Black Ink || Harlena a.u.

8.

My head shook as Anne tried convincing me that maybe Harry and that girl, Jane, would break up soon anyway. I knew she was just saying that to make me feel better- I mean, the way they looked at each other was enough to make my stomach turn to knots.

"Besides," she insisted. "He gave you a free tattoo!"

"Okay, this is getting ridiculous."

I swung my legs off the couch, my head leaving Anne's lap as she sighed in annoyance.

"Wait!" She yanked my head back.

"Ow!"

"What if you make a Tinder?" She began. "You'd get loads of guys, Selene."

Making an online dating profile was beyond what I had in mind to meet new people. "Nope, no way. That doesn't sound like a good idea. What if he turns out to be someone else? Anne there are literally so many things that could go wrong with that."

"I know a trick or two. Trust me," she scoffed. "You're good."

"Even if you could one-hundred-percent guarantee me that nothing was going to go wrong, I want to meet new people the old fashion way."

"Dude-" she protested. "That has gotten you no where. You're here, on a couch, complaining about a guy with a girlfriend. What is up with people being hungover someone they just met? Like, I was trying to be supportive, but in all seriousness, you know nothing of this guy except that he's a hot tattoo artist and has a very alluring accent."

I gave her a pointed look, "What else do you need?"

She rolled her eyes, "I need you to get boned."

"Anne!" I gasped at her bluntness. Although, it shouldn't come as a surprise after our five years of friendship, two of those years having shared the same living space.

"Girl, please," she begged. "You don't even have to put in your exact location. No harm no foul. Nothing has to come out of it except that you proved to yourself that you could get out there and fuck anyone you want. This could be more of self-esteem boost if you will, before going out, the old fashion way- " queue her eyeroll. "And finding someone in person."

I thought about her proposal. As much as I wanted to say no, there was something nagging me at the back of my mind. I looked down at the small tattoo.

With great reluctance, I agreed.

***

"You cannot put that as my bio."

Anne laughed as she rolled to the other side of my bed with my charging phone in hand. "It's okay to put yourself out there. Besides, it makes you sound like you have a sense of humour. An area you truly lack in, but they don't have to know right away."

My face planted on the pillow as I groaned.

"Fine," Anne mocked. I looked up to see her fingers flying over the keyboard. "There."

Her arm reached out for me to see the new bio she had created: I'm not too shy to show you... I got no regrets

Well, this is as good as it's gonna get. I nodded and she smiled brightly.

"Now for a picture," she clicked home screen and began to search through my photos. I didn't have anything personal, and all my embarrassing moments had been mostly seen by her, so it really didn't matter. "Seriously, not one good selfie."

"Hey," I frowned.

Her head shook in disbelief as she got up from the bed. "Get over here, we're taking you a picture."