Nina |18+|

03

NINA

My immediate answer was yes, why not?

My delayed answer was no, I don't know you.

I didn't know Theo except for his name, and that we had spent the last three hours together with his face three inches away from me. I also knew that there wasn't a moment where he had made me feel uncomfortable, which I counted as a blessing considering the last few tattoo artists I had seen.

Was that enough to get in a car with him and allow him to drive me home?

Surely not.

"Nevermind," Theo murmured, snapping his glove off and discarding it in the bin. "I'm sorry—that was very—"

"Sure," I interrupted him, giving him a grin that hopefully showed him that I was grateful for his offer. "You'll save my ass." A lot.

The next bus was going to arrive in another hour—and the stop was a twenty minute walk from my apartment. I would have taken my car but it was in the shop getting a bunch of shit fixed that I didn't pay attention to. And my side was sore, way more than I thought it would be.

I could always take a taxi, but that seemed a lot less fun.

I looked down at the plastic wrap, feeling happy and proud that it was over with. I loved it. Theo did an amazing job, not only with the tattoo but making sure I was okay the entirety of the session.

It was definitely a five star experience, and I wasn't ready for it to end.

He looked up at me, his hand pausing at the hem of the glove he was yet to take off. "Oh, you sure? I don't mind, I'm just asking—"

I chuckled, nodding my head. "Yeah. We can do that. Thank you."

"Okay," Theo said, a small smile just barely gracing his lips. "Give me five minutes to clean up here then we'll leave."

"No problem," I murmured, sitting back down and slipping my phone from my pocket. "I'll wait."

Theo nodded, going back to getting rid of the trash. I didn't watch him—although everything was screaming at me to look at him. He had taken his glasses off and used it to push his hair back, showcasing his dark eyes and darker eyelashes. Black tattoos ran across his arms, down to his hands and with our close proximity, I had noticed the tattoo behind his ear.

I scrolled through my notifications, swiping away the message from my deadbeat dad who sought money for the umpteenth time. I scoffed, not allowing him to fuck up the mood I was in. My father was a...character, for sure.

He was present during my childhood but not really present. A mere background character who had no important roles besides existing. As soon as I started working, he started reaching out to me more. It messed with me, but I didn't let it dictate how I lived my life.

There was another message, from one of my ex-boyfriends who I hadn't spoken to in over a year.

'Nina, I'm in the city for a few days. Are you coming to the game on Saturday?'

Fuck no. I blocked the number without bothering to answer. Even though I should have sent a, 'I don't ever want to see your dumbass face again.'

I contemplated unblocking him just for that sake, but decided against it. I felt nothing towards Kevin—no remorse, no resentment, even after he cheated on me with his sports therapist. I had no feelings towards him, and not answering him would get that point across way better than lashing out.