It was at that moment that he fell. Not literally of course, Changbin wasn't that clumsy.
Frankly, he wasn't clumsy at all. His years of work as a tattoo artist had gifted him a steady hand. He fell more, figuratively. To say he fell in love might be an overstatement, but it sure felt like it.
The girl that triggered this rare feeling in Changbin stood in front of him, awkwardly smiling as she clutched at the phone in her hands.
Auburn hair framed her heart-shaped face and freckles littered her rosy cheeks. She was taller than Changbin with long legs cascading out of a small, pleated skirt, although it wasn't surprising as Changbin himself didn't have much centimeters to him. She wore a thick, pink cardigan that hid most of her lithe figure and little teddy bear earrings dangled from her earlobes. Cute.
What was a girl like her doing in his tattoo parlor of all places?
"What is the edgiest, most I-just-got-cheated on, feeling like absolute crap tattoo you have?"
Changbin's mouth fell open.
Okay, I wasn't expecting that.
Coughing, he ran a hand over his tattooed neck.
"Well, that's very specific, but we got some...sick flowers?"
"Miserable ones with no petals?"
Changbin stifled a laugh.
"Nah. But you can browse if you want." He suggested, heaving open the well worn book on his desk to find the flower designs.
The girl smiled. She had a beautiful smile, even though Changbin could tell there was no real joy in that one, it didn't reach her eyes.
"I like this one." She said, pointing to a design of a rose, one with petals that were falling off, yet still upright. It was quite symbolic, Changbin had designed it himself.
"Awesome." Changbin said, flashing his best smile as he pulled out paperwork. "Just fill this in and we'll be good to go!"
He watched as the girl filled in her information. She had long fingers with freckles starting at the tops of her hands all the way up her arm as far as Changbin could see.
He'd always wished he had nicer hands, and was taller. And thinner, less muscular.
Audrey, she filled in under the space where it said name. Audrey. Pretty name for a pretty girl.
"So." Changbin started as Audrey sat on the leather clad chair where she would get her tattoo. "What made you decide to...uh."
You could say Changbin had a way with words.
Audrey sighed, leaning back into the chair. "I'm angry. And sad. And I need a new start, I figured getting a tattoo would be a nice change."
That was something Changbin had heard before. Hell, that was the reason he got his first tattoo.
These feelings never seemed to stop though, resulting in twenty-one tattoos inked onto his skin. His love for the depth and meaning behind the designs had motivated him to make it his career, and here he was, with his own little parlor in New York City, doing what he loves.
He smiled. "I get that. Where do you want it?" He asked while preparing the needle.
Audrey glanced up, her eyes trailing down the expanse of his body and up again to meet his own. "I want it like yours."
"You're going to have to be more specific."
She laughed. It was a melodic laugh, it sent shivers down Changbin's spine.
"Like your dragon. On your neck." She pointed to the area just under his left ear, the minimalist design of a dragon with an injured wing traveling down the length of his neck.
His hand shot up to graze the inked design. It was one of his first tattoos.
He nodded. "We can do that."
Once everything was prepared and Audrey was comfortable, Changbin placed the stencil gently onto her neck.
"Alright, ready?" He asked.
"I'm ready."
Audrey didn't even flinch when the needle finally met her skin, however, as Changbin progressed with the design, a single tear made its way down her freckled cheek.
"I thought I was going to marry him." She said suddenly, her voice thick with emotion. "I thought it was real. I mean, we even lived together!"
"You know," Changbin said softly, "I've got cats. Three, actually. I rescued them, they were found in a box under some bridge. They were all skinny, malnourished, one of them, Bell, she was missing some hair, poor thing. Now, they're all chubby, fluffy and playful, like all cats should be. My point is, scars from our past will hurt us, but in the end, scars heal. They show. But they heal."
Audrey's eyes met his, they were full of tears but she still smiled, a blush erupting from her cheeks to the curve of her ears.
She placed her hand on his, the outline of the intricate rose on her neck a glaring red.
"You know," She started, her smile growing, "my ex hates roses."
Changbin chuckled, his mouth curving up into a smile. "Funny, they're my favorite."
