The Real Housewives of Ink

The night before Lydia and Kyle were to move to their new home, they slept one last time in their old home. Restless, she got up to have a glass of warm milk, only to find Kyle in what used to be their living room, head in his hands.

"Can't sleep, either?" Lydia asked.

Kyle sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"This is all going so fast," Kyle murmured.

"I know, baby, I know," she soothed.

"I love my future sister-in-law, but you ever get the feeling, um, I don't know how to say this without you getting pissed-" Kyle began.

"She's buying me shit to make up for our long estrangement?" Lydia asked. "Yeah, I know. But on the bright side, coming back to L.A. means I get to be there for the birth of my second niece or nephew. And your exposure to the show means more publicity for us."

"Yeah, but taking that huge risk with that new shop and that new house?" Kyle asked anxiously. "What if we fuck it up? I can't ask your sister to bail us out, you know how we Midwesterners are about shit like that."

Kyle had a point. They had felt uncomfortable with the generous gift of the house and the new tattoo shop, but were too polite to say anything to Vanessa.

Besides, the offer came at a very good time. The new landlord of the shops that contained their parlor was raising rents, and though thanks to Ink Master their shop had gotten some much-needed publicity, they still weren't making enough to cover the extortionate rates he was demanding. Add insult to injury, the apartment building they were living in was being condemmed. They had thirty days to leave or be thrown out. This didn't surprise either one of them, as there was always some kind of problem with something, whether it be the plumbing, the heat, or the electricity.

"At least we're leaving before it gets cold," Lydia said optimistically.