“Just unclip them and put them in this little bowl, okay?” Mattie pointed at the bowl.
Jack nodded, sitting down on the couch. Mattie sat down in front of him so Jack could get a good view of her hair.
Jack started removing the pearls one by one, plucking out each piece. He made sure to be very delicate. The sound of each clip clinking in the bowl relaxed him.
Nick walked into their locker room to grab his bags before meeting Okada. He looked over at what Jack was doing.
“Jesus, Mattie. You need him to do everything for you, now?” Nick let out a light chuckle, hoping it didn’t come across as mean.
“First of all, rude! I could easily do this by myself. Second of all, I’ll have you know he likes doing it. Don’t you, Jacky?”
Jack’s head snapped up from his trance. The question quickly registered so he looked up at Nick. He smiled and nodded.
“Alright, whatever you say. Okada and I are gonna head up to the hotel and call it a night. Just came in here to grab my bags. So, goodnight and…don’t do anything stupid.”
“Yeah okay, Dad.” Mattie joked.
Nick flipped her off while walking out. Mattie returned the favor.
Jack finished picking out all the clips from her hair. He grabbed a brush and undid her ponytail, gently brushing her hair. He started braiding Mattie’s hair. He knew her well enough that he didn’t need to ask what hairstyle she wanted or what she liked. When he finished, he tapped her shoulder.
Mattie tilted her head back to look up at him. “Done?” She asked.
Jack nodded.
“Thank you, baby.” Mattie smiled.
Jack smiled back.
“Wanna watch a movie when we get back to the hotel?” She asked.
Jack didn’t answer. He leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Mattie’s lips. His hair got in the way but he didn’t care and neither did she. He barely pulled back, placing two more quick yet soft kisses on her lips. After he pulled back, Mattie spoke up.
“Spider-Man?”
Jack tilted his head, confused.
“Do you wanna watch Spider-Man?”
Jack smiled and nodded.
They both got up to grab their bags. Mattie reached her hand out to hold and Jack took it. She dragged them to their car, letting Jack put the luggage away and drive them to the hotel.
