Binding Ink

Celia Elliott

I stared at the woman for a while, unsure of what to do next. 

She gave me assuring smile, one that would make you trust her, in one way or the other.

From beside the bed, the woman pulled a chair, sitting right where Anla sat before.

In contrast to Anla's peculiar taste in fashion, the woman was quite... ordinary. 

Her black hair was tied up into a bun neatly, not a single strand of hair fell out of her tight, neat bun. She wore a white coat just like any other "doctors", allowing her to easily blend into the crowd.

The woman took out a clipboard, placing it onto her lap. "So... do you know where you are right now?" She asked, tapping her pen on the clipboard.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Where am I?

"I don't know." My thoughts went through my mouth, skipping the brain.

The tapping sound of the pen's gone.

"Oh." The woman seemed unsurprised. "I kind of thought you'd say that."

I furrowed my eyebrows slightly, confused.

What does she mean?

The woman handed me an empty piece of paper and pen. "Here." 

"Uh... sure?" I took over the items hesitantly, not knowing what to do with it. Does she want me to write something down? But I-

"Taking notes might help you remember what I'll say next easier, but your body might just have the memory itself." The woman pulled her chair closer, pulling in the distance between us.

I looked away from her face, clutching the paper tightly in my hands. "But... I never learnt how to write."

How am I supposed to take notes?

I felt a gentle tap on my hands, making my hands let go of the paper.

The paper is now... crumpled.

The woman said nothing, the sound of the chair rubbing against the floor was significant in this quiet space.

Then, a low voice broke down the silence gently. " No proper work can be done on a crumpled piece of paper."

I looked up from the paper, my eyes widened.

In front of me was not her, but him.

When did he get here?

Ivor said nothing, slipping out the crumpled paper from my hands and replaced it with a clean, untainted paper.

"Let's give it a go, shall we?"

He shoved the pen into my palm, the cold sensation of the pen removed every inactive nerve in the body.

My fingers were then surrounded by a warm pair of hands, his slender fingers adjusting the position of my grip.

The woman sitting by the side stood up suddenly, ready to leave. "I'll come back in a bit." She gave us a small wink as she turned to leave.

I can feel my cheeks burning up.

Weird.

.................................

Ivor Schwartz

I don't know why I acted so rashly.

Barging into someone's space when they're with their doctor?

What am I thinking?

Celia's doctor didn't seem to mind though. She even gave us a wink...

Wait. A wink?

I quickly let go of Celia's cold hands, my face reddening with every second that passed.

Her head was still down, but her ears were still visibly red, perhaps out of embarrassment.

I let out a few nervous coughs, thinking of what to say next.

"I'm sorry for uh- barging into your conversation with your doctor, it's just that, uh..."

This will be an embarrassing secret to say.

"...I can't stand the sound of paper crumpling. It's just a habit from being an author, you know?"

Oh God. What am I rambling about?!

Celia nodded her head, her hands covering her face. "W-Well, about the writing part..."

"Oh! well, I suppose we should start with some ABC's?"

I turned around to open one of the curtains, making the space brighter than before.