“I’ll pick you up,” I said decisively. “Text me the address.”
“You want to come to World of Beauty?”
“I have no clue what that is, but you need a ride, and other than a thesis outline I can put off for another two hours, I’m free.” And I really need to get out of my lonely-as-fuck apartment, so I don’t do anything stupid…like call my ex.
“Okay. Thanks.”
Fifteen minutes later, I spotted him staring at a display through the window of World of Beauty. Disclaimer…I had no intention whatsoever of getting out of my car. I figured I’d let him know I was waiting outside to take him home. If one thing led to another, great. If not, we’d set a date to meet another time, and I’d have something to do besides put off homework while playing video games. But I wasn’t going into a beauty emporium…no way.
So don’t ask me what I was thinking when I stepped onto the sidewalk and pushed the door open.
The bored-looking teenager behind the register gave me a passing glance with a barely audible hello before turning her gaze back to her phone. A middle-aged woman was checking out shampoos at the end of an aisle near the front of the store. I didn’t see anyone besides Phoenix and her. It was almost eight o’clock on a Thursday night, though. They had to be closing soon, I thought as I headed toward Phoenix.
“Hi.”
Phoenix looked up at me with a start. I noticed funny details at once, like his light hair against his short navy coat and the way his khakis hugged his ass just so. He was a good-looking guy who knew how to accentuate his considerable attributes. But the clothes and hair and the shock of red on his lips paled in comparison to his smile.
“Hi. You actually came.” His eyes crinkled at the corners and lit up before his lips curled in a welcoming grin.
I furrowed my brow and snatched the lipstick from his fingers. “I told you I would. What is this stuff?”
“What do you think it is?” Phoenix retorted, grabbing it back. “This one is Power Red. See?” He twisted the tube before presenting it.
“Hmm.” I turned my Dodgers baseball cap backward, then stuffed my hands into my pockets, so I wasn’t tempted to touch him in public. “Is that what you’re wearing?”
“No, this is called Disorderly. Want to try it?” He reached for another tube and a Q-tip before pivoting toward me.
I jumped back a foot and held my arms out like a shield. “No way.”
Phoenix snickered. “A little color won’t hurt you. Give it a try.”
“Not gonna happen. You do you, though. I’ll watch.” I pulled out a stool from under a makeup counter as he swiped at his mouth with a tissue.
“Do you like this one better?” he asked, puckering his lips in the small mirror.
“Sure. I guess.” I shrugged.
“Work with me, Max. A or B?”
“I like the second one better.”
“Me too.” He pulled another tube from the display. “And I like this one. It’s got a rich color.”
“What are you gonna do with it?”
“Wear it.”
“In public?”
Phoenix knit his brow. “Yes. What’s the matter? You don’t approve?”
“I’m not wearing it. What do I care?” I huffed defensively.
“Exactly.”
“I just thought you were more of a lip gloss or ChapStick guy.”
He fixed me with an amused sideways glance. “ChapStick? I don’t think so. Gloss is an everyday thing, but I love a smidge of color every once in a while. You know, Sunny works here.”
“Oh.”
“She told me they had a new shipment,” he said as he riffled through the inventory. “I came with her to check it out just as she had to leave. We’re sharing a car at the moment and she was in a total panic, but I saw no reason to rush out the door when there’s so much to look at here.”
“Hmm. I’ve never seen you wear lipstick before.”
“Max, this is only the fourth time you’ve ever seen me, period.” He chose a new tube and blotted the color on a tissue.
“It feels like I’ve known you longer,” I said unthinking.
Phoenix cocked his head. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
I smiled awkwardly and bit the inside of my cheek. “Good. But I don’t get it.”
“There’s nothing to ‘get.’ I’m probably your secret dream man,” he replied with a sly wink.
I barked a quick laugh. “How do you figure?”
“Hey, I’m only repeating what you said. You have a fetish for guys wearing makeup. Generally speaking, and yes…stereotypically speaking, athletes such as yourself don’t know a thing about contouring, blending, or color application. Am I right?”
“Uh…maybe, but what does that have to do with me?”
“Nothing. Except…I think humans tend to be fascinated by opposites. I’m what you secretly wish you had. We’re nothing alike and yet here you are in World of Beauty, looking confused and sexy as fuck at the same time.”