“Now you’re one of us,” her boyfriend Nate said, smiling at her, his blue-gray eyes sparkling. She watched as Nate’s family huddled around, inspecting Vic’s work. Ash had always been an outsider, afraid to get close to people. Nate had changed all of that.

Leslie, the sweet-faced seventeen-year-old from Padre Island with dimples and streaks of purple through her brown hair, smiled and high-fived Ash.

“Nate’s right. You’re so badass. You didn’t even flinch,” she said approvingly, holding her wrist up to show off her matching tattoo. Ash smiled back at her, watching as Leslie flitted away toward the center of camp.

Kelsey and Andrea, the hipster couple from Portland, weren’t the chatty types, but even they seemed pleased, patting Ash on the back before they moved away. Eli, the youngest of the group at fifteen, giggled, pushing his platinum-blond hair out of his eyes as he held up his own forearm to Ash to reveal his matching tattoo, like he was a superhero and they were activating their powers. “It’s awesome, Ash. We’re lucky to have you here.”

“Thanks, E,” Ash said, squeezing his hand. He blushed, and hurried over to the center of camp.

“That kid’s got it bad,” Nate said teasingly.

Ash shrugged, offering up an exaggerated hair flip. “What can I say? I’m irresistible.”

Nate laughed. “Agreed.” He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. A groan interrupted the moment. Until now Vic, the family’s resident tattoo artist, had been silent, but he was shaking his head, a mock look of disgust. “Can we cool it with the PDAs? Mo’s here with dinner and I’m about to lose my appetite,” he said as he carefully packed his needles into a small black bag.

Ash laughed. Nineteen-year-old Vic was the most serious of the group. At first, Ash had found him a bit unnerving. He was a mountain of a man at six foot five, with arms the size of tree trunks, and his entire face was covered in tattoos, not an inch to spare. The others had warned her it would be impossible to win Vic over, but Ash always loved a challenge.

“Sorry, Vic. Can’t stop. Won’t stop,” Ash said, planting another kiss on Nate, who laughed. Vic rolled his eyes, but Ash clocked the hint of a smile. She was finally making progress.

“Hey, Vic, mind giving me and my girl a few minutes alone?” Nate asked.

Vic nodded, glancing down once more at his handiwork. “It really is amazing,” Ash replied.

This time she got an honest-to-goodness smile as Vic shuffled away to join the others. Mo, the family’s matriarch, had arrived and was handing out sandwiches. She offered Ash a friendly wave. Ash waved back. “The food is here, and I know you’re hungry.” Nate was always hungry. “We should join the others,” she said.

“Let them wait,” Nate said, staring at back at her with those worshipful eyes. Sometimes his intensity made Ash uneasy, as though she weren’t quite worthy of his devotion. He pulled Ash closer, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. The folding camp chair sagged under their weight. She didn’t care. She loved being here in his arms, watching as the sun disappeared into the horizon, light bouncing off the downtown city skyline.