People don’t take trips, trips take people - Antoine 14

“Ok, I think you need to start again”, Lily said through the phone as Antoine showed her the look he had created.

Antoine sighed, “I know, I look like a clown”, he replied downbeat.

“Don’t be like that, come on, how can you expect to be an expert makeup artist after just a few days, it took me years to learn this stuff”, Lily replied trying to lift his spirits, “you just need to use less eyeshadow and contour a little, now grab a wet wipe, clean off everything and I’ll talk you through it, ok”?

Antoine nodded, knowing he was going to have to go out no matter what, and it would make things easier if he at least looked the part, especially with Marianne, watching him like a hawk. Rummaging through the pile of makeup items covering the top of Zara's Vanity. he found a makeup wipe, and went about removing the products coating his face, that he had spent the last hour painstakingly applying.

Fresh-faced with his eyes stringing a little, Antoine picked back up the phone, “ok, what do I do”? he asked forcing himself to smile.

“Ok, first find a small tube that says primer, dab a little on that orange makeup sponge and rub it into your skin in a circular motion”, lily said as Antoine got to work.

Lily continued with her step-by-step guide, instructing her boyfriend on how to curl his lashes, blend his eyeshadow, and draw the perfect wingtip at the corner of each eye. 

By the time Antoine finished his makeup, closing the lid on the pink lipstick, he had just carefully applied to his lips, Lily looked on, proud of what she had achieved with her spontaneous online makeup lesson and thought once again about how cute Antoine looked.

“Now, what are you planning to wear”, Lily asked.

“I was thinking the black legging and a long sleeve top”, Antoine replied, having already placed the items on the bed.

Lily shook her head, “no, you can’t wear the same outfit again, it will look odd, you’re supposed to be a girl who loves fashion, you need to mix it up”.

“Mix it up how”? Antoine asked knowing he wouldn’t like the answer.

For the next 30 minutes, Antoine was stuck in an endless cycle of hell, trying on some combination of clothes, sending a picture to Lily, who had now gone back to working having finished her break, before sitting down in the humiliating girly outfit, waiting for Lily to reply with the inevitable comment saying something was wrong and suggesting a new outfit.

Sitting on the bed in the latest suggestion from Lily, a cream-coloured sleeveless blouse, a flared stone coloured mini skirt, and the wedge sandals Monique had purchased from Brie, the day they went to visit Lily, Antoine shivered a little as he felt the cold air on his exposed arms and legs, in the cool air-conditioned room. Lifting his arms, he crossed them across his body and rubbed his upper arms to try and warm up a little as there was a knock on the door.

Taking a deep breath, he stood up on his wooden-soled shoes and clomped over to open the door, finding a dressed up and ready to party, Marianne.

“You look nice, Zar”, She said walking in without being invited, “thanks for letting us borrow your stuff, I love this dress., who’s it by”? she asked staring at him, waiting for a reply.

(See image 24)

“Err… I’m not sure about that one” Antoine stuttered, “I haven’t worn it in so long”.

Marianne tilted her head to the side and screwed up her eyes, “really! but even so, you must have some idea, especially a dress as expensive as this, it’s not like you have that many designer things in here" she replied in a mocking voice, as Antoine felt himself start to sweat.

“Well, at first, I thought it might be a Balmain, but It’s not right”? Marianne asked as Antoine quickly agreed, “right”, he repeated.

“Yeah, I thought as much”, she said nodding along with Antoine, “oh, I know, I’ve got it, it must be a Louis Boobaton from the ready to wok collection a few years ago, that’s it isn’t it”? She announced excitedly.

Antoine saw and out and took it, “yes, that’s it, it's a Louis Boobaton”, he replied, feeling nervous looking into Marianne's piercing eyes, as though she was peering into his soul, “wow, you really know your stuff, Marianne”, he said hoping a compliment might ease the tension.

“Thanks, Zar, I always try to keep up with all the latest trends and designs, but I’m jealous, you must know so much more than me, right? I mean, having studied fashion design for all those years. Where was it you studied again”? Marianne replied, once again sounding as though she was mocking him.

Antoine smiled, he knew the answer to this one, “The Institut Français de la Mode, that’s where I met Lily”, he replied this time with confidence.

“Oh yeah, of course, I remember, silly me, well", she said smiling, "Well, I should get back and see how Claude is getting on, but before I go, I have one last question, as a fashion expert, given the choice, what shoes would you wear for a day walking around Paris, sightseeing? A pair of Christian Louboutins or a pair of Tods”?

Antoine froze, he had never heard of either of those names, but he knew he was being tested on his fashion knowledge and would have to choose one. He said the names over in his mind as he considered the way they sounded. The first one sounded French and much more fashionable whereas the second one sounded American and perhaps a little boring. But was that the idea? said with the intention to catch him out.

As Marianne looked on smiling, Antoine started to tremble as he pushed his elevated feet down into the ground, hoping that she wouldn’t notice, “The Christian Louboutin”, he blurted out, hoping he had pronounced the name correctly, having reasoned it sounded more fashionable and must be the correct answer.

Marianne nodded, causing Antoine to smile, feeling confident he had chosen the right on, “Ok, I’ll remember, thanks, Zar, and thanks for the Louis Boobaton. I’ll be sure to look after it”, she said leaving the room and giggling.

With the conversation from earlier forgotten and still wearing the outfit from earlier, he had been forced to wear after Marianne had seen him with it on, Antoine sat in a rooftop bar overlooking Paris. 

It was a beautiful evening; the perfect temperature to be sat outside, still, and pleasantly warm with a clear sky above them full of stars and the city of love, so alive and full of energy beneath them.

Taking a sip of his fancy cocktail, captivated by the brightly lit city below, Antoine finally let himself relax, he reasoned that if no one had outted him at this point, his disguise was probably good enough to fool everyone, and worrying about it all the time was just needless stress and wasted energy, even his outfit that evening, wasn't really bothering him, and apart from his tightly tucked away penis, it actually felt rather comfortable.

The other three women around the small circular table, Monique, Claudia, and Marianne all looked beautiful and stylish in their fancy night-time outfits, and as Antoine tried to keep himself to himself, they chatted away happily about Marianne’s internship at the famous bridal store Fifi, 

Looking down at his phone and noticing that it was almost eleven o'clock, Antoine felt a little anxious and worried. Lily was supposed to meet them at the bar almost an hour ago and although she had a track record of being late it wasn’t like her to not let him know. 

Excusing himself, by saying he needed to use the bathroom, Antoine left the table, trotted out of the rooftop bar, and found a quiet spot but when he tried calling, Lily's phone just went straight through to the answering machine. 

After the third time of trying and hearing the same irritating message, Antoine was really starting to think that something bad might have happened to her, but at the same time he didn’t want to jump to conclusions, she was a strong independent woman, able to look after herself and was only 50 minutes, she may just have been held up somewhere. He slumped against the wall and considered going to tell Monique, but then thought twice as he knew she would overreact and cause a massive fuss, perhaps over nothing.

Luckily for Antoine, he didn’t have to make the decision as a text from Lily came through on his phone and having quickly opened it, he was released to find his suspicions to be true. she’d been held up at work by a late customer and would be there in ten minutes. He breathed a sigh of relief, opening his large flat purse and placing his phone back inside. 

He had just closed the button, having fumbled for a second, thanks to his nails, when Antoine did something that would change his life forever, something automatic, something he had done a million times before, but in the coming years as Antoine replayed the moment in his mind over and over, it was the one he would have given anything to be able to go back and change.

“Antoine”, someone called out in a loud voice.

Instinctively, Antoine lifted his head, responding to the call of his name, as a terror washed over him, coming face to face with Marianne, who was now staring at him with her mouth wide open.

“I knew it”, she shrieked excitedly, “I knew it was you”.

(See image 24)