I promised you. | Austin Butler

Part 1

It was a typical hot, sticky, humid summers day with not even a slight breeze coming in through the window. The two fans situated at either side of the room where blowing out the smallest bit of cool air and the were no stopping to sweat that was slowly trickling down my back. I had been used to working in hot conditions. It was the nature of my job sometimes. But this wasn't any normal job and was probably one of the most special things I would ever do.

I picked up the setting spray from the marble dressing table and sprayed it across Danielles face, gripping her chin ever so slightly as she tried to move away from the wet sprays across her freshly painted face. 

Danielle was my best friend. My best friend since school, all through every life event and every year up until now, in our late 20's and the week before her wedding day. When she asked me to be the person who did her make up for her special day I immediately said no and started pulling up my phone for contact details of friends and colleagues I knew in the industry. I was a make up artist, and a pretty good one at that, if I do say so myself. And it was my career and livelihood and a dream come true. What started a small personal business, doing make up for friends and family and people in the area that I lived, turned into working for major production teams across the whole of America and had been the make up artist for some super cool movies. Natural make up, full glam make up, theatrical make up and special effects. You name it, I could do it. But my best friends wedding make up? The nerves ran round my stomach the minute she asked me, but she refused to let me say no. I was flattered, honestly, that she trusted me so much with such a special day, but the imposter syndrome sunk in immediately. She reassured me that it would be the perfect wedding gift I could give her, and I couldn't deny her of that.

I spun her around to face the mirror and watched as her face light up and her eyes started to well. She bought her hands up to her cheeks and I could see they were blushing even through the copious amounts of foundation. She wanted full glam bride, and full glam bride she had. 

"Be honest" I begin. "I've got plenty of friends who will come next week and take my spot."

My one demand was that I did a trial run, despite her efforts to say it wasn't needed. I had done her make up a million times before for nights out, concert, dinners, date nights with her soon to be husband. But this was different and I refused to not have every aspect perfect. She had always been a natural beauty, but her love for make up was strong and she was never seen without it, but she didn't have much of a creative eye and it was usually the basic foundation, eyeliner and mascara. We'd gone for something similar so to not look completely different on her special day, but with a little extra contouring, some extra shimmer on her eyelids and some nice wispy lashes that made her look like a beautiful fairy. 

She was silent as she tilted her head one way, then the other way, then moved up close to the mirror, then smacking her lips together to feel the glossy nude I had painted them with. She looked at me through the mirror, where I was stood behind her with my knuckles under my chin and my arms pressed tightly to my chest, a nervous expression on my face. 

"It's perfect. Utterly perfect" she smiled, a smile I had never seen before and she looked back at her own reflection. "Just look at me. Brad won't be able to keep his hands off me".

I laugh and let out a sigh of relief at the same time, reaching for the glass of champagne I had poured an hour before but had been too nervous to take a sip off until this moment. It was still chilled and perfectly bubbly despite the sticky warm summer air that filled the room. I go and jump on my bed and turn the radio station up that we had been listening to, a song I'd heard a few times playing as I swing my feet along to the beat. Danielle gets her own glass and comes to join me, bringing over a hand held mirror so she could see her face in different lightnings and angles from the one previous.