welcome to Zoey Stories i stole my girlfriend's makeup now I'm her new girlfriend my name is Ryan i'm 23 a graphic designer who spends most of his days holed up in a tiny apartment in the city working from home surrounded by color palettes and glowing screens on the outside my life is completely ordinary quiet stable even boring i have a study girlfriend Emma who's brilliant bold and beautiful she's a makeup artist with a growing online following the kind of girl who could silence a room just by walking into it and then there's me compared to her I'm simple safe the quiet type i was the kind of guy who got good grades in school avoided attention and never stirred drama but there's one secret I've never told anyone not even Emma i've always been fascinated by makeup not in the oh that's cool way no I mean really drawn to it the colors the softness the transformation i remember sneaking into my mom's room as a kid stealing glimpses of her lipstick and mascara wondering what it would feel like to wear them but every time I got close guilt would slam into me like a brick wall boys weren't supposed to think like that and so I buried it years passed the feelings never left then came Emma confident stylish and a total goddess i fell in love with her instantly being with her was like stepping into a world I'd only ever dreamed of her vanity overflowed with lipsticks and palettes foundation bottles with golden caps lashes that looked like feathers it was heaven but I kept my fascination locked up i told myself it was just curiosity just appreciation not obsession until last Thursday emma was invited to an exclusive overnight shoot at a beach resort some influencer campaign that needed her skills for the weekend she kissed me goodbye suitcase in hand and told me not to trash the apartment while she was gone i smiled waved her off and waited until the sound of her Uber faded into silence and then did hit me i was alone completely alone for two whole days at first I told myself to relax maybe play some games order pizza catch up on work but her vanity kept pulling me in i stood in our bedroom doorway staring at her side of the room everything was pristine her makeup brushes stood like tiny soldiers in crystal holders and her high-end palettes were neatly stacked by color her mirror was framed with lights the kind that gave you movie star glow i tried to ignore it i really did but something inside me whispered "Just one look just one swipe what's the harm? " I stepped forward slowly almost reverently as if crossing a line I knew I couldn't uncross my fingers hovered over her lipstick drawer i opened it my heart pounded there it was dozens of shades from fiery reds to innocent pinks to mysterious purples the scent of vanilla and perfume hit me it was intoxicating i picked up a lipstick called Temptress the name made me blush the gold case clicked open revealing the smooth untouched color inside my hand trembled as I held it up to my lips my reflection stared back at me from the vanity mirror nervous unsure curious and that's when it began i applied it slowly shakily the creamy texture against my lips sent a chill down my spine i looked ridiculous my lips too bare my stubble ruining everything but something inside me lit up i was alive so I did more concealer under the eyes a bit of foundation a touch of blush before I knew it I was going through her entire routine step by step product by product as if possessed it was like I'd watched her a thousand times and memorized it without realizing then came the lashes then the wig I found in her closet from an old Halloween costume long dark silky i pinned it to my head adjusted it brushed it out my heart was no longer beating it was screaming i looked in the mirror and didn't recognize myself but I liked it no I loved it it was terrifying and beautiful and overwhelming i finally saw the version of me that had lived in shadows in dreams in guilt and in that moment I knew this wasn't just some curious face this was real this was a part of me I had buried for years but just as I was lost in that revelation my phone buzzed a message from Emma hey babe Wi-Fi's terrible here just letting you know we're running ahead of schedule i might be back late tonight instead of tomorrow love you face blowing a kiss my blood ran cold tonight I shot up panic coursing through me the vanity was a mess brushes everywhere powders open lipstick smudged and me in full face wig on heels slipped on instinctively while I was practicing poses in front of the mirror i had hours maybe less before she walked in could I clean it all could I undo this and even worse did I want to i don't remember how long I stood there staring at my reflection i should have been panicking emma was coming home tonight i was wearing her clothes her makeup her wig i was a walking talking secret one exposed thread away from unraveling everything but all I could think about was how right it felt the girl in the mirror wasn't perfect her contour was a bit off and her eyeliner wasn't quite even but it didn't matter she was me and for the first time I didn't feel like I was pretending the clock ticked i knew I had to clean up scrub everything off hide the evidence but instead I reached for one of Emma's crop tops lavender soft the kind she wore on casual nights in i paired it with a pleated mini skirt and some ankle socks i slipped my feet into her white heels modest but elegant my legs looked shockingly good slim smooth feminine i should have felt ashamed instead I walked back to the mirror posed a little bit my lip my face flushed not from embarrassment but excitement i liked her she had a name didn't she i blinked at my reflection i had never said it out loud but the name floated to the surface like it had always been there riley ryan was practical a good boyfriend a steady guy but Riley Riley was fearless beautiful everything I had been too scared to admit I wanted to be and Riley wasn't ready to disappear not yet i tiptoed through the apartment like a ghost half afraid the walls would whisper my secret i tried to clean up the vanity wiping the counters fixing the brushes i wanted everything back in place but a part of me didn't want this to end so I compromised i set my phone timer for 1 hour one final hour as Riley 1 hour to say goodbye and in that hour I danced in the living room i laughed i looked at myself in the mirror trying different poses i took selfies god I took so many i even tried on one of Emma's perfume sprays just to feel the final touch jasmine and vanilla it wrapped around me like a second skin i had never felt this alive until the timer went off and suddenly Riley started to disappear i wiped off the makeup slowly painfully every stroke of the cotton pad felt like erasing a piece of myself the girl in the mirror faded replaced by the version I showed the world but she didn't leave entirely i tucked the wig back into the box and slid it under the bed the skirt the top the heels everything went into a plastic bag I hid at the bottom of my closet evidence temptation treasure my heart pounded with every step what if Emma came back and found it i rehearsed excuses it was for a prank i was testing out a Halloween costume i was bored it meant nothing but the truth was it meant everything by the time I heard keys at the door I was on the couch in sweatpants pretending to scroll through Instagram hey babe emma's voice rang out cheerful tired she dropped her suitcase and walked in eyes scanning the room wow you didn't trash the place i'm impressed i smiled weakly told you I'm reliable she leaned in and kissed me missed you i kissed her back trying not to flinch her lips still tasted like the gloss I had worn earlier she started unpacking humming to herself i watched her from the corner of my eye my stomach twisting in knots what if she noticed what if the perfume lingered on me what if she looked in the mirror and knew but she didn't at least not yet the next morning I was in the kitchen when I heard her call out ryan she said her tone shifting my heart skipped yeah did you move my tempress lipstick blood drained from my face oh no I swallowed i don't think so why it's not in the drawer she frowned rummaging through her collection and my concealer is out of place too did you clean in here i hesitated just dusted a bit she looked at me for a long second my skin prickled then she shrugged weird maybe I left it at the hotel crisis averted barely but I knew this was the beginning she was sharp she noticed everything i had to be more careful but being careful didn't mean stopping over the next few days Riley came back not every day not for long but she returned late at night when Emma was asleep or when she went grocery shopping or during her Pilates class I'd sneak back to the vanity pick out a new look a new lipstick a new persona sometimes elegant sometimes playful sometimes seductive every time it felt riskier and every time it felt more necessary i wasn't just playing dress up anymore i was escaping becoming someone I understood better than I understood myself and yet guilt festered emma trusted me she had no idea her clothes were being worn behind her back her makeup borrowed for secret identity play was I betraying her or was I finally becoming honest with myself one evening as I tried to calm myself after a particularly intense Riley session I noticed Emma had left her journal open on the bed i never snooped but something caught my eye a page titled Ryan Secrets i froze and read sometimes I feel like Ryan's hiding something he's sweet he's good to me but I can sense something under the surface attention a mask i'm not sure what it is yet but I know he's not telling me everything my throat tightened she knew or at least suspected and still I couldn't tell her because how do you explain that the person she loves might not even fully exist that underneath Ryan was someone new someone beautiful someone real someone named Riley it happened on a Tuesday emma was supposed to be at a client's bridal trial all afternoon i had 3 hours so I transformed fully makeup wig heels and one of her pastel sundresses riley was glowing i was dancing to some pop song spinning in front of the mirror when I heard it the front door creaked open i froze she came home early my body turned to ice i couldn't move i bolted into the bathroom locking the door just as I heard her call my name ryan I forgot my charger i ripped the wig off my hands shook as I scrubbed the lipstick the eyeliner smeared down my cheeks like tears "ryan I I'm in the bathroom. " I croked stomach's upset "uggh," she groaned "okay feel better i'll be back in 2 hours.
" The door closed i collapsed to the floor still half made up the scent of jasmine clinging to me like a warning after that everything changed i was no longer playing a game i was living a double life i wasn't Ryan pretending to be Riley i was Riley trapped in Ryan's world the transformation became more frequent more elaborate i started learning real techniques contouring lashes brow sculpting i watched Emma's tutorials took notes studied her moves sometimes I'd sit at her vanity and whisper "Teach me please make me more like you. " And every day Riley got bolder but so did the risk emma was growing suspicious her things were moving her makeup running out faster her journal entries growing darker i started finding phrases like "Something isn't right or worse is Ryan hiding another woman? " The irony crushed me if only she knew I was that woman emma had a photo shoot scheduled an hour outside the city i had the apartment to myself for almost the whole day i told myself this was the last time i spent over 2 hours getting ready the works foundation contour false lashes deep wine lipstick and smoky eyes that made me look both mysterious and fragile i wore her deep burgundy bodycon dress paired with nude heels that gave my legs an unfair advantage and when I looked in the mirror I didn't see a boy in drag anymore i saw Riley complete confident real and I knew I didn't want to take her off this time i couldn't i was halfway through taking a Tik Tok video posing twirling pouting when the front door clicked open at first I didn't react i thought maybe it was the neighbors then I heard footsteps inside i turned and there she was Emma frozen in the doorway shopping bags in one hand her mouth slightly open her face pale she had come home early the silence between us was suffocating her eyes scan me top to bottom the heels the dress the lashes the makeup the perfume the trembling terrified expression i tried to speak but nothing came out emma slowly placed the bags down her voice was ice how long i blinked dubby what how long has this been going on i swallowed hard a few weeks maybe more she stepped closer so you've been sneaking around behind my back wearing my clothes using my makeup lying to me i shook my head i wasn't trying to hurt you then what were you doing Ryan who are you i couldn't answer that because I didn't know anymore was I Ryan was I Riley was I both or was I neither she looked at me like she didn't recognize the person in front of her maybe she didn't maybe I didn't either tears welled in her eyes you should have told me you should have told me i stepped forward i was scared i didn't even know what was happening i just I needed to feel this to be her riley riley she whispered her voice cracked that's her name my name emma turned her back wiping her eyes so is this what you want now to be her full time i didn't answer but the silence said everything emma spent the next few days barely speaking to me she moved into the guest room she took her makeup kit with her locked it up she changed the password on her vanity drawer but she didn't leave and that hurt more than if she had i tried to talk to her apologize beg she listened but with that same blank stare cold distant then one night she left a note on the kitchen table if you want to be Riley so badly then prove it 24 hours head to toe everything but you do it my way my rules or you stop completely no more secrets no more pretending choose i almost tore the note up but part of me knew I had to do this i had to know if Riley could really exist in the world not just in shadows so I said yes emma didn't smile she just handed me a bag inside were clothes makeup jewelry a floral scent I hadn't worn before she gave me a full makeover silky smooth skin feminine brows soft pink lips curls in my wig brushed out to perfection then came the outfit a pleated blush dress with a cinched waist nude heels and dainty gold accessories but this time it wasn't just play we left the house she took me to brunch in broad daylight eyes followed me some stared too long one man winked a group of girls complimented my dress and through it all Emma watched me not with anger but curiosity "how do you feel?
" she asked over mimosas i hesitated terrified but alive she nodded slowly "you look beautiful Riley the name hit different in public it wasn't just a secret anymore it was me that night we came home i sat down exhausted emotionally drained emma poured herself a drink and sat across from me i needed to see she said if this was real for you or just some thrill and I asked softly she didn't answer right away then she said "Riley I think I knew deep down. " I just didn't want to admit it i reached for her hand but she pulled away i loved Ryan i still do but I don't know if I can be with Riley i felt my throat close "so that's it," she stood "i don't have the answer yet but you do you have to decide who you are. " The next day Emma was gone when I woke up "just a note take the day be whoever you are but tomorrow tell me the truth all of it.
" I sat in front of the mirror for hours the Ryan in my head begged me to put on jeans wipe away the lipstick go back to being the safe choice but Riley she wanted to stay so I dressed slowly lovingly no fear this time a white sundress ballet flats minimal makeup a simple chain necklace within our pendant Emma had once given me as a joke and when I looked in the mirror I cried because I saw her not just in the makeup or clothes but in the eyes riley was real and I was ready to tell the truth the next morning I didn't hesitate i didn't overthink my outfit i didn't triple check my walk or fix my makeup for the 10th time i just got up and I was Riley no panic no guilt no shame just truth emma came back around noon she walked in quietly holding a coffee for me like nothing had changed but everything had she placed it on the table then looked at me really looked you're not pretending anymore," she said i nodded "no this is who I am. " Emma sat down across from me her eyes filled with something I hadn't seen in days compassion vulnerability "i needed time," she said "to grieve Ryan to mourn the version of you I fell in love with i swallowed hard i get it," I whispered "you didn't sign up for this. " She gave a sad smile maybe I didn't but maybe I was blind to what you needed i saw the signs i just didn't want to face them silence settled between us then Emma reached into her bag and pulled out something small lipstick not just any shade her favorite the one I always stole she handed it to me i bought you your own i stared at it my hands trembled as I took it then Emma leaned in i don't know what this means for us but I want to try as friends as something more maybe someday i just need to know that this Riley isn't going to disappear the moment things get hard i looked her dead in the eyes she won't it's funny how life changes when you stop hiding i go by Riley now full-time i've started hormone therapy i'm seeing a therapist i even found a support group people like me who used to live double lives behind locked doors and stolen makeup kits emma didn't run away she stayed we're not a couple anymore but we're more than friends she's my person my safe space my stylist half the time sometimes she still stares at me like she's trying to find pieces of Ryan hidden beneath the lashes and soft curls but then she smiles and I know she sees Riley she sees me we're getting ready for a party i'm standing in front of the mirror applying the lipstick she gave me emma walks in leans on the door frame and grins "you still steal my look?
" she teases i smirk "i was your look," she laughs then her voice softens "i'm proud of you. " I blink trying not to tear up "thanks for everything for staying.
