Page 29 of Rough Night

“You're not a fan of pain, are you?" the tattoo artist asked.

"Is it that obvious?" Mia replied with a small laugh.

"Haha, it's alright. Not everyone likes the pain, although there are a few freaks out there who do," the artist said. Mia couldn't imagine anyone enjoying the pain. It was almost unbearable.

"How can anyone like this pain? It's so bad," she replied.

“Well, your handling it pretty well I must admit, and luckily we're almost done.”

Mia was relieved to hear that the tattoo was almost done. She wasn't sure how much longer she could take.

"Oh, thank goodness," she said. She had never been a fan of pain. Even growing up she had tried to make sure she didn’t get injured. It may have had something to do with the fact that she couldn’t stand the sight of blood, but she held herself together as the artist continued to shade in the leaves and added the detail that was necessary to give the effect she wanted. She knew Sage would have been going through similar pain, which made it easier for her to handle. She stayed focused on Sage and the step they were taking together that meant more than the pain. She closed her eyes and pictured him smiling at her, looking at her tattoo and loving it just as much as she did.

After another 30 minutes, the tattoo artist cleaned the tattoo and the surrounding area, making sure any ink that had been smudged around was cleaned off. Mia looked in the mirror at the artwork and was left speechless. As an artist herself, she was very particular about how she wanted things, and because it was going to be on her body for the rest of her life she wanted it to be perfect, and it was just that.

"It's even better than I had pictured, thank you so much," she said.

The best part of it all was the fact that she would never have to see the sign of the Omens on her skin for the rest of her life. That had definitely been one of the biggest mistakes she had made, and she could be happy to look at her body again and love what she saw because it had been too long since she had last been happy with her naked body.

The artist told her the instructions on how to clean the tattoo and then told Mia she could leave. She left the booth and found Sage standing by the front desk, waiting for her. He was a sight for sore eyes. Mia just wanted to kiss him right then and there. She doubted he knew how crazy he drove her. If he moved and revealed just a bit of skin it would push her over the edge. Even them sharing the same bed and not being intimate had started to drive her crazy. She wondered if she had the same effect on him. He hadn't tried to make a move on her for a while.