Pittsburgh. Don’t be an ungrateful shit. They’re paying for half your tuition and you know they’re working their asses off to make it happen. The least you can do is hang out with them when you’re in town.” Tyler shot Dustin a stabbing glare, vaguely surprised by how pissed off he was.
Yeah, Tyler’s education was a bit of a sore spot for him. It wasn’t that he begrudged his little brother the opportunity to go to college; it was just that he hated to see him so ungrateful for it.
Tyler hadn’t gone to college at all. Instead he’d apprenticed to his uncle, learning to tattoo. And Kassie had chosen to start out at a community college, which cost pennies compared to Dustin’s out-of-state tuition. For their parents – a warehouse foreman and a receptionist – the cost of Dustin’s education was a big deal.
And while Dustin’s grades were okay, they weren’t amazing – no surprise there, considering the amount of time he spent partying.
“More like a third of my tuition,” Dustin grumbled. “I’m up to my neck in student loans, for the record.”
“Guess you should’ve gone somewhere in-state, then.”
Dustin rolled his eyes. “You sound just like dad. Fine, I’ll go over to their place. Might as well if you’re going to act just like them.”
“See ya,” Tyler said as Dustin grabbed a coat and trudged toward the door.
Tyler followed, taking the stairs quickly and climbing into his car, settling his hands on the wheel, not caring that it was freezing. Memories of last time he’d seen Mallory, just a couple days ago, heated him from the inside out, warding off the chill. He could still see the glow of neon against her cheek, the whiteness of snowflakes against her dark hair and – most of all – the soft double-swells of her lips, swollen from contact with his.
The images played on a loop inside his mind, a sweet sort of torment as he drove for her apartment. When she met him at her apartment door, the memories paled in comparison to the sight of her – the real thing. She greeted him with a smile and a “hey”.
Taking her hand as they walked to his car made it feel like Christmas had come two days early.
* * * * *
Stepping out of the theater was like stepping out of the shelter of a temporary summer and back into winter. In the warmth and darkness of the theater, Mallory had all but forgotten that Christmas was just two days away. And yeah, Tyler had been a distraction too. All of the holidays’ sparkle and appeal paled in comparison to the hard lines of his body, easily felt as he’d sat with his arm around her, and the tantalizing flashes of his tattoos peeking from beneath the edges of his sleeves.
“So tell me the truth,” he said as they stepped out of the lobby’s bright lights and onto the sidewalk outside the theater. “This date wasn’t too boring, was it? I mean, I didn’t almost run you over with anything, piss off your boss or make you climb onto any rooftops…”
She laughed. “No, it wasn’t boring. Actually, it was kind of nice to have a normal date.” Although, truth be told, she kept thinking back to their dinner date on the rooftop of the Hot Ink building. She’d liked that … a lot. “You can’t go wrong with dinner and a movie. I’m pretty sure anyone would agree.”
“I don’t care what anyone else thinks,” he said, catching up one of her hands in his like it was the most natural thing in the world. “I care what you think. I know we got off to kind of a rough start—”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, wincing inwardly as a familiar pang of guilt sailed through her. She still felt bad over how Tyler had been treated by Dr. Anthony. “Even if things at the party were a little rocky, they’re fine now. Besides, every woman secretly fantasizes about having a badass boyfriend who sticks up for her and strikes fear into the heart of her jerk boss.”
“Badass?” In the pale illumination cast by the parking lot lights,
Yeah, Tyler’s education was a bit of a sore spot for him. It wasn’t that he begrudged his little brother the opportunity to go to college; it was just that he hated to see him so ungrateful for it.
Tyler hadn’t gone to college at all. Instead he’d apprenticed to his uncle, learning to tattoo. And Kassie had chosen to start out at a community college, which cost pennies compared to Dustin’s out-of-state tuition. For their parents – a warehouse foreman and a receptionist – the cost of Dustin’s education was a big deal.
And while Dustin’s grades were okay, they weren’t amazing – no surprise there, considering the amount of time he spent partying.
“More like a third of my tuition,” Dustin grumbled. “I’m up to my neck in student loans, for the record.”
“Guess you should’ve gone somewhere in-state, then.”
Dustin rolled his eyes. “You sound just like dad. Fine, I’ll go over to their place. Might as well if you’re going to act just like them.”
“See ya,” Tyler said as Dustin grabbed a coat and trudged toward the door.
Tyler followed, taking the stairs quickly and climbing into his car, settling his hands on the wheel, not caring that it was freezing. Memories of last time he’d seen Mallory, just a couple days ago, heated him from the inside out, warding off the chill. He could still see the glow of neon against her cheek, the whiteness of snowflakes against her dark hair and – most of all – the soft double-swells of her lips, swollen from contact with his.
The images played on a loop inside his mind, a sweet sort of torment as he drove for her apartment. When she met him at her apartment door, the memories paled in comparison to the sight of her – the real thing. She greeted him with a smile and a “hey”.
Taking her hand as they walked to his car made it feel like Christmas had come two days early.
* * * * *
Stepping out of the theater was like stepping out of the shelter of a temporary summer and back into winter. In the warmth and darkness of the theater, Mallory had all but forgotten that Christmas was just two days away. And yeah, Tyler had been a distraction too. All of the holidays’ sparkle and appeal paled in comparison to the hard lines of his body, easily felt as he’d sat with his arm around her, and the tantalizing flashes of his tattoos peeking from beneath the edges of his sleeves.
“So tell me the truth,” he said as they stepped out of the lobby’s bright lights and onto the sidewalk outside the theater. “This date wasn’t too boring, was it? I mean, I didn’t almost run you over with anything, piss off your boss or make you climb onto any rooftops…”
She laughed. “No, it wasn’t boring. Actually, it was kind of nice to have a normal date.” Although, truth be told, she kept thinking back to their dinner date on the rooftop of the Hot Ink building. She’d liked that … a lot. “You can’t go wrong with dinner and a movie. I’m pretty sure anyone would agree.”
“I don’t care what anyone else thinks,” he said, catching up one of her hands in his like it was the most natural thing in the world. “I care what you think. I know we got off to kind of a rough start—”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, wincing inwardly as a familiar pang of guilt sailed through her. She still felt bad over how Tyler had been treated by Dr. Anthony. “Even if things at the party were a little rocky, they’re fine now. Besides, every woman secretly fantasizes about having a badass boyfriend who sticks up for her and strikes fear into the heart of her jerk boss.”
“Badass?” In the pale illumination cast by the parking lot lights,
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