Touchy

Chapter 29

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"Can I curl your hair?" Phoebe asks, perking herself up from the other side of my bed that we're both sprawled out across. It's boiling inside and out, and only a fraction cooler inside, despite the fan that's working overtime in my room and the windows which are as open as they can be. I guess it's a summer thing, after all it's the first of August today and the weather always seems to be humid then. Today is no exception.

Propping myself up onto my elbow, I see the elated expression on her face. "Why?" I ask as it was very out of the blue. We're only listening to music and talking, trying to cool off with ice cream so I wasn't expecting her to say anything about my hair.

Shrugging her shoulders, she gives me an innocent look. "I just really want to. Your hair is lush and it's even more so when it's curly. So, can I? Please, pretty please Celine?"

"Stop battering your eyelashes at me, I'm not going to be seduced by you," I reply, throwing the pillow from behind my head at her. She catches it and throws it back to me, but I catch it and just bring it down onto my stomach to hug instead.

"No, but you're seeing Nate soon," she teases, giving me a wink as she says his name.

Rolling my eyes, I sigh and pick at the blanket on my bed as I sit up, the pillow squishing against my stomach as I cross my legs over. I don't know what Phoebe thinks me and Nate get up when we're alone, but I guess there's no harm in letting her imagination wonder. However, now that I'm thinking about him, I remember when Phoebe last curled my hair and that he couldn't stop touching it – more so than usual. He seemed to really like the change, although it was only for a special occasion I guess and I did have makeup on too. And he was running on low sleep and was probably being fed medication left, right and centre.

"See, you're thinking about him now. Come on, it won't take too long," Phoebe tells me, bringing me back to my room where she's already hopped off my bed. When I find her, she's already located the curling wand and is plugging it in at the wall. When she catches my eye, she smiles. "You're going to have to sit a bit closer for this. Unfortunately, the cable is just out of reach."

Scooting all the way down the bed so that I'm closer to Phoebs, I let her start on my hair. I don't really know why I've agreed so easily, but it's not any harm will come from it. It's simply a caring act and something that she can focus on, filling the background noise of the fan.

In what feels like an hour, Phoebe finally finishes my hair and sprays it. "Perfect," she announces when she's done. She unplugs the wand and let's it cool down, but she doesn't come to sit down beside me once she's done. No, she actually starts to wander my room. My room isn't massive, but it's not tiny either so I have to rotate my body round until I find her in the middle of opening my wardrobe doors.

"What are you doing?"

She doesn't even turn round to face me. Instead, she waves me off with her hand whilst keeping her eyes on my clothes.