Beyond the lens - Billie Eilish

37 -

Ellie woke up slowly, her head heavy and aching, fragments of the night before still blurry in her mind. She opened her eyes, squinting against the light streaming into the room. As she felt her body stiff and sore, she realized she wasn't alone. A warm arm rested across her stomach. Her heart skipped a beat, and she looked down to see whose arm it was, then let out a sigh of relief when she recognized it was Billie.

A smile spread across her face. She was relieved that 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 shifted slightly, seemingly woken by Ellie's movements. Her eyelids fluttered before opening slowly. She turned to Ellie with a mischievous smile.

Billie: "Hey," she whispered, her voice still laced with sleep.

Ellie chuckled softly, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Ellie: "Hey you," she replied, propping herself up slightly in bed. Billie pulled away, stretching, still calm, as though sleeping together was the most normal thing in the world.

Billie: "How are you feeling?" she asked, looking at Ellie closely.

Ellie: "A bit better, I think... But damn, I have a killer headache," Ellie groaned, massaging her temples. "And I've got fucking blackout moments. I didn't do anything stupid, right?"

Billie burst out laughing, shaking her head gently.

Billie: "Nah, don't worry. You were just really drunk, but nothing major happened." She left out their flirtatious moments, preferring to keep Ellie in the dark for now.

Ellie let out a relieved sigh upon hearing this. She got out of bed and followed Billie out of the room. They went downstairs to the kitchen, where they found Joan and Aubrey already busy, surrounded by coffee cups and trash bags.

Aubrey: "Ah, we never thought we'd see you guys again, ready for a cleaning session?"

Ellie grimaced at the words, but Joan added with a smile.

Joan: "We're not doing it all without you! Come on, get a coffee, and let's get to work!"

Ellie grabbed a steaming cup of coffee and plopped down in a chair.

Ellie: "My brain needs a few more minutes before it's capable of doing anything."

Billie joined her with a cup in hand, clearly feeling more awake.

Aubrey: "Alright, it was a great night, but we need to make this place livable again," she joked, glancing around.

The house was a mess, filled with empty glasses, snacks crushed on the floor, and a few remnants of the previous night.

After a few minutes of enjoying their coffee and joking about the events from the night before, they started cleaning up. Aubrey and Joan picked up the bottles and glasses, while Ellie and Billie took care of rearranging cushions, sweeping up crumbs, and cleaning off the kitchen table. The atmosphere was relaxed, filled with laughter and teasing.

Joan: "Seriously," he said, rubbing a sticky stain on the table, "I don't know who came up with the idea of shots last night, but I bet it was Aubrey."

Aubrey: "Guilty, but it was Ellie who went all in. I just handed her the glasses."

Ellie: "You're all bad influences, and I'm too weak to resist peer pressure."

Everyone burst out laughing, and despite the cleaning, the mood was cheerful. After about an hour, the house started to look somewhat organized again. The smell of yesterday's food, mixed with booze, was replaced by the scent of fresh coffee and soap. The dogs, Livai and Shark, watched the chaos from the couch, still calm as ever.

After finishing up the cleaning, they decided to relax in the living room, exhausted. Billie turned on the TV, and everyone collapsed onto the couches to watch a movie, enjoying the peace after the chaos of the night before.

Ellie: "It feels good to just sit down, i think my brain is still in recovery mode."

Aubrey, sitting next to her, gave her a little shoulder bump.

Aubrey: "That's the magic of shots. But don't worry, we all had our moment last night."

A few hours later, the house had fallen 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 night before and what lay ahead in the coming days.

After dinner, they took Livai and Shark for a little walk around the neighborhood, enjoying the coolness of the late afternoon. The quiet of the street was a stark contrast to the festive mood of the night before, and it felt good to all of them to breathe in some fresh air.

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

Billie: "By the way, I've got an interview tomorrow in the city. I'm expected in the late morning at a studio downtown in Portland."

Ellie, stretching after the walk, raised an eyebrow.

Ellie: "Oh, to talk about what?"

Billie: "The usual stuff, I guess. The tour, new projects...But I was thinking, would you be up to come with me?"

Ellie blinked, surprised by the invitation.

Ellie: "You want me to come to an interview?"

Billie: "Yeah, it'd be nice 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 still felt a little flattered that Billie wanted to spend time with her.

Ellie: "Well, how can I turn down an invite like that?"

Billie returned her smile, clearly pleased with Ellie's answer.

Billie: "Awesome! It's gonna be fun, you'll see."

Ellie nodded, already curious to experience this new world that was still unknown to her. Tomorrow promised to be a day full of surprises.