Tattooing was the only thinking keeping Declan sane, and keeping him from doing something stupid. He was still paying the price for the night he had gone out and had half of a liquor store to drink. It had only been a week since Lindsay left him, it was still going to hurt. Burying himself in his work, in what he did best, was what he needed to do right now. His birthday, February 5th, marked the two year anniversary of him opening up his own shop. It was no secret that he had some of the best artist in Denver. Andrew and Dawn were two of the very best he had ever met, and Declan knew he was a good artist, too. The one thing he would admit to being good at, he knew he was a good tattoo artist. He had gone from being homeless to building this shop from the ground up, and even though it took six years and wasn’t easy, all of his work paid off. Thing were pretty busy these days, especially with his brother being a famous Denver Bronco. More and more people mistook Declan for his brother, and then saw the beautiful tattoos on his skin. The word got out quickly in the tattoo community. Declan had switched to appointments only recently, except for a few friends he had tattooed in the middle of night when he was wide awake and not sleeping. When a girl named Andy called to make an appointment, Declan didn’t think much of it. Besides, it had been eight or so years since he saw her. Maybe longer.
He was at his station sketching away, working on something he was going to ask Dawn to tattoo on him, when the door opened. As he heard the brunette speak, he looked up to her. “That’s me.” He said simply before catching her gaze. Declan wasn’t the type to forget someone. In fact he was the opposite, he often got attached to people even if he had only just met them. So when he saw that it was Andy as in one of his best friends in high school, he was speechless. “Andy? As in Andrea Taylor?” He asked in disbelief, quickly walking to the front of the shop to hug her. “Oh my God. What the hell, Andy? It takes you all these years to come get a tattoo from me?” He teased, squeezing her tightly.
As he got closer and said her name Andy instantly recognized the man, shocked at who it was. She let out a delighted laugh as he wrapped his arms around her and returned the embrace with a light squeeze. “Keating! Well look at you with the hair and tats! I always knew you’d grow up to be a looker but damn boy!” Andy never really had a filter nor was she shy about telling someone she thought they were attractive and damn had time and age done the twin a lot of good. She just wished she had made an effort to keep in touch with him after she graduated but it was around the same time her dad started training her to join both of his businesses and that took up most of her time for a good chunk of two years. She’d lost contact with most everyone during that time and lost a lot of friends in the process, Declan being one which she really did find to be unfortunate. He was one of the only wholesome friends she had made in high school; one of the ones she should have fought harder to keep in her life. At least maybe now they were getting a second chance and could reconnect. The world had a funny way of doing things sometimes but she loved when things like this happened unexpectedly.
“Of all the people to run into here you probably wouldn’t have been at the very bottom of my list! You know, I always thought you would end up using your talent for designing buildings or something that required a sport coat in some stuffy corporate setting. I guess I really have missed a lot! I’m glad this is you, though. It really suits you. Believe me, if I had known you were a tattoo artist I would have come a lot sooner! It took me weeks to find someone of your caliber around the city! How have you been? I want to know all the things!” Suddenly the tattoo was put on the back burner but she didn’t mind in the slightest. It wasn’t every day an old friend walked into her life. It really was so good to see him.
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