Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
She didn't remember. Hell, she didn't even recall the minor altercation with Monte before Ezra took her home. It's as if the conversation between them had never occurred. Ezra should be thankful for eluding the opportunity of making a fool out of himself, but all he feels on the bus ride to New Orleans is disappointment.
He tries to focus on what she has waiting for him at the next stop, but nothing is easing the sinking feeling in his chest. Maybe if she had come twenty minutes earlier and he hadn't gotten high, then Ezra would've told her the truth. He would've told her what she asked.
Maybe then he could've scraped up enough courage to admit that he could love her. She didn't need to know the breadth of his affection quite yet, in fear of scaring her away entirely. But Billie deserved to know where he stood.
Instead, Ezra chose to be a coward and say nothing. Perhaps she remembered their conversation all along and was testing him. In that case, Ezra failed. But, of course, when had he ever met her expectations? Then again, her willingness to make that night up to him keeps him tethered to the notion that she really didn't know what was said.
It's easy to slip away the following afternoon once they arrive at the venue. New Orleans is the epicenter of overindulgence and partying, and it came to no one's surprise that Ezra would disappear during his free day.
They hadn't talked much since she came to his bus yesterday, and she only texted him the address this morning. The directions were simple. He only needed to walk about two blocks from the venue and turn left. Within ten minutes, he arrives in front of a French Quarter style building. The entrance is an old fashioned door with frosted glass. 'BON TEMPS STUDIOS' is etched into the front.
As he opens the front door, a bell attached to it rings. There is a young man sitting at a front desk that greets the singer with a bright smile. "May I help you?"
"I'm meeting someone here," he explains, "Billie Fields."
"Right," he replies, "She rented the studio on the top floor. It's up those stairs and to the left." He points to a staircase with his end of hid pen before looking back at some papers on the desk.
"Okay, thank you," he replies, to which the receptionist nods. Before long, Ezra makes his way up a few flights before reaching the end. He's unsure what they could possibly do in a recording studio, but Ezra is nearly up for anything if Billie is involved.
He taps a knuckle against the door before he slowly opens it. Before he can say anything, his eyes fall upon a studio similar to the one they were in last time. Except this one has a large blanket sprawled out in the center with about a dozen pillows. There's two guitars propped against a couch pushed to the side of the room. Billie is busy fidgeting with the soundboard directly across from the door, and he has to clear his throat to alert her he's arrived.
"Oh, hi," she breathes after turning to look at him, "You're early."
