The Barber of Valle Seco, Part 2 – The End of Summer

A sequel to The Barber of Valle Seco, Part 1 – The Start of Summer” but also written for standalone enjoyment without the necessity of having read the original story.

Bianca has moved to the countryside for the summer, where it is incredibly hot, to stay with her Aunt Helena and family. At her aunt’s insistence, Bianca had her long hair cut short by a visiting barber from the nearby town, a strikingly attractive woman called Adriana. Initially, this caused Bianca to experience anger and resentment. However, that feeling evolved into remorse once she had realised that she had been rude to her barber. Then confusion arose in her mind after accepting that her feelings towards Adriana had developed in a way that she had not expected…

The Growing Pains

It had been three days since Adriana had cut my hair into a severe bowlcut with my Aunt Helena encouraging her. Angry at first, I grew to accept my new hairstyle for what it was, and I made an uneasy-like truce with my aunt. However, I had not thanked Adriana before she left the villa, and I subsequently regretted my poor manners. Not only had I been rude, but she behaved as if she may have an interest in me. I knew that I needed to see her and make amends by apologising and then waiting to see what else might develop.

Mornings had become a revelation. Rather than taking considerable time to untangle my hair, I was indulging in my new habit of staring at myself in the mirror and feeling the smoothness of my nape. So, it caught me by surprise when I felt my skin exhibiting a sandpaper-like surface.

Naturally, I knew my hair was growing. However, in the back of my mind, I anticipated that I would leave it alone until I left Valle Seco at the end of summer. By then, my appearance would, I hoped, be a little more conventional for whatever I decided to do next. But I had not considered how dreadful the growing-out process would be. My plan needed a rethink.

The Making of Peace

I went downstairs for breakfast, and I was polite to my family. During the day I helped my aunt with chores around the villa, and I even delivered lunch to my uncle and cousin in the vineyard.

During the afternoon I went for a siesta in my bedroom, but the sight of yet another dress hanging in my wardrobe distracted me. It was the remarkably short red number with white polka dots that Aunt Helena had worn on the day of my haircut. It had looked stunning on her but, clearly, she had already adjusted her fashion goals. I slipped it on, and I loved it. Admittedly, given the difference in our sizes, it was too short for me and too tight. However, it enhanced my bodily assets and complemented my hair too. Seeing myself look so good gave me an idea.

Descending the stairs, a plan forming, I bumped straight into my aunt.

‘As I expected, it looks far better on you than it does on me,’ she said, with genuine warmth and a relaxed smile that I took as a confirmation of our truce. I kissed her on both cheeks, hopefully pleasing her as much as I surprised her.

I headed outside, looked around, then descended into Uncle Bruno’s cellar. Row upon row of dusty wine bottles sat there. Brushing away the grime, I recognised the label of the delicious vintage that I had enjoyed on my first night at the villa. I wrapped it carefully in a cloth before placing it in the basket of a bicycle that I borrowed to travel around the local area.

Pointing the bicycle down the hill, I freewheeled, in a carefree way, and arrived in the town. I asked people for directions, eventually finding myself down a cobbled lane, facing a closed door with a simple sign above it: Adriana – Corte de Cabelo.

= = =

As I had hoped, Adriana had finished work for the day, so I rapped on the door, and I waited. She opened the door in a tight, red halter top and a denim miniskirt. Her eyes lit up.

‘Bianca!’ she gushed. ‘I knew you would come!’

Handing her the bottle of wine, I dipped my head in mild contrition. ‘I… I was rude… up at the villa… so, I wanted to thank you… er, for my haircut.’

‘Come in, my love,’ she urged, pecking me on both cheeks. ‘Please come in.’

She immediately uncorked the wine and poured two glasses. We sat on a narrow bench on a small, shaded patio area at the rear of her shop, her thigh pressed against mine.

‘Your health…’ she said as we touched glasses, ‘and thank you for coming all this way to thank me for your haircut. Even with you bringing a bottle of Bruno’s best vintage too! But I fear that you hate that neat and lovely bowlcut. So practical in this heat, and it suits you perfectly.’

‘Yes, I did hate it,’ I conceded, dipping my head sheepishly.

‘And now, my love?’ she pressed.

I touched my neck. ‘Now… now I can’t stop touching it.’

She giggled. ‘Yes, it is addictive, isn’t it?’

Joining in with her laughter, I did not argue. We sipped our wine in companionable silence for five minutes, enjoying the coolness of the early evening. After five minutes, Adriana reached out and caressed my nape.

The Gentle Touch

With a professional eye, Adriana carefully examined my hair. ‘Now, let me check. Good, it is growing evenly.’ She ran her nails along my left temple, making a sound like sandpaper, and I quivered uncontrollably. ‘But, my love, I do need to touch you up.’

‘Already?’ I questioned innocently, raising an eyebrow, despite already knowing that unsightly bristles were showing.

‘It is necessary, my love,’ she purred, smiling. ‘So, Bianca, come back inside, and I will sort you out.’

I followed her back into her closed shop and hovered close to her barber’s chair. She unfurled the cape, appraising me as she did so. ‘That is a lovely dress, Bianca. Did you wear it just for me?’

I nodded, blushing slightly. ‘But it is a bit small, as I borrowed it from Aunt Helena, so it is tight across here,’ I indicated my breasts, ‘and here,’ patting my bottom.

‘So, a perfect fit then,’ she giggled, and I could not help but join in. ‘Well, my love, we don’t want it creased or to have snippets of hair falling all over it, do we?’ I shook my head. ‘Now, I could cover you with this cape, but it might make you rather warm, or…’

Being so close to Adriana was, alone, sufficient to raise my temperature! That only increased when she came up behind me. Her hands lingered at my neck as I breathed in her delicate perfume. Then I felt her unfastening my dress, allowing it to slip to the floor before placing it carefully over a chair. A gentle touch on my shoulder was all that she needed to do to encourage me to sit.

= = =

Thankful that I had had the foresight to dress in my best white lace underwear, I still felt exposed as Adriana tilted my head down. An insistent humming like a swarm of bees filled the space around me.

‘I will use my new toy, my love,’ she purred, ‘a foil shaver that will reduce to baldness the fine pelt of bristles that has had the temerity to obscure your beautiful, delicate neck.’

‘Thanks,’ I breathed, unsure quite what to expect, but unable to say much more.

I felt an insistent vibration on my neck as she slowly eased the device up and down my nape and around my temples. But the vibration thrummed even deeper to my core, in tune with my body’s urgent needs. But I kept still, allowing Adriana to work her magic and diligently eliminate every shadowy bristle. To do so, she checked and rechecked with her fingers, every soft stroke against my skin feeling like a bolt of electricity.

When the shaver stopped, she leaned down, her lips brushing my ear. ‘Your reason for coming here was more than to say thank you, wasn’t it, my love? Your desire was even greater than just to enjoy that trim?’

I simply nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

= = =

And then she moved in front of me, straddled me on the barber’s chair, and kissed me on the lips as she gripped my head in her hands, her fingers exploring my bared skin. I quivered with arousal before finally succumbing to a rippling climax that Adriana skilfully controlled.

After a brief rest, she stood, and I reluctantly took that as my cue to leave with dusk falling. The thought of cycling back up the hill was not something I relished.

‘You will be staying here with me tonight, my love,’ Adriana murmured, grabbing the wine bottle and glasses and heading towards the stairs. ‘Let Helena know you will not be back until tomorrow and follow me upstairs when you’re ready.’

That was a pleasant and unexpected turn of events, but I had no wish to argue. I sent a text as instructed, and I received an almost immediate response from my aunt. Surprisingly, she just thanked me for letting her know and wished me an enjoyable evening. Although she did not ask where I was, I wondered if she had worked it out.

I took the stairs to her apartment above the shop and found her stretched out on her bed. We touched, we explored, and we became as one.

The Morning After

The previous evening had become a delightful blur in my mind as we sipped our coffee on the sheltered patio just as the sun was rising. I had borrowed a light gown from her, and we were both still naked apart from our flimsy attire.

‘There is something I need to do for you, my love,’ Adriana murmured as we drained our coffee mugs.

‘I think you have done quite enough for me already, Adi,’ I giggled playfully. ‘Are you proposing to make me breakfast? I am starving.’

‘In a manner of speaking,’ she chuckled, leading me into her shop rather than up to the kitchen of her apartment. ‘It is time for another shave, Bi-bi. Please sit.’

While I was not averse to her playing with my nape for as long as she liked, I wondered if she would find any hairs that had grown in the previous twelve hours! I did not have to worry, as she had other plans. As I lowered myself into her chair, she tilted it right back, and then she parted my delicate gown.

‘We need you absolutely smooth in all the places that are important,’ she giggled, taking a small set of hairclippers and trimming me down below. Then she coated me with shaving foam, and, using her razor, she delicately removed every trace of bristles. ‘There, that looks so much better.’

‘Well, my love,’ I said, feeling emboldened, ‘I do hope you are going to confirm that it feels better too.’

She went down on me, and her muffled agreement confirmed she was satisfied with her work. As I held her head in place, I hoped my moans of ecstasy confirmed that I was extremely satisfied too.

The Concerned Cousin

Summer stretched on. I visited Adriana at least twice a week, often more. I always enjoyed a trim from her, and that inevitably led to me staying the night to enjoy even more.

At the villa, everything continued the same. My uncle and cousin continued to work in the vineyard from dawn to dusk, and my aunt continued to change outfits at least three times a day for imaginary events that occasionally came to fruition.

Everyone knew where I went, but they said little. My cousin, Lucas, was the exception. He watched me differently now after saying I looked “hot” with my short hair. It was no longer with teenage lust as before, but with a mature recognition of what I was experiencing and enjoying.

One evening, he found me on the terrace, running my fingers through my damp hair after washing away the dust of the day.

‘It looks good,’ he said. ‘Your hair, I mean… short like that.’

‘It feels good too. Want to try it?’ I asked, brandishing my bare neck in his direction. He chuckled, but he politely declined.

‘You’ve changed,’ he remarked, ‘and I don’t mean just the length of your hair.’

‘So have you,’ I said, nodding at his own bare head.

‘Adriana does excellent work,’ he sniggered, as I dipped my head to avoid eye contact. ‘But I think I may have blown it with my girlfriend by keeping it shaved like this. Every time we are together, it is as if she has wanted to say something…’ he said in exasperation, ‘but she always holds back. I suppose she just liked it the way it was before…’

‘Well, we’re all different,’ I said wisely, avoiding platitudes like “There are plenty more fish in the sea”.

‘I suppose,’ he nodded forlornly.

The Simmering Summer

Occasionally, after I had spent the night with Adriana, I did not immediately return to my aunt’s villa. Instead, I hung around to watch the barber at work and help with tasks around the shop. It was never a hardship to watch my new love at work, and she seemed like the audience. I always marvelled at the precise way she worked, combined with the gentle and artistic flair she exhibited, even with the most basic of haircuts.

On one occasion, when there were no customers waiting, she turned to me and made a subtle observation. ‘You watch me so carefully, Bi-bi, that you must be ready to perform your first haircut.’

‘Absolutely, I am a real expert,’ I quipped.

‘Good, my love,’ she stated, sitting in her own barber’s chair. ‘I will be your first customer.’

‘Wha… what?’ I stuttered, wondering if she was being serious.

‘The back and sides of my flattop need trimming, but we will leave the top until another time,’ she explained. ‘Start with this guard on the hairclippers and go from hairline to crown. Then remove the guard to shear the hairline and blend it with the bristles higher up before using the foil shaver to make the lower areas completely smooth.’

By that time, she had used the hairclippers on me very often, but they felt completely alien in my hands. ‘Are… are you serious, Adi?’

‘Absolutely, Bi-bi. Do you not want me to have a nice smooth nape for you?’ she asked, pouting with a look of disappointment. ‘Cape first, please.’

= = =

I draped the cape over Adriana as instructed, securing it firmly at her neck, then picked up the hairclippers again with the number one guard attached. With trepidation, I turned the device on, and then I began gently manoeuvring Adriana’s head as I clipped her. I was doing something I had never imagined she would entrust me to do.

I found it extremely satisfying to see the tiny snippets of hair floating away and observing her smooth nape and temples emerging. Applying the foil shaver was a different but equally enjoyable activity, and we both loved me sampling my work after I had restored Adriana’s hair back to pristine perfection.

Unsurprisingly, trimming Adriana’s hair became a regular part of our morning routine, which later included attending to the brush-like crown of her flattop as well.

I was enjoying my new outlook on life, working as a part-time barber!

The Change of Olivia

As one might expect, the barbershop catered primarily to the men and boys of the town. A considerable number of the older women around Valle Seco had long hair, as did a substantial proportion of the young women and girls. Those who chose to adopt a shorter style, such as my Aunt Helena, usually went to salons in the city. Some people wished to avoid that long journey, so they entrusted the care of their shorter locks to Adriana. Olivia was one of these.

Olivia came into the shop early one morning while we were still feeling a little flushed after trimming each other’s hair. Her hair resembled Adriana’s flattop, but, despite dressing stylishly in a lovely white lace dress, her hair had an overgrown look about it. Accompanying Olivia was her daughter, Alice, who was a similar age to me. She had hair that was a complete contrast to her mother’s. Silky black in colour and a similar length to what mine once was, she wore it in two long braids that fell on each side of her face from a centre parting. As soon as she sat down, waiting for her mother to have her hair cut, she began staring at me with a blank expression, which I found very disconcerting.

‘Hi Adriana,’ Olivia said in greeting as the two friends exchanged air kisses. ‘It is simply not possible. I can’t stand the growing-out process any longer,’ she sighed in despair, ‘so I need you to get my hair back into shape this morning, as Alice and I will be leaving here to go to an important meeting with a client.’

‘Yes, of course, Olivia. This is my, er… assistant, Bianca, who is staying at the vineyard with her Aunt Helena for the summer.’

We shook hands. ‘Nice to meet you, Bianca, and this is my daughter, Alice. We work together in the town’s fashion boutique that also offers a bespoke dressmaking service. If I am correct, then that red polka dot dress you are wearing was one I made for your aunt earlier this year.’

I nodded. It was the one that she had given me and that I had worn for my first visit to Adriana, and, inevitably, it had become a favourite. I looked towards Alice, but she made no move to shake hands. She just continued to stare at me disconcertingly. I mentally shrugged and turned back to face the two older women.

‘Your hair is looking particularly fresh and sharp this morning, Adriana. It reminds me of how mine used to look after you trimmed it… and how I would like it to appear when I leave today. Have you cut or styled yours differently?’

‘Not so much what, but who, Olivia,’ Adriana explained. ‘I am training Bianca to cut hair, and she does mine now.’

It was news to me that I was my love’s assistant and that I was in training to become a barber. Admittedly, as well as cutting Adriana’s hair, she had encouraged me to trim a selection of her regular customers, who had all seemed appreciative of what I did.

‘Well done for encouraging emerging talent,’ Olivia asserted. ‘So, Bianca, will you cut my hair for me today?’

= = =

Adriana smiled and nodded her agreement, so I did not see any reason to refuse. ‘I’ll be delighted to cut your hair, and Adriana will, of course, oversee what I am doing.’

‘Fine,’ she smiled, settling into the chair as I covered her with a cape. ‘If you restore my flattop to look as stunning as your teacher’s, then I will be extremely happy.’

I combed through Olivia’s overgrown hairstyle, noting that the hairline was around five centimetres, suggesting it had been three or four months since she had most recently had it cut. It was my first haircut on a woman, other than Adriana, and more substantial than any trim I had given a man.

Taking the hairclippers, I placed a large guard over the blade. Adriana nodded her approval, so I began shearing the hair away from the back and sides of Olivia’s head and over her crown. Using a smaller guard, I reduced the lower areas to a fine pelt of bristles. Removing the guard, I shaved her hairline, and then using a comb, I squared off the brush-like top to produce a perfect flattop profile. I completed the back and sides with the foil shaver to accentuate the contrast between the varying elements of the style.

My diligence had kept me focused as I willed myself not to make mistakes, preventing me from appreciating the overall appearance of what I was creating. Taking a couple of steps back and circling the chair soon rectified that. It looked perfect from every angle, and Adriana’s approving gaze confirmed it.

With great trepidation, I held up a hand mirror for the silent Olivia to view her transformed appearance from every aspect. ‘That is wonderful, Bianca. Thank you so much. Hasn’t she done well, Alice?’ she called to her daughter.

I looked over at Alice for the first time in a while, and she snatched her gaze away, not from her mother, but from me. Still! ‘She’s amazing, Mama,’ she croaked, adding a sheepish smile.

Did I have a new admirer? One that was not Adriana.

The Transformation of Alice

With all eyes turned towards her following her surprising outburst, Alice blushed. ‘What I mean is, yes, Mama, Bianca cut your hair beautifully. It is as lovely as Adriana had ever done it in the past. But her own hairstyle is lovely too,’ she said with conviction and with no sense of mocking me. ‘What’s it called, Bianca?’

‘It’s called a bowlcut,’ I said flatly, still wondering if she was going to make a hurtful remark to the out-of-towner, given all women of Alice’s age in the valley had long hair.

‘It’s really lovely,’ she said again, her expression suggesting she was being sincere. ‘Does everyone our age in the city have styles like that?’ she asked, a little naively, I thought.

‘Not so much,’ I answered truthfully. ‘Adriana cut mine like this. When I arrived here for the summer, my hair was as long as yours.’

‘Really?’ she asked incredulously, her eyes widening. I nodded. She looked thoughtful, then suddenly piped up, ‘Mama?’

Alice’s mother walked over to her daughter and faced her, an unmistakable look of sadness in her expression. She lifted the beribboned ends of one of Alice’s plaits. ‘It is your hair, sweetie,’ she said, accurately reading her child’s thoughts, ‘and you are old enough to make your own choices. And Bianca’s hair is very fetching, for sure. I have loved helping you care for it all these years, but…’

Her voice faded out, and she choked a little. A single tear appeared on her cheek. ‘Thanks, Mama,’ she smiled awkwardly, lifting a hand to wipe away her mother’s tear before kissing her on each cheek.

Alice then turned to face Adriana and me. ‘So, do I assume that you would like me to cut your lovely long hair into the same style I have given Bianca?’ Adriana clarified.

‘Er, yes and… er, no,’ Alice answered haltingly. Adriana raised an eyebrow. ‘I mean, I would like Bianca’s bowlcut but could she, er, cut it for me?’

= = =

On hearing Alice’s request, my eyebrow went even higher than Adriana’s! Doing basic trims was one thing. Even cutting Olivia’s hair back into shape was relatively straightforward. But a complete restyle from long hair to a style so severe was quite another thing altogether. I looked at Adriana for help to extricate me from the situation.

‘Of course she can, Alice,’ Adriana judged, ‘and I will of course be overseeing her progress, so there’s nothing for you to worry about.’

Can I? I wondered. The prospect, while scary, was enticing.

‘Firstly, Bi-bi, you need to chop off her plaits,’ she instructed, waggling one in her left while handing me her largest scissors with the other. ‘It is better to do that with both of you standing up.’

I took the scissors from Adriana, and then I faced Alice, whose expression suggested that she was wondering if her rash decision had been such a clever idea. Smiling broadly, I had hoped to reassure her, but it resulted in her looking even more concerned.

I placed the scissors around Alica’s left braid, high up, level with her chin. Her eyes followed the glinting of the metal as I placed it in position.

‘Higher, Bi-bi!’ Adriana urged. ‘Above her ear, where the braiding starts. It will give you less to cut later when you are creating the style, and it maximises the length of the souvenir you can present to her mother.’

Although Olivia was out of my view, I heard her whimper at the thought of receiving her daughter’s beribboned plaits as a keepsake.

= = =

I slid the scissors up Alice’s plait, all the time staring directly into her eyes. As I crunched the blades together, she gave a despairing little shriek. Not wishing to prolong her agony, I quickly dispatched her other braid, even if I was enjoying the power I held in my hand. Stretching out my arm, Alice’s mother took them, and I guided my customer to the chair. Once I had caped her, I combed through the remainder of her unevenly bobbed hair in readiness for completing her haircut.

I thought back to the time that Adriana had first cut my hair in the kitchen of my aunt’s villa. The memories came flooding back. I concentrated my mind on the process that she had employed, and I reached for the huge red hairclippers. Their raucous sound permeated the small barbershop.

‘I don’t want to be bald,’ Alice whimpered, edging as far away from the vibrating blades as she could manage within the confines of the chair.

I recalled my fears when I first heard the hairclippers and remembered Adriana’s response.

‘Trust me,’ I demanded with authority.

‘I do,’ she squeaked unconvincingly.

I placed the blade high up the back of Alice’s head, and tendrils immediately began falling as it cut through her thick hair like a hot knife through butter. Having established a guide, I followed that same line around the left side of Alice’s head, finishing above her ear at the side of her head. I adjusted my position and did the same around the right side.

Moving in front of Alice, I combed down the final remaining longer strands over her forehead, obscuring her vision. I then dug the blade of the clippers through the hair, halfway up her forehead. As her locks slipped away, she found herself staring directly into my focused eyes, just six inches away. ‘You now have a lovely short fringe,’ I purred.

I stood back to review my progress and saw that the fringe I had carved continued, at the same height, all around her head. I had created a perfect bowl shape. Entranced by my work, I managed to steal a glance at Adriana, who nodded encouragingly and smiled approvingly.

= = =

Continuing with even greater commitment, I used the bare clipper blade to remove any stray bristles below the perimeter of the bowl.

‘It’s so short,’ Alice’s mother, almost forgotten, blurted out, still nursing her daughter’s severed braids, her eyes moist.

‘Yes, Olivia,’ I acknowledged, ‘but I have not even finished yet. Alice wants her bowlcut to look the same as mine,’ I reminded her, reaching eagerly for the foil shaver. I ran a finger along Alice’s nape, making a rasping sound. And she quivered, I hoped with pleasure, at my delicate touch. ‘You see, Olivia, there is still a rough shadow of bristles remaining, but this device will remove those all the way down to the skin.’

I manoeuvred the shaver along Alice’s neck, up the back of her head, and around each ear, diligently removing every bristle. I checked and rechecked with my fingers, finally massaging the shaved areas with oil. ‘There we are, Alice. A glossy cap, and the back and sides are completely smooth and shining like glass. All done!’ I declared, whisking away the cape.

I held up a hand mirror to allow Alice to see the entire haircut in the large mirror before her. When I angled it to show her the back, she gasped. ‘Yes, striking, isn’t it,’ I said confidently, knowing I had done an excellent job. ‘A bowlcut, short and severe, as requested.’

Alice had been silent as I completed her haircut, her expression unreadable. She took a deep breath, and I began to experience a twinge of concern. ‘I absolutely love it, Bianca. Thank you so much.’ She jumped up and pecked me on both cheeks and gave me a big hug.

‘It is remarkably short and also very severe,’ Olivia judged, running a palm lightly up the back of her daughter’s head. ‘But, I admit, it does suit you beautifully.’

Once Alice had untangled herself from me, she looked in the mirror critically, and her ecstatic expression faded. I wondered what I might have done wrong or whether I had missed a stray hair. ‘What’s wrong, Alice?’ I felt compelled to ask. ‘You are happy with it? Like, really?’

= = =

‘Absolutely, I do, but I am worried that my boyfriend may not like it. I mean, what man likes a girl with hair this short?’ she questioned, looking even more miserable. ‘He has just shaved his head, and I think he looks so hot, but I feel awkward telling Lucas that.’

‘Lucas?’ I questioned. She nodded.

I felt relieved that her staring earlier had been in relation to my hair rather than her having an interest in me. Then I stifled a chuckle at the memory of Adriana shaving my cousin’s head and his later concern that his, then unnamed, girlfriend had not said she liked it and had started acting awkwardly around him.

The awkwardness would have arisen from Alice being desperate to tell Lucas how she loved his gleaming bald head. Contributing to the unease would have been wanting to ask his opinion about cutting her own hair, but she was worried about what he might think.

Given that Lucas had said that I look “hot” with my bowlcut, I was confident that he would feel the same about Alice with her new haircut.

‘Alice, you look stunning,’ I praised. ‘So, in my opinion, you should tell Lucas he looks incredibly “hot” without his hair, and I think you may find that he thinks precisely the same about your bowlcut. Just go for it!’

‘Do you think so?’ Alice said coyly, beaming at herself in the mirror. She shook her head, tossing her glossy bowl from side to side, giggling as it moved, and then playing with her bare nape. ‘Thanks, Bianca. I will see him straight away.’

Her mother nodded in my direction as she paid Adriana and thanked me with a generous tip.

‘See you both soon, Olivia,’ Adriana insisted. ‘None of that growing-out nonsense again. Back here every two weeks for both of you… three at the outside.’

‘Yes, miss,’ mother and daughter giggled, Alice giving a mock salute. And with that, they were gone.

The Approach of Autumn

‘I was proud of you, my love,’ Adriana murmured, taking me in her arms and kissing me passionately on the lips. ‘The competence you showed with those haircuts, and the confident way you performed them, was excellent for someone with so little experience. And more than that, the way you dealt with Alice’s concerns was superb. Cutting hair is so much more than just technical skills, and you certainly possess that something extra.’

‘Thanks, Adi, I enjoyed it,’ I said honestly, smooching up against her.

Adriana suddenly looked distracted. Thoughtful. ‘If you were going to stick around, my love, then perhaps we should dust down the second barber’s chair and, together, let ourselves loose on the women’s hair around town…’

That suggestion left me feeling distracted and thoughtful.

Epilogue

During the final weeks of summer, I split my time between working as an apprentice hairdresser alongside Adriana and helping my aunt’s family bring in the grape harvest.

Lucas was much happier now that his girlfriend had expressed her adoration of his shining head, and he had told her she looked even hotter than before with her amazing bowlcut. They had even joined Adriana and I for an enjoyable meal.

Any friction between me and my aunt had long since passed, and we got on extremely well. Uncle Bruno was still in a world of his own for a great deal of the time, but he smiled more frequently… even if what he was smiling at was often unclear to any of us!

= = =

By the end of summer, when I had been due to return to college, I moved into Adriana’s apartment above the barbershop. I had decided to stay in Valle Seco for a while longer to take away the pressure of considering my plans for the future. A gap year, I called it, one that I had agreed on with my parents and with the university. However, I honestly had no idea what would happen over the next twelve months.

= = =

One morning I lazed alone on the shaded patio behind the shop, coffee in hand, reflecting with relish on everything Adriana had taught me… even remembering that a small proportion of my lessons related to the subject of hairdressing!

‘Ready for me to touch you up, Bi-bi?’ Adriana sniggered from the doorway.

I stood, leaning in, nuzzling her neck.

‘Always, Adi,’ I murmured. ‘Always…’

The End