Page 58 of Not Fooling Anyone

He leans in close before I realize what he’s doing and kisses my cheek, his beard tickling me.

He walks backwards away from me, grinning, before turning around and heading toward the other buildings on campus.

I touch my cheek once he’s out of sight, walking in a daze to my car, pulling the visor down as I get in to study myself in the mirror. My fingertips brush my lips, but they don’t appear any different. They only feel that way. Like the imprint of him is still there.

My phone chimes, startling me out of my reverie, and I snap up the visor, blocking my view of my mouth. There’s nothing different about me. It’s all in my head.

My messed-up head.

I pull out my phone, pressing the button on the side.

Isaac:Are you free to touch up your roots today? I’m sick of practicing on these mannequins.

Yes. The perfect distraction so I don’t go back home and ruminate over the last twenty minutes.

Me:Can I come to the salon now?

Isaac:Yes, come now! Save me from my boredom!

I smile to myself. He’s so dramatic.

Me:Be there in ten.

I reverse out of the parking space, turning up the radio loud to drown out any thoughts as I drive to Isaac’s cosmetology school. Thirty minutes later, I’m in a barber’s chair, a black cape wrapped around me, Isaac painting my scalp as he tells me about the ongoing saga of two of his classmates we overheard arguing earlier. I listen to him prattle on, not because I’m at all interested, but so my mind can’t drift.

“So it turns out Liz had made out with Jeremy last year at a party, but never told Dave about it.”

I stare in the mirror at what he’s doing to my hair. Was the dye that red before? “And Jeremy was… his friend?” I might have tuned out at that part.

“No, they hate each other. Like mortal enemies.”

Mortal enemies? That’s a bit much. Then again, didn’t I feel the same seeing Savannah the other week? At least I haven’t seen her old ringleader, Ashley. That’d be even worse.

“So she cheated on Dave?” I ask.

“No, it happened before they got together.”

“Then how can he be mad?”

“Lexie.” He sighs. “The heart doesn’t listen to logic.”

I blink, unsure how to respond. I’ve never discussed anything personal with him. Travis always changes the topic whenever it gets to this point.

He sets his brush down. “All right, this is done for now. Just needs to process for a while.”

“Okay.” I’m not sure what that means, but whatever he says.

“I still wish you would have let me do rainbow hair,” he complains, stripping off his gloves.

“Um, no.” Not exactly a personality fit.

He takes a seat in the empty chair next to mine, spinning around. “So, what’s going on with you? How’s your boy toy?”

I sputter involuntarily. “My what?”

He grins at me, eyes crinkling at the corners. “Ethan. Don’t think I forgot about our little convo last week.”

“He’s not my boy toy.” Despite what we did earlier. That was for the study.

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