“Yes – and I got out the movies. I have them on DVD, so we can pause them, if we need to.”
“Perfect.”
He quickly put the drill back in the top of the closet where she’d dug it out for him and returned to her side.
“Can I help with anything?” he asked easily – and then swallowed.
There was a tube on the counter of charcoal face mask, some Neutrogena lotion, ChapStick, and a small purple pot of some weird looking goop that he couldn’t identify.
“I put the Epsom salt in the trays,” she said quietly, refusing to look at him, which had his interest piqued as he was trying to figure out what was behind this sudden hesitancy. “I’ve got some water heating, so we’ll be ready in just a few.”
“Sounds good. Did you already kick off your shoes? Do you mind if I yank off my boots?”
“Not at all, go ahead.”
“Can I help?” he asked again – and saw her shake her head, looking away again.
“No, why don’t you sit down, and I’ll bring the stuff over.”
“Alright,” he agreed, hoping to put her at ease.
Jax went and took a seat on the couch, looking around her tiny studio apartment and realizing that this was it.
This was the entire apartment.
When he’d yanked open the door thinking her ex was here – he expected one of them to be a bedroom where someone could be hiding… only to realize that this was the entire place.
So where did she sleep?
There was a small chest of drawers along the wall that he’d originally thought was a buffet table – but now understood that it held her clothing. The closet wasn’t a storage closet… it was her bedroom closet.
Perhaps the couch was a pull-out unit? He certainly wouldn’t judge, because he had a bunk and a footlocker, but it struck him as odd and was strangely offended because he found himself wanting to provide.
He didn’t dare say a word, knowing it would only put her on the defensive or make her antsy. This wasn’t his home, so as long as she was content? He would be happy for her.
As she walked over to him, he saw the bag of Epsom salt and nodded.
“I can add some more in each tray, if you want…”
“Are you sure about all of this,” she said hesitantly. “When you said ‘do your worst’… I may have taken it too far.”
“Be confident and trust yourself with me,” he smiled, nodding. “This will be a lot of fun, and different for both of us. Think of it as an ‘ice breaker’ for our friendship.”
That had been ten minutes ago.
Now, he was sitting there on the couch beside Mary, experiencing the strangest, most alarming thing ever. His face was completely covered in a charcoal mask that had her trying to hide a smile as she put it all over his forehead and cheeks – and put a blue one on her own skin.
It wasn’t sexy in the slightest and he knew she was doing it deliberately on purpose to drive him off…
… But the two sticks protruding from his nose were a different matter altogether.
She literally took the purple goop and was putting it up a nostril on what looked like a popsicle stick before he could say a word – and pinching his nose for a moment.
“Um… okay?” he said nasally, looking at her curiously. “So, I take it you like a really well-kept guy?”
“I saw it online,” she admitted sheepishly. “I like doing mine, and maybe I’m weird, but…”
“Nope. Go for it,” he encouraged and winced slightly as she put the other warm purple wad of goop up his other nostril, pinching his nose again.