A/N: Okay. Maybe I hyped this chapter up a LITTLE too much. It's my shortest chapter yet (and shortest chapter of the story) but it's very important to the plot. So have a good read!
Faye sat behind the mirror of her huge yet messy dressing room and stared at herself. She was made up. She was beautiful. She knew that this was the person that the public feel for. This image of a strong woman. But inside, she felt that that image was just a mirage. Merely a vision. Not at all the real thing.
"Faye!" Faye's hairdresser burst into the dressing room, ripping Faye from her thoughts. Her hairdresser, who she called Früta because her real name was impossible to pronounce, was an older woman from Italy of about 57 with 8 children and 5 grandchildren. She'd been doing hair since she was 19 and doing Faye's hair since she [Faye] began her career.
"Oh…you look beautiful." She quietly stated her eyes upon Faye's reflection in her larger than life mirror.
"Do you think…he'll be out there in the crowd?"
Anger now evident upon Früta's elegant face. "If Cahtah come, I sware, I hit him with melonbawlah!"
Faye smiled at Früta's frustration and how it sounded against her funny accent.
"FAYE…" Eunice gently opened the dressing room door, cheerfully singing her name.
"And what are YOU so cheerful about?" Faye rolled her eyes, smiling at her friend through her mirror. Eunice's smiled grew wider.
"You have a visitor." With that, Eunice turned and left, allowing the visitor to have privacy with her friend.
In walked the smooth and sultry Spike Spiegel, a cigarette in his mouth and his hands in the pockets of his navy blue suit pants.
Faye gaped upon seeing him, turning completely around in her stool to see if it was REALLY him.
"God, you're messy." He said, kicking clothes, high heels and make up out of his way as he walked over to the woman he'd come to see. Eunice silently gestured Früta to come with her as she closed the door behind her.
"Hi," Faye turned back to her mirror to look at Spike's reflection, not being able to maintain the courage to share an eye to eye gaze with him.
"How, ya doin'? He asked, sitting upon a truck full of clothes that sat next to the stool Faye sat on.
"Oh…I could be better." She said, applying an extra coat of lip gloss upon her already too glossy lips.
"I feel really tired," She chuckled, trying her hardest not to rub her eyes and mess up her make up. "I've been up since, I don't know, four this morning rehearsing for this show."
"Well it better be a damn good show."
"It better be!" Faye laughed, smiling at her handsome counterpart. I've don't shows like this before, some perhaps bigger than this one. But I find myself feeling more nervous than I've ever been." She rested her elbow on the surface of her vanity and laid her head in her hands, looking over at Spike.
"Oh, that's just because I'm here." He took a puff from his cigarette. "I make all women nervous." He slightly grinned, giving her a more than sexy wink that made the hairs on the back of her neck rise.
"Boy, are WE arrogant." Faye playfully crossed her arms across her chest.
"Faye, you're on in 5." One of the producers of the show popped her head into the room and exited upon giving the singer the announcement. Faye looked at her, indicating that she heard. The songbird looked at herself in the mirror one more time and sighed before standing up. She straightened out her blue corset top and dark blue skinny jeans before putting her white high heels onto her feet. Spike sat, stunned at how beautiful she looked, just then realizing that Julia, though very beautiful, was not the most beautiful woman he'd laid his eyes on. He sighed as he stood, now so close to Faye that their noses touched.
"Do your best tonight. And try not to think about me. It apparently makes you nervous." Faye laughed at Spike's incredible arrogance.
"Alright, Spike. I won't." She said, sighing and rolling her eyes.
Spike looked into Faye's deep, green eyes, hoping to find that bit of hope…that maybe…just maybe…he could fall in love again.
"Faye! Hurry! You're on!" The producer peeked her head in the door, once more and quickly exited.
"Okay, Spike. I've gotta go." Faye walked past him and towards the door. Before leaving she turned to him and smiled "Wish me luck! And promise you'll be cheering me on."
And with that last smile she gave him, he found it. He knew that he could love again.