The Fire Walker (23 page)

Walking inside, I stopped by the counter, the sound of tattoo needles and some punk band blaring on the stereo assaulting my ears. Flipping through a portfolio on the counter, a heavily tattooed guy came up and said hey.

"Looking to get a tattoo, mate, if you have time today."

"Sure, what are you thinking of getting?"

"Some script across my abdomen," I replied, thinking up something on the fly.

"What do you want it to say?"

I hadn't thought about it, but the words just appeared in my mind at the last second and it was bloody poetic and one hundred percent appropriate. "Fire walker." Totally described that thing Jessie and me went through down to a T. I felt like I'd walked over a pit of burning hot coals to get to this point. The point where I could begin to work out shit and just be with her.

"Sweet," the tattooist said. "What kind of script? Just traditional? Or something different?"

"Traditional. How long do you think that'll take?"

"Something like that'll take about two hours max. If you wanna do it now, I can," the guy said. "I had a cancellation, so I'm wide open."

It seemed like fate, so I agreed.

"Gimme about fifteen to draw it up."

"Sure."

It wasn't long before the tattooist was shaving off my snail trail and the stencil was on my stomach. I was going to tattoo the last two weeks on my gut for eternity. Do or die. I was totally going to do.

"Lie on your back for me, man, and we'll get cracking."

Settling down, I readied myself for the familiar burn of the tattoo needle. I'd heard getting tattooed on your guts was pretty painful. Bloody symbolism.

"What do you do?" the tattooist asked as he set up his machine, the buzz of the needle ringing in my ears.

"I'm a musician."

"Oh yeah?" The guy's eyes lit up. "Are you in a band?"

"Yeah."

"What you called?"

"The Devil's Tattoo."

"Sweet name," he grinned down at me. "Okay, ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

As he made the first line, I couldn't help grimacing. Yeah, this shit hurt a billion times worse than my elbow had.

"Okay?"

"Fucking hell, mate," I grimaced. "That shit stings, hey?"

"Stomach is a sore one," he laughed. "What's it about? Why fire walker?"

Suddenly, I felt like I was on LA Ink or one of those tattoo story shows.

When I didn't reply straight off the bat, he said, "Is it about a girl?"

Between lines, I got out, "Something like that."

"Sounds like she put you through hell, man."

"Lava pits of it."

"She must be something else, if you're getting a reminder tattooed on you."

"Out of the fucking galaxy."

"You're Australian, right? So, does she live here, or…"

"She lives here."

"And you?"

"I live in Australia."

"How's that work? You guys do the distance thing?"

"No," I grimaced as he tattooed a particularly long line. "We've only just got together."

"Would you move here?"

"I dunno," I replied. Last thing I excepted was a deep and meaningful with a tattoo artist. This shit was painful enough. "I mean, I can't relocate here. The band is based in Australia."

"What does she want?"

As the needle came down again, I tensed. When he lifted and wiped the section he'd just done, I said, "We haven't talked about it."

"Maybe she wants to go to Australia with you."

Truthfully, the thought had never crossed my mind. Back in LA, I would have said there was no way it would work out, but now she'd quit Galaxy. She still had her job at the cafe and her apartment, but I didn't think I had it in me to ask her to leave it all behind. Typical Dee fashion was to think about all the things I could sacrifice for her. It hadn't occurred to me that she would want to sacrifice things for me. She'd said she'd wanted to visit Australia, maybe she would want to move there some day.

I was getting way ahead of myself. I still had two and a bit months left on my visa. I'd stay with her until I had to go home. Besides, we still had a lot of things to talk through. Chickens before eggs and all that.

When that tattoo was finally done, paid for and wrapped up, I thanked the guy and walked back outside onto the street. It was almost time to go pick up Jessie and she was probably gunna flip when she'd seen what I'd filled my afternoon with. My stomach was sore like nothing else, but that wouldn't stop me from peeling off her clothes and making her come all night again. The adrenalin overload and the though of her naked body made me begin to harden and I strode down the footpath, on a beeline back to the cafe.

I'd take her to the supermarket, make her a bloody brilliant meal, we'd talk and bury ourselves in each other. Then we'd do it all again tomorrow. And the day after and the day after that. Rinse, repeat until we died.

Four hours wasn't a lot of time in the grand scheme of things, but it felt like forever. I was kept busy with customers, chatting with some of the regulars who asked where I'd been and if I'd enjoyed my time in LA. Thinking back over it, it seemed like years had passed since I arrived there with Georgie. Poor Georgie, who was probably humiliating my replacement right now.

It felt strange not having to go into the office or have my cell ring every five seconds with another ludicrous order from Queen Bee herself, and I did feel a little sad at the fact that I wasn't in a position at Galaxy anymore, but I would give it all up again in a heartbeat. Dee was worth it ten times over. Happiness never came easy.

"He's a dreamboat," Ana winked at me as she brushed past with a customer's order.

Smiling, I called out, "Hands off."

"How'd it go down with Galaxy?" she asked on her way back. Ana and I had this thing where she listened to my bitching about Georgie and Galaxy and I listened to her bitching about her auditions. She was trying to get a permanent gig in a Broadway show and was always telling the most outrageous stories about the crazies that turned up to every open call that was advertised in the Voice. She had a head of bright red hair and a overpowering personality, but that girl knew how to listen.

When Zoe had come to see me last week, I'd practically ran off to plead with Georgie to give me the time off. I never made it back to the cafe to fill the guys in.

"No dice," I shrugged.

"What, they fired you?"

"No, I quit."

"Jessie," she shrieked. "Why are you only telling me this now?"

"I'm too smitten to care," I laughed.

"Don't tell me I'm going to have to put up with your lovey dovey bull for months."

"Consider this your warning."

"Oh, man," she feigned annoyance.

"Any auditions while I was gone?"

"No," she rolled her eyes. "Not even a commercial. There's absolutely nothing worthwhile on at all."

"There'll be something."

"Yeah, when I go break the legs of the lead in Wicked," she gave me a wink and disappeared out the back.

With a smile, I turned back to clear off one of my tables that had just been vacated. Scanning the cafe as I collected the empties, I was relieved to be home after the a roller coaster that had been the last couple of days. This place had become like a second home. I'd been welcomed like a friend the moment I started my first shift four years ago and had never felt out of place. Everyone here had their quirk. Ana with her Broadway ambitions, Ed with his penchant for crisp linen, Des with his thing for making abstract images in the foam of lattes and me with my crazy workaholic lifestyle. We all kind of belonged together.

"You need a hand, Jessie?" Ed asked as I balanced my way behind the counter.

"No, I'm okay." Dumping the glasses in the skink, I dunked my hands in and began cleaning them.

"He seems like a really nice guy."

"Who, Dee?"

"Yeah."

I gave my boss a bright smile. "Thanks."

"So, you quit Galaxy?"

"You heard that?" I asked.

"You can't not hear Ana, bella," Ed winked, leaning against the counter. "What are you going to do with all your free time?"

"I'm not sure yet," I said truthfully. "My ambitions haven't changed. I'd still like to do something with music."

"Well, you know you have a job here for as long as you want it."

"Thanks, Ed. I really appreciate that."

"If you want to pick up more shifts let me know and I'll see what I can do."

"Really?" I beamed. "Thank you."

"No problem." He looked around the cafe and then leaned in close. "What about your man?"

"Dee?"

"Where does he live?"

Frowning, I paused, my hands still in the sink. "Australia… His band..."

"You going with him?"

The glass slipped from my fingers and clinked against the others at the bottom of the sink. I hadn't thought about it that way. Dee's life was in Australia. He couldn't leave the band. I would never ask him to do that, knowing how much it meant to him, but to go with him? Leave New York and move to Australia? The idea seemed scary and thrilling all at the same time.

"I don't know," I replied. "It's still early days yet. He's still got two months or so on his work visa. I assume he's going to stay until then and we'd work it out."

Ed watched me with a strange look in his eye, like he knew something I didn't.

"What?" I asked, flicking him with soap bubbles.

"You're so fucking in love," he said, holding his hands over his heart.

"Duh," I rolled my eyes.

Laughing, Ed stood to his full height as some customers came in the door. "It's almost four, bella. Go get some."

Finishing off the last of the glasses in the sink, I went out back to get my jacket. When I pushed back out the door into the cafe, my eyes fixed on a familiar face. I stopped dead in my tracks, heart thumping and it took me a minute to realize it was a stranger. Being here distracted me, but deep down in that place I pushed things I didn't want to deal with was that familiar feeling. Fear.

Seeing those messages earlier had shaken me. Nate had violated the restraining order, but it could be that it was already expired. If he kept sending them... my hands were tied. I knew I couldn't do anything about it. If I pursued police action then everything I'd ever worked for would be taken from me and I'd be on the street again. What was I meant to do?

I'd be okay at Couch with the guys, I felt safe here. Dee would already be out front if he wasn't already in here somewhere. I wouldn't be alone and it'd be less likely that something would happen if I was always with someone.

I'd never keep anything from Dee again and I’d tell him the whole story. Tonight at dinner I'd bare my soul like I'd bared everything else. I was in love with Dee Cosgrove and he had my soul if he wanted it. Forever.

Opening the door, I stepped out onto the sidewalk and my head lifted when I heard a sharp whistle. Dee stood across the street, hands jammed into the pockets of his denim jacket. He was wearing those aviator sunglasses that made him look so delicious, a stupid grin on his face and it was a wonder I could function properly. It was such a cliché saying that I felt weak at the knees, but that was exactly what he did to me.

Smiling, I stepped off the sidewalk and looked for oncoming traffic. I wanted to launch myself into his arms and kiss him until I couldn't breathe. He was mine and I was his.

And the best part? We had our whole lives ahead of us.

I'd walked further than I thought. When I got back to the cafe, it was right on four. Standing across the street, I let out a sharp whistle as Jessie stepped out of the front door. Her eyes meet mine and her answering smile was electric. Everything that we'd been through, the entire screwed up mess, maybe we had to do it to find each other like some kind of test. Like the universe was fucking with us for a reason. It was going to take time, but we finally had it. I'd stay as long as my visa and band schedule would let me and then we'd work out the rest.