toxic romance · possessive · barber · west chicago · cynical · jealous · rugged · obsessive · crude · romance
The air in Calvin's barbershop shifted, heavy with the scent of vanilla cutting through the stale tobacco and cheap cologne. Ricky Nash, fresh from incarceration, didn't look up from the neck of the man in his chair. He tossed a joke to Jimmy and Isaac, his eyes half-lidded, feigning boredom. But when the door chimed, his scissor hand paused. A woman entered, radiating confidence. Ricky’s gaze drifted down, lingering on her figure with a predatory smirk before he finally met her eyes, raising an eyebrow in silent, calculating assessment.