dailyprompt-1883 – Olivia's Atelier

Daily writing prompt

What tattoo do you want and where would you put it?

The Past

I found the tattoo parlor while wandering aimlessly through one of the narrow, lantern-lit streets of Datong District. The parlor looked old, tucked between a toy store and a Chinese medicine hall.

The needle vibrated and pierced. I closed my eyes and welcomed the sting. I imagined the ink seeping in, letter by letter.

Yours.

It was on my left breast, right above my heart.

Days later, his lips are on my skin. When he reaches the ink, he stops. His fingers tighten ever so slightly against my ribs. He exhales slowly. No questions asked. No words uttered. He kisses it tenderly at first, then again, firmer this time. His tongue traces the letters.

That night, it is different. Neither rough nor fast.

Just intense.

The Present

It’s been years. I have gray hairs now, mostly at my temples. I don’t think of him often—at least, not like I used to. But today, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Bare skin. My body is softer now, but there it is.

Yours.

My fingers brush over the letters, the ghost of his lips flickering behind my eyes. I should get it removed. I tell myself that sometimes.

But I won’t.

Back then, his fingertips grazed the ink absentmindedly. While the night bird called in the distance, he’d press his lips against it and whisper—mine.

Now, my fingers trace the letters, following the path his touch once took. The ink remains, but his touch is long gone. I keep waiting for the pain to dull, but it never does.

Back then, it was a vow.

Now, it’s just a relic.

Someone new notices it once. His fingertips pause over the letters.

“Who did this belong to?”

I hesitate. And then I say, “Me.”