Epilogue
One Month Later
“You promise you won’t be upset if I mess up?” Demi asked, clippers in hand.
I sat on one of our kitchen table chairs with a black cape wrapped around my neck. “I promise. It’s just hair. If you mess up, it will grow back. No big deal.”
“True,” she mused, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “I can always just shave your head if it looks really bad.”
“Don’t you dare.” I reached out to grab her, but she stepped out of my reach.
She held the clippers out in front of her like a weapon. “I don’t think you want to mess with me when I have these in my hands.” She turned it on, the buzzing noise filling the apartment.
I held up my hands in surrender. “I’ll keep my hands to myself.”
She turned off the clippers. “Good boy.”
Stepping up behind me, she ran her fingers through my hair, and I assumed she was analyzing it to see how best to cut it. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of her fingers in my hair, her sweet scent floating around me with her this close.
I was officially her first client, her first real haircut. She was nervous and didn’t want to mess up, but I trusted her. And if it did look bad, I didn’t care. She was so happy that I’d said she could cut my hair—it would be worth having a bad haircut.
She got to work, starting with the clippers first and then moving on to scissors. She was so serious and focused as she worked that I couldn’t help but smile at how cute she was.
Noticing the grin on my face, she asked, “What?”
“Nothing,” I said, still smiling. “You just look cute in your black apron, with scissors in your hand and that focused look in your eyes.”
She shook her head and chuckled. “You think I look cute at the weirdest times.”
“Like when?” I challenged.
“Like when I’m blow drying my hair, or when I’m emptying the dishwasher, or any other mundane thing.”
It was true, I did tell her she looked cute a lot. It wasn’t my fault she always looked good. There was still a part of me that, even after a month of being together, enjoyed getting to be with her in all the mundane things, as she called it. I was the guy who got to see her get ready for the day or to go out on a date with me. I was the guy who got to watch her move around the kitchen while doing the simple task of emptying the dishwasher, the same kitchen where we cooked together and usually ended up making out together at some point. I was the guy who got to enjoy not only the big moments but all the small, insignificant ones too. And I didn’t take any of it for granted.
She grabbed the blow dryer and blew off the hair from my neck, brushing away any remaining hairs. Then she put in some product, helping to style it.
“Okay,” she breathed out. “I think I’m done.” She unsnapped the cape and handed me a handheld mirror.
Wow. It looked pretty good.
“Are you sure this is your first haircut?” I asked as I ran my hand over my hair. She’d cut the sides shorter, leaving the top a little longer like I liked it, letting my natural wave come out.
“Yeah, does it look okay?” She bit her lip waiting for my response.
“It looks great,” I told her truthfully. “I think you just got your first forever client.”
Her smile was so big, it made my chest swell with pride, not in what I had said, but in how well she had done. She really did have a talent when it came to hair.
I stood and turned to face her, taking her hand and pulling her closer to me as I gave her a roguish grin. “Now, how would you like me to pay you?”
She came willingly into my arms and tapped a finger against her chin. “Hmm. I’m thinking maybe giving me a three second head start in Mario Kart.”
I laughed. “Not going to happen.”
She gave me an exaggerated pout.
“I was thinking something along the lines of this…” I lowered my head to hers and placed a soft kiss on her lips before pulling back to see her reaction.
Her eyes were already dazed. “I think I can get on board with that type of payment.”
I kissed her again, smiling against her lips. “As long as I’m the only one who gets to pay you like this.”
I felt her smile now too. “We’ll see.”
I gently smacked her butt, which had her laughing. “Okay, fine,” she said. “Only you.”
“That’s better,” I smiled.
I pulled back and lowered my arms from around her waist. “I have a surprise for you.”
Her brows furrowed. “A surprise? What for?”
“Today is our one-month anniversary,” I told her, feeling proud of myself. I might not have ever been in a relationship before, but so far being Demi’s boyfriend had come easily to me.
Not only did I want to spoil her for each month that marked an anniversary, but this was also a big milestone for me too. I’d never had a one-month anniversary before, and I was excited to celebrate it with her, to celebrate us.
“Go sit on the couch, and I’ll get your surprise,” I said, heading toward my room.
“You didn”t have to get me anything,” she called out to me.
“I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to,” I yelled back as I reached up in my closet and pulled the wrapped gift from the top shelf. I also grabbed the flowers I had snuck in here after I’d gotten home from work.
Stepping back into the living room, I joined her on the couch. “These are for you.” I handed her a bouquet of flowers, then handed her the box I’d wrapped.
She took the flowers, smiling as she took a second to smell them before placing them next to her on the couch. Taking the box from me, she began to unwrap the paper, revealing a plain black box. She slowly lifted the lid and let out a gasp.
“Cannon,” she breathed out. “It’s beautiful.”
She pulled out a white vase with gold filling in the cracks where it had once been broken. It had been made by using the Japanese practice of kintsugi she’d told me about so many weeks ago, where broken pieces of pottery were put back together using gold.
“I got it to represent me and you,” I said softly, hoping I could keep my emotions in check. “I was broken and then you came into my life and helped put me back together. You’re the beautiful and precious gold that fills in all the gaps, making me feel whole again.”
She looked from the vase to me, her eyes filling with tears. “It’s perfectly imperfect, and I love it.” She scooted closer and threw her arms around me.
I hugged her, letting her warmth seep into me. It was time. I’d been waiting until I was completely ready, waiting for the right moment.
I pulled back just enough so I could see her face. Tilting her chin up with my hand, I looked down at her, my eyes soaking up every inch of her.
“Demi,” I said, my voice getting thick. “I love you.”
A tear slipped free, sliding down her cheek. I caught it with my thumb, gently brushing it aside as she smiled up at me. “I love you too, Cannon.”
We kissed, both of us needing to feel an even deeper connection. Our mouths moved together, speaking a language all on their own, one only we knew, one that transported us to our own world where nothing else existed besides the two of us. And just like the kintsugi vase, we melded and fused together, becoming one.