Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 120029 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120029 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
“Oh! I forgot that I brought my human hat!” he says, laughing, and before I get to ask what on earth that means, he pulls out a baseball cap from a bag at his horse’s side and puts it on. It’s the ugliest shade of green, and has BBB stitched at the front for some reason.
He looks ready to go on a mudslide to impress all his classmates, and once I start laughing, I can’t stop. “Yes. Exactly how I imagined an elven prince.” He’s ridiculous in the hat, and yet still so hot. I guess I always had a thing for jocks. Which reminds me I haven’t even thought about Richie much. I’m not even sad we broke up, because this is already the best night of my life.
“I have been told that I struggle with the court decorum.” He winks at me, but then turns his attention to the window of the tattoo parlor. “What is this?”
I’m surprised he doesn’t know, since he has those eels on his skin, but maybe the process of absorbing someone else’s ‘power’ is the only way to obtain body art where he’s from? “Well, this is a place where people can get permanent pictures on their bodies through ink being injected into their skin.”
There have been many times I toyed with the idea of getting a small tattoo, just to prove to myself that I’m not as boring as one of my exes claimed, but I never committed to the idea.
Tristan turns to me, eyes shining, and grabs my hand. “We should get some. To commemorate this night.”
“What, now?” I ask, putting up resistance, because I am not spontaneous like that.
He stares at the poster in the window for a prolonged time. “Yes. It says here, all night and day service.”
My heart speeds up, because… am I about to make a life-altering decision that I can’t take back?
“But what do you actually want to have tattooed? Shouldn’t a permanent mark on your body mean something?”
“Hm… Just like the eels represent my triumphs, I think it should be something— How about beer pong? A cup and ball.” He gives me a sly smile that makes me worry about what will come out of his mouth next. Tristan slides his fingers to my jaw, delightfully gentle. “So, if we both got tattoos, would you get the cup or the ball?”
A delicious sensation awakens at the pit of my stomach, and I spread my feet a little, because soon enough I might need to hide my arousal with the cloak. I know exactly what he's asking, and while it’s so forward, I want him to know. “I’m definitely the cup…”
There’s a predatory glint in his eyes that makes my heart skip a beat when he squeezes my hand. “Let’s go get our ink then.”
Chapter 7
Nate
We didn’t get the tattoos, because the artist decided we were too drunk, which might be for the best, because as far as ink goes, a solo cup really isn’t representative of who I am as a person… even if it does work perfectly with the erotic joke I now share with Tristan. It’s past three in the morning when we arrive in front of my apartment building, and the cool air has sobered me up enough to once again let doubts flourish.
What am I doing? I can’t commit to traveling to another world because of a story and some tricks, right? I’m a firm believer in science, and an altogether-upstanding citizen. So how come I helped wreck Richie’s car and suggested to this stranger that we might make love tonight? Even if my heart is in the la-la-land of romantasy, I can’t hope to fall in love within a night. And why would I think about love when I barely know Tristan? He even explicitly told me to keep our thing a secret from Gloombane. If that’s not a red flag about his character, I don’t know what is.
Then again, my grandma met my grandad at a dance when he was visiting from Hawaii. He uprooted his life and moved to marry her three weeks later. Can love like that not exist now?
The massive horse snorts when Tristan pulls on its reins, directing it down the alley meant for pedestrians. He’s holding me close by the waist, pretty much hugging me, and I’m still wearing his cloak. We’ve not straight up said it, but it’s pretty obvious he expects to be invited to my place. Technically, though, he’s ‘taking me home’.
“The moon in the Nightmare Realm is so much bigger and brighter. Do you remember?” He points at the sky where the moon is only a small white ball surrounded by a halo. I’ve never seen a sky like the one I witnessed last night—colorful and filled with pinpricks of light. The sky above appears muddy in comparison, just like all the guys I’ve dated so far seem when compared to Tristan.