Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
BIANCA
I got psyched about Rose’s bachelorette party when she told me we were going to spend more time getting dressed than we would at the bar.
Not that I don’t want to go to the bar, but getting ready to go out has always been my favorite part. Once I feel like an outfit and makeup look have been seen enough, I’m done.
And to be honest, most of the clubs and parties I went to weren’t actually fun. People didn’t dance that much and we had to “make appearances” for whoever called the paparazzi on themselves that night.
I grab my dress, heels, gigantic bag of makeup, and overnight bag before heading over to Rose and Wes’s side of the duplex.
Rose answers the door, her braids up in a scarf. Music is blasting somewhere deep into the house.
“Hey! Come in!” Rose steps aside to let me in. “Let me get you a drink.”
We walk through the house, which has the same layout as Waylon’s, but in reverse. Their kitchen is much more decked out than Waylon’s, with different appliances dotting the counter and a full bar cart. A whole array of snacks are spread across the middle island. Jada’s there, along with two girls I vaguely recognize but have never officially met.
“Bianca, I don’t think you’ve officially met Sabrina. She’s a bartender at the bar.” Rose gestures to the Latina girl, who has cute dimples and some of the shiniest dark hair I’ve ever seen. “This is my cousin, Natasha and my best friend Jo.”
Natasha nods a hello. She’s petite like Rose, and her hair is also wrapped in a scarf, but more for fashion than function. Jo is around my height, her skin a shade or two lighter than mine and her hair back in a chic bun.
Shyness takes over me for a second, but I manage to say hello. Since I’ve been paraded around Jepsen, I’ve gotten over most of my initial social anxiety. Weird how that didn’t happen in LA when I was meeting people just as often, if not more.
“What do you want to drink, Bianca?” Rose asks, looking over their full bar car. “I can make a cocktail, but we have champagne too.”
“A cocktail would be great. Anything is fine as long as it’s not whiskey.” I’ve seen the drink called Just Trust Me on the menu at the Copper Moon, which only Wes and Rose make on the fly based on whatever the customer likes. I’ve never had it, but if it’s popular enough to go on the menu, I’m guessing it’s okay.
“Is that all makeup?” Sabrina asks with a pleased gasp when I shift my bag around and everything clicks together.
“Yeah. I got a lot of PR gifts that I can’t use.” I hold up the bag a little higher. “I didn’t get the chance to donate it before I left. It’s a lot of weird stuff, to be honest, like crazy colors and glitter. Stuff I wouldn’t use every day.”
“So, perfect for us dressing up an absurd amount to go to the local bar we go to all the time.” Jada grins. “I’m going to go so extra.”
“I don’t think you could do anything less,” Rose says, shaking a cocktail shaker and pouring my drink. “Here you go, Bianca. Let me know if you want something different.”
I thank her and take a sip. It’s perfect, light and lemony with a bit of lavender.
“This is amazing. How did you know I’d like it? This is something I’d totally order,” I say.
“I just read someone’s vibe. You seem like a tasty cocktail on a patio in the summer kind of person.” Rose shrugs.
I am, and the fact that she picked up on it after we’ve only known each other for about two months makes me feel warm inside. Or it’s the drink. Maybe both.
Wes comes down the stairs in jeans and a t-shirt, Murphy and their big orange cat Dennis trailing behind him. Murphy wanders up to us, tail wagging, but Dennis peels off into the living room, ignoring us completely.
“You’re still not getting dressed?” Wes asks, putting his arm around Rose’s waist.
“No, but we’re about to.” Rose looks up at him, her body pressed to his side. “Aren’t you supposed to be at the bar already?”
“Nope, but I’m about to leave. I’m mostly waiting for my brothers to get settled before I go,” he says. “I’m sure Ash and JD have gotten the first part of their bickering done with.”
“Mm, I hope so.” Rose tilts her head back and Wes kisses her forehead. “We’ll see you there.”
“Okay.” Wes leans down and says something in Rose’s ear that makes her laugh and smack him lightly with the back of her hand.
“You creep. Get out of here and let us have fun,” Rose says.
She and Wes kiss one more time before Wes leaves.
“Ugh, y’all are lucky you’re cute,” Natasha says once Wes is gone, grabbing a pretzel and dunking it into some chocolate dip.
“Seriously. I’d be exhausted of you otherwise,” Jo adds as she pets Murphy. She has the accent of someone who grew up living in a lot of places in and out of the US.
“Same. My love life is dead and my sex life is even more dead. If my vagina stays abandoned any longer they’re going to throw a Spirit Halloween in there.” Jada laughs and throws back the rest of her drink.
I snort so hard that I nearly choke on my pretzel.
“It’s true. They’re just waiting for the right season,” Jada says, still smiling from her own joke while whacking me on the back. “Trying to date here is the worst. I’ve either known them since kindergarten or they’re creeps. Whatever, I don’t want to be a bummer on a night like this. Let’s go get overdressed.”
We take some snacks and head upstairs to the master bedroom. It’s cozy and lived-in with a desk that looks like it’s been cleared just for tonight. Rose has extra mirrors set up, along with some extra seats. I put down my gigantic makeup bag on the desk next to the other smaller makeup bags.
“Natasha is amazing at doing hair, if you want your hair done,” Rose says, tapping around on her phone until music comes out of a little Bluetooth speaker in the corner.
“Assuming you aren’t indecisive as hell, then yeah.” Natasha gives Rose a pointed look.
“It came out great, though,” Rose says, untying the scarf around her braids. They look really good — neat and tight but not so tight that they’ll tear her edges to pieces.
“Okay, true.” Natasha suppresses a smile and starts unzipping a silver makeup bag. “I have a bunch of makeup that’s good for cosplay nerd shit but not doing normal person stuff.”
“Don’t worry, I just have the basics plus about ten thousand shades of lipstick,” Rose says. “Not super helpful.”
“Same. And some shadows I bought and never used,” Jo says.
“Holy shit,” Sabrina says when I open my bag. “It’s like a Sephora in a bag.”
“Yeah. I got a crazy amount of free stuff. In lots of shades too.” I start pulling palettes I haven’t even taken out of the box yet and stack them next to me. “There’s something that could work for all of us.”
“I know being even vaguely famous probably sucks ass, but I’d love random places to send me a bunch of free shit.” Sabrina picks up a palette and examines it.
“It is pretty nice,” I admit.
“Too bad I do eyeshadow like a toddler.” Sabrina puts the palette down.
“I can help. It’ll be kind of basic but we can use some interesting colors.” I haven’t done this kind of thing with girl friends in ages so I forgot the etiquette. I once offered to help this other model I’d barely met and she acted like I’d asked to help her cross the street.
“That would be amazing.” Sabrina plops down in the seat at the vanity and I pull a chair over.
“Can you do me next?” Jo asks. “I always end up making it all look a bit muddy.”
“Sure, yeah. No guarantees it’ll look professional.”
“Still, it’s def a step up for me.” Jo sits down on the bed, stretching her legs.
Getting ready with everyone is so nice — no edge of competition between us, no petty little swipes that could be brushed off with some mental gymnastics. Just music, drinks, and hanging out. Like I fit in even though they’ve known each other a lot longer than they’ve known me.
As we get dressed, Dennis meanders into the room, weaving between our ankles and meowing.
“What, little buddy?” Rose asks. Dennis meows again. “We already fed you. You can’t have human snacks.”
Hearing ‘human snacks’ Murphy pops his head up from his spot on the bed, his tail thumping against the comforter.
“No human snacks for you either,” Rose says. “Waylon said you were getting a little chunky at your last visit. Both of you.”
Dennis chirps and leaves the room again, tail high. Murphy still looks like he’s waiting for treats.
“Speaking of Waylon, how are things with you guys?” Jada asks. “Is he behaving himself?”
I snort, thinking back to the other night when he pinned me down and fucked me like his life depended on it. The vanity where I’m sitting has the best light, but the marks he left are long gone. I wish they’d lingered a little longer.
“Pretty much,” I finally say, packing a little bit of glittery shadow onto my eyelid.
“So I’m guessing he’s behaving in all the right ways, and misbehaving in all the ways I’d rather not think about because Waylon is basically my bonus brother?” Jada says. I nod. “Well, that’s good. I was worried he’d stayed all weird and distant. Or at least that’s the impression he gave off.”
“I don’t think that’s changed all that much.” I tap the side of my brush against the edge of the container.
Something between us feels closer, more intimate. But I can feel him holding back. If you asked me for something specific, I couldn’t give an answer, but I can sense it somewhere in my heart.
“Damn it.” Jada sighs.
“Wait, what’s the problem?” Rose asks.
“Waylon’s being…” Jada makes a vague gesture, nearly hitting a lamp on the side table next to the bed, and doesn’t finish her sentence.
“Okay…?” Rose looks between us in confusion. Jo shrugs from her seat across from me while Natasha starts on her hair.
My gut rarely has strong feelings, but I have a feeling that I can open up to them without being judged. But how do I talk about this without giving away that our relationship is supposed to be fake?
“When I came to Jepsen, our relationship was supposed to be sort of a fling, and Waylon said he was only interested in something casual,” I say after I gather my thoughts. “But now I want it to be something more serious and I’m not sure if he does. The only problem is that I was sort of planning to move to New York after I get the house fixed up and maybe sold. Now I don’t know what to do.”
“Do you like living in Jepsen?” Natasha asks, gently parting Jo’s hair to section off the front. “Like would you want to stay here for him if it got serious?”
“I do like it here, actually,” I say right away. “I thought I’d hate it because it’s so small and I assumed there wasn’t a ton to do, but I’ve never been truly bored since I’ve gotten here. And it’s beautiful and the people are nice. It’s cozy. But I don’t know if Waylon would want me to stay if it meant being serious.”
“That dumbass.” Jada shakes her head. “Like don’t get me wrong — he’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever known, but he keeps getting in his own way because he got all traumatized from being in a serious relationship with that sentient piece of garbage he calls an ex.”
“What did he see in her?” Natasha asks, raising an eyebrow.
“I don’t know. But my theory is it was because she was also an overachiever and she had her moments of not being the absolute worst. Rare moments.” Jada rolls her eyes and leans back, propping herself up on her hands behind her on the bed. “But anyway, I’m glad he found you, Bianca. You’re chill and he needs that. Someone to keep him from burning out.”
I swallow and focus on finishing up my eyeshadow so I can move onto my base.
“You can see that, but I know he doesn’t want it to be serious.” I grab a cotton circle and put some makeup remover on it. A ton of the glitter from my shadow has ended up on my cheeks.
“Are you sure, though?” Jo asks, her tone gentle. “Like have you asked directly, any time recently?”
“Well, not really. But I can pick up on the vibe. I think.” I grab my foundation and a fresh sponge.
“Being direct will take away a lot of that uncertainty.” Jo reaches for some gel.
“Even though it’s kind of scary,” Rose adds. “And to be honest, hearing the flat out truth is scary too.”
“Sounds like both options kind of suck,” I say with a soft laugh.
“But spinning your wheels over and over, trying to read his mind is even suckier,” Rose says.
The others nod and unfortunately, they’re right. Why am I torturing myself assuming that he still feels the same as he did before? Maybe he’s still wary, but maybe our connection is enough for him to take the leap.
Now I just have to figure out how to gather the nerve to bring it up to him.