The Ink That Brands Us ✔️

Chapter Three

To my relief, Sunday was here in no time. I felt kind of ridiculous walking around the apartment trying to wait patiently. Saw didn't say what time she wanted to have lunch, so I've been ready to go since nine.

I'm pathetic, I know.

Around eleven, I heard a knock at the front door. I rushed out of the bathroom, stumbling over an imaginary bump in the hallway. Catching myself before I hit the floor, I straightened and adjusted any clothing or hairs that may have fallen out of place, then continued at a normal pace to the door.

"Good afternoon," Saw grinned as I pulled the door open. "Ready to go?"

"Yep," I said, grabbing my bag and keys off the table beside the door.

"Awesome! Let's do this!" She skipped towards the stairs as I closed the door.

She took me all over lower downtown showing me all the local hot spots, then she showed me the best route to the school and then a backup route in case that one was backed up. She was an amazing tour guide and didn't miss anything.

My favorite place was the public library and I couldn't wait to be able to spend a few hours there. I had a feeling it would be my new getaway from reality.

At the end of her tour, she took me to her favorite diner, Jimmy's. According to her, they had the best milkshakes and burgers. Which is what we both ended up ordering.

"Did you have a lot of friends back home?" We'd been playing a game of one-sided twenty-one questions since we started our tour. One-sided because I couldn't think of anything to ask, so she supplied most of the questions.

"Not really?" I shrugged. "I talked to a few of the girls in my classes at Community, but we never hung out or anything. I mostly spent time with Josh, but he started UK last year and I didn't get to see him much. Maybe every other weekend and on holidays."

She nodded and I could see another question on the edge of her lips, but her phone rang, interrupting her. She glanced at the screen and rolled her eyes.

"Hey Punk," she said, greeting the caller. "I'm at Jimmy's having lunch with my new neighbor." She paused for a moment, then laughed. "What do you want?"

I was trying and failing at not listening, but she was very entertaining to watch. Mostly because she talked with her hands and made funny faces.

"Alright, Punk. You owe me, though." She told the caller, then snorted. "In your dreams, fool." She hung up, shaking her head. She put her phone inside her bag, then looked up at me grinning. "Sorry about that," she said. "One of the guys from the shop I work at had an appointment today and wants me to bring him some grub. We'll pop by long enough to drop it off, then we can head home." She raised her hand, motioning for the waitress.

"That's fine. I'd love to see where you work," I assured her and I really did want to see it. Mostly because I was curious and never been in a tattoo shop and I wanted to check it out.

"Cool." was all she said.

When the waitress finally made it over, I insisted on paying for mine and Saw's lunch. It was the least I could do after she took me on a tour of Denver and not to mention she had been very kind to me. She tried to argue, but I just told her I'd never had lunch with a friend before. She didn't argue after that.

It turns out Colorado Ink was located just around the corner from Jimmy's. I made it to the door before Saw and paused before trying the door. The sign on the door read closed, and I wasn't sure if the door would be unlocked or not.

I turned to let Saw go ahead of me.

"Technically, we're closed on Sundays, but we book special appointments sometimes," she explained, unlocking the door and holding it open for me.