Sometimes

Gabriel

North is going to beat me to death. 

I mean, he should be super happy that I am giving his "baby" a ride to work while he's busy fixing her car, but I think I may die when he finds out I've washed her hair. 

I couldn't help it.

It's not often that I get to style such a beautiful creature. I'm usually granted free access to the boys in the family, or doing a show or whatever, but it's not the same, that's not my own vision, it's to improve the general aesthetics of things. 

This was for me. As selfish as that sounds, I could make her shine, especially if she's heading to work. She's just such a perfect canvas, gorgeous already, without even trying. 

Maybe North won't kill me too much when he sees her after I'm done?

The pressure to find the perfect song had me nearly sweating through my sweater, but I settled on something that seemed okay, although having never heard it myself. It's got enough of a beat to it that I wouldn't skip it if I were in the shower. 

The second I hear the water turn on, I pull out my phone with a text for Victor. While I know nothing about saving anything from a broken electronic device, I do have access to one of the best computer guru's I know. Maybe he'd be able to figure it out. 

As I wait, looking through her eclectic music collection, I get a text from Luke saying he's going in with Mr. Blackbourne to talk to the club owner tonight and if I could come and give him a ride home because Mr. Blackbourne's choice in music is dull and he doesn't want to fall asleep and wind up in one of his creepy bedrooms in his haunted house again. 

I couldn't help but chuckle. 

"Okay!" I hear, a faint screech calling from the bathroom. 

Holy fuck, I'm instantly nervous. How stupid, I'm washing hair, but I'm nervous.

I make my way toward the bathroom, it's my favorite room from my tour earlier. There's orange accents everywhere to contrast the plain white walls. She's got an oversized orange towel around herself, waiting awkwardly for me. Holy fuck I was not prepared. 

Not even a little bit. 

The light misting of water on her arms and the droplets rolling down her exposed legs. Trouble. She's big trouble. 

North is going to rip my head clean off my body. Holy fuck. 

I give my head a shake and get down to business, guiding her toward the tub, and getting her her to kneel with her head slung over the side, while I get her hair wet with the shower head. I put the shampoo in my hand, spreading it over my palms before massaging it into her scalp. I'm glad I had the scented products, I didn't want to scare her off with the unscented versions because they're not so much unscented as they have a twinge offensiveness to them that I can't quite work out. 

She sighs as I work the product through her hair, I'd wanted to get my hands on it since I saw it last night. Strawberry blonde, blonde, a few darker hues but nothing too distinct, chameleon and from the feel of it, t's never seen dye either. 

"No one's ever washed my hair before. Thank you Gabriel." She says my name with such sincere admiration that my damn fingers spasm of their own accord. 

I can't help but wonder how long she and North have been dating for and whether he will murder Mr. Blackbourne for having gotten a dance from her yesterday. Or would his wrath be saved for Sean as the instigator. Either way, I'm skirting my own death, I don't have time to concern myself with theirs too. 

So. Much. Trouble.

"It's what I do." I say mechanically, because it is. It's what I do. Wash the hair, make people look fantastic, without any expectation of appreciation outside of what's necessary. Those guys endure the shopping trips for the clothes that suit their styles and personalities, but none of them will go out of their way to make themselves extra like I do. The effort taken to know their quirks and likes and incorporate it into something that looks as simple as breathing because they don't know how to wear pieces together is painstaking.