Page 95 of Shattered

It was like nowhere she had been before. And nothing like what she had imagined. Just as their destination came into sight, a chorus of church bells rang in the next hour. Now she knew what Callum had been talking about as they’d crossed the bridge the previous night. She could have spent hours here taking it all in.

When Kristin walked inside the restaurant to grab the orders, Sam decided to park herself on a bench outside to people watch. She drank it all in and decided that she really needed to double check and make sure her application to MUSC was on point. She could definitely get used to life down here.

The festival was taking place in Marion Square. On their walk to the next destination, Kristin pointed out different shops and places she wanted to visit either today or tomorrow. Sam barely heard half of what she said. She loved Kristin, but that girl could talk for hours if Sam let it go on, and sometimes she just had to drown her out. It was normally with a good book. Today it was with the bustling city around them.

When they reached the festival, Sam guessed there must be at least a thousand people milling around, probably more. Booths and tents were set up in all directions, hosting things from handmade paintings, piercing booths, ceramics, tattoos, and anything else a creative mind could dream up. She got especially caught up looking at a booth filled with ladies weaving together what looked like dried grass into the most beautiful baskets, bowls, and art. The movement of their fingers had her transfixed. When Sam was just about to reach out to grasp the leaves, Kristin reached out to pull her back in the correct direction.

“Come on. We can look through all the booths later. We are so late, and they are probably starving.”

Sam rolled her eyes. If she knew Micah at all, then she knew he had stashed a plethora of snacks in his truck that they had most likely been devouring all morning. They made their way through a maze of booths and people, trying to find the guys’ spot. When Sam finally laid eyes on Callum, she felt the familiar tightness in her belly and the quick increase of her heart rate. He was not quite facing away from her, but he was so focused on his current design that she didn’t think she would have been able to distract him even if she walked straight up to him completely naked.

She stood back for a few minutes to observe him while just making out the design he was tattooing onto his client. It was a weeping willow tree that spread across her ribs. It looked as though she had a streak of scars over the area he was skillfully covering up. Sam was so consumed by watching his hands work, she didn’t even register when Kristin walked over and took the boxes of food from her grasp.

He was so deliberate and precise with each movement, placing the needle in just the right spot and turning the scarred skin into a beautiful masterpiece. Sam wondered what his hands would feel like if they paid her that level of attention. He was already well versed in the art of making her squirm and he hadn’t even touched her bare skin where she desired it most. If she wasn’t before, now she was sure he would have her moaning out his name within seconds.

When he finally finished the tattoo, he had its new owner examine the work, then covered it with a salve and bandage. It wasn’t until the woman had paid and walked off that he realized Kristin was sitting beside Micah and eating. He quickly turned his head, searching the area. When his eyes finally found their intended mark, he stilled and let out a sigh of relief as Sam walked up.

“You’re really good. That was beautiful,” she told him. They were only a few feet apart, but that invisible string that constantly pulled them together was doing its best to draw her in.

“Thanks.”

He rubbed the back of his head, giving off the same air of shyness he had last night. His eyes then took her in from head to toe and she silently reminded herself to say a thank you to Kristin. She thought this was probably the first time she had ever seen him speechless. She mercifully decided to end his torture.

“I brought your lunch. It’s on the table.” She took another step closer to him.

“Thanks,” he said again and Sam laughed a little at his current state. It seemed as though this was the only statement he knew how to make today. For once in this insane push and pull they had created, Sam was the one who felt in charge.

“I’ll fix us a plate,” Sam said as she walked past him and toward the table only to hear him whisper a quiet “fuck” to himself when he noticed the back of her dress.

When Sam looked up to Kristin, she couldn’t help but smirk. Kristin gave her a quick wink before turning back to talk with Micah.

“Do you want to stand and eat, or can we sit over there?” Sam gestured to some picnic tables off to the side. He still didn’t voice a thing, but quickly nodded his head in ayesmotion.. She took that as an okay for the tables and headed off in their direction.

“I like that dress,” he said as he came up beside her.

“Thanks,” Sam copied his simple reply from earlier as she began to dig into her meal.

“How long were you watching me?”

“Just a few minutes. Not long at all.”

Callum nodded his head and Sam decided she liked having the upper hand for once. She wanted to toy with him a little more.

“Maybe you could give me one later.”

His head snapped up and he choked a little on his shrimp.

“What?”

“I think I want a tattoo,” she said with an obvious pout on her face.

He looked her up and down. “Are you sure? That’s a lifelong commitment. Maybe think about it for a few days. Don’t just get caught up in the hype of the festival.”

“Maybe Drew will do it. Actually, I saw another artist up front that had some good work. I could ask him to do it.” She looked back up to him to realize her mission had been successful. His face was the picture of complete shock.

He turned more fully toward her. “First of all, if you ever do get a tattoo, it would be me and only me that’s allowed to touch your skin. No one else. Got it?” He made eye contact with her again.

She chose to ignore his statement and the obvious flush of heat his words had caused. “This one girl had a big dolphin across her hip. Maybe I should do that?”

---