I must've stop walking without realizing it, because Fabian turned around and grinned. "Admiring yourself?"
"Oh. I guess so. Sorry."
"Oh no, don't be sorry at all. It pleases me that you can't stop staring at yourself."
I chuckled. "Yeah, because it means you did a good job, right?"
"Well, yes. But also because I think you're finally starting to see what I see."
I held his gaze for a moment before looking back at myself. Maybe Fabian wasn't lying after all. When I looked at this version of Stan, I realized what I was seeing wasn't just haircut, but confidence. Fabian uplifted me without me even realizing it. Sneaky bastard.
And now I was going to let him do it again with my wardrobe, albeit a little more willingly this time.
"Maybe," I said vaguely. As much as I appreciated Fabian's work, I reigned in my feelings before they got out of hand. Sure, I admitted it, the haircut did make me feel better. But that didn't change how I felt about myself… Right?
"Anyway," I said, eager to change the subject, "clothes next?"
Fabian clapped his hands together. "Yes, indeed. But you must be hungry. Take a break, Rudy will grab you a snack and a drink, then come into my office when you're ready."
I was about to tell him I didn't need to eat anything when my stomach grumbled. I checked the time and was surprised how much of it had passed. I guess I was having so much fun with Fabian that I didn't notice.
"Okay," I said.
Fabian waved goodbye and pranced off to his office while I sought out Rudy. When I reached the espresso counter, they smiled and handed me a ready-made chai latte.
"There you go," they said. "Do you like sweet or savoury snacks?
"Thanks. And sweet, please."
Rudy grinned as they pulled out a pack of cookies. "Just like Fabian. You know, you two are like two peas in a pod."
I snorted. "Yeah, right. He so fabulous and I'm just drab."
Rudy looked surprised. "Are you kidding, Stan? You look awesome right now. Besides, that's the whole point of this, right? Everybody comes into the studio to get spruced up."
I shrugged and bit into my cookie. "I guess."
Rudy glanced over their shoulder, then leaned in and whispered, "Don't tell Fabian that I told you this, because he wanted to keep it a secret. But he stayed up all night preparing outfits for you."
The cookie nearly fell out of my mouth. "What?"
They nodded. "He told me when he arrived this morning that it was the most effort he'd ever put into helping a client." They grinned. "But between us, I think you're his favorite client of all time."
I felt my cheeks turning hot against my will. Rudy had no reason to lie to me, but why would they say such a thing? I couldn't really be Fabian's favorite client, could I? There was no way, not after I'd been such a total dick to him upon our first meeting. Honestly, I was ashamed of my behavior back then.
"I… Don't know what to do with this information," I admitted.
"Do with it what you will," they said, winking. "I'm just saying, this is the happiest my boss has ever been."
My ears were burning. I had to abort this conversation ASAP.
"I better go," I said in a hurry before dashing away. I heard Rudy chuckle behind me.
I arrived at Fabian's office door breathless from running, though by some miracle I had managed to avoid spilling any of my chai latte. It was closed. I hesitated, not knowing if I should knock or not. I don't know why, but I suddenly felt awkward, like the stupid high school version of myself that spent weeks mustering up the courage to speak to an alpha I liked.
But this wasn't the same as back then. Fabian was kind and generous. He didn't have a mean bone in his body and knew he wouldn't make fun of me the way the alpha bullies did.
I swallowed hard, then knocked on the door.
