Chapter 70 Caught In The Act
As we were heading toward the exit with our armfuls of ridiculous hats, I stopped suddenly, my eyes lighting up. “Wait… Isabelle, why don’t we try makeup next? I mean, why stop at hats when we can go full on chaos?”
Isabelle’s grin spread wide, wicked and encouraging.
“Oh, Celene, I like the way you think. Let’s do it!”
Before either of us could blink, I spotted Jeffery standing there like a statue, his jaw tight, eyes wide. “Uh… makeup?” he said slowly, clearly trying to sound calm, but I could see the panic under the surface.
“Oh yes,” I said cheerfully, linking arms with Isabelle. “...and you know you’re coming with us, right?"
Jeffery’s mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. “I...I don’t think this is a...”
“Too late,” Isabelle interrupted, tugging him forward. “You don’t get a choice. And we promise... we’re gentle. Mostly.”
He sputtered, flailing his hands as we dragged him along. “Wait, wait, wait! I...No! Celene... this is...this is ridiculous!”
I laughed so hard I had to clutch Isabelle’s arm to steady myself. “Oh, Jeffrey… you’re about to become the canvas of the century, darling!”
The guards behind us tried so hard to remain stoic, but every so often I could see a twitch in a mouth or a raised eyebrow betraying how much they were enjoying the spectacle.
We reached the next store, the makeup boutique, and Isabelle let go of Jeffery just long enough to plop him into a chair. “Sit. Relax, nad let us be your glam girls... We’ll transform you into the woman you should be married to by now, you silly boy”
Jeffery’s eyes went wide again, and he swallowed audibly.
“Transform… me?”
"Yeah... think about it this way... if you had a woman in your life, you would not be in this position because we as women would respect the woman a d stay clear... maybe move on to the other guards... but here you are... ripe for the taking!!!"
I leaned over, Isabelle’s shoulder grinning like a villain. “Too much talking, Isabelle. Lets give him our best shot! Eye shadow, lip gloss, maybe even a little blush. Don’t worry, we’ll make you fabulous.”
Jeffery visibly shrank into the chair, muttering, “Oh… God… this is a nightmare…”
I couldn’t stop laughing, and Isabelle chimed in, whispering conspiratorially, “Celene, dont go easy on him, let's brighten his face... he needs to lighten up a little. Poor boy’s way too serious.”
The other guards shuffled behind us, their expressions carefully blank, though I could see them trying not to laugh as Jeffery started sweating, looking like he was about to bolt.
The servers in the boutique obviously knew who Isabelle was and so they did not even make a peep as we basically destroyed their products to make him up. Isabelle just dropped her card with the server and asked her to deduct whatever was used. They also knew not to try to steal from a Buenaventura.
I sat on the edge of the counter, leaning close to Isabelle, whispering, “This is… the best day I’ve had in weeks.”
She laughed, glancing at Jeffery’s wide-eyed horror. “Just wait, Celene. By the end of this, he’ll be smiling. Maybe.”
I nodded, watching as we surrounded him, picking out more colors, and preceeding to turn the most serious man in the room into our ridiculous masterpiece.
I glanced toward the boutique door, catching a glimpse of movement. My heart skipped a beat.
Cole.
He was standing there, arms crossed, eyebrows slightly furrowed, and that familiar look I had come to absolutely adore...equal parts shock and mild irritation...etched across his face.
Oh, this was going to be fun.
I turned back to Jeffery, who was slowly, stiffly climbing out of the chair, trying desperately to straighten his posture and look like nothing had happened. His face was pale, and I could practically see the gears turning in his head as he tried to figure out what disaster he’d been dragged into.
I couldn’t resist. I grabbed Isabelle’s hand, and before Jeffery could protest, we bolted toward Cole, laughter spilling out of us like a dam breaking.
“Come on! Apologising early is better... your son looks like he's going to throttle us all” I squealed, barely able to breathe between laughs.
Isabelle joined in, her own giggles echoing, and suddenly it felt like we were children again, running through a playground, utterly carefree.
Jeffery stumbled after us. Still on duty, still protecting... it all felt so free and surreal.
“W-wait! Please! Stop running!” he shouted, though even his voice couldn’t hide a trace of amusement.
Cole’s eyes followed us, as we ran towards him...dark and sharp, and I could feel the shift in the air... that mix of irritation and curiosity that always accompanied him when I was doing something I shouldn’t. But I didn’t care. Not right now.
We reached him, breathless, tears of laughter in my eyes. Isabelle threw an arm around Jeffery, pulling him into our chaos, while I leaned against Cole, still giggling uncontrollably.
He let out a long, exasperated sigh, but there was a faint twitch at the corner of his mouth, betraying the tiniest trace of amusement.
“Really?” he asked, voice low, almost growly. “This is… what you’re doing?”
“Yes!” I cried, looking up at him with sparkling eyes. “And you’re going to love it.”
Cole’s gaze flicked to Jeffery, who was now covered in the aftermath of our boutique shenanigans...hats slightly askew, scarves draped messily, and a red face from all the pigmented blush products i had experimented on him earlier.
Cole’s eyes narrowed again, more amused than angry now, though he would never admit it. I grinned, holding his gaze, and for the first time in a while, the tension in my chest loosened completely.
Because in this moment, with laughter ringing around us, with Jeffery standing awkwardly but obediently in the middle of our chaos, and Isabelle beside me like a whirlwind of joy, everything felt… perfect.