Ember || B.E

13|| special energy

My eyes flutter open at the sound of a phone ringing. I groan out in annoyance before remembering where I am and whose chest I'm laying on. "What?" I hear Billie mumble in her oh-so-perfect morning voice.

"Fuck, sorry. I forgot," she mutters into the phone. "Yeah, yeah. Can I bring someone?... Okay, see you soon." She hangs up the phone before letting out a sigh, her hand resting back on my arm.

"What was that about?" I mumble sleepily.

"Finneas. I was supposed to be at his house like an hour ago," she explains.

"Oh. Sorry, I'll-" I begin to tear myself from her arms but she clings to me gently.

"No, it's not your fault. Don't be sorry. We were just going to write today. You want to come?"

"Umm, sure?"

"You don't have to, just if you want."

"Of course, I want to, but are you sure?"

"I'm very sure, Ember."

Every time I hear my name slide off her tongue it brings goosebumps to my whole entire body. "Okay," I nod. I'm not sure why she trusts me. I could so easily leak her address, leak her phone number, and leak song lyrics...not that I would ever dream of doing something so evil but truly I am a rando. What does she see in me to trust me so immensely with her personal information?

"Good," she smiles softly and I move from on top of her to stretch my arms and sit up. Across the room, Shark is still fast asleep, soft snores coming from his snout and I can't help but smile at how adorable he is.

Billie begins to stand up from the bed, stretching her limbs and I become immensely aware of how gross my mouth tastes. I never brushed my teeth last night and just thinking about it makes me want to gag. "Billie?"

"Yes?" She questions while running a brush through her hair.

"Do you have a spare toothbrush I could use by any chance?" I ask timidly.

"Of course, I have some in the guest room. I'll be right back-"

"No, I'll go. You do your regular thing, I'll be back," I tell her, making my way out of her bedroom and down the hallway.

Strolling to the guest bedroom, I examine the art on the walls. Claudia must have helped with the decor in this house...or Billie also has an interior design talent that she is hiding. Wouldnt be that surprising, Billie has every talent under the sun.

Sure enough, there are a few unopened toothbrushes in the bathroom vanity drawer. Removing one from it's packaging I grab the untouched toothpaste, adding a blob to the brush. Surprisingly I don't look completely exhausted like I do most mornings and I have a feeling that Billie's cuddles have something to do with that.

After brushing my teeth and washing my face I examine myself in the mirror for a few moments longer... My entire body goes cold when I reach for my necklace. It's gone. It's gone! I lost it-

"Billie!" I shout as I make a beeline back to her bedroom. "Billie! It's gone, my necklace, where is my necklace?" I panic, shouting as I move to my hands and knees, searching the floor.

"Woah, Ember. Relax, I'll help you find it," she attempts to calm my racing heart as I frantically search the room.

"NO! Don't tell me to relax, where is it?!" I yell, and only a second later I realize I just screamed at her. Ashamed, I slouch my shoulders, turning my body around on the floor to find her looking at me with extreme concern. Tears are threatening to fall and I muster up all my power to not let them escape my eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. It's just...that necklace, it's the last memory I have of my cousin..." I begin to explain. "She was the only person I ever connected with, hell, the only person I ever trusted... but she passed away a year and a half ago and just-"

"Hey," Billie's voice was soft, understanding, and angelic as she sat on the floor in front of me. "You don't have to explain."

I felt her fingers gently brush against mine until they were laced together and she squeezed my hand gently.

"But I lied. You asked me once if the necklace meant anything, and I lied about it."

"I get it. It's personal. Let me help you find it. It's gotta be somewhere around here, okay?"

With a lump in my throat, I didn't dare say a word, afraid that it might come out in a sob. I nodded my head, removing my hands from Billie's to wipe my glossy eyes. God, this is so embarrassing.

Billie stands up, offering me a hand which I take. "I'll check the sheets. When is the last time you remember having it?" She questions in a gentle tone as she tears the blanket off of her bed.

"I know I had it when you picked me up. I think I had it on when we went to sleep..." I trail off, trying to rack my brain of the memories from last night when she turns around, holding the chain in her hands.

I almost feel myself become emotional again at the sight but push it down as I walk up to her, wrapping my arms around her. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Of course, angel," she holds me tight until I pull back. "Now turn around so I can put this back where it belongs."

Nodding my head, I turn my back towards her, lifting my hair up to give her room. Her hands brush my neck as she places the cool chain around me. Goosebumps coat my skin as she links the chain together. A breath hitched as I feel her arms wrap around my waist, her chin placed on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry about your cousin," she whispers.

"Thank you for finding it," I whisper back.

~~~

I thought meeting Claudia and Finneas would be the most nerve-racking event but after the initial introductions everything felt natural... or as natural as it could be, sitting in a room with Billie, Finneas, and Claudia.

For a while I watched the two O'Connell's work their magic and it truly felt otherworldly to watch the process in person.

From the way they threw lyrics back and forth, to the melodie's coming out of Billie oh-so-naturally, it all didn't feel real.

Finneas and Claudia are truly just as welcoming and kind as you'd think they'd be, maybe even more than you'd think. They let me into their house with open arms, claiming "if you're one of Billie's friends, that automatically makes you one of ours."

After watching the process of song writing for about an hour, Claudia entered the room with a plate of fresh smelling cookies, setting it down on the coffee table.

"How's it going?" She questioned, plopping down on Finneas' lap.

"Great now that you're here," Finneas cheesed.

Billie made a dramatic fake gagging noise, making the couple laugh. She grabbed a cookie off the plate, letting the crumbs fall to the couch.

"You're such a pig," Finneas shook his head.

Billie rolled her eyes, not giving him the satisfaction of starting even the smallest of arguments.

"This was really cool to see. Thanks for letting me be here," I added sheepishly.

"Of course, if you-"

"You should always be here!" Billie interrupted Finneas. "It's like you got this special energy that makes me motivated or something."

I could feel the heat rise to my cheeks as Claudia eyed Billie skeptically, Finneas rolling his eyes at Billie's interruption.

"You need a ride home angel?" Billie questioned.

"That would be great."

~~~

A/N: kinda hate this chapter but it's all gooood.

Thoughts?

Oh, please vote? 🫣 it really helps out and keeps me motivated to write

Words: 1324