the tour

Chapter 15

Harry is devastated that I'm leaving. Mostly because Sydney is the gay capital of Australia and he's always wanted to go with me. He's happy for me but skeptical as I am as well. "Where's MY Billie Eilish?" He pouts "I want a celebrity to date and make me famous" "Well I definitely don't want to be famous." I say and meaning it. Billie didn't make fame sound glamorous at all. She told me that she doesn't regret anything she's done but she constantly desires anonymity and being someone who's always been anonymous, I think I want to keep it like that. "Don't be daft. You're going to be famous whether you are a singer or not. You're hanging off Billie's arm for god's sake!" He says exasperated. I never thought about it like that. Yes, Billie does seem to actively avoid doing anything in the public eye. I wonder if I will have to pretend we're just friends. "Earth to Kris!" Harry says waving a hand in my face. I snap back to reality. "Get your head out of your ass. You're thinking too much and you and I both know that's not good for anyone" he says giving me a stern look. "Is this your suitcase?" He says pointing at a pile of clothes on top of an open bag. He tips the bag upside down and the clothes fall to the floor. He then crawls into my suitcase saying "You're all packed now!" I laugh at his ridiculousness and throw a top at him. His eyes widen "Is that my jacket?" He says as he points to his vegan leather jacket I've decided to steal. I quickly hide it under my legs pretending to not hear him. He unfolds himself from my suitcase and pretends to slap me. He loses interest quickly. "What time's the jet leaving?" I look down at my phone for the time. "Shit! I'm getting picked up in an hour!" I say suddenly panicked. "Well get in the shower you smelly bitch and leave the packing to moi." I do as he says hoping that he packs some practical clothes, lingerie, and a shaver.

——

The car that Billie sent arrived exactly on time. I've done my makeup and chucked my hair into a ponytail that Harry curled for me. I opted for something casual yet comfortable and wore black leggings, chunky white sneakers, a grey oversized knit, aviators, and of course the chain Billie got me. I hugged Harry goodbye, gave him the keys to my apartment and made him promise not to break anything. I step into the car and the nerves set in. Before I've even left my street, I receive two texts; one from Harry and one from Billie. I open Harry's first:

His text warms my heart. He is so sweet when he wants to be. Billie's text reads:

My heart melts.

I arrive at the airport earlier than Billie and her crew so I shop to calm my nerves. I see the dim lights of Honey Birdette and make a beeline for it. The mannequin is wearing a neon green matching bra and panty set with lace and strap detailing. The bra has a choker element too. Without hesitation, I buy the set. Once I leave the store, Billie texts me directions of how to get to the plane and once again, the nerves have set in.

——

Before getting on the tarmac, I recognise David, one of Billie's bodyguards, who takes my suitcase from me. I keep my backpack and recent purchase with me and follow him to the plane. I take in the sights of the jet and emptiness of the tarmac. I head up the stairs to board the plane and am greeted by the hostess who is gracious and so pretty. I wonder briefly how she got to be a hostess for a private jet company. I turn to see Billie's band mates strewn across the plane, throwing chips into each others mouths and drinking beer. Finneas is at the back furrowing his brow at his phone. I stand there looking like a lost lamb and Billie steps out from the bathroom, beaming when she sees me. She runs through the hail of chips and hugs me. She leads me to a set of seats to the rear of the plane, close to where Finneas is. I don't know how to act around him after his comment. He hasn't done anything to me in person and I was absentmindedly listening to their private conversation. Billie also told me not to worry about him. "Finneas, Kristina's here" Billie says to him. He looks up briefly from his phone "Hey. How's it going?" He says not waiting for my answer and going back to his phone. Billie sighs and gestures for me to sit. She falls in to the seat next to me. I put down my bags. "What's that?" She says as she picks up my Honey Birdette bag. She pulls out the set and pretends to faint dramatically. She kisses me on the lips. "You better put them away, I'm getting a boner" she whispers in my ear. She sets up the television set with the movie The Babadook. She mentioned it was her favourite movie and it was fitting because it was Australian too. I fall asleep before the movie finishes, not because it was dull but because I was so comfortable and warm with her next to me.

——

An overhead announcement woke me letting the passengers know that we were landing. I wake to find Billie's head in my lap. I'm not sure when this happened. Everyone else is asleep as well. I have a sudden urge to pee and I move slightly trying not to wake her. Billie repositions herself so she's sitting up and falls back to sleep. I head the bathroom fixing myself and my hair. Lucky I brought those sunglasses. I can hide my tired eyes with them when I sit back down.

I exit the bathroom to see Finneas awake and scrolling on his phone. He sees me and sits upright "Hey, I wanted to say sorry about the phone call earlier today." I don't know how to respond to him. He notices my face and says "Billie told me you heard." "Nah, look, I shouldn't have been listening. It was not my place" I say. "I didn't mean for it to come off that way" he continues as if I didn't say anything "It's just that it's always been me and Billie so I'm very protective of her." "I get it, I mean, I don't have a sibling but I can see where you're coming from" I say in response. This time he hears me. "Thanks for understanding. I just don't want to see her get heartbroken again for another person who uses her for her fame. Your song is amazing, I think we'll try to record it when we get back to LA" he says. I'm a bit bewildered. Billie hasn't spoken about her past relationships so I don't know what he means about her being heartbroken again. "Yeah, of course, no problem" I say as Billie stirs. I head back to my seat and Finneas goes back to his phone. I brush some hair away from Billie's face and she opens her eyes slightly to look at me. She plonks her head back into my lap and I run my hands through her hair. I'll have to ask her what he meant. I wonder if she heard any of that. I should be happy knowing that she's always being protected but all I can think about is that Finneas thinks I'm going to hurt her.