The Make-Up Artist: Part 2

Chapter Thirty Five: Week From Hell

After tossing and turning all night, you finally give up on sleep around 6:30 am and roll over to retrieve your phone from the bedside table. Clicking your email icon, you scroll through the various spam and junk emails, but then sit up with excitement when you see you have an email waiting from the producer of the tv show. Clicking on it and scanning it quickly to get the basic gist, you are delighted to read that you are to return to work the very next day. Relief fills you with the knowledge that things are hopefully looking up and that everything will be going back to normal soon. Well, as normal as it can be for you. Reading back over it carefully and committing the important details to memory, you close your phone, only to have it ring seconds later. Seeing the unknown number and being hesitant about answering it, you decide to receive the call anyway, thinking it could be about the show. As it turns out, it's the district attorney's office letting you know that Ethan's hearing is scheduled at the end of the week. They give you some pertinent information regarding the procedure and you do your best to take it all in even as your mind is spinning out of control. Luckily, you do not have to be present during this preliminary hearing, although that will most likely not be the case if it goes to trial. Finally ending the call, you set the phone down and hope that you can focus on your return to work now that the upcoming hearing is foremost in your mind.

Dragging yourself out of bed and pulling on one of the new sweaters and pairs of jeans Richard bought for you, you brush your teeth and wash your face quickly before making your way out of the bedroom to join the living. You haven't had time to give much thought as to what you will say to Taron this morning, but when you enter the living room to find him sitting on the sofa with dark circles under his eyes, you realize you weren't the only one who looks as though they didn't get much sleep last night.

"Morning", you call tightly, as you head straight to the coffee maker.

"Morning", he answers just as cooly, then stands and stretches his hands over head. You look away when the waistband of his joggers slips just past his hipbones. "Mind if I use your bathroom?" Taron mumbles as you fumble with the coffee maker.

"Of course not. It's not my bathroom, it's Richard's." He just gives you a look that you can't quite discern, then grabs his bag and disappears into the guest bedroom. You shrug to yourself, then proceed to start the coffee maker. Minutes later, with coffee freshly in hand, Richard comes down the stairs and smiles when he sees you. You feel a sense of relief to share the company of someone who isn't mad at you, and you offer him a cup of coffee. "Coffee Richard?"

"Yes please", he agrees, then accepts the cup you offer and takes a seat at the table. "How'd you sleep?" He asks, and the memory of the naughty dream you almost had causes your face to feel flushed.

"Fine", you answer quickly, effectively dismissing all thoughts of Taron and his nocturnal torment of your dreams.

"So, what are your plans for today?" He asks, nodding and taking a few sips of his coffee.

"Well, I just found out I'm going back to work tomorrow so I thought I'd go down to the station and make sure everything is in order." His frown in response is not a hopeful sign.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" He asks. You are just about to politely explain to him that it's none of his business what you do, when Taron comes striding back in, freshly showered and wearing tight jeans and an even tighter t-shirt. Couldn't he just once wear baggy pants and an over-sized sweatshirt?

"Is what a good idea?" Taron interrupts. You silently will Richard not to say anything, but of course he does anyway.

"She wants to go to the station to get ready to go back to work." Your head swivels to Taron expecting the worst, and he does not disappoint with the barely concealed scowl that crosses his face.