Save Me [A Norman Reedus fanfiction - Part 1 - COMPLETED]

Chapter Eight - Eos' Beauty Saloon

"How are you feeling, sweetheart? Do you need anything else?" Eos had been asking me for the hundreth times since she made me to sit down into one of the hairdresser chairs and gave me a glass of water. I gulped the water like a person who hasn't drunk for years.

"Nah, Eos, surely, I'm fine now." I reassured her again and again. I finished the water and put the glass on the desk in front of me. I felt Eos' hand on mine. It was a well-known and loved movement of hers, but after my emotional explosion, it started to make me feel even emotional.

"And how was the rehab?" She asked, gently squeezing my hand.

"Like every other time..." I said, still trying to forget the memories what had come into my mind. The pain of loosing him... The first meeting with Norman...

"Why I have the suspicion that it's not true?" She asked, her voice full of disbelief. She knew that there was something not good, not usual.

"Why would you not believe me?" I asked back, looking for loopholes out of the conversation.

"I've seen you coming to me every time after rehab but you've never ever broken up like this! There was anger - a lot! But never... Never..."

"Pain." I finished her sentence and admitted her suspicion at the same time. There was no way to hide the truth away from her. Not after my break.

"Reira..." That was all she said and pulled me into a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you, darling."

'Why? Because I bursted into tears?" I asked back, with a half-hearted chuckle.

"No, my sweet little heart. But because after those long years you finally let yourself mourn and feel."

"I so didn't want it. I just wanted to act like nothing happened." I confessed and felt as the tears tried to make their ways out. But not anymore.

"I know. We all know." I knew who she was meaning under 'we'. Norman and Eos were good friends for long years before I would came into sight, that's how I got to know her. I wondered if there was ever anything between the two of them. Anyway, Eos was beautiful. She would have deserved to be named after Aphrodite. Her curly, dark chocolate brown hair was long and shiny, her almond shaped brown eyes seemed to can read you. I loved her attitude toward people, especially toward the ones she loved. Like she loved me. I was sure if she wouldn't have been next to me, I'd not have lived through my first year without Kieran. "So..." She started, breaking our hug. "Let me fix your hair! 'Cause it looks more awful than ever!"

I couldn't hold myself back but laughed. I looked into the large mirror and I met my reflection again. With the so much light in the room, I looked more awful than in the institute. I could still saw the familiar girl in my actual look but... I just hated the sight of myself like that. And I didn't want to see that girl again. I saw as Eos was about to get ready dying my hair into grey again, but I stopped her hand.

"Not again."

"What did you say? Reira, I've been dying your hair into grey for years now!" She was so flabbergasted she even dropped the brush. But I was sure for then.

"That's why. Let's start something new." I said and laid back in the nice puffy chair, waiting for Eos to let out her absolute happiness and start doing my hair. It definitely felt better to give joy instead of sadness.kh

***

About fourty minutes later I heard the familiar monster's sound coming.

I felt so much anxiety inside of me. Will he like my new look? Or he liked the old one better? I was confused by my own feelings. Why do I care about his opinion anyway? I never did. But as I was saying... This is the beginning of something new. But the best part of it was, that Norman was still on my side.

Norman parked in front of the building, got out of the Jeep and walked up to the saloon. I still sat in the same chair, tough I had been ready for almost fifteen minutes. In the meantime I couldn't stop watching myself in the mirror. Altough the only change was the hair, I looked... like I wasn't me. And I loved it.

I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders. "Calm down, sweetheart. You look beautiful and he's gonna love it." Eos tried to reassure me, but my heart pounded that fast and my blood ran in my veins that fast I barely could hear her. I took one of her hands and squeezed it like I would die if I'd let her go. "Trust me, Reira... He's gonna love you."

As he always did, he knocked on the front door and waited until Eos called him in. I couldn't look at him, my nerves didn't let me turn around.

"Hey Eos..." He greeted and walked in. The tinkle of the bell above the door scared me. Jesus, give me strenght! "Is she ready?" Eos turned to me and I looked her in the eyes. She smiled at me, sending me love and strenght through her eyes and her hand I was still holding.

"Are you ready?" She asked me and for the first time, I felt a light strenght within me. I had to show him who I had become, how much I had changed within that short time he was away. I knew he was mad at me when he left me at the entrance of the saloon. But I wanted to make it up to him. And I so wanted him to like the new me. So I stood up, my trembly legs barely could keep me standing still. I took a very deep breath and turned around.

As my eyes met his eyes, all I could see was shock and that slight smile on the corner of his mouth. He took a short step toward me but then stopped like he was afraid if he would come closer, I would disappear like a fantasma. So we were just standing there, facing each other and I tried to believe that his smile was by amazement and not disappointment. He started to look me up and down. I felt his gaze on my freshly dyed hair... Instead of grey, I chose a caramel brown shade with a few wild plum stripes in it. It gave my look a bit of a warmness so I didn't look like a ghost anymore.

"Helllooo..." Eos raspy voice startled us out of the stare down. "Are you, Norman gonna say something or you only gonna stare at her like a lunatic?" I could hear the force in her voice, informating Norman that it very much recommanded to say something nice compliment to me or he's gonna get some of the Greek punishment.

"Sure, sure. I mean... wow... Rei..." He spluttered and stuttered. "I mean, Reira! Sorry... Ya look... New." I couldn't hold back a laughter.

"Well. It takes for a starter." I said, enjoying as my anxiety slowly drifted away. "I wanted something new."

"Good. It suits for ya better, anyway." He agreeded and smiled at me even more wide. "Uhm... Can we go?"

"Where are you going?" Eos asked while packing away her scissors and stuffs. I looked back at her and said with all of the love in my heart:

"Home."