The Brightest Light of Sunshine

The Brightest Light of SunshineLisina Coney Copyright © 2023 Lisina ConeyAll rights reserved.No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, translated, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Resemblance to actual persons and things living or dead, locales, business establishments, or events is entirely coincidental.Copyright © 2023 by Lisina ConeyBook Cover Design by Lisina ConeyFormatting by Lisina ConeyEditing by Julia (https://www.entirelybonkerz.com/) To the ones that bloomed when the world expected them to wither Contents Title PageCopyrightDedicationPart I: Seed1234567891011121314151617181920Part II: Growth212223242526272829303132333435Part III: Bloom3637383940414243444546EPILOGUE CONTENT NOTES This story contains themes of sexual assault (there are no scenes depicting an explicit sexual assault), profanity, explicit sexual content, and topics that may be sensitive to some readers.Reader discretion is advised. Part I: Seed 1Grace I’m usually not one to make spur-of-the-moment decisions. If anything, I ruminate for weeks about whether this choice or the other will lead to disastrous consequences that will eventually ruin my life.Like that one time I spent five full days pondering if I really needed those shoes only to find out they were forever out of stock when I finally decided I wanted them.But this is different because I know I want this.Damn it, I do.I’ve been thinking about it for literal months—my dads gave me a thumbs up when I Facetimed them about it, and so did my cousin Aaron and my best friend Emily, the only people whose opinion I fully trust. They didn’t call me crazy or tried to wipe the idea from my mind, which I assume is a good indicator that this is a rational thing to do.So why am I hesitating now? At the very front of the tattoo parlor, of all places?There’s a guy inside. As much as he’s trying to look engrossed in whatever is on his laptop screen, I know he’s spotted my awkward nearby presence and is now wondering why the hell I’m standing still in front of the shop.To be fair, I’m wondering the same thing.I decide that taking a few seconds to scan him from head to toe and calm my nerves in the process won’t hurt—or head to waist, since the counter hides everything else.Mysterious Tattoo Guy has got the whole bad boy look going on, which I guess is fitting for someone who tattoos people for a living. What do I know? This isn’t my kind of place, and maybe that’s why I feel so itchy everywhere.A black t-shirt with the logo of the shop hugs his chest and does nothing to hide how ripped he looks. As I continue my perusal of Tattoo Guy, a question pops into my head—is it possible for arms to be bigger than a human head?Well, I might just have my answer right there.Both of his bulging arms are thoroughly covered in ink down to his knuckles. I spy a couple of tattoos on his neck, too. His short, dark hair with a wave is tossed backwards carelessly, but a loose strand falls over his forehead. Is it brown? Black? I can’t tell from here.What I can tell is that his orbs are as dark as night, because suddenly he lifts his head, and our eyes lock. Great.Without giving myself another second to think, I push the glass door open. I’ve had enough time to mull this over, and I’ve made my decision.I think. I hope.“Hi,” I greet him with a small, nervous smile.“Hey, there.” He gives me a much easier grin, like he’s used to skittish weirdos walking into his workplace on a daily basis. “What can I do for you?”I clear my throat and look around quickly. The place looks and smells clean, which I guess is everything I could ask for from a tattoo parlor. The shop seemed smaller from the outside, but now I notice the narrow, well-lit hallway at the back leading to a wider space full of a few stations mostly hidden from view by large screens. The buzzing of a tattoo machine echoes in the walls, so the place mustn’t be empty.As the best-reviewed tattoo parlor in town, I expected to see a whole queue at the door when I got here. But that’s not how this whole thing works, I suppose.“So… I, um…” Nope. No hesitating now. I’m already here, aren’t I? “I’d like to book a tattoo appointment, please.”“Sure. Got any designs in mind?”His gaze doesn’t move away from mine. He doesn’t look down at the short hem of my summer dress or at my exposed arms. Nothing. But still, the fact that I have his undivided attention, that he’s noticed me at all, makes my blood rush to every corner of my body.Hot waves of nervous tension pulse through me until they trigger my usual response—a rapid heartbeat, uneven breathing, and a dry mouth.Calm down. Jeez. He’s being perfectly civil.“Just a short quote.” That I’m now too self-conscious to say out loud. “And it would have to go on my ribs.”“It would have to go on your ribs?” he asks in an amused voice.My cheeks flush and I suspect I look like a tomato salad right now, but I ignore my body’s natural response for my own sake.“I can’t get it in any visible places. I’m a ballerina,” I explain.“I see.” The glee isn’t gone from his eyes, and for some reason it makes me feel nervous. I take a step back, hoping he won’t notice.He does.“I have a free slot at ten in the morning on Friday. That works for you?” He sobers up at once, not lifting his gaze from the laptop screen. I almost feel bad about it. I shouldn’t be on edge like this, damn it. It’s been four years.It’s been