Page 86 of Midnight Wedding

It’s weird, seeing a new piercing in my face. I turn from side to side, getting a good view, and I’m surprised at how much I like it. “I was thinking. Do you do other piercings too?”

“Sure. Got the bug now?”

“I really do.” I look down at myself then lift my shirt slightly. I poke at my belly button. “What about this?”

“Classic.” She shows me her own piercing. It’s glittery and pink which I did not expect. “I happen to have a few pieces you might like.”

We go over options. I end up choosing something similar in shape to hers, except mine is simple and diamond. She cranks up the death metal, gets everything sterilized, and I’m pierced a second time.

“Look at that,” I say, staring down at myself.

“It’s amazing. Seriously, you look great. Ever think about tattoos?”

I laugh and wave her off. “Easy there. I don’t know if I’m the tattoo type, no offense.”

“Not everyone is, but you’d be so fucking cute with a few. If you ever want to test them out, hit me up.”

We exchange phone numbers. I know she’s only being professional and looking for more work, but I really like her. I don’t have a ton of friends around here and maybe she might be a good person to hang around with. We make some small talkand I tell her about urban exploring. She seems really into it even though she’s never done it before.

“It’s a thrill. Seriously, really fun. I learned how to pick locks recently.”

“Really?” She leans forward, eyes sparkling with fascination. “That’s extremely cool.”

“Ah, it’s no big deal, really.”

She asks me more questions about locks and exploration. I tell her what I can, and eventually she goes over care instructions.

There’s a knock at the door. I call out and Arsen appears on the threshold. His eyes narrow when he gets a look at me and his mouth falls open. His tongue licks across his lower lip and my stomach does flips.

“You’re done,” he says softly.

“What do you think?”

He comes over to me. Allie’s basically forgotten. His fingers stroke across my cheek, getting near the fresh eyebrow piercing. He kisses my temple.

“Beautiful,” he whispers.

I grin and lightly push him back. “I have a surprise for you.”

“What’s that?”

I lift up my shirt. “What do you think?”

He stares at the belly button piercing. It’s hard to read his expression at first. But then he turns to Allie. “Get out.”

Her eyebrows shoot up. “Uh, okay, sure.”

“Arsen,” I hiss, slapping his arm. “You’re being rude.”

“I want to be alone with you,” he says, his eyes burning with need.

I laugh and punch him in the ribs. “He’s a prick but he’s a good prick,” I tell Allie as she heads to the door.

“Hey, no judgment here. Glad you two are happy.”

“And hey, maybe we could hang out sometime? If you live around here?”

“That’d be cool. You’ve got my number. Maybe we can go exploring together sometime. I’ve got a good place that might be fun. Hit me up.”

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