Logan

89. Bells

"Are you sure you want this here?" James asked, his hands hovering over my chest after he'd wiped my skin down to prepare it for the stencil "Just want to make sure, you know..." He smirked as I held my breath, and I felt a chill when he smoothed the stencil paper over the area of skin just between my breasts.

I nodded, "I figured it would be a lot less painful than going over the scars."

He agreed, "It hurts like a bitch, you've got that right. Most people can't handle it. You won't be able to wear a bra for about a week, just so you know."

I shrugged, "I can deal with that."

Wren's hand trembled over my arm, before he intertwined his fingers with mine "You ready?"

I nodded. The first buzz scared me, until I felt the familiar pain of the needle against my skin.
-

When it was over, I had a music themed rose inbetween my breasts, complete with guitar stringed thorns that just barely began to go under, and the black and white accents were a nice touch. It would take a while to heal, but it was already beautiful.

I pulled out my wallet, and he pushed it back. "Save your money. It's on the house."

I shook my head, "That's not how it works." I was going to kick Kellan's ass...

He waved his finger, "It's covered. Have a great day. It was good to see you again, sweetheart."

I felt confused, still, but I walked out of the door holding Wren's hand.

"Thanks for letting me come with you." He murmured, kissing the back of my hand.

"I figured you wouldn't be shocked seeing my... scars."

"You're not wrong," He sighed, "I saw them in the dim light of your bathroom. But I'm not shy to scars. I have my own."

We walked along the street, back to his car. I stepped in and he turned to me. "Hey, I just... wanted to come clean with you about something."

"Okay." I turned toward him and waited, a little scared.

"I really enjoy whatever this is," he waved his hand between us, "But I'm not ready for anything serious." He waited a moment, looking me in the eyes. Wren's gaze was serious, but I couldn't help but let out a breath of relief and laugh.

"I feel the exact same way. You have this, way about you that makes me want to tell you all my secrets, and cuddle up with a cup of coffee on the patio, but... I'm still recovering from, well, everything."

"I still want to do things with you, if that makes it clearer. I mean, I'm up for whatever, completely game." His hand wrapped around mine again, squeezing and smiling at me.

I nodded, "Are you ready to rock the show tonight?"

"Absolutely."

-

-

-

I somehow made it into the undertaker outfit I had put together, but I had to revise the shirt to fit so it wouldn't rub against my tattoo, so I settled for a low cut v-neck, almost to my belly but thankfully I was able to sew it just right. I was pinning on the cloak when the studio door opened. Logan caught a glimpse before I was head-to-toe in black.

"Sorry, I know that you're supposed to go on soon, but I wanted to talk to you."

"Logan, I-"

"Just hear me out, okay. You're amazing, you're going to be great out there. I know I haven't been the most supportive friend lately, but l, I think you're awesome."