the tour

Chapter 26

I open my eyes to see Billie standing on a large boat with her arms in the air. I slap my hands to my mouth in shock. There's a table set up on the deck with a table cloth, food and drinks. She puts out her hand to help me up the stairs and I take it. She keeps a hold of my hand and when I'm safely on the deck, she pulls me in to her and kisses me. "Billie, this is incredible! You're incredible!"!I say.

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"So what happens after this leg?" I ask in between bites of green beans. "I head back home and finish the tour" she says. She knows this wasn't what I was asking. "You mean, what happens with us?"!She says. "Yeah" I say getting embarrassed that I forgot she can read me now. "We head back to my home and finish the tour" she says without skipping a beat. A lump catches in my throat. Although I wanted her to say it, I hadn't expected her to actually say it. "You want me to go to LA?" I ask her. "Yeah" she says stuffing her face with fries "What? You don't want to?" She says. "Baby, that's a big ask. I mean, of course I want to..." "Great!" She says interrupting me "it's settled then!" She's teasing me although it seems like she's trying to get me to stop overthinking the situation and agree with her. "We'll talk about this later" I say. She slumps dramatically in her chair. "Fuck! You know you're in a real relationship when the 'we'll talk about this later' comes out." Sometimes she makes me question whose more dramatic, her or Harry.

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"Can I ask you something?" I ask her. We're sitting at the end of the boat on a cushioned seat. She's at one end and I'm at the other. Our legs are outstretched and we're tangled into each other. "Mmm" she says whilst rubbing her fingers over her lips. I've noticed she does this when she's nervous. I rub her leg to make her feel better. "If I come to LA" I start saying. She smiles at me "when" she interrupts. I pretend to ignore her. "What will it be like?" I continue. She throws her head back "Baby, these questions you throw out... you never explain yourself" she says slapping my shins playfully. "Ugh! I mean your life is clearly more intense at home than it is here and I've never seen what you experience. You told me you try to keep your private life away from the public but will I have to be private?" I ask. She looks away and rubs her lips. "It's not that I want to hide you. I just want you all to myself" she contemplates what I've said. "We just won't be able to be affectionate in public or what's private won't be private. I told you fame is shit. Back home, I can't go anywhere without being recognised. It's not like here when I can take you out for a date in the open. It's different". I know I've hit a nerve. She's clearly been thinking about this as well. Playing it by ear might be the best option for us. That's if I go. I need to talk to Harry.