Slowly We Trust (Fall and Rise #3)(28)
Author: Chelsea M. Cameron

Everyone would tell me to do my homework and leave Audrey alone.

I glanced once at my pile of textbooks and grabbed my keys.

12

I stared at my textbook, reading the same sentence four times and still not knowing what the words meant. I hadn’t turned my phone back on for fear that my mom would call again. Or worse, that my aunt would break her rule not to contact me.

There was a knock at my door that made me jump. I’d probably forgotten we had a hall meeting tonight.

I opened the door without looking through the peephole and found Will standing there with a pair of scissors and a comb.

“Will you cut my hair?”

I gaped at him, at a complete loss for words.

“Please?”

I moved aside to let him in and shut the door.

“You want me to cut your hair?” I had to say it out loud to make sure I had the gist of what he’d asked me.

“Yeah. It’s been bugging me and I asked my sister to do it a couple of weeks ago, but I think she forgot. So. Will you cut it for me?” It was such an odd request that if it came from anyone but Will, I would have thought there was an ulterior motive behind it. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.

“I’ve never cut hair before. Well, I’ve trimmed my own ends, but I’ve never done anyone else’s.”

Will handed me the scissors.

“I don’t care. I trust you.”

I trust you.

He wasn’t just talking about a haircut. There was a lot more at work here. All of the unsaid things spun around us, crowding the air and making it hard to breathe.

I thought about shoving him out of the room and shutting the door in his face, but something told me that Will wasn’t going to take no for an answer this time.

“Okay,” I said. Will seemed shocked for a second, but then he hid it.

“Thanks, Aud. I really appreciate it.”

I just nodded and went to get a towel to put around his shoulders.

He pulled out my office chair and sat as I draped the towel on him and secured it with one of my hair clips. I dashed to the bathroom to get a cup of water because there was no way I could cut his hair dry and make it look good.

I combed the water through his hair, which made it a lot longer. It hung all the way down in front of his eyes and along his neck.

“You know, if you wanted to, you could just swipe this to the side and rock the emo look,” I said using the comb to flick his hair to the side so it fell across one eye. He glared at me.

“There you go. You’ve got the perfect look.” He tossed his head back and forth like a dog, spraying water everywhere.

“Stop it!” I squealed, trying to shield myself. Will grinned at me as though he was pleased with himself as water dripped from the ends of his hair. It made him look like he’d been caught in the rain.

I mentally shook myself, trying to remember that I shouldn’t think about Will getting caught in the rain, his shirt soaking with water and clinging to his chest. No, I wouldn’t think of it.

“Behave yourself,” I said to him, but it was also a reminder for me. Especially after what had happened today. It brought forward the reality of what I could and couldn’t have.

“Yes, ma’am.” He hung his head, but I didn’t believe him for a moment.

I got to work combing out his hair and trying to decide how much to take off. I was really shooting in the dark, and I hoped it looked okay when I was done. Granted, his hair was so curly that if I screwed it up a little, it wouldn’t show too much.

I started in the front, cutting his bangs short so I could see his beautiful eyes. They peered up at me as I worked and golden strands of his hair fell to the floor. Good thing I’d bought a vacuum.

I moved around the side and then to the back, making him tip his head down so I could make sure the back was even. I probably should have gone over the back of his neck with an electric razor, but I didn’t have one.

The only sound that filled the room was the snick of the scissors through his hair and the shuffling of my feet as I moved around his head.

Once I was satisfied, I rubbed my hand on his head to try to dry some of his hair. I could blow dry it, but I was wary of doing that with his hair being so curly.

“There you go,” I said, pulling the towel off his shoulders. “If you hate it, don’t blame me.” He went to my mirror and looked at his hair, going really close and squinting at his reflection.

“Looks good to me, but it’ll have to dry to be sure. Thanks, Aud.” He spun around, came over to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek before I could realize what was happening.

“Thanks,” he said again, his face mere inches from mine. Our noses where a whisper away from touching.

“You’re welcome,” I said, staring into his eyes and regretting it. Those eyes. They pulled me in, made me forget everything else, all the reasons to say no, all the reasons that I shouldn’t allow myself to close the gap between us and press my lips to his.

His eyes were to blame for the fact that I leaned forward and kissed him. His lips didn’t help the situation any, either.

I shouldn’t have kissed him, but then I shouldn’t have let him in. Not just to my dorm room. I shouldn’t have let him in to my life and into my head.

What was done couldn’t be undone, and I couldn’t pull my mouth away from his as soon as he put his hand up to hold my chin and started caressing my mouth so gently with his. Like he was afraid if he pushed too hard I would vanish. It was a sweet kiss, a careful kiss.

It still made me ache in all the right places and push my body toward his, wanting more.

Sensing my willingness, Will sucked on my bottom lip and tested me with his tongue. I opened my mouth, letting him in. I’d been fighting him so much and I was tired of it.

I was exhausted from trying to push him away. I was an emotional wreck and I just wanted to let myself feel for a little while.

So I brushed his tongue with mine, tasting him as I wound my arms around his neck and pressed up against him. When we’d made out before, I’d always let him take the lead, but this time I was in control. It was my choice to push closer, harder, more.

I backed him up until his legs hit the spare bed and he crashed back on it, with me falling on top of him. The kiss was broken by his head banging off the wall.

“Oh my God!” I said at the same time he moaned in pain and clutched the back of his head.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, but I couldn’t help but laugh at his expression.

“Are you trying to knock me out?” He rubbed the back of his head and winced.