It had been a couple weeks since Rosa had encountered the woman in the coffee shop and still, it was all she could think about. The way the small woman had scowled at her making her forehead wrinkle up and her nose scrunch, her fiery red hair looked so soft and she just wanted to run her hands through it for hours on end. This woman was practically living in Rosa's brain and she didn't even know her name.

Rosa was snapped out of her day dream, however, when the door to her apartment swung open. She jumped and got up momentarily to try and defend herself from whoever had just broken in. Rosa relaxed when it became clear that it was only Callie, her cousin.

"The fuck, Cal?! Don't you knock?" Rosa slumped back into the couch and returned to staring at the TV.

"I tried that. I also tried calling, texting, fuck i even emailed you. You've not responded in weeks, Lil." That's what Callie called her. It had started when Rosa was born. Callie being four, couldn't quite pronounce Rosalita and had resorted to calling her Lilly and much to Rosa's annoyance, it had stuck.

"So?" Rosa just shrugged, her eyes still glued on the TV. Callie rolled her eyes and snatched the remote off the coffee table and turned it off. "HEY!"

"I'm not gonna let you go back down the hill, Ro. You fought so hard to get your life together last time I'm not letting you ruin that."

"It's easy for you to say. You have a wife, kids, a good job. You have a life to fight for. I have nothin, Callie, nothing!"

"You have a job that you love and you know it. You have a job where people like you come in everyday and lay pretty much under you for hours. You need to be less scared of the world and put yourself out there." Callie took a seat next to Rosa and held onto her hand:

"You're like my little sister and care about you too much to watch you lose your life to whatever is going on in that head of yours." She kissed Rosa's forehead.

"I'm trying. I promise," A single tear ran down Rosa's cheek which she immediately wiped away.

"I know. But you need to stop cutting people off whenever things get hard because if you don't talk to me I can't help you."

"I need to go to work," Rosa said bluntly.

"Rosa."

"I'm not having this conversation with you," Rosa removed herself from Callie's grip and stood.

"Sit back down."

"Fuck off, Calliope!" Rosa hated being told what to do and she especially hated people trying to emphasise with her situation. "You don't know anything. I can't just quit anxiety and be happy all of a sudden because someone told me to. I have nothing left to keep going for so forgive me if I'm wasting my sad lonely life sat on my fucking couch!"

"You've got me.." Callie said.

"It's not enough," Rosa snapped before storming out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her. Callie let out a sigh and buried her head in her hands.

-

It was around 10pm when Rosa was cleaning down the surfaces, ready to lock up for the night. The boys were long gone and she quite enjoyed some peace after a long shift of listening to Parker ramble about his new puppy. Rosa was bent over one of the bends, rearranging the ink tray when the bell of the door chimed.

"Sorry, we're closed. Come back in the morning." Rosa said, not bothering to turn around.

"Nice ass." Rosa snapped upright. That voice was so familiar. "Come on, don't you have time for a quick ink"

Rosa turned around to face the woman. The same red hair and deep blue eyes stared back at her like they had two weeks prior, this time a devilish grin spread across the woman's face. Rosa tilted her head questionably, silently asking the woman what she wanted.

"I'll pay ya double," The woman offered.

"Fine," Rosa pointed at her. "Nothing major. I'm tired."

"Why thank you, miss," The smaller woman squinted at Rosa's badge. "Rosa. Cute name."

"Thanks." Rosa stated simply, snapping a fresh pair of gloves over her hands. She prepared the gun as the woman lay down beside her:

"Okay, what are we doing?"

"I want this," She pulled out a piece of paper from her jean pocket. "Written on my wrist." Rosa studied the piece of paper for a second before looking up at the woman.

"Queen? Ain't that a bit cliché."

"It's what my name translates to from Italian," She frowned.

"Regina," Rosa smiled at her slightly.

"You speak Italian?" Gina was impressed.

"A little. Fluent in Spanish though." The two shared a moment of just looking at one and other before Rosa turned and grabbed the gun. She reached out for Gina's wrist but Gina pulled away.

"Don't you need to map it out first?"

"Do you trust me?"

"I've only just met you!"

"Well you stole my place in the coffee line so you can let me do this." Rosa smirked.

"By letting you freehand a permanent tattoo?! No thank you."

"Shut up and hold still. I have nice handwriting."

It was true. Rosa's handwriting was beautiful. By the time it was done, Gina was beaming at her arm. Rosa's grip was so gentle and safe feeling. It was the complete opposite to what she had been expecting. When she first met Rosa two weeks earlier she thought of her as a moody cow. A hot moody cow, but a moody shit none the less. After that day, Gina hadn't given it a second thought. That was until a couple nights ago when she passed the shop on her way home and spotted Rosa through the window, headphones on, dancing along to something while organising the back wall. She had smiled to herself in that moment and for the past two nights she'd found passing the parlour on her way home to see if she could see the woman again. Tonight she'd plucked the courage to finally go in.

"Soooooo... what's your favourite thing people ask for?" Gina asked as she pulled her purse out of her bag.

"Sternum tats. Just gimme thirty i don't care about the double."

"Not much of a talker then?" Gina laughed as she handed Rosa the money.

"Small talk is for idiots." Gina nodded, slightly disappointed that Rosa seemed so uninterested.

"Are you, are you single?" Gina asked meekly. She was almost determined to let Rosa know she wanted to get to know her.

"+1 425 967 3118."

"What?" Gina looked blankly at her.

"That's my number. If you can remember it, I'll grab a drink with you," Rosa wasn't going to make this easy for her.

"You're really difficult, you know that?" Gina rolled her eyes.

"I try my best." Rosa smirked again.

"Well. I'll see you around, Rosa."

"You too, Regina.

"Just Gina is fine."

"Alright, tight." Rosa smiled at her as Gina opened the door. "Night just Gina."

"Night, Rosa." Gina shook her head at the other woman's response and disappeared into the burr of New York City in the night time.