Page 84 of On The Edge
“That’s true, you are pretty covered in ink.”
“That I am,” he says, scrunching his nose and shifting so that he can put his hand behind his head.
A pair of eyes catches my sight.
My jealousy flares to life, but as I look closer, I realize I recognize those eyes.
They’remyeyes.
I move the sheet down, uncovering more of his hardened body, to see a portrait of a woman. A beautiful goddess, completely covering his side. Her eyes are captivating. Her expression is fierce. She’s ethereal.
“Is that…” I let the words trail between us and he takes a deep breath.
“Do you really want to know?” He asks. “You just said you didn’t want your name tattooed on me.”
“Oh god, you did.” I cover my mouth in shock. Reis looks down with a soft smile, covering the tattoo fondly with his hand before looking at me in a way that says he will not feel anything but proud for it.
Pushing his hand out of the way, I take a closer look. My fingers softly trace the dark lines, permanently etched into his skin. A picture of me that he always carries around.
Is this how he sees me?
“She’s beautiful,” I whisper.
“You are,” he says strongly, looking right at me. “I brought the only photo of you I kept, the one in my wallet I’ve had since the day I took it, to our tattoo artist and told him to make you into the goddess. Back then…” he sighs, “Back then I thought I got it because I wanted a reminder to never trust again. To never let a pair of pretty eyes and soft lips distract me from my goals. But now I know. I know it’s because even when I thought I hated you, I loved you. I've always kept you with me, baby.”
“Reis,” I say softly, putting my hand on his heart.
“I promise, Melody, I’ve learned. I respect you and your opinions, I won’t do any of these big things without talking to you or the guys. It’s a huge mindshift, but I won’t let it happen again. Okay? Please, stay.” He presses my hand harder against his heart. “Please.”
“On one condition.” I clear my throat softly, shifting forwards so my head against his chest.
“Anything. Literally anything.”
“You guys go on your tour and take me with you.”
I can practically feel the smile on his face as he takes our joined hands and kisses the back of mine.
“There was no way in hell you weren’t coming with us.”
TWENTY
It’s been a long day.An emotional day for all of us.
My knuckles are red from how long I spent pounding the sandbag in the gym. Flexing my hand to stretch out my aching muscles. I know I need to cool it with the boxing, especially this close to a tour, but I just… It’s been too much.
I want Melody. I want her here. With us. I want to give her everything that she should’ve had but didn’t because I didn’t listen to my gut back then. Guilt is eating at me. I know we apologized and I know that she’s here, but I can’t help but feel like I need to apologize for my part in this specifically.
Standing in front of the spare room door,herdoor, I knock lightly on the thick door.
It’s late. Looking down at my watch I see that it’s close to midnight.
Fuck, I shouldn’t have knocked, she’s probably asleep and I’m being an asshole.
Scratching my head, I wait for just a minute before turning. I’ll catch her in the morning.
Just as I take a step away I hear a soft, “Adam?”
Turning to face her quickly, I give a sheepish smile.
