Page 66 of Not My Type (Not My Type #1)

Zara

“A you did wah roses enuh,” he teases and I roll my eyes playfully.

“Stop the noise,” I whine, focusing on the needle as it moves precisely through my skin.

“Keep steady,” Stacy advises and I close my eyes.

Nickoi is next to me, holding my arm. As the needle dances around on my skin. It feels like a sharp knife tearing through my skin. Mi nah lie.

A you tek up yuh nuff self bout yuh wah tattoo, my subconscious laughs.

I hiss. Stacy dips the needle in the ink before she starts applying it to my skin again. How people get full body tattoo and them sup’m deh?

Dem want the style so dem bear the pain.

For the remainder of the session I focus on Nickoi as he rubs my arms in an attempt to comfort me. It serves as a well needed distraction from the pain. A sigh of relief leaves my lips when the pain subsides.

Stacy rubs a gel on the area that starts taking effect seconds after. I watch her intently. When she’s finally done, she rubs a cream on it and she tells me a list of things of do’s and don’ts.

“Mi put the plastic wrap pon it now... a it a go protect the tattoo from bacteria,” I nod.

“And make sure you rub some Vaseline pon it twice a day,” she reminds me and I nod.

“And like how Nick been a do this he can guide you,” she adds.

Nickoi continues to rub my arms, even though the pain reduced a little but mi nah tell him fi stop because something about him rubbing me feels so heavenly. Yuh feel like yuh in a heaven eeeh, my subconscious laughs.

I smile, trying so hard to hold my laugh. “So how long it a go hurt?” I ask softly because I hate the pain.

“Well it a guh hurt yuh fi a week or so,” she says and I breathe. Jesus that nuh sound good.

“Okay,” I say.

“A you that though... it well cute and thing,” she compliments her and I laugh.

“Yes and thank you. You did such a great job,” I smile, looking at it.

“It was so hot, a long time mi nuh feel dem pain deh,” I say with my index rubbing it gently.

“How yuh mean a long time yuh nuh feel dem pain deh?” Nickoi asks cheekily, his grin widening. I glance at him, and the look on his face says it all.

“Yuh been a feel them pain deh enuh b,” he smirks and I slap my hand over my mouth, laughing. This man.

“Shhh,” I blush, looking back at Stacy. She’s laughing too, making me blush more.

“No sah Nickoi!” she exclaims, leaning on the wall. “Yah really Wayne nephew.”

Nickoi smirks, catching on that we’re onto him. His eyes burn through me, a lustful gaze that makes my skin prickle. He chuckles, shaking his car keys like it’s some sort of game. It feels like he’s undressing me with his stare. Jeez.

I look away ready to change the topic. “It looks exactly how I envisioned it.”

My eyes are set on the wall mirror. “Thanks again Stacy.”

“My pleasure mi gyal,” she says then the door pulls and Wayne pokes his head inside.

“Mi just mention yuh enuh... a yuh name yuh hear?” Stacy ask him.

He shakes his head, looking at me. “Nosah true mi done with the client and a Nickoi time—so she get her sternum tattoo?” he quickly averts to me.

“Yes, it look good nuh true?” Stacy asks and he nods, stepping closer.

“Yeah mon it look real good!” he raves and Nickoi gets up.

“Ready,” he walks out, his tone cold.

His tone confirms his disproval of the way his Uncle had his eyes on me. I exit the room after a while, and finally post the pictures I took with Zanne in my highlights.

Nickoi is sitting on the chair with his legs stretched out, dark brown eyes fixed on his phone as Wayne finishes the tattoo on his arm.

How him so good with pain? I felt like I was going to pass out with just a small tattoo.

It’s surreal how he’s immune to pain. He isn’t even flinching.

Nickoi is just sitting down unbothered, scrolling through his phone while his uncle moves the needle through his skin.

His tattoo is much bigger. Imagine. This only confirms that I’m really a cry baby.

Everybody knows you’re a cry baby, Zara.

“You want water?” I ask him when my mind runs on the Fiji water that I have in my bag.

He shakes his head. “No sah,” his eyes still in his phone.

Sitting on the sofa, I check my class group and realize that the teaching practicum will be over by the end of this month.

After that, I’ll have to go back to St. Joseph’s Teacher’s College for my final exam, then it’s the best for last, my graduation.

Damn, this feels too good to be true. I’m so proud of myself.

After reading the messages in the group, I look back at Nickoi, and his uncle is applying a product to his skin. Him nuh tell Nickoi nuhn, so mi guess him already know wah fi do. I watch as he pays his uncle before telling Stacy that he’s leaving. I wave with a smile and walk out behind him.

When we’re in the Audi I notice that he’s making a call. I put on the seatbelt and he starts the car, pulling off.

“Yow?... Ya hear me?” he asks and I look at the tattoo. I can’t believe I have one. Mi wonder if mommy dem a go like this. Hopefully they do.

The call connects to the car and of course I start listening. “Mi a hear yuh mi Genna,” the person says. My eyes are watching the outside but my ears are very much active as he speaks on the phone.

Youu? Fass bad, my subconscious laughs. Tell mi sup’m I don’t know.

“So yah say mi can fawud fi it later?” Nickoi asks. Come fi what? Too fass!

“Yes cause from the time yuh carry it mi did maths it up fi yuh, so you can get it mi G,” the man says.

“Ah mi o’ make mi bredda fawud fi it later,” he tells the person then hangs up.

“Pick up what?” I ask and he glance at me.

“The Benz,” he retorts and I immediately remember the incident with him and Timoy.

“Oh, they fix it already.”

“Yah.”

“Mi love it enuh, all wen mi did see it the first time mi did shock cause a mi dream car,” I say excitedly.

“Ahh. Mi did see yuh a pree the Jaguar, a the Benz yuh prefer?” he asks.

“I always like Jaguars because they’re not common in Jamaica but a the c63 was always mi dream car. Especially fi see it in person, but a c63 is really the one mi love,” I beam.

“Oh, mi love it too mon but a wah Bentley mi want, wen mi go back a foreign though. Mi o’ just ship it.” he says. “Mi want a black one... wah color car yuh love?” Nickoi asks and I smile. Mi know a black him love.

“Black was expected babe but mi love white car,” I tell him as he drives. He doesn’t say anything. I realize that he has something on his mind that he wants to say. Mi can see it pon him face. “What’s up?” I ask, and he glance at me before he looks back at the road.

“So like how yuh deh yah with me as in mi house for a while... wah yuh think about living with me?” he asks surprising me. I don’t like the idea but I love to be around him. So... I don’t know.

“Um…” I start.

“Yuh can say no enuh,” he’s already annoyed. I glare at him.

“Mek mi think nuh.” I hiss.

“Ah,” he turns up the hill, heading to Beverly Hills.

Zara nuh up yasso dem seh Bro Gad live? My subconscious ask. I laugh.

Mi subconscious a sup’m else enuh. Wah mi a go say to Nickoi now fi answer his question? Mi nuh know.

I sigh. “So... don’t get me wrong I love your company and everything but the whole living in your house thing doesn’t sit right with me because um... mi nuh wah anything happen and like um,” I struggle and he interrupts me.

“Zara stop go round cawna and be clear with me.” Mi a try..

I don’t know what to say now that he’s getting worked up. “Living with you sounds good but there’s just some— Nickoi wah mi a say is when girl go live with man a that time dem get pregnant,” I finally say. Plus mi nuh want when nuh’n happ’m him run mi out cause people change after a while.

Oh shut up... a Nickoi this enuh stop talk like a pessimist, Zara, my subconscious scolds. I sigh.

“You on pills so wah you a talk bout?” his eyes low. I don’t like his tone. I shrug.

“Can we stop?” I ask looking through the window, I feel the attitude coming.

“Stop what?” he asks. I don’t want to hear you Nickoi. Chro.

“This conversation,” I simply say. He chuckles dryly and the car starts moving faster.

“Why females nuh know how fi have a conversation?” He asks and I look at him. The fact him use ‘females’ tell me say him upset.

“I know how to have a conversation but you a get angry and mi nuh in a the foolishness with yuh,” I say with an attitude. He glances at me with an innocent expression.

“Me? You nuh see mi a be calm? Just meds the two a we and tell me which one a raise them voice?” he asks and I sigh. A me.

“Ok, fine a me,” I say with a guilty laugh and he turns in as the gate opens automatically.

We get in the house, and suddenly, there’s this weird vibe. Nickoi’s giving me the silent treatment, but not in the obvious way. He’s just... off. I watch him grab his scissors and start cutting up his weed, his face like it’s carved out of stone. Like, nothing fazes him.

“Nickoi?” I say and he looks at me with a smile. A fake smile.

“Yes Zara?” he sounds off too.

“I was thinking about it and I guess I’ll live here with you,” I say even though I didn’t really think about it. Mi just feel like him have a point bout the whole pill thing.

“Yuh sure?” he asks as he cocks a brow.

“Yes I am,” I breathe..

“Yuh affi tell your old ladies though,” he says referring to my mother and my grandmother.

“Yeah haffi,” I agree. As he builds his spliff I look around the place in silence. Nickoi nuh normally deh here mi sure a that. Just the way how everything is in place. “Before yuh know mi weh yuh usually deh?” I ask and he puffs his spliff.

“Mi would a deh a Spain weh mi mother live,” he rasps.

“Oh..” I say still looking around the place.

“Yuh have any other house?” I ask and he nods, surprising me.

“Mi have a place a Mobay, yuh probably a guh seet if yuh fawud a the funeral wid me,” he tells me. Why me wouldn’t go?

“Of course I’m coming with you,” I say. “When is it?” I question.

“Next week Saturday.”

“Okay... all the way a Mobay though?” I question.