Blue Hour

Chapter 76

“Did you wait for long?” I asked. 

“Not really, I just arrived.” Pine answered.

“I’m glad to hear that. It would be embarrassing if I arrived late. So where are we going?” I asked. 

“Don’t ask questions first, okay. It will be a surprise.” Pine said and grabbed my hand. I just followed her since I didn’t know where we were going. I checked around the mall, and I realized that it was actually bustling with people. I have gone to the mall several times, but my father would set it after business hours so that only me and my siblings will shop. He is doing that to avoid unwanted attention, and since we have a lot of rivals in business, he is being careful. It felt like this was the first time for me, and for someone to invite me was really overwhelming. 

After walking for several minutes, we reached the third floor where the beauty products was placed. There were also a lot of salons and spas on that floor. 

“What are we doing here?” I asked.

“You are going to have a makeover, Mr. De Luna.” Pine smiled widely. 

“What!?”

“Yes, that’s right. You mentioned the other day that you were plain looking, so here we are.” She said pointing at the salon in front of us. I suddenly felt embarrassed with what she said. Did I really look bad? 

“But you didn’t have to do this.” I said, lowering my voice. I am really feeling ashamed of myself this time. 

“I wanted to, since you are my friend. I am willing to help you recover your self-esteem, okay. Also, this will serve as a lesson to those who talk behind your back.” Pine said. 

She is right. I need to step up my game and in reality, I am really tired dealing with them. Those eyes that keep on gazing at me, their hurtful words that I always ignored. Maybe, it’s time for a change. 

“Let’s go.” She said. 

The smell of shampoo and air fresheners tingled my nose as soon as we entered the salon. We were welcomed by the staff, and an older lady approached us. I looked around and everyone was looking at us. Did they notice who am I? 

“Welcome Ms. Pine. Do you want to have a makeover?” The lady asked. 

“No, it’s for my friend here. Please make him look good.” Pine answered and smiled. The old lady looked at me and smiled as well. 

“Of course, Ms. Pine. We will do our best for him.” The lady said. 

“Mr. De Luna, I will be waiting for you there. Just let them do their thing, you are in good hands.” 

“Sure, I will.” I said and followed the lady. Somehow I felt nervous because I don’t know what will happen today, but since Pine trusts them, I will do so. I looked around and the other staff were looking at me intently, as if they were waiting for the results. 

“Is this your first time?” The lady asked. 

“U-uh, no. But I have never been to a fancy salon like this. Usually, my father will call a stylist to go to our house.” I answered. 

“I see, now I know the reason why. Don’t worry, we will make you look better in no time.” The lady said confidently. 

“Thank you.” 

The lady and her team began working on me. They were cutting and shampooing and doing anything on my hair. I am already feeling sleepy, but there were a lot of treatments or whatever that the lady said that I need to do. I tried to stay awake, but I did not realize I dozed off. 

I suddenly remembered that I was outside, and Pine was waking me up. I slowly opened my eyes and she was smiling brightly. 

“How are you? Do you want to go home already?” Pine asked. 

“I’m sorry, I dozed off. I looked around and checked for the lady, and she was just smiling. I stood up and approached them, and apologized if I was rude for falling asleep while they were doing their job. They said it was okay, and they were happy to help me. I asked for their names and told them that I will give them something in return. They said that it was okay, but I insisted. I asked one of my guards to buy them food, and they were really happy. 

“You are really kind.” Pine said. 

“No, not really.” I said. 

“Okay, did you like your new look?” She asked. 

I looked at the mirror and was really surprised by the change. Before, my hair looked plain and was just falling down, and my eyebrows were scattered. This time, the staff did their best and changed my hairstyle. I have long hair all over, and what they did was cut off the sides short and swept my hair back, showing my face. The tapered haircut highlighted my facial features, and now my eyes are showing even more. It really looked clean and there was a lot of movement and flow with my hair now. My face looks even more alive. They also fixed my thick eyebrows that were scattered all over. Everything looked bright and clean. It really made my facial features stand out. 

“So, how was it?” Pine asked excitedly. 

“I like it.” I said. 

Pine clapped her hands happily, and all of a sudden she hugged me. I was surprised by what happened and just stood there. After a minute, she must have realized what was happening and moved back away from me. 

“Sorry, I just got over excited.” Pine said. 

“That’s fine. Besides, I really wanted to thank you for what you did.” 

“It’s okay, since you are one of my friends. I am really happy to help you.” She said. My heart suddenly skipped a beat again. This was the time that I realized that I am liking her already. 

“Thank you. So where are we going next?” I asked. 

“Just follow me.” She said. I did what she asked me to do, and we went to a clothes shop. 

She picked up casual clothes and said that I should try it on. I did what she told me to do, and after a few minutes of changing, she seemed satisfied already. She picked a sky blue shirt, which highlighted my skin. It really went well with my hairstyle too. 

“Let’s take a picture.” She asked. I moved beside her, and she clicked on her phone. After several tries, she said that she got the best shot. After that, we spent the rest of the day talking and eating. 

I was really happy with what happened today, not realizing that I am slowly falling down.