Page 103 of New Growth
Hope scoffed. “He’s a grown-ass man, Ellie. I don’t need to do any of that.”
London turned toward me slowly. “Wait… do you do that?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Because I care.”
Hope huffed. “Whatever. If you do it already, why should I?”
Esther just stared at her. “You really are crazy.”
Hope rolled her eyes. “Look, it’s really not that deep. He’s sexy. He’s single. You said yourself there’s nothing going on, so what’s the issue?”
I didn’t answer right away. Because the issue wasn’t her. It wasn’t even El.
It was me.
It was this slow-building thing I’d let happen. This blurry line I’d kept pretending didn’t exist between us. The sleepovers, the way he looked at me sometimes, the way I caught myself looking back. It was comfortable and sweet and soft—but never clear. Never defined. I’d left the door open just enough to feel him near, but not enough to let him in. And now someone else was trying to walk through it.
Hope watched me. Her gloss shimmered obnoxiously under the lights as she pouted her lips. “So… are you gonna help me or not?”
Esther muttered something under her breath that sounded like “Girl, you’re bold as hell,” but Hope didn’t flinch.
I looked down at my phone. The screen was still open to the last meme El had sent—a dumb cartoon cat falling off a chair with the caption “me trying to flirt.” My chest tightened.
I let out a breath, quiet but shaky. Then I looked up, voice calm.
“Fine.”
Hope blinked. “Fine?”
The rest of the staff gasped, too. “Fine?”
I nodded, even though it felt like swallowing something jagged. “I’ll talk to him.”
Her face lit up like she’d just won a prize. “You’re serious?”
“Yeah,” I said, forcing a smile.
“Thank you, Ellie!” Hope beamed.
The room broke out in murmurs, and even though everyone else in the room was still talking, I couldn’t hear a thing. Because the buzzing in my chest drowned it all out.
And I hated how empty the silence felt.
I glanced at the clock. 8:43 a.m.
I exhaled, refocusing the conversation. “My client’s running late.”
Hope perked up again. “Really? You should give me a blowout. I have a photoshoot at noon.”
Esther scoffed. “Are you crazy? Her client could walk in at any minute.”
Hope waved her off. “It wouldn’t take long. I don’t need a wash, just a quick blowout. It’s fine, right, Ellie?”
I hesitated, glancing at the clock again. If my client showed up while I was still doing Hope’s hair, my whole schedule would get thrown off. That would push my next appointment back, and I’d be scrambling the rest of the day, which might make me late to meet with El.
I needed the organization. But, like an idiot, I agreed. “Yes, it’s fine.”
Halfway through Hope’s hair, the salon door swung open, and my client stepped in. My stomach dropped.
