The Hairdresser Diaries (9 page)

I paused for a second, just staring at him, not sure what to do. Tyler noticed my hesitation and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, can you get the truck and meet me here,” I said without looking at him. Tyler turned to see who I was looking at.

“Do you know him?” Tyler asked.

“Unfortunately yes,” I mumbled.

Tyler hesitated for moment, but I told him not to worry I’d be fine. Once Tyler took off, I walked down the stairs.

“What are you doing here?” I asked Cole as I approached him.

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

I squinted at him. I had a feeling that wasn’t the real reason. “That’s not it. Why are you really here?”

“You looked like you were having a bad day, so I thought I’d offer to take you to breakfast.”

I crossed my arms and stared at him wondering what he was not telling me. Just then Tyler pulled up in his truck. I kept watching Cole, waiting for some kind of reaction, but nothing. I had no idea what to do with him.

I spoke before I had the chance to realize what I was saying. “We’re all going to the diner down the street from the club if you want to join us.”

“I’d love to,” Cole said with a smile.

I walked away without saying anything. What the hell is wrong with me? Why did I just invite him to breakfast? I looked back over my shoulder just as Cole got in his car and I watched him pull away. Still dazed and confused I stood there watching Cole’s taillights fade into the night.

“You getting in?” Tyler barked. I hopped in the truck, fastened my seat belt, and rolled down the window to let the fresh air hit me face.

“You good?” Tyler asked.

“Yeah, yeah, fine, let’s go.”

We didn’t talk on the way to the diner. I was glad to enjoy a few minutes of silence. I leaned back against the seat and tried to clear my head. It didn’t work, instead the night’s events just replayed over and over in my head.

When we got to the diner I didn’t get out of the truck right away. “You coming?” Tyler asked.

“Um, yeah, just give me a minute. I’m going to have a smoke then I’ll be in.” He shrugged and headed towards the diner entrance.

Crap, I had just realized my cigarettes were in my purse, which was with Peyton. I opened the door and caught Tyler before he went inside. “Hey Ty, where are your cigs?” My voice echoed across the parking lot.

“In the console,” he yelled back.

I lifted the top of the center console and found them sitting on top. I took one out of the pack and lit up. Then I pulled down the visor and checked myself out in the mirror. God did I look rough. I flung the visor back up, there was no point. I leaned back into the seat and stared out onto the empty highway. I was in such a daze I hadn’t even realized I had begun to cry until my tears had started to stain my dress.

I felt a cool rush of air hit me from the side and I remembered I never closed the door. I reached for the door to close it, but I couldn’t, Cole was there. He took my hand and held it softly without saying a word. I slid over in the seat and he got in and sat next to me. I didn’t even look at him. I just put my palm on my head and lost it.

I started balling my eyes out.

He took the cigarette from my hand, swung my legs over his, and pulled me onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me gently while I cried. I couldn’t remember the last time I had cried like that.

I just sat there letting it out while Cole held me. It felt good to cry.

Once I was able to stop, I wiped the tears from my face, and slid off Cole’s lap. “Sorry,” I muttered.

“Why are you sorry?”

“I’m not normally like this.”

“Hey, you went through a lot tonight. You didn’t give yourself a chance to cope with everything yet. I’d be more worried if you didn’t cry,” he said smiling lightly at me and wiping a tear from my face.

“Well, I better get in there before they start to worry.”

“I can go ahead and tell them you’ll be in in a minute if you need more time.”

“Thank you, but I think I’m good.”

Cole slid off the seat and held out his hand to help me out of the truck. I closed and locked the door behind me. I wiped my face again making sure there were no more traces of tears left and hopefully no running mascara.

I paused and stood in front of him for a second, my defenses down. “Okay honestly, how bad do I look?” I asked Cole.

“You look beautiful,” he said almost as if he truly meant it.

“You’re a horrible liar,” I said rolling my eyes at him.

“I wasn’t lying.”

“C’mon lets go.” We walked side by side into the diner without saying another word.

I didn’t have to ask where my friends were, I could hear them. They were all crowded around a table in the back of the diner. Cole and I walked over to join them.

“Hey it’s about time you got here,” Peyton complained.

“I was in jail remember? And thanks I’m fine.”

“After seeing what you could do tonight we figured you’d be alright,” Nate chuckled.

“Thanks,” I said sarcastically. Cole and I grabbed two chairs from another table and joined my friends.

“Oh yeah, Cole, this is my brother, Tyler, and my friends, Alex and Landon. You already know the rest.” Everyone greeted Cole kindly as we sat down, except for Tyler. When he shook Cole’s hand he gave him a typical protective brother look, trying to look all tough. I just shook my head at him.

Tyler always acted tough, but I was pretty sure I could kick his ass. He had an intimidating look to him though. He was a couple inches taller than me and was covered in tattoos. He had a full sleeve on each arm. His hair was dark brown and curly and fell just a little longer than most guys short cropped cuts. He was skinny, but not scrawny. Though, any muscle he had came from all the lifting he had to do at work. I guess you could say he was a decent looking guy, but he was my brother so I didn’t look at him that way.

“Did you guys already order?” I asked.

“No we waited for you, well some of us did,” Alex said as she shot disappointed looks over at Tyler and Peyton.

“What?” Peyton said shrugging her shoulders looking innocent.

The waitress made her way back to our table and took the rest of our orders. I got scrambled eggs and toast. I don’t know why, but diner eggs always taste the best.

I decided to hit the ladies room while we waited for our food. “Where you going?” Kelly asked.

“Bathroom.”

“Hold on I’ll come with you.” I waited for Kelly to scoot out from the table and then we both headed for the bathroom. Once out of earshot Kelly pulled me close to her and said, “I see you changed your mind about Cole.”

“Not quite, so don’t get your hopes up.”

“Didn’t you guys come here together though?” She said, understandably confused.

“No I met him here.”

“How’d he know you be here?”

“I ran into him outside the police station.”

“What was he doing there?” She asked as we got to the restroom and I stepped fully in front of the mirror for the first time since the club.

I didn’t answer her right away, I still wasn’t sure of the right answer myself yet. I glanced at myself in mirror for a moment while washing my hands. Then it hit me. Ah shit. Cole had to have been the one to pay my charges.

“What is it?” Kelly asked as I laughed to myself and dried my hands.

“Nothing.” She looked at me like I was losing my mind.

We left the bathroom and as we headed back to our table I wondered what I would say to Cole about the fact that I just now realized he was the one to bail me out. I thought maybe I’d at least wait until we were done with breakfast.

Shortly after we got back our food arrived. I was starving by this point, apparently fighting works up an appetite. Once we finished eating, everyone chatted while we waited for the check. I sat there listening to everyone’s conversations and taking in the atmosphere.

“You tired?” Cole asked.

“Surprisingly no, I could use a beer though.” He laughed at my comment and it made me smile.

“I’ve got some beer at the house,” Landon said.

“Sweet I’m there,” I replied.

“Well I’m gonna head home, I’m tired,” Tyler said. He stood up to get ready to go.

“Alright, I’ll see ya and, thanks.”

He turned to me. “Try not to get into any more trouble tonight.” It was his older brother tone.

“Don’t worry, I think I had enough excitement for tonight.” I reassured him as he said goodbye to everyone and left.

“I have his bill,” I told Landon as he picked up the check, “and Cole’s too.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Cole said.

“Yeah I do. I have to figure a way to pay you back somehow.”

“For what?”

“For bailing me out of jail and paying my charges.”

“Oh,” was all he said.

“Why didn’t you just tell me that when I asked you why you were there?”

“Cause at first I wasn’t even sure myself why I was there.” He turned his head and looked directly into my eyes. “When I saw you get arrested I got in my car and without thinking drove to the police station. I didn’t have a plan for what I was going to do, but once I got there and saw them take you inside and your face; I couldn’t stand to see you so upset. So I got out of my car and went to bail you out right away. I was hoping you wouldn’t have to spend the night in jail. Then I waited to make sure you would get home okay. But when I saw you come out with your brother,” he paused there, “I wasn’t sure what to say.”

“What kind of guy bails a girl out of jail he just met?” I asked.

“A guy who thought she could use a break and good meal.”

“How about a guy who has no idea what he’s getting himself into.”

“I think I’ll take the risk.” He looked at me with those eyes.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” I said trying to tear myself away from that gaze.

“So does that mean we’ll be seeing more of each other?”

“Don’t get your hopes up.” I stared past him, afraid to meet his eyes again.

“Well we’ll have to see each other sometime.”

Now I looked at him. “And why is that?”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to pay me back for bailing you out?” I looked down, crap, I did say that. “How about this, dinner Friday, your choice.” He had some nerve trying weasel a date out of this. “I feel it’s only fair you take me out for a few dinners, being as I bailed you, a girl I hardly know, out of jail,” he smiled cockily at me.

“A few dinners? Can’t I just give you cash?” I asked hoping to somehow get out of this. He bailed me out, so I did kind of owe him, but I did not want to date him, especially not now.

“If you prefer, here.” Cole pulled a slip of paper from his back pocket and handed it to me. I opened it and it was a receipt for my charges. Over fifteen hundred dollars, crap.

“So what time am I picking you up?” I asked. Cole laughed and reached for my phone. He put his number in and then called his phone with miy own so he would have my number as well.

“I’ll call you,” he said.

“You don’t trust me to call?”

“No.”

I smiled and turned my head so he couldn’t see my cheeks flush. He was right, I wouldn’t have called.

“You ready Tay?” Landon asked. I nodded at him and Landon told Cole he was more than welcome to join us. Cole looked at me and I shrugged my shoulders. He said he’d hang out for a little. I thought it would bother me having Cole tag along, but the more I was around him, the more he intrigued me. There was something about him, something that draws you in. I couldn’t quite figure it out.

Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.

-Madame Curie

I rode with Landon on the way to his house while Cole and the rest followed. Peyton had decided she had enough for the night. I told her not to worry I’d stay at Landon’s and have someone take me home in the morning.

Landon lived in a four bedroom house with two roommates. His old college buddies, Jaxson and Billy. The house was a typical bachelor pad. They had a game room with a pool table, dart board, air hockey, and a ping pong table which was mostly used for beer pong. In the living room they had a big flat screen TV, Xbox, and Wii, two couches, and a recliner. The fridge was always stocked with beer and the cabinets full of goodies. There was also a huge fenced in backyard with an in ground pool and a deck.

When we arrived at Landon’s house we headed straight out back to enjoy the crisp night air.

“Tatum, you up for a game of beer pong?” Nate asked.

“Always.”

Landon and Nate set up the game while I grabbed some beer out of the fridge. I handed one to Cole and asked if he wanted to play. He said no, that he’d just watch. We played a few games and after the third I decided to stop. Everyone else continued to play while Cole sat and watched.

I needed a few minutes to myself. I took a cigarette out of my pack and walked over to the edge of the pool letting the light breeze in the air tickle my skin.

“Five.”

“Excuse me?” I said turning my head to see Cole stroll up next to me at pool’s edge.

“Five, that’s how many dinners you have to take me out for.”