𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺, 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 / 𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙚 𝙚𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 - 𝙨𝙢𝙪𝙩

sign of the times - ii.

"that will be forty-six dollars and ninety-nine cents, please." i shrugged and grudgingly took out my wallet as the cashier handed me a plastic bag with my new charger and cube in it.

i now had no money for lunch, dammit.

i'd have to text my mom to send me a bit more once i was settled. i checked the clock closest to me. it was already two o'clock, and my cab was scheduled to come at three. i quickly plugged my phone in and sighed, opening it out of impatience only a minute later. though, i'd need to get to baggage claim soon if i didn't want to be late (and trust me, i had a knack for never, ever being on time!).

i rummaged through my beige backpack, trying to find my earphones, and saw that some of my makeup had fallen out of its small case. fuck, i thought as i rapidly jammed everything back into place and zipped the indivual bag up tightly, hoping nothing would be broken upon my arrival at the hotel.

i'd definitely need to get ready before i saw billie, but i had no time, at the moment. i'd have to wait until later.

"are you in germany, yet?" i looked down at my screen. my best friend of six years, camila, had texted me.

"yeah, i landed about an hour ago."

"sooo?" she asked. i rolled my eyes. camila was about as subtle as billie's now sadly deceased tarantula; cools. and i'd sadly made the great error of telling her about my huge crush on billie (not like i could have hidden it even if i'd wanted to! heck, camila had known about my attraction even when i'd just been a fan of hers!).

"so, what?" i quipped, playing innocent.

"you can't keep this up forever."

"keep what up?" i continued.

"you know, i might be straight y/n, but i'm not dumb!"

"questionable," i laughed, "but i'm bi, so, how much better can i be, really?"

"harry styles doesn't count!"

"he so does!" i didn't care what anybody said. harry had to count for something, at the very least (!!).

"not," camila replied, but to be fair, i was mostly just glad i'd been able to deter the conversation for now (even if i was very much aware the real end of that conversation was nowhere in sight! she was bound to bring up my love for billie again tomorrow or the next day!). "have a great time in berlin, and please let me know know how it goes, okay?"

"ofc, good luck on your date with brian!" i hated the kid (for reasons i couldn't really explain, he just had that fuckboy look i'd seen even billie attracted to!), but i knew cam was excited so that was all that mattered. i just failed to understand why good women always seemed to end up with the shittiest of men. it made my blood sizzle.

it was now two-thirty. shit. time had gotten away from me again.

scared i'd be behind, i briskly unplugged my charger (accidentally leaving my cube in the outlet!) and stuffed the cord in my backpack as i made my way to baggage claim. i checked my phone. 20%, it wasn't a lot, but i was sure i'd be fine until i made it to my room. the hotel was supposedly only a fifteen minute drive away.

"when the party's over," blared in my ears as i speedwalked past all the gates. billie's voice left goosebumps up and down my arms. i usually tried not to listen to her music before seeing her, but my songs were on shuffle and i couldn't bring myself to change it to something else ("call me friend but keep me closer!").

i got to the baggage carousel after a few failed attempts of trying to find it and surprisingly only waited ten minutes before spotting my suitcase that had a cute blohsh tag dangling from its side (i couldn't help but imagine it dangling from billie's alabaster neck instead!). i smiled as i grabbed it from the rotating carpet and made my way to the area for all arrivals.

i travelled a long tunnel before a bunch of people that had been on my flight or different ones entirely greeted their friends, family, or coworkers alike. i was just about to put my head down when i saw my name plastered in huge letters on a whiteboard directly in front of me (i thought only important people got their names written on boards!).

i blushed slightly. of course, this was going to happen! what did i expect?

i approached the man hesitantly, at first, my old suitcase dragging at my side and pulled out my earbuds one by one.

"are you y/n l/n?"

"yes," i said.

"your car awaits you this way," he said gesturing to the curbside that could be seen through the wide, modern windows of the berlin airport. i nodded shyly and let him lead the way as i strode in tandem behind him.

"is that for me?" i furrowed my eyebrows as he pulled up to a great limousine. my eyes widened.

"yes," he replied, grabbing my things and neatly putting them in the back trunk.

"this can't possibly be for me," i whispered under my breath. the grandeur of the situation started to truly settle in the marrow of my bones. i'd only ever spent a few days with billie here and there in my hometown when she came and visited her other friend that lived near. this wasn't the same feeling, at all. it was even more immense and scary (more than i could have ever predicted, and i'd predicted a lot!).

i was in berlin; the city that held so many painful, painful memories for billie.

i got in as we drove and bimbled along the streets. it was beautiful, but no matter how hard i tried, i could barely concentrate. i texted my mom a quick message and camila one, too. i hoped she'd answer, but i knew she was probably getting ready for brian already.

"hey, you good?" she responded only minutes later.

"i think it's only really dawning on me now, cam.."

"you'll be fine, i promise!" i forced a smile and put my phone away. it was already on the verge of dying. fucking iphone battery!

i played with my thumbs that i'd painted crimson the day before and ran my fingerpads through my hair. nerves bundled in my chest and my stomach, and i feared there was no taming them (at least not truly!).

"we're here," the driver informed me as he opened my door and retrieved my suitcase in the back. i was surprised to see no fans loitering at the front doors of the hotel (i knew i would have probably been one of those fans if it wasn't for everything!). they usually figured out where billie was staying, but i guessed they'd been able to keep it on the down-low, even more, this time.

"thank you," i uttered as i made my way into the stunning, grand hotel and checked in, my hands trembling ever-so-slightly at my side. calm down. act normal! you have to.

"here's your key," the ashen blonde woman with wide blue eyes spoke in her decadent german accent after minutes of fidgeting with her macbook to find my name under billie's reservation. i was almost positive she only wanted to make sure i was the real deal, not just some fan (jokes on her!). "the wifi password should be on the back and room service and all other important information will be on a pamphlet on the first bureau in your room on the right when you walk in."

"danke schön (thank you)," i voiced. she gifted me a soft grin as i turned to find the elevators, my phone vibrating in my backpack. i took it in excitement, hoping it was billie.

it was, but my phone was at 1%. of course, right when she has to message me!

"where you at? dude, finneas won't fucking stop pointing out everything wrong with the set i'm about to lose my shit i swear."

i couldn't help but laugh out loud as i stepped into the elevator surrounded by other people. usually, i would have felt embarrassed, but i just couldn't find it in myself to give a damn.

i was in berlin about to see billie.