Page 42 of Holly Jolly July

“I know, right?” I finish the foundation and move to her eyebrows, penciling them in a bit more. “I love it when a guycan lift me, toss me around a bit, press me up against a wall. Jax is pretty fit.”

“Oh my god, so is Matt. He has all these muscles.” She sings the wordmuscleswhile her hands grope invisible biceps. “And all these tattoos, which surprised me because they’re all hidden under his shirt and he didn’t really seem to be the type to have them. But they’re pretty spiritual. The other day—get this—he told me he must have been a good person for karma to bring us together.” Ellie grips her chest like her heart is about to burst out of it.

“That’s actually super cute,” I agree. “I’m glad you found someone like him. He seems really special.”

“Thanks, Mariah! I’m glad you reconnected with someone, too; it’s nice that you found your way back to each other. And I’m glad it’s looking more long-term than a hookup—not that there’s anything wrong with that, but you deserve happiness, too.”

I give Ellie a smile. “He did say he wants to come visit me in Vancouver.”

“Gahhh, Ma-ri-ah!” She pronounces all three syllables of my name again. “I’m so excited for you!”

“Thanks. I’m happy for you, too.” I move to her eyes, using dark colours to make her seem more tired than she is.

“Matt is everything I’ve been looking for but wasn’t sure I’d ever find. He’s smart, and sweet, and a hard worker, and he can cook. And we’re compatible! He’s an Aries—he has an Aries tattoo right beside his c—”

I slip and stab Ellie in the eye with my brush.

“Ow! Fuck!” Ellie cries out and leans forward, pressing her palm to her eye.

The cast and crew freeze, looking over at us.

“Is everything okay?” Jimmie asks from the opposite side of the room.

“Uh, yeah!” I say, though everything isnotokay and I’m trying not to panic. “Just a makeup mishap. We’re fine.” Turningback to Ellie, I bend to her ear level and eye her through the mirror. “Describe this tattoo. In detail.”

She’s rubbing her red, watery eye, her mouth forming a rare frown. “Uh, it was half a ram skull, half a V.”

I stand back up quickly. Too quickly. Dizzy, I grip the back of Ellie’s chair and force myself to breathe. “It’s not a V. It’s aΚρι?ς.”

“A what now?”

“The Greek symbol for Aries.”

“So...?”

“Jax has the same tattoo.”

Ellie flings her hands in two directions, one of them smacking into my boob. “How is it possible there are two guys with the same oddly specific tattoo on their groin?”

“I’d say the possibilities are very low.”

Ellie’s eyes pop open. “You don’t mean...? No.”

“Yes.”

“No!”

I grip the back of the chair and stare deeply into Ellie’s eyes. My stomach rolls, and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to speak the next sentence without barfing. “Ellie... Jax was his basketball nickname. He went by it ever since middle school. His full name is Matthew Jackson.”

Ellie’s eyes widen in shock and disbelief, her mouth slowly falling open.

“Five minutes,” Yueyi calls.

I clear my throat and wrap my hands in Ellie’s hair, pulling it quickly into a bun. My mind is reeling.

“Ow,” she scolds when I pull at her hair too forcefully. “It’s not true. It can’t be the same guy. Matt is kind, and caring, and thoughtful, and so sweet—what we have is special. He made a complicated romantic date and cooked for me and we snuggled and talked about our lives and our futures. He isn’t the type of guy to hook up with someone at a bar.”

I grip her hair a little harder. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

---