Noel

"You'll have to take your shirt off so I can place the stencil," Noel said. Autumn felt her face get hot. She'd grown into her body since high school but she still carried the anxious insecurities of that flat chested girl with narrow hips. Noel caught her eye, tilting her head to one side. "If you show me yours, I'll show you mine," she grinned mockingly. It only made Autumn blush.

"Sorry..." she managed. Autumn's discomfort only further amused her.

"I'm just having a little fun at your expense," Noel chuckled. Autumn let out an awkward laugh. She pulled the plain white tank top off over her head. Noel's eyes fell immediately to Autumn's torso, unashamedly examining her body. Autumn's hands fell awkwardly to her sides. Being shirtless in front of such a pretty girl made Autumn feel self-conscious and vulnerable.

"Look at you, just a blank canvas."

"It's my first time," she said.

"And a rib piece no less, you're a brave girl," Noel flashed her another mocking grin. Autumn caught herself staring at the large spider tattoo above the neck of her low cut blouse. Like most half-competent artists, Noel was covered in tattoos from head to toe, but that one in particular certainly commanded the most attention; accentuating her breasts, as if they needed it. Autumn hoped Noel hadn't caught her staring, but if she had it didn't seem to bother her. Noel's hands came to rest on her abdomen, feeling their way across her obliques where she began fixing the stencil in place.

Autumn had known her since high school. They didn't run in the same circles back then, but they shared a lab bench in chemistry and had always got on well enough. Now Noel was bent over top of Autumn's naked body while she tried with all her effort to conceal her immense discomfort. It had been nearly an hour since the session began. Autumn let her hand fall to rest on Noel's lap. She couldn't help thinking how attractive Noel was and found it hard to keep her eye off her now. Back in school, Autumn had always kept her bicuriosity to herself, the feelings were all so confusing back then, and she'd managed to repress them for the most part; but in the face of such a beautiful young woman they were impossible to ignore. A sharp pain struck Autumn all at once. her hand gripped at Noel's thigh.

"Sorry... hurts a bit," she muttered. Noel smiled at her.

"I can tell," Autumns heart beat through her chest. "Just don't get carried away down there or I'll get distracted," Noel teased. Autumn was blushing again, realizing her hand was still locked around the inside of Noel's thigh. Autumn let it fall limp.

"Just a reflex..." she said. Noel smiled coyly at her again. She carried herself with the confidence of a woman who could get whatever she wanted, and knew it too.

Noel placed her tattoo gun to one side, washing the blood and ink off Autumn's rib cage with a wet paper towel.

"What do you think?" She asked. Autumn sat up from the padded bench and stared at herself in the mirror across the room. It ran down her side onto her hip. The piece featured a large black feathered bird with an unavailing human face.

"It looks even better than I'd imagined," she said.

"I try my best." Noel grinned at herself. She stood just above Autumn now, leaning in to wipe a bit of blood off her collar bone with her finger. Autumn couldn't help but notice how close she was, standing with Autumn's legs on either side of her. So close in fact, that foolishly, she thought Noel might lean down to kiss her just then. Her hand came to rest on Autumn's shoulder and they locked eyes. "You can get dressed again now," Noel said, taking a step away from her.

Autumn grabbed her shirt, which sat on the chair just in front of her and pulled it back over her head and made her way toward the door.

"Thanks again. Maybe I'll see you around." Noel grimaced, as if she were hesitant to let out her next thought.