TAT Box Set

by Emjay Soren

  “Tatterflys? Really?” He chuckled. “That’s good and true. I didn’t know you were paying attention.”

  “How could I not notice? Noah used to make me check in at the shop before I left for college. I see them waiting for a chance at you or Noah. It did nothing for me but make me want to make sure I’m way better than that.”

  “So what, you hate tattoos or something?” He’s no longer laughing and actually seems curious about my opinion.

  “No. I have a few of my own but I don’t flaunt them in hopes it will enhance my sex appeal. They’re meaningful to me.” My tattoos are a piece of me and just as personal as my scars.

  He stands there looking at me for what seems like forever. And I stand there letting him, because for once I actually have something to talk to him about without Noah breathing down my neck.

  “Have you always been like this?” He asked quietly. So quietly I wasn’t sure if it was meant for me to hear. I answer anyway.

  “Yes. You just never paid attention, it’s not easy to stand in someone like Noah’s shadow and be noticed.”

  He licks his lips and his eyes darken with depravation, making me want to do some rather questionable things to his body. He shook his head and laughed to himself. “Doubt that.” He muttered under his breath.

  “What?”

  “Damn, Carrie.” He said, turning away from the counter, hanging up his apron and walking out the back door.

  You were always so far away

  I know that pain so don't you run away

  Like you used to do

  Alice in Chains

  Chapter Two

  A few days later, while working a night shift, Noah and Chad came in so that Noah could steal money from the till. He did it often, calling it his inheritance. Technically it was, so I never made a big deal over it. If it was a slow night then I would tell him no. No matter how much we hated what The Joint represented, we respected that it was the sole income for many, including the only family we had left. Although they seemed to agree with Noah’s inheritance loans and never really cared.

  I hadn’t seen or spoken to Chad since the day shift we’d worked together. He was dressed in perfectly fitting jeans that were a soft, faded blue. He wore a black t-shirt with the Slave to the Needle logo on it. His sleeved arms showed a web of design. A black bandana over his head topped him off, leaving his shaggy brown hair poking out from the bottom. He had a brow piercing in and the three-quarter gauges in his ears were changed and now had steel pinchers through them.

  Noah went straight to the office mumbling something about needing to check the books because Uncle Seth was sick. Noah was dressed much like Chad, wearing distressed jeans, a black button up mechanic’s shirt with his white blond hair messy, in a stylish sort of way. I couldn’t help but cringe knowing they were most likely on the prowl.

  “Well, hello, Carrie Becket.” Chad said and bit down on a toothpick.

  Like he needed more sex appeal. Now he was just drawing attention to his sexy mouth. Attention that had me noticing he also had a lip ring.

  “Chad Blake!” I squealed like a fangirl. “O-M-G I am so going to facebook this later.” I bobbed my head from side to side and acted as though I were chomping on gum.

  “Such a smart ass.” Chad said with a laugh.

  I nodded, still playing the dumb blond role. “I’m in college. It makes me smart, right?”

  He just laughed and I think he knew I was making fun of him. “Busy night tonight?”

  I’m glad he took my teasing lightly. It’s almost like we’ve become friends. Friends? That’s an unwelcome thought. I don’t want to be placed in the ‘friend zone’. But I could swear he flirts back with me. “No, pretty slow. When did you get the lip ring?” I keep from staring at it, but all I really want is to nibble and lick it.

  “After our show last week at the Broken Spoke. It was our hundredth sold out gig, so this was my reward.” He says it with a smile that makes me swoon. “Speaking of… I thought you were fishing for the details about that show. I figured you would show up.”

  “Yeah, right.” I mumbled, but smile like a damn fangirl anyway. “We were short that night so I stayed for the extra money. I’m trying to save up to start shopping for fall semester, so the extra shifts help a lot.” They helped tremendously. The more I made, the better my clothes got. I was a girl after all, and liked to buy pretty things. I just only bought them on sale or clearance.

  “I don’t know why you’re here at all. Why not do what Noah does and not conform to the big shot Seattle trust fund dudes. Hell, you’re selling soon enough anyway.”

  I know he didn’t mean to sound as nonchalant as he did, but his words still pissed me off. “Because Noah can do what he wants. He isn’t attending school as per our mom’s stipulations. He went into a trade where he apprenticed at an early age and now makes a very good living at it. However, I am attending school, hoping to become a writer. I would like a degree to back that up. It’s never been about the money or the business. This place is like a giant thumb we’re both stuck under. It comes with memories we don’t want and money that is dirty.” Realizing that my tirade revealed way too much I switch directions quickly.

  “Besides, in case you haven’t noticed, Noah is completely hung up on you guys going national one day. He won’t sleep till TAT has gold records.”

  “That makes two of us then.” He said.

  I’m thankful he didn’t mention my douche-bag parents, their business, or the fucking stipulations that they’ve held us to.

  “I refuse to go platinum though till you see a show.”

  I laughed, not out of humor, but at the complete and total cloud of arrogance that Chad functions under. I may be attracted to Chad, but I will never be a fangirl or a tatterfly. “Well, I can’t promise…busy and all.”

  “You’re hard to get, Carrie, but I’ll find a way to catch you.” He says in almost a whisper. He’s leaning against the counter opposite me. There’s a solid three feet between us, but I still step back looking to gain some distance.

  I couldn’t help myself. “Want a clue?” My voice is quiet, throaty and full of promise.

  “It would make this a lot easier.”

  Ohmigod! He’s serious.

  “Make what easier?” Noah asked as he walked up behind me. My heart stopped and then stuttered once it picked up beating again.

  “Getting your sister and all her pretty girls to come to a show.”

  Oh my god, he is lying to Noah. He is bald faced lying to my big brother, his best friend. If I didn’t know before, I do now. Chad is so into me… I think. It doesn’t change my outlook though. Chad wants a fangirl who will fawn all over him and drool when he smiles. When he acts like that, I want to kick him in his junk.

  “Not fucking happening, bro.” Noah said and then leaned over the counter, popped the till and snatched a fifty dollar bill. He slammed the drawer shut and kissed my cheek. “Going out with a little hottie after the show, so I might crash there. Lock up and call me if you need me.”

  I nod and don’t bother with a response to what amounted to his shutting down any ideas of me attending a show. “Good luck, break a leg and all that.” I said and walked to the front of the dining area to turn the sign to ‘Closed’. Noah has already headed out to Chad’s truck, but I see Chad making his way back to me and my heart starts doing that whole staccato tempo thing.

  “Fuck him! Be your own person and come to the show. I’ll kick his ass if he gets pissed.” His bravado makes me want to throw caution to the wind and go. I won’t though. It’s the one thing Noah has that doesn’t involve me and I won’t intrude on that. Noah is my rock, protector and best friend. He doesn’t want or need my support at the shows, so unless he makes it platinum, I’ll continue to keep my distance. “I can’t, Chad. More importantly, I won’t.”

  Thinking I couldn’t be clearer than that, I take my hair down from my hat and run a few fingers through the tangled blonde mess as I make my way to the ba
ck to start closing down.

  “Carrie?” He yelled.

  “Yeah?”

  “The clue…..what was the clue to catching me a Carrie Becket?” He’s dead serious and it takes everything in me not to say ‘never mind, I’m yours’ and strip naked. I have morals though, and I’ll keep to them if I do nothing else.

  “Stop treating me like a fangirl or tatterfly and put in the work.” And with that I slipped into the office and slammed the door.

  *

  So maybe I was a little shallow, but I am just a girl. I had slowly started making myself look a little more presentable when I knew I was working with Chad. I made sure I always had my Peaches and Cream lip gloss in one pocket. I had stocked up on smelly lotions and perfumes to keep the smelly grease from attacking my skin and hair, and my denim shorts gradually began getting shorter, my jeans a little tighter. Chad noticed. So did Noah. Chad’s comments the other night had peaked Noah’s interest as well.

  I was scheduled to work tonight, but swung into Slave to the Needle for a piece Noah was giving me on my ribs. It was a surprise and I couldn’t wait to tell him what I was getting. It was an extremely personal tattoo that I would cherish forever… but I was also making a request.

  I dressed in a black sports bra and a pair of tight fitting hot pink yoga pants with some two dollar flip-flops. I walked into the shop and stopped short when I saw Chad sitting in a chair on the other side of the shop. A woman with blonde hair, fake I might add, not natural like mine, was lying on the bed in front of him. The tattoo was being placed, of course, on her lower back. So typical. Perhaps I was being catty, but at least I was big enough to admit it.

  “There she is.” Bobby said from behind the front desk. Bobby was six foot six and probably three hundred pounds of pure muscle. He rode a Harley, he owned the shop and looked every bit your stereotypical biker/tattoo dude. Noah had been trained under Bobby, and in return Bobby had become like family. He was nothing like his appearance. I’d learned long ago to trust my instincts, and with Bobby I felt as safe as I did with Noah.

  “Noah has been going on about this piece all day. Tell me for fuck’s sake, what is it?”

  I wrap my arms around him in return of the tight hug he’s giving me and whisper the idea in his ear. I hear Bobby laughing and saying something, but I am not checked into the conversation at all. Chad looked up from his client and his eyes were on me, every inch of me, and he wasn’t hiding what he wanted.

  I wished like hell Noah wasn’t there, because with a look like that I would have charged over there, knocked the hussy off the bed and laid myself out like a buffet. Instead, I smiled and pulled back from Bobby who was looking at me like I was checked out. Which I was.

  I cleared my throat. “Sorry, what sweetie?”

  “I asked if you thought of adding anything to it.”

  Oh duh… the tattoo. “No, just basic and simple.”

  “Classic. It suits you.”

  I smiled and walked away when the phone started ringing and Bobby stepped back behind the enormous desk. I passed Chad’s space and smiled before drawing my brows in silent assessment of the tatterfly on his table. Look at that, there is a girl for each day of the week, I wanted to say. Instead I just smirked to myself and walked over to Noah.

  “Okay, spill it.” Noah said loudly. For a split second I thought I was busted for flirting with Chad. “What are we doing?”

  I took a deep breath and felt the relief that he still doesn’t know. He might suspect, but I’m clear for now. All he cares about this instant is the secret behind my tat.

  I reached in my purse and opened an envelope that contains the words I want across my ribs. Words that symbolize it all.

  You were always so far away

  I know that pain, so don't you run away

  Like I used to do

  The minute Noah reads the lyrics, I can see they’ve touched him deeply. They’re from an Alice in Chains song called ‘Brother’. After our move to Gig Harbor I saw the effects of the abuse in Noah, so I started singing it to him. Now I sang it whenever he was in a mood.

  “Damn, sissy. You gut me sometimes.” He said in a soft voice.

  I explained where I want the tat and Noah got to work on my piece. When he was about halfway through, he’s dialed into what he’s doing, and I know his focus is on my skin and the meaning behind it. Right now he thinks his little sister is sweet and awesome and special, so it’s the perfect time to ask, demand really, that he back off a little.

  “Bubba?” I asked in my gentle, do-not-disturb voice using my childhood name for him.

  “Hmm?”

  “I’m coming to your next gig.”

  I bit my lip and waited for his reaction; it’s like he hasn’t even heard me. But he paused slightly and I heard him take a deep breath when I asked, so I know he did. Right now though, he looks like there ain’t a care in his world.

  I see Chad from the corner of my eye, his eyes are on me waiting for Noah’s response. Now he knows that I’m making my move. I can’t breathe with the look on his face.

  When Noah speaks it doesn’t shock me one bit.

  “No. You’re not.” His tone and the rigidness of his shoulders tell me I have lost the battle, but not the war.

  The damn war hasn’t even started yet.

  Noah seemed to be tuned out the rest of the session and I let him focus and think, hoping he would come around. He’d seemed shut off lately, and though he was like that a lot, he was never like that with me. Lately though, he was never around and when he was, he was either sleeping or being a complete jerk. It hurt that he acted like that, but in the end it was going to make it a lot easier to seduce me some Chad.

  And I’m all in, nothing left to hide

  I’ve fallen harder than a landslide

  I spent a week away from you last night…

  Lifehouse

  Chapter Three

  That night, as luck would have it that I was working in the back area of the restaurant. Chad was off, so I hadn’t bothered with my normal beauty routine. I was on dish duty, a job I actually enjoyed because I could listen to music and get away from the crowd. It was raining tonight and both Main Street and the beachfront were deserted. More than likely we would close early.

  I was rushing through the dishes, soaking myself with the water. The humidity was ruthless. I had stepped back to check the wrapping over my new tat when I looked up to see Chad coming through the back door. His black t-shirt was soaked and his ball cap was dripping wet from the downpour outside. He had never looked better and I had to catch the gasp in my throat before he heard it and then silently cursed myself for not bothering with my new beauty regiment. I dropped my shirt when he paused to stare at my exposed tummy and the black wrap over my ribs.

  I was wearing worn out, torn jeans and an oversized t-shirt with The Joint logo on it, my hair tucked into a cap. My face was flushed from the heat. I looked like a total mess.

  "Ah, dish duty." He said and leaned a hip against the giant steel washing basin to the right of me. He pointed to the tat. “How’s it feel?”

  “Fine, I was just worried if it was staying dry.”

  “Dishes probably weren’t the best job tonight. Want me to take a look?” He asked. His voice completely even, so I knew this was the artist Chad, not the sexy rockstar Chad.

  I shook my head and kept washing my dishes.

  “Let me guess you picked up the shift?” He seemed annoyed at the amount of shifts I worked, but a girl needed cash for clothes. Plain and simple.

  I shrugged. "I wanted it. It’s slow tonight and it’s easy money."

  Chad looked to the front where the other six employees were cleaning, everyone hoping to get out early. "Think you'll be out soon?"

  My stomach dropped before a horde of butterflies started jumping and fluttering about in my belly. Was he asking me for a reason? "Yeah. We’re waiting till eight. If we don’t get anything by then, we’ll close up shop."

  Chad took the
cap off and shook his head causing all the water from the rain to roll down his cheeks, catching on a seriously sexy five o’clock shadow. Those raindrops, I tell ya, they sparkled like diamonds on his inked skin. "The pier is empty, not a soul in sight, same with Main."

  "Good." I muttered and began washing as fast as I can. Chad came to stand beside me and began rinsing the dishes as I washed them. "You don’t need to help, Chad. That’s what nights off are for."

  "Yeah, but if I help, you get out of here faster, then maybe we can hang out." His smile was shy and hopeful. I didn’t even know Chad could be shy or hopeful… not when it came to a girl anyway.

  There was serious potential here and I needed to calm my nerves and play it cool. "Hang out?" I asked and gave a silent nod of congrats to myself for being so calm.

  "Yeah, a date I guess, even though it’s short notice. No big deal if you don’t want to I just thought maybe we could see what it was like to raise hell against your brother?" He winked and I could tell he was trying to play down the fact Noah would be beyond pissed at both of us. What I needed to decide was whether or not Chad would be worth the repercussions. “You down?”

  Note to self: Never leave home without peaches and cream lip gloss.

  "What did you have in mind?"

  "The band’s gonna hang out and drink some beers over at Shamus James cabin on Sammamish. Nothing too exciting, I know, but I figured if you were free...." His voice trailed off and it left me slightly amused that he appeared to be more nervous than I was. “You said I had to separate you from the fangirls and tatterflys, so I figured this was the best way. I’ve never taken a date to a party… with the band… and all the other artists… and whatever.” He shrugged his shoulders and chipped at a rusted piece of metal on the faucet.