Page 114 of Malaise
EPILOGUE
“Lunch, babe.” Carver holds out my snap-lock container of leftovers as I snatch my backpack off our two-seater.
“Shit, thanks.” I forgot to take it to course yesterday, and we don’t have anything in the bank account for me to buy again.
Life is tough, measured in dollars and cents and which bill needs them more. But it’s ours, and we’re happy with the progress we’ve made.
“Don’t forget to pick up more washing powder on your way home, okay?” I give him a quick peck on the lips as he dashes past me to find his other work boot.
We struggled for five months before he finally found employment in the city. It’s base rate work with the promise of something more if he proves himself, but it’s a job all the same and it meant we could move out of the shared accommodation we were in and find our own one-room flat.
“Come on, or we’ll miss the train.”
He hops across the floor, tugging his boot on. “Yeah, I know. You got everything?”
It’s the same hustle every morning, the same routine, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. He’s tired when he gets in after busting his arse as a builder’s lackey every day, and I’m mentally drained after a day of note-taking and making sure I absorb as much as I can to be sure to ace the end of year exams. Yet we’re together, and our future looks good. He can train in a specific trade if he chooses, or work his way through the ranks with the company he’s with. And once I finish studying and get a job, the added income means we could find somewhere that’s bigger than Carver’s old bedroom at his dad’s place.
I hesitate while Carver opens our front door, and just take him in. His studs might have gone, replaced by high-vis stripes, but the Mohawk remains, albeit shorter, and he’s even added a few small tattoos to the collection. My favourite one being a king’s crown to match the queen’s one I had inked on the back of my neck.
“You okay?”
I nod and take his offered hand. “Just counting my blessings again.”
He looks down at me as we reach the stairs, and smiles. “Forever and always, Meg. I meant it when I first said it to you, and I mean it even more now.”
“Forever and always.”
He links his fingers through mine and we walk the same way we do every day to the station, talking through our wild plans for the future and how we’re going to manage to conquer them one by one.
“You know,” I say as we wait at the platform. “I had a thought yesterday about what you could do if building isn’t your thing.”
“Yeah?” He never complains, but I know that it’s just a job for him; it’s not his passion like veterinary science is for me.
“Don’t be mad, but I made a call and asked a few questions.”
He frowns, looping his arm around my shoulders. “To who?”
“Wolf.”
He gives me a small smile, shaking his head. Tanya’s been dating Wolf for a few months, and the protective side of Carver still struggles with the fact another man is looking out for his sister’s best interests now. “What are you up to?”
“I saw the drawing you did last week.” He tried to hide it from me, stashing it under the sofa. “And it got me thinking. What if you transferred that passion to a career?”
“As a tattoo artist?”
“Why not?” I shrug.
He stares off at the people who mill about waiting on their daily commute also. I can’t pick his thoughts; his guard is up as he turns the idea over in his mind.
“It was just an idea,” I say. “Don’t worry about it. We can focus on getting into a bigger place once I get work first, okay?”
“I like it.”
“You do?”
He nods, bringing his gaze back to mine. “I mean, it makes me nervous to think if I screwed up it’d be forever on someone, but I like the idea.”
I throw my arms around his middle and lean into his chest. “You’d be good at it. I’d let you give me one.”