Page 53 of Your Rhythm
13Favourite Colour || Tokyo Police Club
MATT
I don’t knowif I dozed off or just zoned out in a post-mind-blowing-sex haze, but when I strain to look at the clock on the hotel room’s bedside table, it’s a half hour later than the last time I checked. Kay’s lying on her side facing away from me, both of us still naked and warm enough we haven’t reached for the sheets.
I trail a finger along her spine, partly to see if she’s awake, and partly because I can’t seem to stop myself from touching her.
“Don’t tell me you’re the cuddling type.”
Her voice is groggy and muffled against the pillow. I can’t help but laugh.
“You don’t have to pretend to be so tough around me, Kay. I know you’re a secret softie.” I grip the inked design on her hip. “You have aflowertattoo, for god’s sake.”
There’s really nothing soft about it, though. A black line drawing of three roses covers part of her side, her hip bone, and the top of her thigh. The edge of one petal ends just a few inches shy of the tiny triangle of dark hair between her legs. It’s kind of the sexiest, most badass thing I’ve ever seen.
“You’re one to talk. You have a Luigi tattoo on your bicep. It’s not even Mario. You gotLuigi.”
I glance at where I do indeed have a little pixilated Luigi worked into my sleeve design.
“I got it for my brother,” I tell her.
I feel her stiffen in surprise and rush to explain myself.
“He’s fine. It’s not like, a tribute to some deathly illness or anything. He’s just always thought my tattoos are really cool, and I told him I’d let him pick one out, since it’ll be so long before he can get his own. He’s ten years younger than me.”
“How old are you?” Kay asks, before laughing to herself. “God, is it weird that I don’t even know that?”
“What, Wikipedia didn’t tell you?”
“It only has Ace’s age listed.”
I grimace. “Figures. I’m twenty-four. You?”
“Same, actually.”
My hand is still resting on her hip. I follow the lines of a petal with my thumb.
“So why the roses? If you don’t mind me asking.”
She sighs, rocking into my touch as I keep tracing over the thin black lines.
“They’re for my grandma,” she says in a quiet voice. “She was from England. She grew roses here, but she said they never did as well as back home. She was really...really cool. She used to give me sex tips. They were pretty terrible and used very cringey euphemisms, but still, she wasthatkind of grandma. We were close, a lot closer than I am with my parents or sisters. A lot closer than I am with most people, actually.”
“When did she pass away?”
“When I was twenty. She got pneumonia and she was just too old to fight it.”
“I’m sorry.”
Kay shrugs. “She lived a good life. I don’t think she had many regrets. I just miss her sometimes.”
I slide my hand up to her stomach. “Can you tell me one of her sex tips?”
She clears her throat and starts speaking in a British accent that has us both cracking up before she even finishes her sentence.
“Kay, darling, when you’re in bed with a man, you must remember—remem—”
“What?” I urge, hardly able to talk myself. “Remember what, Kay, darling?”
