Page 194 of My Sweet Dollie, You Have to Love Me
Again, he asks me to turn, and this time, I don’t hesitate or follow Bubbles’ lead. I just do it.
Taking the brush from my side, he glides it over my hair, never touching me with his hands.
Still, the moment feels intimate.
I try to drown the feeling with another sip of hot chocolate.
Stretching my neck back, I catch him in a laugh, and he signals for me to lick my top lip and rid myself of the froth mustache.
Gentle movements keep the brush moving through my hair, soothing me. I push myself back a little, testing how brave I feel when I move closer to him.
Taking a seat on the edge of the sofa, he continues brushing, and I continue staring.
Clowns are meant to be scary.
The red paint should bring goosebumps to my arms.
But I feel warmth, comfort, and love.
A buzzing interrupts the moment, and a tingle dances along my leg. I pick up my phone, seeing, Your Besty Annabelle, on the screen below her smiley face as the video call comes in.
“Can I get it?”
Ambrose nods like he’s confused as to why I’d even ask.
“Dollie!” Annabelle doesn’t give me a chance to answer as I press the button and peel my eyes away from Ambrose and toward the video call. “Are you okay? I had a missed call. Nyx, too. Are you okay?”
She or Nyx don’t question what’s happening here in the low-lit room where Ambrose brushes my hair. They sit in their own low-lit room, her on his bed and him hanging over her shoulder.
“It’s fine now. I’m home. I needed a ride, and I’m sorry if I interrupted anything.”
“No, we just didn’t hear them ringing. You called before seven. Weren’t you meant to be at that stupid party thing? Whydo you look so awful? Sorry.” Bright teeth come into view as she pulls a facial expression that reveals them all.
“Don’t feel bad about saying that. I feel awful.”
“Was it the party? Was it Shane? Did he give you that bruise?”
A noise echoes in my ear, Ambrose’s grip on the hairbrush tightening.
“I never made it there. Shane gave the taxi the wrong venue. I ran out of money and couldn’t get another ride. So, I ended up at Butterflies and made some enemies.”
Annabelle and Nyx share a knowing glance. “Everyone in Butterflies is an enemy. That place needs shutting down.”
“No guys tried anything, right?” Nyx asks, and I notice that him talking to me doesn’t seem to bother Ambrose the way the mention of Shane does.
“They hardly looked at me, and still, their floozies thought that warranted dragging me around by my hair.”
“Did you call the police?” Annabelle asks, shoving something I can’t make out into her mouth.
“No. I ran away like a fucking baby. But there were two of them, and they were relentless.”
“How did it end? Shane had better be groveling on his fucking knees for making you go through that. You didn’t even wanna go to that stupid party.”
“Actually, I haven’t heard from him for hours.”
“You’re kidding me, Dollie.”
“Nope.”
