The Make-Up Artist: Part 2

Chapter Twelve: After the After Party

You are instantly sober as you continue to stomp off in the direction of the hotel lobby, not exactly sure what your plan is other than to get away from the two of them as quickly as possible. However, within minutes of you walking past Taron, you hear the gravel crunch behind you as one of them, you're unsure which, is undoubtedly following you. You really don't want to face either one of them right now, as your humiliation from the scene that occurred only moments ago has you feeling the need to just be alone. Whoever it is has caught up with you quickly, and as he places a hand on your shoulder, you know immediately that it's not Taron. You're not sure how you know, but you just do and admittedly you're relieved. Richard is definitely the lesser of two evils at the moment, and he turns you around to face him while he catches his breath.

"Where are you going lass? The driver will be here any moment", he says, huffing slightly with the exertion of catching up to you.

"Sorry Rich, I couldn't wait there anymore. I'll just call my driver", you say, remembering George and proceed to dig around in your bag for his card. He watches you as you retrieve your cell phone as well, dial his number and wait a few seconds for him to pick up. After informing him that you are ready to leave and giving him your whereabouts, you push everything back down into your bag and walk back to a bench near the front entrance and slump down onto it. Richard follows you silently and sits down next to you. "I can't believe it", you say after a few moments of staring out at the empty space in front of you. "He saw us... He knows..."

"There's nothing to know love", he says, his voice sounding tired. You turn your head lazily over to him.

"He saw the lipstick Rich, he KNOWS", you emphasize, resigning. He swallows and looks away.

"Yeah, who cares? You and I worked it out. We're fine. Doesn't matter what he knows or thinks, right?" You of course know that he is in fact right. It's been almost two months since you found out about Taron's girlfriend and you've barely had any contact with him since then. He can think whatever he wants to think. It's time to move on. But this is not just about you, there's also their friendship to consider.

"But what about you? I don't want to cause weirdness between you and Taron."

"I'm sure we'll be fine", he assures you but you're still worried. At that moment, George pulls up directly in front of you and you stand to walk the few steps to the car with Richard trailing beside you. He holds the door open and holds your skirt for you while you step inside. Once you are settled, he leans in slightly to address you one last time before you depart for your hotel. "Try and not worry about it too much. Let me know when you get there so I know you made it safely", he adds, looking as worn out as you feel.

"Will do, thanks Rich." With that, he gives a little nod then closes the door and George takes off. You sigh in relief to finally be by yourself, alone with your thoughts so that you can do exactly what Richard just told you not to do. You honestly can't believe this night and that any of it actually happened. It was all so surreal and feels like a dream. First, there was the amazingly elegant Met Gala, arguably a once in a lifetime event. Then there was Taron trying to coerce you into not going to the after party for whatever reason, and putting you in a situation that made you equally offended and aroused. Then attending said after party where even more glamorous and unbelievable events took place. All capped off by you stupidly kissing Richard in the backseat of a car, and Taron catching you in the act. If things weren't weird between you and Taron before, they certainly will be downright bizarre now. And what about his friendship with Richard? You know he said they would be fine, but you can't help worrying that you might have caused unnecessary problems between them. You close your eyes and rest your head against the back of the seat, wondering if there's anything you can do to fix this. You're definitely not reaching out to Taron however, as that would undoubtedly just cause more tension. A few minutes later, George is pulling up in front of your own hotel and you are grateful to be able to finally put this night behind you. Dragging yourself out of the car and into the lobby, you clumsily push the elevator button and wait for it to arrive. The hotel is a ghost town at this late hour, and you're thankful that you don't have to interact with any more people for tonight.