InsaneJournal

“Check me out!” Vince said excitedly as he gazed at his reflection in the mirror. Pivoting on his feet, he turned to face Howard. Vince pressed his lips against one another, the slick lipgloss he had just applied shifting on the surface of his skin, leaving a shimmering outline around his mouth.

“Check what out?” Howard asked, arms folded across his chest, resting above his slightly protruding belly.

“Me, of course!” Vince replied incredulously, “And my new lipgloss: whatcha think, Howard?”

“Lipgloss, Vince?”

“Yeah! It’s strawberries and cream flavoured: genius!”

Howard made a show of rolling his eyes, but was unable to suppress a smirk as he watched Vince bound enthusiastically around the room to whatever electro-nonsense he happened to be listening to on the stereo.

 

“Well?” Vince asked as he spun across the floor and came to a stop in front of Howard.

“Well what?” Howard asked, furrowing his brow.

Vince gently prodded Howard’s stomach with his index finger, insistent that Howard answer the question.

“Woah there,” Howard said suddenly, uncrossing his arms, “You know not to touch me, Vince.”

“Sorry Howard,” Vince replied rather sheepishly, inclining his head downwards as he spoke. As he did so, the light of the room caught the shine of the gloss that stained his pink lips. The sticky gel glimmered as Vince moved his head, as he spoke, as he gazed up at Howard, still eager to know what Howard thought.

 

And as Howard stared back, he found himself unable to look away: the lipgloss compressed between Vince’s plump lips as they moved was mesmerising.

“So…what do you think?” Vince tried once more.

 

Howard swallowed, desperate to suppress the nervous lump that had risen in his throat, and the blood he could feel coursing through his abdomen as he stared.

Howard knew what he thought: of the gloss, and of Vince, and of the shimmering light that seemed to emanate from both at that precise moment.

 

But he dared not say.