Page 9 of Pierced Pages
“Nonsense.” Morgan grabbed their empty bowls and spoons then walked around the table to wait while Danielle stood. “You sat with me. Now it’s my turn to keep you company outside.”
The gesture warmed Danielle’s heart, and she was suddenly very grateful this woman crossed off the possibility of dating. She wasn’t sure she could follow her own rule of no new relationships. Kindness was her kryptonite.
It was dark outside, with strings of lights making the front of the building cozy and inviting. Thankfully, they were benefiting from a February warm front, but there was still a crisp breeze in the air. Her wrap dress had long sleeves, still leaving her legs bare. Although, the cool air was actually taking some of the edge off her migraine.
Morgan slipped on a grey sweater over her sleeveless top and led Danielle to a nearby bench.
“Better?”
Danielle nodded and closed her eyes. The surrounding muscles were already relaxing and helping ease the pain, if only slightly. “Much.”
When she opened her eyes again, she looked up at the dark sky containing a spattering of stars, despite the nearby city lights obscuring most of them.
Morgan looked up at the stars, too. “I love a clear night like this.”
Danielle turned to catch a peek at her staring upward. The string lights glinted off Morgan’s jewelry, and in the warm glow Danielle could see all of her piercings now. A brow bar. A lip ring. A nose stud. And a string of studs and hoops along the sides of her ears, including through thick cartilage in places Danielle imagined must have hurt a whole lot.
She tilted her head to examine the gorgeous chandelier earrings hanging from her bottommost ear holes, dainty in contrast to the rest of her jewelry.
“Those are beautiful.”
“Thanks,” Morgan said, turning to look at her. “I made them. They’re one of my favorites.”
“Really? That’s amazing. You’re really talented.”
Morgan’s pale cheeks blushed a light shade of pink. “Thanks.”
“Can I ask you something? About your piercings.”
Morgan smiled with what looked like relief from whatever she feared Danielle might be asking. “Sure. Of course.”
“All I have are the standard ear ones.” She pointed at the small blue gems in her lobes. “I’ve always wanted to get another one. Or two. Or whatever. But I’m kind of a wuss about pain, so I was wondering if some hurt more than others?”
“The short answer is yes.” Morgan tilted her head slightly. “Assuming nothing is against your school policies?”
Danielle hadn’t even thought about that. “I don’t actually know. I’ll have to look it up. Thanks for pointing that out.”
“Sure. Wouldn’t want you to get something just to have to take it out.”
“Nope,” Danielle said. “Wouldn’t want that.”
“So on the pain scale, it’s going to hurt more as you go up the ear. And these inner cartilage ones.” She pointed at some jewelry inside her ear. “These are definitely not for beginners.”
“Noted.” She pointed above Morgan’s eye. “What about that one? I have a feeling that might push school policy, but I’m just curious.”
They weren’t a private school with strict policies, but most people in the area leaned a little on the conservative side. She was never sure how far she could push things at work without getting on some kind of school watchlist.
“That one doesn’t hurt much. Surprisingly, less than you think. It’s a thicker chunk of skin to go through, but not a lot of nerves in the area. The trick with this is watching for rejection.”
“Rejection?” Danielle asked. “Like your body will reject it like a transplanted organ?”
“Kind of,” she said. “Sometimes the body will push it right out over time. Nothing you can do about it either.”
“That’s wild.” Danielle found all of this fascinating. “So ears then.”
Morgan laughed softly. “Probably. Unless you want a nose ring?”
“Probably not,” she said. “It kind of freaks me out. The whole nose and keeping it clean thing.”
