"Great. Now your mom and everybody else will know." I pushed wet hair back from my face. I hoped at that point that I could get it trimmed soon. The length was almost too long for me to handle.
"Know what?"
"That we—you know."
"Is that a crime? Reah, we're mated."
"Since when?" I turned away from him.
"Don't go back on me now," Tory turned me around and blinked concerned, dark eyes into mine.
"Tory, we were mated long ago. I don't know what we are now. You never married me, if you'll recall."
"I know. Baby, that was long ago and I've learned my lesson at least ten times since then. Can't we let it go? We were good last night. You wanted it as much as I did."
"I don't know what I want anymore. Not as far as we're concerned."
"You have to sort this out with Kevis. I know that. Whatever it is. He'll help you."
"And then what? I can just forget about the last twenty-five years?"
"Look, I know that's not possible. I was hoping we could set that aside and go on from here." He raked wet hands through his dark hair in frustration.
"Tory," I dropped my face in my hands. Here he was still not offering to marry me. Not taking responsibility. What did he want from me? Confessions of undying love? I wasn't sure I was capable of that. Not in my present state.
"Can we agree to a truce, at least? Until we figure this out? Tell me you didn't enjoy what happened between us. I wish I hadn't been so thickheaded about all that. Darletta couldn't even come close to what we have."
"You had to bring her into it, didn't you?" I skipped angrily away.
"Don't ask." I walked furiously past Kevis, naked, wet and angry. Turning on the taps in the shower, I stepped inside, intent upon finishing what I'd started on Le-Ath Veronis.
"What happened?" Kevis was inside the bathroom, asking questions while I was cleaning up. Well, he'd seen all of me before, why would this be any different? Why didn't I just walk around naked all the time? I slapped the soap onto the shelf and scrubbed my skin.
"Torevik Rath, that's what," I muttered. "He proceeded to tell me that the sex he had with me was better than the sex he had with Darletta. Like I wanted to hear that."
"Perhaps he thought to pay you a compliment."
"Bringing up sex with the woman you married to the one you didn't isn't a good idea in my book," I grabbed the shampoo bottle and squeezed out a generous portion. "I don't care how good he thinks the compliment is. Want to go into the outside world with me while I get my hair trimmed today?" I snapped.
"Reah, I will go anywhere with you, but we'll look for a place where you won't be harassed."
"Good luck on finding that," I huffed.
"We'll find something, I promise."
Mathilde was smiling and humming as she placed breakfast in front of us. Teeg had an eyebrow lifted but didn't say anything when I sat between him and Kevis at the table. Farzi and Nenzi watched too, but remained silent. Joey, Norton, Franklin, Celestan and Galaxsan ate quietly. Astralan stole a look in my direction occasionally but didn't interrupt my meal. Lok and Aurelius weren't there. I wondered where they were but didn't send mindspeech or ask the three healers.
"We're going to get our hair trimmed," Kevis announced when I finished eating.
"Huh?" I turned to him. He'd said we.
"We're going," he repeated. "As many as want to go." He made a circle with a finger, indicating everybody at the table.
"Ah. Mathilde, would you like to come? Get your hair washed or something?" I looked at our cook.
"If the bosses say it's all right," she smiled.
"It all right," Farzi nodded.
"Then I'll come."
"Let me brush my teeth. Where are you taking me again?"
* * *
"Reah, this is Conner." I was introduced to a beautiful woman with long, blonde hair. Not as long as mine, but most women didn't have hair that long.
"Honey, we're going to take you to my favorite salon. You and Mathilde both." She had a slower way of speaking and a lovely accent. "We'll get your fingers and toes done, too." We were folded to an exclusive salon, with private rooms and such. Mathilde and I were allowed inside the same one. We were given manicures and pedicures first, then the hairdressers arrived.
"Is this your natural color?" The young man stared at me in surprise.
"Everything about her is natural," Connor observed dryly. "We just want a bit of a trim. About eight inches, I think," she added.
"To the middle of the back?" he asked, drawing a finger across the designated spot. "My name is Todd," he introduced himself.
"Maybe a little longer than that," I said. Someone named Mari worked on Mathilde while Todd walked around me. I sat in a hydraulic chair that Todd raised quite high. My hair hung over the back of it.
"Let's trim those bangs and taper them. We'll make the hair softer around the face," Todd said, chin in fingers as he decided what to do. "You must have had beautiful parents; you got great genes from somewhere," he said as he worked on my hair after wetting it down for the cut.
"Ixnay on the arents-pay," Conner said. I didn't understand what she said at all. And I didn't want to go into my troubles with a hairdresser, so I remained silent.
"See, you can still pull it back, but it'll be feathered around the face and not so severe if you do pull it into a braid," Todd showed me later, holding the length in his hands. "But look at this." He turned the chair around and gave me a mirror to examine the back. My hair was cut to the right length, the heavy weight curling under slightly. "Honey, that is movie star hair. No doubt about that. I know women who would kill to get it."
"They'd have a fight on their hands," I handed the mirror back to him. "I like your work," I added.
"Thanks," he smiled. Mathilde was finished shortly after I was. She'd gotten her shoulder-length, reddish-brown hair colored and layered. She looked quite nice. Dee would be impressed, I think.
Conner insisted on paying, and all my men rose from their seats in the waiting area when we walked out.
"Beautiful," Teeg walked around, examining the cut. "Very, very nice," he moved hair aside and ran a finger down my cheek. "Here." He tossed a wad of paper currency to Todd as a tip. My hairdresser caught it with a smile.
"Will you come to the house for tea?" Conner asked.