Five First Dates (Sassy in the City 2)

I hadn’t thought working with a camera crew all around me was going to bother me, but after a morning of introductions and being shown around the shop, I wasn’t sure I was going to be as cool with it as I’d thought. It made for a crowded room and the producer would interrupt to interject questions to engage me and the customer to make it more interesting.

We weren’t actually tattooing, just doing mock-ups to get the feel for it and I wasn’t sure I loved any of this.

Eye on the prize.

That’s what I had to remind myself.

Cameras were a byproduct.

I needed this gig for the money and the exposure.

And the access to Savannah.

The shop itself was pretty insane. I loved the vibe of being around all artists my own age and the décor was rock’n’roll. Exposed brick, black glass chandeliers, massive art pieces on the walls. The chairs were open-concept, which was different for me. I was used to working in a private room, but I thought I was actually going to appreciate the natural light.

They were only featuring five of us on the show. Three guys and two women. Travis was the owner of Rebel Ink and he was a tall, skinny guy with gauges in his ears, a nose piercing, and glasses. He was like the cartoon Waldo but with tats and piercings. Samuel was the youngest at twenty-one, Haitian, with an infectious laugh. I could easily imagine teen girls watching the show and falling hard for him with his easy charm. Stella was a blonde from Texas a

nd didn’t fit in with the stereotypical tattoo artist. She had very few tattoos herself and no piercings. She was wearing a hot pink shirt with ruffles. First impression, she was sweet, but I couldn’t quite get a read on her. I clicked instantly with our fifth artist, Jana. She was petite, wore skinny jeans and Converse, and said it like it was. We all had different backgrounds, and different tattoo areas of specialty.

Having no experience with filming, I just kept my mouth shut and did as I was told. The producer was cool, and overall I felt like I could handle whatever he needed me to do to make the show interesting. The work itself didn’t intimidate me. I’d been chosen because I did a ton of blackwork, meaning inking only in black. It required a lot of shading skill and I was proud of my work.

It was an intense morning, and when the producer told us at two we could leave for the day, I was cool with that.

“Hey, you want to grab something to eat or go to the park?” Jana asked me. “It’s nice outside today and I want to get a little bit of a glimpse at Brooklyn.”

I figured I still had a couple of hours before Savannah would expect me at the apartment. “Sure, sounds good.”

She leaned closer to me and gave me a guilty look. “I would ask Travis and Samuel because they’re cool, but then I’d have to ask Stella.”

I raised my eyebrows. “What’s wrong with that?”

“She’s not my people.” Jana gave me a shrug and a grin. “That makes me sound horrible.”

Horrible was extreme, but it seemed like a quick judgment. “You just met her.”

She looked around to make sure no one was listening. She gestured to the front door, so we waved to everyone in the room and left the shop. It was warm outside for October. I stretched and fell into step beside her as she started down the sidewalk.

“I was bullied in high school, like a lot of people. But an Asian lesbian is an easy target. Now I have a sixth sense for mean girls and she reeks of one. Maybe I’m wrong. We’ll see. But I’m not going to waste energy trying to be friends with her when I don’t think I’m wrong.”

“I appreciate trusting your gut. Sometimes the gut steers you wrong though.” I gave her a smile. “I could be a total dick for all you know. You might regret hanging out with me.”

She waved her hand. “Nah. You’re the kind of guy who looks tough but is a total softie. I bet you like puppies and babies.”

I nodded. “Guilty. And I can’t claim to know what it feels like to be you, so you’re probably right. I didn’t have a positive reaction to Stella, but I can’t say it was negative either.”

She pointed a finger at me. “But see? You had a neutral reaction, which for a cis man with a hot blonde is basically a negative response.”

I wasn’t even going to question how she had concluded I was a straight guy. She was also probably right on my reaction. “That is probably true. Though you’re implying men can’t think straight around hot blondes.”

She gave me side-eye. “Well, can they?”

I pictured Savannah. “I prefer redheads.”

That made her laugh. “It’s not an insult. I go crazy for hot blondes too. It’s biology. We’re all susceptible to being stupid when we’re attracted to someone.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?” I asked as we crossed the street toward the park.

The whole vibe of the park was cool and interesting. The city had turned an old industrial area into greenspace and I found the mix of the natural with the manmade a fascinating juxtaposition. The trees were ablaze with fall colors.