Page 59 of Not For Keeps
“Hmm.” She turns on the clippers and starts trimming the back of my neck, each stroke of the blades just shy of aggressive. “Could’ve fooled me.”
I grit my teeth. “I’m not with Letty. I’ve never been with Letty. I don’t know why this is even coming up.”
“Funny,” she says. “Because she’s been acting like you are. Been in here twice this week, name-dropping you, saying how you always tell her that you and Analyse aren’t serious.”
My pulse jumps. “She what?”
Angie scoffs. “She told Dee and Jolene that you two are reconnecting. She said you’ve been working out together, grabbing coffee, and that Analyse is just a fling. And I have to say, Mateo, this really pisses me the hell off! You know what that girl has been through. I don’t think I’ve seen her date since that idiot Nico left her, and now you’re playing her? You’ve got some nerve.”
I turned in the chair despite the cape. “That’s a lie.”
She levels me with a look. “You sure about that?”
“Yes!” I say, too loud. “She showed up at the gym. I didn’t invite her. I didn’t ask her to work out with me. And I sure as hell didn’t say any of that.”
Angie crosses her arms. “Well, she’s saying it. And people are believing it.”
I rub a hand down my face. “Jesus. Why would she even?—”
“Because she wants you,” Angie cuts in. “And she knows you’re taken. Or…were.”
I freeze. “What does that mean?”
Her voice softens a fraction. “I saw Analyse yesterday. She seemed off. Different. She looked…rough. She didn’t say much, but I know heartbreak when I see it.”
My stomach sinks. “She didn’t respond to my last text,” I mutter.
“Well,” Angie says, spinning my chair toward the mirror, “now you know why.”
I stare at my reflection. The cape is still snug around my neck, my jaw locked so tight it aches. My face looks the same, but inside, I’m unraveling.
“She won’t even talk to me,” I say again, softer this time.
Angie leans back against the counter behind her, arms still crossed. “Then maybe you need to do something more than talk.”
I swallow hard. “I didn’t know she was hurting. I didn’t even know what was going on.”
“That’s the problem,” she fires back. “You should’ve.”
Silence stretches between us. The buzz of the clippers is gone, but the hum of tension remains.
“Fuck. I thought…” I shake my head. “I thought things were good. I thought she knew that I’d never do anything like that.”
Angie snorts. “You thought she knew? No offense, Mateo, you know I love you, but you don’t exactly have the best reputation. You’ve been with girls left and right. And Analyse doesn’t have the luxury of taking chances, but she did take one, on you. You need to make her feel safe. Letty’s out here writing fanfiction about you two.”
I grit my teeth again. “Letty’s lying. I never said any of that. And I haven’t touched her.”
“Then you better find a way to make that crystal clear.To everyone.” She picks up a comb and towel, starts sweeping hair off my neck with more force than necessary.
“I didn’t ask her to come to the gym,” I mutter. “I didn’t even want her there.”
“Then why’d you let her stay?”
“I felt bad…I was trying to be a nice guy.”
The door chimes as someone walks in. Angie lifts a hand to the new customer then gives me a pointed look and drops her voice. “I’m finishing your cut, but after that? You’re on your own, lover boy.”
I nod, guilt tightening like a vise in my chest. Minutes pass in silence. Snip, snip. Clip, comb. When she’s done, she undoes the cape and shakes the hair onto the floor, not bothering to brush the stray pieces off my shoulders. I stand and slide the money on the counter. She doesn’t reach for it.
