Tea and Tattoos Read online

  Tea and Tattoos

  Yasmine

  This book is dedicated to the man who showed me that love is real.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue☕

  As far as her mum was concerned, tea fixed everything.

  Have a cold? Have some tea.

  Broken bones? There's a tea for that too.

  Somewhere in her mother's pantry, Desiree suspected, was a box of tea that, said 'In case of Armageddon, steep three to five minutes'.

  ----- Tea & tattoos ☕

  1☕

  ❝The rain is my favourite instrument and only the sky can play it❞

  Pitter.

  Patter.

  Pitter.

  Patter.

  Desiree was sitting on her cold bedroom floor, alongside her balcony with a cup of steaming tea in one hand to keep her warm in her chilly home and had one of her many books sitting unopened on her lap, waiting to be read for the twelfth time since she had found it in her grandmother’s bookshelf about a year ago.

  Desiree took a careful sip from her cup of tea which instantly filled her with warmth and happiness and opened the book.

  Before she had even read a sentence, she looked at the inside of the front cover. Scribbled in pencil, in immaculate handwriting was a small heart with the words ‘I love you’- 9.4.1956, in the day that her grandparents had been wedded.

  Desiree couldn’t help but smile every time that she saw the little heart that her late grandfather had drawn on her grandmother’s book.

  When she had found the book, her grandmother (Holly,) had told her how she had met the love of her life at an opera house and how it was love at first sight for both of them.

  Seventeen year old Desiree had never been in love, however she sometimes found herself fantasizing about how it would be like to find her other half whom she would have a family with and spend the rest of her life with, she couldn’t help but hope for the right person to appear out of the blue.

  She took another sip from her tea and cleared her mind from all of her thoughts before she started to read the book which she adored.

  After every chapter, she stopped to admire the scenery from her balcony. The street that she lived in wasn’t very busy since it was in the outskirts of the town, but still, many different people walked along her street every single day.

  She peered down at the couple who jogged down the street at six o’clock sharp every evening, even though it was raining, they still continued their exercise. She looked at the cute, stray ginger cat who was avoiding the rain under a rusty, red car and remembered how she had once let him inside her home which caused her mother to freak out and forced her to take the cat outside again. She observed how the leaves on her neighbour’s tree were slowly transitioning to shades of orange and brown, although she could still spot some green leaves here and there.

  Then she resumed to reading her book...

  2☕

  ❝Always help someone. You might be the only one that does.❞

  She was in the middle of the fifteenth chapter when her twelve year old sister, Alice walked into Desiree’s bedroom to notify her that dinner was ready. Desiree was much too engrossed to move away from her book so she stayed upstairs even though she knew that this worried her mother.

  Before she knew it, the cloudy sky was pitch black and the full moon was bright, half hidden behind a huge cloud. There were no street lights and the moonlight lit the street like the set of a horror movie.

  That was one of the reasons why she didn’t go out at night. The shadows in the street below crept her out, in fact she was terrified of the dark. She could hear her family’s laughter and chatter coming from the living room as they watched television, but she didn’t go and join them.

  After reading for two hours whilst sitting on the cold floor, Desiree started to doze off. She leant her head on the misty glass of the balcony window and closed her eyes slowly. It had been a long day for her since she had had to take care of her sister while both of her parents were at work at the local hospital. They worked long hours everyday but there was nothing else that they could do since they had to take care of their family.

  Desiree was jolted awake by loud angry male voices coming from the street. She wiped the sleep out of her eyes, placed her bookmark in her book and looked out of her balcony to see what was going on. Her dark brown eyes widened and her thin lips formed in an ‘o’ as she witnessed the scene directly opposite where she was.

  A group of four boys circled around another guy as they angrily yelled at him. Desiree froze when she saw one of the four boys punch the other boy squarely in the face and as another one kicked him in the gut. The boys took it in turn kicking and punching him. He tried to defend himself as best as he could but he was no match for the others.

  Desiree watched the poor boy fall to the floor while the biggest of the four boys delivered another hard blow to his stomach.

  Another boy grabbed the black leather bag which the beaten boy had been carrying from a nearby puddle and ran off with the rest of his group.

  Desiree stood there by her balcony window as she looked down at the unmoving boy who was covered in blood. She didn’t notice that she had been crying until she looked down at the closed book on her lap and saw the teardrops on the black cover. She knew that she couldn’t let a beaten boy lie out, her parents had taught her to help anyone in need and that was what she was planning to do.

  She quickly stood up from the cold floor and put on some boots and a puffy jacket over her pajamas before running out of the front door. She could hear her parents calling worriedly behind her but she didn’t care as she heard the heavy footsteps of her father running after her.

  3☕

  ❝I’m falling for your eyes but they don’t know me yet❞

  With rapid movements, Desiree arrived at the other side of the street where the beaten boy was still lying motionless on the cold concrete.

  “I will help you, don’t worry everything will be fine.’’ Desiree told him as she grabbed his cold hand in hers to search for a pulse, which she thankfully found. She pulled back his messy hair from his face to look for any bruises or cuts that he could have, aside from his bleeding nose.

  “Desiree step away from the boy!’’ Her father yelled from behind her and she obeyed immediately because she knew that her father could help him more than she ever could. “Go tell your mother to get out the medical kit and some blankets, quickly!’’ Her father told her with a panicked voice as he picked up the boy in his arms with some difficulty.

  She ran as fast as she could back to her home and she immediately told her mother what her father had told her to, she didn’t ask any questions and did exactly what her daughter told her to. When her husband walked into the living room with a beaten stranger in his arms, her cinnamon eyes widened and she immediately got to work after he laid him down on their beige sofa.

  Desiree stood frozen next to the door way with her sister behind her as they watched their parents trying their best to help the boy.

  “Is he going to be ok?’’ Alice asked her older sister in a barely above whisper.

  “I hope so Al, I hope so,’’ Her sister answered as she looked at the lifeless body laying on the sofa while her parents talked in loud voices together.

  ☯

  After what felt like forever, Desiree’s mother let out a sigh of relief as the boy who was looking much better now, had his body covered with bandages and butterfly stitches when his eyes fluttered open. He had the most beautiful green eyes that Desiree had ever saw, although they were bloodshot now. He had a little colour in his face and she noticed that he was actually quite good looking and could see a swirl of black ink peeping from his blue sweater which was dotted with blood.


  “Where the hell am I?’’ He asked as he tried to get up in a sitting position but laid back down as he felt a sharp pain on his ribs.

  “I saw you getting beaten up and I came out to help you when I saw you lying motionless,’’ Desiree spoke softly as she took a step forward.

  He hadn’t noticed her standing near the doorway so he turned around as best as he could to see who his saviour was. His eyes widened a little when she saw her standing there in her pink pyjamas and her brown hair tied up in a messy bun, she looked so innocent and young although she must have been the same age as him.

  “I’m Desiree,’’ She told him as she stood frozen on the spot, she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do in situations like these...

  “I’m Elliot. Thank you for saving me, I owe you big time,’’ He told her with a grin as her cheeks turned red.

  “The pleasure is all mine and you don’t owe me anything,’’ She told him with a small smile which he returned.

  He was going to say something but her mother cut in.

  “Would you like some tea Elliot, I’m positive that it will make you feel better,” Her mother told him sweetly. “Thanks but no thanks, I have to head back home bec-”

  “Don’t be silly, you can barely sit! You will stay the night here under observation and you can go tomorrow if we see that everything is alright,’’ She told him with a kind smile.

  “Thanks, Mrs...?’’

  “Mrs Lock, but you can call me Amber and this is my husband, Rupert,’’ She introduced herself and her husband.

  “Thank you Amber and Rupert for your invitation and for helping me, especially you Desiree,’’ He thanked them as he turned around to look at Desiree for one more time as she gave him a shy smile. He couldn’t help but think that there was something different about her than all the other girls.

  “It’s our pleasure, now do you take sugar in your tea?’’ She asked him once again, she couldn’t wait to take a cup of tea herself because she was quite tired and tea always relieved her.

  “I would prefer coffee if that’s no problem and I take one teaspoon sugar, thanks.’’ He told her with a smile.

  “Are you sure that you don’t want tea, it’s much better than coffee and will make you feel better,’’ Amber tried to change his mind.

  “Amber he said that he prefers coffee, it doesn’t mean that because you like tea better everyone likes it as well,’’ Her husband told her, who he himself preferred coffee. His wife didn’t say anything as she let out a sigh of defeat before she rushed to the kitchen after asking her daughters if they wanted a cup. She was soon followed by her husband and younger daughter who claimed that they were tired, which left Desiree standing awkwardly with Elliot.

  “I’m going to bed, sweet dreams and if you need anything my bedroom is in the opposite room,’’ She told him shyly after she had contemplated on what she should do.

  “Sweet dreams Desiree and thanks once again for saving me, see you in the morning,’’ He told her with a smile as he blew her a kiss and winked which made her blush even more as she gave him a shaky wave and disappeared into her bedroom.

  Five minutes later Amber walked back into the living room with two steaming mugs of tea and coffee. “Where did Desiree go?’’ She asked him as she handed him his coffee when she saw that her daughter was nowhere in sight.

  “She went to sleep, you should be very proud of your daughter, she’s a good person,’’ He said as he took a sip from his coffee while Amber tried to hide her look of disgust.

  “I know, I should be very proud of her.’’

  4☕

  ❝Sometime people are beautiful. Not in looks. Not in what they say. Just in what they are.❞

  The following morning, Desiree woke up to chatter and laughter coming from the next room, the kitchen. She lazily wiped her eyes from her sleep in order to try and wake up before she got up from her bed and made her way to the kitchen.

  When she stepped into her kitchen her brown eyes instantly widened when she saw a boy covered with bandages sitting on her chair munching on toast while her mother laughed at a joke that he had just said. Desiree couldn't believe that the events of the previous nights had actually happened, she had thought that it was one of her strange dreams.

  Elliot's eyes immediately found hers as she stood frozen in the entryway to the kitchen in her pajamas, she immediately blushed and was about to go back to her bedroom when her mother spotted her.

  ''Good morning, Dessie!'' Amber told her as she rushed to her daughter and hugged her tightly. ''I'm heading off to work in a few minutes, so please take care of Elliot for me.'' Her mother told her.

  ''Fine'' Desiree answered in a small voice, ''Where's Alice?'' She asked her as she noticed that her usual chair was empty.

  ''She has gone out with her friend Rosey, she will be back around four I think, anyways if you need anything call me. Goodbye sweetheart, bye Elliot!'' Her mother told her as she grabbed her purse from the kitchen table and rushed out from the kitchen and out of the front door.

  Desiree took a deep breath before she crossed to the other side of the kitchen to brew some tea for her and placed a homemade chocolate chip cookie on a plate before sitting down on Alice's chair which was the one opposite Elliot.

  ''So what would you like to do today?'' Elliot asked her to break the silence that had fell on them.

  ''I have no idea, what would you like to do?'' She asked him as she continued to nibble on her chocolate chip cookie, making sure to avoid those bright emerald eyes which never left her from their sight for a second.

  ''I know somewhere that we can go to if you would like.'' He told her as he hoped that she would say yes. He wanted to get to know the beautiful shy girl in-front of him.

  ''Sure, I will go and change and then we can go.'' She said as she stood up from her chair and placed her mug and empty plate in the sink. ''I will get you one of my father's shirts if you'd like.'' She added as she saw that he was still wearing his shirt from last night.

  ''That would be great, thanks'' He told her with a smile as he placed his empty plate in the sink on top of hers and followed her into her paren't bedroom.

  After a few minutes of trying to find something which would fit Elliot, who had a slightly bigger built than her father's, she found a red wool sweater which didn't fit her father since it was too big for him.

  ''Here try this on'' She told him as she handed him the sweater.

  Without hesitation he lifted his blue sweater over his head and changed into the red sweater. Desiree noticed that he had several other tattoos trailing down his torso and arms and she couldn't tear her gaze away from him fast enough before he caught her staring at him.

  ''You like what you see?'' He asked her with a mischievous smile on his face.

  She blushed and immediately looked away from him. ''Erm, I think I better go change.''

  He laughed at her shyness and her innocence before telling her to take her time changing as he sat down on the beige sofa in the living room and switched on the TV to keep himself entertained.

  About fifteen minutes later Desiree walked out from the opposite door in front of him dressed in light blue skinny jeans and a light pink sweater with a beige leather jacket in hand and cream Uggs. Although she was wearing minimal makeup and her hair was tied back in a messy ponytail she still looked pretty good.

  Elliot stood looking at her with his lips slightly parted when he saw her as his eyes travelled up and down her body.

  ''You like what you see?'' She repeated his words from earlier as she gave him a slight smile, it was his turn now to blush and look away.

  ''Don't use my words against me and you look really pretty by the way, shall we go?'' He replied.

  ''Sure'' She told him with a smile as they descended the staircase together.