“I think you forgot something.”
I cross the small office in a few steps and press a kiss to his lips. I intend for it to be a quick peck goodbye, but Saint has other plans. One hand cradles the back of my head as the other grabs my hip, and his lips move against mine in a sensual dance, leaving me breathless and wanting more.
“Get a fucking room,” Ruby calls from the doorway. Saint and I break apart, and he has the biggest smile on his face.
“Better get going, Mikey. I’ll see you in a few hours.”
All the words I know have evaporated from my brain after that kiss, so I simply wave and follow Ruby out.
“You’ve got it bad, my friend,” Ruby teases as we get in her car.
I really fucking do.
19
Apparently, Stella owns a duplex on the very end of the Main Street. She lives in one half, and the other side is her boudoir studio.
The first thing I notice when I walk in is the onslaught of pink. Even the carpet in the living room is a shade of the color. While I personally wouldn't decorate this way, I think it fits Stella’s bubbly personality, and she clearly loves it.
Stella’s talking a mile a minute about some of the funny pictures she captured today at the festival while she leads us up to her equally pink bedroom. She sits me down at a huge vanity covered in so many products it looks like a beauty store.
“Wow, there are a lot of products here,” I murmur, suddenly a bit panicked over my lack of knowledge. I don’t have the first clue of how to apply any of these.
Stella gives me a placating smile. “I do a lot of my clients’ hair and makeup to give them the full experience. It helps them feel more confident and relaxed when they don’t have to worry about doing it themselves. I’m happy to do your hair and makeup for you!”
“Thank you, because I don’t know how to do anything other than mascara.”
“Stell’s a wizard with a brush. She’ll have you second-guessing if it’s really you in the mirror,” Ruby says, sprawling out on Stella’s bed.
“But that’s not the whole point of makeup. It can be used to alter your appearance and make you look totally different, yes, but I prefer to use it to enhance what’s already there, especially if someone is a little more unfamiliar with it. For example, your freckles. If you want to do a look to showcase rather than hide them, I can do that.”
“Am I supposed to want to hide them?” I haven’t been worried about covering them since I was a kid, but now I’m worried people will find them ugly.
“Oh goodness, not at all, babe. I was just giving an example specific to you. They’re freaking gorgeous,” Stella says gently. “You don’t have to wear makeup at all if you don’t want to. You’re stunning exactly as you are.”
“Do you think Saint would prefer it if I wore makeup and got dressed up? If I were more… girly?”
Ruby snorts. “My brother would prefer if you were naked twenty-four seven.”
“Ruby,” Stella gasps.
“I’m just saying! Saint couldn’t give two shits if you wear makeup. Besides, we don’t dress up or do our makeup for men. We do it forus.Ifyouwant to get all dolled up and see if you like it, let’s do it. If you’d rather not, that’s fine, too. What matters isyoufeel confident and beautiful. Fuck what anyone else thinks.”
Stella nods emphatically.
I think about my lack of experience with this stuff, and a pang of grief hits me. If my mom were alive, she would have taught me how to apply blush and foundation. She would have taught me how to do my hair.
At the same time, I can see myself still preferring to not wear any, to focus on cars rather than learning how to do this stuff. And knowing my mom, she would have been supportive either way. Wasn’t I just thinking earlier about trying to lean more into this side of myself? Discovering if it’s something I like now rather than just sticking to what I know?
I think about what Stella said about makeup being used to enhance rather than change, and I like the concept. I don’t need to change who I am.
“I want to see what it’s like. I want to experience a makeover at least once in my life since it’s not something I’ve ever gotten to do.”
Stella claps her hands. “Yay! I’m so excited. You sit back and relax, and I’ll do everything. I’m going to do a very light look on you. A little highlight, a little blush, a little eyeliner… Like I said, we want to enhance your natural beauty, and Mikey, you arebeautifulalready. I would kill for the shape of your lips and how thick your eyelashes are. Is this how your hair naturally dries?”
I’ve been complimented before by Kelly, Saint, and other people, but for some reason Stella’s words hit differently. Instead of brushing it off, I let her compliments sink in and spread through me, warming me from the inside out.
I think I like having friends.
