TYSON TOLD MRS. SMITH that he was going to hang out with Aura, to which she smirked at but bid them a farewell. Aura trembled like a chihuahua as they filed out of the house. He wondered what she would do for a makeup look, but she didn't dare open her mouth, fearing what could come out of it.
He kept on speaking, giving her outrageous ideas.
Maybe Mrs. Smith was wrong. Tyson didn't seem to like her like that.
"I'm not painting a pineapple on my face, Tyson," she finally said, scratching her head as they climbed up the front steps to Grandma Ruby's house. "I will do a fantasy look though."
Tyson grinned. "Whatever you do, I'll be happy to watch."
AURA SAT AT THE sleek vanity, her eyes drinking up the new workspace. Finally, she opened up her makeup kit, ready to get to work. A bubbling giddiness rose through her as she stared at her at a tiny bottle of blue glitter.
Her mother had gone on a rant saying that it was stupid for her to bring some of her makeup to the other side of the country when they were there for vacation. But her idea of vacation was incredibly boring, so she was glad she went against her wishes. She had more than enough time to play with her limited amount of makeup.
"So, what are you gonna do?" Tyson asked. He sat on her bed, scooting away from the leak.
She smiled, showing him the blue glitter. "I'm gonna go crazy." She studied the blue flecks that twinkled in the light, already getting an idea.
It seemed fitting after everything she'd experienced in Cornelius that she'd try for that type of look. She thought about going for a cute approach or a scary approach. Biting down her lips, she thought about doing a mix of cute and scary. Nothing too horror-like, but not something a little girl would wear to go trick or treating either.
After collecting all of the materials she needed, she cleared her space in order to be comfortable to work. She tied her hair back in a lazy messy bun, pretending not to notice how Tyson stared from his place on her bed.
Mrs. Smith's words replayed in her head nonstop. She bit down on her lip as she scooped some primer with her nail. She rubbed it into her skin, careful not to be too rough and sat back to look at her reflection.
Her cheeks were flushed as she remembered Mrs. Smith's confession. That meant that the man sitting right behind her was in love with her.
Her stomach twisted.
Tyson Smith was her friend, her first friend. He had always been there when she was a child. They ran around in their diapers, screeching like hyenas. They had been a force to be reckoned with. She held those memories near and dear to her heart, but knowing that he actually had feelings for her... She couldn't imagine it to be true, but then again, there he was, sitting on her bed waiting for her to start working her makeup magic.
What guy in their right mind would care enough to watch her do her makeup? Not even the ones that begged to be with her cared about what she did. They saw it as a girl thing, even when she told them she had met many guys in cosmetology school. Double standards existed, and they were keen on keeping them going. Not Tyson. He wanted to see Aura do what she did best, no matter what society said about it.
Her heart thundered as she mixed in a silver highlight to her foundation. Her skin tone was more on the golden side, but she wanted to do something more cool-toned with all the blue involved. Her fingers shook as she mixed it all together, feeling Tyson's brown eyes on her the whole time.
She gulped as she started putting her foundation mix on her face. She blended it with her favorite brush since she was too lazy to get up and wet her sponge. She blended it all until everything was seamless. When she finished, she applied concealer and powder as usual.
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.