Same Bitches - Post Malone

2

Ten years later...

Lux lifts her head from her client when she hears her shop bell go off. She is proud of how far she has come in the last ten years. She has a tattoo shop in the heart of New York - three employees, and a receptionist. All women because she has developed an irrational dislike for men. She will fuck them but she doesn't want them talking to her or standing in her general vicinity. When she sees it's just a mailman she rolls her eyes and goes back to her client. He is getting a dragon on his back to represent his love for dragons - very original but, she will make it look amazing like she does with all her work.

She moved to New York after her bust-up with Austin back in LA - she has actively tried to get as far away from him as possible after he dumped her belongings she had left behind on her friend's front lawn and then set them alight, flipping her off as he lit a cigarette and walked off to his car. Honestly, she expected more from him. She knew what the thought of her cheating on him would do - it had been an irrational fear that had kept him up at night during their six months together.

She was only with Austin for six months and the relationship was toxic from the start. Both were nineteen, both selfish, both hot-headed, and loud-mouthed; and both not knowing what the fuck to do in a real adult relationship, plus they were both putting more effort into their careers than each other. Neither of them are toxic people to be fair, both were raised by good families with good morals and too much love - it had just been their timing. It was off, and they found each other at the worst possible time. It's a lesson well learned. Her lesson was simple - men can go fuck themselves, especially Austin and Austin's lesson? Find a woman and marry the fuck out of her - the bastard.

She had heard his nightclub had opened and it's a banger of a place so she leaves one-star reviews on the club website about how shit the club is under fictitious names. Hers are the only one-star ratings that stand out like sore thumbs between all the five-star reviews so her pathetic jab does not do any real damage to his nightclub but, she knows Austin will take it to heart - so it's worth her time.

Ok, let's just establish now that Lux can hold a grudge. Austin fucked her over.

"Lux!" her receptionist, Lucy's, voice breaks her train of thought so she stops tattooing and looks at her. "It's a package for you," she says holding up a shiny white box. She can smell an off-putting heavy pine sent from where she sits. "Thanks, just leave it on the counter," she says and goes back to tattooing. "It looks like one of those over-the-top wedding invites," Lucy says as Amelia, one of Lux's tattoo artists, leans over and nods. Lux rolls her eyes, she has no idea who would be sending her a wedding invite. "Open it, seeing as you are both so desperate to see what's inside," she says. "Hey, my tattoo," her client moans. "Shut up. You are paying for the piece not by the hour," Lux says then motions for Lucy and Amelia to open the box. They open the lid and have to stand back when a cloud of pink and white glitter explodes into the air and soft wedding music starts playing. That's enough for Lux so she turns and starts tattooing her client again. From that alone - she does not want to go to the wedding.

"What the fuck!" Lucy and Amelia say at the same time. Milly and Kat start laughing along with their clients so Lux stops tattooing and looks up. Lucy is holding a white Stetson with LUX plastered under the rim in bold bright pink letters and Amilia is holding up a tiny bright pink string bikini. "Uh...you have been asked to be the maid of honor and this is your outfit," Lucy says. Lux screws her face up then rolls her eyes and goes back to tattooing her client again. She is not going, it must be a prank. "Who is Demi?" Amelia asks. Lux freezes and groans internally. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. "My sister," Lux mumbles. She had not even known Demi was engaged but to be fair Lux had removed herself from everyone's lives when she moved to New York, not because of Austin - her family loves too much and they are all about getting into people's business. She is the black sheep and the opposite of everything they are so she spends limited time with them or she will kill them - she is doing them a favor. She picks up her phone and shoots Demi a text.

Congratulations on getting married. Thank you for the invite but I can't make it. I am gutted. Will be there in spirit. Namaste.

She does not know if she said that right but her sister is big into that spiritual shit - hopefully she will accept her healing message. She knows she does not when her phone immediately lights up with Demi phoning her. She has it on silent so she drops it into her bag and goes back to tattooing. Everyone seems to get the hint that she is not interested so they put the box away and go about their day like this never happened.

By the end of the day, Lux feels like she is going to lose her fucking mind. She can't use her phone because Demi has been phoning repeatedly - for such a 'make love, not war' girl she sure knows how to get on someone's nerves. By the time she gets home, Demi has still not let up and Lux is starting to feel a little bad when she sees she has over a hundred missed calls. She ignores her constantly vibrating phone while she makes her dinner and then takes a shower. She would prefer to bath, soak her stiff painful muscles - but she has a grudge to keep so she has not bathed in ten years. Fuck you Austin.

When she settles down to eat and watch her shows she can't because she needs her phone to cast onto her TV. She also knows her sister - she won't stop calling. Lux has no choice but to answer.

"Demi, you can't catch a hint?"

"What do you mean you can't make it to my wedding?  I am your sister. Your only sister!"

"Demi-"

"Do you want me to call a family meeting?  We can hold it in New York. I swear, Lux, I will bring both Mom and Gran with me!"

"No! Fuck, Demi, just...no," Lux is quick to say. That would be worse than attending her fucking wedding because all the attention will be on her and she can't handle all three women at once.   Her father fucked off with a floozy just after Demi was born so she and Demi were raised by their mother and grandmother. Lux can only handle them in small doses, and that's only when her grandmother remains in her cage.

"What's going on? Why don't you want to come to my wedding?" Demi asks and Lux can hear she is trying to sniff back her tears. Shit. Lux loves Demi and she does not want to hurt her, but she just does not want to go back to LA.

"Demi...I don't want to go to LA."

"Lux! Because of that guy?! That is a very selfish reason not to come to your sister's wedding! Did you even read the invite?!"

"Yes, I did."

"Then why is LA a problem?"

Lux huffs, they both know she did not read the invite and so she is not sure how to answer Demi. Demi lets out a sigh and does that weird breathing exercise she does to calm herself - Lux will never admit it relaxes her too.

"Lux, the wedding is not in LA. It's in Thailand."

"Thailand?"

"Yes. We are all going for a week. Fly out Sunday afternoon then from Monday to Friday we are going to make a whole family holiday out of it then the wedding is on Saturday. Everyone except Uncle Max is going."

"How did Uncle Max get out of it?"

"He died, Lux, remember?"

Lux contemplates the repercussions of her faking her death and honestly, the pros outweigh the cons. Also, a family holiday? For an entire week? It sounds like hell.

"Please, Lux. I can't get married without you there. You are my big sister and this is the biggest and best day of my life. I need you more than anyone. Please. I never ask for anything."

Lux feels like shit. She has no choice now especially after Demi's fucked up speech.

"Fine, but what's up with the Stetson and bikini?"

"That's my theme! Cowboys on the beach!"

This wedding is going to be a shit show of monstrosities - Lux may just find she enjoys it.

"Ok! Check your emails, I just made your flight booking - you can't back out now. It's all paid for."

Fuck.

Double fuck.

Lux cuts the call with Demi before she spouts off some shit bout Namaste and checks her email. The wedding is two weeks away. She would ask Demi what the rush is but it's either love or a baby - both are a bad idea.