“Not voluntarily, but last year, our tour bus got stuck in a traffic jam. JJ decided to pass the time by doing a dramatic reading of a few stories he found online.”
“That’s gold,” I said, choking back laughter. “I need more details.”
“Apparently, there’s a lot of slash fiction written about JJ and me.” He paused, and a flush crept across his cheeks. “That’s all I’m going to say on the subject.”
My grin was uncontrollable. “Okay, you’re right. Your innocence is long gone.”
“Glad that’s been established,” he grumbled, his face ten shades of red. “New subject please?”
* * *
“I think this is it,” Xander announced when we finally arrived at our destination.
I hesitated outside the door as a wave of nerves flooded my system.Someone pinch me, I thought. I was about to meettheMelody Nguyen.
Xander knocked. “Hello?”
“Come in,” a familiar voice responded. After watching hours of makeup tutorials, it was impossible not to recognize Melody’s cheerful tone.
Xander pushed open the door, revealing a green room identical to the one provided for theINcast. Perched on the armrest of the nearest couch was a woman wearing a cyan leopard-print jacket,a pink butterfly T-shirt, and leather pants covered in rhinestones. Melody was known for her eccentric, vibrant wardrobe, and I was glad to see today was no exception.
“Hey, you!” she exclaimed, throwing open her arms. “Get over here.”
He strode across the room, and I slowly inched after him, unsure whether I should follow or wait in the doorway until I was introduced. “It’s good to see you,” he said, wrapping her in a hug.
“You too.” She pulled away to look at him. “I almost didn’t recognize you without your glasses. What’s with the contacts?”
“I’ve been attempting to go glasses-free whenever I have a public appearance. Not a huge fan of putting anything in my eyes though, so I don’t know how long I’ll keep this up.”
“Well, I like the contacts. Makes it easier to see those gorgeous green eyes of yours.” She turned to me with a smile. “Who’s this?”
“Oh, sorry!” Xander said, glancing between the two of us. “Indie, this is Melody. Melody, Indie.”
That he didn’t introduce me as Violet James’s little sister made me want to fling my arms around him in gratitude.
Melody nodded at me. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too, and can I say that I’m, like, your biggest fan?” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t embarrassed to fangirl over her. “I’ve followed you on YouTube since forever, and I’ve attempted at least ninety percent of your tutorials. I nearly cried when you won your Oscar this year.”
“Aww, thanks. That means the world to me.” A pink the color ofMelody’s shirt flooded the apples of her cheeks. “So I take it you’re an aspiring makeup artist?”
“Actually, it’s more of a hobby for me.”
“Hey, that’s still cool. Have anything to show me?”
“Oh my God, of course. Hold on.” With trembling hands, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my camera roll until I found the picture of me from Halloween freshman year. “This one’s my favorite,” I said, handing her my cell.
“Oh, hey! This is from my evil mermaid tutorial. You did a kick-ass job!”
I could’ve died and gone to heaven right then. Melody Nguyen had complimentedmywork. “Thanks. I wish the line wasn’t so obvious where I attached the tentacle to my collarbone, but it was the first time I made my own prosthetic, and the edges turned out too thick.”
“Yeah, it’s always hard when you don’t spread the latex thin enough,” she said, nodding her head in agreement. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she glanced back at me. “Hey, I have one of my makeup kits with me. Want me to teach you a trick that will help with blending?”
“Holy hell, yes! That would be amazing.”
Melody hopped off the table and grabbed Xander’s wrist. She yanked him over to an armchair and forced him down onto the cushion. “You sit here,” she instructed. “You’re going to be our model.”
Xander’s eyes went wide. “What?”
