“Nicholas.”
“Nice to meet you, Nicholas.” They shook hands and Thea opened a book of flash tattoos on the counter in front of her. “How about you, Jimmy? We could get matching tattoos.” She laughed. “We could get each other’s names, thereby guaranteeing we’ll be broken up by the end of the week.”
“Sure,” I said.
“Yeah right,” Thea murmured above the flash book.
“Let’s do it.”
Her head whipped up. “Are you serious?”
“I don’t recommend getting each other’s names,” Nicholas put in, in his quiet voice.
“Not names but definitely something for this week.”
“Something that’s us,” Thea said. She turned to Nicholas. “Any suggestions?”
“For a couple?” Nicholas crossed his lean, tatted arms. “Anchor and compass. Lock and key. His and her crowns.”
“You sound like you’ve done those a hundred times,” Thea said.
He smiled. “You could say that.”
“Give us a moment, please.” She took me to the corner of the waiting area. “What do you think?”
Her eyes were impossibly blue and so full of light, she was nearly blinding. What did I think?
I think we promised to take care of each other.
I think we agreed to move in together.
I think we jokingly-but-not-really talked about getting married.
I thought about our plan to move to Richmond together and the foreign, still-nameless feeling surged in my heart. I wanted that feeling to be permanent, like ink in the skin.
“A lot has happened in a few days,” I said. “And I don’t mean sightseeing or oysters.”
She nodded, suddenly shy again. “I think so too. A lot has happened… between us.”
“Yeah, it has,” I said. “This week feels like a promise we’re making to each other. For the future. That’s what I want to commemorate.”
She nodded and kissed me softly. “I do too.”
We took turns sitting with Nicholas. In his unique, cursive handwriting, Nicholas inked my promise to Thea down the side of her right forearm, above the seam of her scar, Keep me safe.
Then down my forearm, Nicholas inked Thea’s promise: Keep me wild.
We held our arms together for Nicholas to take photos with Thea’s phone. “Delia’s going to shit her pants,” Thea said. “I can’t wait.”
Nicholas covered the tattoos in plastic and gave us care instructions. After we paid, Thea gave him a hug.
“I hope you don’t mind,” she said, “but I can’t help it. A hundred tattoo shops in New York but we came to you.”
“I don’t mind,” Nicholas said. “Usually I cringe when couples come in for something matching. But you two…” He shrugged, smiling. “I’m not worried.”
We continued down the street, wordlessly, hand in hand, Thea’s promise to me buzzing on my skin. In front of a small bistro, a waitress was on her knees at a chalkboard, erasing it with frustrated swipes. She sat back on her heels and put the back of her hand to her mouth.
“Hey, you okay?” Thea asked, gently.