Page 111 of Heartstruck at Dawn
“You’re delusional. Nina might be available. She’s single now,” I said, summoning the elevator. I was playing with fire. What if he did find that interesting?
“Is she?” he asked, scratching his cheek with an annoyed face. “You want me tocallNina and invite her to the premiere—as my date?”
“I mean, if you want to, of course. Why not?”
William followed me inside the elevator and replied right after taking a sip of his beer, “She’s not my type.” He kept trying to meet my gaze, but I stared at the doors.
“Didn’t seem like she wasn’t your type the other day. Don’t you like pretty girls?” I stepped out of the elevator and walked toward my apartment with haste.
“Oh, I know what I like,” he said to my back.“And I know you were furious about what happened with Nina the other day. You can’t deny it. I saw it in your eyes. You still are.”
“Psh. Of course not,” I said, unlocking my apartment. I didn’t want to turn to look at him.
“Well, now you know how I feel every single day when you disappear off to your apartment with Nathan behind you.”
My hand was shaking on the doorknob. I knew he had invited Nina in to taunt me. And it worked. But I was never going to admit it. I didn’t even want to admit it to myself!
What was I to say to that?
I looked over my shoulder and finally met his gaze, my hand still holding the doorknob. My breathing got heavier. We both stood there for a few seconds, looking straight into each other’s eyes in silence.
“Well,” William said, taking a step back and snapping out of the trance we were under. “I’ll see you on Thursday.” He forced a one-second smile at me, turned around, and took the stairs to head back to Joel’s, for sure.
It was probably best if I didn’t go to the premiere.
March 18, 2010
I TRIED CANCELINGmy attendance to the premiere, but Tobias showed up at my apartment to complain about it when Lily told him. I wanted to enjoy my movie date with Nathan, but I didn’t want William to make things weird for me. Tobias insisted, so I finally agreed to go. As long as I was with Nathan, I knew everything would be okay.
I skipped school because Ilaria was a scary, scary person. I asked Nolan to hand in an assignment on my behalf and let me know if there was anything important I needed to know. I didn’t want to miss class. Spring break was next week, anyway, but I was helpless.
It was also Caleb’s birthday today, so I texted him right away.
Me:Happy Birthday! They’re making me go to this hair and makeup appointment for the premiere. I know you have the morning off, but I was hoping to give you a birthday hug and your present before heading out to the event, okay?
Caleb:Thank you, Red. Of course! Let me know once you’re done.
I poured myself a cup of coffee in an insulated mug and went up to Lily’s. There were a couple of director-style chairs with a folding table in front of them filled with all kinds of makeup and hair products. I slightly grimaced at the sight of that. I just wanted to look natural, and I’d never had anyone do my makeup before.
Lily dragged herself out of her room, looking exhausted. She had just taken a bath. Her hair was dripping. “Hey Billie,” she said with a raspy voice. “This is Carolina and Frankie. They are the absolute best in what they do. I cannot live without them.” They both smiled and shook my hand.
Lily and I sat on our chairs. “Caro, could you do Billie’s makeup first? I’m a mess.” She yawned. “I need something for this.” She pointed a limp finger at her eyes.
“Hmm. You went out last night, right?” Carolina asked with a disapproving look. “Lemme put these eye patches on you while Frankie does your hair, m’kay girl?”
“I know I’m sorry, mama. It was a friend’s birthday party, and one thing led to another,” Lily explained as Carolina placed the golden-colored patches under her eyes. “Ugh. And Joel’s still sleeping. I hate that he’ll get ready in five minutes and will probably look better than me.”
“Not under my watch, baby girl. I’ll make sure of it,” Carolina replied. “But you should learn from your friend. She’s looking fresh.”
“Yeah, well, I’m probably not as fun as Lily, that’s why,” I said with a chuckle, which was true. The night before, I went to bed early because Nathan got caught up at work, and we didn’t see each other.
“That’snottrue,” Lily replied quickly after. “You should see her after she’s had a few glasses of wine.” She laughed, and I shook my head with a smile.
“Who said wine?” Frankie joked, drying the excess humidity from Lily’s hair with a towel. She wore thin, black acetate glasses and had her beautiful blonde-silverish hair up in an effortless chignon. Her lips were painted in a bright shade of red. She looked so cool. And come on, it was ten a.m., and she was suggesting wine? I liked her already.
“I won’t be able to see anything with alcohol for a few days,” Lily said to her.
“No, no, no. You’re doing it wrong. You need toconnectit,” Frankie replied to Lily. “If you keep yourselfa littledrunk, then you don’t let the hangover hit you, see?” Carolina burst out laughing as she applied moisturizer to my skin. Lily laughed too. They obviously knew Frankie well, and I bet she was a total entertainer, always making them laugh, for sure.
