Page 79 of A Lab Rat's Guide to Fated Love
“That’s the oneyoufrosted, idiot,” Adi said. “And those two as well. You’re eating those.”
“Did I?” Vir shrugged. “They’re notthatbad.”
Nori glanced in the direction Adi had just pointed and bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. “What should I do?”
“You watch me handle the most important step now,” Vir replied while rinsing the strawberries. He plucked their stems off, one by one, before garnishing the already frosted cupcakes with a single upside-down strawberry on each. “Ta-da!”
“What’s going on?” Anita called, stepping through the front door, a blue yoga mat tucked under her elbow. “It smells so good in here!”
“Not yet! Go away!” Adi and Vir exclaimed in unison.
Nori laughed, glancing from Anita’s amused expression to their mildly panicked ones.
“Okay… I’ll be back after a quick shower then,” Anita said, heading towards the stairs.
“Go!”
She reappeared minutes later to a chorus of, “Happy birthday!” from all three of them, and an onslaught of face-kisses from Adi.
A short while after breakfast, her smartwatch beeped. “You’ll have to excuse me for a bit,” she said. “I have a couple of appointments scheduled for the afternoon.”
“Dinner at the beach. Don’t forget!” Adi reminded her.
“Won’t take long.” She paused at the door as if deep in thought, then turned to Nori and asked, “Would you like to come see my studio?”
Anita left her car at thecommunity center’s parking lot before she led Nori through a bustling street lined withall sorts of craft shops and boutique storefronts. Hers was towards the very end, sandwiched between a cozy-looking bookstore and a café.
“Welcome to Stabby Nita,” she said, unlocking a store withSTABBY NITApainted on its window in cursive, gold lettering.
“It’s so… beautiful,” Nori whispered as they stepped inside.
The studio’s off-white interior with its sheer lace curtains and delicate Victorian accents sang of taste and art. The space was brimming with plants of all sorts—giant monstera pots, pothos of every kind, and others Nori didn’t know the names of. Gold framed floral artwork, vintage mirrors, and botanical moldings covered the walls in delicate clusters. Even the emerald, velvet-lined couches in the waiting area had intricate floral carvings in their frames.
Anita flipped a switch, and a warm glow filled the space.
“I’ve only ever seen tattoo studios with skulls and dark, metal aesthetics before,” Nori noted, still looking around in awe.
Anita smiled, her shoulders lifting in a tiny shrug. “It’s not exactly conventional.”
“It’s beautiful,” Nori repeated.
As clients walked in for their appointments, she sat on a couch watching Anita work. She’d transfer the designs, sometimes also drawing freehand on the person’s skin with a ballpoint pen, before inking over the final art with her cordless tattoo machine.
It reminded Nori of a cat’s purr with its continuous, rhythmic whir.
“Nori?”
Her eyes fluttered open to Anita nudging her awake.
“I can’t believe I fell asleep…” Nori yawned.
“Maybe you needed the rest,” Anita said, passing her a bottle of water. “I’m mostly done with the appointments, except for this one guy. But I have a hunch he’s going to be a no-show. Let’s give it an hour, just in case.”
“Adi mentioned something earlier,” Nori said. “About how accurate your hunches are.”
“They usually are,” Anita chuckled. “Though I don’t know how it works, to be honest. I just get a feeling or an idea, and then it happens. Eventually. Anyway, how about I order sandwiches for lunch while we wait?”
Their sandwiches arrived almost instantly from the café next door.
