Living In The Shallows (UK Crush #1)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

For some insane reason, I woke up at 8:30, higher than a kite, and feeling completely rested. I wondered if this was what being on meth felt like. I got out of bed and put on a lime green seersucker sundress, the coolest thing I owned, very Betty Grable, extremely retro. I happened to feel seersucker was an underrepresented fabric in the new millennium, and there was a lot of it in the thrift stores on Melrose.

I slid open the door to Teddy's room, but of course he was still asleep. Only the top of his head was visible above his cotton sheet, crazy brown hair poking out all over the place. On a whim, I grabbed my phone, took a photo, and sent it to him.

In my room, I grabbed a post-it and scribbled a quick note:

"Shooting star filled sky
Koi jump with a firefly
Gray eyes fill my dreams"

p.s. you're cute when you sleep (check your phone) (:

Then I scribbled the first four measures of the first movement of Mozart's Sonata in A major, the most beautiful segment of music ever written, as far as I was concerned. I slid open his door and stuck it on the wall where he'd see it when he woke up, and went to find some coffee.

I assumed I'd be the first one up, so I was surprised when I slid open the shoji to our private Japanese style dining room and found Ronan and Gethin having tea.

"Morning, Tink," Ronan called. I joined them, asking our waiter for coffee on the way.

As I sat down, Gethin turned to me and said, "You know, seeing you with your hair down yesterday gave me an idea. Come here, love. Turn and face the other way."

I sat next to him on the tatami, giving Ronan a questioning look. He shrugged at me.

"My little sister Janelle has the most beautiful hair, and my father liked her to wear it long. She was always moaning about what a bother it was to tend it, so I learned at a very early age to plait it up for her. Let's see if I've still got the touch. Now it might not be quite as tidy as it should be, since I haven't got a comb, but I'd like to have a go, if that's all right with you?"

"Oh, please, I love to have people mess with my hair," I declared. "I haven't had anyone to really do it since, well, my mom."

"Lovely, let's have a lash, then," he said as he began. He pulled the hair tie out and began, pulling at the top of my head. Within minutes he had my unruly hair braided into a nice, tight French braid that hung past my shoulder blades. I handed him the hair tie.

He was just tying it up when Matty entered the room. "What's going on here, then?" he asked, sitting down and asking for tea.

"Look what Geth did," I said, swinging my braid with pleasure. "Thanks!" I leaned back to him and kissed his cheek. "This is wonderful. I love French braids! So tidy, and off my neck. It's the perfect hairdo, as far as I'm concerned. If I'd known you could do this, I'd have been asking you every day a long time ago!" Of course, within moments, the short hairs around my head began to curl in a little halo, but I could deal with that.

He examined the braid critically. "I've still got the touch, I guess," he said with a grin. "I used to do Janelle's hair every morning before school, but it was years ago. I'll have to send her a pic. You mind?" I shook my head, and he pulled out his phone and snapped off a picture.

Matty smiled. "Suits you, truly."

"When does your spa day begin, guys?" I asked.

"The call's for ten, I think?" Ronan said. They want us for yoga first, then meditation, then, oh, I forget, but it's to be a day of peace, love, and good thoughts. Me, I'm looking forward to the full body massage and mud bath."