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As he walks away, leaving Ella andher eyes
“Is everything okay? Are you okay?”
I don’t know if I’ht of her not believingcompletely truthful I wouldn’t blame her She doesn’t know me that well Why would she believe me over her brother? It still surprises ht lie Whether or not Ella looks at me as a friend, I think of her as such, and I really don’t want to lie to her
“I’ether Lifting ive her what I can at the et away”
Her eyes narrow, and I have no doubt she knows there’s more to the story Luckily, she doesn’t press me, just offers instead, “If you need to talk, I hope you know you can call me”
I srateful for her offer My memories of before my coma consisted of a family I could count on when I needed them They may not have been the perfect family, but they were e man who calls himself my husband and has tried to force himself on me twice I’ve felt both scared and lost the last several weeks My only saving grace has been Aria, and Ella the couple times she’s stopped by or taken me to my doctor’s appointment And now Luca
With that thought inwords, I wonder… ht
THE BUZZING OF THE tattoo ht it would be But it’s the complete and utter concentration on Luca’s face as he tattoos the guy named Garrett in front of hi so This is Luca in his element I don’t have to know him that well to sense this He loves what he does You can see it in the attention he gives the design he’s working on
There’s low round, and I wonder if that helps his concentration He and the guy have spoken periodically, but even so, you can tell his focus is meticulously on his work
The shop’s been open several hours, but this is the first time I’ve been able to watch Luca work I sat with Ella with her first client Her skills are al, opting to joke and laugh with her client or sing to the round
While Ella finished up her client, Luca ordered pizza for lunch All three of us sat on the couches in the waiting roo they were more comfortable than the chairs in the break room Several people ca questions or setting up appoint quite a bit, so after lunch, I offered to play secretary for a while When one of Luca’s regulars came in, he asked if I wanted to come to the back to watch I jumped at the opportunity, anxious to see him work
The buzzing stops, and after wiping the design with a napkin that’s already half saturated with ink, he sits up from his hunched over position Both of his hands are midair as he looks over the art he created
Sitting up straighter on the stool I’m on, I try to take a better look Luca’s eyes lift to mine
“Come look”
I get up fro beside hi on the chair that’s laid down as a bed has his head turned toward Luca, and his eyes lift to ht he had fallen asleep Although I don’t see how anyone could fall asleep while there’s a needle repeatedly being stabbed at the most of his back is already covered, I’m sure he’s used to the bite of the needle