Eden (Urban)

two

Sai didn't mean to show up at the tattoo shop as she did, but her therapy session had her feeling some type of way. It wasn't in her to publicly embarrass people or cause a scene, but she wasn't the same woman she used to be.

At therapy, she was told she needed to confront her problems head-on instead of running from them. Maybe that's not what the psychologist told her, but that's how she took it. Coming straight from the office, Sai rolled into the parking lot of Tia's shop and walked right in.

She noticed that the set up wasn't all that different than it was when she was a regular here. The receptionist desk that she always worked at was still cluttered with papers and forms scattered everywhere. The young woman who sat in her favorite rolling chair smacked her gum and waited for Sai to come closer before saying anything.

"Are you here for a consult or do you have an appointment?" She smiled.

"Nah. I need to speak with the owner," Sai replied dryly.

"She's not in right now, but I can take a message." Sai knew that Tia always made them tell customers that if they looked problematic. The girl didn't know who Sai was, and that definitely wouldn't work on her.

"What you can do is go back there and tell her ass to come out." She leaned on the counter. The girl looked frazzled and her light cheeks turned pink. "I said she wasn't here."

"Fine. You don't wanna do your job? I'll do it for you," Sai moved from around the desk. "Tia? Come the fuck out! I don't wanna hear all that about how you not in there cause I know you are," her voice boomed throughout the lobby. A few people looked at her like she was crazy, and what she guessed was an employee made their way down the corridor that led to Tia's office.

Tia flung the door open and stuck her phone in her back pocket. Sai was pleased to see her old friend. She had some things that she wanted to get off her chest.

"What's going on?" The shocked expression on Tia's face made Sai cackle. It reminded her of how she looked when the truth about her relationship with Elijah came out.

She turned back to the receptionist. "And I thought you said she wasn't here. Lying ass," Tia grabbed her shoulder as more people who were waiting watched in confusion.

"What are you doing here?" They reentered her office, which Sai had never actually been in. Inside was a small desk which was much neater than what was outside, some mirrors, and some framed photos. Tia still held a bewildered look on her face, as if she had seen a ghost.

Well, in reality, she had. No one had heard from Sai since after she got out of the hospital. She up and left with no goodbyes or explanations as to where she was going. And Tia knew she didn't deserve anything from her because of everything that went on with them. But that didn't mean that she didn't miss her friend and prayed that she was okay.

To answer the question honestly, she didn't know why she was there. It was the first place that came to her mind when she thought about facing her problems. Maybe if she saw Tia, she could remember everything she had to say.

"Are you okay?" Tia walked closer and gently grabbed her face. She examined Sai like a mother would, trying to make sure that nothing was wrong. That was how Tia was with Sai; she always wanted to make sure she was okay. Sai noticed her eyes watering and pulled away.

"Yeah, I'm good. Not that that shit matters to you anyway." She spun around to take a look at the photos on her desk. One was of Elijah.

No matter how much pain he caused her, she couldn't deny that she missed him. It was painful to think about the best parts of their relationship because it only made her think of the worst. She hated being lied to and two of the most important people in her life had done just that.