Please let them be fine.

I sighed and straightened, stretching my muscles before making my way to the door. I paused outside, catching the sight of Lou and Bay talking through the window. Will jumped in on their conversation, talking animatedly with his hands. I was glad to be at work, to be with Lou. If I’d been home today, it would have been more difficult to distract myself away from my worry. It was also difficult to be stressed around Will and Bay. Will was a big, tattooed ball of sunshine, and Bay was entertaining as fuck.

The smell of incense hit my nostrils when I opened the door, woven through with all of the cleaning chemicals, inks, and a few of my favorite people. Lou’s laugh filtered through the music and I automatically smiled. It was hard not to when I heard her laugh.

Mine.

Yours.

Did she mean it? And if she did, what did she mean by it? Just for that moment? For a few weeks? Forever?

Did I want forever? That seemed like such a vast thing to consider. All I knew was that I was happy where I was. Lou felt like home.

I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her back against my chest.

Will brightened. “Oh, are we cuddling now? Is it cuddle time?” Will put his arms around us. He squeezed and let out a happy sigh. “I love cuddle time.”

“You have no boundaries,” Lou said, patting his shoulder.

“Do you want me to stop cuddling you?” Will asked the question, but it was apparent that he was sure of the outcome. “That’s what I thought,” Will said, his tone smug. “Bay, get in here.”

Bay grumbled, but joined in the hug.

“Nicki,” Will yelled at the other tattoo artist in the back. “You want in on cuddle time?”

“You touch me, you die!” Nicki chirped.

“Fair enough,” Will said. “I just didn’t want you to feel left out!” Will made a scoffing noise. “No boundaries, indeed.”

“I take it back,” Lou mumbled. “Now let me breathe.”

The other two men backed off, but I stayed attached to Lou. “Your last appointment seemed pretty happy,” I said to Will. “Big tip.”

“She should be happy,” Will said. “She left here with a four-hundred-and-fifty-dollar vulva.”

Lou made a rolling motion with her hands. “Explain.”

“Rose gold jewelry,” he clarified. “A gift from her husband. She said that ‘her girl was worth it.’”

“Was her girl worth it?” Lou asked curiously.

“It is if she says it is,” Will said. “Nothing wrong with treating yourself right.” He looked at Bay. “Speaking of treating yourself right, I’m coming with you to dinner, right?”

Bay checked his phone. “I’ve got a consultation.” He tucked his phone away. “So you might want to ride with Lou and I’ll catch up when I can.”

We agreed to take Will and then I got back to work, finishing up what I needed to do before we had to leave.