Je T'aime | Billie Eilish

Cinq

Billie's first punishment from Lilou 

Lilou Roux

"Can I have a lollipop, Mommy?" Billie asked, wiping her eyes as I poured water over her head to rinse out the conditioner.

"Not tonight, ma chérie. It's too late," I told her, filling the jug again and pouring it over her hair.

She pouted at me from where she sat in the bathtub.

"We're going to bed as soon as we finish up in here," I said, leaning over her to grab a washcloth covered in bubbles and soap.

"I don' wanna go 's'eep. Billie not s'eepy," she frowned as I kneeled back down.

"Oh really? Because you nearly fell asleep against my arm just a few minutes ago," I raised a brow, starting to rub the cloth in slow circles along Billie's shoulders and collarbone.

"No, I wasn'tttt..."

"Uh-huh, sure, baby."

I continued to scrub her gently until her skin was covered in suds, then rinsed her off and let her splash around for a few more minutes while I washed my arms and got her towel ready.

"Can I p'ease have a lollipop, Mommy?" she asked again, looking up at me with pleading eyes.

"No, Billie. I told you before—it's too late, darling. Come out now, please."

She frowned again, folding her arms over her chest before standing up and stepping out of the tub into my arms. I wrapped the towel around her and began rubbing her dry.

"Let's put these on you, and then you can go to Mommy's room and hop into bed. I'll be there soon. I just need to clean up and brush my teeth. I'll brush your hair when I come," I told her, hanging up the towel and grabbing the sweater and underwear from the sink.

She nodded as I helped her into her clothes before she wandered out of the bathroom and down the hallway.

I drained the tub, washed the bubbles down the drain, then hung up the bath mat and tossed her dirty clothes into the laundry hamper. Grabbing my toothbrush, I squeezed some toothpaste onto it, ran it under the tap, and started brushing my molars.

Then, just as I was about to rinse, a loud crash from the kitchen made me nearly choke on my toothbrush.

I rushed out of the bathroom and into the living room, rounding the corner to find Billie sitting squarely on her bottom, surrounded by food that had come tumbling out of the pantry.

"Are you okay?" I asked before I could even be mad.

"My butt hurts," she said quietly.

I sighed. "Okay, Billie, get up. Was this to get a lollipop, hmm?" I asked, putting my toothbrush down and spitting out the minty foam into the kitchen sink.

She stayed silent. When I turned back around, she was staring at her feet.

I let out another sigh. "Billie, I told you no—twice."

Her small hands came up to cover her eyes as she started to cry. I walked over, gently took her hand, and led her to the corner of the room, standing her there to face the wall.

"Stay here for ten minutes. I still love you, but I'm not very pleased right now."

She plopped down onto her already sore bottom and sobbed harder.

I turned away and finished brushing my teeth, then cleaned up the mess of scattered snacks, putting them back in their place on the pantry shelf. Once everything was tidy again, I sat down on the couch, thinking about what to say to her.

"Mommy?" she asked quietly.

"Mhm?" I hummed, not moving from where I sat.

"I—I has to pee," she said softly.

I checked my phone for the time. She had been there for almost ten minutes.

"Can it wait two more minutes?" I asked.

"Uh... okay."

When the two minutes were up, I stood and walked over to her, placing a gentle hand on her back. "You can come out now," I said softly.

She stood up but avoided my gaze, shuffling past me toward the bathroom.

Before she could go all the way, I reached out and lightly grabbed her arm. "Go to my room after, please."

She nodded, shrugging off my grip.

I went to my room, turning off the lights and getting everything ready for bed. Sitting down on the mattress, I waited for Billie to return.

Soon enough, she wandered in, hesitating at the edge of the bed.

"C'mere, baby. I won't bite," I said, waving her over.

She cautiously crawled forward, sitting in front of me.

"Let's be clear—I'm not mad anymore, and I love you," I told her.

The poor girl started to cry again, climbing into my lap.

"Don' like sittin' in the corner," she sobbed, swiping at her face to wipe away the tears.

"Oh, sweetheart, I know. It's not supposed to be fun," I sympathized, wrapping my arms around her.

"I sorry for tryna get a lollipop," she murmured through choked tears.

"Thank you, my love. We won't do it again, will we? We'll listen to Mommy from now on, yeah?"

She nodded, sticking her thumb into her mouth and resting her head on my shoulder.