straight back to it ⇉ central cee.

something cosmetic.

It'd been busy in the salon all morning, which was rather odd for the midweeks but the girls simply worked at a quicker pace, knowing the money that was flowing through the till was much needed. Michaela had a lash shift today until five-ish, but Celaine had asked her to pick up an eyebrow appointment in a spare hour and she happily obliged. Lashes weren't really her forté. Though of course she could do them skillfully having undergone intense cosmetic training since leaving beauty college it just wasn't something she particularly enjoyed in this line of work. Makeup and tanning were more her preference, there just weren't any appointments booked for them today unusually. Around four o'clock, Michaela's last lash appointment had finished so she could begin setting up the brows station, making sure all of the equipment was clean and in place before checking the booking details. "Shanel L. - 4:45 threading" it read. Her own brows quirked as she read the name over and over trying to pinpoint how she knew this woman. Alas, no face came to mind leaving her to simply wait until she arrived.

4:50, five minutes late for the appointment, the bell above the double doors chimed signalling a customer entering the salon and Michaela's head popped around the corner from the reception desk to see if it was her client; the woman had to do a double-take. Her eyes were blown in shock, and maybe a slight tinge of irritants as they locked on who had just walked in. Shanel Leone, infamous rapper thot, hand in hand with Oakley Caeser-Su. There's two faces she never thought she'd see again, hoped even.

"I have a threading appointment"

Shanel walked up to the desk and spoke almost absentmindedly as she scanned the posters and business cards on the pinboard behind the desk, not noticing who was actually manning the reception until she looked down upon receiving no response. Almost as if she was scared of her, the woman practically levitated as she gasped, clasping her hand around her mouth to conceal her widened jaw. Oakley seemed to only be paying attention now having been on his phone when he walked in, sliding it into his back pocket as he tapped his girlfriend on the shoulder.

"Darlin wassup?"

The man then looked over the desk himself and quickly displayed the same shocked face the girls were donning. He never thought he'd see Michaela again either. Oakley had assumed she'd moved away, to the country at least maybe even abroad but no. Apparently, she was still stuck in London.

"Fuckin' 'ell"

It was awkward, so awkward that Michaela had to close her eyes and take a breather. But she had to act professional no matter how she felt about this woman. She couldn't afford to be fired right now. This was her only stream of income now, as she had lost her brand deals when she disappeared from social media last year so now she was barely on a living wage.

"Well erm I'll be doing your eyebrows today Miss Leone, follow me"

The man had taken a seat in the waiting area by now and taken his phone back out to anxiously scroll through every app he'd ever downloaded in distraction from the girl. Shanel simply followed Michaela and sat down in the chair beside her whilst she washed her hands and grabbed some rubber gloves.

Oakley was fucking reeling. Obviously, he hadn't anticipated seeing his best friend again and hadn't prepared himself for all the emotions that were bound to flood back when he did. He felt fuzzy all over and lightheaded, his heart pounding in his chest so loud he could hear it in his ears. A deep red had filled the skin of his face now, leaving a gentle sunburned look to his skin that was rather adorable really. But not at all adorable when you know why exactly he's gone so red. Sinful flashbacks from their last night together were flooding his mind again and they really shouldn't have been. He had a girlfriend now, who he had sex with pretty much every single day, thinking about other girls shouldn't ever have come into consideration. But now he'd thought about it, he'd never felt as good as he did that day with Michaela. With her propped on the counter and his hips spreading her knees wide open, sweat gleaming on their skin and the distinctive smell of sex that was almost addicting that night. God he'd pay anything to experience that again. The man had gotten so lost in his thoughts about Michaela that he was in a daze, staring absentmindedly at the patterns on the floor until Shanel came and snapped her fingers in front of his face, shocking him out his trance.

"Jesus fucking christ Oakley get up you dickhead"

She's almost raised her hand at him, feeling the twitch in her arm, before she remembered where exactly they were. Oakley's eyes faltered upon seeing the twitch of her arm; he knew what that meant. And somehow it hurt more that she even considered doing that in front of other people. Quickly, he stood from the sofa which he only realised now he'd gotten up was actually rather comfortable for a waiting area seat and made a beeline for the doors. He mumbled a quick thank you as he exited the double doors knowing Shanel wasn't going to and began rummaging around in his pockets for his car keys but heard them jingle behind his head instead.

"I've got them don't worry yourself princess"

The way she mocked him was rotten, the tone and the delivery were just beyond words. And he hated it endlessly.