Brad was still in bed, he looked so peaceful lay there, I didn’t want to disturb him. We’d been together for 5 years, we met on my 20th birthday in a bar in Manchester. We both say it was love at first sight.

I looked in the mirror, “not bad for a 25 year old!” I thought to myself as I posed for myself. It was hard to believe that I was 25, I still felt, and thought, like I was 21, or even 18! I had decided to get another tattoo for my 25th birthday, a little present to myself, on my right bicep there was a love heart with our names in it, it was a traditional tattoo, kind of an old school style. I was planning just to get Brad’s name on my left bicep, I could imagine it in a nice scroll lettering.

“Best go and get this done before Brad wakes up” I thought to myself. I was going to get this tattoo done and then go off to the gym as usual. Working out had become a habit for me, but it’s better than some habits I suppose. I quit smoking when we got together, I started going to the gym and dropped around 45lbs. I started to love my body again, it was as if I was going through puberty all over again, every day extra muscles were appearing, I was becoming more defined. I even had a six-pack!

I noticed a few weeks ago that a new tattoo place had opened just off the High Street in Manchester, so I thought I would give them a go.

I walked into the parlour, and it certainly wasn’t what I was expecting! It looked a little run down, which was strange because it was pretty new, but their prices were very reasonable, so I decided that I might as well stay, and give them a go.

There were a few people waiting to go in, most seemed to be biker types, so I knew that it must be a good place if bikers were using it. I waited my turn having picked out the design I wanted, I was starting to get a little nervous.

“NEXT!” someone shouted from the backroom. I looked around and nobody moved.

“Your turn buddy.” Said one of the bikers sat across from me.

I wasn’t scared, as such, I was more wary than anything. When I got my other tattoo done Brad came with me, this time I was alone. But I was kinda glad about that, I didn’t need these guys treating me any different because I was gay.

I walked into the room, and saw the chair in the corner. I walked over to it and took a seat. The tattooist walked around the corner.

“So, you decided what you want then?” he asked.