Forever Yours (More Than A Feeling|Sequel)

Five: I Believe This Belongs To You

I started work again today, happy to be back in the old shop that I had worked at before leaving for Lakewood. Carly greeted me excitedly when I came through the door, it was just us two on a shift again, just like old times. I didn't mind working the late shift rather than the morning shift, it was a small adjustment but I could make it successfully. 

"So, when you left, did you and Jimmy stay together, or...?" Carly asked. She'd asked question throughout the day about that whole situation of me leaving, and I answered them all truthfully.

"No, I left because things between us just fell apart and I felt we both needed physical distance between us for a while." I answered. She hadn't known about everything that had gone on, I had always just kept it to myself at work because really I didn't know at all where we had been. 

"Oh. Did you get back together then?" Carly's voice was hopeful, but when I shook my head and looked at her face, I saw it fall immediately. Then she smirked and said, "You mean you haven't yet." I shook my head again, and the disappointment on her face returned. 

"We're not getting back together, he's getting married in about six weeks, almost five." I told her as I sorted through different types of sketches at the front desk. We had folders to keep certain kinds of sketches such as tribal, lettering, contemporary and other categories to keep things sorted out. It definitely made them easier to find, that's for sure. 

Carly just stared at me in disbelief, looking like how I felt when Matt told me. I thought it was kind of weird that she didn't know this already, I would've thought he might've said something when he came in for a tattoo, but maybe not.

"He hasn't told you already, while he was getting inked?" I asked, not looking up from the folder I was filing more sketches into.

"He hasn't come in at all in the past year. At least not on my shift, anyway." Carly said, and I furrowed my brow as I finally looked up at her. He hasn't been to get a tattoo in a whole year? That's weird for him, considering he thinks tattoos are really beautiful on people. He would sometimes just stare at himself in the mirror, studying all his tattoos in awe. He was almost always getting something done, at least once a year. 

"That's... different. But now you know." I said. 

"Yeah... I guess so." Her voice almost made it sound like she was kind of lost, or spaced out. She looked kind of spaced out too. "I just... I don't understand! You two were the happiest people I knew!" I swallowed hard and didn't respond to her, putting the folder back. 

I was changing some of the example sketches out of their frames on the wall, putting new ones in when I heard the bell on the door ring as someone came in. Carly and I had music playing off my iPod from the speakers like we used to do, currently playing Trade Mistakes by Panic! At The Disco, which was one of my favorite songs. Carly was currently in the back of the building, so I spun around to help whoever came in, and my jaw nearly fell open in surprise when I saw Jimmy leaning against the side of the front desk. It's kind of funny how he just shows up like that  after he's talked about.

He wore that smirk of his on his face, holding a piece of paper that was folded over once in his hand. Deciding to take advantage of this and have a little fun with him, I greeted him as if he were a stranger. 

"Good evening sir, what can I do for you?" I tried to keep a smirk off my face. 

Jimmy's smirk just grew. "Well, considering I'm in a tattoo shop, you can either pencil me in or tattoo me now." I pretended to check the appointment book, but I knew there wasn't anyone coming in until later, and under Carly's name.

"I can do it now, if you wish. Do you have a sketch or picture with you, or would you like to use one of our examples?" I asked. 

"I've got one with me."