Page 72 of Colliding with Ten

She looked confused.

“You said it would take forty minutes. If you let me help, then we’re both downstairs in twenty minutes instead of you doing it alone in forty.”

“You don’t know what you’re doing.”

“You can show me. I wasn’t planning on freestyling.”

I didn’t know what I was signing up for, but fuck it. I wanted to help her. She folded her arms as water still dripped from her hair. “I’m serious. Show me what to do. I’m good with my hands.”

She was still considering.

“I throw footballs through windows smaller than the length of a pencil.”

“That doesn’t qualify you to touch my hair.”

“I am detail-oriented.” Okay, so I was laying it on thick, but I wanted to do this for her.

She sighed.

“Come on, we’re losing time,” I said.

She glanced toward the clock on the nightstand. “Okay, but you do exactly what I tell you.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She stood in front of the mirror and divided her hair into sections using the clips. The curls had already begun tightening in some places, while other sections hung wet against her shoulders.

She showed me two bottles. “This is leave-in conditioner. This is gel.”

I read the labels. “How much?”

“A little of each.”

“That is not a measurement, Callahan.”

“About a quarter-sized amount.”

“For the whole head?”

“For one section.”

She separated a section at the back and turned so I could reach it.

“Rub them together in your hands first. They work better together.”

I squeezed out both products and worked them between my palms. “Now what?”

“Smooth it down the section and pull it through to the ends.”

I placed my hands against her hair. The texture was soft. Some strands curled tightly around my fingers, while others formed looser patterns. I messed up the first section, and she told me to redo it. I did, drawing the product along the length of the section and making sure it reached the ends. “Like that?”

She checked it. “Actually, yes.”

“You sound surprised.”

She smiled at our reflection. “I am.”

She picked up the brush tool.