1. Zane

ONE

ZANE

Normally I would be dying for the time to slow down when I was working away in the tattoo shop. It had always been my dream job since I was a young boy, knowing it was a career I could showcase my love for art. The support I had outside my friend group had been minimal, though, to say the least—only the closest of my friends understood my drive and passion for the job.

My family and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye and only seemed to catch up when it was unavoidable. It had worked well for me over the years. I was finally able to come out of my shell and be the man I wanted to be without worrying about opinions or backlash.

For many years, as I bided my time serving coffee at Arlo’s Coffee you need to unwind and relax too.”

“Hopefully letting out some of the strain to the other guys will help, man. I can’t imagine the pressure of having to deal with the two shops at once. Maybe Finn, Callum, Hardin or Arlo could help with some advice? I know they all have those added responsibilities and had to figure out the balance between having too much of a workload to having some time to themselves,” I replied as I glanced at him over my shoulder. “I’m sure Maxwell will have a round in when we arrive, too. He told me if I didn’t show up, then he’d be coming to grab me from the apartment.”

“Typical Maxwell then.” He chuckled. “It’s definitely a great plan. Thanks, man,” he replied, squeezing my shoulder. “Just know I’m here if you need anything. No questions asked, yeah.”

“Thanks.” I confirmed before giving a nod as he walked out of the shop.

I turned my attention back to the design I’d been working on and recalled the day I’d had now that I was alone. Charlene had finished up and left an hour earlier, as I decided to get ahead of the rush tomorrow. I know I didn’t have to but being methodical in my processes by doing some of my jobs in advance meant that I was not rushing around when the clients walked in for their time slot. I mean, the worst thing in the world is having to sit and wait when I should be prepared. After all, they are not paying me to sit in a waiting room twiddling their thumbs whilst watching the time tick by on the large clock. They are paying for my skill in time to give them a tattoo which they want to remain on their bodies for the rest of their lives.

It wasn’t like the designs I had undertaken were simple pieces—if anything, they were large and intricate, time-consuming ideas that required my unique set of designing skills to make them come alive. The fact of the matter was, I couldn’t get my mind off a certain man. A guy who had been giving me the runaround for far too long. He had managed to somehow easily confuse me whenever we were in close proximity to each other.

Tonight was the night I’m going to finally found out where I stood. I’d been invited to join Maxwell, Cole, Arlo and Reed for a catch up for a few drinks, but I was hoping I could finally get him all alone. It was time Jed and I finally had a conversation about exactly what was going through his head instead of avoiding me whenever he could. Drastic actions were required as I could feel myself slowly going insane with the what ifs he had invoked in me. Hopefully, the guys will keep themselves occupied as I deal with what was going on within my own life. All I could do was hope that the minutes and hours would pass by quickly until the end of the day when I could make my way over to the North Avenue Live.

I mean, I loved working for Sean and having my own say in what happened at the place. It was in a spectacular location, gaining regular custom from Manhattan, but still kept the quaintness on the outskirts of the area, rather than in the main stretch. The best part was I was close enough to make my way into the city at any point if I had a sudden urge for the hustle and bustle to surround me. It was the best of both worlds in my view.

This year, though, was going to be the making of me. With the holiday season fast approaching on North Avenue Lane, I needed not only my career to continue building at the pace it had been but also to finally take control of my desires and wants.

That meant stepping outside my comfort zone and talking to Jed.

I had to make that first step as I knew he certainly wasn’t going to do it. Even in my heart, I was panicked and scared, having to clear the air and deal with the hand he gave me. At least I’d have a clear image of where I stood and then I could decide how to move forward.

It meant putting my heart on the line and revealing parts of me that I hadn’t done to anyone else in my life.

Maybe, just maybe then I’d finally have the full package with the guy that I desired underneath the Christmas tree lights.

A guy can wish, can’t he?