It was Monday morning, the salon had settled into its usual rhythm, steady conversation, blow dryers humming in intervals, appointment reminders being called across stations, and the faint scent of Design Essentials and BioSilk hanging comfortably in the air.
For Emani, normal workdays usually came with predictability. A morning braid appointment, a silk press before noon, a standing lunchtime slot for one of her regular clients who insisted on discussing neighborhood politics every other visit. It was the kind of day that moved without asking much of her.
Her hands stayed busy, her mind focused, and the previous weekend tucked itself quietly into the background the way memories sometimes did when work demanded attention. Still, certain moments kept returning without permission. The drive, the pause in the car, and the way Cade had looked at her when everything else had gone quiet.
She tried not to revisit it too much while sectioning hair for her ten o'clock appointment. Tried and failed halfway through because Raychell had already texted once that morning:
Raychell: You survived the ride home suspiciously quiet and didn't even bother to check in yesterday. That means I need details later.
Emani had ignored that message on purpose. Because details required naming things she was not ready to name. By noon, one of her coworkers leaned against the next station while folding towels.
"You smiling at nothing over there?"
Emani looked up immediately, "I'm literally braiding."
"That did not answer the question."
"It means mind your own appointment."
Her coworker laughed and moved away just as Emani's phone buzzed against the counter beside her. A number she now recognized immediately.
Cade.
The simple fact that she recognized it without checking twice annoyed her slightly. Still, she opened it the second her hands paused.
Cade: Ry says I forgot to ask if you survived her uncle's birthday.
A laugh escaped before she could stop it. Her client looked up through the mirror.
"That sound means somebody important."
"Aye, cut it out."
Her client smiled knowingly but wisely said nothing. Emani wiped her fingers carefully before replying.
Emani: I survived... barely. Her uncle believes birthdays require athletic conditioning.
...Also tell Riley I survived because her grandparents took her home before "phase three".
It didn't take him long to respond, it made her stomach flutter at the quick replies.
Cade: She said phase three sounded suspicious when Cannen explained it. And I agreed.
That one came fast enough to keep her smiling. Which led to another, Then another. The kind of small talk that should have stayed brief but somehow kept extending between appointments and pauses in his day.
He asked how busy the salon was, she asked if he was already back in practice mode. Cade admitted film sessions were worse after wins because coaches "acted like mistakes became educational opportunities."
She told him salon conversations after weekends were just as dramatic.
Cade: So how many people have already asked you about the other night?
YOU ARE READING
me & tomfoolery
RandomA book of nothingness and everything at the same time. Welcome to my mf thoughts.
