Page 140 of Atone

“Damn, brother.” Declan grins. “Don’t use up all the air in the room with the chitchat. Leave some for the rest of us.”

Kole chuckles, but Alex is unamused.

Since Declan and Kole have returned to town, he’s used his voice around them and a few other people. But it’s still rare. He keeps his conversations short unless it’s just the two of us.

Declan, being his usual asshole self, likes to make jokes about it. But even if Alex frowns, I sense he doesn’t mind. If anything, I think he appreciates that they treat him like a friend, and not just someone who spent a couple of years in a psychiatric ward.

“Let me at least catch up with my friends.” I look up at Alex when he starts to walk us to the bedroom. “Just for a little bit. Then I’ll nap. I promise.”

He narrows his eyes, considering it. “A few minutes.”

Alex walks me over to the couch, dropping down onto it with me in his lap.

“You’re seriously not going to let me go?”

He shakes his head.

“Well, this should be fun when Patience gets back in a couple of weeks.” Teal laughs. “You two are gross enough to take her attention off me and Declan.”

“That’s if she cares about any of you at all,” Violet says. “I barely saw Patience all summer, and we shared an apartment and an internship. She’s got her own distractions.”

Alex, Declan, and Kole all share a look. But before I can ask what that was about, Teal steps forward, facing Violet.

“Speaking of LA, I want to see it,” Teal says.

“See what?” My eyebrows pinch.

“Kole and Violet got tattoos.”

“What?” My head spins to Violet. “I want to see them.”

“No you don’t.” Declan chuckles.

“Why—” I start, but Violet’s cheeks turn bright red. “Oh god, where did you get the tattoo?”

“Mine is on my hip, here.” She steps forward. “But Kole’s is… somewhere else.”

“Gross.” Declan grimaces.

“Don’t pretend you wouldn’t do it for Teal.” Kole shrugs.

“Fuck yes, I would. But we’re talking about you and my sister.”

Kole grins like Declan’s disgust makes him prouder.

“Here.” Violet lifts the corner of her shirt to show off a small tattoo. It’s the word Saint in calligraphy with rose petals dripping down from it.

“Saint?”

Her face twists as she thinks about it. “It’s just a thing between us.”

Declan has made jokes about Kole and Violet’s unusual games, and I wonder if this is one of them, so I don’t ask.

“We went to this new tattoo parlor called Twisted something or other.”

“Twisted Roses,” Kole says.

“Right, Twisted Roses. Apparently, they’ve been in LA forever but just moved to a new location. The girl up front read my fortune.”