Page 50 of Coincidentally Kismet

After Smith is waxed to perfection, I give him the warm towel treatment and wash his hair with peppermint-scented shampoo, spending extra time on his scalp massage so I can keep an eye on Micah and Will. We finish up about the same time, both Will and Smith looking completely relaxed, drunk on it, actually.

“Davenport, if you fuck this up, I’m going to sweep in and steal Cam for the head rubs alone,” Smith says, pointing at Will to let him know he’s serious.

“Don’t worry, William—or should I call you Rambo? Your bed will never be cold and empty unless you want it to be,” Micah winks at Will before grabbing his arm to help him sit up in the shampoo chair. Smith and I cackle until Daveed comes in and tells us to get a move on and that all the laughter is killing the vibe. Micah and I roll our eyes, but hustle back out front to finish them up.

After Will settles his bill, he asks me for a minute outside. Micah kills me with a look that says if I don’t go, I’ll never hear the end of it. So I agree. I was going anyway, but the added pressure didn’t hurt. Smith has already headed out and when we reach the front porch, he dips into his car to give us privacy. Will reaches out to brush a hair off my face, tenderly.

“Hey, you holding up, okay?” he asks sweetly.

“Yeah, much better now that almost all the trials are done. I only have two more to go.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you needed help?” His brow is furrowed in concern.

Blowing out a breath, I admit the truth to him, “I was afraid. I would be really nervous cutting your hair in general, and I knew doing it for the trial would make it worse. Are you mad?”

Relief washes over him. “No, not at all. Why would I be mad? I’ve just been worried about you this week, and when Smithtold me you reached out for help because some people have canceled...well, I guess I felt guilty that I didn’t even know you were in a bad spot.”

I can see it in his eyes. He isn’t mad, he’s simply sad that I didn’t rely on him. If the roles were reversed, I would feel the same way. Why did I question him, why did I think something so small would upset him?

“I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to weigh you down with all this. I know I’ve been really short this week. I’ve just been under a lot of stress and haven’t been sleeping well. I’ve never wanted to succeed at something as much as I have with this.” I grab for his hand and give it a light squeeze before intertwining our fingers.

“I understand, but you can count on me. Don’t be afraid to ask me for help, if you need it. I want to support you, babe.” His lips tilt up with a small smile.

“Thanks, Will, truly. I’m really glad I got to see you tonight. You’ve been so good to me, I swear I’ll make this week up to you,” I reassure him despite my own reservations.If I can count on him, why do I feel so unsure?

He kisses me lightly, just a brief brush of his lips on mine, and yet the electricity instantly hits me like a jolt of espresso coursing through my veins. I can’t help but pull him into a hug. He’s comforting, and being in his arms is all that’s right in the world.

“I better let you get back in there. Call me when you get home, Wright.” He squeezes just a little tighter to let me know it’s not a request. He cares, I think.

“Okay, Rambo. I’ll call ya, I guess.”

“Friday, I want to spend some time with you...if you can swing it.”

“Sure, I’ll make it work. I’ll call you later,” I say as I press another soft kiss to his cheek and brush past him, heading back inside to resume my duties. I don’t want to walk away right now,and I may be done with clients for the day, but I’m not done with cleaning brushes, sweeping up my mess, and talking with Daveed about my trials. Duty calls.

CHAPTER 24

CAM

“CALL ME” - BLONDIE

Isling off my purse, letting it drop in the entryway of our apartment as I bend to untie my boots. My feet hurt so bad from standing the last three days, they may never recover. You would think I would be used to it by now, but no matter the shoes, the ache never goes away.

“Hey, you’re home. How did the trials end up?” Lo twists herself like a pretzel, untangling herself from Smith on the couch.

“Great. I think I passed, but Daveed will give us the final word tomorrow.” I step gingerly, wincing at my protesting big toe, as I walk into the kitchen and peer into the fridge.

“There’s a surprise in there for you, top shelf,” Smith says, proceeding to tickle Lo and kiss her neck. They are disgusting.

I pull out a clear plastic Tupperware that has a yellow sticky note on top.

I spent three hours on the phone with my mom to make this. Hope you enjoy it, Wright!

-XoXo- Will

He made me dinner? I open the top and see his mom’s famous chicken pot pie waiting inside. The smell wafts to my nose, comforting me; it’s almost like I’m home. Popping the container in the microwave for a minute, I grab a fork, a big glass of water, and two chocolate stars for dessert. When I get to my room to enjoy my dinner in bed with some trash TV, I text him.

Cam

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