I held a book that was much, much thicker than I expected it to be, splaying it across my lap. Page by page, I toss and turn the book to find any piece of ink that calls out to me. Finding things to permanently draw on my body was harder than ever.

It felt different than the last time I had gotten a tattoo. The one one the bicep of my right arm is so little and delicate, I hadn't thought twice about getting it. The small thing had screamed for me and I just couldn't pass the opportunity. Now, I'm wishing I had that confidence back.

I flipped to another page, gazing at a large clock with fire all around. I'm not sure who in their right mind would get some-thing this big, but it definitely wouldn't be me. It just screamed bad decisions.

"You've been here for an hour gazing at these photographs".

I peer my eyes up to the heavily tattooed man who's leaning his upper body across the booth to look down at me. Jimmy. He did my first tattoo. It was only right that I came to him again. He was the sweetest, and I felt so comfortable with him.

I give a slightly awkward chuckle. Has it really been that long? "It's my birthday, I'm trying to find something that would be a great memory for me to look back on and say 'I got this on my birthday'." I want to make a conscious decision about it, but I don't want to be lame or anything. It needs to be super cool.

His eyebrows perch up. "It's your birthday?" He asks, the lines in his face creasing as he smiles an amused one. I nod, giving him a small smile back. "Why didn't you just say so?" He asks.

Why didn't I tell him? I just walk in and say 'hey it's my birthday'.

He pulls his upper half away from the booth and walks over to where I am. Without a further word to tell me why he was doing what he was doing he takes the thick book and closes it, and tosses it onto the booth for the others.

"If you're looking in there you won't find a thing. You need to let your imagination run wild, maybe get something fun?" He suggests.

I pull my hands together and begin to twiddle with them. A fun tattoo? How much more fun could a tattoo get, it's already taboo permanently getting ink. I shrug my answer, looking up at his ginger beard that looks as if it would feel like silk. I want to know his secret.

"I'm sure my idea of fun is something totally different from your idea of fun. Do you have any suggestions" I ask him. I know for sure that he's done at least a hundred tattoos a week so his mind is flooded with all sorts of crazy ideas.

He inhales. "How old are you again?" He asks, short concern laced into his eyes. I tilt my head. How has he known me for this long and forgotten my age. I've come here with Dacre plenty of times.

"Twenty three today" I smile a bit. My birthday always makes me happy.

"Bite me" he turns and goes behind the large booth.

My eyebrows come together. "Bite you?".

He laughs a very loud laugh as he grabs a pen and clicks it. He bends down and begins to write something down that I can't see because of the booth shielding me. "No, not me, I'm sure my wife would actually kill me. Bite me as your tattoo" he tells me.

My cheeks become extremely heated. Bite me? An invitation to who? Oh God, what if anyone sees it, like my mother or father? That would be such a interesting thing to talk about with them.

I don't say anything as I think a bit. I pull my hand to my head and scratch a bit, hoping that the sudden itching would just stop and help me to think more clear.

"It's a fun little tattoo. It can be discreet if you put it in a place so that only people you want to see will see it. It's also really small and could be covered up if you had second thoughts. I could make it into a little flower or star or something" he explains. When he lifts he's holding a piece of paper in his hand with the words atop. It looks very small and pretty. But it's such taboo.

"Where would this even go?" I ask, looking down at my body to see if anything called out to me. Not on my arm, or my hand or foot.

"Your hip" he says.

I look down at myself and drag my hand to a spot. "Here?" I ask and he nods. I shrug a bit. It definitely would be discreet if I weren't to want anyone see it.

"I think that's a good idea" I say and he nods.

"Good. Give me a minute to set things up. You can come back now if you'd like" he says before turning around. I nod to him before turning and looking at Dacre who should have been back long ago. He said he was only going to the store nearby.

"Did you decide on anything?" He asks, twisting the cap off of his drink and raising it to his lips.

I give him a anxious smile which makes him lower the drink.

"What?" He asks.

"Bite me, on my hip" I say.

He falls silent, his eyes widening. He swallows as he looks down at my hip then back up to me.

"That is so.... not you" he states the obvious and I nod.

"I know, but I want to get something fun. It's my birthday" I smile and he nods.

"It sure is. How long do you think it'll take before you start to regret it.

"A week" I laugh.

X

" I was the first to do it, and I'll be the last"