Hiraeth: Blackout (I)

Chapter Eighteen

"YOU WHAT?!" Jade screamed, nearly dropping my breakfast.

I hugged a pillow, grinning ear to ear. "Kissed."

Jade plopped the tray of pancakes next to me. "When?! Where?!"

"Yester-Day Night. In the cabin in Melodymense," I breathed, butterflies fluttering in my chest at the mere memory.

My friend danced and hopped in a circle, squealing. "Awwww, Mike! I get separated from you for an hour, and you go off and kiss your lady!"

I sat up and began eating. "Well..." I said between bites, "She kissed me."

Jade's jaw dropped. "THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING!"

"What? How?"

"You were kissed by the queen. The. Queen."

"Is that bad?"

"Bad?! No, you poor boy! It's the greatest thing that'll probably ever happen to you!"

"Oh." I smiled, blushing. "It... It was pretty great."

After breakfast, Jade helped me pick out an outfit.

"Alright, so... You've gotta be rather fancy," he began.

"Why?"

Ignoring me, he selected a suit. "How about this white tux?"

I scrunched my nose. "White?"

"Jeez, nevermind."

He laughed and held up another tuxedo. This one was black at the top and blended into my eye color at the bottom. The pants matched the turquoise, but faded down lighter. It had elongated coattails and a silky sheen.

"Isn't it a bit much?" I asked. "I mean, I don't even know what's happening."

Jade examined the suit. "I think it's perfect. It certainly goes with your eyes."

"Will Bexley like it?"

"Like it? She's gonna love it!"

"Okay, I'll wear it."

Once I had changed, Jade made me spin around to survey how I looked. "Something's not quite right..." he declared.

"You want me to wear a different suit?"

"No, it's not the suit..." Jade suddenly stopped, looked at me hard, and narrowed his eyes. "You could use a haircut."

I shook my head wildly, backing up. "No way!"

"I'm serious! To-Day is a very special occasion and I want you to look your best! It's my duty as your gentleman-in-waiting."

"But I like my hair."

"It's too shaggy and does this weird thing where it sticks up and curls in random places," Jade criticized, crossing his arms. "A haircut is far overdue."

My friend dragged me into the bathroom and we stood in front of the mirror. He pulled at my bangs and nodded to himself. "All I'm gonna do is cut off your split ends, shorten the back, trim the top, and shape everything a little better."

Jade found some supplies and I ran my head under the shower.

While he started putting sections of my hair up, I mumbled again, "But I like my hair..."

In the middle of this strangely stressful procedure, Jade asked me, "Do you have any idea why you decided to dye your bangs magenta?"

I glared at him.