Our shopping excursion ended without any more incidents... if Rowan's interrogation of why Theo entered the dressing room with me and Theo's subtle shake of the head that told me he didn't want her knowing was excluded.
Good thing I had lots of practice with coming up with lies on the spot.
I didn't understand why he didn't want his bodyguard to know, but like always, it wasn't my business, and I didn't ask.
Rowan had ended up finding a good pair of heels to match my dress and even guessed the right size. I had them with me now, the dress hanging up in the closet, ready to be taken to be dry cleaned, and the shoes in a box alongside it. We'd all left the mall tuckered out for our own reasons and parted ways quickly.
I'd been looking forward to sleeping in since it was finally the weekend, but Theo told me he'd be picking me up by ten. He wanted to do a test run with my disguise, and it was the only time his friend was available. I begrudgingly woke up to shower and get ready, opting out of putting on any makeup since I assumed I'd be getting it later, anyway.
Theo offered to drive me and I'd agreed, only because his friend's studio was downtown Burbank, and I really didn't feel like dealing with traffic or parking. I threw on my favorite hoodie and a pair of jeans, slipping on a pair of Vans as I hurried out the door, finding a black Jaguar with tinted windows idling in the street. The window rolled down as I hung back a moment, trying to decide if it was Theo or not.
When his face appeared, butterflies did as well.
No, I scolded myself. I couldn't be swayed just because he was handsome.
As I started walking toward the car, he got out of the driver's side, coming around to open the passenger door for me. I stared at him, my hands clenching together in the front pocket of my hoodie. "...I could have got that," I said.
He gestured for me to get in. "Tomorrow make sure just to get in without any comments. I'll also open your door for you when you get out."
"Oh," I responded, awkwardly sitting down in the car. "Got it."
Theo shut the door after me and the scent of his cologne enveloped me, this time mixed with the smell of leather. Of course, his car would smell like him. I hated that I liked it so much. Was that weird? I distracted myself by checking out the interior of his car. It was impeccably clean with black trim, black leather seats, a surprisingly small display screen, and a bottle of hand sanitizer in the phone tray. My own car looked a little more lived in and I worried that my shoes were dirty, because even the floor mats were spotless.
It oddly suited Theo. He always seemed pristine himself.
Once in the driver's seat, Theo twisted around to reach into the backseat.
"Where's Rowan today?" I asked.
He returned with a small orange back in his hand, which he promptly handed to me. "She's busy. Here."
"What is this?" I asked, now recognizing the bag as one from Ulta.
"A gift," he murmured, putting the car into drive, and I swear he looked a little embarrassed. Just the slightest flush on his neck.
I opened the bag and pulled out a blue, iridescent box, recognizing it as cologne a moment later. The words Versace Eros were imprinted on the side of it. The cologne he wore. "You got this for me?" I asked, turning to face him again, holding the box tightly in my hands.
"For helping me out. It's not much, but I figured you'd like it."
I bit my lip to keep from smiling too hard. I'd never received a physical gift from someone before. Levi and I had bought each other in-game content before, but it wasn't quite the same thing. "Thank you."
"I also wanted to say sorry for yesterday."
"Sorry for what?"
His hands tightened on the steering wheel. "I'm sure it was uncomfortable."
Was he referring to how he reacted after seeing that group of girls? I frowned. "If anything, I should apologize to you. You came with me to help me find a dress and that happened."
"I thought I saw my ex," he explained. "It wasn't about coming with you."
"Oh," I replied, unsure of how to respond to that. The reaction he'd had yesterday was just because of an ex? What kind of falling out had they had?
"We didn't have a good ending to our relationship," he continued, answering my silent question.
"Ah..."
"Or a good relationship in general."
Again, I didn't know what to say. Sorry to hear that? Is that what people wanted to hear when they said things like that? The silence stretched, and I scrambled to think of something to say.
"I've never been in a relationship," I ended up blurting and immediately regretting it.
He glanced at me from the corner of his eye, expression as neutral as ever. For once I was grateful for that.
My face flamed. "Wait. That came out wrong. Or I mean, I only said that because I'm not sure how to respond seeing as I have no experience in relationships. I'm not trying to give you dry responses on purpose."
"You write romance, but you've never been in a relationship?"
"I've read a lot of romance books," I said defensively. "And I watch a lot of romance movies."
"I hope I'm not the first person to tell you real life isn't like the movies."
I pursed my lips. "My readers don't seem to have a problem with the romance I write."
"I think your books are romantic," he said, glancing at me again, dark eyes under long lashes. "They made me think you're a romantic person. It's just surprising to hear you've never had a relationship."
I shrugged. "I've been writing since elementary school. All my free time was usually taken up by that. And I never found anyone interesting in high school. Then after I graduated and moved out of my house, I rarely left it. I mean, I still do rarely leave it. Actually, this week is probably the most I've gotten out in the past five years."
"I'm a homebody, too," he responded.
"You're a celebrity, though."
"And I still like to stay home whenever possible."
"What do you do at home?" I asked, trying to imagine what someone like Theo did in his free time. Stare at the wall with a neutral expression? Watch T.V. with a neutral expression? Practice any expression that wasn't neutral in front of the mirror for when he needed to act?
Theo put on his blinker as we made a turn, checking the mirrors. "Hang out with my cat. Game."
"Game?" I repeated, twisting toward him, my interest sparked. "What kind of games? Like World of Warcract?"
"I'm not that nerdy."
"Wow," I responded, mock offense in my tone, eyebrows raising. "That's just rude."
I swear a flicker of a smile on his lips. "I take it you play?"
"Not just that. League, Overwatch, Valorant. Rust, Dead By Daylight. The Last of Us. Animal Crossing. I'm a woman of many games."
"I'm an Elden Ring and League player mainly, but I play other games sometimes, too."
"Really? We could play League together!" I offered, excited. I hadn't pinned Theo as the type to game. For some reason, it made me feel like he was more approachable now. "You know. If you want to. I'm an ADC main."
He hummed to himself. "I'm a support main."
"See? We were meant to be," I said seriously.
"Have you used that line in one of your books?"
"I've never written a gamer main character. I try to write what's popular, and I don't really think readers would go for a gamer MC," I said, leaning back in my seat, sighing.
Theo's lips curved down, gaze flashing to mine again. "Really? I would like a gamer MC."
"You're a special case. People still believe gaming is for men."
"I believe gaming is for anyone."
I nodded my head in agreement. "Yeah, well tell that to editors. Maybe I should write a book with a gaming MC, anyway."
"You should. I'm sure it would be great if you were the one writing it, anyway."
I didn't really expect it of him, but Theo really gave compliments easy. But I didn't think I would get used to it. I turned away from him so he wouldn't see my stupid blush. "Anyway, I think you'd like World of Warcraft. If you ever wanted to play, I have a spot in my guild open. I'd teach you how to play."
"You're just saying that because you want another guild member."
"The more the merrier," I mumbled, feeling called out.
Again, Theo's lips twitched, but it was like he held himself back from smiling.
I cleared my throat. "Um, but I didn't mean to go off on a tangent."
"Right," he said. "I was actually only telling you about my ex because you'll be meeting my parents, not because I wanted to have an in-depth discussion about it. I figured a little background might be necessary."
I'd said something unnecessary, then. "Aha..."
Fortunately, Theo seemed mildly amused, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. "I'm not sure what they'll say to you if anything, but my ex is part of the reason my mother is so adamant on me finding someone new, so that's why I worry she might say something about her."
Was it normal for people's parents to mention their children's exes to their current partners? Seemed strange to me, but maybe it was more common than I thought. Although this conversation just made me even more curious about Theo's ex. This time, though, I couldn't bite back that curiosity. "Can I ask why you broke up?"
Theo remained silent for so long I thought he wouldn't respond. A muscle in his jaw jumped as if he was clenching his teeth. "She betrayed my trust."
My mind immediately went to cheating. Wasn't that the ultimate betrayal of trust? Who the hell would cheat on Theo? She must have been out of her mind. I turned my body to face Theo, giving him a resolute look. "Well, next time we run into her, I'll just grab your hand and we can act all lovey-dovey. Swing our hands to Show her that you're happier and better off now. I'll even put more effort into how I look when I'm with you so I don't look so scroungy."
Theo laughed. He laughed. Just a short, exhale through his nose, but still a laugh. "Were you planning on hanging out with me again after tomorrow?"
I blinked. "Oh. Right." This was only a temporary thing.
"You never look scroungy, either."
"Well, it's not like I dress nice, either," I responded, falling back into my seat, adjusting the seatbelt so it didn't dig into my neck.
"You're fine the way you are. Whether I run into my ex or not."
The conversation dropped after that, leaving me feeling oddly satisfied. Part of me wondered what Theo's ex was like, but I shoved that line of thought away. We would be arriving to the beauty bar any minute now, judging by how congested the street was getting. Theo drove like a pro, finding parking with no issue, not even a bead of sweat on his forehead.
Couldn't be me. Even if I were just the littlest bit stressed driving, I got pissed off, stressed, and sweaty.
Theo threw on a baseball camp and mask again before we got out of the car. Even though the sun shone brightly overhead and the air was warm, I threw on my hood before following Theo down the street, weaving through the throngs of people walking and shopping. Theo kept checking behind him as we walked as if making sure I didn't get lost in the crowd. I didn't see how I could— he was so tall he stood out through everyone.
We arrived to the beauty bar and the receptionist led us to or own private room where who I assumed to be Theo's friend waited for us. She had long, dark brown hair, warm beige skin, and brown eyes. Her red lips split into a wide smile as we approached her. "Hey guys! Sorry for making you come so early."
"It's fine. I'm thankful you're helping me out so last second," Theo responded, taking his hat and mask off, and then running a hand through his messy hair.
"Anything for you, buddy," the woman responded, moving forward to fix his hair for him.
Within seconds, his hair was much more put together, and he turned to me, "Maisie, this is Kaila."
I stepped closer to her and offered her my hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Maisie."
"Kaila," she responded, smiling again. "Nice to meet you, too. And I promise you won't recognize yourself when we're done here."
I wasn't sure how much she knew, but I figured Theo wouldn't have told her exactly why I needed to be disguised. "I hope so."
She gestured toward a chair sitting in front of a large mirror. "I don't mean to rush you guys, but I don't have a lot of time, so let's get started."
"No problem," I said, taking a seat in the chair.
She came to stand in front of me, a hand on her jaw, studying me. "What color is your natural hair?"
"A light brown," I told her. "But I've been dying it purple for a while."
"Would you rather have a wig close to your natural hair color since you dye your hair anyway? Or a different color in case you decide to return to your natural color sooner than later? I think if you plan on returning, we shouldn't do close to your natural, as photos of you might circulate."
"A different color," I said, having not thought about the fact photos would last forever.
"Sure. And Theo said your dress is cream colored?"
"Yep."
"Okay, I'll be right back."
I followed her movements in the mirror as she went to a rack in the corner of the room that held an assortment of wigs, some long, some short. I also caught sight of Theo who sat in another chair, flipping through a large style book. Kaila pulled out a light copper-colored wig from the rack, and came back over to me, holding it next to my face. "Hmm... I think this will work."
The wig length was longer than my own wig, and I felt a little excited at the prospect of wearing it. I'd been trying to grow my hair out and it felt like nothing I did worked. Kaila started prepping me for the wig, combing my hair back, and putting it into a ponytail. She then put the wig cap on and then tucked my hair under it, putting on a second wig cap after, and then smoothing it out. I was shocked at how smooth my head looked and how quickly she'd done it.
I did find it hard to see myself in the reflection though. The wig cap wasn't flattering.
I glanced at Theo, hoping he wasn't looking, and my heart dropped as I realized he was staring right at me through the mirror. I forced myself to look away, but not before I swear he mouthed, you look good bald
Kaila moved on to fitting the wig on my head and securing it in place. "When we do this for real, I'll glue these pieces down," she said, sliding her fingers over the front framing pieces of the wig. "But we don't need to do that right now."
I began to nod and stopped myself, figuring that would ruin her setup. She played around with it for a few more moments before stepping back. I looked at my reflection again, shocked by how real the wig looked on me. "Wow."
"It looks good, right? It really suits you," she complimented happily. "I knew it would."
"How did you get it on so quick?"
"It's my job," she quipped, sending me a wink. "The makeup will take longer. Do you normally wear a lot?"
I shook my head. "No. Just some foundation and mascara sometimes. And color tinting lip balm."
"Okay, then we'll do a little more of a heavy make-up look to really contrast that. Are you wearing contacts?"
"Yes," I said, surprised she knew.
"Hmm. Okay. I might be overthinking this, but your eyes really stand out. But I doubt anyone would recognize you by them. I would have suggested colored contacts if you didn't wear prescription."
I hadn't really thought about that either. Good thing Theo thought to bring me to a professional. My eyes were a bit distinctive— only in the way I hardly ran into anyone with the same light green color. My mother always bragged about them, saying I inherited them from her, and I should feel so lucky. I never did. They were just an eye color. And all eye colors were beautiful.
Theo's dark brown eyes came to mind and I really wanted to slap myself.
Kaila started on my make-up, smothering moisturizer over my skin. "Your skin is really soft," she said.
"I guess my effort in skin care is paying off," I replied, smiling a little. Most days I really, really didn't want to do it, but forced myself to.
"I didn't really focus on skincare until I met Theo."
"Even though you do make-up?"
"Well, I met Theo a long time ago," she replied, moving on to primer. "I actually used to do wardrobe. But we were shooting a commercial and Theo's make-up artist had an emergency and had to leave, and I offered to step in to help. Initially I was told no, but Theo said it was okay, so they allowed me to do it."
I always forgot how much power a celebrity held. Theo's word alone made things happen. "And then?"
"I did an amazing job, and the wardrobe supervisor got pissed at me after, so I quit."
My mouth nearly fell open. "What?"
Kaila pursed her lips, nodding. "Yep. I didn't tolerate being yelled at. I still don't."
"You shouldn't!"
"I'd just moved to New York from Hawaii, too, so quitting was a scary thing to do, but it ended up being my best decision. Because Theo hired me on as his personal make-up artist for a while. It really helped me build my career and clientele."
"Your hard work and effort achieved that, not me," Theo called from his seat.
Kaila turned to him, grinning. "You're right. I need to credit myself. I did suck a kick-ass job, I got requests from other celebrities to have me do their make-up. And voila, here we are today."
"Well, I'm honored to be in this chair right now, then," I responded, keeping my cheeks relaxed as she applied blush.
"How did you meet Theo?" she asked.
"Work," Theo answered for me. "She works on set for the movie I'm filming."
Kaila put a hand on my chin, lifting my head a bit. "You're an actress?"
"Ha, no. I'm a writer. Scriptwriter, uh, supervisor," I corrected quickly, eyes widening.
"You don't need your eyes so open, I'm doing eyeshadow first," she told me.
I resisted the urge to close them out of embarrassment. "Right."
"I didn't think actors got so close with the crew like this," Kaila commented. "Close your eyes."
I did as she told me, trying my best not to move my head.
"She's special," Theo said.
I was very grateful my eyes were closed. Because I knew I'd look for his expression, and I knew I'd blush.
I honestly wasn't sure I didn't.
"I see," Kaila replied, sounding a bit distracted now, fully focused on my make-up.
She didn't say another thing as she continued working, turning me around so now I couldn't see my reflection in the mirror, but was faced toward Theo, who watched me as she worked. It made me squirm in my chair a bit. When it came time to put lipstick on, she had me part my lips, and I felt overwhelming self-conscious until she finished.
"Done!" she said excitedly. "Ready?"
"Ready," I responded as she whirled my chair around.
I didn't recognize myself.
It was incredible. I stood up to get a closer look, the long copper hair falling down to almost my waist. She'd given me a smoky eye with long, thick, but still natural-looking falsies, eyeliner so sharp and precise that only years and years of practice could achieve, a beautiful, soft orangey blush, a shimmery highlight, and finally, a mauve-colored lip that looked both elegant and pretty. Although I didn't look like myself, I could still tell she choose colors that would compliment my skin and eyes.
"It's beautiful!" I said, turning my head from side to side so I could see all angles. "This is actually amazing."
"You're beautiful," she corrected, chin held high, proud of her work. "What do you think, though? Think no one will recognize you?"
"Absolutely not. This is perfect."
"Great! I'm glad to hear that."
"See? I told you," Theo said, coming to stand next to us. "Kaila is extremely talented."
Kaila nudged him in the side. "Oh, stop it. You'll make me blush."
At least it wouldn't be me for once, I thought to myself, unable to stop staring at my reflection. I didn't think the copper hair would work so well, but now I was considering trying it out on my real hair. Not anytime soon, but maybe in a few years.
"We finished just in time, too. I have to shoot out of here. As long as you're satisfied...?" she trailed off, brown eyes glancing between Theo and myself.
"I am," I told her. "One hundred percent."
"If she is, then I am," Theo added.
Kaila clapped her hands together. "Awesome! Then I'll take this wig off and put it aside for tomorrow. Do you want me to take the make-up off?"
"I'll keep it. It'd be a shame to waste it," I responded, sitting back down in the chair.
Kaila made quick work of taking the wig off and my hair tumbled out of the caps, looking disarrayed, and staticky. I tried to smooth it down, but the static worked against me, and I gave up, pressing my lips together. The make-up looked so nice, but I guess my hair wouldn't cooperate.
A bottle appeared in my line of sight and I followed it and then the hand holding it to Theo. "Here," he said. "Leave in conditioner. It'll stop the static."
"It will!" Kaila called from the wig rack. "Go ahead!"
I took it and sprayed a little on my hair, smoothing it down, and smiling when it stayed down this time. "Thanks."
"Ready to go?"
"Yep."
We walked back over to Kaila, thanking her again, and she handed me her business card. "In case you ever want a make-up artist in the future."
I took it gratefully. "For sure. You'll be the first I contact."
She smiled at me. "I'm happy to hear that. See you guys tomorrow!"
Theo and I exited the private room and went back into the lobby, waving goodbye to the receptionist, but pausing before we left the building. Theo slid his cap and mask back on and turned to me. "Do you want to go home?"
I hesitated. It seemed like a waste to just go home after I got my make-up done, but what could I really do? Theo probably had things he wanted to do for himself, and I didn't want to drag him out into public again.
"I think it'd be a waste if you did," he continued, interrupting my thoughts. "You got your make-up done, let's at least go eat lunch together."
"Are you sure?" I asked, my chest feeling light.
He nodded. "I'm hungry."
"Let's go then," I agreed, hoping my excitement didn't show too much on my face. "Should we eat around here?"
"Maybe an area that's a little less busy?"
"Smart."
"I know a place," he told me, leading me out the door. "Do you like ramen?"
I almost drooled at the idea. "I love it."
"That's settled then."
"I can't believe how different I look with that wig. It's kind of crazy," I said as we made our way back to his car. "Even this make-up style. It's gorgeous. I didn't know I was capable of that."
Theo bumped into me as we passed a crowd of people, grabbing my elbow to keep from knocking me off balance. "Sorry."
"It's fine," I responded, waiting for him to let go of my elbow, hyper-aware of his hand on me.
It took a moment longer, but eventually he let me go. "It does look good," he said slowly, "but you also are pretty the way you normally are."
"There's not really a comparison," I responded, my heart skipping a beat.
"There isn't," he agreed, "since you look nice both ways."
What was with Theo? Was he doing this on purpose? My heart couldn't handle all his compliments. It raced in my chest, so hard and loud, I feared he would notice. Did he really think I was pretty? Why did that make me so happy?
It shouldn't, and I shouldn't let it.
Theo was a celebrity. Just his name drew attention, let alone his looks. It was everything opposite of how I wanted to live my life. Unbothered, quiet.
I would need to distance myself from him after tomorrow. I didn't trust my own heart.