Would you Swallow all your Pride?

Chapter Forty-Six: Thulian.

"Yes." With her heart starting to go back to its normal speed, Wilhemina took a deep breath. She's... out of this world. "You can help me if I get lost."

"Always." Billie smiled as she caressed Venable's knee.

Always. Wilhemina bit her lower lip. I shouldn't be in love so fast. Chuckling to herself, she turned the car on and began to drive. As they stopped at a red light, Venable reached to caress Billie's hand. It was still astonishing to Wilhemina just how organic Billie Dean's touch was... she was driving with someone's hand on her knee and it felt natural. When had she ever stopped to think about that ever being a possibility in her life? The light soon turned green again. The silence between them was comfortable, with only small comments being shared until they eventually got to Billie Dean's house.

"You remembered it perfectly," Billie said softly as Venable began to park right in front of the mansion. With a small smile, Wilhemina nodded. Billie Dean bit her lower lip as she was suddenly reminded of the mess her house was. She'll think I'm absolutely filthy. Billie was definitely not the most organized person in the planet, but she was far from being grimy. A weird type of nervousness crawled inside of Billie Dean. "Um," she nervously licked her lips as they unbuckled and stepped out of the car. "Eleanor was supposed to have come yesterday, but because of the party I asked her not to..." Wilhemina eyed Billie as they walked to the huge gate, not quite understanding what she meant just yet. "It's a bit messy," Billie Dean added.

Oh. Venable bit her inner cheek in order to hold back a grin. Billie was worried about what she'd think of her... that was strangely sweet. "It's okay," she shook it off. Billie Dean's house was Billie Dean's house, she had nothing to do with it.

I didn't wash the dishes and I'm sure the living room is a mess. Billie was already embarrassed, and they hadn't even stepped inside yet. Wilhemina was so organized and had everything perfectly placed in her house, Billie Dean was sure it was going to be a contrast. Will she be less attracted to me because of it? No, that was a stupid thought... her house wasn't even that messy, to start with. Pushing the huge front door open, Billie stepped aside for Venable to get in. "There it is."

With her cane tapping on the marble floor, Wilhemina looked around almost in awe; not because the house was huge—it definitely was—but because it was Billie Dean's. And it screamed Billie Dean. The couches on the living room were white leather, and all the furniture and decorations had a light palette to them, variating from blue to coral to pink. There were a few awards in a huge shelf as well as some books and pictures, and the room was bathing in natural sunlight from the huge windows it had. The pillows on the couch were far from being neatly placed though, and there was a trashcan right in the middle of the living room. Weird. In other times, Venable would have judged; would have thought about how a grown woman had the nerve to keep her house anything other than perfectly tidy. But Wilhemina had been learning a thing or two about being so strict. "It's a gorgeous living room, indeed."

"Why, thank you." Billie Dean had already kicked her shoes off, stepping inside to try and make it more presentable; she grabbed the pillows and set them straight, as well as reaching for the trashcan and pushing it to the corner. "I'm sorry, they were doing my makeup for the party in here and I assumed having a trashcan was easier than allowing trash to collect." Venable nodded. "It's usually not that messy," Billie harped on the same string again. "Eleanor comes three times a week, on Monday she should be here."

"It's okay," Wilhemina repeated, and this time she allowed a tiny smile to lift up the corners of her lips. "It's not that bad."

A chuckle left Billie Dean's cheeks as she finally let go of the pillows—they were still not perfectly placed. "You haven't seen the kitchen."