Finding Ian

Chapter 5// Want Me To Hold Your Hand?

❁ CHAPTER 5

"That must of been hard for you" Katherine assumes recrossing her legs and adjusting her pencil skirt.

I focus on the ground nodding slightly "Yeah it was, which was the most embarrassing part about the whole thing"

"How so?" She questions furrowing her eyebrows, I lift my eyes poking my tongue into the inside of my cheek.

"Of course I had imagined what it would be like if Ian came back, what I would say" An image of him flashes into my mind "How I would walk up to him and tell him how much he hurt me, how much better I am since he left, how I don't need him anymore." I gulp "But when I saw him when I looked into his stupidly blue eyes I didn't feel any anger I just felt small" Confessing all this made my heart pound but I tried to ignore it as I waited for Katherine's response. It was unusual for me to share this much about how I actually felt and I had no clue how she'd react.

"Sometime's we don't react exactly how we'd like to Gaby" She assures me writing something down "That doesn't mean what you were feeling was wrong or embarrassing." I let out a shaky breath and a grin spreads across my face.

"Well, don't worry I'm not done yet and there's plenty more for me to feel embarrassed about."

Katherine chuckles placing her pen and clipboard to the side so I have her full attention, I bite my lip not so sure if that was a good thing or not.

"The rest of the day passed pretty quickly as did the rest of the week and the next thing I knew I was sitting with Silver as she inspected nose studs."

"Gaby what do you think of this one?" She asks pointing at the glass case, my phone vibrates for the 100th times and I seriously consider turning it off. I stand up with a groan from the comfortable leather chair I was sitting on and peer into the case. Her black finger nails were pointing at a simple silver stud.

"I love it" I tell her

"Me too" She grins motioning to a petite woman covered in head to toe in ink "I mean of course the goal is a nose ring eventually but Casey says it's best to start with a stud." The woman - Casey - smiles at us before reaching into her bra and pulling out a key, Silver and I give each other a look as she starts to unlock the case.

"You can go sit over there" She tells Silver, pointing into an open room with a hospital chair on one side and a leather chair on the other. Silver gulps, smiles, then shuffles to the chair she lifts herself easily onto the seat the paper covering the chair and it crinkles underneath her. I cringe the scene giving me flashbacks to my trip to the dentist as Silver's feat dangle off the edge of the seat.

"Alright" Casey grins flashing her smiley piercing at us "So before we do this I have a few things I'm required to so over" She informs us her eyes darting in between us "First of all you're going to need to sign this" She tells her handing her a plastic clipboard, Silver takes it gratefully and I grin thinking of my long talks with Katherine. "Great" She claps walking over to the drawers and starting to pull out some equipment "Next we have to go over cleaning techniques and what not to do I apologize in advance for how long this is going to take, but our boss had been cracking down." Both Silver and I look at each other with an annoyed look on our faces as she begins to explain why she should stay away from Dove soap.

My phone buzzes again and they both turn to me 'sorry' I mouth walking out of the room and pulling my phone out of my pocket.

Meet me tnight outside the school -Ian

8:00 please Ella -Ian

Shit I mean Gaby sorry -Ian

Please just meet me tnight I promise after this if u never want to talk to me again I'll understand -Ian

"As much as I wanted to laugh, reply with some sassy message and tell him to screw off I thought I owed myself the chance to look back into his eyes and finally get some closure. Still there was no way I was going to tell Silver about any of it."

K -Gaby

With that I shove my phone back into my pocket and take a deep steadying breath, then my eyes focus in on something shiny and I walk towards it. It was a small gold hoop, my forehead touched the glass as I admired it. I wasn't so sure what it was that made it look so beautiful but it was.

"You like it?" A man standing behind the front desk asks "It's a cartilage piercing and it's on sale, the jewel and the piercing for $30" My hand subconsciously reaches for my ear I had never gotten a piercing before, they always had seemed to beautiful for me but something about it made me think this one was perfect.

"I'll take it" I decide my voice sounding a lot more confident than it actually was

"Great" He grins pulling another clipboard out from underneath his desk and holding it out to me, "Sign here, I'll have Jake do the piercing for you once he's done with his tattoo" I nod walking towards him, suddenly the sound of buzzing filling my ears.

❁❁❁

When I walk back into Silver's area Casey is still going over the importance of tea tree oil and I can see Silver's patience is wearing thin. "Can we please just do it?" She asks swinging her legs around so she's lying down. "I understand all this maintenance shit- I mean stuff is important but seriously don't you think this is overkill?" I glance over at Casey holding my breath you never know how people were going to react to Silver and her outbursts.

Casey smiles at us before twisting her squeaky chair "Alright if you're sure that's what you want"

"I am positive" Silver mumbles crossing her arms over her chest. Casey nods walking over to her and spreading some type of gel over her left nostril.

"Alright if you're sure" She repeats happily pulling a needle out of it's cardboard box.

"Want me to hold your hand" I tease moving closer to Silver, she gives me a dirty look but still holds her hand out for me to grab. I smile interlacing our fingers and giving her hand a squeeze, Silver snorts turning her head away from me and I can't help but smile fondly at her action, her annoyance was secretly her way of showing that she loved me.

"Alright, please pay no attention to the fact I'm sticking my fingers in your nose" Casey tries to joke as she pierces Silver's nose with a needle. I wince and her grip on my hand tightens.

"Take a picture" she commands me as the needle is lodged in her nose I chuckle pulling out my phone and snapping a picture of her with her tongue out and a goofy grin on her face. Once I'm done Casey removes the needle and replaces it with the stud.

"You're all done" Casey tells her as she wipes her nose with wet pads, I grab Silver the mirror that sat on the side table next to her and hold it up to her face.

"Thanks" Silver says taking the mirror and admiring herself, it really did suit her and now that she had it I had a hard time picturing her without it.

We all hear a knock at the door and I tear my eyes away from Silver "Nice work Casey," A guy who I assume is Jake admires, he lifts a clipboard up to face. "Uh... Gabriella?" He clarifies

"It's Gaby" I respond almost automatically

"Alright Gaby," Emphasizing my name unnecessarily "It's your turn" He smirks

"Wait what does he mean your turn?" Silver asks excitement laced into her voice. I bite my bottom lip excited for what would happen next.