7
MARGARET
DAN IS QUITE literally dragging me through the city streets, and I have a strong urge to dig my heels in and not let him move me another inch. This guy is certifiable. This whole thing is absurd, and I can’t even begin to comprehend who could possibly be after me. There aren’t even that many people who know who I am.
I can’t believe I slept with him!
Yeah, we all know that’s a lie.
We come to a stop at the corner of a busy intersection, and Dan dips into a CVS, immediately going to the hair care aisle.
“Uh, no. That’s not happening,” I protest the second his hand comes into contact with a box of hair dye, the color named Bronze Blonde.
Maybe it’s a weird thing to be proud of, but I’ve never, ever dyed my hair. My chocolate locks are all natural, and I intend on keeping them that way.
“Yes, it is. Also, I need…” He looks around until he finds what he’s looking for. “Aha, there we are.” He hands me the scissors and I look to him, waiting for some kind of punch line.
“Are you crazy?”
He gives me a look, and I already know what it means: Your hair or your life?
Tough decision… I bite my lip and weigh it out.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” he scoffs, acting like I’m the one being unreasonable.
“Don’t be so self-righteous. A woman’s hair is half her identity.” I just made that up on the spot, but it sounds pretty good, right?
“Mo, this is important.”
I shrug my shoulders and decide he’s not going to understand why I’m being stubborn about this. Carrying the blonde dye and scissors, I follow him around as he grabs other items including water bottles and protein shakes. As I pass the processed food section, which is basically half the store, I snag a few bags of mini chocolate donuts.
Dan shakes his head at my selection. “That’s not nutritious.”
“Dude, if I’m going to die soon, I’m going to eat whatever I want.”
We begin another staring contest, and it seems we both have strong wills. Given that we are in a bit of a perilous situation and have bigger things to worry about, we both drop it and move over to the counter to pay.
To my surprise, he pulls out his wallet, and I notice his own little wad of bills in there. He hands over some cash to the cashier, and I eagerly grab my mini donuts before he can stop me. We walk out, bags in hand, on to an adventure I’m not prepared for.
A pay-by-the-hour hotel is our next destination a couple miles away from my apartment, and this will be another first for me. I haven’t had a ton of experience with hotels to begin with, but I’ve definitely never wanted to go to one you don’t have to have a deposit for. Ugh.
We enter the room Dan got for us and dump our bags on the small bed. The bedding looks worn out and I cringe, trying to stay brave and thanking the good Lord we don’t have to sleep in it. He informed me we weren’t staying any longer than however long changing my hair takes.
“What about your hair?” I ask, hands on my hips and eyebrow raised.
“I can wear a hat. Guys have it easy. You’re the only pain in the ass here.”
“What kind of FBI agent goes on an app for dates, huh? I wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for you.”
A flash of guilt crosses his face. “You’re right.” He sighs, stepping forward, invading my senses with that man musk all hot guys seem to just always have. “I’m sorry for getting you into this.”
I lift my chin, having been unprepared for his apology. “Fine. Help me with my hair.”
“Yes ma’am.”
I enter the dingy bathroom, where the light flickers for a moment before deciding to work. I sit on the toilet lid while he starts setting up his supplies and reading directions. It’s almost cute. Almost.
He’s got a nice scruff going on his jaw, and I wonder if it would be rough or soft under my hand. He’s also really tall, a feature I loved the minute I met him. There was so much amazing chemistry between the two of us on our date, and there’s a reason I couldn’t stop thinking about him.