Oliver was shocked. And shaking slightly. He turned to Jan and pasted his fakest smile on and said “I’m so sorry about all that. He’s really..he’s really not normally like that. I should go. It was lovely to meet you I had a great time until- you know” Jan smiled gently and this time it was his hand placed on Oliver’s arm. He could feel Oliver shaking slightly beneath his hand. “It’s okay, I know that was not normal. I am getting in the middle of something?” He asked as delicately as he could. “No, no, nooo, no!” Oliver flushed further and lowered his eyes “we’re best friends and business partners and- no, there’s nothing you’re in the middle of” Jan smiled again. He could still feel Oliver shaking so he took his red scarf and wound it around Oliver’s neck. “You seem cold. You are shaking. Let this be a symbol and when we meet again should you like to, you will return it to me” Oliver had started to protest but didn’t want to sound like he wasn’t interested in seeing Jan again. So he took the scarf and he smiled awkwardly before making his pathetic sounding excuses and walking back across the street to the salon. 

Chris’s eyes tracked Oliver into the staff room. He was wearing the red scarf that moron across the road had been wearing. There couldn’t be a bigger symbol that what could have been between them, was now ground into dirt. He was upset, furious, embarrassed and close to tears all at once. He had acted like such a fool. He watched Oliver set up his table and smile at the customer as she described what she wanted. Oliver looked happy, his cheeks still a ruddy pink and the scarf, the scarf was placed delicately on the back of his chair. Chris took a deep breath and as he released it he snapped the comb he was holding in his hands. 

He made some comment about not knowing his own strength and pushed it all deep down into his mind where he wouldn’t have to think about it. He took another deep breath. This time nothing splintered. Ah progress at last. 

Oliver kept a smile on his face while he worked, he grinned and he showed the dimple. He filed and painted and filled in acrylics. He painted tiny flowers and hearts and stuck little diamantés on ring fingers but inside he was furious. He couldn’t believe that Chris had done that. He couldn’t believe he had ruined his date with Jan. He hasn’t even been sure how the date was going, he wasn’t sure they’d even meet again but now he was stuck with that stupid red scarf and a guarantee that he would meet Jan again even if it was just to spite Chris. He smiled. He painted. He fumed. 

When he got home that night he could hear Chris in the kitchen, he was making gentle plinking sounds as he did the dishes. Oliver took a second to let the sounds wash over him, the soft sound of bubbles popping, the sound of the cutlery clinking under water and Chris singing softly along with the radio before he took a deep breath and burst around the corner and slammed his stuff down on the table. Chris jumped. He knew he’d screwed up and he’d been expecting the fall out. His breath quickened and he started “I can explain”. 

Quietly, dangerously soft, Oliver replied “So explain.”