Page 61 of Turning Tides
“You and Ethan must be close.”
“I’ve been to his house a few times for what he calls ‘fire night.’”
“Fire night?”
“It’s exactly what it sounds like. Food, a fire, and music.” I further satisfied Archer’s curiosity by telling tales of Ethan Bennett and his infamous fire nights. I hadn’t been to one in a while because life tended to get in the way, but now that I was taking a less active role at the bar, I hoped to change that.
Ethan arrived with the waffles and told us to enjoy our breakfast before disappearing to deal with more tables.
“This place is busy.” Archer looked around. “Is it always like this?”
“Taylor’s a good cook.” Using my fork, I sliced into the waffle stack. Cutting out a small triangle, I speared it and stuffed it in my mouth.
Archer did the same, but his eyes rolled back and he moaned. “Holy fuck,” he said around a mouthful of waffle. “These are delicious.”
Archer tucked in like waffles were going extinct, and they might the way he devoured them.
Over breakfast, we talked about surface shit. Archer walked me through the ideas he had for my tattoo once more. By the time we were finished eating, I was ready for a nap. I paid for breakfast and lefta nice tip, and then we went back to Archer’s space above the bar. The parking lot was deserted, which I expected this early in the day, but I still hoped to see Cyrus waiting for us. He owed Archer an apology.
“Stop frowning,” Archer said as he thrust his key into the lock and twisted. “Today is a great day for a tattoo.”
“Says the one not getting a tattoo.” I followed him inside and up the stairs.
“I could tattoo myself. It’s nothing I haven’t done before. The transformer tattoo on my left forearm was one I did myself.”
“No shit?”
“No shit. The eighties had the best cartoons.” Archer opened the door to his apartment and strode inside, making a beeline for his tattoo station. “Take your shirt off. I need to get an idea of what I’m working with.”
He pointed to a stool he wanted me to sit on, and like a good customer, I obeyed. I didn’t miss the way Archer’s gaze lingered when I pulled my shirt off and tossed it over to the couch.
He was all business, though. Completely professional as he mapped out where the image would fit best.
“I could freehand the artwork on you.”
Archer seemed to be talking to himself, so I stayed quiet. I was happy to go with the flow and let him work his magic.
“Yeah, I think I’ll freehand it.” He got up and snapped on a pair of black gloves. He rummaged around in his cabinet and returned with a razor.
“I do not have back hair.”
“Hush. I need a pristine surface.”
Archer’s touch was gentle and, unfortunately, still completely professional. The area he wanted to ink was my right shoulder. My right forearm had some stunning floral work, so continuing thatmotif on my right shoulder felt natural. The robot was different, but I loved the idea of having something that meant so much to Archer on my body. It made me feel like he was claiming me.
He had me move my arm around to make sure the tattoo wouldn’t do anything weird when I moved my body. He made some small adjustments and afterward waved me over to the chair.
“Make yourself comfortable. I have to get everything prepped.”
Flopping down, I stretched out with my chest pressed against the back of the chair and watched him. Archer at work was quietly intense, but also peaceful. It was like the stress fell away the longer he worked. He held himself looser, his shoulders relaxed, and he smiled more. Archer at work was a happy Archer, and I was content to lie there and be his admirer. Lying on the couch watching him work could be my new hobby were it not for the fact that he would kick me out after ten minutes.
Every so often, Archer would glance up and catch me looking at him. We’d share a smile, and he’d get back to prepping his machine.
“This is the nicest morning I’ve had in a long time,” I told him. Archer looked up and grinned at me.
“You’re going to wish you didn’t say that soon enough when I’m doing the line work on this.”
“I can handle it.” Closing my eyes, I rested my head and let myself drift away. Getting up with Archer had made the morning bearable, but I still disliked the early hour. I wasn’t sure how much longer it was before his voice roused me.
