"I put on makeup to express myself. I could care less about my so-called insecurities."
Aura Chandler was so sure she had her life figured out. After securing a photoshoot gig with up-and-coming musician Lacey Redd, she was convinced she would get d...
Finally, she took all of her blue products and lined them up in front of her. She pursed her lips and took her colorful eyeshadow palette.
She laughed at Tyson's face when she took a navy blue and used it as contour on her face.
"What are you doing?" he wheezed.
"I told you I was going crazy." She laughed at his incredulous expression. "And after this, you are taking me to the beach because I want photos. Deal with it."
He shook his head, but a brilliant smile adorned his lips. She continued contouring her face, deepening the blue in some areas to make her face look hollow. When she was done with her face, she went down to her neck, contouring it with the same hue.
She made a face when she finished with the navy blue, laughing at how ridiculous she looked. It was funny how much people had to trust the process, otherwise it all looked like a piece of crap.
"I'm trying to figure out what you're doing," Tyson said.
Aura turned to him with a smirk. It was heavily inspired by the sea and stories she'd heard as a kid. She wondered if he'd get it once she was doing the finishing touches to her look.
"I'm not telling you," she said. "I want you to figure it out on your own."
Tyson pouted, which she found hard to go against, but she managed. Those big brown eyes were going to be the death of her.
"So lots of blue..." he pondered. "You're becoming a smurf." He patted the back of his back as if he had won every challenge.
She scoffed. "If I were making myself into a smurf, my foundation would've been blue."
Tyson groaned as she laughed.
"Then what is it?"
She grinned, eyeing the fishnet stockings she had brought in one corner. She was going to have fun watching him stumble over what she was doing.
Aura flashed him a smile when he yelled out "mermaid" after she finished up adding glitter to her fish scales. She had to correct him to the exact term she was going for, which was 'siren.' After everything she'd been through at The Siren with Zachary, she wondered why not put her little spin on it.
Thinking of Zachary made her guilty. Here she was with Tyson who complimented her skill, still in awe at how she managed to paint ocean foam on her neck and liked her old trick on making fish scales on her forehead.
She always had fun with Tyson, good fun. Things were different with Zachary. Their fun was unlike what she had with Tyson. It was more luxurious and extravagant. It depended on wealth. Rich parties, rich dinners, and rich rooms to spend alone time.
Time with Tyson was more organic. It made sense. Everything fell into place. She didn't have to worry about how she looked or how she presented herself. She was her: Aura Chandler. She could dress up or dress down and she would still have the same experience with him.
She pursed her lips and sighed.
"So you don't mind going out there like that?" Tyson asked. She laughed, which felt good after dealing with her conflicted mind, and took a look at herself in the clear mirror.
"Of course I don't. Now wait here while I do my hair."
He stayed there as she went into the bathroom. Staring at her face through the streaky mirror above the sink, she found herself tearing up. She didn't know why she was so overwhelmed by everything, but she couldn't stop comparing the two boys.
Tyson and Zachary.
She can't deny she liked being around Zachary. He excited her. It was like she was a candle and he lit her right up.
But then there was Tyson. Good Tyson. Friendly Tyson. There for you always Tyson.
She wanted to yank her hair out of her scalp and scream. If only Mrs. Smith hadn't said anything, then she would've been fine. Now she felt like she had been forcefully put in a mental rollercoaster of feelings, and she wasn't happy about it.
Maybe Mrs. Smith was playing a joke on her. She pondered the possibility, but, then again, why would she play such a joke on her?
She leaned onto the bathroom sink, heaving. Her mind was on overdrive. She never thought she'd be in that position and hate it.
Two guys giving her attention: heaven on Earth. And yet here she was about to puke her insides out.
Life was never fair.
Alas, she needed to get her act together. While she was there freaking out in the bathroom, poor Tyson was waiting on her in her room, alone. She had to put her feelings aside and remember who he was to her before Mrs. Smith's comments: her childhood best friend.
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