Thank you so much to PuRpLe SoCk MoNkEy for their review on Chapter 2 of "Sweet Tooth", Heaven's Archer for adding "Sweet Tooth" to her favorites, LEXA14 for subscribing, and al3xasara for adding me to her favorite writer's and favorite stories. It's like silent reviews, it makes my heart warm. :)
Also, prop's to angellwings for her review on "Rose Garden", and nitchie4ever for putting Rose Garden to their favorites!
If you haven't read "Rose Garden" or "Sweet Tooth", I would appreciate it if you did.
As always, I don't own CR.
Make-up is a strange and powerful thing. It can make you look like a completely different person while bring out your best features. Creams smooth and even skin, mascara makes your eyes look larger and eye-shadow can match your outfit. It hides outwards imperfections. It's the well-rehearsed speech she gives to me for every time I open my mouth and question her.
She sculpts and polishes, tweezes and adjust, while I watch patiently and lean back against her counter. I just stand there as she touches up anything she might think is wrong. She checks her eyeliner once, twice, and a third time, just for good measure. I'm always telling her that she doesn't need it, but she'd like to think she looks… better. I think she looks amazing.
Her hair is flawless too. Nothing less would be accepted in her eyes and it makes me wonder briefly how we became friends. It's clear that in style, we're complete opposites. She favors the trendier bolder clothes and make-up while I float lazily in the "classic" department. We're almost opposites in everything else too, except for Camp Rock.
"Ella, are you almost done? Because I'm pretty sure you still need to change." I mutter, knowing she'll hear me as she always does. Her eyes narrow in the mirror while she's putting on her lip gloss.
"If you want to say something speak up, Nate. One day I'm not going to hear you. Which would suck for you, wouldn't it?" She smiles softly and her voice is teasing, but something in her eyes makes my stomach hurt.
"And remember buster, you invited me to go. Primping comes with the package. Now go get a glass of water or something, because I have to change." I didn't really have much of a protest as I went to the kitchen area of her apartment.
My throat felt suddenly dry at the thought of Ella changing clothes just a few feet down the hall and a drink sounded amazing. I went over to the cabinets and got a cup and coaster. What… the… hell? I don't even use coasters in my house.
"Oh! Thank god you used a coaster!"
She was absolutely stunning. The navy blue of the dress should have made her paler (according to her) and the one shoulder with a midrise skirt should have made her look boxy (her words again), but it just looked amazing. I almost laughed when I noticed that she had a peacock feather design on the trim of the skirt and that she selected my suit to match her. But it shouldn't have surprised me. Honestly, Ella had been picking my clothes for years.
"Are we sure that we have to go out tonight?" I heard myself ask, trying not to be too obvious that I was checking her out. Because best friends didn't do that, right? If looks could kill, I would have been dead. Her eyes did this sexy narrowing thing and swore that my heart sped up to beat a mile a minute.
"Nathaniel, I spent all week looking forward to this event! There might be a cute guy! Maybe even my future husband!" She all but growls and then laughs with a quick wink, but it makes the pain in my stomach almost unbearable.
Cute guys? Future husbands? No. Hell no.
"Are you sure? Some of these guys at the label parties are huge creeps." I fidget with my tie a little, trying to make the tightness in my throat disappear as quickly as my good mood was.
"Nate, I've dealt with them before. They're not all huge creeps." The smile this time doesn't reach her eyes, almost like she's expecting a fight. I take a quick breath and fake a smile too. A fight is the last thing I want.
I don't really know what happened. The ride to the release party was fine, great even. The opening party had been nice too, Caitlin and Tess were taking shots at Bjorn's head piece and Ella couldn't resist adding her own two cents in. It seemed like everything was falling into place, until Caitlin wanted to dance.
As one of the guys, I sat in a booth and watched the girls dance around with each other and have a good time. Until he cut in.
"Who is that dancing with Ella?" Shane commented tipping his beer bottle in her direction. My grin faded and my brow furrowed. Yeah, who was that dancing with my Ella?
"That's Charlie Clayton, he's a design guy," Andy said recognizing him instantly "he did Dead Mau5's last cover. Dana keeps talkin' about havin' him do her next cover."
"He seems pretty interested in doing other work right now. Maybe you should cut in, Nate?" Jason suggested.
It seemed like a good idea, so I walked over and just that. It seems like luck was on my side for once, because the pulsing dance beat changed to a slow song.
"Hey, can I cut in?" I tapped Charlie on the shoulder, doing my best to be a least friendly. But it's ebbing away as his eyes narrow, and as his grip on Ell's waist tightens my jaw does the same. But Ella flashes a bright smile in my direction and Charlie unwillingly lets go over her.
"Thanks man." I grin, I can afford to be a little nicer now. Ella watches him leave and for a second I wonder if I did the right thing, but she sighs, and leans her head on my shoulder.
"Nate, I'm sleepy," she mumbles as she steps on to my feet and just lets me do all the work.
"Want to skip-out after this next dance?"
Her head leans back and a ghost of a grin dances on her lips.
"Because that would be so torturous for you."
"Of course, you know what an amazing dancer I am." I smirk and enjoy the easy banter between us. She rests her head back on my shoulder as I turn us in a small circle. Out of the corner of my eye I see Caitlin and Jason dancing, her head is thrown back while she laughs at something he said and he's looking at her like she controls the whole world. So I immediately understand when I hear Ella heave a sigh.
Even Shane and Mitchie have attempted to sway in time to the music.
"Can we go now?" Ella sighs again, stepping off of my feet. Her voice sounds sad and tired, I'd do anything at this moment for her normal cheer to be here instead.
"Sure Ells."
The drive back to Ella's apartment was silent and I wondered again what went wrong. Was it because I told Charlie to take a hike? Did she not actually want to leave the party? What. the. hell.
"I hate being a spare." She sighs and leans into my car window. The light turns to red, so I take the moment to look at her.
"What are you talking about?" I ask, confusion filling my head as I drive forward. She waits until she's at her apartment before she says something.
"Think about our group, Nate, everyone is together. Jaitlyn, Smitchie, Dandy, even Luke and Tess are together. You're always with some other girl too." Her last sentence makes my heart ache.
"Well, this is me. Thanks Nate." She goes to get out but I drive forward again and into the parking garage. She looks at me like I've grown a second head.
"What are you doing?"
"I thought I should walk my date to her door." I smile and my heart aches just a little more at the doubt in her eyes.
"Okay, well lets go."
I go to her side of the car and open the door for her, I laugh quietly as she slips her shoes back on. It was just so classically Ella to put fashion above her own personal comfort. She gave me a half-hearted grin before taking my hand and getting out of the car. I hear the distinct sound of clicking, but I don't care any more, Ella is standing so close to me that I can smell her perfume.
"Nate, we need to move inside before those photographers get the wrong idea." She whispers and it sounds so different than the Ella I know that I want to curse at the photographers and tell them to go to hell and , I step back and not for the first time I wish that I could just take a girl out on a normal date or even pursue a relationship with out it blowing up on a newspaper stand.
"Sure Ells." It's repetitive and dull, but it's the only response I have right now.
"Nate! Nate! Who is your mystery friend?"
"Is that Ella Pador?"
"Ella! How long have you and Nate been dating?"
"Are you two dating?"
"Nate, will you be staying the night?"
We can't seem to make it to the elevator fast enough and a blush creeps up my neck as the pap's comment stick in my head.
"Will you be staying the night?""Will you be staying the night?""Will you be staying the night?"
"Will you be staying the night?"
It echoed in my mind in a slightly teasing manner. As friends? As more then friends?
What would the tabloids say tomorrow? While Ella changed out of her dress, I called Veronica to have her handle damage control.
I find myself in a familiar position, leaning against the counter in Ella's bathroom. My heart catches in my throat when Ella comes into the bathroom in an over sized button down shirt. Her face heats up in a rosy blush and she tugs at the sleeves like she's a kid who's been caught with a cookie.
"I swear I was going to put it back after I fixed the hem, but I didn't because... you know what, never mind." She chews on her lip, a nervous habit that I've come to love about her.
"Well, it's pumpkin time." Ella sighs and opens her make-up drawer. She takes out a green tube, baby wipes, and what looks like a paint brush. She takes the green tube and squeezes what I guess is make-up remover on to the brush. Then she draws a line down the exact middle of her face. She sets the brush down and leans close to the mirror, pealing her right fake eyelash off. Then she continues to paint the make-up remover on to the right half of her face, not even touching the left half.
Finally, she uses the baby wipes to remove the thin sheen of gel on her face. She steps a little bit away from the mirror and just stands there for a second, staring at herself in the mirror. I stare too, because I feel like I've witnessed something profound, but I'm not sure what it was.
"What was that?" She faces me, and both half's of Ella strike me. On the left is the porcelain doll, that the press expects of her and on the right is the raw.
She smiles slightly, going back to removing her make-up.
"It's so I can see how much I look like myself."
"Why do even wear that? You're beautiful." Her eyes narrow and I can tell I've prodded a nerve.
"Women are canvases that are painted on."
"I think women are wild flowers."
"That would explain all the weeds that drown us out." She's grumpy now but I can't help but smirk a little.
"Sometimes people have to sift through the weeds to find the flower." When she looks at me this time, it's the Ella I know. Her eyes are soft and sleepy but have an opposing energy behind them. Her lips are paler and look a littler thinner than before, and you can make out the slight dusting of freckles on her nose. This is my Ella. "Why do wild flowers even need painting?"
Her lips tremble and she steps closer to me.
"Because we're scared that we're not pretty enough to be picked." Her eyes search mine and it's now that I realize that she thinks that I've over looked her. I take her hand and pull her close to me, resting my chin on top of her head.
"You're beautiful Ells."
She leans her head into my shoulder for the second time that night and holds me tight.
"Thank you."
It's now that I know I have to tell her. She deserves to know.
"I love you."
Her lips brush mine and my heart pounds in my head.
"Wild flowers need a little of that, or so I'm told."
"I'll make sure that you know."
"I know, and Nate?" She whispers the four words that I hoped to hear for the rest of my life.
"I love you too."