  Nadine timidly gazed at Sebastian over her slim shoulder as they walked down the Riley’s grocery aisle. A generic, upbeat melody tuned lowly in the stores’ speakers. When her eyes caught his, she smiled broadly, the small gap between her two front teeth flashing before she briskly turned away. Sebastian’s brows furrowed. Why did she smile at me like that? He mentally pondered in silent thought as he continued to push the cart along. And why’d I smile back?
  After a long day at work, Sebastian had reluctantly—after many fits of pouts and begging (he didn’t know how much more toppings bribery he could hear)—agreed to take Nadine into town. Since she couldn’t go outside any longer, she had been moping around for days. Usually, when Sebastian returned home, she would either be sitting on the hardwood floor by the wide windows at the back, or on her bed staring out at nature like a longing lover.
  Thanks to the frigid Autumn weather, the sun had long set, and a thick fog loomed over the small town. Holiday lights streamed the skeletons of trees lining up and down the sidewalks.
  Inside the towns only store, Nadie stood by the cart, her hair braided with silk ribbons and dressed in one of Sadie’s old winter jackets. (The poor thing was so small, the thick fabric nearly swallowed her whole, leaving only her tiny legs peeking out from underneath as she waddled down the aisles.) Sebastian continued to push the cart and read through the shopping list he naively let Nadine make.
  He’d pull a face at a few of the unnecessary items she scribbled down in the dull crimson color pencil: things like strawberry milk, some of the “good” cereal (whatever that meant,) lollipops, and bananas. (Lately, she’d been taking a liking to his fruit bowl. Always nibbling on an apple core or grapes as she read through some of his old books; laying upside down, on the couch, her ribboned braids sprawled out on the ground above her little head.) Casually, he skipped them and called out the next item for Nadine. “Two cans of tomato puree.”
  Nadine lifted her small arm above her head—even stood on the tips of her toes—but still couldn’t reach. Her low grunts caught Sebastian’s attention, and he found himself smirking. When heavily exhaled in defeat, she grudgingly pleaded, “help.” Sebastian’s grin only widened. He told her he’d get it as he stepped around the cart and leaned past her. Sebastian could feel Nadine staring at him. Even when he glanced, she didn’t hide it, only smiled childishly. He could feel his breath leave him, and he tore his gaze away from her. Buzz. When he felt his phone vibrate, tossed the cans in the cart and pulled out his Mobile. Flashing on the screen was Lydia’s name. Sebastian smiled heartwarmingly.
  “Two questions,” Lydia’s wholesome voice chimed through the speakers, the faint sound of movement and shuffling in the distance rumbled. Sebastian could already envision her currently shoveling through her desk at the office, desperately trying to finish so she could head home. Lydia was one of the only people Sebastian worked with that he genuinely liked (and could bare.) Everyone else only ever seemed to annoy him.
  With a lopsided grin, Sebastian murmured, “Okay.”
  “The file you left on my desk, is that for the Denver project?”
  “Yes.”
  “Okay.” He could hear something move and her sigh heavily. “And second, I noticed you left me two different sketches . . .” she trailed off and waited for him to explain.
  “Yes,” he replied, “since I wasn’t there for the meeting with the company, I wasn’t sure what exactly the clients were going for, so I left you two to pick from.”
  “Okay, I was just a little confused.” She gave a small chuckle, and Sebastian soon followed.
Nadine’s brows dipped as she watched Sebastian’s reaction on the phone. She watched the way he smiled so naturally, so casually. Like he heard the most beautiful sounds. Was it his girlfriend, Sadie? She pondered. Was that who he’s talking to? She could feel irritation warm her blood and instantly pressed her lips together. Why was he smiling like that? Who’s he talking to? Nadine frowned. She bit on the inside of her cheek and wiggled the cart to remind Sebastian what they were there to do.
  “Hold on, Lydia”—Lydia? He moved the phone away, and in a much lower voice, whispered to Nadine, “Could you get the milk from the freezer aisle, real quick? Two percent.” Back into the phone, he added, “No one.”
  Nadine stood her ground, not-so-subtly glowering at a distracted Sebastian. Lydia said something funny—she must have—because Sebastian’s eyes lit up with a throaty chuckle. One that sounded like liquid gold to Nadine’s ears and rocked her by the core. When it was painfully clear she wasn’t going to be getting his attention anytime soon, she flounced away with a huff. At the freezer section in the back of the store, she sought out the two percent milk as Sebastian instructed. Again, it was another item that was stacked too high for Nadine; who only stood at four feet and eleven inches.
  “Oh, I’ll get that for you, sweetie!” Called out a voice from behind. Nadine turned and met with an older lady. She wore a moss green sweater with white slacks, her dark brown hair cut in a bob, and she had deep crow marks that seemed to intensify with her wide smile. Nadine looked the lady up and down as she stepped aside. When the woman was distracted with the milk, Nadine took the opportunity to peek into her cart; toilet paper in bulk, a Vogue magazine with a beautiful lady on the cover, two bottles of red wine, and a tub of Rocky Road ice cream scattered the inside in a haphazard yet organized fashion.
  Nadine smirked. She slanted the lady a cunning glance. With the milk in hand, the women turned back and handed Nadine the milk with extra care like it was a newborn babe. “Now run along little girl and find your daddy. I’m sure he’s worried sick wondering where you’ve gone off to,” she said in a disgustingly sweet voice.
  Ugh—“Thank you, lady!” Nadine replied in an equally disgustingly sweetest tone as she forced a smile and turned on her feet. The moment her back was to the women, Nadine’s smile bent into a sneer, and she rolled her eyes. With a scowl still consuming her delicate features, Nadine joined Sebastian in the bread aisle. She dropped the milk in the cart and hesitantly eyed him. He was crouched in front of the white bread section, scanning through for the brand he always got. No sign of his phone. No sign of Lydia.
  They got the rest of the groceries and went to the checkout. As the worker rang up their items, Sebastian pulled out his wallet and already began reaching for his credit card. Nadine gazed at the rack of gums and magazines and found the same Vogue magazine the other lady had in her cart, (the one with the beautiful girl on the cover.) Nadine would kill to look like someone like her. She tugged on Sebastian’s sleeve and pointed at the magazines, pulling her best puppy dog eyes. Sebastian took one look at the magazine rack and shook his head. “Nadine no.” She pouted some more and leaned against him, peering up at him through her lashes, her bottom lip puckering. “Please?” Nadine repeatedly begged with a small voice. “Pretty, pretty please?”
  “Nadine,” Sebastian began much sternly. Her gaze darted back to him, and she swallowed. In defeat, he grumbled, “. . . Fine.”
  Nadine visibly lit up like a Christmas tree. Before Sebastian could change his mind, she swiped the magazine from the rack and tossed it on the conveyor belt the grocer was using to bring the rest of the items up for ringing.
  Light rain pattered on the bedroom window. Nadine continued to flip through the magazine. Halfway through, she found herself drawn to one image in particular. It was a lipstick add that showcased a new velvety, cherry red color. The girl they had modeling it looked so sophisticated and beautiful. The crimson shade did compliments for her fair skin and piercing blue gaze. And the bold color made her look far more mature than her actual age.
  Nadine slipped out of bed and quietly tiptoed to Sebastian’s room. He was in the living room, drinking and getting more work done. She briefly peeked into the hallway to find him propped on the couch, marking papers and sketching. From the top of the dresser, Nadine snuck a tube of cherry red lipstick and carefully made her way back to her room without disturbing a visibly worn Sebastian. She sat on the carpeted floor in front of the body length mirror that stood in the far corner of the room. The magazine was lying beside her, opened onto the page with the beautiful lipstick add. Nadine took off the cap with an audible ‘pop!’ and swiped it along her lips in one motion. The product went on smoothly, the formula so creamy, Nadine felt as though she’d put soften butter onto her lips. She eyed her reflection. There were parts where the color either never met the natural lining of her pink lips or ran far past. With an expressionless face, Nadine stared at her self and pondered. Why don’t I look like the girl in the magazine? (Why wasn’t the color complimenting her skin as it did to the model and make her look more mature?)
  Using her thumb, Nadine swiped at her skin, trying to clean up the lines as much as possible. Soon, faint scarlet stains ran along her plump lips.
  Nadine eyed her reflection and sighed heavily.
  With a pout, she used the back of her hand to wipe off the creamy paint from her lips. The cherry red left a stain on her plump pout. Messily, Nadine rubbed her hand over her lips to get rid of the crimson color as much as possible. But still, it lingered like a ghost.
  “Crap . . . “
  Nadine eyed the ajar bedroom door through the mirror’s reflection, and instantly her mind flooded back to Sebastian.Â
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