Small World

Twenty Seven.

The buzzing of the tattoo gun gave me shivers. I wasn't the greatest person at getting tattooed so I constantly had to watch the needle impaling the ink into my skin. If I couldn't watch, I had to do something to distract myself.
My tattoo artist of five years, Bob, was the best in Los Angeles. I would give him an idea of what I wanted and he constantly made it a billion times better than what I could have imagined. Even though we have become good friends over the years, there was never a tattoo I didn't pay for.
The Endgame premiere was four months ago. Chris had been busy starting a website, filming in Boston for a tv show called Defending Jacob and spending time with me in LA. Dodger and Deeohgee became best friends so it was just the three of us whenever Chris had to leave for a couple of days.
With our one year anniversary only two weeks away, Chris wanted to keep himself as busy as possible so we could spend the anniversary together. He was obviously planning something since he told me to stay away from Scott. Scott could keep a secret but he would do it while excitingly telling you he had one the entire time.
Bob was finishing up more random classic Disney characters on the back of my left forearm. I was laying on my stomach on a long flat chair that reminded me of a chair from a dentist's office. Bob could access the back of my arm easier this way. I scrolled through Instagram and replied to comments on my recent video.

"I told Charlie I was tattooing you today and he wanted me to ask you if Captain America has any tattoos." Bob said over the tattoo gun buzz. I loved hearing the excitement in his voice when he talked about his nine year old son. I locked my phone to set it down on the chair and turned my head to him slowly, resting it on my right arm.
"He does. He has eight." I said over the buzzing before it stopped. Bob put the machine down and took off his gloves to text the answer to his son. I laughed at him as I stretched my back. I resisted the urge to look at the progress so far. It's always better to be surprised with Bob's work. Bob put his phone away and took out a new pair of gloves. I watched him stretch the latex gloves over his fully tattooed hands and fingers.
"How was the premiere?" He asked me, setting up the machine in his hand again.
"It was insane."
"I saw that interview of you on tv. I almost shit my pants!" He laughed, starting up the machine. I got out a quick laugh before he brought the needle to my skin. "I was like 'holy fuck! I know her!'"

"I know, dude. My whole family blew up my phone for days."
"Not to mention all one million of your subscribers."
"I don't have one million subscribers!"
"Okay, okay. Nine hundred ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine." Bob stopped tattooing to let me laugh since he knew me so well. I unlocked my phone and brought up my YouTube channel to show him. "Nine hundred thousand and some change." He read out loud. I stared at the number.
"I was freaking out when I had twenty."
"What are you going to do when you hit a million?"
"Cry." I answered rapidly. Bob laughed, adding more ink to the needle. "Then I'll go to Disneyland."

"That's the answer I was expecting." Bob laughed louder. We continued to talk about nonsense. It was humbling to talk to him again. He never cared about the fame or fortune he has accumulated over the years for his work on celebrities or in tattoo magazines. He stayed at the same small tattoo shop and was still as down to earth. "Alright, loser. Smoke break." He also insisted on smoking cigarettes despite everyone's lectures on quitting. I slowly got up from the chair, still resisting the urge to look at the tattoo.
Bob called his wife so I took advantage of the time to text Chris. I sent him a few kissing face emojis and asked how his night is going. I had to remind myself of the time difference before every text or call. It would be around eight in the evening for him. He read the text right away. He response brought color and light back to my cheeks:

😘😘😘
Hi baby! Just wrapped for the day so I'm back at my parent's. How's the tattoo going?

I sent my reply that we were taking a break. His FaceTime call appeared on my screen so fast, I squealed. I answered the call and released a cloud of smoke from my vape into the air. His face appeared on the screen, smiling uncontrollably big.

"Hi my handsome." I said to the phone. He waved at the phone.
"Hi my beautiful. How's it going?" His Boston accent was so heavy whenever he was home.
"It's good! I don't want to see it yet but I'll show you." I closed my eyes bringing my arm to the phone.
"Oh, my god! Wow! Holy shit!" I laughed at his reaction. I brought the phone back to my face and opened my eyes. "Baby, it looks really fucking good."
"Hey!" A small voice yelled. Chris covered his mouth, looking behind the phone. "Sorry, Miles." He chuckled. "Miles, come here. Say hi to Sarah." His little face appeared on the screen.
"Hi Miles!" I said, smiling at him. He waved his hand.
"Hi Sarah." He mumbled. He covered his face before running away. The sounds of his little feet hitting the hardwood floor echoed into the phone. Chris turned the phone back to him. I smiled at him while he took a bite of something off a fork.

"He has grown so much." I pouted my lip. Chris nodded his head. "Do you want me to call you when I get home?" He shook his head, taking another big bite of food.
"I'm sorry, baby. I haven't eaten anything all day but I really wanted to see your smile." I scrunched my nose at him. I glanced up at Bob giving me a thumbs up and walking back into the shop. I nodded at him.
"I have to get back. Are you still going be up in a few hours?" He nodded his head, taking a big gulp of beer.
"I've got a few more things to finalize for our anniversary." He wiped away the foam from the hairs covering his top lip and smiled wide. I let out a giggle snort. His little chuckle echoed in the bottle as he took another drink.

"I love you." I sighed.
"I love you too, baby. Talk to you later." He waved at the phone. I waved back as I puckered my lips and made kissing noises. I inhaled a few more long hits from my vape. I watched the cloud dance above my head then walked back inside the shop.