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"I want to cut my hair," he says.
It's sudden, and she's not sure how to reply but the "yes" is right there on her tongue. Smiling lightly, she brushes away the stray hairs that block his vision. "Sure. Your hair's getting longer. Are you telling me because you want me to do it for you?"
He lets himself relax into the gentle touch, snuggling his head into her lap. "If you wanna. Probably. Will you?" For good measure he adds, "Only if you want to."
"Of course I will. How short?" she asks, putting a hand on his forehead to part the hair. "Like last time?"
"Umm." He closes his eyes.
"Hmm?"
"Uhhh."
"Want a buzz cut?" she asks, unable to stop the laugh from escaping her throat. She sweeps away the hair on his face once more, pushing it up and hiding it behind her hands.
"Ah. Stop!" Sitting up now, he has to crane his neck behind himself to see her. He shakes his head to the sound of her joyous giggles. "Umm. No. I'll look bad, I think."
"Uh-uh. We don't say that in this house. Luke!"
Luke can only smile when he hears that name. "Even this counts as a house?"
"If not a house, then what?"
"Hmm, let me think." He does take a moment to consider his options. "It's a home. Our home, and we both pay for it."
"That's vague. But, I don't pay for anything here," she says, sighing into her hand.
"Yeah, huh." Luke smiles at her. "Well, then we will do that. We have time, anyway."
"Uh-huh. Enough time to grow an empire or something."
"Yeah. I wanna shave my head."
"Oh, sure," she says, then groans as she throws herself onto the ground. "Uughh. I'm gonna get myself killed one day saying these things without thinking."
"Who's killing you here? Me?" Luke asks, bringing his fingers to her waist and pinching a good deal of meat. "Don't say that, okay. If anyone tries to kill you, they're just burgers. No need to pay attention to them."
"Gahh. But burgers taste good when made right. What if they're perfectly seasoned and the buns are crispy and the meat is tender and the tomatoes are juicy and the sauce is saucy."
"Ummm. What about me?"
She stops kicking, rolling over to get a good look at him now. His hair is falling over his eyes; it looks as if he hasn't gotten enough sleep in days. Finding it difficult to get the noise out, she clears her throat. "Uhhh. Um. Well, you're not very tasty-looking right now. Maybe I should get your hair cut now so you can see it it's just the hairstyle ruining your look."
He frowns, putting up a most believable act in containing his laughter. "I thought you said I look good no matter what's on me."
"Only if you take care of yourself," she answers without hesitation. Then she scoots over, patting his back to lessen the damage dealt. "Promise me you will, okay?"
"Yep, definitely!" Luke reaches with his hand, stretching out his little finger. "You'll cut my hair for me, okay? Make me look good."
Seventeen days pass, and he is gone when she comes back home. Sorting through the boxes left behind in the corner of the bedroom, she wonders when he will return.
He isn't the kind of person to ghost a close friend like this, let alone her, so she can only make assumptions as to why he is gone without a notice.
There is a photo caught between two textbooks, one he must have had printed out for some special occasion. He's always been the kind to treasure the most little things.
She flips it to the backside; there's text on it and a messily written date.
She should remember this moment. He'd taken his phone out at an unexpected time and snapped a shot of them both when she hadn't been ready. His hair, though much shorter than before, grazes his head. His face looks as healthy as one can make it seem.
She brings it to her chest. He is a compassionate person, all until the end. How will she repay him for all he has done for her?
Yes, it certainly hasn't been long since he had his hair cut, but it'd been growing surprisingly well since then. The next time he'd ask for her to cut it, she can only ask what he'll want to try out then.
She closes her eyes, and he is there with her.