Page 53 of Inked in Bloom
The edges of my lips stretch into a smile. It feels a bit wobbly, so I pull it taut, not wanting them to see anything but my pure joy over their excitement.
“Show us! Show us! Show us!” Cherri chants and sets down her glass to hold Roxy’s. I take Kendrick’s. The pair spins, and Kendrick’s suddenly shirtless. Roxy’s in a bra and pair of shorts.
An entwined lily and a bunch of four-leaf clovers curve over Roxy’s breastbone, and a large four-leaf clover with a lily bursting from its center takes up the left side of Kendrick’s chest.
“Aren’t they beautiful?” Roxy asks.
Cherri squeals and bounces on her toes. I nod and empty my glass.
“They really are stunning.” And the absolute certainty and devotion they share makes them all the more beautiful. “I’m so happy for you two.”
Bubbles flit down my throat, and I glance down at Kendrick’s empty flute clutched in my other hand. I must be parched.
“Yes! We are so excited for you guys.” Cherri throws her arms around them, hugging them tightly. When she pulls her head back, she’s misty-eyed. “Beyond jealous that you all got mates before me, but gosh, how incredible.”
Cherri continues fawning over the tattoos that seamlessly blend into the rest of their flourish marks. While she’s distracted, I set down the glasses, borrow her flute, and drain that one as well.
Roxy and Kendrick glance from the marks on their chests to each other.
This is their moment. They are so in love. So happy. And I’m thrilled for them. It’s been clear since I got here that something kindled between them. Like Cherri, I’m jealous. Only my envy stems from a completely different place.
Cherri’s flute wobbles against my fingers as I watch Roxy and Kendrick together. Fate gave them these marks, but they’d already chosen each other. I didn’t even get a chance to understand what mates were before I was paired off with one.
With a deep breath, I shove that thought away and focus on my friends, grabbing the rosé to refill the empty glasses. I hand everyone their pink bubbles and lift mine above our heads. “Cheers to you both.”
We clink our flutes together, and once the bottle’s been emptied from our celebrating, we all turn in.
Each floorboard quivers beneath my feet. I pace my room, a thorn prickling at the back of my mind.
Inhale for four… Hold for four… Release for four… Hold for four.
I can’t stop thinking about my roommates’ marks. How similar they were, yet each was unique…
My crop top tightens, a vise clutched around ribs. No matter how much I try to slow my breaths, I can’t. The waistband of my skirt squeezes the air from my body. Fingers shaking, I wriggle my nose and spin. Once, twice, three times for good measure.
I open my eyes to a loose flowy slip with a plunging V-neck.
“Oh my God.” My hands shake. It’s the first time I’ve dressed myself. I wish I could celebrate it, shout it to my roommates, but I can’t see them. Not now.
Swallowing thickly, I head into the bathroom, going straight for the mirror. In the reflection, the mate mark stares back at me. I trace the lines of my peony, recalling a matching one with a long stem entwined with it. Spots invade my vision, but I blink them away.
Bubbles burst in my belly. I shouldn’t have chugged those glasses of rosé. Gripping the sides of the sink, I slow my breaths, trying to rid myself of the nausea surging up my raw throat. But my hands—they won’t stop shaking.
Plink. Plink… Plink.
My vision blurs as tears explode against the porcelain.
When did I start crying?
I continue counting my inhales and exhales until my vision clears, snagging on the bounce of brilliant lavender by the windowsill. I slowly crane my chin toward the source.
A long stem spears up from the pot. It’s thick and hearty, nothing fragile about it, and dangling along its curved shoot are five familiar bells. They wobble back and forth, growing larger.
Foxglove.
My gaze falls back on the illustrated curve of them beneath my breast. Then I draw them in my imagination atop a taut slab of sage muscle. Even though I haven’t seen it fully, I’m certain those foxgloves are the very same.Mine. And the peony? The lush inky petals reaching for my heart. It belongs tohim.
Inhale for four… Hold for four… Release for four… Hold for four.
