“I absolutely love this.”
“You do?”
“Definitely. You have so many great ideas in these sketches. Look at that merman! He’s breathtaking.” He indicated a large drawing in colored pencil that showed a head-to-toe look for one of my fantasy makeups. “If I find the right fabric, I think I can sew that tail for you.”
It was shimmering, iridescent, and covered with long, delicate streamers, which extended past the fin at the bottom. “I was trying to do something different, so I thought about combining the type of mermaid tail most people think of with a jellyfish’s arms, or tentacles, or whatever they’re called.”
“I love that idea. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
He seemed as fascinated by all the stuff on the tables as he was by the drawings. While he picked up and examined one thing after another, I folded my laundry and packed my duffle bag. Once I finished, I asked Gabriel, “Can I get you anything to drink? I should have asked you that when we first got here. I’m a terrible host.”
“No thanks, I’m fine,” he said, as he opened a jar of cream and sniffed it. I loved his curiosity.
I slipped off my sneakers and sat on the bed as I watched him look with his hands. When he opened a glittery eyeshadow palette, he whispered, “Ooooh.” Then he picked up a Q-tip, swept it over a deep purple color, and smeared a line onto the back of his hand. He did that with three more Q-tips, using a clean end for each color. Then he stuck his hand into the patch of sunlight filtering in through the window and turned it this way and that, so the lines of color sparkled.
I crossed the room to him and said, “You can make me up if you want.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
You would have thought it was Christmas morning by the way his face lit up. I knelt down, then sat back on my heels, and he got to work with the eyeshadow palette, holding my chin in one hand as he concentrated on coloring my lids. “Just so you know, I’m doing a terrible job and will absolutely insist that you wash your face before we drive to San Francisco,” he said. “Don’t even think about trying to humor me by wearing this out of here.” He added some black eyeliner, then asked, “I don’t trust myself to apply mascara without poking you in the eye, so can you put it on for me?”
I took the mascara and the hand mirror he offered me and did as he asked, pausing to admire the glittery ombre effect on my eyelids as I said, “You did a great job. It’s not easy to blend from pale pink to deep purple, but you totally pulled it off.”
He smiled at me before opening a big makeup tote and exclaiming, “I just hit the motherlode! Look at all this fun stuff.” Among other things, there were several types of false eyelashes, stick-on rhinestones, little pots of glitter, and even more eyeshadow in a rainbow of colors.
“I use that kit for my drag queens.”
“It must be so much fun to make them up.”
“It really is, especially because they’re usually willing to let me experiment and take their look over the top. I also love it when I get to work with someone who’s new to drag. I’ve actually had people burst into happy tears the first time they see themselves in full makeup.” I grinned and added, “Of course, that means I have to immediately fix the makeup job, but it’s totally worth it.”
He smiled at me as he brushed my hair from my forehead. “I love how passionate you are about your craft. And that’s what all of this is,” he said, as he gestured around him, “passion, not clutter. I’m also impressed by how much time and effort you’ve obviously put into it.”
“I’m determined to make something of myself. That’s why I’m always trying to learn new techniques and build my skill set.” I looked up at him, and after a moment I said, “I didn’t know when you and I would find each other again. I was sure it would happen though, and when it did I wanted to be a man you could be proud of. I’m still a work in progress, but I’m really trying to get there.”
He caressed my cheek and said, “I’m already so proud of you for a million reasons, Riley.”
I never cried anymore. I’d done too much of it in the past, and now I needed to be stronger than that. But when he said he was proud of me, I had to blink back tears. Gabriel whispered, “Sweetness, are you okay?”
I looked away and muttered, “I don’t want to be that boy anymore. I’ve tried so hard to outgrow him.”