Page 44 of Studious
I stare at him. “Are you saying you’re a squashed cabbage leaf?”
“My hair is.”
“Your hair’s gorgeous. Guys will be drooling to get their hands on it.” I get a vision of Alden on his knees, with me tugging that mane. I suppress a groan. “All I’m saying is that if you want different results, you might want to try something new. And everyone feels better with a good haircut.”
He looks at me with those wide eyes. “Okay.”
“Okay?” I don’t know why it makes me so happy that he’s trusting me with his image.
“Do what you like. I’m not the one who has to look at me—everyone else does. Might as well make it pleasant for them.”
“Can we take a few ‘before’ pics?” I ask. “For posterity?”
Alden smiles. “Sure.” I take several photos of him, and he looks adorably uncertain.
I kind of want to keep him all to myself.
* * *
On Saturday afternoon, I take Alden to the shop in Los Feliz where I get my hair cut. As I park, he leans over and whispers in my ear, “I thought you’d go somewhere fancier. Or a hipster place. This seems… normal.”
I grin. “I’ve known Jessamyn since we were in school together. She knows what she’s doing, and she’s always been stylish.”
Alden seems nervous, biting his lip and fussing with his hair, but then he sucks in a deep breath and lets it out. “Do your worst.”
We walk inside, and Jessamyn greets me right away. “Danny!” She tilts her head to the side. “What are we doing? You don’t really need a cut yet.”
“It’s not for me,” I say. “It’s for my coworker, Alden.”
That term doesn’t feel quite right, but I don’t know what else to call him. My sex prodigy?
She gives him the biggest smile. “Oh, wow. Are you handsome! Come and sit. Let’s talk about what you want done.”
With a final look at me, Alden climbs into her barber chair, and she wraps a cape around him.
“What were you thinking?” she asks.
He shrugs. “I don’t know. I don’t think all that much about my looks.”
“Dios mío. You have better cheekbones than Cillian Murphy.” Jessamyn fans herself. She pulls some of Alden’s hair back and runs her fingers along his cheekbones, which are prominent and, yes, gorgeous. “If I just do some shaping here,” she gestures, “and a bit of texturizing, we can keep the curls but make it more manageable.” She gives him a penetrating look. “How open are you to using some product in your hair? Not a lot,” she adds hastily, seeing his bewildered look. “Just some cream.”
Alden shrugs again. “Tell me what to do. I’m the student.”
She claps her hands. “Yay! Then let me get to work.”
Jessamyn leads Alden over to the bowls, where she shampoos his hair. I play with my phone in the waiting area. I didn’t really have to come with him, and I don’t have to stay, but I want to. I like spending time with Alden. I want to show him support. And, frankly, I can’t wait to see what he ends up looking like. I think he’s going to be amazing.
After a while, I glance up, and she’s almost done. My jaw drops. I can’t believe the transformation. While Alden was already beautiful, having his hair tamed makes him… sexy. I saw that in him from the start, but now the rest of the world is going to see, too.
For a moment, I regret it. I liked being the only one who saw him this way. It’s the best thing for him, though. I quickly Zelle Jessamyn the price of a cut, plus a generous tip. She glances down and gives me a quick smile when her smartphone watch pings with the payment.
“You look amazing!” I say. “What do you think?”
Alden is studying himself in the mirror, a smile on his face. “I like it.” He tugs at a curl, which is shorter and in control, but still very Alden. “I think I can keep this up.”
Jessamyn finishes, and when she whips off his cape, she holds out her arms. “You okay with a hug?”
“Yeah,” he says, smiling. “Absolutely.”
