Page 39 of Tutor With Benefits
“Makeup,” Taylor says.
We head to the makeup counter and one of the women on shift is happy to take over. She has Tori sit in her chair and puts on a full face, the entire time giving her tips on how to recreate the look herself.
“I’m not sure I can do this myself,” Tori says.
“It’s easy,” the woman replies. “All you have to do is practice. Believe me, if I was able to get good enough at this to make it as a profession, then anyone can do it. I have faith in you.”
“Okay,” Tori says, clearly nervous and without a lot of confidence in her own ability to do it. But, Taylor takes the lead in paying for her makeup, and we make sure to ask the woman what she thinks would be a good way to keep the makeover going.
“I would say you ought to get your eyebrows done, and maybe your hair as well?” the woman says. “You can find a walk-in salon up the hall, and I know they’ll be glad to do it for you.”
“Thank you,” I say.
Tori is already looking like a new woman by the time we get to the salon, and we’re glad to find there isn’t much of a wait before she’s let in.
“What are we doing today?” the stylist asks.
“I’m getting a makeover,” she says. “I want to get my eyebrows reshaped, and besides that, I would love to get some sort of style that’s easy enough for me to manage, but something that brings life back into my hair, you know? I feel like so much of the time it just hangs, and I don’t have a lot of hope for it.”
“Honey, you can do wonders if you have the right product,” the stylist tells her. “Don’t you worry about a thing. Let me take over here, and you just come along for the ride. If you would like anything special, don’t be afraid to speak up.”
“I want a surprise,” Tori says. “I have never done this before in my life, and I would love for you to turn me into a model. If you can, anyway.”
“I can do wonders,” the woman says. “And when I’m working with someone who is as beautiful as you are to begin with, it’s not that hard to take you up to the next level, trust me.”
The three of us are sitting back and watching the entire thing. Normally, hair and makeup aren’t things I care to be around. I find it all incredibly boring. But, there is something mesmerizing about watching Tori get the makeover she’s receiving from this woman.
Not that the woman is changing her from one person to another, but even the simple things the woman is doing are leaving us speechless. It really isn’t taking a lot of change to make Tori look like she’s ready to walk the runway, and once again I’m thinking about how I really wouldn’t mind a world in which she was our girlfriend.
Not just mine, but ours.
I don’t pay any attention to the clock while we’re in the salon. I don’t care how long this is taking. All I care about is the fact that Tori is having the time of her life, and I can see her confidence growing with each new thing the stylist is doing to her.
Tori hesitates at first, but Cory steps in and tells the stylist to keep doing whatever she wants to in order to make the makeover amazing.
“I don’t care what it costs. This is her day, and I want her to have the time of her life,” Cory says.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” the stylist replies with a smile. She turns to Tori and adds, “That is quite a boyfriend you have there. I wish more men were like that.”
Tori doesn’t argue, but instead blushes a deep crimson. She clearly doesn’t know what to say, but the stylist doesn’t seem to even notice the embarrassment Tori is experiencing. She just keeps talking away as though Tori is keeping up with the conversation with her, and by the time she’s done, Tori is back to being more like herself.
She walks over to us with her bright smile and sparkling eyes, and I can’t believe the difference the stylist made with just some products and a new cut.
Cory puts down the card to pay for it, and Tori is speechless.
“Shall we?” I ask as I put my arm out.
“I can’t believe what you guys did for me today!” she gasps. “Look at me. Just look at me! I didn’t even know I could look this pretty! I’m gorgeous!”
“Yes, yes you are,” I tell her. “And I think now we’re going to wrap up this fun by going back to our place and having a little fashion show.”
“Your place?” Tori asks.
“We have an apartment off campus,” Cory says.
“Wait, you three are roommates?” she asks. “How did I not know this?”
“Are you surprised?” Taylor asks her. “I mean, we do everything together, why wouldn’t we also live together?”