Glittery blue eyeshadow

Ella Mitchell

1973 London 

Elaine stood in front of the tiny bathroom mirror in her flat. She carefully inspected the details of her glittery blue toned makeup look. Rita, her roommate, had suggested trying out the new eyeshadow she’d bought while out at the shops a few days ago. Elaine was never a fan of wearing much more than a bit of eyeliner and blush, but for some reason she thought trying out the whole blue glam look was a good choice for the night. Maybe it had something to do with the gorgeous velvet blue flares she'd picked out, or the silver platform shoes, or maybe even the star patterned halter top. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the simple promise that the band with that heartstopping guitarist would be playing at the pub tonight. Elaine had harbored somewhat of a crush on the guitarist of this obscure college band she’d been going with Rita to see for the past several weeks. Rita had been seeing the band’s drummer for a few months now. When Rita had started going out to gigs, she brought Elaine along too. The two young women were practically inseparable college roommates who worked at the same little clothes shop and were both pursuing English degrees. 

“Let me see! Let me see!” Rita said, pushing herself into their small shared bathroom and brushing her vibrant red hair back from her face. 

“I’m not so sure how I feel about it,” Elaine replied, leaning away from the mirror to look at herself from a distance. 

“Oh, Elaine! It’s perfect. Sure to catch Lee’s attention,” Rita winked, nudging her friend in the ribs. 

“Rita! I promise you that’s not the only reason I’m going out tonight. I quite like their music, you know,” Elaine said, her face reddening. 

“Sure, sure! Though you know there’s no shame in having the hots for a musician. Just look at me with Rain,” Rita giggled. 

Elaine just shook her head. When Rita had first brought Rain home, she was sure their little fling wouldn’t last. Elaine had heard alot about this infamous drummer across all of the girls in the English department at uni. So far, Rita was proving her wrong. Rain had seemed to clean up his act when he started dating Rita, and Elaine was happy her friend was finally in what seemed to be a stable relationship. Both Rita and of course Rain had found out about Elaine’s

little crush about a week ago and had made it their mission to absolutely humiliate Elaine whenever she was in Lee’s presence. It was all in good fun, they had said. Following up with claiming that they just wanted to play matchmaker, of course. Elaine and Lee had had a few brief conversations after gigs in the previous weeks, which always seemed to be interrupted by the suggestive comments Rita and Rain liked to throw around. 

Elaine personally thought her feelings were getting a bit out of hand. That was why tonight, she had decided, would be the night she actually made a serious attempt at flirting with Lee. If he didn’t reciprocate, she’d told herself that her little infatuation had to be over. So maybe it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Elaine’s fancy outfit and sparkling makeup were, in fact, to grab Lee’s attention. Elaine left the bathroom, deciding her makeup was as good as it was going to get. She walked to the hall closet and grabbed her coat and bag before leaning up against the wall to wait on Rita. Eventually, Rita decided her appearance was acceptable enough, and the two girls left their flat. 

The walk to the little pub where the band was playing was chilly. Elaine had pulled her coat tighter around her numerous times. She was starting to feel her fingers grow numb by the time they finally arrived. Rita weaved her way through the small crowd of other university students with Elaine following close behind. The band didn’t go on for at least another ten minutes, so Rita had made the decision to drag Elaine backstage with her to visit Rain. 

Rita led the way into the small dressing room where the boys were getting ready, immediately flopping onto the dusty old couch that Rain was sitting on. He greeted her with a kiss. Elaine fought the urge to wrinkle her nose as she stood uncomfortably by the door. “Elaine! Nice to see you!” Rain called from the couch. 

“Hi Rain,” Elaine awkwardly smiled, inspecting the musty old room. 

The band’s bassist, Teddy, was sitting in the corner flipping through today’s paper. The lead vocalist, Finn, was applying an appalling amount of makeup in front of the small scratched mirror. Elaine looked around, searching for Lee, but noticed that he wasn’t there. She felt her heart sink a bit, but she wouldn’t dare go asking where he was. Elaine shrugged off her coat and hung it on the coat rack that was by the door to the dressing room, knowing that Rita would do the same before they took their places in the audience.

“Elaine! You look so sparkly!” Finn exclaimed, turning from the mirror to inspect her outfit, “you’ll have to tell me where you found those shoes! Teddy’s been looking for some new ones for the stage, haven’t you?” 

Teddy looked up from the paper, his long brown hair falling back out of his face. Elaine had always thought highly of Teddy. He’d seemed the most tame out of the bunch and most certainly was always respectful to her and Rita. 

“That’s exactly the type I was telling Finn about. Where’d you find them?” He asked, smiling enthusiastically. 

“We’ve got ‘em at the shop!” Rita chimed in, she had now made herself comfortable on the filthy couch, her head resting on Rain. 

“We’ll have to stop in sometime, won’t we Teddy?” Finn smiled, turning his attention back to the mirror. Teddy nodded. 

Elaine smiled, trying not to make it obvious that she was looking around the room searching for any traces of Lee. She glanced over at Rita to try and give her a questioning look, but Rita was already completely transfixed by something Rain was whispering to her. 

Elaine could see why Rita (and apparently so many other women) had fallen for Rain. He had dark hair and dark eyes, making him appear quite mysterious to everyone around him. Rain and Finn were brothers. They were just a year apart with Finn being the older of the two. They looked very similar if you saw them standing together in everyday life. On stage, however, Finn appeared way more glamorous than Rain. All of the boys wore some makeup, but Finn always took it to the next level. Elaine had always found him very interesting. He always loved to stop into the little shop she and Rita worked at. Elaine figured that, if Rita continued seeing Rain, Elaine and Finn could become good friends. 

“Excuse me.” Elaine was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts by a voice behind her. It was a voice that she recognized all too well. 

“So sorry!” Elaine said, flushing, as she moved out of Lee’s way. 

Lee brushed past Elaine without even giving it a second thought. He seemed to be upset. Elaine watched as he flopped down at the other end of the old couch Rita and Rain were currently cuddled up on. 

“Chat with the manager didn't go so well?” Finn asked, turning away from his spot at the mirror yet again.

“You’ll have to talk to him. He’s not wanting to pay the amount we agreed on. I’m not the best at business dealings, Finn, that’s your job,” Lee huffed, crossing his arms. 

“Ah, I’ll handle it after,” Finn weakly smiled. 

Elaine still hung by the door, a concerned look now resting on her face. 

“God, Rain, can you get your girls out of here? We’ve got more serious things to deal with right now,” Lee snapped, clearly disturbed by the fact that Rita was taking up quite a bit of the couch. 

“Excuse me?” Rita gasped, turning to look at Lee. 

“Who are you to talk? Rain’ll move on to another one in a couple of months. Don’t think you’re anything special.” 

Elaine was shocked at the way Lee was talking to her friend. She never thought he’d be capable of saying such harsh things completely unprovoked. In the couple times they had spoken, he’d always been pleasant to both her and Rita. She felt a twinge through her chest. This would definitely change things. 

“Lee, Rita and I have been together for a few months now. She’s not just some girl. She’s not disappearing anytime soon,” Rain said, speaking up for his girlfriend. 

“Oh what about Michelle? And Jennifer? And Lina? And Marie? Forgotten about all them so easily now?” Lee snapped with a bitter laugh, standing up from his spot on the couch. 

“That’s it. Enough.” Rain replied, gritting his teeth, “Rita you should probably head out to the audience now.” 

Rita angrily stood up from the couch, “you don’t tell me what to do, Rain! I can handle him.” 

“Rita.” Rain was up from his seat now, reaching out to grab Rita’s arm. 

She shrugged him off and stormed out of the tiny dressing room, shooting daggers at Lee and Rain on her way out. Elaine stood stock still. Bewildered by the events unfolding in front of her. Rain followed Rita out of the dressing room. 

“Hey, Rain! You forgot your spare,” Lee called, looking at Elaine. 

Elaine felt as if the breath was sucked out of her lungs. That was a serious blow. All of her giddy feelings about Lee fell away as she realized he only saw her as one of Rain’s girls. She felt the slight sting of tears pricking her eyes, but she willed herself not to cry. Finn and Teddy

just stared at her. She was frozen to the spot. Overwhelmed and crushed by Lee’s words. She felt like a broken-hearted school child. 

“Teddy, will you-,” Finn quietly directed. 

Teddy stood from his corner and walked over to Elaine, pushing past Lee who was still and brooding in the middle of the dressing room. He grabbed Elaine’s arm gently, shaking her out of her bewildered state and ushering her out of the room. 

“Lee, we’ve got to talk. This isn’t the first time you’ve done something like this,” Elaine heard Finn say calmly as the dressing room door closed behind her and Teddy. Elaine was crying now. Quietly, but still crying. She tended to let her emotions catch up to her sometimes. She was completely disheartened by the fact that the person she’d built up in her mind to be spectacular, was actually incredibly rude. Sure, they’d only had a few conversations so that really couldn’t be an accurate gauge of character, but Elaine had wanted him to be so wonderful so badly. The exchange in the dressing room completely destroyed her image of Lee. 

Teddy stopped walking and turned to look at her. An anxious look plastered on his face. She tried to blink back the tears, but it was too late, they’d already started falling freely down her cheeks now. 

“You don’t have to- I mean, you don’t have to be upset. Lee is just like that sometimes,” Teddy stammered, trying his best to comfort her. 

Elaine was humiliated. She hated that this man who she had only spoken to a couple of times was seeing her overreacting like this. Suddenly it hit her. The band had to go on in just a few minutes. 

“Shit I’m sorry. You’re about to go on, aren’t you,” she said, her voice shaky from crying. 

“Elaine, it’s…” he sighed, looking for the right words to say, “it’s really no big deal. It’s alright. Don’t worry about me.” 

Teddy seemed overwhelmed, stumbling over his words. Clearly he did not know how to handle a crying girl. Especially one who he thought was so spectacular. This moment was becoming painfully embarrassing for the both of them. 

A door swung open farther up the hallway. The dressing room door. Finn marched over to where Teddy and Elaine were standing.

He turned to Teddy, “We play this gig and then he’s out. We start looking for a new guitarist tomorrow.” 

“What?” Teddy asked, shocked. Lee had pulled stunts like this before, but never in front of guests. That must've been why Finn decided it was the last straw. 

“You heard me. C’mon we’ve got to go on,” Finn said, but quickly added, “I’m sorry about what happened, Elaine. You and Rita are always welcome backstage.” Elaine simply nodded as Finn and Teddy marched off to track down their drummer. Elaine knew she’d better follow them out of the hallway. She assumed Lee would be leaving the dressing room soon and she didn’t want him to see her like this. As the trio reached the split in the hall, one path leading to the room adjacent to the stage and the other back out to the audience, Teddy turned to her. 

“I’m sorry.” 

Elaine just nodded, before going off to find Rita. She was still confused by everything that had just happened. She quickly wiped the stray tears from her face, hoping that her makeup hadn’t noticeably smudged. Elaine exited the backstage area and began her search for Rita. She was at the bar, gulping down a drink. 

“Rita,” Elaine said, slipping onto the bar stool beside her. 

“Elaine I’m so sorry,” Rita shook her head, setting her now empty glass down on the bar top, “Rain and I talked. He said Lee’s been acting up like this ever since he joined the band. They’d dismissed it for a while, hoping that maybe he’d settle down eventually once they started playing regular gigs. Rain said that he’s never acted like that in front of guests before. He’s really sorry he didn’t warn you sooner. I- well, I think I’m going to stay, but if you’d like me to walk you home first I can.” 

Elaine sat in silence for a few seconds. Rita looked at her with pity in her eyes. “I’ll stay if you pay for my drink. I think I left my coat backstage, anyway. Can you ask Rain to get it after?” Elaine said at last. 

“Yes! Yes, of course, Elaine! Thank you for staying. Don’t worry, we’ll find you someone else to fall for! Someone much less hateful,” Rita excmailed, already jumping to giddy conclusions.

Elaine wasn’t in the mood to develop any sort of idealized feelings for anyone else. At least for a little while. Elaine’s sadness melted away, and she felt a tiny wave of anger come over her. How dare Lee act that way. Good thing Finn had finalized Lee’s departure from the band. 

Rita and Elaine spent most of the show at the bar top. The boys played angrily. It seemed obvious to the crowd that something was wrong. Elaine was a little nervous that they’d start screaming at each other on stage in front of everyone, but luckily they made it through the show without a spat. 

Elaine was feeling a little buzzed from the drinks Rita had so graciously bought her. After the show, she mustered up just enough alcohol induced confidence to head backstage with Rita to find Rain and retrieve her coat. Rita had definitely had a couple more drinks than Elaine. She had seemed to forget all about the night’s earlier events and was giggling like a school child the 

entire way backstage. They ran into Rain in the hallway. 

“Rain! Baby! You played absolutely fantastic!” Rita giggled, throwing her arms around Rain’s neck and successfully knocking him into the wall. 

“How many drinks has she had?” Rain laughed, looking at Elaine. 

“Too many to count, baby!” Rita answered for Elaine, kissing Rain sloppily on the cheek. “Let’s get you home, Rita,” Rain said playfully. 

“Stay with me tonight, Rain! I’m sure sweet Elaine-y can crash with a friend for the night,” Rita slurred. 

“Oh, Rita, I’m not sure that’s the best idea. Elaine probably just wants to go home after everything,” Rain said, glancing at Elaine. 

“It’s alright. I can, uh, just go for a walk for a bit and come in later?” Elaine suggested. She needed some fresh air after this night, anyways. 

“You’re sure?” Rain asked, seemingly concerned. Rita was still clinging to him. “Yeah it’s alright,” Elaine said, smiling weakly, “though, do you think the guys would mind if I grabbed my coat from the dressing room real quick?” 

“Oh, yeah, it’s no big deal. Lee is gone already. Gone for good, Finn says,” Rain said grimly. 

“Right. I’ll be home in an hour or so,” Elaine said, turning towards the dressing room. She heard Rita gushing over Rain’s performance as the couple left the pub. Elaine steadied her breathing. Although she had a couple drinks in her, returning to the room where the

earlier confrontation took place made her a little nervous. She knocked softly at the door. She wasn’t sure if Finn and Teddy were still getting changed. The door opened. It was Teddy. “Oh, hi,” Teddy said, a little shocked to see Elaine again. 

“Sorry. My coat,” Elaine shrugged, gesturing to the room. 

“Right! Come in, come in. Finn’s already gone off to talk to some mates about tracking down a new guitarist.” Teddy shook his head. 

Elaine cautiously stepped in and retrieved her coat from the rack where she had placed it earlier. 

“I’m really sorry,” Teddy said, busying himself with packing up his small bag. 

“Oh, it’s okay. I’m just sorry for getting all over emotional,” Elaine laughed a bit. 

“No, it’s okay. I get like that too sometimes. Confrontation overwhelms me,” Teddy said, slinging his bag over his shoulder and turning to look at her. 

Elaine nodded, glancing around, searching for somewhere to look that wasn’t directly making eye contact with Teddy. 

“Can I walk you home or anything?” Teddy asked, suddenly feeling a bit more confident now that he wasn’t faced with a crying Elaine. He’d never been the best at comforting people. 

“Oh, Rita and Rain went back to the flat. I was just going to go on a walk for a bit ‘cause, you know,” Elaine shrugged, laughing. 

“I’ll walk with you?” Teddy suggested, hopefully. 

“Don’t you have your bass or something?” Elaine said, “I’m not saying no, I just don’t want to inconvenience you.” 

“It won’t be an inconvenience, Elaine,” Teddy said, suddenly feeling very bold. “Okay.” 

Teddy and Elaine left out the side door of the now empty building. Elaine’s platform shoes made a soft clicking noise as they walked along the sidewalk. 

“How long have you been with the band?” Elaine asked, glancing up at Teddy. He hesitated before speaking, “Not long but long enough, you know?” 

Elaine nodded. She understood what he meant. If Teddy was anything like her, she knew that sometimes a lot of attention could get to be too much. 

“You’re in university?” Teddy asked after Elaine had been quiet for around a minute. “Yeah I’ve got a year left. Studying English,” Elaine replied, smiling.

“Me too, actually. I think we might’ve had a class or two together,” Teddy said, laughing shyly. 

“No!” Elaine gasped, stopping in her tracks to look at him, “I’d have noticed you before, surely!” 

“I don’t speak up much in class,” Teddy shrugged, smiling at Elaine’s reaction. Their conversation dissolved into a comparison of their university studies as they started walking again. Elaine couldn’t believe she had never noticed Teddy in her classes. The more they talked, the more it felt like they had been friends for ages. Eventually the conversation drifted to Lee, and Elaine found it nice to share her feelings so openly with Teddy. Elaine came to a conclusion as the pair walked the streets of London. She reasoned that the two of them actually had a lot in common. They were both shy, quiet, and easily overwhelmed. They liked the same music and the same clothes. They were both in university for English, too. Warning bells started ringing in Elaine’s mind when she felt that familiar little flutter in her chest. She tried her best to quiet it. She’d decided earlier in the night to put her pattern of silly crushes to an end and she wanted to stick to her choice. 

“Have we been walking in circles?” Elaine eventually asked. Two hours had passed rapidly by. 

“Maybe,” Teddy said, looking down to his feet. 

Elaine raised her eyebrows, giving him a questioning look. Teddy met her eyes after a few seconds and began to laugh. Elaine followed suit, laughing heartily. 

“You must be exhausted. I’m sure Rain and Rita have long since fallen asleep. Let me walk you home?” Teddy offered, giving Elaine a soft smile. 

When the pair reached the steps to Elaine’s flat, Teddy paused for a second. Elaine looked at him curiously. 

“Are you busy tomorrow?” Teddy asked all of a sudden. 

“Oh,” Elaine said. She realized what he was doing. 

“I’ve fancied you for a while now, Elaine, and I’m sure this is terrible timing with everything tonight and all, but you just look so wonderful and your eyes-” 

“No, I’m not busy,” Elaine smiled, putting an end to Teddy’s rambling. 

Elaine felt a little ridiculous for accepting Teddy’s offer after just feeling so heartbroken over Lee. She mentally beat herself up about it for a little while, thinking she should've probably waited a bit to go out with Teddy. He had just looked at her with such sweet eyes and their conversations had been so different from anyone else she’d talked to. She couldn’t resist accepting his offer. Eventually, Elaine, reasoned that she was young enough to let her life feel like one of the dramatic novels her mom always left lying about the house when she was a kid. 

Teddy invited Elaine over for tea the next day. 

And so it began.