“Hey, sweets,” I said, pushing her out of our hug and kissing her cheek. “Love the hair, gorgeous. You suit this color,” I complimented, teasing the ends of the newly brunette strands.
“Thanks,” she chirped, sitting back down in her seat. “I’ve ordered for you.” She nodded towards the steaming black mug on the table and I could almost hear my senses sighing in relief. I took a seat, taking a sip before my arse had even hit the chair.
“Ah, that tastes good.”
“Rough night?”
“I’m pretty sure I drank my own body weight in beer last night.”
Elle shook her head at me, her smile betraying the scolding look she was trying to give. “Are you happy, Ry?” she asked, her face melting into a concerned frown.
“Um, sure,” I answered dubiously, a little confused.
“I mean with your choices. The porn, the move to another country… You gave up a great career. Sometimes what you do, well it just worries me I guess.”
“Elle I needed this. I needed away from my parents. I needed a complete new start. You already know this.”
“But… porn? Seriously, Ryder, what kind of future do you have with that? You are an amazing stylist. You have the talent to go right to the top.”
“I enjoy it, Elle. I need it.” For reasons you’ll never understand. “Where’s all this coming from? You’ve never had a problem with it before.”
“I don’t have a problem with it. Not really. I just need to make sure you’re happy. That you’re doing it for the right reasons and not because you feel you’ve no other choice.”
“You know that’s not the reason. I loved working with you and I know I will always have that to fall back on. You know, a lot of people think people only get into this business because they’re desperate, but honestly, Elle, that’s not it at all. Not for most of us. You need to come and meet the guys. I keep telling Sawyer the same. Ivan has been more of a father to me these past few months than my own dad ever was. It’s fun. We respect each other. It’s not some seedy underworld like a lot of people think. I’m happy, Elle.”
“You weren’t happy working for me?”
“That’s not what I said and you know it. I don’t know how to describe it so you’ll understand, but when I shot my first ever scene back in London something just clicked. I never really thought that it would be anything more than a bit of fun and some extra cash on the side, but since coming here, it’s like I’ve gained a whole new family. You’re only young once, sweets. If this is a mistake, I’ll deal with it and move on, just like I always do.”
“So you really wouldn’t consider going back into hairdressing?”
“I dunno.” I shrugged. “Maybe one day. But not right now.”
“Look, Ry,” Elle began. “We’ve not told anyone yet, but Kip and I are thinking of moving out here. He misses the music, and he’s looking into setting up his own recording studio.”
“But what about the salon?”
“Miguel practically runs the place anyway. I’ll travel back for a couple of days every month, more if needed. But there are a lot of opportunities for me over here too. I’ve already been asked to join in with LA Fashion Week next season, and I’ve been looking into premises to set up out here, too.”
“Wow,” I breathed, slightly flabbergasted.
“I wanted to ask you how you’d feel about managing the new salon. But, I think you’ve answered that already.” She sounded disappointed and it made guilt swell in my stomach.
“Elle, I…” I trailed off, unable to find the words she wanted to hear.
“It’s okay, Ry. I understand. You were my first thought because I know how good you are, and because I love you. But I’ll find someone else. If you’re happy, I’m happy.”
“You know I’ll help out whenever I can,” I assured her. “But I just can’t commit to anything permanent right now.”
“At least we’ll get to hang out together more, right? Party like the good old days.”
“Sweets, you couldn’t keep up with me these days,” I teased, tossing her a wink. “You’re too old.”
“I’m not too old to whip your arse, tiger,” she said with a raised eyebrow. I smiled when she said ‘tiger’. It’s what she always called me when we were being playful, which in a busy London salon wasn’t as often as I’d have liked. I wondered if I must’ve been thinking of Elle when the endearment slipped from my mouth when I first met Mason. I’d never referred to anyone as tiger before, and maybe that was because it’d never described anyone else so perfectly. Like a tiger, he was striking to look at - his beauty camouflaging the strength he kept hidden inside. I didn’t know Mason’s story, I didn’t know what he’d been through or what had led him to where he was.