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Author's Chapter Notes:
Chapter 6 has been reworked and contains new content.
“Hey!” I called out as I made my way into the shop through the back door.

“Hey, there you are!” Gage replied, making his way into the back room. Gage purchased Eternity Tattoo quite a few years ago. His plan was to open it with my brother. I never wanted to have anything to do with it, I’m not artistic like Gage and Zane. But Gage talked me into being a body piercer, and I’ve been here ever since. I enjoyed my job. I enjoyed working with Gage – for the most part. His domineering nature is still present even at work, and a lot of times he doesn’t know his boundaries. At least he has never crossed the line when the other tattoo artists are in, or when there are clients. There are two other artists in the shop, a girl and a guy Gage has known for years, and they are pretty good. There is only one other tattoo shop in town, so the competition is low. It really makes me happy that Gage decided to go on with his and Zane’s dream even though Zane’s not around anymore.

“Sorry I’m late. No excuses. Has anyone been in for anything?” I asked, shrugging off my hoodie and hanging it on one of the hooks on the wall next to the door. There were framed photos of my brother’s artwork all over the walls in the back, another reminder that this too was Zane’s dream.

“Nope. And no appointments on the books until 2:00, with me. Charlie comes in at 4, she has an appointment. And Chris is off today. It should be a slow day, but I guess you never know.” He grabbed a pop out of the refrigerator. “How’s things down at the garage?”

“Fine. They want to hire another new guy, I guess just part time. I told them to go for it.” I made my way to the front of the parlor and washed my hands in one of the sinks. There were two sinks along one wall of the front room. Three of the walls were painted black, the fourth wall painted red. Flash art and original drawings by Gage, Charlie, and Chris hung on the red wall. There were three tattoo stations along another wall. There was a counter with a glass case exhibiting piercing jewelry towards the front, with a computer on it.

“Oh, why?” Gage asked.

“I don’t know. I think someone else must not be working out. We had that new hire a few months ago, and he’s just been calling in a lot.” I am the owner of Parker Mechanics, the family motorcycle repair shop. My dad taught me everything he knew about mechanics when I was growing up, and I guess it sort of stuck with me, so I went to school for mechanics. Although I rarely do any hands on work anymore, I am in charge of everything. It’s a lot different when you’re the boss, and there’s so many aspects to owning a business that I knew nothing about until dad was gone.

“That sucks. Sorry you have to deal with that.” He leaned against a wall and crossed his arms.

“It is what it is.” I said as I sat down behind the counter. Honestly, I hated being the boss. But I couldn’t bring myself to sell the shop.

The bell over the front door rang out as someone opened it. “Welcome to Eternity Tattoo” I said without looking up from the computer.

“Harley!” someone said. I looked up.

“AJ? What are you doing here?” I looked over at Gage, noticing he had looked up and was watching.

AJ stumbled over to the counter and leaned onto it. “Hey, so this is where you work, huh? Very cool. You busy? Who is the piercer? I’d like to get something done.” He reeked of alcohol and I could smell it from where I was sitting.

“I haven’t seen you around in AA. Where have you been?” I stood up.

“Fuck AA man, I don’t need that shit.”

“I’m sorry, are you drunk?” Gage moved across the floor closer to AJ. “We can’t help you if you’re drunk.”

AJ looked at Gage. “Who are you?”

“This is Gage. He owns the parlor.” I glanced back at Gage, who eyed AJ and I suspiciously. I walked closer to AJ, so I could get in between the two of them.

“Oh this is the Gage? The one you were telling me about at the bar a couple weeks ago? Hey. How are you doing?” AJ extended his hand, as if he wanted to shake Gage’s.

“What?” Gage said, clenching his jaw. I saw him ball up his hands into fists.

I walked from behind the counter and grabbed AJ by the arm. I led him out the front door to the side of the store. “What are you doing? You can’t come into a tattoo parlor drunk. That’s ridiculous!” I was scolding him, but I didn’t care. I was pissed he had just told Gage I’d been at the bar.

“I was walking down the street, from the bar, and I saw the sign and decided I wanted to get something done, so I stopped by. You can’t get pierced when you’ve been drinking? What’s up with that?”

“No you can’t.” I sighed, “And why are you drunk anyway? It’s one o’clock in the afternoon! You said you were going to get help. You said you were going to go to AA and stop drinking and get your shit together!” I looked into the shop window, where Gage had his arms crossed again and was glaring out.

“Not you too! You think I need a babysitter? You think I need more people telling me what to do? I asked you to help me! Not reprimand me like a fucking child! Fuck this, I don’t need this shit!” AJ turned around and started walking away from me.

“AJ, wait!” I called after him, but he just kept walking. Fine. If he wanted to be that way, he was just going to have to be pissed off. Why did it even matter to me anyway?

I walked back into the shop and could feel Gage’s eyes on me. “Don’t start. I don’t want to hear it, Gage.”

“Who the fuck was that?” Gage ran his hand over his skull trimmed hair, his temper burning.

I sighed. “He went to an AA meeting once. We had a cigarette together.”

“What the fuck was he talking about you being in a bar? Tell me he was fucking lying.” Gage shoved off the wall and got in my face. “Tell me you didn’t do it, Harley.”

He stared at me.

“I, I…”

“Fuck, Harley, what the fuck were you thinking?!” He threw his hands up. “You are an alcoholic who was sober for 11 months. And you threw it all away?” He shoved his finger in my face. “You are fucking unbelievable. I can’t, I don’t even know what to say. And you’re hanging out with another alcoholic? What the fuck is wrong with you?” he was almost screaming now, and I was on the verge of tears.

“Gage, I-!” I started, but he interrupted.

“Don’t fucking lie to me, Harley. I can’t listen to lies. You’re back to your old ways and you’re going to fuck everything up. You had so much going for you and now you just, ugh.” Gage was pacing around the shop now, wringing his hands.

“Shut up! Stop talking to me like that!” I was crying now. “You’re not my fucking dad, Gage. Stop treating me like a child!” AJ’s words resonated in my head. That is exactly what he said to me. I couldn’t believe now here I was, saying the same thing to Gage. I walked to the back of the shop to get my hoodie.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Gage followed me, anger still seeping in his voice.

“Out for a damn cigarette. Leave me alone.” I pushed past him and let myself out the back door. I walked around the corner before I stopped and lit my cigarette. I leaned against the brick building and cried. I knew Gage would lose it when he found out that I went to the bar, so I was planning on him never finding out. Fucking AJ.

I finished my cigarette and lit another one. I slid down the wall until I was on the sidewalk and hugged my knees. The sky was cloudy and looked like it was threatening rain. I could hear thunder in the distance.

What was I doing with my life? Having drinks at a bar, no, getting completely hammered, what was I thinking? How could I put myself in that situation? Gage was right. I was fucking everything up.

“Hey.” I looked up and saw AJ.

“What do you want?” I asked, flicking the ashes of my cigarette away. I really was in no mood to deal with him. I was furious and hurting.

“I think I should apologize. I’m not exactly sure what I’m apologizing for, I think being drunk, or maybe something else, but I’m sorry.” He sat down next to me and lit a cigarette as well.

I blew out some smoke and sighed. “Don’t apologize. I need to say I’m sorry to you. I shouldn’t have talked to you like I did.”

“Nah, it’s okay. I don’t even know what happened. I think I’m a little wasted.” He stretched his legs out and crossed them at the ankles.

“I’m worried about you. That’s all I’m going to say.” I questioned why exactly I cared. I didn’t know him very well. He was an alcoholic. Why did I feel this fascination for him? I looked him over, noticing once again he was wearing a tank top under a leather jacket, and jeans. Blue shoes this time, but nice as usual. I also noticed, again, how skinny he was. He had dark circles under his eyes, too. He smiled at me.

“Like what you see, do you?” he raised his eyebrows, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

I’m pretty sure I blushed as I got up from the ground. “I got to go back in. I’m supposed to be working.” A fat raindrop spattered on my head, and I looked up at the sky for a second time. It would be nice to have a thunderstorm.

“He told me I was dead to him, Harley.” AJ said quietly, picking at his nails. I noticed for the first time that they were painted black. How odd, I thought.

“I’m sorry, what?” I wasn’t sure if I had heard him right.

“One of the guys I work with. He told me I was dead to him. That I didn’t exist anymore. He told me to get the fuck out of his life and never to speak to him again.”

I cringed hearing those words. “Woah. Why?”

“Because I just keep fucking up. It’s all I ever do. I’ve been so high and so drunk these past few weeks I don’t even remember them. The guys don’t want to have anything to do with me anymore. They think I’m beyond help. They don’t believe in me anymore. And I don’t think I do either. I fucking give up.” He spat out, grounding his cigarette out on the sidewalk.

“Don’t say that. You can do it.” I said. Although everything he just said reminded me exactly of myself. I didn’t know if I could do it anymore, either.

“I just, I feel like I don’t even have a reason to anymore. Those guys…my job means everything to me. And now I don’t have it anymore. I have nothing.”

“I know what that’s like. But we can’t keep thinking like that. We can’t give up. Most days I feel like I have nothing anymore, too, but it’s not true. We have plenty. We can do this.” I looked down at him.

He stood up and brushed his pants off. “I just don’t know, Harley.”

“Listen, I got to get back to work. But let me give you my number, okay? And you can call me whenever you need to talk. Or when you feel like you need a drink, or whatever else it is you do.”

“Okay, sure.” He got out his cell phone and I recited my number. “Wait, is Gage going to get pissed? If I call?”

“It doesn’t matter what Gage thinks. I do what I want. He doesn’t own me.” AJ raised his eyebrows at me. “We’re not together, if that’s what you mean. We’re just friends.”

“That’s not what it seemed like when I was in there. What’s his problem?”

“He’s just very overprotective. He cares about me. Wants me to do well. Anyway, I’ll talk to you later, okay? And you should go to AA tonight. Make it a habit.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“That’s fine. Take care of yourself, AJ.” I turned to walk around the corner and back into the shop. I knew Gage would be waiting for me, and that our conversation wasn’t over.