The scent of coconut oil and jasmine always clungs to Amara's salon. warm, familiar, like a hug she never quite trusted.
She had learned to build walls behind her smile, to listen to stories of love without ever believing in her own. Each day, she stood behind her clients, creating beauty while quietly hiding her scars.
That morning felt no different until he walked in.
He was tall, soft spoken, and had a hesitant smile that didn't quite know what to do with itself. The kind of presence that made the air pause for a second.
"Good morning", he said, voice deep but unsure.
"Uh do you take walk ins?"
Amara looked up from her tools, her eyes meeting his through the mirror. Something about the way he stood.. careful, almost gentle. It made her heartbeat skip before she could even stop it.
"Yeah" she said, trying to sound casual. "You're in luck. I just had a cancellation".
He smiled then.. a real one this time and Amara felt that strange warmth again. Maybe it was the coffee. Maybe it wasn't.
As he sat in her chair, she reached for her comb, trying to focus on the hair and not the sudden awareness between them. The chair had held countless stories before.. but this one about to save hers.