Identity Crisis or just a hair cut? [Adaryn]

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

It wasn't that Monroe had been avoiding Addie. No, he wouldn't. I mean, they'd had their fair share of problems that they'd had to work through even before they were officially a couple and now that they were, there was another. Monroe was living with Eloise, the girl his best friend had a vision about saying he was going to fall in love with her. So far, they were barely even friends. They were just roommates because she'd been nice enough to let him live with her when he needed a place to live after Hammel. He wasn't going to go back to Maine and even if he wanted to, he couldn't. He still had training sessions to do.

He'd also just started a job, at a diner as a busboy and he usually worked the off hours, meaning the night shifts because he honestly had no problem with working at three a.m. IT gave him something to do.

So, he was busy, but not much more than he'd been before. It just meant that he had something to do at night instead of just not sleeping. His days were still free and so he really had no excuse to avoid her.

He'd just gotten out of the shower and it was a hell of a lot different shampooing your hair when over half of it was suddenly gone. He didn't know how he'd been convinced to do so, convinced that he needed a change, especially from Eloise. But he'd let her take him to a salon that he would never go to, after refusing to let Eloise near him with scissors. But she was there the whole time, directing the stylist on how to cut his hair. And now...let's just say it took a whole lot less shampoo to wash his hair. He had just pulled on a pair of jeans and a gray t-shirt when he heard his phone go off from his nightstand.

Adaryn: Are you okay? I haven't talked to you in a while.

He could almost hear the concern through the text message. He knew it was only a matter of time before she would say something. He knew it was stupid, but he just didn't know how he felt about this haircut, or how she would feel for that matter. It felt like part of him was missing.

He stared at the screen for a long moment, not knowing how to reply, but he knew he had to. Why mess things up over his hair, right?

Monroe: Yeah, sorry. Didn't mean to make you worry.

He truly hadn't. He sent that message and then another.

I did something. And I'm not sure how I feel about it.

[Adaryn Breslin]

Adaryn had been lounging around the dorms and her job for a few days, occasionally looking at her phone to see if Monroe would text or call her. He had made it a habit to pick her up from work, or at least text her things like 'good morning' and such. So when those messages, and those visits just stopped, she began to get concerned.

She let it go for a week or so, but now, she was beginning to get paranoid. Why hadn't he texted her? What was happening.

Are you okay? I haven't talked to you in a while.

She sent the message after the fourth time trying to write it, and then the fifth try trying to send it. Addie knew everyone needed space, but this was a long time...

And then his response, despite his apology, definitely made her worry. What did he do? Could it...?

What did you do...?

With her heart racing, she sent the message, now pacing back and forth in her dorm room, waiting for his answer.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe realized after he'd gotten Addie's reply, that he'd made things seem a lot more dire than they actually were. I mean, maybe cutting his hair was dire to him, but he probably made Addie worry that it was something really bad and so he felt the need to text her back quickly.

It's nothing horrible. I'm just unsure about a decision I made. A personal one.

Did that really sound any better?

[Adaryn Breslin]

As if his response was any better.

A person decision that he was regretting? He hadn't spoken to her for a week, was living with Eloise, and now he was telling he regretted getting together with her? Was he falling for Eloise like Sebastian said he would?

Adaryn bit her lip, but texted back anyway.

Could you be a bit more specific please...? You're scaring me.

He really was.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe wanted to face palm at her response. He almost gave up and called her because he sucked at wording things, but that made him a lot more nervous. Her mind was probably spinning with the possiblities. And he felt bad just thinking about it.

Yeah, sorry. And don't be scared, Addie. It's really only a big deal to me, I'm sure. Before he sent the message, he thought about it. She'd probably still be worried, and so he did something he never ever did that all teenagers did now. He attached a photo to the text message, lamely taking what people called a 'selfie' to show Adaryn what he meant, how he had hair and now it was just gone.

[Adaryn Breslin]

New Multimedia Message. Download?

Her phone flashed, and Adaryn, after trying to calm herself from the unknown of what was happening, she eagerly clicked the the download button, and after several moments of waiting, the picture came up.

Adaryn's jaw dropped.

Monroe's hair... it was gone. Like, he wasn't bald... but he was. She was used to seeing him with hair below his ears, and now he had it much shorter with a fringe in the front. Addie sat there, staring at the photo, trying to figure out what to say about that. Monroe...

Your hair...

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe didn't know what he was expecting as a reply. He'd just sent a photo of himself because that's the only way he seemed to know how to tell her. And now he was just staring at the screen of his phone for what felt like forever, waiting for Addie to reply, to say anything.

And then a message finally came through. She couldn't even manage to type much and suddenly his mind was the one racing? Did she hate it? Did she like it? Was she relieved because she'd hated his hair all along? He wasn't sure.

It's gone. I know. Blame Eloise.

[Adaryn Breslin]

Adaryn honestly didn't know what to say about his hair. She felt something stir inside of her, something that honestly made her not be able to look away from the photo, but also to bite her lip. She didn't know what to say, honestly, but she knew that she really really liked it.

I like it...Like, a lot. You look... nice.

What else could she say about it? He looked great, but if Eloise got a hold of him, then did that mean she got rid of his combat boots too.

And your boots?

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Was she even going to tell him her opinion? What was it? He crossed his bedroom, sitting down on his bed. Why was this such a big deal to him? Eloise just looked at him with her typical look of approval and that was the end of it, and here he was, freaking out like he was having a major crisis. Yet, Adaryn was seeming to understand what a big deal it was that he cut his hair and that's because she knew him well.

He glanced down at his phone when he had another message and he felt himself smile. Eloise said I look less like a mop, so I definitely like your opinion better. She really liked it. I just don't know if it's me, I guess...it's weird. Like imagine someone threw away all of your cardigans. That was the best comparison he could make.

The next message made him laugh. She knew the right questions to ask. Boots are still with me. She won't take them unless I'm dead.

[Adaryn Breslin]

The relief, Adaryn realized, flooded through her when she realized he wasn't questioning their relationship and that he wasn't going to break up with her. They had only just recently started going out, anyway, so it would have sucked if he had. But he didn't, and what really was going on was so much better.

Thank you Eloise... she thought with a deep blush. She wasn't sure what else to say on that point, because Eloise also got her into different clothes. She still couldn't take her cardigans away, but she opted for regular sleeves instead. She would cry if she was forced to have them taken away. 

That wouldn't happen, but if it did I would cry.

But when she read his next text, she smiled. He was still Monroe, then. Eloise hadn't changed him too much, then, which was good. 

Good. I like your combat boots.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

See? You know exactly how I feel about this then. At one point I did think I was going to cry...but then I'll look in the mirror an hour later and think my hair looks good this way. It was a constant battle in Monroe's opinion.

Good. I like you. And you not liking my combat boots could ruin that! He wouldn't let Eloise completely change who he was. His hair would grow back anyway if he decided he didn't like it this short, but maybe it was just nice to have a change.

[Adaryn Breslin]

You, cry? You have some real man points for admitting that.

Adaryn was feeling significantly better, and it was showing now that she had come to grips with the fact that he had cut his hair. It was a shock, yes, but now all she wanted to do was actually see it in person, and then run her hands through it. Was that weird?

She blushed just thinking about it.

Well good thing that I do like it, then. Because it would be kind of weird if you didn't.

How long did it take to get to their apartment, again? Maybe she could surprise him?

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

What can I say? I'm a man. Monroe texted back with a smile. He felt a lot better now. Like the conversation was lighter. Adaryn liked his hair and he was starting to. Maybe a change was good.

Anyway, I'm glad you like it. Sorry I freaked you out. My hair is just really important to me.

[Adaryn Breslin]

Clearly

Adaryn had decided in that moment that she would pay him a quick visit. It had been a while since she saw him and spoke to him, and she missed him. His hair being cut gave her a reason to actually get out to go over to the apartment and see him. She put on the yellow polka-dotted blouse and black shorts on, deciding it was much too hot to walk in jeans.

No, It's okay. I'll talk to you later. I have to do something, okay?

She'd talk to him in about 20 minutes.