AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The rest of the team rose and shuffled from the room. I took a second to pack up before Jordan and I headed for the door.
“Going to your quarters?”
I nodded. “Want to say hi to Alexi?”
He nodded back. “Sure.”
We took the lift up two floors. I stepped out and looked up and down the hallway. This floor was temporary housing for agents. Most offices were equipped with rooms for agents on assignment to have somewhere to stay. It was safer and cheaper to stay at the office than at a hotel somewhere. The security was much better, and it was convenient.
I turned right, counting doors until I almost reached the end of the hallway. I pulled my access card from my pocket and swiped it before typing in my personal security code.
The door slid open, and I stepped inside. Piano music met my ears immediately, the volume up a little too high. It wouldn’t bother any of the other rooms, but it was still loud. I held in a sigh.
“Alexi?” I called out, moving through the kitchen towards the living area.
A dark head popped up from one of the sofas. Hazel eyes locked onto me, and Alexi jumped to her feet. I relaxed when she hugged me. I smiled into her hair and squeezed her. “Hey, kiddo. How are you?”
She pulled away and wrinkled her nose at me. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me kiddo? I’m sixteen, not six.”
There was genuine annoyance on her face, but there was no anger. I nodded. “You’re right. It’s a habit. Sorry, Alexi.”
“No hug for me?” Jordan folded his arms and pretended to glower. She, in turn, tossed her head to the side in dramatic fashion and opened her arms at him.
“Blaze. I know better than to try to get away without a hug from you.” She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. He slid an arm around her shoulder before laughing at her antics.
While she was distracted, I went over to the control panel on the wall and bumped the volume down so we could talk without shouting. Alexi still caught me and gave me a look, but she didn’t say anything. I smiled sweetly at her.
She sniffed, released Jordan, and flopped back down on the sofa. “How long are you back for this time?”
“Just until tomorrow.” I hesitated and decided to wait to tell her where we were going next.
She grunted and rolled her eyes. Jordan lifted an eyebrow at me before glancing around. “So, Alexi, who are you listening to?”
Her eyes lit up and she smiled. “Leo Night. He’s the best pianist ever, without a doubt. Not to mention what he can do with a flute. Did you know he’s been playing instruments since he was, like, four? He’s my age and he’s one of the most well-known musicians out there.”
I had long since heard all of Leo Night’s background from her and had subsequently bought her his recordings and posters, and I was hoping to one day snag concert tickets. That would have to wait a while though. Concert tickets were expensive.
Jordan whistled. “He sounds amazing.”
Alexi nodded, proud of her music choice. “He is. His music is complex and beautiful. He writes all his own music, too.”
“Some days I think she’d die if she ever met the guy, the way she goes on and on about him.” I reached over and affectionately ruffled her hair. She growled and dodged to the side while I laughed at her.
As soon as I touched the side of her hair, I knew something was different. I blinked and brushed some of the strands to the side. “What did you do to your hair?” I couldn’t keep the incredulity out of my voice, but I managed to keep from yelling it.
A patch of an inch and a half was shaved from the side of her head. If she parted it a certain way, enough of her hair would fall over and conceal it. I had seen the side shave style before, which was popular among mainstream artists of all varieties, but Alexi had never mentioned her desire to cut her hair like that.
She swatted my hand away with a scowl. “What? It’s called a haircut. You act like I shaved the whole thing.”
I blinked at her and tried to turn off my emotions and focus on her. Her eyes met mine and slid away, her fingers moved around nervously in her lap, and she bit her lip. I reined in my anger and looked at Jordan. He was flashing me a warning look. Probably not the best time to undermine her individuality. There were a lot of worse things she could have done besides cutting her hair. I could manage a haircut.
After a moment, I crouched down in front of her and pulled her hair back from her face, seeing what it would look like from other angles. Alexi gave me a weird look, like she couldn’t figure out what I was trying to do. I scrutinized her face before finally releasing her hair. “Not what I would choose,” I spoke frankly, but without malice. Alexi’s face dropped. I smiled at her and dipped my head so she had to look at me. “But it’s your choice. So, I’m fine with it. You caught me off guard. It’s your hair and you can do with it what you want, whether I like it or not. Do you like it?”
She blinked at me again before reaching up and playing with the ends. She shrugged. “Kinda. It’s hard to get used to. There are certain hairstyles it looks really good with. I’m trying to get them right.”
“I’m sure you’ll find something you like. You know, curl the ends, and pin it back like this,” I pushed her hair back and held it in place with a finger. “That would look good.”
“Maybe.” Alexi shrugged.
