Lucas threw himself casually into the swivel chair and gave himself a huge twirl. When he finally stopped moving, he grinned at Cassy. She pretended not to notice him and busied herself arranging her workstation.

"Mr. Wong," she said. "The hairdresser is running a little late today. She asked me to wash your hair so that we can stay on schedule."

Lucas made no comment, but merely picked himself up off the chair and proceeded to the deep sink. He rested his neck in the large curve of the sink and closed his eyes. When he didn't feel Cassy beginning to wash his hair, he opened one eye and looked at her. She was deep in thought and staring at him absently.

"So, are we doing this or not?" he questioned, opening the other eye.

"Yes, of course," said a startled Cassy as she turned on the water. "Is this too hot, Mr. Wong?" she asked as she wet the top of his head.

"No, it's fine," he said as he relaxed his neck and let his head fall back.

Cassy wet his hair thoroughly and began to massage the shampoo into his locks, which were currently dyed the color of amber. She pressed her fingertips deep into his hair and massaged his scalp and the back of his neck. Lucas let out a low groan.

"Am I hurting you?" Cassy asked as she ceased massaging his scalp.

"God, no. It feels incredible. Keep going," he said with a relaxed grin.

Cassy resumed her work, rinsing the thick lather from his hair. Then she took a deep conditioning treatment and began to work it in, beginning at the tips and working up to the scalp. She focused on the ends of his hair, making sure to deposit most of the product there and not on the roots so that it wouldn't weigh down his style. Lucas sighed contentedly. When she rinsed out the conditioner, she took some time to massage the back of his neck again. He opened his eyes briefly, but then allowed them to roll back in his head in extasy.

When Cassy wrapped a towel around his head and gently lifted him up from the sink, Lucas looked disappointed that the intimate moment was over. They walked back to her station and Lucas sat back down. Cassy quietly went about pressing his hair with the towel to extract the water.

"You can dry it harder," suggested Lucas.

"No, silly. If you rub it too hard, the friction will cause split ends," Cassy explained.

"Well, you're the expert," conceded Lucas. "How did an American girl like you end up here washing my hair?" he asked.

Cassy thought for a moment and then replied, "I guess I always loved learning about other cultures. So, I jumped at the chance to come here and get to meet new people."

"Especially me, right?" asked Lucas, pulling out his doe-eyes again.

Cassy made no response, but instead, grabbed the hair dryer and began to dry his hair, one portion at a time. When the silence became awkward, Cassy decided to change the subject.

"See, my dad is from Honduras. So, I've grown up kind of bi-cultural," she said, but immediately wished she hadn't shared something so personal.

"So, you're Latina!"

"Yeah."

"That's hot," he said as he twirled the chair around so he could look at her.

"Um, OK," was all she could manage to say because a sudden tightness in her throat seemed to stifle the sound. When she set down the hair dryer, he took her hands in his.

"You know I like you, right?" said Lucas as he looked for meaning in her shocked expression.

"Um, Mr. Wong. I need to ask you to let go of my hands, please," she instructed. Her voice sounded strained, but she made every attempt to keep her face unmoved by the emotions swirling inside of her.

"Come on, Cassy. Don't play so hard to get," he pleaded as he stood and placed his hands on her waist.

"I'm not playing, but I'm afraid you are," she responded. "There is one thing worse than being rejected, and that is being played. I refuse to be played, OK?" Cassy declared as she pulled his hands from her waist and placed them back at his side.

Suddenly, the playful look on his face faded. He averted his eyes and sat back down in the chair. Swallowing hard, he gripped the hand rests. He cleared his throat nervously and asked, "So, that's what you think of me?"

"I mean, come on. I know you could have anyone you want. There's no reason why you would be paying attention to me unless you are trying to play me because you think it's fun," said Cassy, sounded angrier than she had intended.

"So, I guess that's it, then," he responded. "I'm very sorry my feelings offend you."

"It's fine," replied Cassy as she started his make-up routine. She worked in silence, and Lucas remained silent as well. He cleared his throat several times, which always unnerved Cassy and made her hand tremble.

"OK, Mr. Wong, it's time for your eyes now. I have a really nice shade of eyeliner that I think you are really going to like," she said with a bright tone that didn't match her feelings. The awkwardness was palpable, and she had no idea how to sweep it away.

As she took the eyeliner pencil and poised it close to his eye, she saw that his eyes were watering. The rims of his eyelids were red, and his lip trembled slightly.

"Um, your eyes are watering. Let me just dab them with a tissue before I try to put on the eyeliner," she explained, grabbing a tissue and raising it to his eyes. Suddenly, he grabbed her hand and took the tissue.

"I'll do it," he said. "I have to use the restroom anyway. So, I'll take care of it."

He walked away quickly and ducked into the restroom. Cassy waited at her station, absently picking at a hangnail on her left pointer finger. It's not possible that he's crying, she thought. He has girls after him constantly. There's no way that I would have the power to hurt him.

She checked her phone. He had been gone for almost 5 minutes. Time was getting tight. She really hoped he would emerge soon. As if on cue, Lucas finally came out of the bathroom. He looked calm and put together, making Cassy wonder if he had really been upset at all. The only sign that he was not himself was his silence which continued until Cassy finished his make-up. She twirled him around to see himself in the mirror. Without even checking his appearance, he said flatly, "It looks fine. Thank you."

Getting up from the chair, he gave Cassy a short bow. He turned and walked to the foyer of the salon where his bandmates had already gathered, waiting for him to finish up. He whispered something to Kun, who made no response, but merely put his arm around Lucas and pulled his head down to rest on his shoulder. Cassy looked on bewildered. She had been so certain that he was playing her that the thought of him having serious feelings for her had never crossed her mind. As he walked out the door, he looked her way briefly. What Cassy saw was unmistakable pain in his brown eyes. She placed her hand over her heart which had suddenly began to ache.