after this night (camren)

10. Camila

When our call ended, I knew it couldn't go on much longer like this; this in-between state was wonderful and thoroughly unsatisfying at the same time.

......

Before the wedding I played another poker game. I was on some kind of streak the last few weeks, and I won most nights, "I only have $10,000 left" I said to Austin at the end of the cash out. I couldn't hide the smile that curved my lips.

"You can count. But I also gave you a deadline and you have two more weeks to clear it"

"May isn't over yet" I said through gritted teeth.

"You could always ask your best friend. I did a little research on her business. Seems she sold it for a pretty penny. Or perhaps you could just transfer your debt to the Fashion Hound" he said, narrowing his eyes as he crisply punctuated the name of Dinah's fashion blog, making it clear that he knew everything about the people I cared about, "I could find all sorts of ways for her to work for me. She has a nice dog too"

I snapped, lunging for Austin's throat in the restaurant, "Leave my best friend and her dog out of this"

He cackled, grabbing my hands and flicking them off his skin, "I won't have to involve anyone if you do your job, Brown"

I was tempted to ask Dinah for a loan, but I'd gotten this far on my own. I'd managed to keep my best friend and Ally and everyone I loved out of Austin's crosshairs. You don't run the first twenty-five miles of a marathon to send the reinforcements in to finish the last mile. Even if that last mile feels like five hundred.

---

"Perfect"

Taylor rested her hands on my shoulders, admiring her work in the mirror, "Want to see the back?"

"Hell yeah" I said, and Taylor swivelled me around and held up a silver hand mirror for me to use to see the French twist.

"I love it" I said, carefully touching the tendrils that fell on my neck.

"You do?"

"Of course" I love everything you do"

"Don't mess it up on the drive to the Coral Gables" Taylor said, wagging a finger playfully in admonishment, though she surely meant the directive too. Hairstyles were to be taken seriously.

"It's fifteen minutes away. What do you think I'm going to do? Hang my head out the limo window like a dog?"

"If you do that please make sure everyone knows I was not responsible for the mess. I only want credit for the good hair days" Taylor said.

"Thank you for coming in early for me on a Saturday to do this, when you're not even working" I said, gesturing to the empty salon. The front door was locked.

"Anything for you. Now I'll walk you out. And by the way, I want an update on your girl"

My girl. Was Lauren my girl? I didn't know what she was, except a sexy voice on the end of the phone. I'd gotten to know more about her in this last month from our easy chatter and conversations, and everything I learned made me long for her more. We never talked about a relationship. Never brought up seeing each other. Actual contact was off the table; we were only phone buddies.

But I didn't have the time to fashion an answer to Taylor's question because when I opened the door to Fillmore Street, Squirrel was pacing on the sidewalk like a big bored lion, walking back and forth in a zoo. 

The hair on the back of my neck prickled in worry. of all the days for Austin to harass me. The bastard. A best friend's wedding day should be a sacred one. A day even Austin could respect.

Taylor didn't notice him at first while she locked up. Then she turned around, and Squirrel spoke to the hairdresser. 

"I was hoping I could get a haircut" he said, gesturing to the salon with its pretty feminine windows decorated with silhouettes of women. This was clearly a salon catering mostly to the fairer sex, though I had seen a few men inside from time to time. They didn't look like Squirrel, though. They weren't big beefy men with faces like slabs of meat, and ankle holsters holding guns. The men who walked through these doors were metrosexuals. My eyes darted to his feet, and I saw the barest outline of his weapon. He never left home without it.

"We're closed now. Open again in an hour" Taylor said, "Someone will be here then to cut your hair"

"I'd really like one now" he said, then scrunched up his nose, squeezed his eyes shut, and covered his face with a hand as he sneezed so loudly it sounded like a honk. His forehead was sweaty, and he looked pale.

"I'm sure you do, sweetie, and ordinarily I'd open right up for you" she said in her best calm voice as she dipped a hand into her purse. She quickly found a tissue, and gave it to Squirrel. He took it and muttered a thanks, "But I need to get some coffee in me, and if I don't my hands might be unsteady. So why don't you come back and someone else can take care of you then?"

He blew his nose, then rubbed the tissue across it. His eyes looked red and watery, "Or, maybe go home, take a hot bath and have some tea and come back tomorrow? You might be getting a nasty cold, honey"

"I think I have the flu" he said.

"Here" she reached in her pocket for a slip of paper and handed that to him, "A twenty percent off coupon, just for you. For when you're feeling better. You go get in bed and take care of that flu"

Squirrel relented, nodding, "Thank you. I'll be back"

He lumbered away, and I had a sinking feeling that I'll be back referred to something other than where he'd be an hour from now. 

They were circling me, trying to trip me up however they could.

Austin had sent this message - his sick way of letting me know he'd uncovered another soft spot of mine in my friendship with my stylist. His subtle, or no-so-subtle way of reminding me that he had no mercy. He was willing to do whatever it took to get his money by his deadline.

The deadline was looming closer.