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“Are you thinking of getting another tattoo?” Sarah asked as she leaned against the back of the couch.
Charlie’s eyes adverted from the laptop screen and he tilted his head back against the couch. “Yeah.” he nodded, “thought I’d finally dedicate one to Rex.”
Rex’s ears twitched slightly at the sound of his name, and he glanced up at them from where he was laying on his bed on the floor, but soon went back to dozing when nothing else came of it.
“I was thinking of placing it on my chest. But the problem is, I can’t decide which photo to use,” Charlie said and ran a hand through his hair in mild frustration. Sarah leaned in closer to him to get a better view of the screen as he clicked through a slideshow of the pictures he was choosing between.
“They’re all good,” she said carefully, “But I really like the third one. It has a good angle and lighting, and you can see his eyes and face very well too. It’s not too dark, which I imagine would be a disadvantage.”
“Oh, I forgot you’d such an eye for photography,” Charlie teased.
“Where did you say you were going to place it?” Sarah asked, her eyes flickering between him and the display.
“On my chest? So it’s close to my heart,” he answered, his cheeks flushing slightly as he spoke the sentence out loud.
Sarah nodded slowly, but squirmed a little. “That’s very…sweet.”
Charlie’s brows knitted into a frown. “But?” His head tilted back against the couch as he glanced up at her. “Because I sense a ‘but’...”
Sarah took a deep breath, giving sheepish grimace. “I can’t help but imagining Rex’s face staring at me every time we have sex…”
Charlie blinked a few times, until her words caught up with him and he burst out in a low laugh. “That didn't even cross my mind," he chuckled with a grin, "but I can imagine that would be a little awkward.”
“I mean,” Sarah began and glanced over at Rex, “I love him, but sometimes he can be a little too close in the wrong moments.”
“Hey, now,” Charlie protested with a smirk on his lips, “I think he’s gotten quite good at getting out of the way when he needs to...”
Sarah shook her head, but smiled. “Sometimes.”
“I guess I’ll just get the tattoo on my bicep then,” Charlie pondered and turned back towards the laptop. “That way it will still be easy to cover at work, too.”
“Or on your rib cage?” Sarah suggested after a moment. “That way it would still be close to your heart, easy to conceal when needed, and enough out of the way not to be… a mood killer.”
Charlie’s forehead wrinkled in thought as he considered her words. “Hm. That's not a bad idea. You may have solved it.”
Sarah walked around the couch and sank down next to him against the cushions. “I’m glad to be of service,” she said, leaning back at the headrest, turning her head towards him, a timid smile on her lips.
Charlie put the laptop aside and leaned in closer to her, craning his neck to catch her lips in a kiss. His lips gentle against hers, soft but persistent as Sarah reached for his neck to bring him in even closer, while Charlie’s hand landed on her thigh.
Then a bark bounced through the room and Sarah sighed against Charlie's lips.“What was it you said about Rex being scarce?”
But before Charlie could reply, Rex had gotten up from his dog-bed and climbed onto the couch, stretching himself over their laps.
Sarah chuckled and cradled the dog’s broad head in her lap.
“Good thing you’re still the cutest,” she mumbled and gave him a few scratches behind the ear. “Even when you’ve the worst timing.”
Rex let out a deep groan and his eyes fluttered close, seemingly unbothered and content to be close to his humans.
Sarah leaned against Charlie’s side and he draped an arm over her shoulders. “You’ve the patience of a saint,” he murmured against her hair.
“That’s because I know you’ll make it up to me later,” she responded in a low voice.
Charlie chuckled. “Definitely.”