The Make-Up Artist

Chapter Twenty Two: A Little Worse for Wear

You finish the letter and look up to see that the airplane has lifted off the ground and is now descending high into the night sky. The dull ache in your chest has now become a stabbing pain and tears are streaming down your face. You are thankful that your seat-mate seems to be long gone in a deep slumber. Clutching the sheets of paper against your heart, you squeeze your eyes shut trying to block out the words you just read. After a few minutes of catching your breath amid the barrage of tears, you fold the letter and place it gently back into the envelope. Then you rummage around your bag for tissues, and dab at your face when you finally find them. You are desperately trying to process everything you just read; from the wonderful things Taron wrote about you, to the humiliating reality that you did in fact kiss him that night in his apartment, to the crushing blow that he apparently is now done with you for good. You have a thousand thoughts going through your mind and you don't know which ones to deal with first. How are you ever going to face him after this? It's all you can do not to march down to the cockpit and demand the pilot turn the plane around. After deciding that is probably not an option, you opt for alcohol instead; and become intent on consuming as many drinks as possible to distract yourself from the thought of what will happen once the plane lands at Heathrow. Perhaps crashing would just be a better option.

Twelve hours and several drinks later, having not crashed and sadistically re-read the letter five times; you arrive in England a little worse for wear. You had just gotten used to the time change; now you are jet-lagged again, having not slept a wink on the plane, as well as being emotionally drained and suffering from a hang-over as well. It's late afternoon here in the UK, and all you can focus on is getting back to the B&B to sleep away your anguish. As you pull away from the airport in the taxi, you receive a text. Heart pounding, you open it and are immediately disappointed, but relieved at the same time.

Richard: Hey darling! Are you back? Hope you had a lovely visit and safe flight. I know you are probably exhausted, but is there anyway you could meet me at the studio today? I need to go over a few changes Lizzie wants to make before tomorrow...

Uggh, really? You are so not ready to jump back into work right now. But seeing as how you just had three days off, you guess you really should make the effort.

You: Yes back. Visit was good. Flight was...ok. I am pretty tired but I guess I could meet for a bit if it doesn't take too long. Where should I meet you?

Richard: Great! Shouldn't take too long. How about my trailer in thirty minutes?

You: Ok, be there soon.

Richard: thumbs up

Well, so much for easing back into work. You just hope and pray that it truly doesn't take too long, and that you don't run into Taron while you're there. You are not due back at work until tomorrow and although you're going to have to face him sooner or later, you would really prefer it be later when you don't have twelve hours of sobbing drunken airplane face.

You arrive at the studio a little while later and it's like you never left. The grounds just hold a certain air about them that you will most likely hold in your memory forever. After paying the taxi driver, you walk the distance from the main gate to Richard's trailer that is just beyond Taron's. You're thankful that you only have the one carry-on and duffel bag. Upon reaching his trailer, you knock lightly but there's no response. Deciding that you've probably arrived early, you go ahead and enter the trailer, not wanting to stand outside in the open with your bags. You walk inside and glance around to find it empty. His trailer is sparse with only a sofa and small table next to it; nothing like Taron's trailer that holds all sorts of furnishings to accommodate his many countless hours on set. Dropping your bags at your feet and sinking into his couch, you rest your head back and close your eyes for a moment while you wait.