Wow.
I don’t like him.
My spine is still stiff from his first swipe, so it can’t get much straighter. I clear my throat and glance toward the glass doors that open out to the pool. “Well, I have to get home, but thanks again.”
“Anytime,” he says, his tone so condescending and assholey, I want to throw a shoe at him.
God, what an unbearable ass.
No wonder Dare doesn’t like him.
___
Dare picks me up after Mom and I have lunch.
I wear a little white dress and the polka-dot bow heels he bought for me. Walking in them still feels dangerous, but I love the way he looks at me when I’m wearing them, like he can hardly keep from fucking me right then and there.
I’m a little confused when he pulls into a parking spot in front of a hair salon. He takes my hand and we walk up to the building. I’m still confused when he opens the door for me and follows me inside.
“This is where you came when you were a kid?”
“No.” He lightly grabs my hip, ushering me inside. “This is our first stop. We’ll go there after.”
“Okay,” I say, casting him an uncertain smile. “Are you getting a haircut or something?”
He smiles faintly. “You are.”
My heart flips over. “What?”
He runs a hand through my hair a bit absently, his other still on my hip as we wait at the reception desk. “I know you can’t afford to come to places like this, so I wanted to bring you.”
“Do you not like my hair?” I ask uncertainly. As much as he plays with it, I figured he did.
“I love your hair. That’s why I want to take care of it.” He presses a kiss to the side of my head.
That’s rational, and I guess I haven’t been able to get it trimmed for a long time. It has probably been two years since my last haircut.
“I don’t want to lose a lot of length, though,” I say, looking up at him.
“I like your hair long, too,” he assures me. Then, wrapping his hand around my throat and pulling me close, he kisses me. “Trust me,” he murmurs.
The receptionist smiles as she comes over to assist us. I feel out of my element in the expensive salon, and cast a look back at Dare as she leads me away.
The lady doesn’t ask what I want, she just puts me in the chair, ties the cloak around my body, and gets to work. I guess that means Dare already told her.
I wish someone would have told me.
I’m a bit nervous as she washes and conditions. My anxiety ramps up when she gets out her scissors.
In the end, Dare was right, though. She only gave me a trim, just making the cut neater and sleeker, and styling it so my hair feels like silk between my fingers when I touch it afterward.
“So, what do you think?” she asks, turning me to look in the mirror.
“I actually really love it,” I tell her.
She grins. “Yay! Now, let’s go show your boyfriend.”
I was worried when I walked away from him, but I feel happier and significantly more confident when she leads me back out to the waiting room to show off my more polished look.
A slow smile spreads across Dare’s face when he sees me. He stands, and I do a little spin to show him my pretty hair. “What do you think?”
“You look gorgeous, as always.”
I smile, and Dare wraps an arm around me, leading me over to the counter so he can pay.
I may not have initially wanted the haircut, but my hair feels so amazing, I can’t stop playing with it in the car.
He drives us to the next place, but I’m not immediately sure what it is. There’s a strip of shops across the street from where he parks the car.
He takes my hand and we walk across the street. Before we go inside, he stops and glances at the decal on the storefront we’re in front of.
“We should take a selfie together,” he says.
I blink in surprise. I don’t actually have any pictures of us together yet. I wasn’t sure he would want to take any since things are still complicated with Anae.
He smiles like it’s no big deal. “Gotta show off that new haircut, after all.”
“That’s true,” I say, flipping my hair playfully. “Hair this good should be shown off.”
He comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug. My heart jumps and I hold out my camera, preparing to take a picture of us. Right before I do, he presses a kiss against my cheek.
My heart hammers with happiness when I look at the picture. We look so much like a couple. I look like a cherished girlfriend, not… whatever I technically am.
“Post it,” he says.