“Sometimes, we need a reminder — a constant throbbing, a gnawing that serves as proof of life and love — that we were once here and we lived. Sometimes, you just want to make sure you never forget that first kiss. Those words. That one time you laughed so hard, you cried. Sometimes, you never want to forget the pain so you inflict it onto yourself and writhe in orgasmic pleasure as it scratches your skin. As it buzzes and hums. I c– when I’m tattooed. […] There are only two people in the world who know what it means. This number. This 56. But everyone in the world knows what it means to love something or someone so much it hurts. So much that you don’t mind when it hurts. So much that when it hurts, you c–.”
