Die In California

46

Devyn's POV:

I'd never been as proud as when I officially opened up 'Laced Ink'. My own tattoo studio. I decided to open it a week after I first showed the boys, just to make sure that I had everything in place. It was just a few last minute bits, touching up the paintwork on the walls (which I'd done by hand), adding flecks of gold, and buying more plants - you can never have enough plants. I also had a print of Luna and Chapo done, who hung on the wall proudly behind the front desk.

Two out of three chairs were already rented out, whilst one of them would be mine. Alex was taking one of them - we'd been discussing where we worked at the New Year's party, and he'd said that he was between jobs at the minute, so I offered him a place at 'Laced', knowing that I'd be surprising the boys soon. Alex brought along one of his tattooing friends, who definitely didn't look like a tattoo artist. In fact, he'd never had a tattoo in his life. But he was fucking skilled, and that was all that mattered to me.

I spent a lot of my time at the tattoo studio once I'd told the boys, and was glad that I no longer had to sneak around with Ashleigh. The amount of 'shopping trips' we were going on was getting suspicious, considering my wardrobe wasn't filling up at all. It was a weight off my shoulders, and I was glad that I didn't have to lie to JP about my whereabouts any more.

The guys would often come over once they'd finished a session at their own studio, sitting around and chatting, looking at designs and getting in their orders, whilst I fussed about and tried to make everything perfect. When it came to something I loved, like the tattoo studio, I was a perfectionist, and it pissed us all off. Even myself. I couldn't stand it, but I also couldn't stop it.

Throughout the week running up to opening day, I promoted the studio on its own Instagram account. I did it with the aim of having as little promotion from the boys as possible; I wanted to make it on my own, not by association. I didn't want fangirls coming in just to hopefully bump into the famous Machine Gun Kelly or a member of his band. I was going to do all of their tattoos out of hours anyway, so there was no point. They'd have better luck bumping into them on the street.

But as opening day drew closer, I grew more anxious. I was nervous about opening, and having people actually use us. I had a few slots booked up already - which I was thankful for - but part of me couldn't help but to worry that I wouldn't get many customers, and that I wouldn't make a profit from this. Don't get me wrong, I love tattooing, and opening the shop was purely for me to do something that I love as a career, but it would help if I actually earned something from it.

How anxious I was definitely showed. I was being snappy, I was hiding away more, curled up in bed with my sketchpad against my thighs, drawing different designs even though I'd already practiced them enough times to draw them with my eyes closed. The boys had quickly learned to stay away from me until the first few days of opening had passed, but poor JP had to withstand it all - especially now that I had unofficially moved myself into his bedroom.

I don't remember how or when it happened, but my clothes now belong in his wardrobe, the two of us fighting for space. I had my little ornaments on his shelves, along with my newly bought record player, and my collection of vinyls. Of course I added some plants too. But the drum kit just HAD to be at the bottom of the bed, apparently. I thought it'd be better downstairs, but JP wasn't having any of it.

I'd began to get stressed, which seemed to result in more blips of hallucinations or paranoia. JP had to talk me down each time it happened, and I could see that it was beginning to take a toll on him, but I just couldn't stop. I had so much going on - managing social media, managing the bookings, making sure that everything was set up and the tattoo artists would be in on the first day of their shift, whilst trying to find someone to fill up the empty bed - that I just couldn't put it aside when I left the studio.