Since she had a working Sunday, Nina decided to take Monday off. In the morning, she engaged in a longer swimming session than usual. She always felt that water was the best medium to calm her thoughts and push away all that was irrelevant. With skilled crawl strokes, she swam from one end of the pool to the other, turning in the water every time she reached the edge. Nina especially cherished the silence she found each time she submerged her head, calmly exhaling bubbles through her nose. There was something about the rhythmic repetition of movements combined with the sound of water rippling that felt like a form of meditation to her.

As expected, after swimming two and a half kilometers, she felt much better. More serene. More focused. Her thoughts were sharpened, and her doubts regarding the project and tattoo seemed to have dissolved in the chlorinated water.

Deciding to see what Emmi was up to, she invited her to lunch. Swimming stimulated her appetite like nothing else. As she was drying her hair with a towel, Emmi's response arrived.

Hey! Good for you for taking a day off. Want to go to the MOCA museum after lunch? I've heard the exhibition is excellent.

Rummaging through her bag for the hair dryer, she quickly sent a text back: 

Perfect. Do you know a good place to eat on the way?

Soon, a message arrived with the restaurant's location, and Nina hurried there, hoping to quell the rumbling in her stomach as soon as possible.

"Well you look fresh and bubbly," Emmi said as they sat down.

"The meeting went really well yesterday, at least I think so. Now I just have to survive getting that tattoo tonight, and I'm all set."

"Is that tonight? Man time flies." Emmi leaned back in her chair. "Have you decided what you're getting? And where?"

"No, not yet, you need to help me out." Nina gave her a pleading look. "I was thinking between the shoulder blades, but that would mean taking off my shirt, and I don't want to do that. I want something simple, but if I get something on my arm that I won't like later, I'll have to look at it for the rest of my life. At least if it's on my back, then who cares?"

"What do you mean, who cares? You're not getting a tattoo just to forget about it as soon as it's done. Remember, it was your wish. Didn't you have that photo of the old lady with pancakes?"

"Yes, yes, I do, but it's kind of big and elaborate. We'll never finish! I want something tiny that will be done in five minutes, but then again, I've never liked small tattoos."

"Nina, I think it's time to be a big girl and do what you really want regardless of discomfort," Emmi said looking at her sternly and then smiled. "By avoiding things, you achieve nothing, and you're not a status quo girl. You know growth occurs outside the comfort zone."

"Yes, Freud," Nina replied and absentmindedly stirred the contents of her bowl of Pad Thai. "Easy for you to say."

"Easy for me to– You know what? How about I come with you for support? I'd love to see this mysterious guy with my own eyes. I want to know just how much you've exaggerated in describing him."

Nina's eyes lit up. "Are you sure you'd be up for that? Don't tattoos take like.. hours?"

"True. Well, I could just stay until you get settled in, then I'll leave you in the hands of the ehm– expert," Emmi concluded with a mischievous wink.

"That would be wonderful, please do come." Nina felt much more at ease now that she knew she would have a friend by her side.

"Oh but no, I forgot, I have a meeting tonight. Sorry babe, you're gonna have to tough it out," Emmi said, pursing her lips and smacking a mock kiss towards Nina. "But I will be with you in spirit. Just imagine me there by your side holding your hand," she suggested and Nina laughed at the idea. Somehow it made the afternoon seam somewhat lighter to bear.  

After they finished lunch, while they were visiting the museum, the conversation turned to the evolving relationship between Emmi and Tran.

"Wait, you watched a movie for the entire evening and there was no kiss? How is that possible? What movie did you watch, a documentary about submarines or the other one you really like about World War II?" Nina asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"I don't know, I was sure something would happen this time, if nothing else, a conversation about what we are and what we're doing. I think this is already the third time in a week we've spent the evening together where there was definitely more than enough opportunity and privacy. I don't understand what's happening anymore."

"OK, but now you're sure you want something to happen, right?"

"Yes, YES!" Emmi nearly shouted, causing a middle-aged couple to turn around in surprise and look at them disapprovingly. "I've definitely wanted something for a while!" she continued in a quieter tone.

"Well, then what are you waiting for? Next time you meet, grab her around the waist, pull her closer, and you know, do the sweet stuff that comes after."

"But that's just it, I have no idea what comes next! I've always dated macho men who made the first move well before I was even ready. Or I was so drunk that I didn't care and can't even remember who made the first move. This sober dating with girls is hard! Maybe things between lesbians just move a lot slower?"

It was clear that Emmi was struggling. She wanted to help her friend, but she didn't really have experience with approaching women either. An idea came to her.

"Maybe she's waiting for you to make the first move because she knows all your past experiences have been with men? She wants to be sure you're really into this, and that's why she's holding back. I'm telling you, next time just go for it. I think there's no way you can miss, no one would spend that much time alone with a person they hardly know, watching boring documentaries – if they weren't interested in getting some ju-ju."

"I'm sorry, ju ju? And hey, my documentaries aren't boring!" Emmi protested.

"No, of course, they're not boring, they're just... special!?" Nina laughed.

During friendly teasing and appreciation of modern Asian art, Nina had almost forgotten about what awaited her afterward. But only almost. When they finished with the last floor in the museum and found the elevator to go back down, her nerves returned in full force.

The message she received from Bo didn't help.

Please don't drink alcohol before you come for the appointment. We have a strict sobriety rule in our studio. Do drink plenty of water and eat well. See you soon.

Nina could drink, but somehow it seemed that finishing an entire meal wouldn't be as easy.

As she stepped out of the taxi just before 6 PM, night had almost completely descended on Bangkok. The studio was easy to find, thanks to Bo's additional instructions. It was a standalone house with huge windows. Nina thought it was an unusual choice for a tattoo studio and hoped there was a more private space inside that was not visible from the windows.

Approaching the door, she saw several people inside, lying on tables covered in black leather. One gentleman was getting a decoration for his leg, while two younger women seemed to have opted for identical tattoos on their shoulders. They were holding hands with their eyes closed.

Maybe it's their first tattoo as well, she thought entering the studio.

Chompoo greeted her at the reception.

"Nina! I started a bet with Bo yesterday after I got home. Looks like I now owe him 2000 baht," she said without a real disappointment in her voice, adding conspiratorially in a whisper, "You can still change your mind, you know? If you sneak out now, I won't tell anyone I saw you. I'll even treat you to a coffee."

"Chompoo, you're a sweetheart," Nina replied, considering it for just a second. "I've already paid for the taxi though," she added with a smile.

"Okay, if you're sure. Up the stairs there on the right, Bo is waiting for you in room five."

With each step, Nina felt her heart pounding. By the time she found room number five, she thought she might vomit. Maybe she could still back out. If she started walking down slowly and left, she might be home in half an hour, enjoying her couch with Korean food and a new episode of "Blue Eyed Samurai". She paused for half a second but knew she couldn't disappoint herself now.

I'm not a coward, I'm a.. a samurai! Yes, I'm a bloody samurai and I'm gonna do this, she thought before knocking on the door with the elegant Roman numeral V. Loud rap music was blasting from behind them. After a few seconds, it was obvious Bo couldn't hear the knocking, so she gathered more courage and stepped into the dimly lit room.

She noticed him sitting at a table, drawing on a tablet, his back to her, head bobbing to the rhythm of the music. Fully absorbed in his work.

"Aloha, here I am," Nina called out. Bo turned in his chair on wheels and nimbly twisted his body towards her. His mouth stretched into a friendly smile, and his eyes sparkled with obvious pleasure at seeing her.

"Nina, I'm glad you're here. How are you?" he got up and held her briefly in a casual embrace.

"I hope so! I'm good, a bit nervous," she didn't see the point in trying to hide the facts. She was barely standing. Luckily, Bo quickly took control of the situation.

"Please, have a seat. We don't have to do anything today. If you want, we can just decide on what and where, and then we can start with ink next time. But I don't recommend that. The more you hesitate, the scarier it will seem, and tattoos are really nothing to be afraid of. Plus you probably won't meet many people in your life who have more expertise in this than me."

Nina sat down in the soft pink armchair in front of the work desk and smiled.

"You might be right about that," she said, her attention caught on a drawing hanging on the wall behind Bo. A big black bird dominated the middle part, surrounded by half-broken shackles. A graffiti covered wall peeked out from behind the bird, with silhouetted figures standing on it, their mouths covered with red bands. She felt a strong emotional reaction, even though she didn't really understand its meaning. "Wow," she said, nodding towards it. "Yours?"

"Nah, it was a gift," he said, quickly changing the subject, "Let's get down to business. I imagine you have some ideas?"

"I do have an idea, but I'm not sure if it's a good one for my first tattoo."

"I'm sure it is. Go on," he encouraged her.

Nina briefly shared the story about the old lady and the pancakes. It felt a bit awkward to talk about such a personal thing, but Bo made her feel like he got it.

"That's kind of cool, I like it. Let me see the photo," he said, coming up behind her as she took out her phone. Nina was hit by a soft scent of mimosa. How can someone with such an aggressive appearance smell so innocently? she wondered as he squatted next to her chair, making her momentarily forget why she had taken out her phone. She quickly recovered and showed him the picture.

"That's a very good photo. There's enough light, and the composition is good," he paused to think. "Maybe a circular frame, or frameless. It depends on where you want it?"

"I was thinking it would look good on my thigh, but will it hurt? Also, I thought maybe we could start with something smaller for the first tattoo. I've never been a fan of mini tattoos though," she blurted.

"Really? Neither have I, but some people prefer them. On the thigh, you say. I think that's a good place. Okay. We'll give the photo to Shampoo for processing. I'll give her a few days to play with it and come up with a couple of ideas. What do you say? You can come at the end of the week to start, and if it doesn't turn out too big, we can probably finish it in one session," he concluded.

Nina was somewhat disappointed. If she were honest with herself, she would admit that she had hoped the whole tattoo affair would be over the same day. She wanted to get the stressful part of the collaboration over with and focus on what she was good at. To admit it, she wanted to impress Bo as soon as possible, and this was a real setback.

She was sure she would spend the next three days anxious, probably anticipating the end of the week and unable to concentrate on anything sensible. She was surprised at how quickly the idea of starting with a mini tattoo was dismissed and by the fact that she would really get the tattoo she wanted, and such a bold one at that. Yet, the more she thought about it, the more the idea grew on her, and she looked forward to her new look.

"You're the expert, so I'll comply with your demands," she hoped it didn't sound too flirty while simultaneously imagining herself obeying the commands of the handsome Bo. Despite his gentle tone of voice, somehow she was sure he knew how to give orders.

"That's what I like to hear from a client," he said with a smile, seeming not to have read any further into her words. "Let's show your photo to Shampoo. I'm sure she'll like it. Even though she acts tough, our little Shampoo is soft on the inside like baby hair," he said, taking her by the hand and pulling her up from the chair.

As they walked towards the door, Nina was super aware of his grip on her wrist.