Tattooed Boy. || ENG

|01|

The first time I saw the tattooed boy was when I woke up in the middle of the night by the sound of my sister stumbling into the house. Suddenly I was wide awake and went down the stairs to check what was going on.

My sister was sitting on the lower stairs, giggling, while a dark haired guy stood in front of her, silently. Since neither they nor I turned on the light I wasn't able to see him properly or recognize him.

"Kelsey?"

"Mhm?" she turned her head and I was able to make out her wide grin due to the moonlight which was reflected by her teeth. "Zoe! You're awake."

"You woke me up" I told her and sat down next to her with a careful look at her friend. Still I wasn't able to see him properly to figure out who the heck he was. He didn't introduce himself; he just stood there silently without moving an inch. Strange guy. Did he do something to Kelsey? Did he put her on drugs?

I laid my hand onto her shoulder and was about to ask if she was okay when I noticed the unmistakable smell of alcohol. Tequila. Her favorite. "You smell" I told her instead but she didn't seem to bother. She reached for her bag in front of her feet and turned on her phone.

In the light of her screen I finally could take a glance at her strange friend. He had stubborn black hair, was obviously Asian and his arms and even the neck and his temple were covered with tattoos. Piercings decorated his left nostril and both of his earlobes. I tried not to look too shocked. My sister has some kind of weird friends and I met a couple of them but until now the worst thing was a thirty-year-old bold biker and a fourteen-year-old super clever girl who thought she could communicate with ghosts. However, this guy shocked me a lot as well. I still can't tell if it were his looks or the way he glanced at me with his dark eyes or how his mouth turned into a slight smirk when our eyes met. No idea, really.

That night my sister didn't notice a thing. She checked the time on her phone and then told me that 2am was the perfect time for coming home, drunk and smelling. I told her to go to bed and watched over her until she finally did. The guy didn't open the mouth and casually sat down on the couch where I saw him the next morning still sleeping. Nobody invited him to sleep over but I didn't mention it in case Kelsey did earlier.

After I went to bed myself I tried to fall asleep for an hour without success. My thoughts didn't seem to want to decrease and I worried about this guy. Who was he? What was he to Kelsey? Would he be around her for a while or would he only stay a short phase? In which way might he influence her?

Some time the need for sleep overshadowed the worry and I fell asleep; dreaming about dark eyes – with black ink next to them – staring at me.

~

The next morning, I wake my sister as well as my parents after preparing breakfast at nine am. She throws a pillow at me; groaning and not willing to get up. I pull away the curtains and let in the sunlight.

"Zoe, you're cruel!"

I shrug and turn to the door only to stop the movement immediately when I see him. The strange tattooed guy sits up on the couch and rubs his eyes. A slight groan leaves his mouth and I shiver by its sound.

Quickly I leave the room without looking back. Why is he still here? Should I set another plate for him?

Kelsey makes the decision for me as she enters the kitchen, checks the table half asleep and puts another plate and cup onto the table. I watch her uncomfortably. Our parents enter the room. Mum grabs the coffee can, fills our cups and takes a sip of hers while putting the can down. She lets out a sigh and sits on her chair.