Page 100 of Save Me

I pat his leg awkwardly. “Uh, thanks,” I say.

“For what?”

“Minky.” But it’s more than that. Way more. My dad never cared, and Arthur certainly never cared. Speaking of Arthur, I remember his initial on my hip. It sits there like a brand, and I can feel it on my skin. Like it’s a physical thing that I need to cut off. Because I’m not in that cage anymore. I’m flying away, like I hope the pigeons did. Like Nippy should have.

And then an even more sleep-deprived, loopy thought enters my brain: I should ask Micah to cover it up.

My hand starts to sweat, and I remove it. I start bouncing my leg. This scares me. It all scares me. Terrifies me, actually. I should run.

My mouth gets dry, but the lack of sleep is loosening my lips because I hear myself ask, “Can I pay you back for one more thing?”

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

Maddox touched me! He grabbed my thigh! And now he’s asking me for a favor?

Nobody freaking move. If you so much as breathe too heavily, I’m sending Princess after you.

Yes, that’s a threat.

Of course, I play it casual. “Anything for you. I mean it. Literally anything.”

Maddox clears his throat. “You can tell me to fuck off, but I uh…I have this tattoo–”

“Yes!” I nearly bounce through the roof, excitement bubbling through me until I feel like I could float. I’ll annihilate that A so freaking fast–with an M.

Kidding!

I’m not.

“What do you want?” I ask, trying to purse my lips to slow my breathing. Shnittzle, I’m going to get to touch his waist. His slutty little waist. Oh my freak, I don’t think I’m going to survive this.

“I uh…I don’t know.” He trails off like he’s suddenly rethinking everything.

The suggestion of my name is bubbling up my throat, but I clap a hand over my mouth to keep it down and pretend I’m rubbing my jaw. It would be inconsiderate of me to suggest my name, given the circumstances.

Blast it. But that’s okay! We have the rest of forever to do that one.

“Hmmm,” I rub my jaw. “What’s your style? Like American trad, realism, color, black and gray?”

Maddox is quiet, and my brain fills in the silence. I could see him with a lot of styles, but maybe more black and gray realism. He’s so stoic and serious.

“I liked what you did on your knee.”

“My sugar glider?” That was done in a more cartoon style to match the other tattoos on my legs, not that I have a consistent style. I have tattoos of every style, although mostly non-serious ones. Perks of having no self-control.

“I don’t mean to copy,” Maddox says quickly, but I’m already picturing us with matching tattoos. HOW CUTE. Oh, and maybe down the road we could get matching M&M tattoos!

I turn to him, grinning. “I mean, I’d love to have a matching tattoo with you.” And then I realize I’ve gone too far, far too intense, and I take a second to breathe. Then the words spill out, “Not in a trapping you kind of way. I just think it’s cool that we both had sugar gliders, and they make a fun design. I could do yours in black and gray realism; I think that fits you really well. Plus, if we did one jumping, it would fit the movement of your body really nicely there.”

Maddox is stoic for a second, and I glance over at him to try to gauge. He’s sitting there looking so freaking handsome and serious and…tired. Really freaking tired.

“I can draw up some things so you can decide.”

Slowly, Maddox nods, and my heart fills with helium and tries to float right out of my chest.

This is gonna be freaking awesome.

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR