Page 33 of Broken Beauty

Should I do this? Is this a good idea? Am I crazy for getting a tattoo with someone who I have only known for a few weeks? Will I regret this?

I probably will regret this but whatever.

When the artist first touches my skin with the gun I squeeze Ash's hand and my eyes catch his. He smiles at me before looking down at the tattoo gun meeting my skin.

“You doing okay there, Ariella?”

I nod my head and rest my chin on my elbow while staring at him. “It doesn't hurt as much as I thought it would.”

“As you get more tattoos you start to not feel it.” Ash shrugs.

“When did you get your first tattoo?”

“Seventeen.”

“What is it?”

Ash laughs and I feel him stroke my hand lightly. “Lips.”

I furrow my eyebrows. “Lips?”

Ash laughs again and nods his head. “My friend dared me to go get a tattoo of his lips so he had to put bright red lipstick on and then kiss a paper for the artist to tattoo that on me.”

I try not to laugh because I know it will ruin the tattoo. “That’s a very random way of getting a tattoo.”

“Yea, but it's a good story to tell people about my first tattoo.”

The artist finishes up my tattoo and then he does Ash's. Ash decided to get it in the same area as I did.

While he’s getting his tattoo I can't stop staring at the way his muscles flex and his shoulders tense up. He keeps his hand on my thigh as I watch the artist tattoo him. I can't stop smiling at Ash when I see the tattoo on him.

Even if I ever do regret getting this tattoo, it will be an amazing story to tell people. I know that I don't want to forget Ash or how he made this summer amazing. I love that he is doing this with me and that I get to have the privilege of knowing him.

I just really hope my future self agrees with that.

Fifteen

Ash

Present

“What is it about her that makes you never stop looking at her, Ash?” Jace asks at the same time he leans against the wall near me.

He just got back from his business class. Jace always tells me to meet him next to the exit of the school so that he can talk to me about what happened in his day. He sometimes reminds me of a girl because of the way he always wants to be talking about what happened during his day, how things went with Bridgette that day.

The dude says I'm obsessed with Ariella while he never even stops talking about Bridgette, which is fine.

I don't care.

I think his relationship with Bridgette is interesting and as I see them hanging out more I am always trying to figure out what exactly is going on between them.

I look away from Ariella, who is talking to a girl in one of her classes. Ariella is giving her a small smile and nodding her head while talking to the girl.

Today Ariella is wearing a white sweatshirt and blue jeans. Her hair is tied in a ponytail and it makes me able to see all of her features clearly. Her high cheekbones and plump lips make me not want to look away from her.

“Don't worry about it,” I look away from Ariella and my eyes travel to Jace.

“No. I'm curious. Ever since you met her at the diner you have been different, more on edge if anything.”