Tattoos Together | An Original

19

Reese
A Few Days Later

Today, I'm meeting some of Dominic's childhood best friends. I'm kind of nervous because it's hard for me sometimes to meet new people in a capacity where they aren't just recognizing me from the internet. When it becomes more personal, I sometimes get a little bit cautious due to my naturally anxious tendencies.

I have my trusted circle of people, and that's kind of it. People treated me normally in high school when my social media started to gain traction, but that doesn't mean I trusted any of my classmates. When I was in high school, I kind of just stuck with my few best friends that I'd known since elementary school, and my sister's friends. They were people I was safe to be myself around. They were all people who would treat me like I deserved to be treated– like a normal human being. It always felt good to have people around who liked me for me, and not for the social media presence I had.

It's been nice to spend time with Dominic here in his hometown. I feel like we're growing even closer now that we've met each other's families, and now that we've been able to visit each other's hometowns. Seattle and Chicago are both an important part of where the two of us were brought up, which makes them important to us now.

"So, who am I meeting today?" I ask. Dominic and I are currently getting ready. He knows I've been feeling a little anxious today, so he's been playing my favorite music while we've been in the bathroom.

"There's Maverick, Nate and Cooper who were all in the same grade as me growing up. They're three of the most down to earth people I've ever met. Nate's girlfriend Macey is Maverick's younger sister, so she's close with us. Her best friend Maggie has been in love with Cooper since the second grade. Those two live together now"

"And poor Maverick has to wheel with all of them?"

Dominic shrugs as he looks at me. "Maverick likes being single. He's more of a one and done kind of guy. We used to be each other's wing man, but now I'm in a very happy relationship."

"Is he one of those people that doesn't believe in love or whatever?"

"Nope. He just says he'll know when he finds it."

I smile. "Just like how you knew when you saw me?"

"You mean how I knew when my sister saw you. She's the one who started watching your channel. Then I saw you on the screen one day and said, "Wow. She's cute. Who is she?"

"Then what happened?" I ask, wanting to know the rest of the story.

"I followed your Instagram. Liked you from afar. Then at Coachella, I couldn't resist commenting on all of your posts because your outfits were so stinkin' cool. Then I had Sage message you."

"Awww. You had a big crush on me."

"You did too," he says, playfully whacking my arm with his hand. "And then we shoved our tongues down each other's throats and lived happily ever after."

I laugh. "Stop. You're not gonna say that to your friends, are you?"

"You know how sexy I think you are. I wanna keep that between us. I'll tell them all of the other things I love about you."

"So I can't tell them how good our sex is?" I joke.

Dominic laughs, which makes me laugh even more. "Macey and Maggie probably talk about that stuff all the time. I don't mind if you talk to them about it. I won't say anything you don't want me to say."

"I don't care what you tell them," I say. "They're your best friends. I talk about this kind of stuff with my sisters. And with Maeve, and with Morgan and Izzy. But they're all people who won't say anything to anyone about it."