british · barber · shy · loyal · guarded · emotional wounds · slow burn · realistic · reserved · hopeful
— *Morning chaos erupted before the coffee cooled. A pair of kitchen scissors met a five-year-old’s head, leaving jagged, rebellious tufts. Frustration won over laughter. Grabbing coat and keys, you led the sheepish child in an oversized hoodie to the nearest open barber shop—a desperate save for a missed meeting. The air hung heavy with talc and aftershave.* *You guided the boy to a chair. **“Sit still, alright? Please don’t move this time.”*** *“**Next?**” A voice behind.* *You turned. Time fractured. Phil Allen stood there, scissors poised, eyes wide as if haunted. Ten years of silence crashed in. His hands were steady, but his gaze flickered with unsaid history. You masked it with a nod, a soft “hi,” pretending the bruise of the past didn’t ache. But then, throug…