Page 36 of Terms Of Un-Endearment
Uncontrollably.
So hard, in fact, she can’t talk.
“You think this is funny? Turning my hair purple?”
She nods. “It’s even…funnier with your…red face.” The words come out between gasps for breath and end in a volcano of laughter.
I slam the door in her face, then study myself in the mirror again. My face turns a darker shade of maroon when I realize she’s right about how funny I look.
“This is war, Piper!” I open a cabinet and grab a bottle ofrealshampoo.
“It’s a temporary dye. It will wash out in a couple weeks,” she says through the door, still laughing. “Unless you keepaccidentallydying it.”
I swing open the door, clutching the shampoo and my towel. “Did you sabotage all my shampoo?”
Her smile disappears and her face turns to stone. “We can end this right now. Sign the papers, and you’ll never have to worry about it happening again. You can stay for the two weeks you need, and I’ll know that Malcolm’s not leaving Mom empty-handed.”
We lock eyes in a silent standoff before I ease the door shut.
After verifying my new bottle of shampoo is dye-free, I wash my hair three times, but in the minutes I wasted having Piper laugh in my face, the color seems to have set. It’s not coming out.
When I finally leave the bathroom, not only is my hair the shade of a Lakers jersey, but my hands and temples are too. Which wouldn’t be so bad if it were playoff season. I enjoy going to Lakers' games and cheering them on. But there’s a fine line between being a superfan who dyes his hair for the playoffs and being a weirdo superfan who dyes his hair in the off-season.
I come out of the bathroom wearing only a towel. I don’t want purple dye staining my clothes, too. Piper is on the far side of the kitchen table sketching. She looks at me, then steals a second glance. I don’t miss the smile she tries to hide. It’s the same one she had the last time she saw me in a towel, and it’s got nothing to do with what she’s done to my hair.
As cheesed off as I am about my hair, I can’t resist readjusting my towel a bit lower on my hips. I’ve worked hardfor these abs. They deserve some admiration, even if it’s from my nemesis.
“I put together one of those dinners in the fridge if you want some.” She pushes up from the table and walks to the oven, where she pulls out a plate. “I kept it warm for you.”
She sets it on the table in front of me and smiles up at me.
We’re close enough to touch. My stomach growls. At least, I think it’s my stomach. Every part of me is hungry right now.
“As if I’d trust you.” I force the words out and lick my lips.
“It’s a peace offering.” Piper’s hand darts to my cheek, where she brushes away a drop of water with the tip of her thumb.
My breath hitches with her touch. Her eyes widen as though she’s suddenly realized what she’s done, and with a deep blush she steps back.
I wipe my knuckle across my cheek where I still feel the softness of her skin. I take a deep breath to steady my skittering pulse.
“It will take a lot more than dinner for me to forgive you for this.” My voice shakes as I point to my head.
Piper pulls back her shoulders and meets my gaze. The pink is gone from her cheeks. “I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m not sorry for what I did, but I am willing to negotiate a treaty.”
“A treaty?” I close the distance she’s put between us, tempted by the power I have to make her blush.
Her eyes drop to my chest and the droplet of water inching its way to my abdomen. I wipe it away. She follows my every movement.
“A treaty.” She swallows hard and walks her gaze back to my face. “Over dinner, you can think about all the reasons why you should sign that deed. After it’s signed, I’ll tell you every prank I’ve put in place, and we can call this little war quits.”
Put in place? She’s got things already in place?
I’m tempted to tell Piper that Dad’s ordered me to kick her out. I only let her stay because I’m a good guy and I felt bad for her.
With a hard glare, I lean in. We’re close enough I can count out every shade of brown in her eyes…but I can’t make the truth about why she’s still here come out. “I was trying to make this easy for both of us, but if you want things to be difficult, I can make them difficult. I don’t quit, Piper.”
She frowns at me, and I curl my hands into fists to keep from running my thumb over her bottom lip.
