Page 20 of Stay With Me
“I mean, I felt like we were doing him and the world a favor. Apparently, he saw it differently,” I shrug.
“What are we gonna do here?” Eli asks, his voice hard and determined.
“Wearen’t gonna do anything, Elijah. This is my fucking mess. I’m not dragging you into this. You have a family now. I can’t ask you to put a target on your back for me. I won’t.” I do my best not to leave room for argument, but he’s obviously been spending too much time with my sister.
“Ember didn’t ask you to put yourself in the middle of her bullshit and put a bullet in the fucker’s head either, Everett. You did it because she's family and you love her. I’m in this whether you want me to be or not.” His words hold a finality in them. He won’t back down here, and I know if he tells my sister everything, she won’t let me deal with this on my own.
“She's my sister. I couldn’t sit on my ass doing nothing,” I rationalize.
“And you’re my brother, Everett. Literally, now.” He’s got me there. We’re family in every sense of the word.
“I should have known this is what Kelsea wanted when she started pushing me to tell you,” I say with a smirk. She knew he wouldn’t be able to abandon me in this.
“How’s that going, by the way? Still sunshine and rainbows?” He cocks an eyebrow up, a smug look on his face.
“Do you mean am I as pussy whipped by her as you are by Ember? Nah. Not possible.” I joke. But we both know it’s a lie. I’m so far past gone for Kelsea, and it’s obvious.
“Hey, I’m not afraid to admit I’m so fuckingin love with Ember I can’t survive without her. She is my wife, ya know. It would be a lot weirder if I wasn’t.” He’s got a point.
Is that what I feel for Kelsea? I know I crave her body like a fucking addict. But I also crave her mind, her spirit, just… her. She makes me feel lighter than I’ve ever felt, like I don’t have to carry my past or problems alone. I can’t imagine going a day without hearing her voice or feeling her touch. Even though we’ve only been official for a few weeks, I think I’ve loved her for years if I’m being honest with myself. The first time I saw her crystal blue eyes, full of fire and strength, I was attracted to her. Learning the different facets of her personality over the years of our friendship has only made her so much more beautiful to me. It’s the way she exudes confidence, carrying herself like the goddess she is, even when she’s feeling unsure. It’s her emotional attachment to reality dating shows. There isn’t a single part of her that isn’t perfection. She’s shown me that love isn’t this grand gesture of showering someone with material things or one big showy proclamation. True love is a million small gestures, a million acts of kindness she’s shown me, just to make my life easier. Bringing me dinner when I have to be at the shop late or organizing my nightmare of a closet so I can actually find my shit a lot easier, things that seem insignificant but all add up to one truth.
I love her. Probably more than I’ve ever loved another person in my life.
It’s hard for me to fathom that only a few months ago, I was content in living my life single. I wasn’t interested in being tied down by anyone or anything. But that was before I tasted Kelsea’s lips and the world flipped on its axis. All the broken pieces of my soul, the cracks I’ve struggled for years to cover up, she paves over them like they aren’t even there. She sees who I am, sees the darkness that follows me, and she loves me anyway. The need to be near her is primal, like I won’t survive without breathing her in every single day. Is this what it means to be all-consumed by someone?
A physical pang clenches in my heart, and I look to Elijah. He gives me a knowing smirk, as if to say he’s well aware of what I’m feeling right now. My eyes widen in surprise at my realization and I stare at him, unable to process this feeling.
“Oh shit,” I say quietly, mentally surveying my relationship with Kelsea. “Am I fucking whipped? No. No way. Am I?”
Elijah laughs whole heartedly in response, slapping me on the shoulder. “Oh yeah, dude. You’re totally fucked. Sorry, but ya know… not sorry.”
“I love her,” saying it out loud makes it really hit home, the words crashing into me like waves against a rocky shore. I have to brace myself against the counter to keep myself upright. Never in a million years did I think this shit would happen to me.
The bell above the front door rings, snapping me outof my stupor. Elijah's smug grin taunts me as he walks back to his station to get ready for his first client. Two sorority girls saunter up to the counter, both bleached blonde with clothes so skin tight they leave nothing to the imagination. Six months ago, I would probably have been halfway done convincing at least one of them to come home with me tonight, maybe both of them. But now I find myself comparing every woman I see to Kelsea. Nobody even comes close.
“Hey, we saw the sign said walk-ins welcome. Do you have room for us tonight?” Blonde number one asks. She bats her fake eyelashes at me, obviously undressing me in her mind right now. I feel absolutely nothing in response to her blatant flirting.
“Um… yeah. Let me check the books.” I move behind the counter, pulling up my schedule for the night on the computer screen. It’s wide open. “I’m free tonight. For both of you?”
“Yeah, we want to get matching designs,” blonde number two says, her voice high pitched and nasally, instantly annoying.
“Think you can fit us both in?” The first blonde leans against the counter, her tits pushing even further up her chest. I’m surprised her shirt is even holding them in at this point.
I straighten behind the counter, not wanting to give them any impression that I’m interested. I’m completely satisfied with every aspect of my woman. Dragging asketch pad from under the counter, I flip to an empty page and motion for the girls to have a seat on the couch in the waiting room. I follow behind them, keeping plenty of space between us. I sit on the edge of the table in front of the pair. “What are you guys wanting?”
Blonde one nudges blonde two, “Brooke, show him that picture from Pinterest! I think it’s perfect.” Ah, blonde two has a name. I fight every instinct inside me that wants to roll my eyes at these two.
Brooke pulls up a picture of an infinity symbol with the word ‘sisters’ weaved into it. Are these chicks serious? This is the ultimate basic white girl tattoo.
“Can you do this?” she asks and I give her a look that must come across as rude because she scrunches her nose up at me.
“Yeah, that’s no problem. I’ll go get set up and you guys decide where you want it.” I flip the sketch pad closed, knowing my creative juices will not be flowing tonight. As I turn to walk away, I hear them whispering loudly, something about showing me ‘where they want it’, and I scoff. After a taste of Kelsea’s smart mouth, there’s nothing as appealing to me anymore as she is.
The girls are only in my chair for about twenty minutes each, both of them deciding on ankle tattoos. But that’s more than long enough for my patience to run out. If I have to listen to another second of their incessant chatter about which football player has the biggest dick or how long it took them to do their hair today, I’mgonna off myself. Both girls did their best to act flirty and show off as much of their bodies as possible, angling their legs just right so that if I wanted to, I could see anything and everything they had to offer. I did my best to finish their work as quickly as possible, making sure my behavior was nothing but professional. As I walk them to the front counter to pay, I hear them giggling and whispering to each other behind my back.
“Alright, ladies. Here are your aftercare instructions. It’s gonna be $100 each.” I hand them the care cards and two small bottles of cream. Brooke takes both with a smile, handing over the cash for her tattoo, but not pushing her luck any further. The other girl, who I’ve learned is named Ashley, lets her gaze linger on my arms, chest, and body a little longer than she should.
“You work so fast. Really good with your hands, huh?” Ashley says, the sexual innuendo entirely obvious and unwelcome.
