the tour

Chapter 33

I take my time having a shower and getting ready for my meeting with my manager today. The meetings not for another hour and dinners not for another four but I want to take some time to get some fresh air. Maybe some time alone will be best for me right now. It's what I'm used to. I get dressed in some light blue ripped denim shorts, white tshirt, and khaki utility jacket. I pull my white sneakers and take a deep breath. I feel uneasy today and not just because of what happened with Billie.

I walk down the hallway to find Billie and say goodbye. She's leaning over the kitchen counter eating chips out of the bag and scrolling on her phone. She turns to me and looks me up and down. "Where are you off to?" She asks. "Billie, I've got the meeting with my manager. I told you already" she shrugs. "Hang on" she says holding up a finger. I giver her a look of annoyance but she doesn't see me. She gets on her phone and says something I can't hear. "David will take you" she says and points to the front door. "I can get my own lift" I say and begin walking towards the door. She slides across the floor and catches up to me. She grabs my arm and I shake her off. "Hey, what the fuck did I do?" She says and puts a hand around my waist. She pushes me against the wall. "Billie!" I say sternly "let me go!" "Not until you tell me what's going on" she says as she puts my hair behind my ear. "You were being a dick before" she searches my eyes for more "Saying that shit about what you told your parents, saying your brother hates me... you're not making me very excited to meet them" she laughs "Come on! That's why?" She says and takes a step back rubbing her face. I continue heading out the front door. "I love you" she calls out. I can't believe she would use those words as a way to try and get me back. She doesn't come after me. She lets me leave. I hope this isn't a premonition of our future.

——

My meeting on the other hand goes great but I'm left with homework. Tony praises me for all the work I've put into my writing lately and is ecstatic to talk about Halsey. He wants more of that from me and he is excited to tell me that Halsey has reached out for another collaboration. I don't tell him about the songs I've written for Billie because I know he will want me to cash in on the work. Even though I'm upset with her at the moment, I will never stoop that low. I didn't write those songs for money, they were from my heart to another heart. If she makes money from it, I'm all for it. At the end of the meeting, Tony wants to catch up every fortnight to discuss options. He said he will reach out personally to any artists and email me all opportunities he can get for me. He wants me to keep writing and present him with some new 'full' tracks at our next meeting. I'm grateful that I have a lot of creativity at the moment and a lot of emotions, whether wanted or not.

——

When I get back to the house, I take a few deep breaths in the car to prepare myself. David looks in the rear view mirror "Is everything OK, Miss?" He asks me. "Yeah, no everything is fine" I say back. Feeling embarrassed he saw that moment of hesitation, I open the car door and head inside.

When I walk inside, Billie is standing in the kitchen surrounded by three bunches of flowers. She pouts. I look at her and raise my eyebrows as if to ask why. "I'm sorry. I know I was a dick" I walk towards her and put my hands behind her neck. "Sorry, what did you say?" She smiles and throws her head back. "I'm a dick!" She yells at the ceiling. I smile at her and she looks back at me. "And when did you realise this?" I ask her "I may have told Claudia and Finneas and they both yelled at me" she says quietly. I take my hands off of her. "You told them about our fight?" I say just as softly. I'm embarrassed again, Finneas and now his girlfriend know. What would they think of me now? "Yeah, Finneas is my best friend for when I need an ear, he's there for me. Just so happened that Claudia was there as well" she shrugs. I look at my feet, lean against the counter and don't say anything. "Talk to me" she says as she grabs my waist and stands between my legs. "Do they really hate me?" I ask and she laughs. "No! You know Finneas had his doubts at first but he was just being protective. You know that. I think he learnt for himself that your intentions are good. It may have taken you writing a love song that made him learn but he came around" she lifts my chin up so I'm looking into her eyes. Those crystal clear eyes. I don't know how I can stay mad at those eyes when they look at me like that. "Who are the flowers for?" I ask playfully "For my girlfriend" she says smiling and I put my arms back around her neck "My other girlfriend" she says and she kisses my neck to make me laugh.