Invisible String

Chapter 24 -The Change

Every so often, a burst of laughter or a sudden movement would make my heart race.

Anxious and bored out of my mind, trusting they wouldn't kill each other in my absence, I decided to take a shower to relax. The warm water and steam helped wash away some of my tension. By the time I stepped out, I felt more centered.

When I returned to the living room, Logan and Eros were back inside, laughing together. It was almost surreal to see Eros, who had been so harsh, sharing a light moment with Logan.

"Hey," I said, drying my hair with a towel. "Did I miss anything?"

"Nothing much," Logan replied. "We're heading to the studio now. Leave the dirty plates in the kitchen, and I'll clean them when I get back."

"Oh no, I'll clean up. Don't worry," I said, smiling at both of them.

"Fine, but I'll make us dinner tonight," Logan insisted.

"I was thinking, why don't you invite all the guys for dinner?" I suggested, realizing I still hadn't met everyone in the band.

"Are you sure?" Logan asked, looking a bit confused.

"I'll even invite Veronica. It's been a long time since we last had guests," I added with a smile.

Logan turned to Eros. "Are you in?"

"Count me in," Eros said, giving me a small smile.

"Then I'll see you both tonight?"

"Sounds like it! You can order some pizzas. I'll give you the money back tonight, but first I need to withdraw some cash from the ATM."

"Don't even think about it," I said firmly. "It's about time you let me pay for something."

"Bossy," Logan teased, raising an eyebrow.

"And you like me that way. Now, scooch," I said, playfully kicking both men out of the apartment.

As I was left alone, I couldn't help but snort. It looked like I had a lot of tidying up to do around the house before tonight.

After a couple of weeks stuck in the same place, I started running out of things to do. Staring at myself in the mirror became a weird kind of challenge. It was like, after a few minutes of looking, I'd stop recognizing my own face. I'd start noticing all these little things that somehow looked... different. Off, even. Like I was staring at a stranger who happened to wear my face.

Are my eyes really that big?

Are my hips really that weird? And my knees—what's wrong with them?

Does my hair always look this... blah? Ugh.

So when Veronica showed up this afternoon with her wild plan to dye my hair, my first thought was, Why not?

She had this grin on her face, a box of hair dye in one hand and a stack of old towels in the other. "Come on," she'd said, "a little change never hurt anyone."

I laughed. Screw it. I was tired of my reflection anyway.

Times like these, I was grateful for friends like Veronica. Even in my lowest moments, she had this way of dragging me out of my head and reminding me that life was still happening—whether I wanted to participate or not. I had a support system that let me be fully myself, and sometimes, that meant doing ridiculous things, like deciding to go from dark brown to ashy blonde on a random Tuesday afternoon.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" I asked, watching her fumble with the brush, a serious expression on her face as she tried to section my hair.