He sighed, pretending that her narrowed eyes and pinched mouth didn’t make his stomach drop. "Whatever. That was all I signed up for."
Jenna glanced over at the makeup artist still corralled by the vanity mirror. "Did you try to touch his hair?" She nodded, and Jenna turned back to him. "Still protective of it, I see?"
Country scoffed. "I'm not protective. I just like it how it is." Jenna's eyes drifted up, and for a moment, she looked as if she would try to run her hands through it. He leaned forward just to goad her. The thought of her reaching out and scratching his scalp made his spine tingle.
She'd loved threading her fingers in his hair once, but back then he only let her do it when his hair was damp after a game or when they were home for the night. Protective was right. It was ridiculous, thinking back on it. Now he wished he'd let her do whatever the hell she wanted, even if it did make him look like he'd just woken up from a nap.
"I tried to tell him it would look messy and shadowed on camera—" Glen started, but Country cut him off.
"I'm not looking to make an impression here. I'm commenting on hockey. That's it."
“Clearly.” Her eyes flicked again to his shirt, and Country gritted his teeth to keep from busting up. Oh, this was rich. He could almost see the memories flicking across her retinas. Was she thinking about the time she’d stripped it off him? The time she’d lost a bet and had to wear it to bed?
He smirked, taking his time as he said, “I was planning to change.”
Jenna’s chest lifted and fell quickly as she stepped back and pursed her lips. “After hair and makeup? You know makeup comes off when you rub it.”
“I happen to know that very well.”
Her cheeks burned a darker shade of red, and this time the blush spread to her neck. That was his favourite. He’d tried to do everything he could to make her skin flush down to her breasts, and then he’d?—
"It's fine,” she snapped. “We don't need to mess with his hair. But I do want you to put a bit of colour on his cheeks. No complaints." She shot him a look, and he bit back his I know how we could put colour on my cheeks comment. Probably too soon. Though she had been the one to bring up dick pics.
Jenna left with Glen in tow after a quick, “See you in the studio,” and Country quickly adjusted himself in his pants. The sight of her dropping back into those old memories had made his heart speed like he was standing on the ice waiting for the whistle. Not unexpected, just uncomfortable. He hadn’t thought far enough into the future to know how he was going to get Jenna to open up because of this little experiment. He only hoped he’d know his opportunity when he saw it.
When the makeup artist returned to the mirror with a pot of rouge, he forced himself to sit still even though he felt like he was standing on top of an ant hill.
"This won't look pink on camera, right?" he asked.
She shook her head. "You'll just look less dead inside."
Country nodded. "Excellent." It was December in Calgary, but he still spent a fair amount of time outside in the sun. Because of his mom beating it into him as a kid, he always wore sunscreen, but compared to his chest, his face had an abundance of melanin. Nice to know from an outside observer that he was still pasty as shit.
When the makeup artist finished with her brush strokes, the woman led him down the hall to the studio. They were set to start shooting in ten minutes, which felt like an eternity. Everyone at GCBN was swarming like someone had just kicked their wasp nest, and he had no idea where they wanted him. Was he supposed to sit in that chair in front of the desk until they went live?
Since Glen wasn’t there, he leaned against the wall next to the door and pulled out his phone, then swiped over to TikTok. The last video Polk had posted was going viral fast. It already had fifty thousand views and he'd only posted it four hours ago.
Polk was always telling him to get on and respond to comments, and he wasn't opposed to it. He enjoyed reading the notes and responding, but typically, he didn't have time to sit and stare at his phone. Today was the exception, and Country started scrolling.
Truth bombs. Finally, someone said it: Snow is WAY overrated. Country grinned and tapped the tiny heart next to the comment. Why wouldn't he enjoy listening to people tell him how right he was? That never happened anywhere else in his life. Not with his family, and definitely not with women.
His mind wandered to Krista. What she'd said as she'd left his house that morning. I want someone who can let me in, you know? Country glanced up at a flash of pale green and saw Jenna explaining something to Liam, gesticulating with her hands like she was trying to shape her words in the air between them. She'd always been expressive. His daily life with her used to be a whole-body experience, and seeing her standing rigidly in heels with her arms pulled close to her sides cracked something inside him.
It happened to all of them, didn’t it? They lost their youthful, puppy energy and allowed life to beat them into less flexible versions of themselves. It had definitely happened to him. Even breaking from his normal routine to be here for the broadcast made him feel like a pipe that was being hammered out of shape.
Country's phone buzzed, and he looked down at the screen.
Promise you won't say anything great tonight. Need to save that for our channel
He grinned and replied to his brother.
After streaming all those shows illegally in your twenties, I'm sure you can find a way to strip the video from HEC and post it
Well, yeah, but I don't want to get a copyright strike. Hey! You could ask Jenna for permission to use clips!
Not likely
You don't think she'll put out?
