Page 20 of Holly Jolly July

Mariah

It’s been two days since I’ve worked with Ellie, and somehow I’ve forgotten just how much of a chatterbox she is. Everyone

else might say a word or two, then sit in silence while I do my job—which is normal. Ellie, however, is the opposite. I kind

of missed it. Almost.

“And ohmygod, Mariah, the makeup you did for me the other day worked!” she squeals in excitement, her whole body tensing like

a coiled spring.

“Oh yeah?” I smile, glad she was happy with her results. I apply the primer, running my fingers in quick circles over her

skin.

“Yes! He couldn’t take his eyes off me, and after he fixed my stove—”

I snort. “Sounds like a euphemism.”

“—he asked me out! And he totally kissed me when he left. It was just like a little kiss, but still, he’s a gentleman and

it was beyond sweet.”

“Aw, that’s nice.” I apply the foundation that’s two shades too light for her skin tone, as per my instructions.

“Yeah! And then, okay, so yesterday, he’d asked me out on a date, and then he came over and he was so sweet! And, you know

how important Christmas is to me—”

“Sure do.”

“—and he totally made me a Christmas dinner! Turkey and potatoes and stuffing, the works. He said he made pie, but he was

just joking—there was no pie. I’ll have to get him to make me his infamous pie another day.”

I huff a laugh through my nose. It cracks me up, the things Ellie focuses on.

She continues. “And after that we cuddled and talked about life and our plans and then he carried me to bed—literally carried me. He may not have made me pie but that doesn’t mean we didn’t have dessert, if you know that I mean—” Ellie winks at me obnoxiously through the mirror, and I can’t help but shake my head with a smile.

Then Ellie clasps her hands and squeezes them to her chest, sighing.

“The way he treated me, he was so patient and careful and thoughtful and gentle. Afterward he stayed and snuggled and talked. We want the same number of kids and dogs and chickens! He’s into gardening and homemaking and pickling and I can totally see us on a little acreage together.

We have such similar ideas for our futures!

I think he’s starting to have feelings for me.

I know it’s only been three days, and two and a half dates, but I think he’s really special.

You know? When you know, you know, that’s what they say! ”

I nod. “I know what you mean. The guy I’m seeing was just supposed to be a fun distraction but he’s... I don’t know.”

“Oh yeah, you’re seeing someone, too! We’re both getting a little Christmas action, eh?”

I grimace. “I don’t know about that, but I saw him again yesterday. And again last night. And again this morning.”

Ellie rubs her hands together. “You gonna elaborate on those details, or are you going to let my imagination do the heavy

lifting?”

I place a hand on my hip and tut at her sarcastically. “A lady never relinquishes details.”

She waits, slowly twisting in her chair to look up at me, an eyebrow raising as she does.

I grin and bite my lip against a laugh. “Okay, okay. So last night he comes home from work. It’s late, but I’m waiting up

for him. He’s getting a snack from the kitchen, and he lifts me up and puts me on the counter and we, you know, right there.”

Ellie moans. “Hot!”

“I know, right?” I finish the foundation and move to her eyebrows, penciling them in a bit more. “I love it when a guy can lift me, toss me around a bit, press me up against a wall. Jax is pretty fit.”

“Oh my god, so is Matt. He has all these muscles.” She sings the word muscles while her hands grope invisible biceps. “And all these tattoos, which surprised me because they’re all hidden under his shirt

and he didn’t really seem to be the type to have them. But they’re pretty spiritual. The other day—get this—he told me he

must have been a good person for karma to bring us together.” Ellie grips her chest like her heart is about to burst out of

it.

“That’s actually super cute,” I agree. “I’m glad you found someone like him. He seems really special.”

“Thanks, Mariah! I’m glad you reconnected with someone, too; it’s nice that you found your way back to each other. And I’m

glad it’s looking more long-term than a hookup—not that there’s anything wrong with that, but you deserve happiness, too.”

I give Ellie a smile. “He did say he wants to come visit me in Vancouver.”

“Gahhh, Ma- ri -ah!” She pronounces all three syllables of my name again. “I’m so excited for you!”

“Thanks. I’m happy for you, too.” I move to her eyes, using dark colours to make her seem more tired than she is.

“Matt is everything I’ve been looking for but wasn’t sure I’d ever find. He’s smart, and sweet, and a hard worker, and he

can cook. And we’re compatible! He’s an Aries—he has an Aries tattoo right beside his c—”

I slip and stab Ellie in the eye with my brush.

“Ow! Fuck!” Ellie cries out and leans forward, pressing her palm to her eye.

The cast and crew freeze, looking over at us.

“Is everything okay?” Jimmie asks from the opposite side of the room.

“Uh, yeah!” I say, though everything is not okay and I’m trying not to panic. “Just a makeup mishap. We’re fine.” Turning back to Ellie, I bend to her ear level and eye her through the mirror. “Describe this tattoo. In detail.”

She’s rubbing her red, watery eye, her mouth forming a rare frown. “Uh, it was half a ram skull, half a V.”

I stand back up quickly. Too quickly. Dizzy, I grip the back of Ellie’s chair and force myself to breathe. “It’s not a V.

It’s a Κρι?? .”

“A what now?”

“The Greek symbol for Aries.”

“So...?”

“Jax has the same tattoo.”

Ellie flings her hands in two directions, one of them smacking into my boob. “How is it possible there are two guys with the

same oddly specific tattoo on their groin?”

“I’d say the possibilities are very low.”

Ellie’s eyes pop open. “You don’t mean...? No.”

“Yes.”

“No!”

I grip the back of the chair and stare deeply into Ellie’s eyes. My stomach rolls, and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to speak

the next sentence without barfing. “Ellie... Jax was his basketball nickname. He went by it ever since middle school. His

full name is Matthew Jackson.”

Ellie’s eyes widen in shock and disbelief, her mouth slowly falling open.

“Five minutes,” Yueyi calls.

I clear my throat and wrap my hands in Ellie’s hair, pulling it quickly into a bun. My mind is reeling.

“Ow,” she scolds when I pull at her hair too forcefully. “It’s not true. It can’t be the same guy. Matt is kind, and caring,

and thoughtful, and so sweet—what we have is special. He made a complicated romantic date and cooked for me and we snuggled

and talked about our lives and our futures. He isn’t the type of guy to hook up with someone at a bar.”

I grip her hair a little harder. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing!” Ellie winces. “He seems like the type to want to get to know someone first, is all.”

“I hardly think one date is getting to know someone.”

“Two and a half dates,” she corrects, lifting her chin.

I snort in derision. “What, like two and a half dates makes you better than me or something?”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that. Sorry,” she backpedals, scrunching her mouth to the side.

“Besides, technically we’ve known each other for years. Way longer than you two. Which means you should believe what I’m trying

to tell you.”

Jax had a reputation in high school. Despite dating Bethany and various other beautiful, popular girls, he was known to have

the type of bed posts your dad warned you about—the ones covered in notches. I’ve changed so much since high school, and after

talking to him these past few days, I thought he had, too.

I guess I was wrong.

Ellie gives her head a vigorous shake, standing up. “Okay, maybe you’re right, maybe Matt and Jax are somehow the same guy—”

“I know I’m right, I—”

Ellie cuts me off, eyes wild, a finger lifted in reprimand. “ Or this is a coincidence. Matt and Jax are nothing alike. The way you described him doesn’t line up with the guy I know. And

Matt wouldn’t do this to me. The way he held me and talked to me... and we have the same names picked out for our kids

and...” She trails off, the rims of her eyes turning pink.

“I’m sorry, Ellie. This sucks.”

She sniffs hard and sets her jaw. “Matthew’s a common first name, and I have no idea what his last name is.”

“The tattoo—”

She flings her arms to her sides, hitting my boob again. “Maybe there’s some weird fraternity here and they all got matching tattoos? Maybe they’re cousins and that’s their family sigil? Maybe the tattoo was on a wall in a parlour and they both thought it would look great next to their d—”

“Time, everyone! Let’s go.” Yueyi’s final warning echoes through the room. Ellie is the last actress they’re waiting on, and

she gives us a pointed look.

Ellie heads to the costume area, disappearing behind a curtain.

I wait, pacing while chewing on a nail. I wish it weren’t true, but my heart is telling me Jax—Matt—is a lying asshole, and

he’s tricked us both.

He didn’t need to lie to me. I would have been fine with a no-strings-attached romp to get my high school yearning out of

my system. Then he had to go and make me think he had feelings for me... that he always had. It hurts. But being well-versed

in fuckboyery, at least I saw the red flags. I chose to ignore them, yes, but I’m not entirely surprised by this revelation.

Poor Ellie. She is totally convinced by his lying scheme. Jax knew the only way into her pants was to make her think he wanted

more, and damn was he convincing. It turns my stomach knowing that he was whispering sweet nothings in her ear and then hours

later bending me over his dining room table spanking me.

Ellie emerges in her barista outfit. “We need to confirm one way or another before we jump to conclusions.”

“You’re right,” I say, though I don’t think she’s right at all. “We need to know for sure. I’ll go talk to him once he’s at