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I pull away, smiling wide at Naomi. “So, is this going to be a thing now?”

She blushes, biting her lip. “I don’t know, is it?”

I drive off to the piercing shop, our hands still joined on the center console. “The ball’s in your court, Church Girl,” I say playfully.

It was a two-hour drive to the shop. Sure, we probably could have gone to a shop near campus, but I was personally familiar with this shop. Plus, I was excited to show Naomi my hometown.

Truth be told, I texted my parents to let them know we’d be in the area today. I was just going to swing by real quick, say hi, and grab some warmer clothing while I was in the area, but my mom wants me to bring Naomi by for dinner. Apparently, Theia told them about her, so they were excited to meet my ‘almost girlfriend.’

“Hey, I’m not sure how long this appointment will end up taking, but while we’re in the area, my mom wants us to stop by. Is that okay with you?”

“Your mom wants to meet me?” Naomi asks in disbelief.

“Yep. I let her know I would be in town and why, and I guess Theia’s mentioned you in conversation with them because they’re eager to meet you.”

“Oh gosh, what did she say?” Naomi asks, beginning to get nervous. I could feel the hand holding mine beginning to sweat, her pulse starting to race.

I give Naomi’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Hey… It’s nothing major. I’m sure Theia didn’t say anything bad. If it’s too much, we don’t have to go. I can visit my parents another weekend.”

She gives me a small smile, shaking her head. “No, I’ll be fine. Let’s go after we’re done.”

“Nervous?” I ask as we near the shop.

“Very. But I want to do it.” Naomi looks out the window at the shop. The tattoo and piercing shop was in a larger space. The owner, Michael, bought an old car garage fifteen years ago and converted it into a tattoo shop. The whole space had an edgy, industrial feel, especially with the matte black garage door, painted with the shop’s logo. When they first opened, they only occupied about half the space, renting out the other half to a local boutique.

But they eventually grew so big that they bought the boutique out and now use the full space. The tattoo shop is on one side, and the piercing parlor is on the other side. They updated the waiting room from the original building layout. Now there was a full snack bar set up with a variety of mess-free snacks, candies, and then some waters and sodas in a mini-fridge under the counter. They’ve turned the shop into such a welcoming space, and I honestly hung out here a lot my senior of high school. To the point where they hired me as a receptionist because I was practically doing the job already.

Now it’s been four years, and I still work here during the summer and a few shifts while home on breaks. I’ve been upgraded though, because James and Ryan have started to train me on tattooing and piercing. Now, sometimes, when I want a new piercing, they’ll let me do it myself, under their supervision, of course. It’s not something I want to pursue, but it’s a neat little skill to have tucked away.

I head into the shop, Naomi’s hand in mine, pulling her along with me. “Honey, I’m home!” I call out, not seeing anyone at the check-in desk. Ryan comes out of her office, grinning when she sees me.

“Sage! I didn’t know you were coming by today,” she says, rounding the counter to give me a big hug. I lean down to hug her back, giving her a tight squeeze.

“James didn’t tell you? I called this morning.”

“You know that man has the attention span of a gnat. He probably forgot by the time he got off the phone with you.” She laughs, pulling away from me and turning her attention to Naomi. “And who is this gorgeous lady?”

“This is my…friend, Naomi. Naomi, this is Ryan, she’s the tattoo artist I was telling you about.”

Naomi holds her hand out to shake. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

“Aren’t you the cutest? Come here, I’m a hugger.” Ryan throws her arms around Naomi for a hug. “It’s so nice to meet afriendof Sage’s,” she says, giving me a pointed look over Naomi’s shoulder, and I roll my eyes in response.

“Sega Genesis is in the house!” calls from behind me, I turn to see James coming from the hallway to the piercing side of the shop.

“You know you’re making yourself sound old every time you call me that,” I say, giving him a fist bump. I had just started taking meds for my ADHD when I first started coming by the shop. I had so much restless energy and could barely stay still, James used to call me a video game character, hence the nickname.

“What does it say about you since you get the reference?” he asks with a wink, laughing as I attempt, poorly, to shove him.

Ryan was the younger sister of the shop owner, and James was her husband. She originally started as just a business partner in the shop, but after she and James started dating, she got into piercing and tattooing. Now they all run the shop together. Ryan and James are the cutest and polar opposites in every way. Ryan’s a tiny, little pixie of a human, and James is basically a heavily tattooed, Paul Bunyan. They’re both amazing people, and they complement each other well.

“So, is this the friend that wants to get her nose pierced?” He points to Naomi.

I nod. “Yep. This is her first piercing too, so be gentle.”

He gives Naomi a friendly smile. “Ready to do this kid?”

Naomi turns to me, her nerves kicking in again. “Can Sage come back with me?’