Ink & Lust

Chapter 3

"Ignore it," Deja ordered before Amila could shift from the chair she'd been sitting in since eleven that morning.

The catchy chorus of a rap song that had been her favorite for the month was sung out on her phone on the kitchen table. Her eyelid twitched from the cry and curiosity filled her. Not many people called her as of late and every time her phone rang with the tune that she assigned to most of her friends to make sure it wasn't a spam call, she got a little excited. Eager to answer, she drummed her fingers on her knees.

She waited for Deja to lift the tip of the eyeliner from her eyelid and said, "It could be important."

Deja sighed as she dipped the liner applicator into the bottle. "It's Savion." She pulled the applicator out with a pop and commenced to duplicate that immaculate line she made on Amila's right eyelid to her left one. "He can wait...matter of fact, you should block him. It's not healthy."

"He's a friend." Amila quipped the same statement she'd uttered every time his name came up between her and Deja.

Savion Pryce wasn't as close a friend as the woman that was mere inches from her face but he was an important person to her. The months, days, and weeks after the biggest loss of her life occurred he was there. He had lost someone special to him that day also. He cried with her; held her and shared her grief. She did the same for him. She didn't think their growing bond was unhealthy but maybe it was. Maybe she wasn't seeing clearly. Either way, it didn't matter, she couldn't cut him out of her life. He was too important to her.

"If that's what you say." Deja sounded like she didn't believe any of the words that slipped from her mouth. "You shouldn't be concerning yourself with Savion on this fine, fine Saturday. It should be Dominic that we should be talking about."

"No." Amila started to shake her head but was immediately averted by her friend's frantic pleas to keep still. "Dominic is..."

She paused, trying to search her mind for the words and description of what Dominic was to her. He was icy sweet tea on a hot, balmy day and a juicy burger after a morning of running errands; he was the cashmere blanket that covered you on a snowy night. He was all the things she wanted in her life; things that are constant, permanent, and never changing. He was a treat that would last a lifetime and she wasn't ready for that type of commitment. Her heart was healing from the devastating loss of a great love. It wasn't ready to welcome the promise of a new one.

"He's interested in who I was." Amila finally said, not yet wanting to admit the truth aloud. "I'm not her anymore."

Deja swapped the eyeliner for mascara. "And maybe he's not the same either but don't you think it's time for you to stop hiding out."

"I'm not hiding out." Amila pulled back and opened her eyes once the mascara brush slid through her lashes. "I'm—"

The loving, caring face of her friend hit her like a bucket of bricks and she was no longer able to continue with the lie she was trying to portray. So, instead of admitting to Deja that she was right, she took an alternate route. Deflection.

"Trying to help you be that makeup maven I know you can be." Amila closed her eyes again getting back into position. "It's almost January. How certain are you that Mr. Ross will hold up his threat and cut you off."

"Dr. Ross..." Deja corrected as she applied mascara to Amila's other eyelash. "...Is one hundred percent committed to his threat."

"But doesn't he see your page and your portfolio?" She gripped the arms of the teak professional makeup chair that was a late-night splurge purchase on Amazon. "You're great at what you do. You're like Michelangelo for the face."