if only

chapter 6

A/N: It's my birthday, so you get a second chapter in one day. Happy birthday! 🖤

. . . . .

It was almost chilly outside, and the cool air felt like home. I hadn't bothered with a sweatshirt, just changed into a clean t-shirt and my favorite baggy cargo pants. I waited on the curb in front of my apartment building, staring up at where the stars should be in the smoggy LA night sky.

Home. I hadn't thought about it in a while. With every new semester, I found myself settling more and more into my life in California, as temporary and fleeting as it sometimes felt. After this term, I had only one semester left, and I wasn't quite sure what life looked like after that.

But I missed the cold. I missed the winter activities, the cool lakes in the summer, hikes in the fall with breathtaking colors and perfect weather. I missed the normalcy of the suburbs, knowing everyone in my small town, going to shows in downtown Minneapolis at venues I'd frequented a thousand times. And I missed the stars...

With a sudden roar of an engine, a sleek, dark car rounded the corner at the far end of my street, interrupting my reminiscences. I watched it speed toward my lot, taking the corner of the driveway sharply, then glide to a stop in front of me. It was Billie's low, gray Challenger that I'd so boldly insulted the other day. I bit back a laugh at the memory and stood, dusting off my pants.

I opened the passenger door and leaned down. "Hey."

"You getting in, or what?" A huge, sexy grin was spread across her face, her head laid back casually on the headrest. Stomach flipping, I slid into the car, and before I could even reach for my buckle, my face was in her hands, her warm lips pressed softly against mine. Then she pulled back and murmured, "Hi."

I grinned that involuntary grin again, and her hands slipped into my long waves, clutching my neck and pulling me closer. She kissed me until I was breathless and panting against her wet mouth, my hands shaky as they clutched her bare arms.

Then she pulled away as abruptly as she'd come, her hands resting on the wheel. "How do you feel about having an experience?"

I stared at her. "I... feel okay about it."

"Great, let's go."

. . . . .

"Billie, I have class in the morning."

"And?"

"And... it looks a lot like I won't make it if I go in there."

"Probably not. But this is for school."

We were parked in an underground parking space, and two men stood waiting for us behind her car; one, a security guard, and two, a bellhop who worked for the extremely ritzy hotel we were parked under.

I turned in my seat to stare at them out the back windshield. "I thought you were supposed to be, like, a humble celebrity or something..."

"Fuckin' whatever," she waved her hand at me. "I have money. Sometimes I like to spend it."

I turned back to her. "So, you think if I go stay in this stupid expensive hotel, I'll get the experience I'm looking for to write about for school?"

She nodded slowly, chewing her lip. "Yeah... sure. Let's go with that."

I sighed. "And this has nothing at all to do with sequestering me away so you can fuck me to your heart's content."

Her eyes widened. "Ooo, big word, 'sequestering.' You must be an English major."