An Awkward Scenario by SGwriter

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A hot and humid day as usual in Singapore. Arjun got ready to get his haircut 5 months from the previous cut. As he dawn on his white shirt and washed denim jeans, his overgrown hair was unkept and messy. He knew it was time for a haircut and he started rehearsing his instructions to give to the barber.

After an hour, he was walking to the barbershop. However this time around, it was a different scenario for a different barbershop. He was going to let the barber decide his haircut for him. Similar to the first scenario he came up with months ago, this time around it will be him in an empty barbershop and without hestitation ask the barber decide his haircut and he will follow through with it. As he was walking to the new barbershop, he anxiety struck him again but he kept taking deep breath in order to calm himself down. The new barbershop was along the a quiet row of shops. Shops selling vintage stuffs and household items were lined up and in the middle was a small barbershop. The barbershop had just one salon chair infront of a large mirror with a small wheeled trolley filled with clipper attachments, scissors with different purposes, brushes and hair clips.

The transparant sliding door was pasted with mens haircut from the 90s eras like Ivy League, Butch Haircut, Crewcut, Buzzcut to modern day haircut like the Fades, Two-block, Quiffs and etc. Arjun walked past the shop to take a quick glance in order to see if there was any customer inside. To his delight, there wasn't any but just the barber in his 40s with a classic crewcut in blonde sitting by the cash register. As Arjun walked past a few shops down, he knew his scenario is going to work out. He quickly turn around after passing by few shops and went towards the barbershop.

However out of nowhere as he was walking, a guy probably 10 years older than Arjun, in his thirties with a tank top and shorts walking but what caught Arjun's eyes were the thick jet black overgrown hair similar to his hair but less curly. Arjun was hoping the guy was just passing by but both of them had the same decision to get a haircut at the barbershop. They both bumped into each other at the entrance of the barbershop. Arjun feeling awkward, gestured him to enter the barbershop first. The guy smiled as he slide the door to enter, leaving it open for Arjun to enter. The barber welcomed both of them and gestured the guy to take a seat in the chair. Arjun nervously sat beside the cash register as the barber instructed him.

"So Aaron how you want to cut?" the barber said in mandarin. "Side short and back slope number 1" replied Aaron. Arjun was taken aback from his reply as he thought Aaron seemed the type to just get a simple trim. The barber smiled as he wrapped a thick purple towel around Aaron's neck and spread out a satin navy cape before caping him tightly. As the barber started pumping the chair up, Arjun was heavily invested as he realized that this was not going to be an ordinary haircut that was about to unfold before his very own eyes.

Aaron seemed relaxed but resolute, his eyes fixed on the mirror ahead. Arjun gazed at him attentively through the mirror, eager to witness the guy with messy hair being caped and about to be shorned. The anxiety that was bothering him was all gone and he was staying in the moment. Till both the eyes met through the mirror and Arjun awkwardly avoided the eye contact. As the barber was cranking up the air-con, Arjun made another eye contact with Aaron but this time was met with a smile. Arjun sheepishly smiled back and he watch the barber pick the clipper from the trolley beside.

He attached the number 1 clipper guard and the vibration of the clippers filled the room, drowning out any other sounds. The barber held a comb and started combing down Aaron's hair and placed his hand at the top of his head to bend it down. He then brought the clipper to his nape and made a long stroke upwards. The clipper just peeled a massive chunk of hair that fell to the floor. Each carefully measured cut revealed more of the stranger's scalp underneath. The barber made a few strokes at the back and each time chunks and chunks of hair fell onto the floor. Arjun all this being intrigued mouth a "wow" as he watches the haircut. The barber quickly moved to the sides of Aaron's head while firmly placing his hand on his head, started buzzing his hair. This time around the hair started dropping on the neck of his cape piling up with a few seconds. The barber started slowling down at the sides to make sure it was properly buzzed leaving no loose hair.

Soon the sound of the clippers came to a silent stop. The barber took the bottled filled with water and started spray Aaron's top with it. After a few sprays, the barber took the scissors and the snipping of the scissors came to life as the continous movement of lifting the hair with the comb and snipping it off went on. Strands of wet hair fell onto Aaron's face and cape.

The barber maintained an air of precision, ensuring that the hair was evenly cut and styled. The gentle rhythm of the scissors combined with the comforting chatter of the hitting of loose hair in the barbershop created a serene atmosphere. Soon everything came to a stop as the barber puts the scissors down and started combing Aaron's hair to make it look presentable and slick. The entire cape was filled with chunks of hair both dry and wet of different lengths. The barber meticously started blow drying the cape to get rid of the loose hair clippings. The barber removed the cape but Aaron stayed still as the barber took a small shaver to shape his nape and sideburns. Arjun could not help but be captivated by the entire scene. The barber unwrapped the towel and wipe remaining loose hair off Aaron's neck.

As Aaron stood up, the barber "Boy, your turn to cut your hair, go and sit" as the barber tapped the chair. Arjun brought to his senses tried to walk to the chair amidst the small space still being amazed by Aaron's haircut. As he took his seat onto the chair, scanning the aftermath of the drastic haircut, he started rehearsing his instructions. Hoping his scenario to come true of getting a barber's choice hair only to be stopped as Aaron who sat where Arjun was previously sitting. Totally confused the barber took a new towel and wrapped it around Arjun's neck. Taking the same navy satin cape and caping him tightly with the specks of water from the previous hair visible. Arjun in a dazed as to why Aaron did not just leave was snape back to reality with the tight cape. The barber started running his hands slowly through Arjun's hair asked "How you want to cut?" Arjun nervously started with the "umm" similar to the previous haircut. But this time it was different, he nervously smiled and told the barber "umm..haha....your choice" The barber taken aback chuckled and replied "mohawk okay?" pointing to a picture of the wall of a model with a mohawk where the sides were literally 0 and the top spiked. Arjun replied "err..do not want to extreme haha".

Just then, Aaron from replied "Crewcut nicer". The barber sided with him and said "Yes crewcut just like me but shorter okay". Arjun now confused with the sudden recommendation of a crewcut, nervously agreed to Aaron. There was something going between both of them but it was unsure. Arjun felt as if he owed something to Aaron for staring at his haircut. The barber started pumping the chair while Arjun was feeling awkward as he did not think that he will get a haircut from a customer's suggestion. The chair came to a stop as both Arjun and Aaron made eye contact via the mirror similar to few minutes ago. But this time around Arjun quickly shifted his gaze at look downwards at his cape. The barber took the comb and started combing his hair seemingly struggling as Arjun's hair was quite thick.

The barber complimented on Arjun's thick hair who replied with a thank you for no reason. The barber started finding the perfect attachment for the crewcut as Arjun's eyes were fixated on the chosen attachment that seemed smaller compared to the No.1 Aaron wanted. Arjun was nervous about the number on the attachment but just sat still ready to accept his fated haircut. As he clipped the attachmemt, the vibration of the roaring clipper came to life, this time slightly quieter than the previous one. He placed his hand on Arjun's head to bend his head down till his chin touched the cape. The barber placed the clipper at his nape which was warm to touch and made an upward movement. The sound of the clipper buzzing his hair was much less intense then the previous haircut but the amount of hair was immense. A massive strip of his thick hair came peeling off revealing the bare scalp.

Arjun knew something was off as he felt a sudden chill from the back of his head which was shaven but was unable to view it due to the tight grip of the barber's hand. The barber went back to the starting point at the nape and made the same strokes twice. Arjun could see clumps and clumps of his shorn hair cascading down the cape to the base. The pile seemingly increasing each time as the barber started shaving the back of his head. Soon the barber lifted his hand and placed it again as he moved to the side. This time around, Arjun could see properly and was taken aback as he watch his sides being abundant with hair shorn to the bare skin as the barber started buzzing it with the clipper. The hint of vulnerability appeared on Arjun's eyes as this haircut seems as extreme as the mohawk. After what seems like an endless buzzing, it came to a stop. The barber started combing Arjun's unkept top hair. Arjun unable to view the mirror due to the shock just stared at his shorn hair clippings on the cape while seemingly realizing that Aaron was watching his haircut all this while from his peripheral vision.

Arjun started to prepare for the beginning of the beautiful melody of the scissors over comb was only to be left disappointed as the barber looked for a slightly longer clipper attachment this time around. With the clippers buzzing gently, the barber began to run them over the comb. The comb acted as a guide, ensuring that the hair was cut to a consistent length. Arjun watched in the mirror as his once thick locks were gradually transformed into a more streamlined style. As minutes passed, Arjun felt a sense of lightness and freshness as the hair clippings fell to the already piled of hair. The clipper-over-comb technique allowed a shorter haircut that had the sense of style and sophistication and less extreme. The haircut came to a full stop as the barber took the blow dry to clean up Arjun's hair and shaped up his sideburns and nape alongside. The barber removed both the cape and towel and motioned him to stay still as he spray the top with water and styled it to look like a classic crewcut. As the barber was styling Arjun's hair, he could see Aaron nodding in approval with a gentle smile. Arjun stood up to make payment coming into agreement with the short haircut. As he left, Aaron followed behind him and commented on his haircut. Arjun taken aback thanked him and also complimentated on Aaron's haircut. Aaron blunty replied "Thanks haha could see you enjoying it ". Arjun shocked by the bluntness apologized for staring at his haircut. Aaron decided to exchange his numbers with Arjun and told him to contact him next time whenever each other goes for haircut. Arjun delightfully agreed feeling that there was something more towards this. As Aaron took his leave, Arjun stared at him with a hint of attraction and coming up with the next scenario for his haircut.

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