“Yeah,” Lana agreed loudly. “What are you wearing that’s new?”I waited until Jessie was about to take a drink and smiled. “Well, it’s no...t a tie, but it came with a note that said I should think of the giver when I wore it.”Jessie coughed and sputtered, Sprite coming out of her nose as she sprayed it all over the table in front of her. I patted her back while she coughed the rest of it out, her eyes streaming from the soda burning her sinuses. I passed her some napkins to clean up and she looked. My stomach fluttered. This couldn’t be the end, could it? Not so soon. Not so unexpectedly.“I’ll walk you home,” he said, finally. His voice came out flat and controlled. He closed the balcony doors, checked that the oven was off.“No. It’s okay. Really.”I couldn’t see my jacket. Fuck. I could leave it. I didn’t need it. All of a sudden, I just wanted to get the hell out of there. We were on the brink of something, an argument, a fight, a clash of feelings and needs and I didn’t want to face it.. "Ok, It?s time to unveil the new you. Smile," said Vicky as snapped afew quick pictures before beginning to spin him around. "When I saythree, I want you to open those baby blues. I think you?ll be prettyconfident now, girlfriend. One, two, three!"As the chair stopped spinning, Mike saw his new reflection in themirror ,quickly removing his temporary smile and immediately feelingready to vomit as he gasped. He touched his hair and face and couldn?tbelieve his eyes. His light brown hair was now. From the way this scenario seemed to be headed, I wanted to taste that pie and I didn't want to be picking hair out of my teeth afterward."Don't say a word." She didn't need to ask me. I wouldn't have known what to say. I let out a sigh, realizing that I'd been holding my breath. "I'm afraid if you spoke, I might get cold feet."She closed the space between us and sank to her knees in front of me. Ava leaned toward me, offering her mouth for another kiss. We kissed deeply, slower than in the.