The scent of latex was not one Red was fond of, even after all of the years he spent in masks of all sorts. Playing pretend had become a thing of his; the constant masquerade of things he concealed himself behind in effort to allow his imagination to convince him that he was better off than he actually was. Accumulating a keen sense of smell kicked those feelings into overdrive in a way he still struggled to comprehend.
But coconut scented body wash was a much better alternative to whatever those damned masks were concocted from, and the source of it was interesting to say the least. They were surrounded by miles of beach and yet Red felt asif the town was the furthest thing from exotic. But then again, what did he know? He had lived in Cleavland for a stretch, and then California on the beach.
The mask was swept off, put back, and he straightened up as he offered the tall, lithe man an obvious once-over. Sizing people up was not necessarily what someone did when they were vertically challenged but it happened just the same. He knew this man, had seen him about, but oh — he was no ordinary man and Red’s mouth watered with the potential of the discovery.
“You did?” The corners of his lips twitched with a smirk, unable to help the amusement at the wave of judgement. Judgement was a sensation he’d never been able to evade. His hands slid into his own jacket pockets.
“Did I look pretty? Tell me I looked pretty. Please?” The end of his nose wrinkled in amusement.