I heard a voice coming from somewhere but didn't register what it was saying. I was still lost in the colors and swirls and depth of the eyes I had spent the last half hour applying makeup to.

The flecks of color and light ... these eyes ... they're so beautiful ....

My head was spinning with the minuscule flecks of color that whirled around in front of me ... but then suddenly became her eyes. Avery's eyes. I hadn't been able to stop thinking about her eyes since that night.

"Hey, Colin, you got room for another one?"

From the minute I first saw her through the window I could see her eyes and lips as clear as if she were right in front of me and I knew ... I could tell that she was perfect. And then when we ran into each other on the street and I saw her up close, I couldn't believe what was happening. The streetlights reflected off her eyes and I became lost in them ... lost in the moment ... and it was if I was looking deep inside her, down a long, dark tunnel that pulled me in and whirled me around and around until ....

"Yo! Col! You in there?" the receptionist said as she snapped in the air.

Col? What the fuck?

"This chick says Marcy sent her. You gonna take her, or what? I gotta get back to the phones."

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry, Jade. I was thinking about something else." I rubbed my eyes and opened them just in time to watch Jade turn and run for the phones, then I looked at the girl she had brought in with her and froze.

Oh God.

I had to turn around to conceal the fact that my hands had started shaking. I was suddenly feeling like everything was closing in on me and I only had one option.

Look at her ....

The girl in the doorway, she looked almost exactly like Avery. How was that possible?

I don't want to do another one today. I don't want to do it.

Her eyes were almost the exact same color and her lips had the same fullness in the middle and sharp lines out to the corners.

Yes, you do ....

My hands were trembling as I put the finishing touches on the woman in the chair. Why was I having such a hard time controlling everything all of the sudden? What had Avery done to me?

"Hey there, what's your name?" I said with my back turned to the girl.

"I'm Josey. My friend said to tell you that ..."

"Just have a seat in that back room there, Josey, and we can talk about all that in a second."

"Ok, thanks!" she said as she disappeared around the corner into the back room. I was relieved that she was gone. I couldn't think while she was in the room with me. I wasn't going to take her home, I had decided. I didn't need her. I had collected all the parts I needed just the other day. I really didn't have to do it.

But she looks so much like Avery. Don't you find that a little odd?

"You're all set Mrs. Anderson. Makeup and hair that will make all the other women at the gallery opening seethe with jealousy tonight," I said as I poked a few curls with the pointy end of my comb while I smiled at her in the mirror.

You could even pretend she's Avery ....

"Oh, Colin you are a genius! Every time I come in you give me a different look, and every time I absolutely adore it."

I was looking at Mrs. Anderson in the mirror and smiling and nodding but all I was thinking about was the girl in the back room. And Avery.

You have a laundry bag ... and the anesthesia is right there under the sink. It would be so easy ....

"I'm so glad you like it, Mrs. Anderson. You look perfect, as always."

"Oh, Colin, if only I were twenty years younger," she said with a wink. "Well, I'll let you get to your next customer. This is for you," she said as she stood and turned towards me.

"I hope you realize just how much I appreciate what you do for me," she said as she folded up a bill and put it in my hand.

"I think I do, Mrs. Anderson. The feeling is more than mutual," I said with a big smile. She always tipped well, in fact, most of my clients did, but it wasn't the money I was referring to that I appreciated so much, it was the access it gave me. Where else could I work where I could touch women's faces and hair and hands and feet like this without raising suspicion. Not to mention the walk-ins.

But I could see her perspective. Most of the women who came to see me were still very attractive and were willing to spend an unlimited amount of money to retain their looks. It was usually the younger girls who weren't able to afford much.

Like the girl in the back room, I thought as I watched Mrs. Anderson walk out the door, then turn and give me a little wave.

I took a deep breath, then walked through the doorway into the back room and found the young girl sitting on one of the stylist's chairs. Unfortunately she was still having the same affect on me and I pretended to wash my hands in the hair washing sink so I had an excuse to turn my back on her.

Those eyes. Turn around and look at those eyes ....

"So, what can I do for you, Josey?" I asked as I gave my hands an epic washing.

"Well, a friend of mine told me that if I came here and told you that Marcy had sent me, you would do my hair and make-up for real cheap. See, I have an audition tonight and I just want to look my best. I want to be an actress," she said with a smile that I could hear even with my back turned.

But I just did one a week ago for chrissake! If I do too many of these walk-ins I'm going to get caught!

"Sure, I do that all the time. I usually charge ten bucks. Is that too much?"

"No, that's perfect! I can totally do that. I just need a trim and you can style it however you think it would look best and then just natural make-up. And if you have suggestions on how you think I should do my make up that would be really cool too."

Ok, now you have to turn around. Just do it. What are you so afraid of?

"Of course," I said as I turned and looked at the girl in the chair and I immediately knew what was going to happen. Suddenly, I clicked over into some kind of super-human beautician persona with my mouth pouring out a bunch of bullshit on autopilot as I planned out the rest of my afternoon with the same circular thoughts that ground the steps into my head over and over.

"I can see right now that you'll want to want to keep your eyeliner a teeny bit below your eyes to make them appear as big as possible ...."

One more appointment scheduled this afternoon ... plenty of time ....

"... and stay away from any orangey colors ...."

... get her in hair washing sink first ... then the hot towel ... then the anesthesia from under the sink ....

"... because of your skin tone ...."

... then get the laundry bag ... put body and towel in bag ...

"... but there's lots I can do and I'll be sure and show you as I'm doing it."

... unlock door and throw bag into tunnel ... piece of cake ....

"Are you ready to get started?" I said with the biggest, fakest smile I think I'd ever had plastered on my face in my life.

* * *

I lowered the dryer down on my last appointment for the day and stepped out into the hallway that connected to the other studios. I just wanted to see how many people were left in the salon this close to closing. I really didn't want to be held up tonight. After this last woman was out from under the dryer I was going to leave the salon right behind her.

"I doubt it. He never goes out with us for drinks after work. I don't think he wants to associate with us."

"What do you mean? Does he think he's hot shit or something? Doesn't he have a massive following of women that worship him?"

"Yeah, but who cares. It's just a bunch of rich bored housewives. Nobody special. I would be willing to bet that they pay him to fuck them in that back room cause their husband's are all after younger girls."

"I think he's gay."

"Well, I think he's just weird."

Jesus Christ they're talking about me again. Of course they are. Fucking bitches. Don't they have anything better to do with their time?

"Maybe he has a family and would rather spend time with them?"

"I doubt it. He's too weird to have a family."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll understand after you've worked here a while."

"Jade, you're the only one who says that about him. I don't get it. He seems really sweet to me."

Jade. I knew she talked about me behind my back.

"I just don't like him, that's all."

"I think you're just jealous."

"Jealous of what? Believe me, I'm not interested."

"Sure, Jade. He's just about the hottest guy in this entire city."

The laughter of multiple girls rose in the next studio over and I rounded the corner back into mine where the dryer was still going full blast. I was glad it was so noisy because I didn't want to hear anything else those bitches had to say. It's not like I didn't know that they talked about me, but hearing it just made my blood boil, and now I really wished it was Jade in that bag in the tunnel. I went into the back room and rinsed my face in the sink. I was sweating and shaking again and I just wanted to get out of this damned place.

She's not even worth it. There's nothing even remotely redeeming about her and it would be a waste of time to even try and find any part of her to use. Just forget about Jade. What you have already is so much better.

I caught my breath as I waited for the hair dryer to stop, then I was out of there.