Page 115 of Hooking Up
"And the details about your sister being a thorn in your side?"
"Fair enough."
"That was almost two years ago, that Lily stopped talking to me. It was sudden. She was always that type of person. She did what she wanted. How she wanted. When she wanted it."
"What did she want from you?"
"To…" How do I explain this without explaining it? I have to tell someone about my past eventually. Maybe even Walker. But not yet. I'm not ready to cross that bridge. "To change my life."
"Convert to Scientology?"
"No. She was right. Trust me." I bring my drink to my lips and take another long sip. It still tastes like love, but the sweetness is gone. It's over-steeped, astringent, bitter.
"You ever reach out to her?"
"Not yet. I'm trying to give her space. I stalk her on Instagram, but otherwise I'm not around."
"You stalk your sister?"
"I don't follow her around. Though I could. She's way too free with her location."
"Who isn't these days?"
"You."
"You still follow me?"
"I told you. I love your work." Really, his tattoos are amazing. "You still haven't told me how you got into it."
"Ryan. You saw him. Looks a lot like Dean only with a permanent scowl?"
I nod. That sounds vaguely familiar.
"He was already working at a shop. He got Brendon a job there. Dean got jealous. He wanted to do ink too. When I saw his first piece—everyone starts by doing a tattoo on themselves."
"What did he do?"
"A spade."
"What did you do?"
"A star." He stands, places his foot on his chair, and pulls up his jeans. There's a tiny star under his ankle.
I laugh. "It's so cute."
"I know." He shakes his head. "It's awful. I need to fix it."
"You can't. It's sweet. It's perfect."
"Yeah. It feels like a part of my history. Like a scar almost. Sure, it's ugly—"
"Take it back."
He shakes his head. "It's terrible."
It's lopsided and blurry. But the imperfection only makes me love it more.
"It's ugly and it doesn't suit me anymore, but if I changed it…"
