Draw Me In by Regina Cole Regina Cole Page A

people.
    “I need to get some homework done. Early class.” I smiled tightly and grabbed my bag from beneath the counter. “I’ll see you tomorrow, though. Four o’clock, right?”
    The disappointment was plain on his face, but he nodded. “Yeah. Four is great.”
    “Thanks, Neill. See ya.”
    Without looking back, I trotted through the lobby and shoved open the back door. Pressing a trembling hand to my lips, I walked faster. I needed to put distance between us if I was going to get some perspective on this situation. And perspective was something that I desperately needed.
    Neill
    I watched as Hailey disappeared out the back door, the heavy metal swinging shut behind her with a thump. Shit.
    The other guys had already bugged out for the evening, leaving me there in the shop alone. The lights were out in all the rooms except my studio and the lobby, where I stood.
    I let my fist fall to the counter with a heavy thump. I’d really fucked today up.
    With a sigh, I headed back to my studio. Why had I deserted her like that? I had promised her that the other guys and I would be there for her, but I’d spent more time in here with clients and farting around with my sketchpad than I had helping her learn her job.
    Was it because of how you feel when you’re with her? the inner voice sneered. You want her, and you can’t deny that, as much as you hate the idea.
    “Dammit,” I groaned as I fell onto the stool by the black tattoo chair. “I do want her.”
    Soft drums thumped through my speakers, and I glared at them. I must have forgotten to shut off my iPod when the last client left, so it was cycling through my most recent playlist. Lacing my fingers, I propped them atop my head as I tried to sort out my tangled thoughts.
    She’d been wonderful, really. She’d remembered everything Tasha had taught her the day before, and what she hadn’t remembered, she’d figured out. Even with some pretty tough clients, she’d seemed to hold her own. But as the day wore on, her eyes had gotten tired, her smile more strained. And then I’d kissed her. By the time she’d run out the back door, I’d been afraid she’d snap like a guitar string.
    The counter spread out in front of me, all my inks back in place, my machine cleaned and ready for the next piece of art that would be mine to create. The rack of drawers beneath the counter drew my notice, and without really wanting to, I rolled the stool toward them. Running my fingers down the front, I stopped at the third drawer and pulled it open.
    The sketchpad’s corner had been crumpled by the careless way I’d shoved it in there earlier. Carefully, almost reverently, I pulled the pad from the drawer and smoothed out the creases as best I could. Standing, I laid the sketchpad on the counter and opened it to the page I’d been working on earlier.
    Hailey, laughing up from the page. My chest ached for a second, and then I made a decision.
    With quick, brutal movements, I ripped the sheet from the sketchpad and then slammed the book shut. Crumpling the drawing, I stalked through the dim studio and threw open the back door, moving out to the gravel lot behind. Grabbing the lighter that Roger kept stashed behind a loose brick at the back of the shop, I crouched in the rough rocks and lit a corner of the drawing. Small orange flames started eating away at the paper, then licked higher, blackening the paper and curling it tightly until flakes of ash floated away in the slight breeze. When the flames got high enough to flick close to my skin, I let the paper drift to the gravel-covered ground.
    This attraction to Hailey had to die here and now. I wasn’t doing her any favors. Or myself, if I was honest. Remembering the panicked way I had rifled through her purse, I slammed my eyes shut and tilted my face skyward. God, I was such a fucking mess.
    “Hey, man, you good?”
    I jumped to my feet and whirled, startled. I caught Roger’s easy grin tinged with confusion. The shorter guy