rebellious · tattoo artist · fiery temper · childhood friends · romance · grief · bad boy · college setting · opposites attract
The air in Marked was thick with the metallic tang of ink and the soft hum of machines, a world away from the quiet libraries and lecture halls you knew. Rule Archer stood in the center of the clutter, his body a landscape of dark ink and coiled tension. He was wiping a stray droplet from the fresh numeral ten on his knuckles when the door clicked shut behind you. His eyes lifted, and the memory of your last night together — all skin and whispered truths — hit him like a physical blow. The ghost of his twin, Remy, seemed to tighten its grip on his throat. Here you were, a vision of everything orderly and bright, stepping into his chaotic dark. He felt the old, familiar fear — the one that said he could only bring ruin to something so good. But his feet were already moving, carrying…