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Her head felt too light, her shoulders bare and exposed, despite the heavy leather jacket that she wore; Xan hadnโt done more than trim her hair since she was six years old, and now it was all gone. Well, almost all gone, anyway. Cut to just below her chin, she could still run her fingers through it, but there was a sick, swooping sensation in her stomach every time they fell through, met with thin air where ( up until this morning ) there had always been a thick mess of hair.ย
The producer had told her it was ESSENTIAL, and it hadnโt even been as awful as she had feared ( in fact, it hadnโt been awful at all; theyโd been very gentle, brushed out all of the knots without tugging once at her scalp, washed it with lavender scented shampoo and conditioner, and chopped it off fast, got it over with as quickly as possible ), but she was still a little shaky. In need of something to settle her nerves. Her uncle, whoโd sat with her the entire time, had a few errands to run while he was in the city, so she slipped off the street and into a nearby coffee shop to wait for him.
When she reached the counter, she pushed her sunglasses up onto the top of her head and, managing a small smile, ordered herself a pot of peppermint tea. It was brought ( teapot, cup and saucer, a little shortbread biscuit ) and she took the tray, turned to look for a seatโand walked right smack into another customer. Tea splashed out of the spout, butโthankfullyโdidnโt make too much of a mess. The same couldnโt be said for the other womanโs milkshake, though, which had splattered all over her and all over the floor.ย
โI- Oh, gosh, Iโm- Iโm so- Iโm so, so sorry!โ Mortified, Xan looked up, lower lip caught between her teeth. โI was miles away, I- Here.โ She grabbed a handful of napkins and held them out to Isla, still apologising profusely. โIโm really- Iโm so sorry about your shirt, is there anything I can do? I mean, can I at least buy you another drink to make up for it?โ
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐. For instance, itโs a good thing she had a backpack purse and not an over the shoulder one, because then sheโd probably have her weird milkshake smoothie thing ALL over her belongings, and not just her face and shirt. Isla lets out a little moan of alarm at the sudden chill spilling between her boobs and takes a deep breath. In the span of a few seconds sheโd emotionally prepared herself to receive a barrage of verbal abuse from the woman sheโd collided with, but the apologies spilling from her mouth relieve her.ย
โItโs okay! Itโs okay!โ she says reassuringly, making a face at the sticky drink all over herself, she accepts the napkins and absorbs most of the wet, but sheโd need a lot more help to get this off.ย โThatโs really sweet of you, Iโd appreciate it,โ Isla laughs, glancing over at the barista behind the counter who is awkwardly hovering by the mess.ย โCould I use a clean rag and get the bathroom key, please?โ she asks, and is quickly presented with both. Isla looks at the other woman.ย โIโll be right back.โย
Luckily she had a spare top in her bag, and within a few minutes she reemerges in a clean top and no longer sticky and leaves the rag on the counter.ย ย Isla goes back over to the woman, smiling reassuringly.ย โAre you okay? Did your tea survive?โ she asks with a lighthearted laugh.