malle.
She woke with a headache pounding in her temples, and a fumble on her nightstand told her why. Instead of her customary cup of water, she was greeted with a half-drunk mug ā a mug, really, MalleĀ ā of wine. Half-drunk. And slowly, painfully, she remembered the two bottles that came before that.
The hair was a shock. Not that sheād done it ā the scent of bleach and peroxide followed her like a cloud of angry bees ā but that it didnāt look awful. There had been several moments where sheād wondered, not the least of which when she stumbled into Lolaās shower, her scalp plastered with what could only be lovingly called blue goop.
Two large cups of tea and a helping of toast later, she felt more like herself. Less like herself. A little unsteady either way, as she fidgeted with her dress. He was a surprise, and her eyes flew wide as he spoke.
What did you do?
āGood question.ā Malle murmured, a small blush appearing on her cheeks. She didnāt know. And she didnāt know how to explain the helplessness that overtook her at times on the island, that bade her to recklessness, to shed pragmatism.Ā
āI didnāt do it for that,ā Malle waved the idea away. Wet her lips and took a step back, not realizing how close they were.Ā Her smile remained, tentative.Ā āDo you like it?ā
A barely contained smile stayed locked on his face as he looked Malle over. She was still the same Malle. It didnāt matter to him if she had brown hair or blonde hair or pink hair or no hair. The pretty blush on her face paired with the almost shy question caused him to step forward where she had stepped back, keeping her close.Ā
āI do.ā Gently, he brushed a piece of blonde hair across her forehead and kissed her there.Ā āBut I still donāt get how you did it.ā Jacob knew absolutely nothing about hair dye but he was fairly certain going from Malleās dark brown to blonde had to entail some kind of magic, maybe even a blood sacrifice. The faint scent of strong chemical hit him. Was it bleach? He couldnāt tell. Jacob blinked at her, a little awestruck all of the sudden.Ā āDid it... hurt?ā








