Just Business

Chapter Ten: David

Personal styling had never been one of David's strong suits. His hair was a mess, no matter which way he dragged his fingers through it. Wetting his hands to make his hair damp had proved a disaster, making it stick to his scalp like a bad halloween wig. He puffed it up again, trying to accept the just-rolled-out-of-bed look despite the fact it was the time where most sane people went to bed.

He already had changed his clothes three times,landing on low slung jeans and a plain white button up. He had undone the first few buttons, but kept tucking and untucking the shirt until it was wrinkled. When he noticed the wrinkles he swore, changing back into a grey t-shirt. He then spritzed on a bit of his ancient cologne, hoping it wouldn't be too obvious it was cheap as shit. He was still messing around with his appearance when Amanda knocked on the door to his living quarters.

He opened the door to find her balanced on the top of the spindly wooden staircase that led to the attic of the Raven on Tap. Or, more accurately, what was previously the Raven on Tap. It was now one half of the Tell-Turner Heart, probably the left ventricle.

"Everybodies gone home, everythings all cleaned up. I left the ice machine and dishwasher on, though, like you asked."

"Thanks," he said. "I think I'm going to stay up and try some new cocktails."

"With Marcia?" Amanda asked immediately.

David groaned.

"How did you know?"

"You've done your hair and put cologne on, but your hair is bad. Come on."

She pushed past him, letting herself into the living space. She directed for him to sit at his desk chair, her squeezing into the gap between him and the bed. She began by grabbing at his hair, pulling and pushing until it all stood on end.

"You're making it worse."

David swatted at her hands, but she somehow managed to evade and continue her work.

"It's going to get a lot worse before it gets any better."

David relented his attack, sitting in crossed armed childish silence. She looked around the room as she worked, and his neck grew hot in embarrassment.

"It's not a lot," he said. "Because I'm not going to be here forever. It's not, like, permanent."

"Hey, I never said it was bad. I lived in way worse when I was a student. Can I see the rest?"

Without waiting for an answer she released his scalp and was on the move.He scrambled after her, but lost any fight when she flung open the kitchen door. The room was tiny, consisting of a small fridge freezer, a single hob and a microwave oven. There was nowhere to sit, and only a speck of counter space on which to prepare anything. Mismatched cupboards were jigsawed onto the walls, but they did not provide enough space. His single pot and frying pan both hung from hooks on the wall, and if he left his window open they would bang together.

Amanda was not content with this, pulling open draws and humming in approval at his extensive herb and spice collection.

"It's cosy," Amanda said.

"You've not seen the bathroom."

Said bathroom was more of a wet room, the sink and toilet shoved haphazardly in opposing corners with the shower head hanging just above them. Even this did not deter Amanda's positive attitude, who continued to insist she loved the house.

"I know why you don't like it, though," she said as they went back into the bedroom/living area, standing in the only free patch of floor.

"Oh?"

"You've not decorated. It will never feel like home until you've put up a few pictures or a tapestry or something. Maybe some flowers?"

"I'll get round to it."

"Promise?" Amanda asked, crossing her arms and standing straighter. "You don't even have a mirror."

"Ah!" David said, triumphant. He opened his wardrobe, revealing the door had a built- in full length mirror. "Shit."

He took in his appearance. Whatever Amanda had done to him, it had worked. His hair was mostly neat, combed in a way it looked full of volume and life. The front was artfully messed, framing his face in a way that highlighted his cheek bones.

"You shouldn't be embarrassed about this place, you know," Amanda said as she watched him turn his head to take in his reflection.

"It's just . . . it's really not a lot," he said. "And by my age my Brothers both had proper houses. Not just rooms."

"But did they build those themselves?" she asked. "Did they build anything like the Raven?"

"They could have, but they didn't need to. They could get the kind of jobs I couldn't."

Amanda snorted, laughing.

"I've met your brothers. They seem nice enough, but they couldn't set up a pub."

"They could," David said. He knew it. They could do anything, he'd seen it with his own two eyes.

"Then let them, and see who gets more customers."

David smiled, hoping it didn't look as tight as it felt. He really didn't want to get into this now.

"Thanks for doing my hair," he said.

"Anytime. And now I know to get you cologne for your next birthday. Remind me, when is that?"

She raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"Nice try. Hey, what's wrong with my cologne?"

"It smells like a teenage boy, but at least it was cheap so it's worn off already," she said. "Thank god. I'll leave you to your date."

"It's not a date," David corrected, following Amanda as she left and descended the stairs.

"Keep telling yourself that, buddy," Amanda said. "But mark my words, she's going to turn up in a cute floral dress."

"What does that even mean?"

Amanda didn't reply, instead throwing a wink over her shoulder. She strutted across the bar, opening the front door. Marcia stood outside.
"Sorry I'm early," she said quickly. "I was just going to wait here until it was time to go in."

"Don't be silly, doll, you head on in now," Amanda said. Marcia obeyed and David got a proper look at her. Her hair was pulled away from her face, fixed in place by a large bronze clip. She wore oxblood Doctor Martens, the laces swapped out for bright yellow ones that matched the stitching. She wore a honey yellow dress that cupped her generous cleavage, distracting David for a few moments so he didn't notice the pattern until he heard Amanda giggle. The pattern was floral, with dozens of tiny interwoven flowers adorning her like lace. Beeza flew amongst the flowers, their black stripes standing out amongst the otherwise white outlines. She looked incredible.

"You two have a good evening," Amanda said. She left, closing the door behind her and leaving Marcia and David alone together.

He needed a drink.