Lash

Chapter 12: With Two Blinks of an Eye

Remi disappeared behind the divider and returned with vials of liquid. “Oh, I’m not done with you yet.” He continued to rub an orange serum into her skin, vigorously as if on a timed task.

“Ooh, it’s tingling a little. Stinging, really,” Tessa said.

“Really?” With a look of disappointment on his face, he lowered his voice to a whisper. “Relax. It should wear off,” he said, making mental notes.”Here, take a whiff,” he held it up to her nose. “It smells like citrus.”

“This kind of reminds of that guy in Sultrix, rubbing my hands.”

“You have an admirer I don’t know about?”

“I’d never seen him before. It was kind of strange. He was just trying to help me I guess, and he started to rub my hands with moisturizers and serums and…”

“Did he wear a hat?”

“Yeah?”

“A fedora, by chance?” he asked, his voice slightly higher.

“Right,” Tessa whispered. She heard Remi, but he seemed distant as if he had walked to the other side of the room.

“He’s my partner,” Remi said, seemingly ready to engage and tell her the whole story.

But Tessa had already drifted off to sleep.

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Tessa woke the next morning fully clothed with make-up still applied in generous amounts to her face. Her eyelashes stuck together like haystacks. She blinked repeatedly, only worsening the dryness.

“What is this? On my eyes?” There was no mirror in sight, only shiny machines, all turned off now. “What about some coffee?”

“Don’t you have to go to work?”

“Uh, I guess I do. Do I? I don’t even know. Let me call. Oh, I don’t have my phone,” Tessa said, as Remi scooted her out the door, into his car. “Can I borrow your phone,” she asked, with Remi already driving.

“Sorry, we need to get going. Look, I’d like you to give Yossi something for me. Just a favor, okay?”

“Who is Yossi?”

“My partner. You know, the one with the fedora.” He clutched his steering wheel tighter.

“He’s your partner now?” Sitting in her seat, Tessa felt her face tingling. She felt like she might glow.  “Why don’t you just do it yourself? Since he’s your partner and everything.” Tessa wondered if Yossi knew about her, and for a second, felt like her body was covered in hands touching her all over. That, they had that in common; had they shared more? Was she their dirty little test subject?

“Oh, it will be a surprise. He’ll love it. Would you do that for me, please? Just this one thing? Besides, I want everyone to see how beautiful you are.”

Tessa dropped the visor to investigate her gunky eyes in the mirror. “Well, they’re long. I never wear lashes. Really, this looks ridiculous.”

“Radiant,” he kissed her hand at a red light. Where had she heard that before?

He parked in front of the store and sighed. “I need you to find Yossi and give him this,” he said, holding a piece of metal between his fingers in black-gloved hands.

“What’s with the gloves?” Tessa said.

“Are you listening? This is really important, Tessa,” he said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, his black gloves throwing her off.