A Prince's Love

Chapter 62.

Maadwoa

Two weeks later.

"Gifty, get that away from me." I objected, swatting the tube of red lipstick out from my face.

She dropped her shoulders with an eyeroll, but obliged and put the lipstick back in her makeup pouch.

"You're okay with eyeliner nearly stabbing your eyeballs, but you draw the line at this? What did lipstick ever do to you?" Gifty nagged, searching through the pouch in her lap for another product to violate my face with.

"Lipstick is too dramatic for me. You know I prefer glossy lips." I answered, stretching my neck to see what she was grabbing for in the pouch. "Ouu, I want that lip gloss."

Gifty grinned at me, pulling out the tube of clear pink-tinted lip luminizer. "Hush while I apply it."

Gifty suggested that we practice applying makeup today because according to her, we're too old to be showing up to functions with just shea butter on our lips. I walked over here from my uncle's place after we had our breakfast, with my makeup supplies in hand. We just wanted to be in each other's company because since being back, I haven't been able to spend much time with Gifty or Tyler, who said he would be coming soon. I needed time to myself to process things, so after seeing them all at the town square and once more the next day, I haven't seen them since.

The day I was released, I decided to stay with Uncle Kwame because I didn't want to go back to burdening Gifty's family with a house guest. Uncle Kwame was delighted and so was I, as it had been too long since we'd been together. It felt comforting living with him and I was able to help him out with little things he couldn't do. We laughed together, ate together, watched movies together, conversed together, and everything else family does together. For once,
home felt like home.

"Perfect." Gifty smiled, putting the gloss back in the pouch as I rubbed my lips together to blend it in.

We took turns doing each other's makeup, with me doing hers first. She looked stunning with the light layer of foundation, under-eye concealer, natural-looking false lashes, an ombré of light brown to dark brown eyeshadow on her lids , and a dark purple hue on her lips.

Unlike me, she was obsessed with lipstick and always tried different colors whenever she beat her face. I also had on a layer of foundation concealer under my eyes, and false lashes, but my eyelids were covered in gold eyeshadow with lower lids highlighted with bright blue eyeliner. The colours popped against my complexion and made me glow. I couldn't lie — we did that.

"We look too good to not take pictures right now." I gushed, holding up the mirror to my face and fluffed out the curls in my hair. I styled my hair in a high afro puff with a criss-cross pattern in the front, bedazzled with gold cuffs.

"Not you talking about taking pictures and you don't even have a phone." Gifty teased, making it a point to grab hers and hold it up in my face.

"I'm getting mine in a couple days, so you can just hush."

Uncle Kwame informed me a few days after I got back that he was ordering me a phone. He didn't let me know what type of phone or anything else about it, just that it was coming in two days. I don't even know where he got the money to pay for it but I'm so grateful for him.

"Selfie or full body?" she offered, causing me to look down at my outfit, which was a bit wrinkled from sitting on the stool outside for so long. I did look decent in my yellow, floral sundress that stopped right above my knees.

"Full body so I can remind myself that I do know how to dress occasionally." I giggled, making her chuckle as well.

Her phone beeped and she immediately started cheesing at the screen, her fingers quickly typing away.