Before You

Chapter 28

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Peyton asks as we get out of my car. "I mean, when I brought up celebrating your birthday, I didn't expect being at a tattoo parlor at eleven o'clock at night".

"Absolutely!" I reply. "I've thought about getting a tattoo for awhile now. I just got the extra push I needed today to actually do it".

I open the door to the tattoo parlor and we both walk inside. I look around the small space. This is the first time I've been inside a place like this, but I'm not surprised at what I see. I walk up to the counter and wait for someone to notice me. I hear a distinctive buzzing noise coming from every corner of the building. To my left there's an older man sitting in a chair with his legs propped up. Another man, the tattoo artist, sits close to his feet and proceeds to freehand a design on the man's calf. I glance a few feet away from him and see a young girl, probably in her twenties, getting her tongue pierced. I turn my head before I can see it happen. That has to be painful. I hear a small squeal to my right and look over to see another young girl getting a tattoo across her stomach. Peyton nudges my elbow and I look back at her.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asks. "I've done this once before, it can be painful".

I take a brief moment to think about what I'm about to get myself into. This is permanent. This tattoo will be on my body for the rest of my life. There's no going back once it's done.

I nod my head while facing Peyton. "Yes, I'm positive".

"Okay then. Let's do it!" Peyton squeals.

I face forward as a man approaches the counter. He's a young man with tattoos covering both of his arms. His dark brown hair is long and pulled back into a small, messy bun. He opens his mouth to speak and I see a glimmer of steel from inside his mouth. He has a tongue ring.

"How can I help you?" the man asks us.

"We would like to get tattoos" I reply.

"Okay, do you both know what you want? Are you looking to get a small or large tattoo?" he asks.

"Small" I say.

"Okay. I have some free time. I'll do both of your tattoos. Who would like to go first?" he asks.

"Me!" Peyton says loudly.

I look over at Peyton surprised. I know she has one other tattoo; at least that's what she's told me. However, I never expected her to be this excited about it. Her eyes are wide and her face holds a huge grin.

"Alright, my name is Nolan by the way. Let's get started" the man says and points to his chair in the far right corner of the building.

I watch the man as he begins walking over to his chair. I walk around the counter and follow his lead. I'm startled as Peyton grabs my arm and pulls me a few steps back.

"What?" I say to Peyton.

Peyton's face is bright red. "He's so hot!"

I look at Nolan as he gets situated at his chair putting his gloves on, and then look back to Peyton. She likes him. That's why her face is bright red. Her fair skin gives away her emotions just as mine does. Looking at her this way, with bright red cheeks, makes me see the innocent in Peyton. I let out a small laugh and cover my mouth quickly. I hope Nolan doesn't notice. We reach his chair and Peyton doesn't waste any time sitting down. I pull another chair up so I can be close to her. I look around the building glancing at tattoo designs on the walls as Peyton tells Nolan what tattoo she wants. I hear the buzzing begin. Peyton is lying back on a chair and Nolan is stretched across her. I can see that her tattoo will be below her collarbone. Peyton lets out a small squeak, but then returns to silence. I pick up my phone and start scanning through my social media pages. It's not too long before I hear the buzzing stop.