Loved by Her Read online

  “Very.”

  “Okay, let me tweak it a bit and we’ll get started,” Jerry says, adding, “It looks great.” Then she heads out, throwing a curious glance at Mer, who hasn’t stopped checking out the work which is displayed throughout the space.

  “These...are gorgeous. I can see why you love it, I’m sorry I doubted you before. This would be an awesome career to have. I love art, getting lost in the stuff I create, but this… this is…wow. No other word for it.”

  “I told you, once you fall in love with it, nothing else will do. I’m thinking of doing my apprenticeship with Jerri. She does some amazing trash polka, as well as watercolor, which is what I want to specialize in, she’s also the only one in the shop that does UV ink,” I explain.

  “I think you’ll do great. And they seem like a nice bunch here, so I’m really happy for you. Just don’t be a stranger. I can’t lose my bestie,” I warn, playfully bumping her shoulder.

  “Of course not, we’re in this together. You should get one, too, make it your big rebellious act before leaving.”

  “My parents would kill me.”

  “Not if they can’t see it,” Jerry chimes in when she returns. “Choose a spot where clothes will hide it. You’re going to college soon, after that, it’s no one’s business but yours.”

  “I couldn’t...I shouldn’t.”

  “All right. Well, there’s plenty of time to think about it, this will take a while,” she concedes as she sets up her station.

  Mer concentrates solely on the needle on my arm, and I realize it’s the most she’s been able to stay focused on one thing, and I get lost staring at the calmness that’s taken over her face. She’s absolutely serene in this moment instead of her usual uncontainable energy that has her going a hundred miles at once.

  “All done,” Jerri interrupts my wandering mind, letting me know I zoned out longer than I thought. My gaze moves to the gorgeous metal-esque world now on my arm and I smile, absolutely in love with it.

  “It’s beautiful,” Mer pipes in, taking the words out of my mouth. The way her eyes light up as she looks at it makes the piece even better in my opinion.

  “It really is,” I agree. “Thank you, Jerri.”

  “Of course,” she replies, not comfortable with compliments. “What about you?” She asks Mer. “Changed your mind about getting one to remember this day?”

  Indecision plagues her gaze and I am ready to tell Jerri to drop it because I don’t want her pressured into a situation she isn’t ready for. “I don’t…”

  “I really want to do it. I’m worried, though. Maybe a tiny design? That’s easier to hide, right?” She shifts to face me, seeking reassurance as her teeth sink into her bottom lip in worry.

  “Yes, but you don’t have to do this. I’m the one who wanted to come,” I remind her, grabbing her hand and squeezing it.

  “Can we design something together?” She asks, the shy demeanor that comes out when she’s afraid of being embarrassed evident.

  “I would love that.” A half hour later, she stares at the creation we came up with. Mer drew the basics and I added some intricate work with Jerri finalizing the more important details. The end result is a broken compass in a field of black roses.

  “You do realize it’s a lot bigger than what I thought you were going to go for? For a newbie who wasn’t interested until you came here, I have to double-check.”

  “It’s gorgeous and I’m getting it on my hip. As long as I don’t wear a bikini in front of them, no one has to know,” she responds with a twinkle in her eye.

  “Well, let’s get started.” Mer lays down as instructed, then proceeds to surprise me by not flinching once throughout the whole process. She watches with wonder and awe as Jerry inks her skin, never once complaining, not even during the parts that have been known to hurt.

  Two and a half hours later, we’re headed home for my family dinner, Mer silent the entire drive, eyes not leaving her hip. “You okay over there? You’re awfully quiet.”

  “I just can’t believe I got it. I felt so at peace there. I don’t know how to explain it.”

  “You don’t need to, I felt it as well.” I focus on the road, turning on the radio, soft music playing in the background. My fingers start tapping the steering wheel to the beat and before I know it, we’re pulling up to my house.

  “Hey, wait,” she says, stopping me as I open the door of my Toyota.

  “What’s up?”

  “Thank you for sharing your birthday with me. It’s now my favorite day.”

  “Mine, too. Now let’s get in there, otherwise, the food will get cold and we’ll be in trouble with my mom for holding up dinner.”

  Unable to sleep I lay awake thinking of the day. I’ve always had good birthdays, yet this felt different, special, and I know it’s because of Mer. I’m so thankful she disregarded my attempts to push her away, not once stopping her pursuit of making us friends. When she stirs, I hold my breath, not wanting to disturb her, but she’s soon flipping onto her back, our bodies now shoulder to shoulder. “You awake, Star?” I tell her I am and she says, “Yeah, I can’t sleep either. It felt so freeing. I just gotta last a few months, then they’ll never have to know,” she states, referring to her parents.

  “You won’t have to worry about it much longer.” When she admits that she’s scared, I try to soothe her. “I know, but think of what you’ll get to experience. You’ve talked about nothing but going and being pre-med.”

  “What if we go our separate ways? I’ve never been good at making friends because I’m awkward and talk a mile a minute. I think you’re the only one who hasn’t noticed it. And maybe I shouldn’t point that out. You could realize it and start running,” she chuckles but there’s sadness in it.

  “Mer, we’ll be friends forever. I’ll only be a phone call away, even while you’re on campus and I’m at the shop. Okay?” We both shift, so we’re facing each other, and her eyes once more amaze me. They’re such a bright green, despite the dimly lit room

  “Promise?” She asks, her voice pleading, vulnerable.

  “I promise. Whenever you need me, pick up the phone and I’m there.”

  “I’ll hold you to it,” she vows, pulling my arm close and laying her head on it. She falls into a deep sleep within seconds while I simply stare at her until sunrise, taking in her soft breathing and peaceful expression. I’ll always be here, no matter what.

  Chapter Four

  Star

  Three years later…

  “Yo, Star, you need to answer your phone,” Hansen hollers. It must be going crazy if he’s interrupting me watching Jerri complete this piece. I’ve been working solo for a year now, but I didn’t want to miss sitting in on this client. Jerry looks up long enough to nod, and I excuse myself, rush to my cell that I’d set on vibrate, which it’s currently doing, making it skate across the surface where I’d left it.

  “I swear to God, I’m going to kill whoever this is,” I vow, pissed until I see the name on the screen. “Mer, is everything okay?” I ask as I answer, wincing at the insanely loud music blaring from the other end.

  “Didn’tknowelsetocall,” she slurs, something that’s become quite common since she turned twenty-one. I tried talking to her about it, but she laughs it off, claiming I’m too serious. All she does now is party on the weekends, the douche her parents set her up with last month by her side. He’s studying to be a criminal defense lawyer which I can’t help but find ironic with how close he’s been to getting a DUI a couple times. Of course, being who he is, he gets a slap on the wrist and driven home instead of arrested due to his family name. Mentally translating, she called because she knows I’ll take care of her. Assuring her it’s okay, I frantically ask where she is, needing to get to her before something happens. “Don’tknowNeedyou,” she admits, then the sound of her throwing up follows as the line goes dead. Quickly opening the Find my iPhone app, thankful I had the forethought to do this where she’s concerned, I locate her at yet ano
ther frat party. Unfortunately, with the late hour and traffic, I’m at least thirty minutes away. Please let her be safe.

  After explaining the situation to Hansen and receiving a chin lift in return, I rush to my car, heart in my throat and hands shaking as I try to unlock the door. I’ve seen her drunk in the past, but never like this, pleading for help while throwing up. She’s at her boyfriend’s frat house, a place I’d prefer she stay away from as there have been some serious accusations against them lately. I continually redial her on the way, but she doesn’t pick up. Running up the stairs into the house, hives starting to cover me due to worry, I start yelling her name as I walk by people in various stages of intoxication. What the fuck have you gotten yourself into, Mer? I think to myself as I see a half-naked couple on the couch doing a lot more than just making out. Grabbing the first idiot that looks somewhat coherent by the collar, I inform him, “Have you seen Max’s girlfriend, Meridien? She has red hair and dark green eyes.”

  “Hey!” He exclaims, not liking my treatment of him, like I give a shit. “She’s around, puking all over the place, too.”

  “Where’s Maxwell?” I ask, thinking he might know where she is.

  “He was with a brunette last I saw him,” he adds, taking a sip from the cup he’s holding.

  Disgusted, I let him go and return to my search, finally seeing a flash of red from the corner of my eye. Jetting after her, I open the bathroom door and find her hunched over the toilet, almost covered in vomit. Fuck.

  “Star?”

  “It’s me, sweetie. Let’s get you home.”

  “I don’t feel good,” she states, as if that’s not already obvious. With her slumped against me, my arm around her waist to hold her somewhat upright, I lead us to the door. Unfortunately, before we can get outside, Maxwell Linus Beauregard III, the man I want to throat punch on a regular basis, steps in front of us, a brunette hanging on his arm. Despite the company she keeps, she’s smart enough to make an exit, though, asshole that he is, his eyes are glued to her ass the entire time. Mer, a priceless treasure, is his, yet he treats her like this?

  “What are you doing here? And where are you taking my girl? I told you to stay away from her. I don’t get why she’s still friends with you.”

  “She’s obviously sick and needs help, not that you’d know since you’re too busy fucking other women. Now step the fuck aside before I video call her parents. If I see you doing this shit again, I’ll kick your motherfucking ass. You don’t scare me, pretty boy.” Then, with perfect timing, my poor angel hurls, causing Max to jump back.

  “Fuck! Get her out of here. She’s disgusting.” The urge to kill rises, but I have to remember Mer is what’s important. Always. Easing her into my passenger seat, I take in her dirty face and disheveled appearance as I buckle her in, wondering where her joyful spirit and awe of everything around her went. An hour later, we reach the apartment I share with Jerri and her boyfriend, Tod. Both treat me like their little sister, neither even got upset when my mom asked a million and one questions before letting her baby move in. In fact, they found it hilarious and endearing, that’s not to say they also didn’t tease me about it because they did…for a week. Not wanting to risk her throwing up again, I gently help her upstairs and to my room, easing her into a chair. She’s a lot smaller than me, which is saying a lot since I’m pretty lean, but my clothes should fit, regardless, it’s better than what she’s currently wearing. I stop by the bathroom grabbing a basin with warm water and a couple towels.

  “Let’s get you clean,” I suggest, pulling her shirt over her head, I throw it in my hamper before taking the wet towel from the basin of water I’d filled in the bathroom. She’ll want, need, a shower in the morning, but this will work for now. Once I’ve wiped her face and any remnants from her overindulgence off, her eyes start to flutter open as she whispers my name. “It’s me and you’re at my place. How about we get you into some fresh clothes, so you can lay down?”

  “Okay,” she agrees without hesitation, and the pain in my chest that’s been occurring more frequently when she’s in distress hits me again. I know it’s tied to my urge to protect her, to keep her safe so no one can harm her. Covering Mer after she’s climbed onto the mattress, her arms snake around me and she says, “You’re my knight in shining armor,” then places a small kiss on my cheek. The sweetness of the action has me swallowing hard, the if only that wants to burst from me stealing my ability to respond appropriately for a second.

  Wrangling my dreams of what could be under control, I tell her, “Get some rest.” Mer nods, her hands dropping to her sides as she immediately drifts off. Sitting in the chair she just vacated, I watch her sleep, not wanting to be too far, just in case. Whether she wants to or not, the two of us are having a much-needed discussion in the morning.

  Chapter Five

  Meridien

  My skull is pounding as if it has a jackhammer in it. Sitting up, hands to my head to try and relieve the pain, I take in my surroundings and immediately know I’m at Star’s. It’s always nice and toasty in here, like I’m at home. I vaguely remember calling her last night, but that’s it. I was upset from what my advisor had told me, yet I don’t think I drank that much, though I do remember one of Max’s frat brothers handing me a drink he referred to as extra loaded. In hindsight, I can see now that’s when the room had started to spin. Why hadn’t I just contacted Star in the first place and shared what I’d found out? Then I wouldn’t have gone to the party and gotten wasted. “Shit!” I exclaim as my brain slowly comes back online. Last night was the special client. “I’m such a fuck up.”

  “No, you got fucked up,” I hear Star correct me, and follow the sound of her voice to find her sprawled out, hand covering her eyes, legs crossed at the ankles.

  “I was being stupid and ruined your thing because of it. I'm so sorry!” I add in shame, tears threatening. I’m such a fucking mess.

  “I’m glad you called me, okay? Had you not, I’m scared to think about what could’ve happened to you.”

  “My parents are going to kill me. I’m failing my classes and they’re sending a letter to tell them,” I blurt out all at once, needing to tell someone I know won't judge me.

  “Why didn’t you tell me, Mer?” She asks, rushing to me and locking her arms around me. My head drops to her shoulder as her fingers run through my hair, the action so sweet it stirs thoughts I’ve been having recently when I’m with her. She’s your best friend, of course she cares about you. That’s all this is. Even reminding myself of that, yet again, doesn’t stop them.

  “I knew it was a big day for you and didn’t want to bother you.”

  “That’s not important, Mer, you are. I told you I am always a phone call away, no matter what and I meant it.”

  “I knew you’d drop everything and I didn’t want you to. I have to forge my own path. I can’t continue interrupting your life, expecting you to rescue me. I’ve already ruined so many things for you.”

  “Stop! You know that’s not true,” she admonishes me, placing a soft kiss on my hair. “We’re going to your parents and facing this head on, which means you’ll be honest about everything. If we need to call Clifton to run interference we will, but you are done being afraid of what they think of you.”

  “I can’t do that! You know how they are. I’ll have to hear how disappointed they are in me. It’ll be my tattoo all over again. I can’t face them. I won’t,” I declare, hysterically. They’ve grown increasingly more agitated with me and the decisions I’ve made. It’s the reason I agreed to date Max when they introduced us as it seemed it was the only thing I could do right.

  “You can and will. They’ll probably be upset, but you can’t keep lying to yourself to make them happy. After we leave there, we’ll visit my parents. They haven’t seen you in almost six months, so be ready for a big feast when I tell them you’re coming over.”

  Her parents have always been so wonderful, it almost makes me want to do this just so I have an excuse
to see hers, not that I really need one. “What do I even say? Admit they wasted their money on a fuck up?”

  “How about the truth? I will tell you this, you need to stop drinking now. Real life is rapidly approaching and you need to face it. I’ll take you to breakfast and we’ll figure this out. They’ll still be upset, but if you have a plan for what you want to do with your life, you’ll be able to tell them that, beat them to the next punch. I know how big they are on plans,” Star tells me, her voice gentle but firm, her eyes rolling on the last sentence.

  “As long as you’re there, I’ll do it.”

  “Ready?” Star asks to my left, my hand clasped in hers, Clifton to my right. My brother was on board the moment I told him what I was doing, simply saying it took me long enough. Despite the big age difference between us, we’ve always been close. He actually wants to be a psychiatrist and is currently finishing his residency.

  “As much as I can be,” I reply honestly.

  “Star and I are here,” Clifton assures me, “and I’ll steal their attention when I tell them I got the job at the clinic which is when you make a quick exit. I wish I could go with you, honestly, but I’ve delayed this for as long as I could.” He knocks even though this is our childhood home, neither of us comfortable with just walking in, which is quite telling regarding our relationship with the people that gave us life. When my mother opens the door, surprise crosses her face at seeing us, but she steps back to let us in, her gaze drifting to Star with a less than welcoming expression that pisses me off. She’s never liked her and would always comment that she’s a bad influence when we first started hanging out.

  Moving to the living room, my dad is in his favorite chair reading the newspaper, never faltering from his routine. He’s a traditionalist in all ways, his words not mine, and loves the feel of it in his hands, the sound the pages make as he turns them. His life has been mapped out from an early age and he expected the same of us, so this will not be an easy conversation. He’s bound to have some choice words about me quitting college, more so when I tell him the path I’ve chosen instead. “Meridien, Clifton,” he says in greeting, adding, “and...Star. What brings you here?” It’s clear he’s barely paying attention even as he talks to us, too busy reading about the things going on in the world and not what’s happening in his own family.