Page 35 of Forbidden Heart

Charles nods. “But I’m not in a hurry. We can go in here if you like.”

I focus on the shop I’ve just led the guys toward. The window display is filled with a variety of cosmetic products, everything from lipstick, to eyeliner, to perfume. Charles heads toward the door and JJ casually follows, leaving me no choice but to do the same.

Inside, the shop is full of streamlined shelves and cute colors. The guys seem completely at ease as they head down the first aisle, while I’m in a panic. It sounds insane, but I’ve never bought makeup before. I’ve never even worn the stuff.

When I first started high school, Father said I was too young and it wasn’t allowed. By the time I was old enough, I’d mostly lost interest. Makeup cost money I didn’t have, and Father told me there was no point in pretending to be beautiful when I wasn’t one too many times. And when my friend lent me her lipstick that one time, he’d told me I looked like a clown.

“Can I help you find anything?” A stylish-looking, middle-aged woman glides toward us on platform shoes. She’s wearing loose, wispy clothing that billows around her with every step. Her floral perfume fills the air, the scent of a fairy godmother.

Could she transform me into a beautiful princess? In a fairy tale, perhaps. In real life, not likely.

“Roonie?” Charles asks, and I realize that everyone’s staring at me.

“I just need... lip gloss.” I grab the nearest one off a shelf. It’s a bright and shiny coral that makes me think of the tropics. I can picture a beautiful princess, her lips shiny with gloss, dancing between palm trees as she makes her way to the beach.

“Oh, no. That shade is all wrong for you!” The fairy godmother gasps, plucking the tube from my fingers and reaching for one that’s a light shade of plum. “This one’s much better.”

I nod, wondering what sort of princess it might belong to. It sparkles underneath the fluorescent lights, and I picture myself wearing it as I smile up at Charles, or JJ, or Tate. The fact that I don’t even know which guy I’d buy it for is problematic enough—but there’s also the fact that I don’t have any money.

All I’ve got are a few bills that I left back at the apartment, and I wouldn’t spend them on something pointless like makeup, even if I did bring them with me.

“You don’t like it?” the fairy godmother asks as I set the tube back down on the shelf.

“No, I just...” I look toward Charles and Tate for help.

“If you liked the orange one better, get that instead,” JJ says.

The fairy godmother looks horrified, but one pointed look from Charles and she tightens her lips, holding back whatever protest she was about to make.

“I think we should go.” I start toward the door.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” JJ intercepts me.

I hesitate, and Charles shoots a glare at the fairy godmother. She takes the hint and flits to another part of the store, her floor-length skirt billowing around her platform-wedge bound ankles.

“Roonie?” Charles asks once she’s gone. He folds his arms across his chest, waiting.

JJ’s still blocking the doorway, and I realize that the longer I take to answer, the more awkward this is going to get. I just want out of the store, and there’s only one way to get him to move. “I can’t afford makeup. I don’t have any money and—”

“We’ll buy whatever you want,” Charles says.

“I can’t ask you to do that, Charles. This stuff is expensive!”

“It’s a makeup store at the mall.” He rolls his eyes, like I would if we were talking about a gumball from a vending machine. Scratch that. I wouldn’t waste what little money I have on gum, either.

“Come on.” JJ takes my hand and leads me back toward the shelf of gloss. “Purple or orange?”

“Huh?”

“Pick one,” he orders.

I reach for the coral, remember how Father said I looked like a clown, and opt for the plum.

“How about we just get you this?” Charles asks, waving the fairy godmother over.

He’s gesturing at a giant box of makeup, complete with various shades of lipstick and a sizable eyeshadow palette.

I gape at the row of alluring shades sitting on display, ranging from everyday neutral to a couple of sweet, bright, fun shades. In the corner, there are a couple of darkly dramatic colors. I can imagine them on all sorts of princesses, dancing across the stage as they sing for the crowd. Even the dark reds and blacks could work, if she were singing opposite a Dark Prince. Or if she were a zombie princess, one riddled with some terrible disease.