I swallowed, butterflies going wild in my belly.
There were.
Rule 14 - Domino
A new look can hide a lot of things.
Isat in the chair and begrudgingly let the stylist put the cape over me as I handed Swayze my camera.
"What are we doing today, sweetie?" She lifted one of my matted curls. I could see her smile twitching. My eyes went to the ceiling, but they flicked over to Swayze, who had just come back with coffee. He chuckled at the stylist looking horrified by the state of my hair.
"I know my color needs refreshed," I relented. "I'm, uh, not sure about the rest."
"Well, I'll wash and condition it, and then comb out the knots. Then we'll see what we're working with."
Swayze slurped his coffee loudly and relaxed in the chair beside mine. He scrolled on his phone aimlessly while I was taken to the sink and she started the process of fully transitioning me back to the rich bitch I was born to be. I forced the anxiety down and focused on Swayze once I got back to the chair.
"What's after this?" I asked.
He didn't look up from his phone. "Clothes. And I have an address for shoes."
I wiggled my feet. Dad had always made sure I had stylish shoes, despite my disability. When I ran away, I packed as many of my LLD shoes as I could. Once I grew out of them, however, it was harder to come by the money for them. Now I was down to one pair. I was excited to order new shoes.
"You want the same bleached stripe and copper colors?" the stylist asked as she tugged on my head with her comb.
I glanced at Swayze. He nodded, sending a ripple of butterflies through me again. Why did I care what he thought?
"Yes, please."
Eventually, my nerves subsided as she chatted with me. She had no clue who my family was and had only been to the park once or twice. I relaxed as I decided she was just another stylist, with nothing to gain by messing with me.
"I think some bangs, keep your length, but trim it up, get rid of the dead ends, and give it a little volume. What do you think?"
I blushed slightly. "I haven't been to a professional stylist in like..."
"Seven years?" Swayze piped up.
She gasped. "Seven years? I'm amazed your hair looks as good as it does! Oh, you poor thing. I'm going to make you look so good. You're gonna want to come back every few months, not years!"
She disappeared to get the dye. Swayze leaned forward in his seat.
"So, how was it?"
"How was what?" I asked.
"The freedom. I assume it was a lot more fun out there." He waved his hand. "Than being stuck at the park."
I swallowed. It felt like he was baiting me.
"I don't want to talk about my time away."
His lips curled into a pout. "I thought you were going to give me a tattoo tour."
"You first. Although with how much you walk around the camp with barely anything on, I'm pretty sure I've seen everything." I smirked.
"I assure you, you haven't." The way his eyes bore into mine sent my heart into a tizzy. I had to look away. "Okay, here's my newest one." He lifted his shirt.
I turned back and gazed at the scorpion he was pointing to. It ran over his toned abs. "It covers my kidney scar."
