“I’ve got you.” Kale threaded his fingers through mine. “Don’t let go; you’re tiny and would get lost in the crowd.”
Oh, my God. I could have died. I could have died right there in the middle of the shopping district.
Kale was holding my hand and leaning protectively into me like a boyfriend would to his girlfriend. I knew we were just friends, and he was making sure I didn’t venture off, but I let myself pretend that it was real and he was really just hanging out with me as his girl.
“Okay, what do you want to get done first? Hair, nails or do you want to hit the clothes shops first?” Kale asked as he leaned his mouth down to my ear so I could hear him over all the voices around us.
I trembled as shivers ran up and down my spine.
“Hair,” I squeaked, and then I cleared my throat. “Hair first.”
“Hair first it is,” he said, weaving us through the crowd until we entered a Toni and Guy hair salon.
I stood staring at all the different hairstyle pictures in black and white on the walls for a long moment, and when Kale pulled on my hand, I almost jumped out of my skin. He laughed at me, and so did the woman behind the counter.
“Follow me,” the woman chirped after she smudged a little white gel behind my ear, a skin test for future appointments that involved hair dye. I didn’t want my hair dyed this time around; I just wanted a different style, but I did the test anyway.
I swallowed and looked to Kale and found him sitting behind me in the mini waiting section next to the doorway. “I’ll be here and I’ll be able to see you. Go on – you’ll be fine,” he said, and then hesitated. “Just don’t cut too much off, ’kay?”
I smiled and nodded my head, then walked over to a chair to be introduced to Kevin, a stylist. Kevin was in his early twenties, with spiky hair the colour of the rainbow. He also had so many piercings on his face and in his ears that I lost count at fifteen. He was lovely, though, and very excited that he was giving me my first haircut in, well, forever.
“What are we thinking of doing today?” he asked me, his voice bubbly.
I blew out a breath. “Okay, so I don’t like my hair being so dull. I like the colour, because it’s dark brown but it has a natural red-wine tint when the sun hits it. I’m thinking of five inches off the length and a full fringe like that picture over there. With some layers thrown in too.”
Kevin snapped his fingers at me in a “Z” formation. “Honey, your lad over there won’t be able to take his eyes off you when I get done with you.”
I knew Kevin was talking about Kale, but I didn’t correct him because I liked the fact that someone didn’t think it was as crazy an idea as I thought it was. A half hour went by, and after getting my hair washed, cut, blow-dried and cut again, I was ready. Kevin spun me around and told me to open my eyes. I gasped when I saw myself in the mirror. I looked . . . pretty!
Not beautiful or anything, but pretty, and I was so happy with that.
“Oh, my God,” I squealed. “I love it. I love it so much.”
I hadn’t been trying to look older, but I could easily pass for sixteen now, and I thought that was beyond brilliant.
“Told you,” Kevin said, beaming, and ruffled the hair on the sides of my head.
He brushed stray hairs off my clothes and brought me back over to the desk, where I checked in so I could pay. Kale still sat in the waiting area. He was slouched down on a seat, his long legs bent as he paged through a magazine. There were two girls sitting across from him, watching him with keen interest. I wanted to roll my eyes. He got attention like this everywhere he went, and he didn’t even notice.
“Kale,” I said when I walked over to him.
He looked up at me when I reached him, and his eyes widened. His immediate expression made me very nervous.
“What do you think?” I asked, my voice a whisper.
He put down the magazine and stood up to his full height, which caused me to take a step back so I could look up at him. He was so much taller than me now. Over the last two years, he’d taken a big stretch and got lanky on me.
“I think” – he reached out and brushed the back of his fingers against my fringe – “you look just as beautiful as I knew you would.”
“Oh, my God,” one of the girls said out loud while her friend stared at him in complete awe.
I felt heat crawl up my neck and spread out over my face.
“Kale!” I hissed with embarrassment, and turned to Kevin, who was smiling brightly at me.
“I told you he wouldn’t be able to keep his eyes off you, didn’t I?” he beamed. “I can spot a good boyfriend from a mile away.”