Page 9 of Brittle Heart

“What do you want to get?” he asks, and I get out my phone to show him the sketch I made to explain my idea.

“I would like you to draw it, of course. I just tried to show you what I want with this sketch,” I explain.

Xander nods and leans over to get a better look at my phone screen.

I explain the image, “It should be a dead crow lying on its back with its feet in the air, and underneath, it should say ‘Memento Vivere’ in capital letters, serif font, red ink.”

I notice his eyes widen slightly as he looks down at my sketch, but he doesn’t show any other expression.Does he hate it?

He simply grunts and asks, “Where do you want it?”

I gesture to my left arm, nerves mixing with excitement. “On my inner forearm, below the elbow.”

He looks up, his eyes scanning mine for a brief second. “When do you want to have it done? I need a few days for the sketch.”

“Do you have any openings on November twenty-sixth?” I ask, trying to sound casual.

He moves to his laptop at the register and checks his calendar. “I can do it in the evening, around six. It will take around two and a half hours.”

“Sure, that works for me.” I shrug, but inside, I’m squealing.

He taps on his laptop and asks, “What’s your name?”

“Carolina,” I reply, my voice almost betraying the flutter in my chest.

He nods, entering it into the system. “See you in a week, Carolina.”

“Thanks. Bye,” I say, my voice a tad more high-pitched than I intended.

I turn, tripping slightly over my own foot in my hurry, and quickly walk out of the shop, hoping he doesn’t notice my awkward departure.

As the door closes behind me, my heart still thumping loudly, I take a deep breath.

I am finally getting my tattoo!

CHAPTERFIVE

Carolina

It’s Saturday morning, and since I was let go from the Bread and Bagel café, I find myself with some free time before I have to go to the bar tonight. It bothers me that I haven’t had much time for Chiara the last few months due to my busy schedule, so I plan to change that today.

As I prepare scrambled eggs with toast for breakfast, my little sister walks into the kitchen and takes a seat.

“Buongiorno,” I say with a smile, and quickly make a plate of food to place in front of her, then pour a glass of water for her too. “Did you sleep well?”

“Like a rock.”

I chuckle, making myself a plate. “So, same as always. Do you have a lot of homework for the weekend?”

She shakes her head, replying with her mouth full, “Nope, already finished everything.”

“Brava,that’s perfect,” I say, sitting down in front of her. “Because I’m free today until I have to go to the bar, so do you want to go to the mall? We can grab some bubble tea and stroll through the bookshop you love so much,” I ask, already excited for my first sort of day off in weeks.

She furrows her eyebrows, her mouth turning down. Not the reaction I was looking for at all. “Do I have to? I promised Monica that we would spend the weekend together, and I’m going to sleep over at her place tonight.”

“Oh, okay,” I say, trying to hide my disappointment. “No, of course, you don’t have to. I just thought it would be nice to do something together since we haven’t in a while.” I try to sound understanding, even though her words stung.

She rolls her eyes. “Don’t put the blame on me. You’re the one who’s always working.”

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