by Jaden Wilkes
“Shhhhh you’re blowing my romantic gesture,” Tyr laughed and looked at Sarah. She was shocked. “What? I thought that would be creepy, crawling into your bed. I wanted it to be more dramatic, what can I say, I believe in grand gestures.”
Sarah smiled, “Ok, you’re so adorable you’re off the hook. But seriously, next time use the door...you freaked me out last night.”
Tyr kissed her lips, turned to Nic and asked “Where are mom and dad?”
“They’re working today, so it’s just us...want to throw a kegger?”
“Oh yes, we could get a real rager going on a weekday afternoon. I actually wanted to talk about a new tattoo, maybe I’ll head down to the shop later when you guys meet up with Eric.”
“Could we meet up with you down there? I’m dying to see the place,” Naomi said.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be there, but we can figure it all out. Are you coming with me, or going with them?” Tyr asked Nic.
“I think I’ll come with you, I don’t fancy spending lunch watching Naomi play good girl with some Amish guy,” she turned to Naomi and said “I know, I know, Mennonite...I was exaggerating for dramatic effect!”
Naomi stuck her tongue out at her girlfriend and laughed.
Sarah stretched, grabbed her phone and said “Well, let’s get this over with. My parents will be eagerly waiting to find out how it went.”
*****
Tyr dropped Sarah and Naomi off at a small cafe an hour later. Sarah tilted her head up for a kiss, then laid her head on his shoulder and said “I wish you could come with us.”
“It’s not too late,” he jumped in.
“You know how weird that would be if my parents found out. Neither one of us wants to deal with the questions. We’ll see you soon. Eric will drop us off at the shop in a couple of hours, max.”
“Try and have fun with it at least,” Tyr said. “I love you,” he kissed her again.
“I love you too,” Sarah said, sighed heavily and got out of the Jeep.
Naomi seemed upbeat, she chattered the entire time they were waiting for Eric, but Sarah barely listened. She was running through scenarios in which she could take Tyr to meet her family and they wouldn’t freak out. She just didn’t know how this would ever be possible, but she didn’t want to live without him in her life. How could she bring these two worlds together successfully?
“Sarah?” she heard a deep voice behind her.
“Yes,” Sarah and Naomi replied at exactly the same time. Naomi kicked her under the table and gave her the old ‘shut the fuck up look’. Sarah blushed and looked down as Naomi stood up and said “You must be Eric, this is my friend Naomi.”
Sarah turned around and stood up, seeing him for the first time. Her heart jumped, he was devastatingly handsome. She was at a loss for words, so she squeaked out “Hi” and held out her hand. His large hand enclosed hers with a firm shake, she felt a small shock travel up her arm, almost making her pull back from the jolt. He had to be well over six feet and was blonde, with piercing greyish blue eyes. He had a strong jaw, was clean shaven and had thick, shoulder length hair. His body was lean and muscular, his forearms looked powerful, like he could pick her up and swing her around with one hand. He had a relaxed natural ease, he was obviously somebody that was comfortable in his own skin, and who wouldn’t be if they looked like him? He wasn’t paying attention to her, so she was able to sneak in a few more glances as they all sat down. He was gorgeous, that’s the only thing that raced through her mind. Her body responded but her brain wrestled with her reaction. Come on, he’s not that perfect, he’s no Tyr, that’s for sure.
And he wasn’t. He was open, funny, honest and kind. Not that Tyr isn’t kind, she thought, but Tyr presented Sarah with a constant challenge, Eric was a refreshing change. Had everything been on the up and up, she would have worried about herself with him, luckily he focused most of his attention on Naomi so Sarah could work through her feelings now that she had met him.
Naomi was being charming and awesome, which was against the plan, but impossible to avoid when you were speaking with somebody like Eric. Sarah watched his face as he spoke, his lips were full and soft, he had a fine light fuzz of blonde hair on his arms that made her want to run her hands along them, and his hands were rough and masculine. She could tell he made his living using his body, she wondered what he would look like in his uniform and if he carried a gun. All of this was too much of a turn on for her, so she did her best to think about Tyr. When did I become this oversexed monster? she thought, mentally smacking herself. Stop daydreaming and focus on Tyr.
Naomi got up to go to the washroom, aka text Nic about the meeting so far, and Sarah was suddenly grateful that Tyr and Nic were not with them. It would have been horrible watching Tyr’s reaction to this blonde god. She loved him, but she already knew he wasn’t exactly a subtle or polished man when it came to protecting what was his. Eric fixed his gaze on her and said “It was so nice of you to come along Naomi, I’ve heard so much about you I feel like I already know you.” Sarah smiled and tried to think of a clever response but came up with nothing.
Eric leaned towards her and said “So tell me what you’re taking in school.” Shit, fuck, what would Naomi be taking? She couldn't remember so she told him “Archaeology,” in a panic.
“Oh wow, the same as Sarah, that’s cool. I studied biology, that’s how I got into the department of fisheries. It worked out though, I’ve always loved Prince Rupert.” He started talking, she loosened up and soon the two of them were leaned together laughing and telling stories. Sarah had to pretend to know nothing about him, but was pleased that he shared so much, even things she hadn’t learned via text messaging. His voice was calm and he was witty, she was so enthralled she hadn’t noticed the time passing. Naomi came back to the table and looked confused at the newly developed connection between Eric and Sarah. It was obvious that they had a crazy chemistry, but the ruse had to be upheld now that it had gone on this long. Sarah thought she might reveal their deception, she wanted to see the look on Eric’s face when he realized that she was in fact the girl he’d been talking to.
A couple of hours passed too quickly and soon Naomi was reminding them that they had to be dropped off. Eric got up, offered his hand to Sarah and helped her up. As though in afterthought, he turned to Naomi and did the same. Naomi’s lips were pursed and Sarah knew she was unhappy with how things had progressed. Naomi might not be interested in men, but she wasn’t used to being ignored.
The three of them walked to Eric’s truck and he opened the door for the girls. Naomi almost pushed Sarah out of the way to get in the middle. Sarah, having come to her senses somewhat, didn’t mind...she couldn’t imagine Tyr’s reaction if she was snuggled up to Eric when they pulled up to the shop.
At the shop Eric jumped out and opened the door again. Sarah got out, shook his hand and didn’t resist when he pulled her into a hug. He lingered a few seconds too long for it to be just friendly, and she enjoyed the feel of his hard, strong body pressed against hers. They broke apart, he locked eyes with her and said “It was...interesting. I’m so glad I got to meet you Naomi.” Sarah almost corrected him, caught herself and said “you too, take care.” She stepped back and let him hug Naomi, noting that it was awkward and over with in a moment. They said their goodbyes and he drove off. As Sarah walked towards the shop she caught Tyr watching them through the window, his eyes dark, his face flat. She knew he must have seen the entire thing and felt a sharp pang of guilt. How was she going to keep his friendship if she felt this incredible attraction to him?
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
The shop was called Gypsy Ink, Sarah didn’t know what to expect, but it clean and looked almost clinical. There were several dentist chairs arranged around the interior, hundreds of posters of designs on the wall, and three tattoo artists busy at work. Sarah asked about the name and Nic explained that her mother’s ancestors had been Roma from Europe, so it was an homage to where the family came fr
om. Sarah leaned close to Nic and said “This is going to sound weird, but what are your parent’s names?” She was embarrassed that she hadn’t picked them up the first night, she had been so focused on Tyr, and the next day had been even worse.
“Alexander and Julia, and don’t worry about it...most people just call them Nic’s mom and dad,” she smiled.
Sarah tried to catch Tyr’s attention, but he wasn’t looking at her. His face was a mask of indifference, but she knew he must be seething just under the surface. She couldn’t stand it, she walked over to the tall table he was sitting at. He was busy sketching something on a large pad of paper. I didn’t know he’s an artist. He was always full of surprises.
“What are you working on?” she asked and leaned over his shoulder. He covered the page with his hand and said “nothing much, just a new idea.”
“Can I see it?”
“You will eventually, but not right now.”
“Are you ok?”
“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”
She didn’t know what to say. Perhaps she had over overreacted and he hadn’t been angry with their long goodbye.
“Can we head back to Nic’s parent’s place?” she whispered in his ear. She pressed herself up against him and rubbed his leg, stopping on the upper thigh where she could feel his bulge. Please don’t mention the hug, it meant nothing, she thought. It really was meaningless now that she was standing next to Tyr.
He turned to her, put his arm around her waist and said “I’d like that.” He grabbed the paper, they said their goodbyes and headed for the door. Sarah swore she heard Naomi or Nic making the squeaky mattress sound again, she flashed red and turned around. Both girls had perfectly serene looks on their faces, their eyes looking up at the ceiling. Sarah laughed, grabbed Tyr’s hand and they left.
The house was empty when they got back, Tyr used his keys and let them in.
“You really did have keys!” Sarah laughed, “Why didn’t you use them?”
“I told you,” he replied, sweeping her into an embrace. “I wanted to be romantic, not creepy.” He leaned over her, kissed her and sucked her lower lip.
She pulled him to the bedroom and they were soon naked and exploring each other in the mellow late afternoon light. Sarah forgot everything she felt about Eric, being in Tyr’s presence didn’t allow for thoughts of anyone else. He was larger than life in her mind, he was slowly becoming her everything and teaching her the true meaning of love.
The sun was going down when they heard Nic’s dad get home from work. They didn’t say a word, just huddled under the covers giggling until he went upstairs. The rest of the group got home, there was a gentle knock at the door at one point, Naomi called “Hey guys, we’re going for dinner, are you coming?”
“No, I think we’ll pass,” Sarah replied, stifling a gasp as Tyr’s tongue found the sensitive spot between her thighs.
Everyone left the house and Sarah allowed herself to cry out in pleasure. When she was finished, Tyr came up to hold her and they giggled again at the thought of getting caught and their own indulgence.
During a quiet moment Sarah turned to him and asked “What were you drawing today in the shop?”
Tyr paused, then got out of bed and grabbed a sheet of paper, holding it out to Sarah. She took it and drew in a sharp breath. It was her, but not her. In the pencil sketch she was beautiful, her big teeth looked normal, her chubby face was shaped with smooth angles and her eyes...her eyes glowed with a confidence and fire that she never imagined she possessed. She was humbled by the way he drew her.
“Tyr, I look...so different,” she finally said, looking at him, she felt a small tear in the corner of one eye.
“You look like you Sarah, that’s how you look,” Tyr frowned, reached up and brushed the tear off her cheek. “What do you think you look like?”
“Not like this, this makes me look so beautiful and confident, and we both know that I’m neither of these things,” she looked down at the image again, wishing she was this spectacular.
Tyr cupped her face in his hands, tilted it up to look at him and said “You are beautiful...and breathtaking, amazing, perfect. It angers me that you would ever feel less than this.” His eyes were fierce when he spoke, she could see the truth there for a moment, that she was all of these things. In looking at herself through Tyr’s eyes she became beautiful and perfect, all her inner dialogue and nagging self-doubt was swept away. For a few moments, in his arms, she felt amazing and confident, like she could stand up to her family and follow her dreams. She laid her head on his chest and said “Thank you.” He wrapped his strong arms around her and breathed her in, inhaling the scent of her...messy hair, sweaty brow, tired and limp from the abundance of sex and kissed the back of her neck.
Lying in his arms, Sarah began to trace his tattoos. She was, as always, mesmerized by the intricate patterns. “What do these mean?” she asked, she pressed her ear to his bare chest to listen to him talk. She loved the sound of his deep voice vibrating through his muscle. In such a short time she had developed small habits of familiarity and comfort with his body. She smiled at this discovery.
“They all represent my family history.”
“You mean your mother’s people? I remember you mentioning that one time.”
“I thought you were too drunk to remember,” he laughed. “And yes, some are from my mother, some from my father.”
She pulled up and looked at him. “I thought your father was white.”
He frowned, his cheeks turned red and he mumbled “how did you know that?”
“Julia told me, she was surprised that I didn’t know. Why didn’t you tell me that? In fact, what’s your last name? Why do I know so little about you, oh mysterious lover of mine?” She grinned and rested her chin on her hands, blinking at him like a silent movie starlet.
He relaxed, his cheeks lost their blush and he said “It’s true, my dad’s a white guy. He wasn’t around when I was growing up though, so I try not to mention him all that often. When he was around, he was a bastard who treated my mom like shit. He’s Scandinavian.”
“Like from Europe? Or was he born in Canada?”
“He’s from Denmark, as blonde and blue eyed as they come.”
“Do you ever see him?” she asked, wondering why he was opening up to her now.
“I see him around town, that’s about it. He brags about me being his son, but he was never a father. It’s kinda fucked up.”
“Is your name First Nations or Danish?
“It’s Danish, my dad didn’t want his son having an Indian name,” he said, his lips pressed in a grim line.
“I’ve never heard it before, I love it,” she said and kissed his chest trying to keep him from retreating from her again. She loved this moment, he was sharing so much.
“I like it now, but growing up with it was tough. I was a little half breed kid running around with a weird name,” he laughed but she could see the pain in his eyes. She kissed him again and asked “Are you ever going to tell me your last name?”
“Oh yeah, it’s Andersson. It doesn’t get any whiter than that!”
“Sarah Andersson...hmmm...it has a nice ring to it,” she grinned and enjoyed seeing his eyes widen as he cleared his throat. “I’m kidding! Don’t get your panties in a knot, I’m not planning our wedding...yet,” she grimaced, and laughed again at his surprised discomfort.
“Anyhow, yes...My name is Tyr Aaron Andersson. Pleased to meet you...sorry, I didn’t catch your name earlier?”
She slapped him gently and said “I’m Sarah Agnes Miller. And yes, you can get whiter than Andersson...come on, how many über white names could my parents string together?”
“I love it, it suits you.”
Sarah rolled her eyes and said “Ok, you have to talk about your tattoos. You know those are the reason I noticed you in the first place. Well, that and the fact that you’re drop dead gorgeous, but the tats definitely helped.”
Tyr flexed his f
orearms and said “That’s why I got them, drives the ladies wild.” Sarah laughed, but couldn’t help but feel an instant warmth between her legs. They really do drive me wild.
“So Tyr in Norse mythology is this one armed god who caught this wolf, the wolf bit his hand off,” he started explaining. “So this figure you see here,” he traced his finger up a long knotted looking animal, “is the wolf, representing my father’s side...Tyr.” She could now see the tail beginning at his wrist and winding up around his forearm, bicep and continuing onto his chest. They were the same on either side, the wolf heads met in a perfect mirrored image across from each other, snarling mouths open, but worked in amongst abstract knot work and design. She could see it now, the artistry was exquisite.
“So you’re named for a god? Don’t let that go to your head,” she smiled, suddenly remembering her flippant remark to her mother about treating her husband like a god. Could that be Tyr, is he my future husband? The thought made her tipsy.
“Naw, it never would. But you can feel free to worship me at any time,” he smiled and she felt so connected to him. It was addictive, finding out this much about Tyr Aaron Andersson. He continued, “The other patterns are more of a general decoration, the kind of thing you’d find on Norse carvings. Julia helped me rework all my drawings for the arm and chest, but I designed all of it myself.”
“They are really beautiful Tyr, very well done. I should get you to come up with something for me one day.”
“I would be honoured. Maybe for our wedding day,” he grinned and it was his turn to laugh at her surprise.
“Ha ha, good one,” she stuck her tongue out at him, he tried to grab it with his fingers, she giggled and ducked out of the way. “Ok, so that’s the Norse stuff, what about your Native side?” she asked.
“My mother’s clan are the raven people, the Ganhada. So if you look carefully, you can see him starting here,” he pointed to a spot below the wolf head on his chest, “and continue down to my hand here.” He outlined the raven head that she had recognized when she first met him. It was done in a northwest coast style, mostly in black but outlined in red. It was also exquisite work, breathtaking when she had the chance to study it fully. Both tattoos worked together perfectly, knotting and weaving in and out of each other. The metaphor of the symbols was not lost on her, she knew Tyr struggled to maintain balance with both sides of his background and she admired him for it.