𝐁eyond the Lens - b.e

37 -

Ellie slowly woke up, her head heavy and aching, fragments of the previous night still fuzzy in her mind. She opened her eyes, squinting against the light that filtered into the room. Feeling her body numb, she realized she wasn't alone. A warm arm rested on her stomach. Her heart began to race slightly as she glanced down to see whose arm it was, and she let out a sigh of relief upon recognizing Billie.

A smile stretched across her face. She was relieved it was Billie beside her. If it was her, then Ellie had no reason to worry. Nothing regrettable could have happened, especially since she was still wearing her clothes.

Next to her, Billie stirred slightly, waking up from Ellie's movements. Her eyelids fluttered before she slowly opened them. She turned to Ellie with a mischievous smile. "Hey, dude" she murmured, her voice still tinged with sleep.

Ellie chuckled softly, feeling a bit shy. "Hey," she replied, sitting up slightly in bed. Billie detached herself from Ellie, stretching casually, as if sleeping together was the most normal thing in the world.

"How are you feeling?" Billie asked, looking at her closely.

"A bit better, I guess... but I have a terrible headache," Ellie groaned, massaging her temples. "And I have some blackouts. I hope I didn't do anything stupid?"

Billie burst out laughing, shaking her head gently. "No, don't worry. You were just really drunk, but you didn't do anything serious." She chose to keep their flirty moments to herself for now.

Ellie sighed in relief at that. She got out of bed and followed Billie out of the room. They headed down to the kitchen, where they found Joan and Aubrey already busy, surrounded by mugs of coffee and trash bags.

"Ah, the two sleepyheads finally awake!" Aubrey exclaimed with a big smile as they walked in. "Are you ready for a cleaning session?"

Ellie grimaced at those words, but Joan added with a grin, "We're not going to do it all without you! Come on, a coffee, and then we'll get to work!"

Ellie grabbed a steaming cup of coffee and flopped down into a chair. "My brain needs a few more minutes before it can do anything." Billie joined her with a cup in hand, looking visibly more awake.

"Come on, it was a fun night, but we need to make this place livable," Aubrey joked, glancing around. The house was a mess, filled with empty glasses, crushed snacks on the floor, and a few remnants of the previous night.

After a few minutes of enjoying their coffee and joking about the previous night's events, they started cleaning up. Aubrey and Joan picked up the abandoned bottles and glasses while Ellie and Billie arranged the cushions, swept up crumbs, and tidied the kitchen table. The atmosphere was relaxed, filled with laughter and teasing.

"Seriously," said Joan, scrubbing a sticky spot on the table, "I don't know who came up with the shots last night, but I'm willing to bet it was Aubrey."

"Guilty," Aubrey confessed with a cheeky smile. "But it was Ellie who kept taking them. I just handed her the glasses."

Ellie groaned as she picked up some crushed chips off the floor. "You're all bad influences, and I'm too weak against peer pressure."

Everyone burst into laughter, and despite the cleaning, the atmosphere remained cheerful. After about an hour, the house had regained some semblance of order. The smell of yesterday's food, mixed with drinks, had been replaced by coffee and fresh soap. The dogs, Livaï and Shark, watched the commotion from the couch, still as calm as ever.

Once they finished cleaning, they decided to relax in the living room, exhausted. Billie turned on the television, and everyone flopped onto the couches to watch a movie, enjoying the tranquility after the chaos of the night before.

"It feels good to unwind," Ellie sighed, sinking into the cushions. "I think my brain is still in recovery mode."

Aubrey, sitting next to her, nudged her playfully. "That's what shots do. But don't worry, we all had our moments last night."

A few hours later, the house was quiet again, everyone lost in their thoughts or the movie playing on the screen. They decided to order pizzas for dinner, too tired to cook anything. Sitting around the table, they chatted about everything and nothing, about the previous night and what awaited them in the coming days.

Once the meal was finished, they took Livaï and Shark for a short walk around the neighborhood, enjoying the coolness of the late afternoon. The calm of the street contrasted with the festive atmosphere of the previous night, and it felt good for them all to breathe some fresh air.

As they strolled back home, Billie received a notification on her phone. She smiled as she read the message and turned to Ellie.

"By the way, I have an interview tomorrow in the city. I'm expected at a studio downtown Portland around late morning."

Ellie, stretching after the walk, raised an eyebrow. "Oh, what's it for?"

"Just the usual stuff, I think. About the tour, new projects..." Billie replied casually before flashing a mischievous smile. "But I was thinking... would you be up for coming with me?"

Ellie blinked, surprised by the invitation. "You want me to go with you to an interview?"

"Yeah," Billie said, nodding. "It'd be cool to have a friend with me. Plus, you could see how it goes. We'd get to spend some time together away from the chaos of the house."

Ellie couldn't help but smile, touched by the unexpected invitation. She felt a bit flattered that Billie wanted to spend time with her. "Well, how could I refuse such an invitation?" she said with a grin.

Billie returned her smile, clearly pleased with Ellie's response. "Awesome! It's going to be fun, you'll see."

Ellie nodded, already curious to discover this world that was still unfamiliar to her. The next day promised to be full of surprises.