One Time Only

Chapter 8

About a week after giving Jerica her tattoo, Harry and Louis are sitting discussing what they want to do on their day off when the door to the shop swings open. Jerica walks in carrying a covered canvas.

After several days of debating with herself, she finally made up her mind to give this painting to Harry and Louis. Why not, the greens were because of his eyes, her thinking they'd go well with Timmy's. Throwing a cloth over the painting, Jerica picks it up, walks next door, enters the tattoo shop, walks over to Harry's station and steps up on the chair there then his work table.
"Sorry, I'll reclean this in a sec." Jerica smiles as she walks down the counter, shocking the owners. When she gets to the empty nail she noticed earlier she hangs the painting, then she takes to cloth off it so they could see it. "My way of saying thank you to you both. If it hadn't been for the two of you, I don't know if I'd have survived this past week." Jerica says still standing on the counter.

Harry and Louis walk over and look up at the painting, Harry reaches up and picks Jerica up off the counter and sets on the floor, he then pulls her into a hug. "That is one of the most beautiful pictures I've ever seen. This is the last one you painted, isn't it?" He asks with a glassy look in his eyes.

"Yeah. It is." Jerica says.

"I don't know if I'm reaching here or not, but the green and blues in that painting looks a lot like a mixture of Timmy and Harry's eye colors." Louis says as he steps closer to the picture.

Jerica blushes and smirks. "That's because it is." She admits softly, causing Harry to look at her. "I painted this the first time I saw you guys, at the coffee shop, I was going in, you guys was leaving. For some reason I couldn't get the color of your eyes, Harry, out of my head. So when I left there I went to my studio, mixed up my paints for the first time in six months and created that. That's why I want you to have it."

"Wait? Don't your paintings sell for millions?" Harry asks. "Jeri, you can't just give that to us."

"Yes I can. It's mine to do with what I want. And trust me I have plenty others to sell. I'm not hurting for the money, so I'm not taking it back." Jerica says. "I have a storage unit full of unsold paintings or I can just paint more if I want, giving one away won't hurt my bottom line."

Harry throws his hands up. "Okay, fine we'll keep it." He chuckles. "Besides, it looks really good there."

Louis laughs. "So does the footprints she left on our counter."

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry." Jerica laughs. "I'll clean that up." She says as she grabs the cleaning supplies she's seen they guys use. Just as Jerica is getting done the bell on the door rings. Looking over her shoulder she sees a huge biker looking guy walk in, glancing around she sees she's alone, Harry and Louis still not back from their coffee run. "Hello, can I help you?" She asks the man.

"Maybe. Do you give tattoos?" The man asks.

"Oh no, I'm just watching the place until the owners return. But I might be able to help you pick something out from one of those books." Jerica tells him.

"Actually, I know what I want, I just need the artist to draw it up. My name is Jake, by the way." Jake says.

"Okay Jake." Jerica says with a nod as she grabs a piece of paper and a pencil from Harry's work table. "Tell me exactly what you want, let's see what we can come up with." She says with a smile. And that's what Harry and Louis walks in to see minutes later.

As soon as Harry and Louis walk back into the shop, they see a huge guy leaning against their display case telling Jerica what type of tattoo he wants, while she's standing there with a pencil in her hand, drawing as quickly as she can. The two guys look at each other and smile. Louis sets the iced coffee Jerica wanted on the counter while Harry looks over her shoulder to see what she's doing.
"Having fun?" He whispers.

"Loads." Jerica giggles for the first time, making Harry's heart skip a beat. "This is Jake, and would love it if you could do this for him." She says handing Harry the drawing she just did.

Harry looks down at the paper in his hand, his eyes widen at what he sees. "Holy shit woman, you're good." He says, showing the drawing to Louis.

Jerica shrugs. "Drawing on paper isn't much different than canvas, hun. It's just smaller. Now are you doing that or am I going to have to try and possibly fuck it up?" She sasses.

Harry and Louis both let a quick bark of laughter, Harry kisses Jerica on top of the head. "Yeah I'll do it. I'll also let be known here and now that Jake is getting the first tattoo drawn by the amazing J.J. Jones." Harry smirks as he motions the guy back to his station.

Jake takes his shirt off, then looks at the small girl he's been talking to for the past twenty minutes. "You're J.J. Jones?" He asks.

"I am. Why?" Jerica asks.

"Because, my wife has spent several millions of my money on your paintings." Jake smiles. "We have your art hanging in almost every room in our house."

Louis laughs. "Now you have her art on your arm. Yeah Harry my be painting it in, but she did drew it." He chuckles.

"Best of both, from what I've heard." Jake smiles. "I did my homework, that's why I'm here. I heard you guys were the best in the UK, otherwise I'd have went California and had Kat Von D do this." He says.

"Thank you." They all three say as Harry gets started on Jakes tattoo.