Chapter 10 #2
El rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest. “Yeah, it’s like that. Matter fact, you can leave.”
I shook my head adamantly. “No, I can’t.
You see this rag on my head? I need you, Princess.
Just get me right, and I’ll be out of your way,” I lied.
I had no intentions of ever leaving her life again, but she didn’t need to know that.
I pouted and did my best impression of puppy dog eyes.
“Please?” I even did the prayer hands for added effect.
She scoffed. “Whatever. Just this once, because your head does look a damn mess. Have you been in a damn cave for the last three years?”
“Something like that,” I replied honestly, because my isolation season was much like the wilderness Jesus was in. Lots of tests awaited me on my journey, and a haircut was the least of my concerns until now. Hell, when I first left, I couldn’t even afford one.
She hesitated before getting closer. “What do you want to do?” She did her best to avoid my eyes, and I allowed it for the time being.
I knew I couldn’t pop back up and expect it all to be good.
I would have to work to get back close to El, and I was willing to do just that, no matter how long it took.
Hell, I’d already waited three years. Nothing could be worse than that.
“Cut it all off.”
She froze. “All of it?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I want to lose the beard too, for a mustache and goatee.”
I felt a chill race down my spine when she ran her fingers through my hair. “Okay, I can do that.” She turned to look behind her when Trinity spoke.
“Well, since you got it handled, I am going to head out.”
I watched El in the mirror as she nodded. I loved the way the big, curly hair she had framed her round face. “That’s fine. I will close up shop after I’m done with him.”
“Okay, girl.” She eyed me as she walked toward her booth. She paused before she got to it and began tapping her chin in thought. “Now that I think about it, you look just like—”
“See you tomorrow!” El yelled, cutting her off.
I lifted an eyebrow as Trinity blanched. She looked between me and El then nodded. “See you tomorrow.” She grabbed her things and left shortly after.
Now that it was only me and El, the shop was heavy with silence. “Let’s get started,” she mumbled halfheartedly.
She walked to the workstation and picked up a remote.
After a few clicks, the shop filled with music.
I chuckled because if that was her attempt to keep me from talking, she was sadly mistaken.
For the time being, I kept quiet, watching her switch her heels for a pair of Crocs.
Looking over her tools, she picked up the scissors and came to stand behind me.
She lifted some of my hair and snipped it off.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to feel when she began cutting, but I was looking forward to seeing the new me.
It was the final proof of my growth over the years, growth that I needed her to know about.
“I know I’m the last person you want to talk to,” I told her.
“But I am happy to see you. I love your shop.” She chewed on her bottom lip but kept quiet.
“I think it’s dope you created this safe space for women to work.
” Again, she remained silent, and I kept going.
“You’ve come a long way from that shed me and your dad fixed up for you. ”
She scoffed. “Mmhm, surely did.”
I chuckled. “You really not going to talk to me, Princess?”
“What am I supposed to say?”
“Humor me.”
She paused her process and stared at me in the mirror. “Why? It’s not like you humored me before you walked out almost three years ago.”
I nodded because she was right. “You couldn’t save me from myself, El. I needed to learn to stand on my own. But you can’t say I didn’t tell you I would be back.”
The laugh she released was cold and lifeless. “Yeah, not three fucking years later. You might as well had not written that note.” Her voice cracked, and I could hear every emotion she was trying her best to keep at bay.
“Nah, I needed you to know what my intentions were, no matter how long it took me to get back. I was always coming back.”
She fell silent again, and the sound of clippers came alive behind me. “Listen, Perfect. You don’t owe me any explanations. It’s not like you were my man for real, just someone I let move into my guest room.”
My head jerked back, and I mugged her. “Yeah, the guest room you were damn near in every night, getting put through the mattress. Stop playing with me, El. We might not have established any titles, but we both knew what was up. We’re not going to sit here and pretend there weren’t feelings involved. ”
She shrugged. “Maybe. Until you walked away.”
I fell silent while she went back to cutting my hair. I wasn’t expecting a warm welcome, but damn, I was expecting a little less ice. Any feelings she had toward me were justified. I knew that. “I apologize for walking away without an explanation, Rockel. You deserved better than that.”
She came to stand in front of me, and I tried my best not to reach out and wrap my arms around her waist. She smelled so good, and I loved every curve she’d developed. Licking my lips, I decided to tease her a little bit. “Damn, Princess. When the fuck you get thick like this?”
“When my man started fucking me from the back,” she replied smartly.
I burst into laughter. “What man you got other than me?” I frowned and leaned closer to her. I took a deep inhale, trying to calm myself down. I had figured as much could happen, but to hear it had me ready to go on a damn murdering spree. “You been giving my pussy away, El?”
She paused what she was doing and took a step back.
“You don’t get to ask me that, Perfect, and if you’re not going to stop talking, then I’m not going to finish.
” Since I didn’t want to be out here looking crazy, I used my fingers to show her that I was zipping my lips closed. “That’s what I thought.”
I nodded, loving the way she was playing it. I kept quiet for the rest of my haircut. When she finished, she handed me the mirror so I could see myself. I didn’t even look at myself; I turned it so I was looking at her standing behind me.
“You like it?” I questioned.
“It doesn’t matter what I like.” She rolled her eyes before snatching the mirror from me. “That’ll be a hundred. Then, you can see your way out.”
I laughed while standing to my full height. I walked up on her, then stared down at her. “How long you going to be mad at me? What daddy gotta do to make things right?”
“Get the fuck out of my face and never come back here.”
I shook my head. “Nah, I’m not going to be able to do that.”
She groaned. “Just give me my money and get out, Perfect.”
Going into my wallet, I pulled out two hundred-dollar bills and placed them in her open palm. “I’m taking you out on a date to explain myself.”
She shoved the money in the pocket of her trousers and picked up the broom, leaning against the wall. “No, thank you. I already told you I don’t need any explanations. I’m over it.”
“Then why are you so upset right now . . . If you don’t give a fuck and are so over it?”
She planted a hand on her hip. “I don’t know. Probably because you blindsided me.”
I stepped even closer, and she tried to run from me, but the wall and the booth kept her trapped in place. “That’s not the only thing I’m going to do to you. Let me explain, Rockel, or I’m going to show up here every day until you give in.”
“I will call the police on you and get a restraining order.”
I frowned. “As a nigga who spent seven years in prison, I don’t like that joke.”
“Good, because I’m not joking. I will really do that.”
I slowly backed away while nodding. “Whatever you say, Princess. See you tomorrow night. Same time.”
She could think I was playing all she wanted, but I was not joking about getting my woman back. Whatever life she thought she’d built without me was over. I would literally be at her shop every night until she was ready for us to move forward—together.