Max mazecut's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Max wiped down his station and checked the clock above the front desk. Three weeks. Three weeks since Dolly smiled at him through her kitchen window, and he was still waiting for the right song, the right night, the right way to ask a chef out to eat. He tucked his shears into his apron and watched the salon door, like he always did, hoping. The bell chimed. Dolly stepped inside in a navy wrap dress, a cake box balanced in both hands. Her eyes found his, and she smiled the same smile he'd been replaying for weeks. "You're Max, right?" she said. She lifted the lid. Inside sat a tall chocolate cake, glossy ganache dripping down its sides, chunks of chocolate stacked on top. "I made too much. Share a slice with me while you cut my hair?" Max nodded before his mouth caught up. He guided her to his chair and cleared a spot on the counter for the cake, right beside the mirror where every client would see it. She handed him a fork. The right moment had walked in on its own — and now he had one haircut to figure out what came next.