Where Two Collide

Chapter Twenty - Cat

Chapter Twenty

Cat

"You owe me."

"Totally, I can see cake and coffee in our near future," Addie grinned and held out her hand. "Now hold my hand so I can squeeze it to distract me from the pain."

I took her hand and narrowed my eyes at her again. "I don't like coffee."

She gave me a look like I was crazy. "Are you serious?"

"It tastes like grave dirt."

"Then you've clearly been drinking it wrong, but we're going to set that right." She squeezed my hand hard, her eyes closed tightly as he moved the needle with practised grace. "And I'm going to get you a really big slice of cake."

This was the second time Addie had managed to bypass my need to avoid too much touching. She was sneaky like that. Just like how she'd gotten me to come here at three in the morning when I should have been in bed. I wasn't nervous that I'd get caught, because my parents never noticed, and I knew Alice would lock the bedroom door. I was uncomfortable, however, with the throwing off of my schedule. I was planning to spend my Sunday working on my portfolio, but at this rate I was barely going to get home by sunrise and even I couldn't make my brain function on no sleep. I was going to lose the day at this rate.

"So is this bartender gig your only job?" Addie asked, her eyes opening again to give me a side long glance. Maybe she was trying to distract herself with pointless chat, she probably didn't really care about the answer, but I obliged anyway. That's what I was there for, a distraction.

"Yes, but its only a temporary thing. What about you, have you always wanted to be a bouncer?"

"Ha, no. I actually just needed something to do whilst I take a year off from college. I'd planned to travel..." she paused, staring down at where Alex was making great progress on her tattoo. "It didn't really work out."

I nodded. "I wouldn't have pegged you as a bouncer."

"Are you saying I look like a wimp?"

I laughed and squeezed her hand back when she hardened her grip. "Maybe a little. At least, you look too pretty and delicate to be all hulky inside."

"Isn't that the point of the hulk, the outside doesn't portray the angry monster within, kind of like Jekyll and Hyde?"

I arched a brow, impressed that she understood my reference.

"Thanks for calling me pretty though," she wrinkled her nose. "Though I'm not so delicate, I'm tougher than I look. I've been boxing since I was a kid so I've got a killer right hook."

I was yet again impressed. "I'll take your word for it, I bruise easily," I said laughing.

Alex began refilling the ink and I leaned forward so I could closer inspect how the tattoo was getting on. As I drew close, I got a waft of Addie's perfume, fresh and light. She smelled of spring.

Addie looked down her chest at me. "How's it looking?"

"Exactly like the drawing," I said and hastily leaned back, glancing across the room at nothing in particular.

"Which college do you go to?" she asked breezily.

I stared at her, suddenly caught off guard. Which college did I go to? I didn't go to college yet, I was only sixteen, though I'd admit almost seventeen. I wouldn't be in college for another year and a half ish. But she thought I went to college. Which meant she thought I was about her age.

I wanted to ask her how old she was. Maybe eighteen or nineteen? Depending on whether she took her gap year before starting or not. I couldn't ask though. If I asked she'd ask me back, and then she'd know I wasn't supposed to be working at Mi'lady's Velvet Room, and then I'd lose my job and then I couldn't afford to take the Art program and then I might not get the place I want in college. It would all just spiral into the abyss, just like the colour of the walls in the tattoo parlours room.

So I lied. And I didn't just lie like a normal person lies, I lied the Cat way.

"I'm taking a gap year too. I was training to be a Geisha in Japan but found the tea rituals to be particularly overwhelming and needed to take some time to re-assess."

Addie gave me that look again, like I was a loon escaped from a mental asylum, and then laughed. She laughed so hard that Alex had to stop tattooing until she had calmed down. "I could totally see you as a Geisha. You would rock that look."

When Alex finished up Addie's wilting rose, she gets up off the table to admire the work in a full length mirror. It really does look beautiful on her.

"I love it. Once again you honour me with your skills Alex, you deserve the highest of praise and all of the appreciation," said Addie, smiling at him in the reflection of the mirror.

He begins to tape some more of that cling wrap to Addie's stomach, creating a protective layer over the fresh tattoo. "I'd rather you just paid me," he said, but I could tell he was glad, even through his permanently blank expression.

Addie drew some rolled up notes out of her pocket and handed them to him. "For services rendered," she said, then headed toward me. "What do you think?"

"Looks good," I said. I meant it.

She leaned her head close to mine and for a second, I wonder what she's going to do, then she swiped her shirt from my hand and pulled it back over her head. She grinned her perfect grin. "Thanks for holding onto this for me Honey."

I brush my hand through my hair. Right, she doesn't know my real name. I wasn't used to hearing my job name outside of work, it felt odd. "So, we done here?"

"Totally," she said and waved a hand at Alex. "See you later Alex."

Outside the sun was beginning to rise. It was that dark orange colour, like marmalade fresh from a jar. I'd have to get home quick as it'd be harder to sneak into the house in full daylight.

Addie touched my arm, drawing my attention. "Hey, thanks for coming."

"I'm not sure I had much choice in the matter, I didn't even know what I was coming to."

She laughed lightly. "You're right. Well then... thanks for staying. I honestly really appreciate it."

My face felt hot. I stepped back a little, so her hand dropped away. "Yeah sure, anytime." That wasn't necessarily true, but that's what people were supposed to say right?

"I do owe you though," she said. She rooted around in her jeans and brought out her phone, those pockets seemed to be endless. "Put your number in here for me."

"My number?"

"Yes, you parrot, I need to pay you back with cake, and I must must must teach you the proper ways of drinking coffee."

I took her phone and added myself as a contact. It seemed weird to use my fake name as a contact, so I put something different instead and passed it back to her. She glanced at the screen and smiled.

"Blonde chick from work?"

I shrugged. "I'd say that's a pretty accurate description."

"I don't know," she leaned in again, giving me a scrutinizing look. "I'm pretty sure you aren't really blonde."

A few minutes after we went our separate ways my phone bleeped at me. I glanced down at the screen, a message from Addie.

Addie: Coffee tomorrow?

Cat: I think you'll find it is already tomorrow and I will not be awake much longer.

I saved her under the contact name Wilted Rose.

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