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“Nine!”

“And it’s what got me interested in sci-fi, horror, and makeup. And—”

“Wait, wait...nine?”

I shrug. “Yeah. My parents weren’t pleased and didn’t let her babysit me too often after that. ButAlienis about so much more than gore and jump scares, and that’s what she wanted to show me, what my parents didn’t understand. It was—is—agroundbreaking film. Not just because the special effects are so amazing, but because this movie is a complete feminist icon. Back then, women weren’t heroes. They weren’t action stars. But Sigourney Weaver fuckin’ nailed it, and Ripley became not just an amazing female protagonist, but one of the most iconic action stars of all time. What a badass.”

Ellie twists in her seat and looks up at me. “I think you’ve talked more just now than the entire rest of our time together.”

“Sorry.”

“No,” she says, grabbing my leg and smiling. “I like it.”

I relax against her.

She continues, her voice gentle. “It’s clear you’re extremely passionate. And you obviously have the talent to make your dreams come true. I have zero doubts that someday you’ll get to work on an amazing set like this.”

My heart swells at her words, then sinks with reality. “I doubt it.” I force myself to look away from Ellie, fiddling with a loose string on the blanket over our lap. “I’ve applied for lots of jobs over the years, all over Canada and the United States. And yet, I keep doing the same boring shit over, and over, and over again. I thought this movie would be my big break. I thought,hey, it’s a movie, it’sgottabe better than what I’m doing in the wedding scene. But I’m here, and I’m still doing the same thing I’ve always done. I feel even further from my goal than before.”

Ellie gives my arm a squeeze. I look down at her, and she’s so close, her big doe eyes shining. We share a moment of silence, a buzz of electricity building between us as tension coils in my belly.

Our eyes dance. She leans closer. My lips part...

“Do me,” she whispers.

My heart stutters. “What?”

“Do my makeup.”

“Oh.” I blink a few times and give my head a shake, letting the tension dissipate. The zing I’d felt earlier must have been my imagination. “Are you sure?”

Ellie sits up, tucking her legs underneath herself. “Yeah! Do my makeup the way you wish you could, if you were on an awesome set like this. Please?”

She doesn’t have to ask me twice.

I retrieve my duffel bag from my car and sit her on a stool in the kitchen,Aliensplaying in the background for inspiration. We switch effortlessly between silence and conversation as I apply the various layers, giddy to finally use all the expensive shit I bought eons ago but have barely touched. “I love your nose,” I say, running my finger up the ridge as I spread makeup onto it.

“Really? I wish it were smaller. And swooped up at the tip, like Tinker Bell’s.”

“What? No. I like this little bump here.” I run my finger along it one more time. “The first time I did your makeup I remember thinking,ooh, I like this nose, this is a different nose.”

“No, it’s weird.” She cowers, trying to cover it.

I stop her with a gentle reprimand. “Don’t touch your face. I’m almost done.”

She sighs, trying to relax. “It’s not just the weird hump on my nose. It’s my mouth. I’m not sure if my chin is too small, or my teeth are too big, or my lips are too thin, but there’s something off about it.”

“What? No, you’re—”

“And my eyes are too close together. Paired with my nose that’s too long, it’s disconcerting. And don’t get me started on my hair. If only it would make up its mind! Is it curly? Is it straight? Can it do just one thing rather than a bit of everything? Like, get it together—”

I grab her chin and force her to look into my eyes. “Stop it.”

She gulps, her eyes darting back and forth between mine.

“Stop dissecting yourself like that. There is nothing wrong with your nose, or your lips, or your chin, or your teeth, or your eyes, or your hair. Okay? You’re perfect, just the way you are. I wouldn’t change a single thing about you.”

Her eyes grow round and glassy, and I can feel her throat working behind my fingers.