We don’t say anything about the almost kiss. Instead he grabs my hand as we walk to the room next door and gives it a quick squeeze. Charleigh is sitting on her stool, drawing a few more things in her sketch pad. When she notices us walk in, she holds up the notebook. “What do you think?”
My mouth opens, but no words come out. The drawing is stunning. It’s a dreamcatcher and the word “hope” is written in the middle with tiny lines connecting it to the circle. Feathers are suspended from it and the tips are different shades of blue. She took my one word and created something remarkable. A work of art that will serve as daily inspiration for me.
“Is the silence good, or bad?” She glances from me to Randall. “I can’t tell because I’ve never gotten that reaction before.”
“Good,” I croak past the emotion. “Very good. Where should it go? It’s a little big for my arms, though. I want it in a place I can see it every day.”
She glances at her drawing, “I can shrink it down if you want. But it would also look fantastic on your shoulder and upper arm.”
“I don’t want it so small I can’t read it. My shoulder is fine.”
“Sounds good. Let me grab my transfer paper so we can get this on you.” She pulls out what she needs, grabs her stool and some earbuds, and begins going over the drawing again.
“Are you nervous?” Randall asks.
“A little,” I reply. “You’ll stay with me the whole time, right? For moral support.”
His smile widens, “I’ll hold your hand through the entire thing if I need to.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
“All done,” Charleigh says. “Let’s get this on you and make sure the placement is right.”
She places the sheet on my arm and rubs it until she she’s sure the transfer has taken. I walk to the mirror by the door to see what it will look like. The size is perfect and I can’t wait to see what it will look like once it’s there forever.
“All good?” She asks.
Nodding, I turn toward her. “It’s perfect.”
“Good deal. Take a seat in the chair, and we’ll get started.”
Doing as she asks, I sit in the chair beside the table. My arm on the armrest and anticipation running through my veins. Randall pulls the extra chair to the other side of me and takes a seat.
“The buzzing sound will start first. Then I’ll start with one of the lines. It may sting at first, but try not to flinch.”
“Okay.” I turn my free hand up, an invitation for him to grab it. He doesn’t disappoint, sliding his into my own. The buzzing begins and I wait for the first touch, willing myself not to move a muscle.
My eyes are set on the boy next to me. The person who’s slowly putting me back together without even realizing it. I’m so completely lost in his dark brown eyes, that I barely notice when the needle touches my skin. Tonight, I’m throwing my reservations out the window. It’s time he knows that I want to be more than his friend.
Ten
Randall
This girl amazes me.Her strength and determination to make a better life for herself is remarkable. "Are you doing okay?"
Charleigh has just finished all the major outlining on Amelia's tattoo. She still has to draw in some of the smaller lines, and that is where it can sometimes become painful. "Yeah, I'm good." Amelia winces when Charleigh pushes the needle in a little deeper into her skin.
"Good," I pat her hand in sympathy. "It shouldn't take that much longer. There are just a few of those tiny lines and adding color to the feathers, and Charleigh will be finished."
"I'm not that worried about how much time we have left. It really doesn't hurt that bad." She wriggles in her seat for a moment before she’s on the other end of Charleigh’s ‘mom stare.’ Considering she’s not even Layla’s actual mom, she’s got it down pretty well.
Amelia is definitely a lot stronger than I am when it comes to pain. When I got mine, I thought they were going to have to tie me to the chair. I'm not about to tell her that though. Especially, after she's gone through this session with only a few twitches from the pain.
"So, what's good to eat around here?" Amelia asks Charleigh. "I'm starting to get hungry." As if to prove it, her stomach growls.
"Did you not eat before you came?" Charleigh laughs, and wipes away some of the excess ink.
"Um, I was too nervous to eat. I didn't want to lose my cool and end up puking all over everyone." She pulls her hand out of mine and waves it around as she speaks.