Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
JULIET
CHRISTMAS
M y alarm came far too early, jolting me awake. I glared at it as I rolled out of bed. Five shows were already a lot, but doing seven? Insane. At least, for once, I didn’t have to scramble to turn it off for fear of waking a roommate. No, I finally had a place all to myself. My apartment was a shoebox–a studio that left barely a foot of space between the dining nook and my queen-sized bed–but it was all mine. I even had a little Christmas tree, though I had to stick it on top of the table since there was no room for it on the floor.
It only took me twenty minutes to get dressed, throw my hair into a messy bun, throw dinner in the crock pot, eat a banana, and get out the door. Most of my actual getting ready took place in the dressing room at Epic Studios.
It was a good thing too. I was good at most makeup, but for the life of me, I couldn’t ever get my fake eyelasheson straight.
The first thing I did was slip into my costume–a tight, long-sleeved leotard made of blue and white sparkles, paired with glittery tights and white boots that came up to my knees. Then I pulled on my sweats to keep warm while I did my hair and makeup. Both the dressing room and soundstage were freezing. I turned my attention to smoothing out my long blonde strands and twisting them into a braided crown. It wasn’t my favorite hairstyle, but it made for a pretty Winter Queen–or Snow Fairy–or whatever the hell I was supposed to be.
By the time I got my hair finished, the dancers had filed in and started on their own looks. I finished my eyeshadow just as Avery wrapped up what she was doing, and I looked over at her pleadingly.
“Need help?” she asked, grinning.
I went straight for the puppy dog eyes.
“Please.”
Right as Avery had the fake eyelashes situated on the tweezers, the door flew open with a BANG! causing us both to jump. It was a miracle she didn’t stab me in the eye. Mason stood in the doorway, wearing a fluffy red suit, a fake beard, and a Santa hat. He even had a bag slung over one shoulder. He looked ridiculous.
“Who’s been good this year?”
“Definitely not me,” Avery said with a laugh, shaking her head.
“I’ve been bad, very bad,” a redhead called from the corner.
“Naughty list for me!” someone else chimed in, sounding way too sultry.
My face twisted into a scowl. Every girl in the room had their attention on Mason and, based on the stupid grin on his face, he loved every heated look. Just more proof it wasn’t really my attention he wanted. Any female would do.
“Well, I didn’t bring coal, so we’re going to have to pretend you’ve all been good,” Mason said, setting his pack down on the ground. He started pulling out little bags of homemade cookies, each one wrapped up in fancy packaging and tied with ribbon. “Does anybody have any allergies?” he asked as he handed them out.
“I can’t do nuts,” Avery said. Mason snatched the bag back from her like it was about to bite, handing it over to the redhead instead. Then he rummaged in his sack, digging down to the bottom. He pulled out a fresh bag, this one with different colored plastic wrap and ribbon.
“Here, this one is nut-free.”
Avery took it from him and clutched it to her chest like it was a priceless treasure, a massive smile on her face.
“Thank you, Mason. I always have to miss out!”
“Well, we can’t have that. How about you, Juliet? Any allergies?”
I didn’t know how to answer. I didn’t have allergies, but I was supposed to be building my walls, not letting him in. Making cookies for all the girls was just more proof that this was his thing–flirting with anything with a pulse.
“No thanks,” I said finally, grabbing the tweezers in Avery’s hand. Maybe it was time to learn to do my lashes myself. “I’m not hungry.”
Mason held a baggie out to me anyway, his eyes twinkling at me over the fake beard.
“You can always eat it later. I promise they’re good. My roommate is one heck of a baker.”
With everyone’s eyes on me, I couldn’t kick the metaphorical puppy. Getting a reputation for being difficult to get along withwould be almost as bad as the one for sleeping with my coworkers.
“Thanks,” I said softly, taking the bag from him and tucking it into the pocket of my sweats. “You’re welcome.”
The smile Mason gave me was nothing short of devastating. It was so bright it almost hurt to look at, like the whole world was in shadow and he was the only light.
Cheeky bastard .