after dinner, the pair had been curled up on the couch in two respective corners. the conversation that hung in the air was serious, but it was coming down from there, and slowly, their bodies began to inch towards one another again. first when isla reached for what was now an overturned empty beer bottle, and again when nate reached for the controller to take their movie off of pause. the room, which was currently sporting an array of empty chinese food take away containers and no less than five empty beer bottles and an ashtray, was no longer heavy with the burden of their discussion but riddled with the echoes of isla's laughter.

she was kneeling next to him, having just wallopped him hard with a pillow to the face to get him out of his post-talk grumpy phase. although it was isla that had persisted on having the talk, she wouldn't let it ruin a perfectly good evening. they had steered away from the conversation long enough to make jokes about their relationship status and why they were together. isla was laughing as she gave him the true reason.

"no really!" she exclaimed, taking the pillow back that he'd sportingly allowed her to hit him with. "i don't know why i love you. i think it has something to do with that super penis of yours," she teased, winking and waggling her pinky at him. he had rolled his eyes with a less than amused and exasperated look before grabbing her and yanking her down into his lap. she was facing up at him, half laying across his lap as she giggled. eventually, it subsided and she felt his fingers trace over the black ink that peeked through the open hole in the arm of her tank top. what laughter once filled the room was now muted by somber silence.

it hung between them for a minute and she let him look at the coordinates of their town, undoubtedly ruminating over the meaning behind them. the three of them that had sat down in the chairs that night would forever be held together by these letters and numbers, because that was where they had met, and that's where they would always call home. each person had a different reason behind the tattoo, she was certain, but it still tied them together. of the three of them that had sat down, only two had walked out of the new orleans parlor with fresh brands upon their skin.

having been together almost a year at this point, she knew the facial expressions he often made and what they usually meant. the furrow of his brow and the way he traced his fingers over the tender skin told her he was still thinking about that night, maybe even about what it meant for them, and in turn, for their little tribe. finally, isla reached for his hand and brought it to her lips, kissing his knuckles as she looked up at him, brows stitched together empathetically as she pulled his attention away from the black ink and back to her.

"do you know what that means?" she had asked him knowing full well he was aware of the sentiment it held for them.

humoring her, he answered, "what?"

"it means i'm guaranteed dick every night until you die."

the pillow she had hit nathan with earlier then hit isla square in the face before she even had a chance to laugh.