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He swallowed hard and avoided my gaze. “The first are wider because I was in the most pain. At some point things eased up, so the circles are thinner.”

“The top one above the rings looks like a kind of code,” I murmured.

“Damn.” Kaden gave a half smile. “I didn’t think you’d notice.”

My eyes grew round. “Please don’t tell me it’s the name of your ex, Kaden.”

“Would that be so bad?”

“You poor boy,” I said and patted his arm. “And this reminds you of her every day?”

He shook his head. “I’m not that crazy.”

“No?” I teased, which made him cuff my knee through the blanket. I screeched but Kaden didn’t react.

“It says ‘Rachel’ in Morse code.”

“I hope you didn’t break Rachel’s heart,” I said, looking at the points.

“Yes, I did. With every single tattoo. My mom doesn’t like them.”

“Wait—you got your mom’s named tattooed onto you?” I asked, in surprised.

“What of it?”

I held my hands to my heart.

He made a face. “What’s next?”

I wanted to save the multi-lined text on his other forearm for last. “The feather on your back.”

“You little spy.”

“How can I help it if you drag me to a waterfall and strip in front of me?”

I’d ever seen Kaden smile so much. This whole situation was surreal—I was probably just hallucinating. Or drunk. Definitely drunk.

“I told you about my dad,” he began, and I nodded. Of course, I remembered what he said about this awful man. Kaden looked away and slid back on the bed until he could rest his back on the wall. “The feather is my newest tattoo. This might sound ridiculous… but it stands for freedom. It took me a long time until I managed to split from my father. But ever since I did it, I’ve finally felt free. The feather is there so I never forget.”

At that moment that lightning struck.

“You have no idea just how well I can imagine that. I wish I had a feather somewhere on my body,” I murmured.

He looked down at me and smiled. “After having the honor of meeting your mother, I believe it.”

I stiffened. I didn’t want to think about my mother. Not now. I pointed to the last tattoo. “What does this writing mean?”

Kaden twisted his body and showed me the inner side of his arm. I squinted.

It’s time to forget about the past

To wash away what happened last

Hide behind an empty face

Don’t ask too much, just say

‘Cause this is just a game