a work of art

chapter 4: the artist in her

We had dinner with the rest of her team. Every ounce of it was plant based, but you'd never know. It was delicious. I didn't even miss butter.

Meeting her family felt deeply special. Her dad, Patrick, was incredibly nice. He seemed like an older version of Finneas. Warm, genuine, calm, and kind. He asked me polite questions about myself, but mostly was quiet while we ate, inserting dad jokes here and there. He sat next to Billie, and I could see just by watching them how much he meant to her. They were close.

Maggie, her mom, was a different story. She was warm and kind, too, but she loved to talk. She was ecstatic to meet me, saying Billie never brought new friends around anymore. She wanted to know all about how we met, keeping intense motherly eye contact the entire time.

The entire time we spoke, I watched Billie out of the corner of my eye. There were moments when her cheeks looked pinker than usual. She was sitting next to me, and while her mom continued peppering me with questions, she leaned her leg into mine. My stomach dropped.

I tried to focus on the conversation I was in. I complimented her mom on the food, knowing she was the one who orchestrated it all.

"I'm so glad you enjoyed it!" Maggie gushed. "Are you vegan?"

"I, uh..." I hesitated, thinking of my fried egg and butter addiction. "Not exactly. I've been a vegetarian for years, but... it's hard to kick certain things."

She laughed, "Oh, honey. I don't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I'm so glad you do what you can."

I smiled sheepishly at her and looked around for help. Billie was smiling broadly at my awkwardness. "It's fine, Mom, she just hates the planet."

Sigh.

"Oh, Billie, leave her alone," her mom laughed as she smacked her daughter's shoulder, then got up from the table. "I've gotta go check on something girls, we'll chat later!"

Billie watched her mom walk away and leaned her shoulder into mine. "Sorry. You're just surrounded by vegans. Don't feel guilty."

"I never feel guilty," I deadpanned, and she rolled her eyes at me. "But really... your family is great. I like them a lot."

Her smile was warm, and genuine. "They're the best. No one else like them." She was still leaning her shoulder into mine, easily. As usual, her being this close, my eyes began to water. It was a burn I was starting to get used to... and even enjoy.

"So," she said in my ear. "I have the perfect spot for you and your friend to watch the show from."

Lee seemed almost as taken by Billie as I was when she finally arrived. She returned her warm hug and thanked her for the invite. She smiled in surprise as Billie cracked jokes and included her in conversations, asked her questions about her life, and made her feel comfortable in the green room.

But she also glanced at me several times with a weird look; every time Billie once more leaned her shoulder against mine comfortably, or playfully batted my arm. Her eyes shot up under her bangs when Billie stuck her tongue out at me and waved it suggestively.

Yeah, I know. I was confused as fuck, too.

On our walk from the green room to the backstage area where we would all watch the opener, Lee pulled me back from the group and stared me down.

"Bitch, does she know you're gay? Is she into you, or is this a real-life queer baiting situation?"

I closed my eyes and pictured the music video the internet loved to hate. Billie, blonde and half naked, dancing suggestively with a bunch of other hot girls at an apparent all-girls sleepover... or possible orgy. It was basically the best video that ever existed, but the gay community really hated it.