Page 22 of Breakaway
Zill shifts behind me, his arms crossing over his t-shirt-covered chest. His shadows are all tight around his body, unmoving. He's been on edge since we left the apartment this morning. It's been a few days since the beach trip, a few days since our kiss. Things haven't been tense exactly, but they're not as easy as they were before the kiss. It doesn't help that Jeremy decided to make an ass of himself when he met the Lokans, and made it even worse by refusing to meet up with me once he found out a Sombran would be there. The whole family is apparently upset about my new relationship. Almost as much as they're upset about a hiccup in their allowance.
"You okay?" I ask, looking at Zill in the mirror as he continues stewing. I don't know what's got him so upset, but he's been scowling at anyone who looks at me since we arrived at the studio.
"Fine," he says, his tone making it clear he's the complete opposite.
Even Mauve lifts her eyes from her comm, turning in her seat to look at her son. He lets out a long sigh, but doesn't seem to be willing to say any more to either of us.
"I think Zill is right about setting up a meeting with your family," Mauve says out of nowhere.
I whip my head around, thankfully no longer stopped by the Chelsea, though she does make a soft tsking sound before she starts spraying my face with setting spray.
"When did you both talk about meeting with my family?" I ask, unsure of which one of them I should be glaring at more.
"We didn't." Zill throws a frown in Mauve's direction. "Which of the Lokans told you? They're the only ones I discussed it with."
"Does it really matter?" Mauve asks, not looking up from her comm. "It's a fabulous idea. I want to know what those leeches are really thinking."
"You can't just call my family leeches," I say, a pout in my voice that sounds way too whiny.
"As soon as they stop suckling at your monetary teat, I'll stop calling them what they are," Mauve says, unaware of the look of disgust that crosses both mine and Zill's faces.
"Alright," I say, shaking my head. "Seeing as Jeremy about threw the world's biggest fit when I told him Zill would be at the apartment if he stopped by to talk to me, I don't think anyone in the family is open to meeting with him."
"Huh? I wonder why that is?" Mauve asks.
The question isn't asked with any form of sincerity, and as much as I hate to admit it, she has a point. It's concerning how upset Jeremy was when I mentioned Zill living with me.
He'd been content to come over to my apartment to have me explain to him why the funds hadn't gone through and to try to work something out, but as soon as Zill was brought up, his whole mood soured. I thought my family might even be a little happy to know I'd settled down, even if it was fake. They don't know it's not real, and based on Jeremy's reaction, I don't plan on telling them. They can think what they want about me. Nothing I do or say will change their minds anyway.
"We're ready on set." The photographer's assistant peeks her head into the changing room, a soft smile on her lips. "You look gorgeous."
I blush at the praise, just like I do any time it happens. My appearance has been a huge factor in how famous I've gotten. I'd be a liar to say it hasn't been. But that doesn't stop my face from warming when people tell me I'm pretty.
Chelsea pulls out the flimsy pieces of paper that are keeping any of the makeup products from dusting onto my outfit whileshe works. When she finishes, I take one more look in the mirror, making sure I'm good with how I look. Today is all about recreating old album covers, but this time with my actual face showing. It's terrifying and a little exhilarating at the same time.
The first outfit is a skimpy silver one-piece that clings to my curves in just the right way. My boobs are taped and contorted into the best cleavage imaginable, and the sheer tights have sparkles dusted over them. The heels I'm wearing are almost as big as my hair, which is curled and piled atop my head in an intricate updo that's adorned with glittering faux gemstones.
When I wore this as Empress, I had a veil covering the top half of my face. It was a meshy material that was covered with even more gemstones.
My outfit was absolutely ridiculous the first time I wore it, and it's even more ridiculous this time. I love it.
"You look good," Mauve tells me. Her fingers gently wrap around my wrist, mistaking my looking in the mirror as uncertainty. It's a sweet gesture, and one that once again makes me wonder where this Mauve with a heart has been hiding for the last decade.
"Thanks," I say, patting her hand.
The fake nails I'm wearing and the treatment my cuticles got yesterday make my fingers look like they haven't been gnawed on nonstop for the last couple of weeks. Now I need to keep them looking nice instead of munching on them as soon as I get the first chance.
As if she wasn't just being kind to me, Mauve holds up her comm, fingernail tapping before she slides her finger across the screen. She says nothing else, just walks to the door and toward the shooting space. She already has another chair set up for her just outside of shooting range in the studio.
Zill doesn't move from where he's still standing stoically against the wall. His eyes are on me, though. They haven't left me in a while.
I step over to him, keeping my voice low since Mauve just left, and she could be hiding out right outside the door. She's never eavesdropped as far as I'm aware, but it's not something I'd put past her.
"Seriously, are you okay?" I ask, hand reaching up to press against Zill's chest. His shadows part so I can touch his shirt, and then they envelop me again, causing me to laugh softly at the sensation.
Zill sighs, his eyes closing for a moment before his emotions seem to settle. His face softens, the tight lines around his mouth smoothing away as he stops frowning so hard.
"You look beautiful," he tells me. The answer isn't what I'm expecting, and yet, I find that I like it more than any other answer he could've given me. "Any Sombran would be upset if his bond was looking this gorgeous and he had to keep his hands and his shadows to himself."
