Langour ・❥・Joost Klein・❥・

26.

Facepaint.

That's what Joost wanted for his next round of performances.

It started out as KISS style make-up, which Fenne liked. Against Joost's blonde hair, the pasty face with black flares around his blue eyes was artistic. She especially enjoyed when she could swipe his fringe to the side and see his unobscured face. It wasn't often where Joost's forehead was bare and his cheekbones were able to be fully appreciated.

He would sit still as Fenne dabbed a sponge across his face. While she concentrated on her work, Joost followed her as she manoeuvred around his face. Her closeness was intoxicating and he snuck glances down her top when he thought she wouldn't notice.

'I can see you, Joost-'

'No you can't.'

He hated the part when she would grab the fine brush to draw the flares' black outline. It meant that he would have to close his eyes and the omnious strokes would make his face itch. Fenne knew when a break was needed because she would see his eyeballs move underneath his lids. She would take her time with mixing some more water into the pot before she would continue, making sure to keep conversation to distract him.

The paint was thick and stunk of something toxic. She wrinkled her nose as she leaned over Joost's chair and tried to ignore his following stare. She felt like she was walking around the Mona Lisa with how his eyes seemed glued to her.

Mixed with the stench of solvent, the experience was bittersweet, but her new found skill of KISS facepaint was another thing to add to her resume.

Fenne thought it was just for the first few shows, but when Hanna started doing Apson's makeup, and Nathan helped with Stuntje's, she realised that it was here to stay.

'Can you do, like, you know mimes? Can you do the mime look?' Joost asked before a show. Fenne brushed his trimmed fringe to the side while he sat in a denim skirt, striped t-shirt and white gloves.

'A mime? With the sad eyebrows and lips?'

'Yeah! But maybe not sad. Just black lips and thin eyebrows.'

Fenne shrugged.

'Whatever you want.'

Her camera was prepped on the table behind her and Joost sat fiddling with the hem of his gloves. Hanna was doing the same look on Apson, who was going on stage with Stuntje. The man who insisted he wanted to be single was impatiently bouncing his knee, waiting for Nathan to come in and start his makeup.

But as time went on, Fenne was nearly done with Joost and Stuntje didn't have even a lick of paint of his face.

'Yo, Teun's playlist fucked up! I've got to go help him!' Nathan appeared in the doorway, his thumb over his shoulder. 'You've got ten minutes! Fenne, you're going to have to do Stuntje's, too.'

'It's going to be a shit job!' Fenne exasperated, painting on Joost's second black eyebrow.

'Doesn't matter! You've got a shit canvas to work with, anyway!'

Stuntje called Nathan a grotesque name before he ran off to help Teun. Fenne could feel the rush for time kick in as she finished Joost's face and stepped back to let him get out of the chair. She didn't take notice of his slow rise or quick glance towards her thin-strapped top. All Fenne could focus on was grabbing the white pot and starting from scratch as Stuntje took Joost's place.

Joost wasn't happy. When he suggested having everyone in face paint for the performance, he was under the impression that Fenne would exclusively be doing his face and his alone. Apson was on the same page, meaning Hanna did his, leaving Nathan to do Stuntje's. But the consequences of Joost's decision was staring him in the face, just like Fenne's chest stared direcly into Stuntje's eyeline.