Trash Polka - 2. Chapter 2

I want a love that's on the square.

Can't seem to find somebody someone to care.

And I'm on a lonely road that leads to nowhere.

I need a Sunday kind of love.

“Same Etta girl.” I mumbled as her rich voice filled the shop. I bit my lower lip, drawing a curve from one line to another. A mandala was slowly taking place as I hummed along with the music. I forced myself to keep it at a respectable volume. With no customers the last hour now, it was a challenge.

As if my complaining had summoned it, a sleek black car pulled up in front of the shop. A girl in a legitimate school uniform got out and I glanced down to the time, double checking. Shouldn't she be in school? She burst through the door, smacking the poor bell like it owed her money. I laid my tablet down and she beamed at me.

“Hi! I'd like to make an appointment! Or get something done if I don't need one, I guess.” My attention left her as a man came in behind her much more calmly. They were both of Asian descent and shared a nose and chin. Father and daughter? Siblings?

Her hair was a blunt, black, bob that didn't fully hide the row of earrings climbing up each ear. They both had gorgeous dark eyes. While hers were wide open and friendly, his were narrowed and guarded. Almost suspicious. His hair was slicked back and when he finished looking around and focused on me, I almost choked. All right. Well, he was fine. Gorgeous. Mm damn.

“Whoa, do you have your smiley pierced?” She was leaning across the counter now, eyes even wider. She was only a couple inches from my face and I resisted the urge to rear back. I hadn’t even heard her move. I definitely was not prepared for how close she was.

“Ai, down.” Gripping the backpack I hadn't even noticed her wearing, he dragged her off the counter.

“She's good.” I smiled wide so she could see the little hoop hanging by my front teeth, "There isn't much I don't have pierced."

“Cool! Did it hurt?”

“Ai, I have things to do. Hurry it along, please.” The man said, glancing down at a watch that looked expensive. He was wearing a tailored wool pea coat over a black three-piece suit. God damn.

“Yeah, ‘things to do’, like be boring!” She glanced at him, and the look he gave her made me want to hurry up and stop wasting his time. I should unpack that later. There was something to say about the way he held himself. The air about him was authoritative and I would hazard to bet that most people didn’t say no to him. I made myself relax my posture. I hadn’t even noticed how tense my body was, how tight I’d been holding my shoulders. This would never do. He was some random guy I didn’t know anything about. Not that it'd had stopped me before...Splaying my fingers on the counter, I derailed my thoughts before they could veer into lewd.

The girl was rolling her eyes, oblivious to my inner battles, “I wanna get my belly button pierced.”

“Uh, you have ID? Or are you her guardian?”

“That won't be a problem.” He answered, now studying me with a strange look on his face.

Eyeing him up and down, I raised an eyebrow, “How old are you, Princess?”

“I'm 16, just had my birthday!” She announced.

“Well, I suppose that's less of a problem then. I need your ID.” I said to super-hot and grumpy, “And something from you as well, doll. School ID, Regular ID, Birth Certificate. That is assuming that you have the same last name?”

“This seems unnecessary.” He said, narrowing his eyes.

“Well, the state of Washington and shop policy disagree. After that I have a super fun form to fill out too. I'm sure you'll love it.”

“I don't have time for this. We're leaving.”

“But Ji, we have all the stuff, and the paper won’t take long! Right, sir?” Both sets of eyes focused on me and I sighed.

“It won't take that long.”

“Fine.”

The customer service energy fled my body when he pulled out a wallet and flicked his driver's license at me. It skidded across the counter and I took a deep breath as my temper flared. Okay, hot. Hot, but fucking rude and impatient.

“Here's mine.” The girl smiled apologetically, setting hers very nicely by my hand. It seemed like she might be used to the older man’s rudeness towards service people. At least she was decent.

“Alright, fill this out and I'll take copies and get set up.” I smiled at her.

“Just how long is this going to take?” He asked. When I tell you that I rolled my eyes so hard, I saw God for a minute, it’s not an exaggeration. The messiah said ‘hi’ while my brain short-circuited with a special kind of rage one only meets whilst working in customer service. Of any kind.

“Longer if you keep asking me questions like that... Kenji.” His eyes widened ever so slightly, and I resisted Frisbee throwing his license at his head after I made a copy. Instead- like the professional I was- I set them on the counter nicely.

“You look familiar. Your voice is familiar.” He said quietly, and it startled me a bit. We'd never met and I'd remember if we'd, well, met.

“I'd say I have one of those faces, but I don't. Don't recognize you, so sorry.”

I retreated to my room to gather my supplies and sterilize what needed to be. While washing my hands, a horrible thought occurred. I had an internet presence. My work was fun and pretty easy to keep on the down low. That didn't mean things couldn't happen. What if super-hot and grumpy- Kenji- was a customer? A different kind of customer. A small flare of panic sparked in my chest until I decided to be reasonable. He wasn't going to out me to his little sister. (I’d decided on siblings) Him confronting me would bring out what kind of content it was. There was a paywall to even attempt to buy my content. You knew what you were getting into. There was no accidental clicking. He wasn't going to want to explain why he'd paid to see my ass. Even if it was a pretty perfect ass. It was fine. I was okay. Rationality to the rescue. I'd finish up the piercing and then I'd never see them again.

I smirk to myself. Well, he might see me again, but that wasn't important, “Alright, I'm ready for you.”

“Is it like really painful?” She asked as a motioned for her to sit then lean back.

“Nah, you got this.” I grinned, pulling up my sweatshirt to show her my navel, “baby stuff.”

I was glad to have a distraction as Kenji's gaze moved over my abdomen in a way that made my mouth dry. Focusing, he faded away and I completed the piercing almost through muscle memory alone. The sooner I was done, the sooner the oppressive presence would be leaving. This was Cameron's fault somehow. Not Luke, I could never get or stay mad at that man. Cameron, on the other hand...evil. Worthy of blame. The length of time I had to converse with this particular customer would have at least halved if he was here. I was clearly being punished for something. Instant karma for being a bad house guest this morning. That was probably it.

“Alright! Good to go! See that wasn't so bad.” She smiled brightly at me and got up to look in the floor length mirror.

“It's great! Thank you, oniiiiison.” She got much higher pitched on the last word, dragging it out. That was Japanese. I think. My knowledge of the language was strictly anime. I was by no means an expert.

“Yes, let's go.” I followed them up front. I was soon offended by a black card that was waived in front of my face. Thank God this was almost over.

“What a charmer.” I mumbled as I typed in the information and swiped the card.

“Excuse me?” His eyes narrowed again.

“I'm not really sure if there is an excuse for you. To be honest, handsome.”

He blinked once, then twice. His eyes flicked from his sister back to me. She had a huge grin on her face as we both watched him process. He wasn't used to being talked back to by people that weren't the girl. That was painfully obvious. I plastered the fakest, most over-the-top smile on my face as I moved to hand his card back. He reached for it, and the pettier half of my soul won out. As soon as the card reached his fingers, I let it drop to the counter. His lips thinned into a line as he glared from me to the card. It was like he was waiting for me to pick it up and hand it to him properly. He was going to be waiting for a damn long time. As he slid it to himself, his glare melted away and the corner of his lips quirked up. He said something to me in a foreign language that made his sister's eyes widen. She looked at me fearfully, but I only offered her a grin. It took way more than that to phase me. It helped that I also didn't know what he was saying. But that was beside the point.

“Have the loveliest of days.” I said, pouring every ounce of irritation into a syrupy sweet voice to make sure he knew what I thought of him. He slipped his card into a wallet as sleek as the rest of him and turned without another word. The girl spared me one last glance before darting after him.

Other people's children man. You couldn't pay for manners apparently.

“Well, he sounds like a psycho.” Alec laughed, handing me another beer. “He probably cursed you or something. Or he told you to eat shit. Who knows?”

“Not I!” I chuckled and shook my head. The encounter at the tattoo shop earlier was strange, but it wasn't the first time I pissed off a customer. Nor would it be the last. I would admit that it had seemed a bit different though. The guy had a strange aura about him. I couldn't put it into words, but part of me was threatened by it. The other part was intrigued. That part right there. That was the toxic part. There was no way anything would come of it though, so why did it matter? Sure, he was nice to look at, but his attitude left a lot to be desired. Again, did not matter. I'd never see him again.

“So? What did Luke say that almost made you mad at him?” Alec asked, leaning back on the couch as he got comfy.

“It was about my 'activities' and how I disappear without telling them where I'm going. Also, I was a little out of it when I did it last time. That seemed to set them off.” I let out a heavy sigh.

“You're upset because they care about you. Truly, how dare they!” Alec gasped, throwing a dirty look my way.

“Hey, I asked you to hang out, not for you to pick a side. You're supposed to be on mine. Rude, honestly. I appreciate that they care, but I'm still an adult. I can-“

“Do you remember the guy you tried dating who knew about your pictures before you met?”

“He was very... He was a great host.” I cringed.

“He trapped you in his attic and planned to keep you there permanently.” Alec deadpanned. “You only got out because you're mean, you have a brutal right hook, and you overpowered him.”

“See, totally safe. I can defend myself. I'm fine. Let's open with the most extreme story. Why don't we?” I said, newly irritated, “That happened one time. One!”

“It shouldn't ever happen. Idiot! Do you not understand that it was a scary situation? You got lucky.”

“Luck or not, I'm okay and I got out.”

“River-”

“No, listen, you're as much a part of hookup culture as I am. No judging.”

“I'm not judging. We just want you to be safe.”

“Yes, God, I get it crystal clear.”

“Thank you. Jesus, you're so hardheaded.”

“That guy today…Something about the whole thing bothered me. He said I looked and sounded familiar.”

“Most people don't forget someone with bright pink hair. You also have a helluva mouth on you. He must have a terrible memory if he didn’t immediately recognize those.” Alec paused, and then his eyes widened, “You don't think he's bought pictures from you or watched a stream? Is that it?”

“Maybe? The buyers have usernames, but it's pretty secure. They don't have profile pics or anything. Not to sound conceited or anything, but it isn't really about them.” Brushing my hair out of my face, I worried my lip between my teeth. I needed to drop this. If he was my customer, so what? I'd probably just lost his business. Who cared?

He thought, trying to convince himself he did not care.

“When are you posting pictures next?” Alec asked, his expression thoughtful.

“This weekend.”

“Well, it's already Wednesday, so maybe it'll be fresh enough in his mind that he'll message you and mention it? Like, 'hey, I'm here for my porn. Also, you were rude to me. Something like that?”

“Could be, I guess we'll have to see.” I laughed and then shrugged.

“Did you do the numbers this month? How much do you think you're gonna make this time?”

“It's hard to predict, there's so many variables. Do they like the theme? Did you cater to their specific wants? Did you hit on a very specific kink somehow? Do they think the prices are extortionate? I think I'll do alright, but it's hard to know the exact numbers.”

“That's awful. No wonder you keep tattooing.”

“To be honest, I’ve made way more than I ever imagined I could. The money that people are willing to pay sometimes is downright shocking. It’s not enough for me to quit my day job-not that I’d want to-but it makes me way more comfortable. I don’t think I could afford this apartment without it.” Yawning, I let my head fall back against the couch. "The tattooing is because I enjoy it and I need a creative outlet or I will implode."

Alec was talking now. About numbers and a great deal of things I couldn’t force myself to concentrate on. That wasn’t unusual. Alec was a planner, a numbers guy. He made me look spontaneous and free-spirited in comparison. My eyes slid closed and I found myself trying to map out the customer’s features in my mind. He was handsome. Features angular and strong without being too much. They weren’t as sharp as Cameron’s. His lips were fuller. Far too kissable. Way too easy to imagine them against mine or skimming over my skin. The suit was nice. It'd clearly been expensive material that’d been tailored to his body. Which I’m sure was gorgeous. He was completely covered but his shoulders were broad. They’d pulled the material taut enough to make me daydream about the muscles I knew were underneath.

“River.”

“Mm?”

“You’re ignoring me, which is normal, but you have a strange look on your face.” I frowned and turned my attention to him. Wrong choice. His gaze focused on something only my oldest friend would see and he leaned forward, “You’re going to hyper fixate on that guy, huh? Until you figure out if he’s a customer. Or something else.”

If I were being honest. My brain hadn’t gotten that far yet. It was content to dream up a body I hadn’t seen and slap Kenji’s face on it. But I had been thinking about it all day. I’d turned every word over in my mind repeatedly. At this point I didn’t know if I cared about the customer thing. I was more focused on how his dark eyes had roamed over my stomach when I lifted my shirt. Or when he’d smiled at me after I’d been a bit snotty. Alec was right. I was already too invested, but not for the reasons he thought.

“He’s just a person, River. Who cares if he’s bought your stuff before and you kind of met him in person. He’s not going to tell the world he pays for cam boy content. If he does…well, he’s a new breed of crazy.”

“I know all that. I’m aware that me giving this any more thought is pointless, but I’ve never been able to stop when my thoughts snow ball like this.” Alec’s blue eyes focused on me for a moment before sweeping over the room.

“I don’t like it. I know you. You’ll go super sleuth and somehow find this guy and then you’ll end up in another attic.” Alec said shaking his head.

“Look, the guy was black card rich. I doubt that I’ll be able to track him down like that. Even if I could, it’d get me nowhere. He seemed to have an immediate dislike of me and the feeling wasn’t far from mutual.”

“Sure. That’s why you described every inch of him in crystal clear detail to me before even telling me what had happened.” Alec scoffed.

“That’s simply because I am an excellent storyteller, my dear. The details are what makes a tale.”

“You’re so full of shit.” Alec laughed loudly and I couldn’t help but join in.

He knew me better than probably anyone else in my life, my own mother included, but he wasn’t privy to everything. The man wasn’t run of the mill. He was different from anyone I’d ever met before and the thought that I’d never see him again made my chest strangely tight. It’d been reassuring earlier. When I’d wanted to forget him. Was that really what I wanted? I remembered when he’d given the girl that look. My spine had gone ramrod straight and I was a bit dazed for a moment. How she’d ignored him, I’d never know. Familial immunity?

Letting out a deep breath, I glanced at Alec. He was slouched against the arm of the couch, watching me knowingly, “You’re doing it. I was too late, wasn’t I?”

Shaking my head, I grinned, “Whatever are you talking about dearest friend?”

“You. You’re ridiculous. If you somehow find the guy, can you at least be careful? The way you described him makes me nervous River. He doesn’t sound normal.”

I watched my friend as he spoke. Like Lukas earlier, he looked nervous. Worried. I let my eyes close again as I warred with the voice inside me that took offense. They weren’t doing anything malicious. They weren’t trying to meddle. My friends genuinely just wanted to look out for me because they cared. Even Cameron. It wasn’t just the guy today that was bothering Alec. It was his having to pick me up from a random house. It was Cameron and Lukas being worried as well that made him even more upset. It was like their concern had validated his.

“Listen, I couldn’t find the guy if I wanted. That’s the whole point of the privacy features on the site. I’m not going to lie and say he didn’t fascinate me. Could I tell you why? Nope, but he did. I’m going to be hung up on this for a while whether I want to or not. Don’t worry, I’ll try to refrain from doing anything more stupid than normal.”

“You barely interacted with him. I don’t get it.”

“I don’t either. My brain doesn’t care though, so here we are.”

Alec rolled his eyes for a moment and then smiled at me, “You said he was hot but you just described a regular guy. What made him so appealing?”

I shook my head. I had no answer for him. It wasn’t based on anything I could put into words. I lifted my drink to my lips, letting the dark liquid slide over my tongue a moment more than necessary while I thought.

So much for not caring.