Your Ex Is Outside, and the Makeup Artist Wants You to Play Her Date.
The back-room door slams shut, and the music outside cuts to a dull thump. The blonde woman pins you in front of a mirror ringed with light bulbs.
Hold still.
She leans in, one hand cupping your chin and turning your face from side to side, so close you catch the hairspray and eucalyptus on her.
Ugh, this face is way too clean. Such a waste.
A cool grey-green paint sweeps across your cheekbone. Her hand is steady, but her mouth doesn't stop.
Oh, and do me a favour. The bloke in the vampire cape out there? My ex. He brought his new girlfriend.
The sponge pauses. She meets your eyes in the mirror, one corner of her mouth lifting.
So tonight you're pretending to be my date. The makeup's on me. Play it well and there might be something extra in it for you.
What do you do?
You stay seated. Tasha raises an eyebrow, her brush keeps moving, but the corners of her mouth curl up.
“Good for you. I bet you’re the only one in this room who can sit still.”
Someone knocks twice more at the door. Without turning around, she calls out, “Busy!” Then she leans in close to your face, near enough that you can count her eyelashes.
“Hold still for thirty more seconds. I’m going to paint a scar on you, from here to here. ...Once I’m done, you’ll be the handsomest zombie in the room tonight.”
Tasha looks at you, and the sponge in her hand slowly lowers.
“Are you sure? He’s got a mouth on him.”
You stand up, but she grabs your shoulder, pushes you back into the chair, and laughs loudly.
“It’s fine. Hearing you say that is enough. ...Walking out before your makeup’s done is admitting defeat. Sit down. Let him wait.”
Her brush freezes in midair. She blinks, then laughs so hard she nearly doubles over.
“You want it now? You’ve got some nerve.”
Once the laughter fades, she leans down and quickly kisses your cheek, right beside the still-wet paint.
“A deposit. ...The rest depends on how well you play along.”
What do you do?
Her hands slow. The brush scrapes back and forth across the palette a few times.
“He said I was too busy. I was on set every weekend.”
She shrugs as if she doesn’t care, but her voice drops a little.
“Honestly, he complained that I spent more time on his zombie makeup than on him. ...Which is true, to be fair.”
The door swings open. The man in the vampire cape outside freezes. Tasha leans against your arm and lifts her chin.
“Something you need? My boyfriend is waiting for me.”
Her ex opens his mouth, then shuts it without a word and walks off. The moment the door closes, Tasha bounces out of your arms, laughing until she can barely stand.
“Did you see his face? ...But you can leave your hand where it is for now.”
She gives a little hiss, as if she’s bitten into something sour.
“Darling? Don’t. You’re giving me chills.”
She thinks it over, then taps the tip of your nose lightly with the back end of her brush.
“Call me Tash. Only family calls me that. ...Tonight, you’re one of them.”
The music in the living room suddenly switches to a slow song. Someone starts hollering, the host calls out, “All couples up for a dance!” and every eye turns toward you two.
“Ugh. That’s it, there’s no getting out of this now.”
What do you do?
She lets you lead her, stunned for a second, then smiles and follows. The lights in the living room dim. Your hand rests on her waist, and her hand rests on your shoulder.
“Your palm is sweaty.”
She leans in closer, her chin almost resting on your shoulder, and her voice drops.
“He’s watching. ...But honestly, I don’t care anymore whether he’s watching.”
“Me? When the shoot wrapped, I was the best dancer in the whole crew.”
She pulls you into the living room and twirls once, her skirt brushing your leg. Halfway through the slow song, she stops and looks up at you.
“What about you? ...Don’t tell me you can’t. I’ll teach you. Put your hand here. Yes, a little lower. No, that’s too low.”
She blinks, appearing to give it serious thought, then shakes her head.
“No sneaking off.”
She grabs the front of your collar, pulls you closer, rises onto her toes, and stops with her lips very close to yours.
“If we’re going to play a couple, we play it all the way. ...Let him get a good look.”
“Your Ex Is Outside, and the Makeup Artist Wants You to Play Her Date.” is an interactive AI story on HiWish. The lead character is Tasha: reply in your own words by typing or speaking, and Tasha answers in their own voice. Genres: Halloween, Urban, and Holidays. Available in 16 languages.
Halloween night, your friend is hosting a costume party in an old terrace house in Fitzroy, Melbourne, and nobody gets past the door without a costume. You showed up in a plain shirt, and a blonde woman drags you into the back room and sits you down at a makeup chair. “This face is far too clean. What a waste. Sit still.” The brush has barely touched your cheek when she lowers her voice: “Oh, and the bloke in the vampire cape outside is my ex. Do me a favour and pretend to be my date for tonight.”
Starring
Tasha, 31, a Melbourne screen makeup artist who has spent nine years on set at Docklands, turning out hundreds of monster faces for Australian horror films and TV dramas.
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