The Rules of Dating

Holden had booked another appointment with me for Monday morning. He’d said he wanted a small addition to his tattoo. I’d been anxious to see him, mostly because I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist digging for information on Threesomegate.

“Hey, Billie. Looking beautiful as always,” Holden said as he made his way into the shop.

After Deek and he clasped hands, Holden headed over to my station.

“So what are we doing today?” I asked.

He lifted his shirt and slid down his pants a couple of inches to display the design I’d previously inked on him. “I decided I wanted to add this ribbon in the middle.”

He pulled up an image on his phone and faced it toward me. It was a little orange awareness ribbon.

“That’s easy enough.” I tapped the chair. “Take a seat.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” He settled in and leaned back.

“So…I heard you guys had a lot of fun the other night.” I cringed internally. I couldn’t even wait until I had my equipment together. I did my best to seem casual despite the fact that my heart was pounding.

“You heard this from whom?” He smiled.

“From Colby. He told me everything about what happened. You know, your wild and crazy night at some girl’s house. Sounds like a good time was had by all.”

I kept it vague, hoping Holden would spill the beans, even if I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the whole truth. I felt like I was dying. Trying to remain calm and collected when you’re really jealous and anxious as shit is an art form.

“You mean Colby admitted how fucking lame he is?”

“Threesomes are lame?” I said, opening my eyes wide.

“I don’t know who told you threesome; it was a foursome. And Colby didn’t have anything. He freaking passed out in the bathroom.”

My pulse slowed a bit. This matched Colby’s story. “Well, that’s too bad.”

“It wasn’t bad for me. I reaped the benefits. Those girls were hot and horny as all hell. Who knew teachers were so freaky? It’s like, were my teachers like that back in the day, and I just never knew? Goddamn.” He laughed.

My stomach churned as I rationalized one more question. “So Colby didn’t even kiss one of them?” I had no right to that information, but I just had to know.

He shook his head. “I don’t think so. I mean, I wasn’t watching him every second before he passed out. But I’m pretty sure he didn’t.”

I felt terrible about giving Colby shit. Still, if he hung out with Holden enough, it was only a matter of time before the old gigolo ways came out to play. I activated my needle and got to work on Holden’s ribbon. Speaking over the noise, I asked, “Why do guys like threesomes—or foursomes—anyway? Isn’t it a lot to juggle?”

“It can be, yeah. But I’m always up for a challenge.” He winked. “It reminds me of a one-man band. You have your mouth on one instrument, your hand on another, and all the while someone else is…blowing your horn, for lack of a better word.”

I rolled my eyes. “I hope you’re being safe with all of your instrumental maneuvering in the orchestra.”

“Always,” he said matter-of-factly. “If I’ve learned anything from my boy Colby, it’s that it only takes one time to change your life.”

I cleared my throat. “So, did Colby not want to participate, or did he not do it because he was too drunk to be up for the challenge?” I was a runaway train at this point.

“I don’t think he would’ve been into it, even if he were more sober. I had to force him to come with me in the first place to be my wingman. He didn’t want to go.”

“Well, he has free will. On some level, he must have wanted to. He probably just chickened out. I would imagine having a kid makes you think twice about your decisions.”

“Maybe. He is more responsible than he used to be.” He looked over at me. “Any reason you’re particularly vested in Colby’s intentions the other night, Billie?”

I hesitated. “No. I’m just curious about it all.”

“Come on. I’m not dumb. I know there’s some shit going on between you two. He hasn’t talked to me about it, though—probably because he knows I come here, and he doesn’t trust my big mouth.”

“Can you blame him?” I asked.

“Not at all.”

“Anyway… There’s nothing going on between Colby and me.”

“Really? Because you’ve been grilling me about him since the second I walked in, and you’re turning all red right now.”

I was sweating. “Shut up and let me finish this in peace.”

He chuckled. “You’re the one asking me questions.”

“Seriously. I have another client soon. No more talking.”

He rested his head back. “Alright.”

Holden dropped the subject and stayed quiet as I continued working. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead.

After forty-five minutes, I finally finished. “You’re all set. It looks good. The orange color really pops.”

I’d been so preoccupied with digging for information earlier, I hadn’t thought to ask about the meaning of the ribbon. That was very unlike me. I’d tattooed dozens of pink ribbons for breast cancer, but this was the first orange one I’d done.

“What’s the orange ribbon stand for?”

“Leukemia awareness.”

I should’ve known. Their friend who died and left the inheritance. “Ryan…” I said.

“Yup.” He nodded. “You know about him, right?”

“Yeah. Colby’s told me the story. I’m very sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you. I miss him every day.” He sighed as he got up from the chair. “If there’s one thing Ryan’s death has taught me, it’s that life is too short. I think everyone reacted to losing him differently. Me? I’ve continued to live it up the only way I know how, which is to have fun anytime I can. But the four of us didn’t all change for the better.”

“How so?”

“Owen buries himself in his work. Brayden seems mad at life sometimes. I think he lost faith when even God couldn’t save Ryan. Like I said, I party and focus even more on my music. And Colby…” He paused. “Well, Colby’s life changed with Saylor soon after Ryan’s death, so it’s hard to know what he’d be up to if she hadn’t come along. Who knows… Maybe she saved him. But he’s often said one of the reasons he tries so hard to be a good dad is because he knows it’s an opportunity he shouldn’t take for granted. I think out of all of us, Ryan was the only one who knew he wanted kids. He always used to say he couldn’t wait to grow up and start a family. That was probably because he knew he might not have the chance.”

My stomach tightened. “That’s heartbreaking.”

“Want to hear something freaky?” he said.

“I’ve never been one to shy from freaky info. Shoot.”

“Ryan’s mom went to one of those mediums after he died. And Ryan supposedly came through and said he’s already back here with us.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What does that mean?”

“Well, that’s what she asked the medium! And the medium dug for more info and said Ryan reincarnated and came back to Earth.” He paused. “As a little girl.” He moved his eyes from side to side. “Take from that what you will.”

“Jesus Christ,” I muttered.

“Right?” He laughed. “Anyway, not to leave you on a weird note, but I gotta run. Thanks again for adding this for me.”

“No charge, okay?”

His eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

“Yes. This one’s on Ryan.” I smiled.

“Thanks.” He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. “You’re the best.” He turned around again before he left. “You know what, Billie? Take Ryan’s story as a lesson to grab life by the balls—or in this case, Colby’s balls.” He winked. “If that’s what you want. Something tells me he’d love it if you did.”

I rolled my eyes as he disappeared out the door.

After Holden left, I remained with thoughts of Colby. I’d given him shit when he hadn’t actually messed around with anyone the other night. I should’ve been over the whole thing, yet I was still mad. But now? I was mad at myself. I also missed him and didn’t know what to do with that feeling. Things were better off the way they were now, weren’t they? I’d been weakening to his charms recently, and I’d already decided I wasn’t going to get serious with someone who had a kid. So now maybe with him mad at me, I needed to leave well enough alone, let him be pissed so we could stop this game we’d been playing. As my conversation with Holden proved, life was too short to waste anyone’s time.

I had to put my ruminations aside to deal with my next customer, a repeat client named Eddie Stark, AKA Eddie Muscle. Eddie was a good-looking dude, although not my type. He was a bit older, divorced, and massively built—a real musclehead and gym rat. I liked muscles on guys, but there was such a thing as too much, and Eddie fit that criteria. Every time he came in, he asked me out. And every single time, I shot him down. He’d always ask: “Is today going to be my lucky day?” And I’d usually respond with: “Afraid not.” I always used the excuse that I didn’t date clients. I’d planned for today to be no different.

After I finished up his latest design, he asked, “Have you heard about the new bar that just opened in this neighborhood? They have really good tapas.”

Eddie was nothing if not persistent.

I nodded. “I have, yeah.”

“We should check it out. And before you tell me again that you don’t fraternize with clients, I should add that I won’t be coming in anymore since I’m gonna be all set for a while after this one. So, if I’m taking a long break from any more ink…technically, I won’t be your client.”

The word no was at the tip of my tongue. But then I wondered if going out with someone other than Colby was exactly what I needed. I shrugged and forced out the words before I could change my mind. “You know what, Eddie? Sure. Yeah. Why not?”

His eyes widened, and he smiled like a Cheshire cat. He certainly hadn’t been expecting me to say yes.

Then I looked over at Deek, who’d overheard the entire exchange. He looked at me like I had ten heads. Justine smirked from the doorway. She’d apparently heard everything, too. No one in the room had expected me to agree to a date with Eddie Stark—least of all me. I’d never once accepted a client’s advances. And I’d gotten hit on quite a bit. Guess there was a first time for everything.

“Well, that’s about the best news I’ve gotten all year.” Eddie beamed. “What night works for you?”

I picked a night at random. “Wednesday?”

“Okay, sounds good. Shall we meet there or…”

“Yeah.”

“Say seven PM?”

“Sounds great.” I smiled.

After Eddie left, Deek wasted no time. “What the hell was that all about?”

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t even like that guy.”

“He’s nice. And he deserves points for his persistence.”

Deek arched his brow. “So he deserves points for persistence, but Colby doesn’t?”

Damn, was that a good point. I crossed my arms. “That’s a different situation.”

“Exactly. Colby scares you, and this guy doesn’t because you don’t really like him.”

I sighed, unable to even deny it.

Justine chimed in. “I’ve always had a crush on Eddie myself. If I weren’t already married, I would’ve tapped that before Billie had a chance. I like ’em big and wide like that.”

“Seriously, Billie?” Deek said, ignoring Justine’s comment. “It’s so obvious what you’re doing.” He shook his head. “Look, I’ll admit, I was a little suspicious about that threesome shit with Colby, too. But you’ve got to give him credit for telling you the truth about that night, even if it sounded shady. And his story matched Holden’s. Sounds to me like he just got wrapped up in his friend’s antics. If I got blamed for everything my friends did or roped me into witnessing…” He shook his head. “Heck, I’d probably be in jail.”

“Colby is pissed at me now anyway. So maybe I should just leave well enough alone.”

“He’s pissed because he likes you,” Deek said. “And all you keep doing is sabotaging things.”

The truth hurt. I couldn’t even conjure a response.

“Okay.” He walked away in a huff, but then came back. “I’m just gonna say one more thing. You’re blind if you can’t see that your knee-jerk reaction right now is all the proof you need that you have true feelings for Colby. You can’t even bear to talk about it because you know damn well you can’t hide it. So, whatever. Go out with Eddie Muscle. Pretend like it’s not just a front. But you’re only wasting time.”

***

Wednesday night arrived, and though I hadn’t been excited about my date with Eddie, once we got to the bar, I found myself enjoying his company. I wasn’t attracted to him the way I was attracted to Colby, and I knew this wouldn’t go anywhere, but overall, I didn’t regret coming out tonight. Not to mention, the tapas were really good.

Eddie dipped a piece of shrimp in some cilantro-lime sauce. “It’s amazing how far the shop has come in the past couple of years. I’m kind of proud that I was one of your original clients.”

“Yeah. Well, I couldn’t do it alone. Deek has been a big help. And the new location has brought in a lot of people.”

“Deek is great, but you’re the real talent in there. Word travels fast when someone is good at their job. I know I’ve recommended you to more than a few people.”

I stared down at the full sleeve I’d inked on him. “Well, I really appreciate that, Eddie. You’re a good egg.”

My phone chimed. When I looked down, I saw a text from Colby.

Nice to know you’re actually capable of going out on a real date. Hope you’re having a nice time.

Adrenaline coursed through me as I looked around the room. What the hell is he doing here? It was a weeknight, so I would’ve thought he’d be home with Saylor.

I typed.

Billie: Where are you?

A few seconds later came his response.

Colby: Does it matter?

Billie: I want to know how you know where I am.

Colby: Maybe you should pay attention to your date and stop worrying about such things.

“Is everything okay?” Eddie asked.

“Yeah. Just a…personal issue.” I stood from my chair. “Will you excuse me for a moment? I need to use the restroom.”

“Of course,” he said, looking concerned.

I went to the bathroom to text Colby in peace. Leaning against the sink, I typed lightning fast.

Billie: Have you been watching me all night?

Colby: Yeah. Because I have SO much time on my hands that I’ve now taken to stalking you. Really, Billie?

Billie: Are you here, though?

He dodged the question.

Colby: I just wish you were fucking honest with me.

Billie: What do you mean?

Colby: All this time you’ve been acting like you’re afraid of anything serious, not wanting to date. But apparently you’re just hesitant to date ME. Why not say that and be done with it?

He had no clue. He wanted me to be honest? Honest would have meant admitting that I’d never been more scared of anything in my life than my feelings for him. They were the very reason I was on this date.

Billie: It’s not that simple, Colby.

Colby: Love the royal blue corset, by the way. I hadn’t seen that one before. You must reserve that one for real dates.

Ouch.

I walked back out and surveyed the place. There was no sign of him.

Billie: Why won’t you tell me where you are?

Colby: Because it doesn’t matter.

Billie: It matters to me.

After about a minute, he texted back.

Colby: You think I like coming across as a jealous bastard? This is not a good look, and I know it. I debated whether I should text you. But people do stupid things when they like someone. And I truly like you, Billie. I like you so much that I can’t even think straight right now. I put fucking hot sauce in my daughter’s spaghetti, thinking it was mine. Thank God I caught it before I burned her mouth off.

I just stood there staring down at my phone. My heart hurt.

Colby: Don’t text back. This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have interrupted your night. You don’t owe me anything.

Then one more.

Colby: Goodnight.

My legs were wobbly as I forced myself back to the table. Then I looked to my left and spotted Holden at the bar. His eyes locked with mine, and he lifted his beer in salute. He was the one sending information to Colby. I waved, though I really wanted to give him the finger.