As Long As I'm Here // Billie Eilish

Harassment

TW!
This chapter contains sexual harassment, panic attacks and talk about PTSD.

3 days later.

We are in an Uber on our way home again from an interview Billie did earlier. We are both sitting in the backseat quietly as the driver drives us home. Something seems to bother Billie.

"What's bothering you?" I ask her and takes her hand.

"I don't know really, I just feel anxious"

"You should have told me earlier and I could've helped you" I tell her and squeezes her hand tighter.

"I know, I just don't want to bother you. My anxiety right now is completely irrational" she tells me.

"Well most of the times anxiety is irrational, but that doesn't change how you feel"

She leans her head against my shoulder and I lean my head on hers.

"I don't know, I just feel like, overwhelmed" she says.

"What's overwhelming you?" I ask.

"I don't know, life... Don't get me wrong, I love my fans but sometimes it just gets a bit too much. Like today when they waited outside the studio for me to arrive at the interview. Bless their hearts for doing that though, but sometimes it's just a bit too much" she says

"I totally get you. I know that you have so much love for your fans and it's perfectly natural to feel that it's overwhelming sometimes when they are everywhere" I say.

She doesn't answer me, just rests her head back on me and smiles before she closes her eyes. I lean my head against hers and we sit like that the whole drive home.

When the driver pulls up in Billie's neighborhood I see kids running down the street. It's usually not that many kids here. Weird, I think to myself. When the driver gets near Billie's house I see one of her bodyguards standing ready outside. There's a bunch of kids swarming around Billie's house and now I understand.

"Ah, fuck. What a good timing" I say to myself but Billie hears me.

"What?" She says and opens up her eyes to look outside the window.

I feel her heart start to beat faster as she spots the fans.

"It's alright, your bodyguard is already here, we'll just sneak past everyone" I tell her.

"Nope, I'm not stepping outside of this car" she says.

"But we can't stay in the car, I'll help you I promise" I try to reassure her.

"I really can't Tuva, not today" she says and looks me in the eyes.

"Then I'll help you. We'll just walk past them"

Billie fixes her hair and takes a deep breath before I open the car door slowly and steps out before her. The fans that have gathered screams when they see the door opening.

"I got you" I tell her and reaches for her hand.

She takes my hand and quickly steps out of the car, she smiles and waves to all the kids while we quickly head against the door. All of a sudden two guys jumps up in front of us and one of them takes Billie's hands and holds them tight while the other one places his hands on her boobs and squeezes them. It all happened so fast not even the bodyguard had time to register it. He quickly runs up to Billie and yanks the guys of off her. Billie freezes and I gasp at what just happened before I take her hand and drag her the last few steps in to the house. As soon as we have locked the door behind us I turn to look at Billie still gasping from what just happened. She's still frozen and stares out into nothing with tears streaming silently down her face.