A Tattoo for Lex - 25. Chapter 25

I
I am doing a happy dance!!! Thanks for all the finger crossing and good thoughts. 
It's been a busy few days and I have a ton of stuff to do this week but don't worry, I still should be able to post on the same schedule I've been keeping. I just might not have as much time to work on the next story. I'll have to see how things go.
This chapter is kinda long, but a few more loose ends are addressed and the boys make it to Boston. Enjoy!

It was early afternoon on the Monday before his appointment when Lex’s phone rang. Looking at the caller ID he saw it was Cassie. ‘Shit’ he thought, he meant to call her back to apologize and forgot. He hit the connect button and immediately heard Cassie’s voice going a mile a minute like it does when she’s really worked up about something.

“Lex, I did it! I quit my job. I have no clue what I’m going to do now but I feel so much better. I just couldn’t take the shit anymore. I loved the people I worked with but the job was driving me crazy. God, Lex what the hell am I supposed to do now? I want to make a big change but I don’t know what. I don’t know if I should go back to school. Maybe I should travel. Do you think I should backpack all over Europe? What am I saying, I wouldn’t survive trekking around with only a backpack, I needed two damn suitcases to visit you for less than a week. What if I joined a cult? Nah, I can’t do minimalist, and I need electricity and flushing toilets.” Cassie rambled on.

Lex had to cut her off “Cass! Slow down!” He heard her take in a long deep breath and slowly let it out. He let her take a couple of more and continued “Cass, you did what you needed to do. You’ll be OK. I know you Cass, whatever you decide to do I’m sure you’ll be great at it. You’re lucky, you are good with people and when it comes to work, you’re one of the hardest working people I know.”

“Nemo, you know like, ten people.” Cassie interrupted.

“Shut up Cass, I could know a thousand and I’d still be right. You know what I’m saying. I do think you should take a few weeks before you decide what your next step is. Why don’t you come back here? You can help us get everything ready for the wedding.”

Cassie was silent, but only for a few seconds before she replied. “I think you’re right. I will come out, but I’ll wait until next week and you need to find me somewhere else to stay. You and Ian need your privacy. Maybe you can see if Ms. Helen will put up with me for a little while?”

Lex smiled as he told her “That’s a great idea Cass! I’ll give her a ring later and see if it’s OK.”

Cassie inhaled sharply and interjected “Ring! Lex have you guys picked out rings yet?”

Lex paled as he realized they had overlooked something really important. He knew they were forgetting something. He had a nagging feeling. Rings. Shit. “Dammit! Thanks for reminding me Cassie, I KNEW we were missing something. I hope it’s not too late if we need to order them. Shit!”

“Lex, don’t panic, and I have a suggestion. I know it’s going to sound really weird, but can I get your rings for you guys? I know that traditionally you’re supposed to pick your rings yourself, but my friend Lisa’s brother is a jeweller and we got to talking at a party she had this weekend and he came up with a design that I think would be absolutely perfect for you two. Please? I want this to be my wedding present to you. You mean the world to me Lex, and this would let me feel like I’m a small part of where you are going with your life.” Cassie offered.

“Yeah, it is a little weird, maybe more than a little, but somehow it feels right. You drive me absolutely crazy Cassie, but I love you and most of all I trust you. So, yeah, it’s OK.” Lex answered.

“I love you too. You know I’d do anything for you.” Cassie said.

“You already have Cass, you already have.” Lex reminded her.

Cassie deflected the direction of the conversation and told Lex to text her his ring size and Ian’s by tomorrow and she would take care of the rest. Wanting to put him back in the hot seat she asked “So when do you leave for Boston?”

Lex sighed and knew he couldn’t avoid this subject with her and said “We decided to leave on Wednesday, late in the morning so we can avoid the worst of the morning and evening rush hour traffic. The appointment is Friday so were going to do some sightseeing on Thursday. Ian wants me to try to have some fun. Depending on how this goes I’m going to either have good memories of Boston and will want to go back or I’ll never want to see the city again.”

“Did you listen to me and have some wild monkey sex with Hot Tattoo Dude?” she teased.

“None of your damn business! But I will say that my anxiety level has decreased” Lex retorted.

Cassie just laughed and finally said “Keep me in the loop with Boston. Call me if you need me. I really do love you, you big, socially awkward Neanderthal.”

“Love you too bitch,” was the reply right before Lex ended the call.

He really was feeling less anxious, but he knew that it probably wouldn’t last. He spent the rest of the afternoon working on the gazebo. It was nearly finished and after replacing the boards that weren’t salvageable he had managed to sand everything down. It had taken a little longer than he thought it would as the dust from sanding was sticky and had to be wiped down frequently. The only thing left was to seal it with a sealant made specifically for teak. Lex wanted the gazebo to retain its pretty golden honey brown coloring as long as possible. If left untreated it wouldn’t take long to return to the weathered gray color that Lex had found it in. He would have to wait until after Boston. Lex finished cleaning up and went inside. He didn’t feel like cooking so he shot a text off to Ian and asked him to pick up up some Thai food on the way home. He was in the mood for some spicy Chicken Pad Thai.

After a quick shower, he goofed off for a while and played a few games he had downloaded on his phone. Cassie made fun of him because he didn’t have any kind of social media account but could spend an hour playing Candy Crush with no problem. He told her that she was just jealous because he had made it through close to three thousand levels and she was was still under two thousand. So what?

Not long after running out of lives he heard Ian pull up. Lex greeted his man with a kiss and took one of the bags of food from him. After everything was on the counter they helped themselves to the aromatic food and talked about their respective days. Ian had someone come in who wanted a cover up on a scar on his leg from a cat bite that had become infected so badly that the guy needed surgery.

Ian told Lex “The scar isn’t huge, but it’s pretty gnarly. Can you imagine having to get surgery because of a CAT bite? At least if someone says they got bit by a dog it sounds kinda cool. But a cat?”

Lex agreed. He then told Ian about his call with Cassie going into her full diatribe over quitting her job. Ian thought it was a good idea for her to come back out next week. He knew if things went badly in Boston Lex would need his best friend.

When Lex mentioned rings Ian’s eyes went wide as he realized their huge omission. He heard Lex out as he explained that Cassie wanted to get their rings. It was definitely an odd offer, but somehow coming from Cassie Ian knew Lex was right in letting her choose the rings. She had done a helluva great job picking out their outfits. Ian knew nothing about jewelry. If it was up to him they would get plain gold bands and he was certain that Lex deserved better. He was actually relieved the decision was taken out of his hands. He told Lex what he thought his ring size was, the only ring he had ever worn was his class ring back in high school and he didn’t think his hands had changed since then.

Ian then remembered what else he had to tell Lex. “Hey remember when we showed Casey your tattoo and she said we should have it photographed for the shop? Well she finally got a hold of Shelley, she’s the girl who took all the other photos that are hanging. Anyways, she has time tomorrow morning if you still want to go through with it.”

Lex had forgotten all about agreeing to having his back photographed and thought for a minute before he said “Sure, I’m still OK with it. It’s beautiful and it’s your masterpiece. Of course it belongs in your shop. What time tomorrow?”

“I told her we could be there at ten. I figured we could go out for breakfast and then head over. That OK with you?” he asked.

Lex agreed and together they put away the leftovers and relaxed in front of the TV for another couple of episodes of Grey’s Anatomy. They had made it to season three and it was a nice little escape that they enjoyed together.

The next morning they stopped at Betty Ann’s for breakfast and arrived at Shelley’s studio right before ten o’clock. Her studio was on the first floor of a two family house. Ian told Lex that Shelley and her husband lived in the second floor apartment. The studio was bright and airy as so many of these older houses had big windows. It was divided into several rooms which Shelley used to take her photos. Some rooms had natural light coming in and some had the windows covered completely so Shelly could control the lighting. Ian introduced Lex to Shelley and explained that his entire back was covered and he wanted the shot to focus on Lex’s torso. Shelley led them into one of the rooms that had no windows and asked Lex to please take his shirt off so she could see what she would be working with.

Lex had become more comfortable with taking off his shirt, but still felt a little remaining apprehension.

He needn’t have worried however, as Shelly exclaimed “Holy fuckin’-A Ian! That is just fucking amazing! Absolutely stunning. Wow, I am fucking blown away.”

Ian chuckled and said “I figured as much with the third f-bomb.”

Shelley had the decency to blush and admitted “What do you want? Five older brothers will do that to a girl. They keep telling me it was my first word. I just tell them it was their fault.” She took the next couple of minutes to really take in all the details of Lex’s back.

“OK, I think I know what we should do.” Shelley informed them as she started placing lights and reflectors where she wanted. She had Lex stand in front of a large backdrop as she tested various settings with her lights. She then asked how far down the tattoo went as he had kept his jeans on and she didn’t see the tail whipping across his ass. When he told her she looked at him and said “You can go behind that screen over there and get undressed. There should be a robe hanging on a hook, put that on and come out when you’re ready.”

Lex did as he was told and was back out, wearing a dark blue robe after just a couple of minutes.

Shelley was sifting through some of the backdrops she had before deciding on a textured, medium brown backdrop. It reminded Lex of milk chocolate being poured out. Shelley explained that she wanted the background to contrast with colors of the tattoo but still remain neutral. She asked Lex to stand in front of the backdrop and turn so his back was to her and then he could hand his robe to Ian. Ian took the robe as Lex did as she asked.

Shelley took a few test shots, adjusted a few things and then got to work. She had move his feet apart, move them together, turn slightly to the right, slightly to the left, chin up, chin down. Lex felt a little like a puppet but did as he was told. After close to a half hour Shelley felt like she had enough shots and told Lex he could put the robe back on. Once he was covered up she asked the two men to come over to where her computer was set up on a table off to the side. She clicked a few times and Lex’s images appeared. The three of them watched as she slowly scrolled through about 100 images. Lex and Ian were impressed.

Shelley quickly discarded several of the images, saying the angle or the lighting wasn’t right. They continued to keep scrolling through and eliminating shots until they were down to about 15 of them.

Lex was scrutinizing them more closely as it was his back after all. However, his eyes kept being drawn to one shot in particular. In it he had his arms crossed in front of him so that the fingers of his right hand showed at the top of his left shoulder and the fingers of his left hand settled on his right ribs, the pinky just above the tip of the manta’s wing. His feet were planted shoulder width apart and his torso was twisted slightly to the right, making his lats stand out and add to the illusion of the moonlit mountains jumping off his back. His head was turned slightly to the right revealing just a hint of his profile. His ass was flexed in such a way that the lighting had caught the manta’s tail perfectly. The photo ended at his mid-thigh just below where the tattoo stopped. Overall the picture was stunning.

Lex pointed and said “That one. It’s perfect.”

Both Ian and Shelley agreed. Lex went back behind the screen to get dressed again as they wouldn’t need to take anymore shots. Coming back out he heard Ian and Shelley discussing the size. They agreed that it needed to be large and finally decided that the photo itself would three feet across and four feet in length, once matted and framed it would be four by six feet. Next they looked at samples of frames and after narrowing it down and waffling back and forth, they finally decided on a flat maple frame stained a few shades darker than the backdrop. Shelley had told them that it was perfect in its simplicity. The tattoo itself was so complex and vibrant it didn’t need a fancy, ornate frame. It would stand out on its own. Shelley informed them that it would take a couple of weeks to do and she would call them when it was ready. Ian had already given her his credit card. He told Lex that it was for his shop, therefore a business expense.

They thanked Shelley and headed home to pack for their trip to Boston. Lex was starting to feel nervous again and Ian just kept touching him and giving him reassuring looks in addition to plenty of hugs and kisses.

On Wednesday Lex was up early and sat out on the patio in the cool morning air with a tumbler of coffee. His mind kept running through different scenarios and his foot wouldn’t stop tapping out a cadence on the stone beneath him. Ian finally came out and joined him carrying a tray with more coffee, creamer and two bowls of Lucky Charms.

Lex raised an eyebrow at him when he saw the cereal.

“What? They’re magically delicious” said Ian with a really bad fake Irish accent.

Lex let out a soft laugh and told him “Thank you, you know exactly what I needed.”

Ian looked at him and Lex could see the flash of red, the red that is love, brighten around him. “I think you’re going to be OK Lex, no matter what happens in two days, you’ll be OK. Even if you feel like you’re not. I’ll make sure I remind you. I love you.”

The two men enjoyed their cereal and finished off the coffee. The air gradually warmed up a little as the sun made its way higher in the sky. The leaves were starting to turn and show off shades of red, orange and yellow. They were predicting a slightly later than normal peak in this area which meant the weekend of the wedding should be amazing as long as the weather remained nice. Several years earlier a bad fall windstorm had stripped the trees of their leaves prematurely, cheating a good part of New England out of its typical fall display of color.

The rest of the morning went by quickly as they cleaned up and took their shower, with just a little bit of groping involved, and packed the last minute items like toothbrushes and deodorant after they finished using them. By eleven-thirty they were ready and with one last sweep through the house to make sure all the doors and windows were locked, they finally grabbed their bags and headed out to Lex’s new SUV.

Lex handed Ian the keys knowing that he was too wound up to try and navigate traffic in Boston. That town had some crazy ass drivers and Lex wanted to still be alive at the end of the day. Once the bags were stowed in the back they both got in and buckled up. Ian adjusted the mirrors slightly then looked over at Lex.

Handing Lex his phone he just smiled and said “Hit the one that says ‘Road trip’”

As Ian pulled out of the driveway his fingers were tapping along to the catchy beat and his silky baritone voice serenaded Lex with The Romantic’s What I Like About You. Lex laughed and soon joined in. The road trip playlist was all upbeat 80’s rock and roll, pure and simple. They headed down the Mass Pike east toward God only knows what singing along to The Police, Pat Benatar, Def Leppard with a little Bon Jovi, Quiot Riot and Guns n Roses thrown in. Luckily both men had decent voices and actually sounded pretty good together.

The ride was close to two hours and it didn’t seem like very long until the skyline of the city appeared in the distance. The traffic got heavier as they approached the downtown area. There were a few moments when Lex had to just close his eyes when some asshole cut them off and then slammed on their brakes. He heard quite the array of swear word combinations coming from Ian who was doing an incredible job of keeping his cool.

The GPS in the vehicle gave them directions and they managed to make it to the hotel without being killed or maimed. Lex had decided to splurge on this little trip and he had reserved a suite at the Boston Harbor Hotel. He figured why not? If things went badly and he never came to the city at least he would have memories of a nice hotel stay. The hotel was right on the harbor as its name indicated. Ian pulled up in front of the entrance and they were greeted by a very pleasant porter. The hotel had valet parking which they took advantage of. Not only was traffic horrendous in this city, parking was a bitch as well. Lex knew it was worth every penny.

The porter placed their bags on a rolling cart and led them inside. They went up to the counter and were greeted pleasantly by the girl manning the front counter. The check in process went rather quickly and smoothly. Lex handed the girl his driver’s license and Amex card and it wasn’t long before she handed him back two room cards and wished them a pleasant stay. The porter politely took one of the key cards and led them to the elevator.

Les had reserved an Admiral’s Suite and as they were led into their room they were both impressed. The suite had a separate bedroom with a king bed. The living room area was tastefully furnished and sliding glass doors led out to a good sized terrace with wicker outdoor furniture. The view was directly overlooking the harbor and they could see a plane taking off from the airport on the other side of the water.

The porter asked if they had any question and Lex shook his head no and then thanked the guy for his help, giving him a nice tip. They unpacked the clothes that needed to be hung up and put the rest in drawers. Ian asked Lex if he wanted to do a little sightseeing and then grab an early dinner, which Lex agreed was a good idea.

The hotel was within walking distance to Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall so they headed off in that direction. Lex had fun browsing at the kiosks that lined the two long buildings making up the Market. They stopped and watched some street performers in the cobblestoned area separating Quincy Market from Faneuil Hall. Faneuil Hall itself was just an enclosed market with a lot of the vendors selling typical touristy shirts, mugs and keychains. They liked browsing through all the tacky paraphernalia but weren’t actually tempted to buy anything. They were, however, getting hungry. They came across two places side by side at the end of one of the long buildings of Quincy Market.

Lex browsed the menus posted outside and then told Ian “This one, they have lobster mac and cheese, you in?”

Ian looked up at the sign that said Cissy K’s and replied “Sounds good to me.”

Luckily they didn’t have to wait as it was a weekday and was a little early for the dinner crowd. They were seated at a table next to a window looking out at the Market. Their waitress came over with menus and asked them if they would like a drink. They both ordered a Sam Adams, when in Rome and all that. Lex had already decided he wanted the lobster mac and cheese. Ian, however couldn’t decide between that and the steak tips. Lex looked at the description and they did sound good.

“Let’s get both” he suggested. They hadn’t eaten since their early breakfast and they were both hungry.

When the waitress returned with their beers they were happy to find out that they could get the mac and cheese and an order of steak tips without the sides that normally came with the meal. Lex didn’t like to waste food and he knew he wouldn’t finish pasta, meat and two side dishes. They both got the same thing and ordered the steak tips medium rare of course.

In short order the food arrived and it far exceeded what they were expecting. Not only did the lobster mac and cheese have big chunks of succulent lobster meat it also had large scallops as well and the portion was huge. The steak tips had been marinated and seared to perfection. Lex ranked it as one of the best meals he had ever had. After finishing every last morsel on their plates plus another beer each they passed on dessert. When the bill arrived Lex though it was really reasonable for the amount and quality of the food they had. He took care of the check and Ian left a generous tip for their waitress.

They walked around the area some more, discovering that the Boston Aquarium was right down the street. Lex told Ian that if things went well and they came back they would have to bring Cassie, she loved aquariums. They finally headed back to the hotel around 8:00 after stopping for some ice cream. Lex was getting tired and despite the distractions was starting to feel a little anxious.

Arriving back at their suite they ordered a bottle of Pinot Grigio and relaxed on their terrace watching the planes take off and land across the harbor. When Ian noticed that Lex was starting to drift off he woke him up with a kiss and led him back inside and after they both used the bathroom he slid into bed next to Lex and pulled him close until he felt him relax as slumber took over. Ian kissed the back of his head and finally let his eyes close. He was worried for Lex, he really hoped things would work out. Lex deserved it.

Thursday morning after they woke up they decided to go down to the hotel’s restaurant for breakfast before heading out for the day. Ian had grabbed some information from the tourist center at Faneuil Hall the day before and over omelets, coffee and bacon they decide to get a day pass for the Hop On/Hop Off bus.

They spent the day exploring the town, taking in the USS Constitution, Bunker Hill, the Old North Church. They walked through Boston Commons and went for a ride on one of the famous swan boats. They got off the tourist bus near the top of Newbury Street and stopped in a few of the eclectic shops on the bottom level of some of the brownstone buildings lining the street. Ian was surprised to see a Tervis store, you don’t normally see them outside of Florida. They went in and ended up buying several sets of wine glasses as well as two ice buckets. Lex saw one of the 24 oz tumblers with a picture of Dory and Nemo on it and just had to get it for Cassie. He even got himself a tumbler with the skyline of Boston on it, he figured even if things went south with his father he had at least enjoyed the time that he spent with Ian and he would always hold onto that happy memory.

When they finally made it back to the hotel that evening both men were tired from all the walking they did that day. Ian could see the tension starting to build so he led Lex into the shower and let the hot water ease some of the tension. After they got in bed their lovemaking was sweet and tender. It never ceased to amaze Ian how much he loved Lex. Finally drifting off to sleep, holding the man he would do anything for, Ian’s last thought was that he hoped for the best for tomorrow.