Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 128417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 514(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 514(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
“Hell yeah, I will. Life’s too short. Hey, Kat. Are you gonna come out from hiding any time soon?” Josh asks. “Come on, babe, join the party. We’re all friends here. Nobody’s mad at you. It’s all in good fun. It’s just what friends do with friends—they torture them.”
I slowly come out from under my arms like a turtle. “You guys, when I said all that stuff about prohibited tattoos and social suicide, I was just being a total and complete smart-ass. I just pulled that stuff out of thin air. I take it all back.”
“Ha! Don’t backtrack now, PG. Go big or go home, babe.”
“No, I was totally wrong. Please, God, just let me reverse time and take it all back.” I take a huge gulp of my martini.
“Come on, Stubborn Kat,” Reed says. “Don’t let Josh bully you into backing down from your closely held beliefs. Stay true to yourself.”
I shake my head. “He’s not bullying me. I don’t believe any of what I said.” I move my arm like I’m blessing them all. “You’re all supremely cool. Forget I ever said any of it.”
“How the hell did you survive with four brothers, Kat?” Josh says, spearing a vegetable on his plate. “A little bit of teasing and you back down? I expected so much more from Stubborn Kat.”
“You have four brothers?” Will asks.
“And no sisters,” Josh adds.
“Wow. That must have been fun growing up,” Will says.
I nod. “Fun and hell, simultaneously—kind of like right now. Two older, two younger. They taught me to have a thick skin, for sure.”
“The girl might as well have grown up in a frat house,” Josh says. “She’s an honorary dude. Well, usually. She’s definitely acting like a girl right now.” He takes a huge bite of food and grins.
I smile thinly at him.
Josh grabs my hand and kisses it again. “Well, young lady, let this be a lesson to you. I’m not only wise and powerful, I’m super cool, too—right down to my stupid tattoos.” He addresses the group. “See, the thing Kat doesn’t realize, is that it’s the ‘stupid’ tattoos that are the best ones. Because mistakes, big and small, are what teach us to learn and grow.”
“Exactly,” Will says emphatically. “Even the stupid tattoos wind up being profound if you think about them like that.”
“I was just being a smart-ass, Will. Please don’t be offended,” I offer.
“I’m not offended at all,” Will says gently. “My dragon tattoo is kinda stupid—but the cool thing is that it’s camouflage for a huge mistake.” He smiles broadly at me. “That’s why I love it. Every time I look at the damned thing, I’m reminded I got my heart broken into a million pieces and came out the other side a dragon.” He takes a bite of his food.
Josh throws up his hands, totally enthralled. “Now see, that’s what I’m talking about, bro. Every tattoo, even if it’s a mistake, is a reminder of who you were versus who you are now. A map of your evolution as a man.” He swigs his drink.
“Amen,” Will says. “The body is a living canvas. It’s all there: victory, failure, mistakes, lessons learned—all there for the world to see.”
“You know what we should do?” Josh says to Will, slamming down his fork with sudden excitement. “We should both complete our lame-ass trifectas tonight. Together.”
“Fuck yeah. Barbed wire, it is, baby,” Will says. They clink drinks.
“Oh God, no, Will,” Carmen says, putting her hand on Will’s forearm. “Honey, no. Please.”
Will laughs and takes another bite of his food. “Don’t worry, Car. I’ll just get it on my ass, like my boy here. A little barbed wire on my ass for you and no one else.” He laughs.
“There you go,” Josh says, laughing. “Genius. It’s just skin, right?” He takes a bite of his steak.
“Fuck yeah,” Will agrees. “I’m totally gonna do it. We’re all a pile of skin and bones sooner or later. That’s what gets me going every fucking day, knowing I’m running out of time.”
“Amen,” Josh says. “Hey, maybe I’ll join you—add a little barbed wire to my dragon’s neck, maybe?”
“Hey, great idea,” Will says. “I’ll totally add barbed wire to my dragon.”
“Jesus Christ,” Reed says. “Will, stop listening to Josh Faraday of all people about tattoos. Listen to him about everything else, because the guy’s a fucking genius, just not about tattoos.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Josh says. “I’m wise and powerful about all things, including tattoos.”
“Don’t do it,” Reed says to Will.
“Dude, Reed’s using reverse psychology on you,” Henn warns Will. “He’s being the puppet master.”
“No, I’m not. I’m sincerely telling Will not to do it,” Reed says. “Although you should absolutely do it, Faraday. Add yet another stupid tattoo to your stupid collection.”
“My collection isn’t stupid,” Josh says. “Didn’t you hear a damned thing Will and I were just saying? Even the stupid ones are profound, man. We’re living canvases, Reed. Duh. We’re artists and art, all at the same time.”