“You ready?” Madison asks.
“As I’ll ever be.”
Lauren smiles at me in the mirror before spinning the stool, turning me away from it. “Let’s make magic happen!” She combs her fingers through my hair, separating sections, “So, what’s up with the Jaxon Walker security detail? He looked ready to murder someone when you said he wasn’t coming up with us. He’s not trying to hide his feelings very well.”
Madison lets out a deep sigh. “He’s not taking everything that happened last night so well. He hasn’t left my side since the hospital.” Madison looks between Lauren and me. “He’s pissed because he said, if he wasn’t with Sebastian last night, he wouldn’t have known anything happened because I wouldn’t have called him. He said he’s not keeping us a secret anymore.”
I smile softly and laugh. “It wasn’t secret, was it? You two never did a good job of hiding your feelings. I knew the first time I saw you guys together that you were doing it. I can’t believe Sebastian has remained so oblivious to it.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying for like the last five years,” Lauren chimes in.
A chuckle slips from my lips, and I grin at her. “Five years? I can’t believe he doesn’t see it. You guys make a cute couple, for what it’s worth.”
It feels good to momentarily push my worries away. I know it’ll all come rushing back later, but this small reprieve is nice. It’s a much-needed distraction from the fact Lauren’s scissors start snipping.
“Thank you, Devin.” Madison gives a bashful smile. “But we won’t be cute when Sebastian murders Jax.”
“The longer you lie about it, the worse it’s going to be,” Lauren points out. “Look down for me, Devin.”
I’m pretty sure Sebastian will be angrier about them lying to him than them being together. “I have to agree with Lauren. He’s going to be mad that you’ve lied to him, and apparently for a very long time too.”
“I doubt that,” Madison says, looking down at the ground. “He’s going to be pissed about it all. He’s been saying shit to Jax about staying away from me for like the last fifteen years. I don’t want him ruining what we have.”
“If it’s real,” Lauren says, “he can’t ruin it.”
The snipping of Lauren’s scissors steals the attention of the room, giving Madison a reprieve. Although I can’t see Lauren’s movements, I do see the chunks of hair falling to the ground around me.
Madison switches the topic of conversation to Lauren’s love life, which is entertaining as hell. The woman belongs to a sex club. I’m so distracted by Lauren’s tale, I forget all about my hair until Sebastian announces he’s home.
Twenty minutes later, Lauren is finished cutting and styling. “There we have it! The damage really wasn’t as bad as it looked. You look fabulous. This cut really suits your face.”
She steps to the side, spinning me around to face the mirror. The moment I catch a glimpse of my new hair, I about fall off my chair.
“Holy shit,” Madison and I say in unison.
