The Clock Strucks Danger

Imprinted for eternity

This is the second part to Inked forever. Enjoy the chills!

Dominique took out his set of sterilised needles and astringents. He applied some spirit on Celia' wrist and patted that part with a piece of cotton. It felt cool and little goosebumps appeared. He kept the copy of the printed tattoo on his one thigh and leaned towards her wrist. His brows furrowed as he concentrated hard.

"This may hurt, Celia.." His words trailed off, "but the end result will be beautiful."

"I am prepared for the pain. This is going to be fruitful. I have been wanting to do this for long."

He set the sharp tip to his wrist and started injecting dark ink into her delicate skin. She gasped at the sudden pain. He looked at her briefly and resumed marking the outline of the dream catcher. He was slow and very observant to details. He hunched over her hand and continued doing his job with the utmost devotion.

Celia's skin around the tattoo was developing into a deep shade of crimson. The pain was excruciating. She had always been intolerant to pain.

"Is it hurting you too much?" He asked. He could sense her taking deep breaths in between, undoubtedly, trying not to let tears stream down her cheeks.

"It's fine. It's a small price to pay for love." She replied with utmost determination.

His eyes clouded over at her words and he smiled.

"Love is a wonderful thing, isn't it?" He asked.

Celia found talking to be would be easier to handle the pain silently so she smiled and whispered a slow yes. Images of Joseph and herself  wrapped in each others' arms under covers on a lazy Sunday afternoon flashed through her mind.

"I agree." He nodded his head ever so slightly.

"Love makes me stronger. It makes the world seem so rosy and happy. It's just a magical feeling." Celia emphasised and blushed. God, she sounded so silly but it was true. Every moment spent with Joseph made her happier and it was nothing less than magic.

Dominique was listening to her silently all the time, his lips pressed hard against each other. She noticed he had increased his pace of work. He was now puncturing her skin with a greater intensity and speed.

"Have you ever had one sided love, Celia?" Dominique spoke after a while. He had an urgency in his voice, which Celia seemed to ignore.

"I guess it doesn't matter."

"You say love makes us happier?" He questioned her further.

"Yes!"

"Well, not always. It makes me sad to see her with someone else. Living with some other guy, lost in him so much that she refuses to acknowledge my advances." His voice was heavy with emotion.

Celia's ears perked up at the word she. Was Dominique in love with someone? Why didn't she know? Women love to scoop around on others' love lives and Celia was no exception.

She enquired about his love life. "So who is the lucky girl you love?"

He smiled sadly.

"I guess it does not matter." He relayed her words.

"Tell me. Perhaps, I can help!" She said.

"Well..." He seemed hesitant.

She waited with baited breath.

"It's you. I love you. In fact, I was loved you since college. I still remember the day you walked into me, with a great blue rucksack wearing old jeans. You used to wear your hair shorter during those days. They were dyed blonde. I could see your dark brown roots. You wore pink converse and had a grey sweatshirt on." He was rambling, then he paused his work and looked up at her.