Chapter 30: Changed
As Jamal sat in the barber's chair, the clippers buzzed near his ear as the barber gave him a fresh cut after dyeing his blonde hair to darker shade of brown.
He had an AirPod plugged to his ears as he listened to his favorite audio podcast channel— Personal Paradise.
He had stumbled upon the channel by chance a year ago when she just started and since then it had been his go to station whenever he needed to relax.
Something about the voice calmed him no matter how worried or upset he was. He had listened to it so many times that sometimes he imagined her voice in his head and even had conversations with her in his head.
Hearing that she was taking a break saddened him a bit and he hoped that she was okay even though he didn't know much about her as a person.
He was halfway through his haircut when he caught Stefan's reflection in the mirror. Stefan was walking toward him, his phone in hand, his expression unreadable.
Jamal arched a brow as Stefan stopped beside him. "Is there a problem?" he asked as he took the AirPods out of his ears.
Stefan shook his head but looked intrigued. "I don't think so," he said. "I just got a message from someone claiming to be Dawn."
Jamal's heart skipped a beat. He turned his head slightly, careful not to move too much as the barber worked. "Dawn?" he repeated. His voice was calm, but his heart had started to race.
Stefan nodded and tilted his phone toward him. "Yes. It's actually Genevieve Harris."
Jamal's stomach flipped. He frowned and lifted a hand. "Give me a second," he said to the barber, and immediately the barber excused them in the private room, leaving Jamal alone with Stefan.