Chapter 2: The Mirrors Don’t Lie

The sharp scent of peppermint oil and expensive shampoo was supposed to be Ava’s sanctuary. Here, under the sleek lights of Ava’s Glam, she wasn’t the woman begging for a seat at someone else’s table. She was the one who built the table, owned the chairs, and ran the room.

Ava stood behind her station, the steady snip of her shears setting the rhythm for the busy morning. In the mirror, she watched her client’s hair fall away, but her mind was somewhere else.

Back in Noah Volkov’s dim penthouse.

Still feeling the weight of his arm around her.

“You’re doing it again.”

Ava blinked, her eyes meeting Tessa’s in the reflection. Tessa worked at the next station, handling a blow-dryer with ease, her expression sharp with the kind of intuition only a best friend could have.

“Doing what?” Ava asked, keeping her hands steady as she combed through a section of hair.

“The ‘Noah stare,’” Tessa said, lowering her voice slightly. “You’re here, but your mind is parked outside his building.”

Ava didn’t answer. She couldn’t. It was true.

Ava forced her attention back to her client, nodding at something the woman was saying, though she hadn’t caught a single word of it.

Her hands moved on instinct, sectioning, trimming, styling. Years of practice made it easy to perform, even when her mind refused to cooperate.

“You’re really good at this,” her client said, watching her in the mirror. “I’ve been to a lot of places, but this? This feels different.”

Ava smiled politely. “Thank you.”

But beneath that control, something restless kept pulling at her.

He still hadn’t texted.

Not a message. Not a call. Nothing.

It shouldn’t matter. He had already made it clear what this was casual, undefined, something that existed only when it suited him.

So why did the silence feel louder than anything he had said?

Ava tightened her grip on the comb, forcing herself to focus. This was exactly how it started. One thought turning into ten. Ten turning into something she couldn’t shut off.

She had built her life to be stable. Predictable. Safe.

And yet, the one thing she couldn’t control was the one thing she kept choosing.

She finished the trim, swept the hair away, and ignored her phone lying face down on the counter. It hadn’t buzzed once since she left his place at 5:00 AM.

When the last client left, Tessa followed her into the breakroom without hesitation. The shelves were lined with color bowls and products, and on the counter sat Ava’s notebook the one she used to write when things got too heavy to carry.

“He called last night, didn’t he?” Tessa asked.

“He told me not to come over,” Ava said quietly. “And I went anyway.”

Tessa groaned. “Ava, you built this place from nothing. You’re a boss, a business owner, someone people respect. Why do you shrink the second he shows up?”

“I don’t know…” Ava whispered. “He just makes me feel different. Like there’s a version of him only I see.”

Tessa dragged a hand over her face. “Every woman thinks she sees the ‘real’ version of a man like that. But a man who only sees you in the dark doesn’t really see you. He just needs somewhere to hide.”

Ava traced the edge of her notebook. She had written about a woman trapped in a beautiful lie.

She was starting to realize it wasn’t fiction.

“He said he wants to keep things casual,” she added.

“Then believe him,” Tessa said. “Because while you’re building something real, he’s just filling time.”

Ava’s phone buzzed on the table.

Both of them looked.

Her heart jumped, then dropped.

Not Noah. Just a bank notification. A reminder of bills, responsibilities… and the family dinner she couldn’t avoid tonight.

“I need to get back,” Ava said, straightening her apron.

“Just remember,” Tessa called after her, “those mirrors don’t lie. Look at yourself sometimes. Really look.”

Ava stepped back onto the salon floor, the bright lights hitting her instantly. Outside, the city moved like nothing had changed.

Life kept going.

Noah was a distraction. A dangerous one.

Still, as she picked up her tools for the next client, she checked her phone again.

Nothing.

She slipped it back into her pocket.

Work was easy.

Dinner tonight wouldn’t be.