32: Be yourself

WAYLEN

The man in the floor-length mirror fidgeting with his multicolored tie over a white button-down shirt was laughable. The man in front of that mirror was me. I adjusted the goddamn tie again, holding it against my shirt to decide if it was too long or not. I had attended meetings with CEOs, wealthy humans who held power in the business world, and I wasn’t this nervous. And for what? A fucking wedding.

I left the tie as it was and moved to the bathroom to apply more gel to my hair. There was enough in my hair to keep it in check for a year, and it made me icky.

My fingers itched to run the detachable showerhead over my scalp to rid it of the mess. Len was present, and he stared back when I looked in the mirror. He didn’t like this. Neither did I. But Beth wanted gentle and sweet. I could try to be that or at least look the part. Malik was on a buzzcut, and I had no intentions of growing my beard as long as his. Hank loved his hair gel. The few times I saw him, his hair was int