The Salon – Part 27

You're Mine, Baby

"Good thing I brought a scarf with me," a sharp, high voice sliced through the quiet of the salon.

Lara jumped. She hadn't heard the door open, so the guest's voice caught her off guard. Mia was in the back, pulling towels out of the dryer.

The tall young woman, barely into her twenties, with thin, tattooed eyebrows, scanned the salon with a stern look. Her lips pursed, the muscles in her jaw tightening.

Lara got up and went to greet her, hand extended.

"I'm guessing you're here for me. I'm Lara."

The guest looked her over carefully. Her mouth relaxed, though she didn't smile.

"If you're the manicurist, then yeah."

They walked over to the table and each took their seat.

"Do you already know what you want, or do you need help deciding?"

The girl nodded eagerly.

"I know exactly what I want. Sexy red nails. No decorations, nothing fancy. I want something grown-up, mature."A faint smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "You know — the kind that says: you're mine, baby, and I'm never letting go."

Lara raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly. She'd heard things like that from her own daughter, fresh out of high school. This client couldn't have been much older.

"New relationship?" she asked carefully.

She wanted to know more, and also didn't. On one hand, she loved hearing her clients' stories; on the other, she didn't want to get too deep into the heads of this age group. Still wild, still reckless half the time.

The girl looked down, her face flushing. She cleared her throat.

"It's sort of an old-new thing... you know. We've known each other a while, we just had to get past a few obstacles." Her voice caught.

Lara studied her client's face, curious.

"What kind of obstacles do young people have to get past these days?"

"Another relationship, let's say," the girl said, very quietly.

"I see," Lara said.

Uncertainty radiated off the girl, and Lara didn't want to pry.

"They weren't right for each other, but the girl couldn't get that through her head."

The polish gleamed diamond-bright under the UV lamp, freshly applied. Lara's chest tightened. She decided it was best to change the subject.

"Are you still in school, or are you working?"

"They were seriously bad together," the girl burst out, a shade louder now. "What's a sixteen-year-old kid even want from a twenty-year-old guy?"

Lara blinked, thrown off.

"Love, maybe?"

The guest slowly shook her head and let out a loud breath.

"Nobody's that stupid, though. Especially when she doesn't even want to have sex yet. What did she expect — that he'd just sit around patiently twiddling his thumbs for years?"

The manicurist had no idea what to say. She didn't know the whole story or any of the people involved. All she could sense was that something was weighing on her client.

"Well, I couldn't really say what that relationship was like..."

But the upset guest didn't let her finish.

"It was garbage! A childish little dreamer next to a grown man. She couldn't expect him to give up on his physical needs for her sake."

Mia listened quietly. Somewhere in there she understood the guest — but there was something unsettling about her anger too.

"What matters is that the two of you are good together," Lara tried to steer things to a close.

The girl shrugged.

"It's not that simple, though. He feels sorry for that pathetic little thing."

A sympathetic smile settled on Lara's face. She knew jealousy well herself. She also knew it made for terrible advice. She felt for the girl. An ex lingering around could really put a strain on a fresh relationship.

"Maybe you could try explaining to your boyfriend that this bothers you. He needs to understand that his past relationship doesn't have a place in yours. Breakups are always painful — for one person, for sure, sometimes for both. But you shouldn't burden your new partner with it. It can leave lasting scars."

Her gentle tone seemed to calm the girl a little. She let out a deep sigh. Mia wanted nothing more than to go over and hug her. She knew exactly how painful jealousy could be.

"It took me a while to convince him to break up with her," the girl went on, her voice thick with tears.

"Why did he need convincing?" Lara asked, surprised.

"Because he couldn't see them from the outside. That girl fawned all over him like a kid, instead of trying to figure out what he actually needed. Holding hands and kissing — that was enough for that little wimp."

"And he complained to you about it?"

The girl shrugged again.

"Not exactly." She fanned herself with quick little movements, then ran her thumb over the skin above her eyebrow a few times. "One time, when the opportunity came up, I surprised him naked." She cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. "You should've seen his face. That told me everything. From then on I knew he wasn't dreaming about teenage girls anymore — he was dreaming about grown women."

Mia stared straight ahead, frozen. Where on earth would you surprise someone naked? A changing room? A bathroom? The beach? By the riverbank, maybe? Seriously, where?

"What matters is that you're together now," Lara tried again. "And soon he'll get to see your gorgeous nails."

She got up quickly and went to the reception desk. She grabbed the card reader and punched in the total without even asking the guest how she'd like to pay.

The girl let out another loud sigh.

"Yeah, well. Different story that every single day I have to look at that little brat's sour face and puffy, cried-out eyes. I'd love nothing more than to slap her and send her packing."

"Why can't you just get rid of her, then?"

"Because she's my sister," she snapped coldly, tapping her card against the reader.