It's for Gabriella," I said politely.

"Yes, of course, right this way. Blake will be with you shortly. In the meantime, you can look at the range of designs we have, as well as the prices. Let me know if you need assistance with anything else." The woman handed me a booklet and I excitedly took a hold of it.

"Thank you so much."

The entire process was a breeze and wasn't as painful as I expected it to be. Which meant Kehlani had to hold up her end of the bargain, because I didn't take any breaks and I didn't display any signs of discomfort, either.

The minimalist designs I chose worked in my favour and my pain threshold has always been fairly high. I got three different designs. The first was situated on my left hip, just one simple word in Italic capital letters.TRAPSOUL. The second was a little butterfly on the inside of my wrist with a purple outlining. And the last one was actually the most painful. It saidlive in the moment, in Mandarin Chinese and the placement was on my sternum, vertically.

And for the last part of the process, I chose a smiley piercing. Now I'd have two things to showcase every time I smiled. Dimples and the little gold piece of jewellery.

"I love it," Kehlani exclaimed. "Have you showed Nicolas yet?" She wiggled her eyebrows. "Wait, does he even know?"

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't hide my obvious smile. "He's under the impression that I'm getting one tattoo. He doesn't knowabout the rest." I gathered my hair into a ponytail before tying it with my black hair tie. "He also had an appointment last week for another addition to his ink filled body."

"Really?" she hummed. "Now both of you have new designs. That's so adorable." She pouted. "Which brings me to my next question. Are the two of you in a relationship now or is it just something casual?"

"That man doesn't do casual." I laughed. "He hasn't asked me to be his girlfriend yet, so I'd say we're just getting to know each other for now."

"Right, because the way he looks at you definitely means he's trying toget to know you."

"What are you talking about?" We entered the mall and I hooked my arm into hers. "How does he look at me?"

"Like you're the only woman on planet Earth."

THIRTY ONE

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