𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐔𝐬

♡︎8♡︎

A while later, Nemuri came back into the store carrying a handful of colorful leaflets and ads. 

"What are those?"

She spread them out on the counter next to the register. "Makeup ads." She held one up. "I think I'm going to carry some designer makeup in the store. A girl came by the other day and asked if I'd be interested. I think it will drum up some business. What do you think?"

"I have no opinion in these types of matters. I'm clueless. But I guess it can't hurt to offer a bigger variety of items."

"Exactly. Hopefully, we'll get crossover traffic. I've been thinking about this for a while now. The girl is going to come in and do a demonstration. She's thinking about offering weekly makeup classes to draw people in. You get to be her blank canvas for the class." 

She said it so casually that I didn't catch the meaning at first. 

When I realized what she'd said, my hand froze above the ad it had been reaching for. "Wait, what?" 

"You'll just have to sit there. You won't even have to say a word." 

"No way. Nuh-uh. You should have Momo do it. She was just in here a little while ago." 

"I would, but Momo works on Saturdays. Plus, I think you'd be better at it." 

"In what universe? No way!" 

She took a breath and then close her eyes. Holding her hands about an inch from her body, she ran them from her head to her waist, then opened her eyes like nothing had happened. "Just think on it. I will give you a split commission for whatever we make from the class." She swooshed her hands back and forth in front of me as though clearing away some invisible dust, hoping to give her idea a clear lane to my brain. "Just think on it." She handed me one of the makeup pamphlets. 

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　　 ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Back home, I walked the path up to the house, staring at the girl on the front. She was coated in makeup. More makeup than I had ever seen on a face in real life. It did not look pleasant to me at all. I sighed and opened the door. 

A Nerf gun was shoved into my hand, and Katsuki grabbed me by the arm and pulled me into the dark front room, pushing me up against the wall. "You are now on my team," he whispered, no more than two inches from my face. A piece of his spiky ash-blonde hair flopped into his eye and he pushed it back. "Three shots equal death." He grabbed the pamphlet and the bag full of my work clothes out of my hand and flung them onto the couch five feet away. The makeup ad didn't quite make it and fluttered to the ground in front of the couch. 

"You ready?" he asked, stepping back in front of me. He was so close that his hip brushed against my side. A chill went through me. 

He tilted his head and his face moved closer to mine. I froze. Then he sniffed my hair and neck. "What's that smell?"

For a second I couldn't answer him. My breath seemed caught in my throat. Then I held up my wrist, between our too-close faces, "It's a spray from work. A girl, Momo, sprayed it on me. My voice came out tight and I let my hand fall back to my side. 

Katuski lowered his brow. "What's wrong?" he said. His eyes flickered to my lips, then back to my eyes. 

My heart picked up speed. What was going on? I put my arms between our chests, needing a little space. Work was making me weird, I decided. Nemuri, with all her talk of auras and makeup and fashion, was not good for me.
"Nothing." I looked over his shoulder to the shadowy hall, sure my brothers would've heard us by now. We were probably about to get ambushed. "Who's playing?" 

"Everyone?"

"My dad?"

"No. He's at work."

I slipped off my shoes so I could be stealthier, hooked my arm in his, and crept along the wall. "We are so winning."

Katsuki smirked big. "I knew I made the right choice holdin' out for you to get home." 

"Darn straight."

"Let's kick some butt," he said in his horrible imitation of me.

A low voice from across the hall said, "I could've killed you guys three times by now. Stop flirting with my sister and get your head in the game. I'll give you a ten-second head start." 

His accusation made my heart jump. But this was Eijiro. He was always joking. Plus, he never stopped flirting. Ever. He probably just assumed the same of everyone else. "Shut up," I said, then pulled Katsuki the opposite way down the hall. Ten seconds wasn't very long.