The dragonflies tattoist - Freenbecky ☆𝆬

Chapter 24

It had been exactly three months since Becky left. Freen hadn't forgotten her, but she'd had to learn to live without her.

If she saw Becky again, she didn't want to be broken. If she saw her again, she wanted the painter to feel that her sacrifice had been worth it.

Was she mad at Becky? Of course, but only at first. In time, she realized that she would have done the same to protect her.

That day, Chanon and she arrived at the tattoo shop five minutes early, with little Heidi in tow, now five months old. Jan was busy setting up the new apartment she'd be sharing with her growing family, so Chanon had no choice but to bring his daughter to work. And that's the story of how Chanon ended up with a pink diaper bag over his shoulder.

"She's so tiny," Freen said for the second time that day. Actually, she said it every time she saw Heidi, who somehow looked smaller than she was.

"I always thought Eve would be the Bully Aunt... Turns out I was wrong."

"Come on, Chanon, look at her!" Freen insisted. "I'm pretty sure that rattle is bigger than her head!"

"Don't exaggerate," Chanon said, kissing his daughter's little head as she gnawed determinedly on the toy. "Let's go, Heidi. Don't listen to your mean aunt. She's just jealous because you have the world's most handsome dad."

And though Freen laughed at the joke, the words reminded her of her beautiful, bold painter with that massive ego.

She wondered if she'd ever see her again. She wondered if Becky would still love her. She wondered if Becky still remembered her.

And, most importantly, she wondered if she was still alive.

_____

Freen heard the bell over the door and turned around. She didn't have a client to tattoo, so it was the most interesting thing to do.

She was surprised to see Austin walk in, even more so when he spoke with Chanon and then headed straight for her.

"Good morning, darling," he greeted, giving her a kiss on each cheek.

"Why so happy? Did you finally find a boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend?! Gross!" Austin exclaimed, pretending to gag. "I don't do boyfriends. I sleep with the first guy who walks in; you know this, I'm a total bitch."

"Yeah, I'm starting to get that," Freen laughed.

"Look at my nails!" Austin grinned wide, showing off his hands. "They're pink! Just like my shirt!"

"They're... very pretty." 

Don't laugh, Freen. Don't laugh.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I stopped by," Austin said after a moment, wrapping his arms around himself dramatically. "This queen wants a tattoo."

"Interesting," Freen replied with a smirk. "What did you have in mind?"

"I want you to tattoo my silhouette on my arm."

"Alright. Nothing too tricky."

"It has to be perfect, Freen," he practically pleaded. "This tattoo's going to mean a lot to me after my surgery."

"Surgery?"

"Didn't Eve tell you?" Freen shook her head, completely confused. "I'm going through with my transition."

_____

After finishing the tattoo, Freen hugged Austin one last time, knowing that the next time they met, he'd be Tatiana.