“And do his nose.” The eye not currently being shaped popped open at the unnerving announcement. The owner stood over him, giving a critical assessment.
“Nose?” he asked to make sure he’d heard correctly.
“Nobody wants to see what’s going on in there,” Lottie said with such distaste he had to resist the urge to lift a hand, wanting to feel what she found so offensive.
“I’ve never had a problem with nose hair,” Landon said, sounding lame even to himself. Didn’t nose hairs protect or something?
“That you can see.”
Well, hell. Self-doubt flooded him. He didn’t want Robert to discover a stray nose hair. But he also wasn’t sure he wanted to do whatever cleaning nose hair might entail. The conviction in her voice didn’t leave him much room for argument. This was her job. She knew best. Right?
“Okay. I guess.” He did want to look as nice as possible for Robert. His stomach did a flip as he thought about the other man. Should he shave his chest? Maybe he should shave and clean up his junk…
You’re such a dumbass. He’s not gonna see or care about your junk. It’s just dinner. But he can see the hangers out your nose.
A stick with warm liquid assaulted his nose. “What the fuck is that?” Man, he wished he wasn’t lying back in the chair or he could see what was going on.
“Stop talking, and breathe through your mouth,” the barber instructed.
“Give it time to harden,” the shop owner said from his other side. Were they double teaming him? Another stick was inserted in the other nostril. Immediately Landon regretted this decision as his mouth popped open to breathe. He should have just passed on the service. What in the world had he been thinking saying yes to waxing the inside of his nose?
A finger poked the outside of his nose. “It’s ready.”
“One at a time or both together?” the barber asked. Why was the barber asking him? Wasn’t this something they did all the time? He panted as his heart thumped out of his chest. He wasn’t afraid of anything, not ever, until right at that moment. His fingers dug into the arms of the chair and his whole body tensed. Why had he agreed to do something so stupid?
“We gotta get it out. I’m calling it. Let’s do together. Ready?” Lottie said.
“No, I’m not ready. Give me a minute,” Landon said, his eyes screwed tightly shut.
“I wasn’t talking to you. On the count of three. One, two, three.” They yanked in unison and Landon lost his mind. The pain was sharp and excruciating. He bounded forward, dislodging the now cooling towel from his face as he tried to leap from the chair in its extended setting.
“Motherfucker!” He hissed and awkwardly stumbled, getting a good look at the whole room as a booming round of laughter filled the space. He saw red as the intensity of the pain immediately ebbed, and he marked each motherfucker in the room just in case he ever wanted to get even.
“You did that on purpose.” Exactly what a six-year-old might say, and the laughter of the room proved his point.
“Calm down, sugar. We do it to all newbies,” she said, tossing her waxed filled Q-tip— that had given new meaning to the words hard limit—in the trash.
“It’s an initiation,” the barber said, whacking him on the back, clearly misreading the depth of his anger.
“Fucking initiation to what?” he asked, going toward the mirror, hoping they had left some skin behind in their not-so-hilarious joke. “That shit hurt.”
The barber held up his instrument of torture and dried wax. “But you needed it.”
Maybe, once he calmed down, he might see it that way, but his nose felt raw as shit. Then he eyed the stick and his fingers went to his nose again. If he had all that up in there… Did they get it all? He couldn’t be seen out like that. Robert was sure to look his normal hot self. Landon took a closer look, checking out their handiwork. The laughter grew, and he honestly didn’t know why, but he didn’t care either. Looking his best just got way more serious.
Chapter 13
“Drop me off right here.” The driver made an illegal stop, blocking the lane. Horns sounded immediately, drivers irritated even though traffic had been at a slow crawl anyway. Robert slid from the backseat and quickly took the curb up to the sidewalk, combing the crowded walkway right outside Washington Harbor. He didn’t see Landon.
The place was too big. Maybe it hadn’t been the best idea to agree to meet out front. The entire area was packed with tourists and locals alike, all enjoying the summer evening. He searched over the perimeter again, slower this time, scanning everyone and everywhere. Still no Landon. Robert checked the time on his watch. 6:03 His gut told him Landon was a prompt guy. With his heart steadily thumping against his ribs, he decided to check the foyer of the restaurant, and started that direction when he heard the distant sound of a voice that seemed embedded on his heart.