****
“You don’t even need a damn facial. Your skin is glowing. That ‘I’m getting regular good dick glow,'” Gabby laughed.
It was Friday night after our dance class, and I’d come over for my monthly facial. She was the only one I trusted with my skin, and even though she refused to let me pay for it, I made up for it in other ways, like taking her to lunch at least once a month. While I loved spending time with my best friend whenever possible, I was a little bummed that Xavier was out of town on yet another business trip over the weekend. He’d awoken me with his head between my legs and given me another fond memory to replay while he was away. He’d only be gone until Monday evening, but three days felt like forever. I hated feeling so damn bereaved without him around, so I shoved those thoughts aside and focused on spending time with my friend.
“Whatever.” I laughed at her previous comment.
“Don’t whatever me. You know that man has been doing wonderful things for your skin. I told your ass, regular sex was one of the best remedies for problem skin.” She pointed her fluorescent pink, acrylic-tipped nail at me. “I think I’m just going to do a few extractions, a clay mask and then a moisturizing mask. How’s that sound?”
“You’re the expert.” I trusted whatever she recommended.
She grinned. “Good, I made this new face mask I’ve wanted to try on you anyway. You skipped last month’s facial.” She frowned at me.
I grinned. I hadn’t skipped so much as I’d forgotten all about it. I’d been with Xavier for the weekend, and as cheesy as it sounded, whenever I was with him, everything else kind of fell into the background. We’d been dating for about two months by then, and except for that incident at the farmer’s market the previous weekend, everything was going smoothly.
“That look is telling me you skipped out on a facial with me to get some booty,” Gabby discerned.
I could only laugh. “Maybe.”
“Good, I’m glad you’re finally setting that thang out,” she cheered. “Lie back for me,” she told me, pulling my shoulders down, so I was now lying on the massage table she had set up in her living room. She turned the steamer on, and my entire body began to relax as the warm steam hit my face.
“I’m not setting my thang out. Just enjoying this little thing for what it is, ya know? And when it’s over, I’ll have some nice memories to look back on.”
Gabby’s hands froze from washing my face with the cleaning solution she’d been using. “Why do you always do that?”
I opened one eye. “Do what?”
I closed my eye when her hands began moving again. “You know what. Always expecting the worst. You just got started with Xavier, and you’re already talking about when it ends.” She gently rubbed off the facewash and placed the tiny goggles over my eyes to shield them from the bright light she was about to use to examine my skin up close. She shut off the light and began applying some other cream, starting from my chest and moving upward.
“I’m just preparing myself not to fall too hard.”
She sighed. “That makes no sense. Why not just let things run their course naturally?”
“Gabby, are you serious? What do you always say?”
“Chanel, I—”
“No, what is it you always say? ‘Be careful when a man sweeps you off your feet,’ because of what?” I angled my head, placing my hand behind my ear as if trying to hear her.
“Chanel—”
“Because of what?”
“Because they’re in the perfect position to drop you on your ass,” she finished.
“Exactly! But now, you’re switching up. Why?”
“Because I’ve never seen you like this before. It’s only been a few weeks but I can tell Xavier makes you happy. You smile differently now. And that sadness you usually carry behind your eyes is less pronounced.”
That shut me up. I couldn’t even form the words to deny her accusation if I wanted to. I did feel different, lighter with Xavier. And that was why I had to remind myself not to let this get too deep, because men hadn’t had a tendency to be all that reliable in my life. I didn’t bother responding to Gabby’s words. We both knew what she said was true.
“Like butter,” I stated a while later as I rubbed my cheeks. I loved the feel of my skin after one of Gabby’s facials. “What was that new mask you used?”
“Oh, this one was a clay mask I mixed with vanilla bean and blueberry extract. Does wonders for the skin.” She handed me a glass of wine as we sat on her couch.
“Is this one of the masks you’re going to sell in the spa?”
“I don’t know. I might. There are a few other ones I want to try out too. I’m going to try them on my clients this weekend.”
