Page 45 of Even in the Dark

“But sure,” I back away, waving a hand in the general vicinity of his head. “This whole…thingyou’re doing here is gonna work out just fine, too. Knock yourself out.”

He watches me in the mirror for a couple more seconds, then goes back to hacking at his hair, literally just snipping it off in chunks. It makes me cringe just to watch, because seeing himsaw it off like this makes me realize how beautiful his hair is. And what a sin he’s committing right now. But—not my business.

I keep backing out of the doorway.

Then, at the last minute, I stop. I can’t do it. I just can’t walk away from the complete shit-show he is about to unleash on himself. Like he doesn’t have enough crap to deal with in his life already.

I erase the distance between us and reach out to block him from hacking off any more. “I was lying. This is not going to look okay.” I push his arm away when he lifts it again. “Seriously. You can’t just cut your own hair.”

“Actually,” he scoffs, “I can.”

I inhale a calming breath. “Okay… Yeah. But that doesn’t mean youshould.”

He lowers his arm completely. “Why do you give a shit what I do to my hair?” His expression hardens. “Or how much I got paid to take my shirt off for those ads? Or who I sit with at lunch?”

Holy crap… I almost stumble backwards from the shock of the onslaught of words. Full sentences, never mind. A string of them. And emotions.Whoa.

“I didn’t mean to offend you,” I shoot back, ironically, sounding defensive.

“I’m not offended,” he scoffs. “I’m annoyed.”

“Oh.” I shrug. “Well, I can live with annoyed.”

He gives me another look. I stare back—take in his broad shoulders, the smooth expanse of his back, then lower to the black elastic of his underwear—Volt,of course. I wonder if he gets a free life-time supply of them.

“You’re eye-fucking me again.”

“No, I’m trying to figure you out.”

“Well, don’t.”

I roll my eyes, trying to mask my embarrassment—because Iwaschecking him out this time. Now I just watch as he prepares to go all Edward Scissorhands again.

“You want me to do it?” I blurt out.

“Do what?” He gives me the suspicious look again. The only one besides the totally blank one, that’s familiar to me.

“Cut your hair. I can do it for you.”

Another suspicious look. “Why?”

“Because I’m a decent human being, and I don’t want you to have to go out in public looking like an alien spaceship landed on your head and took off with half of your hair.”

The bridge of his nose furrows. “Why would an alien spaceship take off with half my hair?”

He’s right. It makes no sense. It was just the first thing that came into my mind.

I sigh. “You’re missing the point.”

He arches a perfect, wheat-blond eyebrow.

“The point,” I explain, “is I’m offering you a free haircut.” I lean against the door jamb. “Only now you’re making me regret it.”

“You’ve cut hair before?”

“Yes.”

Lie. I’ve never cut hair in my life. But I’m confident that whatever I do will still be better than the mess he’s creating.

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