The Man Who Saved Me

They looked like they had all kinds of secrets hidden in them, thought Shonali. The strength of her desire to unlock them all shocked her. She absorbed that desire, and that need she surprisingly felt for him, letting it wash through her. Then she put it away – at least for the moment.

There were other things to do at the moment.

“I’m kidding. I want to get wings.”

Shonali was intrigued.

“What kind of wings?”

He shrugged.

“I’m not sure, yet. I guess I want to talk to the artist and figure that out. Speak of the devil…”

Shonali turned around and saw that Ricky was walking towards them.

Confidently, she stepped forward, smiling.

“Ricky, right? I’m Shonali. Carlos said he’d give you a heads up that I’d be dropping by.”

Ricky nodded enthusiastically.

“He’s told me a lot about you! It’s a pleasure to meet you, finally, Shonali! Is this a friend?”

He looked over at the man with a look of slight suspicion in his eyes.

Shonali grinned. The man didn’t look like he was used to being anything but trusted unconditionally.

“No, I think he’s a potential customer. We kind of walked in at the same time, that’s all.”

Ricky shrugged.

“Ah, right. Sorry, the two of you looked kind of cozy together. I thought you’d brought him along for moral support or something.”

Shonali nearly laughed at how outrageous that sounded.

And yet, something about it felt right to her.

She shook it off.

There was respecting feelings and then there were unexplained, silly feelings that were just deluded.

“I’m Adam,” said the man, and Shonali felt her heart beat faster for a moment, again.

Was that a very odd coincidence? Maybe it was. It could be.

But she had had the name in her mind almost all the time for years, and it had been right in the forefront of her thoughts for the last couple of days.

Maybe it was some weird kind of sign.

“Well, welcome, Adam. Is this your first time?”

Ricky slipped into his client-servicing mode, and Shonali let him take the lead.

Carlos had already given her most of the information she needed, told her about the care that would be necessary, and so on. She was a newbie, but she didn’t really feel like one.

Her mind was too busy trying to focus on the man who was listening intently to everything Ricky was saying.

He even seemed to be asking intelligent questions.

Good-looking and smart, though Shonali.

“Down, girl,” she murmured.

Both men looked at her.

She shrugged and waved her hands.

“No, carry on. Carlos already gave me the rundown, so I’m good.”

“Do you know what you want, then?” asked Adam.

Shonali nodded.

“I want a thunderbolt. Well, technically lightning bolt, I suppose. Not a cute one, a fierce one. I figured you could draw me one, Ricky,” said Shonali.

Ricky nodded cheerfully.

“Carlos already told me that, so I’ve got a few options for you. Now, about the wings… We can do something customized, or we can go with something I’ve already got. As soon as you pick out your tattoo, I’ll get the stencil ready. If you want to go home and think about it, stare at a few designs, that’s cool, too.”

Adam nodded seriously.

He was obviously taking all of it quite seriously.

He really was cute, thought Shonali.

“Maybe I’ll do that,” said Adam.

“Chicken,” muttered Shonali.

Adam turned to her.

“What?”

Shonali shrugged.

“You’ll chicken out if you go home and think about it. You must’ve thought about it for a good long while before coming here, right?”

“Yes, but…”

Shonali cut him off.

“Then what will more thinking accomplish? It isn’t such a big deal, at any rate. It’s just a tattoo. Get it on your ass if you’re not sure. You can hide it until you absolutely cannot, and by then, you’d have to hope that a tattoo won’t change her mind.”

Adam laughed, and Shonali was again struck by how easy it was to talk to him.

“All right, I guess you do have a point. Can we see the designs, then?”

Shonali and Adam walked over to Ricky’s desk and checked out what he had for them.

Shonali knew, the moment she saw the cloud with lightning stabbing through it as if it would not let any obstacles stand in the way, that it was what she wanted.

“It’s perfect,” she told Ricky.

Ricky nodded, obviously delighted.

“Carlos really knows you, doesn’t he?”

Shonali smiled, finding it difficult to tear her eyes away from the tattoo that would soon be hers.

“He does. Better than anybody else. Well, your turn, Adam.”

Adam didn’t find it as easy as she did. He took his time, going through the options, before he picked one that looked like an angel’s wings, hung up after long and hard use.

They looked weary, but dependable and steadfast, as if you could trust them carry you through every kind of storm you might have to weather.

They made Shonali feel protected, somehow.

She nodded in approval.

“I think it’s wonderful.”

Adam looked a bit wistful.

“I guess it is. I want it on my shoulder blade.”

Shonali looked at him in surprise.

“So do I. I didn’t take you for a shoulder blade tattoo kind of guy.”

He shrugged.

“It makes the most sense for me.”

But he didn’t explain what he meant by that.

“So, I’ll get the stencils done. Adam, this is Luna, my second in command,” said Ricky as a tall, thin, blonde woman who seemed to have more piercings than skin wandered up to them.

After appropriate greetings, Luna looked at Adam with interest.

Shonali felt her hackles rising. Who the hell did she think she was?

But why the hell was she rising to that? Adam was a free man.

He was, wasn’t he?

She surreptitiously checked his left hand.

No ring. But his hands were long-fingered and wonderful. They looked strong, but so precise and delicate. Shonali couldn’t stop herself from wondering what those fingers could do to her body.

She shook herself out of it.

There was embracing her s*xuality and then there was leering at somebody in a public space. She was crossing the line into creepy person territory.

“Adam, the tattoo you picked is one Luna designed. So she’ll do it for you.”

The stab of jealousy could not be stopped. Shonali did not want Adam to be alone with Luna.

“We need to get paperwork done, and I’ll need id, I’m afraid,” said Luna.

Her voice was low and husky – very sexy, thought Shonali, developing an instant dislike for the woman.

“Sure,” said Adam, and took out his wallet.

Later, Shonali would wonder why the universe hadn’t warned her, why time hadn’t slowed down, and why she hadn’t gotten a sign.

Because she got a glimpse of his driver’s license, and saw his name.

There was no mistake.

His name was Adam Catten.

Everything seemed to fall into place. Now, it felt like time had slowed down. Now it felt like the universe was obliging her and giving her the signs she needed.

Everything seemed to make sense, suddenly.

All the coincidences that must have led to the two of them being in the same place, at the same time, to share an experience that would change them – it felt like it was just meant to be.

“Shonali? Are you all right?”

Ricky’s voice interrupted her thoughts and brought her back to the world.

Adam, too, was looking at her a bit strangely.

Well, couldn’t blame him for that, could she?

She was acting very strangely.

“You’re Adam Catten?”

Her voice sounded odd to her own ears.

He nodded, obviously wondering if she was all right.

“Dr. Adam Catten?” pressed Shonali.

He nodded again.

Shonali took a deep breath.

“I’m Shonali Wilde. I believe I owe you many things – my ability to walk, for certain. My ability to get on a bike again. Maybe even my life.”

Adam looked puzzled for a moment, and then his face cleared.

“Your left leg,” said Adam, finally.

Shonali nodded.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to thank you.”

She smiled, and it was like the sun had broken through the gray clouds, and everything was bright again.