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Steph’s hair kept falling in her face.
No matter how many times she swept it back or tugged it behind her ears, it refused to stay put. It felt like her hair was determined to drive her mad, floating into her eyes just as she was finally focusing on her textbook. She let out a frustrated groan and tilted back in her chair, letting all her hair fall behind her as she stared at the ceiling.
“Do you have any hair ties?” she asked Pete, exasperation creeping into her voice.
Pete turned to face her fully, pretending like he hadn’t just spent the last few minutes watching her struggle with her hair, the asshole. But at least he had the decency to offer her some sympathy.
“Yeah, that’s the worst. It’s why I stick with bobby pins,” he said, tapping the side of his head, drawing her attention to the small pins tucked behind his ears. “Sorry, though- no hair ties.”
Steph blinked in surprise. She hadn’t noticed the bobby pins before, but now that he pointed them out, they were hard to miss, glinting slightly in the light.
“You use bobby pins?” she asked, still a little surprised.
“Yup,” Pete replied with a grin, fishing into his pocket and pulling out a few to offer her. “Keeps my hair out of my face so I don’t have to mess with gel. Total lifesaver.”
Steph hummed. “Huh, I never noticed. But, um… I’m not really good with bobby pins. I usually use clips or barrettes.”
“What, too fancy for bobby pins?” Pete said with mock offense, “Some of us have to work with what we’ve got, you know.” And then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he added, “I could pin your hair up for you if you want.”
Steph blinked, caught off guard by how casually Pete offered. There wasn’t even a hint of hesitation or awkwardness in his voice—it was like offering to fix someone’s hair was the most natural thing in the world to him.
“Uh…” She hesitated, feeling a little thrown off. But Pete’s expression was open, genuine, and before she could overthink it, she found herself nodding. “Okay, sure.”
Pete grinned and scooted his chair closer, closing the space between them. As he rummaged through his backpack for more bobby pins, Steph could feel her heart rate picking up. He pulled out a small comb and glanced at her hair, his brow furrowing in thought.
For a moment, Pete hesitated, holding the comb up as if considering whether it would work. That comb was definitely not built for the kind of battle her hair would put up, but Pete set the comb aside. “Yeah… probably not gonna work with your hair,” he mused, giving her an almost apologetic look before turning his focus back to the bobby pins.
Without missing a beat, Pete shoved the extra pins into his mouth and gently combed his fingers through her hair instead, his movements practiced and easy. Steph tried to stay still as his hands gathered the loose strands, carefully pinning them in place with the bobby pins he had casually tucked between his teeth.
“You always just have a comb on you?” she teased, trying to calm her nerves. “What are you, a 50’s greaser or something?”
Pete laughed, though the sound was muffled by the pins in his mouth. “Gotta be prepared,” he mumbled around them, focusing on her hair. He twisted a few pieces with practiced ease, like this was something he’d done a thousand times before. It probably was- she’d seen him help Ruth with her hair on plenty of occasions. But this was different. This was her.
Steph forced herself to stay absolutely still as Pete continued. He worked quickly but carefully, and soon enough, the hair that had been so annoying all day was pinned neatly out of her face.
“There,” Pete said, leaning back to admire his work. “Not bad, right?”
Steph gave a weak smile, hoping her face wasn’t as flushed as it felt. “Yeah, thanks, Spankoffski. Feels better already.”
Pete simply nodded, already shifting back to his notes like it was nothing. But Steph couldn’t focus on her own reading. Her heartbeat was still racing, and she was suddenly hyper-aware of the bobby pins holding her hair in place. She tried to rationalize it- Pete was just being helpful. That’s what he did with his friends. She’d seen him fix Ruth’s hair plenty of times, and Ruth never batted an eye. So why was she so flustered? Maybe it was her hair- maybe it was more sensitive than she realized.
She took a deep breath and tried to focus. It was nice that Pete was comfortable enough around her to help, just like with Ruth. It meant they were getting closer as friends, and that’s all it was. Just friends.
The rest of the study session fell into their usual rhythm, a comfortable mix of quiet focus and inane conversation. Every now and then, they’d pause to debate over their history assignment, with Pete turning even the dullest chapters into something more bearable, the back-and-forth making it easier for Steph to remember. Before she knew it, the hours had flown by and her phone buzzed with impatient texts from Ms. Tessburger waiting outside.
“Same time Thursday?” Pete asked as she slung her bag over her shoulder.
“Definitely,” Steph said, smiling like an idiot. She waved goodbye, heading for the door, completely forgetting about the bobby pins still in her hair.
She didn’t think about them again until later that night, as she was getting ready for bed.
Pausing in front of the mirror, she reached up to touch the pins. The once-neat arrangement had loosened, but it had held up well. Steph smiled to herself as she carefully pulled them out, one by one.
She set the pins on her nightstand, making a mental note to return them to Pete tomorrow. But as she climbed into bed, her mind kept drifting back to the moment earlier that day- Pete’s hands in her hair, the soft brush of his fingers, the focused look on his face.
Steph squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push the thoughts away. She wasn’t going to think about Pete’s hands in her hair. Not at all.