“Can I open my eyes already?” I asked growing impatient with his mumbled insecurity.
“Okay, yeah, yeah. Okay, on the count of three.” I heard his heavy footsteps move to my right. “One.” I opened my eyes.
“You cheated!” Wes shouted, but I had no reaction. My eyes and my thoughts zeroed in on the room I stood in. His shop and not just the empty shell of a shop he’d first taken me to but a completely remodeled tattoo shop. He’d kept it. I couldn’t hold back the tears of sheer relief mixed with pride if I’d tried.
“It’s gorgeous,” I whispered wiping away the blurred vision with my fingertips. The black and white tiled floored was outlined with brick walls on two sides. Solid wood half walls partitioned off the stations. They appeared to be a deep shade, with the way they reflected the lights of the room.
“You think so?” Wes asked from the spot that I’d left him when I started to walk around the room. Each workstation was fashioned from wood and metal and each carried a masculine feel. The whole space felt like an old speakeasy, encompassing a hidden charming vibe like I’d just discovered one of the city’s best secrets.
“Wes, I’ve never seen anything like it. You did all this?” I turned in a slow circle, motioning to every inch of the space around me. Even the waiting area had what appeared to be a set of old smoking chairs and framed artwork that was recognizably Wes’ lined the walls in brass frames.
“Well, I did have contractors, but I designed it and spent a lot of time working on it with them.” A smile tugged at my lips when he said that. Wes was never the kind of guy to sit back and have someone else do the work.
“It’s unreal. I’d almost get a tattoo if it meant I’d get it here,” I joked with him.
“Manager’s special for you.” He grinned, giving me his dimples, and strode over to the stations. “See, in the shop now, we have tool boxes for all our stuff, but here I had them put in these old barn wood shelves, and this one had an extra spot for Rocco’s claw.”
“The guys are going to work here?” I asked surprised they’d leave Blue’s shop.
“Oh yeah, everybody. Blue decide to retire,” Wes exaggerated the word, “but really the old guy is gonna work part-time from now on, and sell the shop to put the cash toward medical plans for all the guys here.”
“Holy crap. You guys are amazing.” My heart swelled with pride for Wes and for all he’d accomplished through his hard work and the sheer goodness of his heart. I couldn’t stop scanning over every square inch of the beauty in the space.
“What’s over there?” I asked pointing to an arched doorway in one of the brick walls.
“Lemme show you,” he said holding his hand out to me and biting on his lip. I nodded and put my hand back into his, where it fit perfectly. He walked me into the smaller room next to the shop.
“Wait, is that?” I asked, but I didn’t know why. I knew exactly what I was looking at. We faced another brick wall that had a giant mural painted almost transparently on the surface. The mermaid and the marlin picture Wes had carried with him all these years. I mindlessly walked directly to the wall and traced my hands following the contours of the paint. “It’s perfect,” I whispered and felt Wes close in on me from behind.
“It’s even more perfect than you realize.” He breathed into my ear sending a warm shiver down my spine. “Look around, C,” he added and stepped away.
I turned around slowly and let my eyes take in the space. “Oh, my God.” My hand flew to my mouth and tears blurred my eyes again. “Wes.” The room was a gallery. Wood panels that looked just like the partitions in the shop speckled the concrete floor.
I walked to the first sketch. My lips. They were parted with my bottom lip glistening just enough to show a reflection of Wes. I reached my hands up and brushed my fingers across my lips.
I moved to the next wall holding a painting of my eyes. They were hiding behind my lowered lashes and made me sad for the girl I was just a few months ago. The next painting brought a smile to my tear stricken face. It was simply me standing on a blank canvas smiling in a pair of old jeans, a white tee, and my Chucks. I pointed and laughed out loud at a larger painting hanging on the back wall. A smaller version of the mural we had worked on, except he’d added our faces to two of the silhouettes.
I spun around, taking in at least a dozen pieces of art, and they were all of me. A tingling sensation pumping through my veins overcame me, and I rubbed my arms with my hands turning toward him.
Wes stood back by the mermaid and the marlin wringing his hands nervously in front of him. I could see his chest heaving quickly under his white tee, and his hair was mussed from where he must have been just running his hands through it. I walked up to him and didn’t stop until our bodies were only inches apart. I looked up into his panicked eyes. “You love me,” I whispered, and his eyes closed tightly.
When they opened, they glistened back at me and he nodded, “Yeah, baby.”
“Since when?” I asked unable to take my eyes off his.
“Since you showed me what love is.” He blinked and a single tear fell from his eye. I reached my hand up and swiped the tear with my thumb then held his face in my hand. “I’m so sorry,” he said into my hand with his eyes still closed.
“I believe you, Wes, but you hurt me. You tore me apart bit by bit, piece by piece, until I felt like nothing more than a smear. No edges, no lines, just a smudge of heartbreak.” I pulled my hand from his face, but he reached up and grabbed it with his own holding it to his face again.
“Can you forgive me?” He stared so intently into my eyes; I was captured by their sincerity. My mom’s words from earlier in the night rushed to the forefront of my mind. You forgive him regardless for yourself so you can move on to whatever direction your life goes whether it’s with him or not.
“I’m not letting you go.” He continued assuming my silence was hesitancy. “I’ve loved you my whole life, since I was a kid. I’ve stood up for you, I’ve looked up to you, and I’ve teased you all out of love. That’s all changed though because over the last few months I’ve fallen. Hard. I’ve fallen for you, Capri, and I am completely hard for you.”
My mouth fell open.
“Wait, that didn’t come out right.” He shook his head with his eyes cinched tight.
I laughed. Loudly.
“Shit.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Shit, that’s not how it was supposed to come out,” he said disappointed in himself. It was so cute that I tried to tame my laughing. I shook my head in understanding, trying to let him know that I knew what he was trying to say and that it was okay, but I couldn’t stop laughing. Then he kissed me. Hard. And I shut up.
“Can you stop now so I can tell you this right?” he asked, and I nodded devoid of words.
“Capri Hunter, I have fallen completely in love with you. I love you, C. Can you forgive me?” He squeezed my hand that was still in his.
“I forgive you, Wes,” I said knowing that this wasn’t forgiveness to move on without him, but forgiveness to move forward with him. “And I love you so much.” I stood on my toes and leaned up to his lips. He quickly caught me in his arms and lifted me the rest of the way, pulling my toes from the ground and sending his lips colliding with mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck tightly and quite honestly, kissed the living crap out of him.
When our kiss slowed, he lowered me to the ground where I stumbled on my footing. He took my hand again and outstretched his arm presenting the gallery. “This is yours,” he said ignoring the way my jaw fell. “If you want it. I wanted to give you a piece of the dream you gave to me and make it a dream of yours.”
“This.” I pointed to the concrete floor below me and tried to wrap my head around what he was saying.
“This.” He laughed at my shock. “I want this gallery to be yours. You can display your art, you can host other artists, you can even have some of the kids you are working with at the youth center put some of their stuff up here. Whatever you want. It’s yours. If you want it.”