- Lucy -
ou’re like my guardian angel,” I said. “What even made you stop by so randomly?”
“Actually, I thought you might give me a much needed haircut.”
I looked at his mess of thick hair. “I suppose you could use one, but I thought you had a barber you liked?”
“He messed up my sideburns last time. He’s dead to me.”
“Yikes,” I said. “Not exactly a low stakes proposition then.”
“I have faith in you,” he said. “But I don’t expect you to do it now. Not after all that and when you’re upset. We can do it another time.”
“Don’t be silly,” I said. “I’m honored that you finally asked me to do it. I wouldn’t dare pass up this opportunity.”
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yeah, the distraction will be good for me. It’ll help me calm down.”
“Working will help you calm down?”
I nodded and lowered my voice. “Plus, I’d rather spend a few minutes with just you right now. When I go home Fiona’s going to get all wound up when I tell her what happened. You’d actually be helping me out.”
“Enough said.” He stood up and looked around the empty salon. “Where do you want me?”
I swallowed and stood up. “Do you want a dry cut or a shampoo first?”
“I want the full experience.”
I smiled. “Okay, right this way.” I stood next to the chair in front of the basin. “Have a seat here.”
Aiden looked funny in the chair. He was much bigger than my average client.
I walked over to the shelves at the back of the room and grabbed a black, silk smock. Then I stood behind him again and reached around his head, draping it over him. His neck was too big for the clasps so while I held it shut with one hand, I pulled some bobby pins out of my hair. Two large wisps fell around my face as I put them between my lips. Then I made an x with the pins so the smock wouldn’t slip.
Next, I grabbed a hand towel from under the basin and laid it over his shoulders.
“Remember the last time I let you cut my hair?” he asked, pulling the ends of the towel and turning towards me.
I grabbed a wash cloth and laid it in the basin’s neck rest. “I can’t believe you’re bringing that up right now.”
“I hope the practice you’ve gotten since then will show in the final product.”
“Lay back,” I said, holding the washcloth still while he lowered his head down into the sink.
“You told me all the kids on the playground were going to be asking for that cut when they saw it.”
I pulled the nozzle out and turned the water on, keeping it away from his head. “To be honest, I still don’t understand why the ear to ear Mohawk hasn’t caught on.”
“You have to be pretty confident to pull that off.”
“And your face has to be just the right shape or it doesn’t work.”
He laughed. “Agreed.”
I held the stream of water against my wrist and waited for it to heat up. I wanted it to be warm, but not too hot. The salon was warm enough already.
I pointed the jet at his head, shielding the backsplash with my hand. “Is that too hot?”
“No, it’s perfect,” he said, closing his eyes.
From where I was standing, it looked like his dark eyelashes reached all the way to the apples of his cheeks. I grabbed one chunk of his soft hair at a time, making sure to wet it down to the scalp. Then I lifted my thumb from the button on the nozzle, slipped it back into its holster, and reached for some shampoo, releasing two pumps into my hand.
“Please don’t make me smell like a woman,” he said, his eyes popping open.
I laughed. “You’ve never smelled like a woman a day in your life.”
“Was that a jab?”
“Not at all.”
“You know what I mean though?”
“I’m using the most masculine stuff we have, I promise,” I said, warming the shampoo in my hands. “In fact, there are hops in it.”
“Like in beer?”
“Exactly.”
“Maybe you could give me a glass of it while I relax.”
“I don’t think so,” I said. “But if you’d like tea or coffee, that I can do.”
“Alright. I’ll let you know if I get thirsty.”
“Please do.” I lowered my sudsy hands against his head and started working the lather against his scalp with my fingertips.
“Oh my god.”
“Is that too hard?” I asked, stopping for a moment.
“Not at all. That feels amazing.”
I smiled. “I’m glad.”
“And here I thought I was good with my hands.”
“I’m not sure it’s the same,” I said, kneading my fingers in tiny circles. “My hands don’t actually have the power to heal like yours do.”
“I’m going to have to disagree with you there.”
I felt my chest swell every time I glanced at the wide smile on his face. Once his head was good and soapy, I depressed the button on the nozzle and rinsed the shampoo from his hair.
“Please tell me we get to do that again.”
I laughed and reached for the conditioner. “Yeah, we get to do it one more time.” I pumped the cold conditioner in my hand and started to warm it between my palms. “I’ll try to make it count.”
“Excellent.”
I wrapped my hands around his head and began working the conditioner through to the ends of his hair.
“Does anyone blatantly moan while you do this?”
“No,” I said, digging my fingers into his scalp. “Customers generally refrain from moaning.”
“That must be so awkward for them, wanting to moan so bad but not wanting to freak you out.”
“And yet somehow, they always manage.” I slipped my fingers around to the back of his head, dragging my nails up and down.
“Does anyone come in just for this?”
“You mean just to get their hair washed?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“I’m not aware of that ever happening.”
“I have to be honest. I’m second guessing my whole approach now.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, massaging his hairline.
“Well, I was going to ask you to cut a decent amount off, but now I’m thinking I’ll just ask for half a trim.”
“Half a trim?”
“Yeah, that way I can come in next week and do this again.”
I shook my head. No one had ever made such a big fuss about getting shampooed. Granted, I was putting in a little more effort because it was Aiden, but a wash was a wash. “I’ll cut your hair however you want, and I’d be happy to do this for you anytime.”
“Seriously?”
“Sure.”
“Cause this is better than Christmas, Lucy.”
I rolled my eyes. “I mean, it will have to be our little secret. I don’t want you showing up with the whole rugby team so I have to wash two dozen sweaty heads, but I don’t mind doing it for you.”
“I might have to take you up on that. This is officially my new favorite way to unwind.”
I rinsed the conditioner out of his hair slowly, taking my time. I don’t know what it was, but there was something comforting about having my hands on him, about having an excuse to touch him without it being weird.
“Oh no. It’s over, isn’t it?”
“Only until next time,” I said, lowering a towel under his head and nudging him upright again.
I stepped in front of him and gave his head a thorough towel dry while he looked down at the floor.
When I pulled the towel away from his mess of wet hair, he looked up at me smiling.
And I felt my stomach drop to the floor.