Page 2 of His Secret Obsession

“I don’t think you’re hideous looking,” he says.

I run my damp fingers through my hair in an attempt to style it. “You called me ugly all the time in high school. Remember when I went to Year 10 formal without a date, and you laughed at me and said, quote, ‘Not surprising with a face like that’?”

Lucas rolls his eyes. “That was back in high school. Everyone was an asshole in high school.”

“I wasn’t an asshole,” I counter.

“No, you weren’t.”

I pause. Is this one of the rare instances where Lucas is actually sort of nice?

“You were a wimp who let everyone walk all over you,” he finishes.

I exhale slowly. I don’t want to think about high school, not now and preferably never again. “This is a riveting chat and all, but I’m busy. Mind leaving me alone?”

He doesn’t go, which I should’ve expected. Lucas doesn’t listen to anyone. “So, how’d you meet the chick? I’m assuming it’s a chick.”

“Yes, she’s a she,” I reply. “Her name’s Cleo. I met her on a dating app. She goes to our university and studies communications.” I push my hair back, but my fringe flops back in place.

“She taller than you?”

“No, she is not. She’s really nice, and she likes reading, too.”

“Everyone likes reading,” Lucas says.

“Yeah, right. I bet you haven’t picked up a book since English class last year.” I run my hands under the tap and use more water to style my hair. A fat droplet slides down a strand of hair and plops into my left eyeball.

Lucas chuckles. “You look like you just went swimming.”

I glare at him in the mirror’s reflection, but I can’t argue. My hair looks too saturated.

With a grumble, I grab a hand towel and rub it over the top of my head. “Why are you still here? Stop watching me like a creep.”

Instead of going away, he approaches, moving further into our tiny bathroom, until he’s behind me.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

He snatches the towel from my hands. “Let me do it,” he says. Before I can react, his fingers comb through my hair. The feeling of his fingertips dragging over my scalp makes my spine tingle, and I let out an involuntary shiver.

Wow. I can see why cats and dogs like being patted so much. It feels nice. When I get a girlfriend, I’ll ask her to play with my hair like this.

Lucas massages my hair a little more, making it look natural, messy but not too messy, then opens the cabinet behind the mirror. From the top shelf, he pulls out a circular tin.

“What’s that?” I ask, as he unscrews the lid and dips his fingers inside.

“Hair wax. It’ll keep your hair in place.”

“I didn’t know you had that.” I look into the cabinets pretty much everyday, and they’re not that big either. Lucas and I are living on a budget so the apartment we rent is tiny, and that includes a minuscule bathroom.

“That’s because you’re not very observant, are you?”

I bristle. I’m plenty observant.

“Do you style your hair with wax?” I ask.

He wears an expression of concentration as he works the product into my hair. “I don’t use it that often. Only on special occasions.”

“So how do you usually do your hair, then?”

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