For Noa, whatever full day off that she could get her hands on was dedicated to her hair. It was her variation of a spa day; it took hours to detangle, wash and condition her hair, and she liked to have the time to move somewhat leisurely while she did it, especially since she had gotten Rue Harris, a junior and fellow natural with her own bathroom, to let her borrow the privacy of her bathroom when she wasn’t using it herself. Rue was working an early morning shift and let Noa into her bathroom early when she left; Noa planned to have her hair washed and the bathroom cleaned by noon, to be out of Rue’s way by the time she came back. She was just rinsing the first round of conditioner out of her hair when her phone rang from somewhere nearby on the countertop, catching her attention. With a curious frown she quickly gathered her hair up in the T-shirt she used for drying and went over to grab her phone, answering without really looking to see the ID and putting the call on speaker.   “Hello?”   “Hey.” Noa paused, lifting an eyebrow at the sound of Hikaru’s voice filling the room. A few days had passed since the talk that had drastically changed their relationship, and while she saw him as often as usual, it was still a little unusual to have him calling her voluntarily; she still wasn’t used to the way her heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice.   “Hey,” she responded, turning her attention to the bottles and jars laid out for her on the countertop. “What’s up?”   “You don’t have to work today, right?”   “Nope,” Noa responded, “and I’m not taking your shift.” Hikaru kissed his teeth.   “Like I would give up a shift,” he scoffed. “I told you, I’m off, too.”   “Oh yeah, that’s right…”   “So how soon can you be ready?”   “’Ready’?” Noa repeated, her hands freezing around a jar of scalp treatment as she frowned. “Ready for what?”   “To go out,” Hikaru retorted, his voice rougher than usual. “A guy I worked with in Berkeley knows a good breakfast place…if you want to go.”   “You mean like a date?” Noa questioned, a teasing smile on her face.   “…Shut up.” She laughed aloud, bracing herself on the counter. “Do you want to go or not?”   “I’m washing my hair,” she told him once she calmed down.   “…How long does that take, an hour?”   “Ha! I wish. I’m halfway done, so I’m out of commission for a couple more hours.”   “A couple more hours?” Hikaru repeated incredulously. “Noa, seriously?”   “You think I want it to be like that?” she demanded.   “…Fine,” Hikaru muttered after a while; the amount of disappointment in his voice was shocking. “Wash your hair, th