“The cut will only bring back the frizzy hair you always hated. What’s the point in that?”
My blood boils and adrenaline spikes. Every single day that passes allows me to realize how much control my ex had over me. I wasn’t like that before him, and I’m fucking pissed I ever allowed it in the first place. My condition already runs a massive part of my life, and the rest is up to me.
“Fuck it. Chop it off.”
All the girls, including Sofia, smile broadly.
“I think a shoulder-length layered bob will suffice. It’ll curl and reach a couple of inches past your chin.” She tips her head slightly. “What about a light brown balayage with some auburn highlights to add more dimension?”
I throw my arms up. “Why not?”
Em claps. “Oh, this is so exciting.” She points to Sofia. “We’ll need a full face of makeup and products to take as well.” She then turns to Kami. “That’s your specialty.”
Kami dips her chin. “Don’t worry.” She lays a hand on my shoulder. “We won’t go too heavy. Only something to bring out the green in those eyes and accentuate your cheekbones.”
Letting out a deep breath, I agree to all of it.
Sofia claps her hands twice. “Gabriel, I need another pair of hands, and call someone over to do makeup in two hours.”
Closing my eyes, I think of Levi and his friends waiting, feeling a little shitty over how much longer we’re going to take.
As if reading my thoughts, Kami says, “I’ll text the guys and tell them they have time to catch a movie, don’t worry aboutthem.” She quickly texts Cameron and nods a couple of seconds later. “Done.”
Sofia ties my hair and grabs a pair of scissors. “Let’s go, people.”
Chapter Seventeen
LEVI
Emma: We’re done. Meet us in the parking lot:)
“I’m assuming we all got the same text.” Jake sits to my right, holding a large bucket of popcorn that’s been empty since the middle of another crappy horror movie. Jake seemed to enjoy it, but Cam was indifferent. I hate jump scares. They’re a cheap way to try to make a horror movie scary.
“Yeah,” Cam and I confirm.
It’s been a hell of a fucking day. It was fun for a while, but eventually the arcade became boring, the restaurant’s music got too loud, and once we were ready to go, stupidly thinking the girls were close to finishing, Kami texted Cam letting us know we had time for a movie. Not to say I’m not thankful for the downtime, but this seems a bit excessive. Stevie was never a bad-looking woman. In fact, I found her sexy, so what could be taking this fucking long?
The guys and I make our way out of the theater. Cam bumps my shoulder, taking advantage of Jake being distracted by a text he got.
His voice is almost a whisper. “What’s going on between you and Stevie?”
These nosy sons of bitches.“Nothing is going on between me and Stevie. I’m only helping her.” Throwing my empty soda cup out, which was full of something that wasn’t Mountain Dew since my roommate hates the smell, I ask, “Is it impossible to believe that we could be nothing more than friends?”
Jake looks at Cam. I try to remain unfazed at the side-eye they’re giving me. Neither of them needs to know what happened last night or the effect that her innocent kiss had on me this morning.
The boys might not know everything, but they’ve seen something between us, and I do not like it one fucking bit.
Cam puts his hands up. “Sorry I even asked.”
Jake smirks and leads us to the mall’s front entrance. There, we look for his car, which is where the girls are supposed to be. Stevie is the tallest of the three, so I look for her familiar hair, but I come up empty.
As we reach Jake’s BMW, we see three figures in the shadows.
“We came out through the side entrance,” Em says and grabs Stevie’s hand, bringing her into the light of the parking lot lamps.
I suck in a breath, almost choking on my spit.Fucking hell.
Her new fit hugs her body tightly, showing off her long legs, torso, and slightly bigger-looking breasts. She’s still wearing flared-out jeans, but they’re a dark orange and tighter than her usual pair. It’s accompanied by this striped tight sweater or long-sleeved shirt, I can’t tell which, but that’s not the part that stuns me the most. It’s her hair. My eyes roam to her face, and I try not to react too much. I don’t know what the fuck kind of makeup they put on her, but it enhances the green in her eyes and the fullness of her lips. She still looks like the Stevie I saw a couple of hours ago, but happier, like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders.
