Never Have I Ever

Extra Shot

Calix

(what happened after the wedding)

"Where are we going?" Karina, my now-wife, asked when I requested Dane for a quick detour before heading to her resthouse where all of us were going to have the reception and stay for the night.

"Just needed to cross something off," I told her vaguely and kissed the top of the rings on her left hand. Her forehead creased but she didn't put up a fight anymore.

"Is this the right place?" Karina pointed at the quaint shop near the small road, a few minutes away from the chapel, which had a simple sign of 'Inked' with a quill pen as its logo. We were standing outside the car while Dane was waiting for us inside the white Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG.

"Yup. I hope they're still open though." I grabbed her hand and led the way. It was already around eleven in the evening but they still had an 'open' sign on. When I pushed the door back, the windchime's sound echoed all over the place. Thank god, we weren't too late.

"How can I help you two?" A bearded man around five feet tall approached us. He had a grey beanie on, a black knitted sweater, and loose white track pants matched with a pair of high-cut Converse shoes along with a black apron over his look.

"I wanted to get a tattoo done," I stated like it wasn't so obvious why we were here in the first place.

"Do you have a design in mind?" His English sounded like an Australian accent with his casual question. Even if he was supposed to be appalled that a couple wearing all white was here at his time of the night, he appeared like this was a normal occurrence.

"Ah, yeah," I answered half-heartedly while avoiding my wife's questioning gaze and he immediately led us to his working station which was a few steps away to our right. It was a clean corner where there was a large black folding bed in the center and then another black table near it with all his supplies that appeared newly sanitized and properly arranged.

He gestured for me to sit on the bed, "Your bride can sit there." He stated while pointing at a foldable plastic chair at the other end of the room.

Karina didn't say anything and took the said chair, then placed it next to the bed. "I'll stay here." She said in a stubborn tone but the tattoo artist only nodded indifferently.

"Can you sketch your preferred design here?" He handed me a white piece of paper and a pen but I stared at it, confused about what to do next.

"Do you need help?" Karina asked because I was quietly gawking at the paper without doing anything else.

I instinctively nodded even if I was planning to keep mum about my preferred design.

"What do you want on it?" She asked, coolly, like it wasn't odd that I was doing another impulsive move.

"I...I want you to write your name on it." I told her while trying to avoid her gaze as I spoke. My ears were starting to flame.

"Ha?" She raised her brows and looked up at me who used one of my most charming smiles to play it cool.

I coughed a little, "Well...I want your handwriting etched here." I pointed at the center of my ring finger, moving my rings up an inch. "Then with a line surrounding it so it forms like a ring but your name on the center." My cheeks were burning hot like I was going to get a fever from all of this. Even in reality, the weather here in Tagaytay was quite chilly.

"Is...it a bad idea?" I somehow voiced out because she was staring at me in silence.

"Are you done?" The tattoo artist interrupted and Karina looked over to him who was standing behind me.