Part 2: Return Visit

Two weeks after Zaire's cut, the card Tivaughn had handed Reece finally came into play. It was almost closing when Reece walked in, this time alone. He wore basketball shorts and a fitted white tank that showed off his arms, fresh from what looked like the gym. The smoke smell was stronger today.

"Thought you forgot about me," Tivaughn said, watching Reece through the mirror while finishing up his last client.

Reece just shrugged, dropping into one of the waiting chairs. "Been busy." His eyes scanned the shop like he was taking inventory.

The last customer cleared out, leaving them alone in the shop. Drake played low through the speakers, the bass matching Tivaughn's heartbeat as Reece finally moved to his chair.

"How's the little man's hair holding up?" Tivaughn asked, draping the cape around Reece's shoulders.

"It's straight. He won't let me touch it. Says only you can do it now." Reece's mouth barely curved, but his eyes showed something softer for a split second.

"Smart kid," Tivaughn grinned. "What we doing with yours?"

Reece leaned back, eyes half-closed. "Whatever. Just make it clean."

Tivaughn studied Reece's face in the mirror, noting the sharp angles, the way his jaw clenched slightly. "Fade? Could do a design too."

"Long as I can wear it to handle business," Reece said, that edge creeping back into his voice.

The shop fell quiet except for the music and the buzz of clippers. Tivaughn worked carefully, aware of how Reece tracked every movement in the mirror. Every time their eyes met, that same electricity crackled between them.

"You always this quiet?" Tivaughn asked, tilting Reece's head to get a better angle.

"Don't got much to say." But Reece's shoulders had relaxed under Tivaughn's hands, his guard slipping just slightly.

As Tivaughn carved precise lines into the fade, he caught Reece watching him - not his hands, but his face. Their eyes met in the mirror again, held for a beat too long before Reece looked away.

"Z's birthday pictures came out good,?" Tivaughn said, breaking the tension.

"Yeah?" Reece pulled out his phone, unlocked it. "Got some on here."

Tivaughn leaned in, close enough to catch Reece's cologne mixing with that smoke smell. The pictures showed Zaire laughing in a bounce house, the braids catching sunlight, his smile so much like Reece's hidden one.

"Cute kid," Tivaughn said softly. "Got your eyes."

Reece just nodded, locking the phone again. But something had shifted in the air between them.

When Tivaughn finished the cut, adding a subtle design that caught the light just right, Reece actually smiled. It was small, barely there, but real.

"You nice with it," he said, running his fingers over the fresh fade.

"I try." Tivaughn started cleaning up, trying not to watch as Reece stood and stretched. "You know where to find me if you need another one."

Reece pulled out his wallet, handed over more cash than the cut cost. When Tivaughn tried to get change, he just shook his head.

At the door, Reece paused. "What's your IG?"

"Same as the card," Tivaughn said, heart jumping slightly. "You actually use yours?"

"Sometimes." Reece's eyes met his again. "Might need to hit you up about Z's hair soon."

That night, after closing, Tivaughn spotted the notification. Reece's profile was simple - mostly pics of his car, his kicks, and occasional shots of Zaire. His captions were short or nonexistent. But one recent post caught Tivaughn's eye - Zaire at his birthday, braids perfect, with the caption "My world."

Tivaughn followed back, liked a few pics without thinking too hard about it. Within minutes, Reece had liked some of his work photos.

A DM popped up around midnight: "Cut came out clean"

Tivaughn waited a few minutes before responding: "Already know. When you need the next one?"

Three dots appeared, disappeared. Then: "Soon"

Tivaughn stared at that single word, feeling like it meant more than just a haircut. He saved Reece's number from the appointment book to his phone, telling himself it was just for business.

But when his phone lit up the next afternoon with "Z asking bout his braids," Tivaughn couldn't help but smile. Maybe "soon" would come sooner than he thought