Hostage to you

Am i crazy? pt2

Raven's POV

I haven't been able to stop thinking about that moment. The almost-kiss with Billie. The way we were so close, and then—bam—interrupted. And now everything feels weird. It's like the memory is burned into my brain, and no matter what I do, I can't shake it.

I'm sitting at a café with Zoey and Marc. We meet up like this sometimes, just to hang out and decompress after a long week, but today, I'm barely present. My mind keeps drifting back to Billie.

Zoey is talking about something—some guy she met the other night—but I can't focus. I'm too stuck in my head. When Zoey suddenly pauses mid-sentence, I realize she's noticed.

"Raven? Hellooo? Are you even listening?" Zoey asks, waving a hand in front of my face.

Marc looks over at me, raising an eyebrow. "What's going on with you? You've been distracted all day."

I shift uncomfortably in my seat, feeling the weight of their stares. I don't know why I didn't bring this up sooner, but now it's too late to back out. I have to tell them.

"So... something happened the other night," I start, fidgeting with my coffee cup. "With Billie."

Zoey's eyes light up immediately. "With Billie? What happened?"

Marc leans forward, curious. "Yeah, what's going on?"

I take a deep breath, trying to figure out how to explain. "We almost kissed."

Zoey gasps, her eyes going wide. "Wait, you almost kissed Billie Eilish?"

Marc lets out a low whistle, leaning back in his chair. "Well, that's... something."

"Yeah," I mumble, staring down at my drink. "We were backstage, and we were stuck in this room, and it just... almost happened. But then someone interrupted us."

Zoey looks like she's about to burst with excitement. "Oh my god, what do you mean almost kissed? Like, how close were you?"

"Close," I say, feeling my face heat up. "Really close. But now I don't know what to do. I mean, Billie's cool and all, but what if it was just a moment? What if I'm reading too much into it?"

Marc raises an eyebrow. "You're not the kind of person who reads too much into things, Raven. If you almost kissed, that means something."

"Yeah, but I don't know if she feels the same," I admit, sighing. "What if it was just in the heat of the moment? I don't want to mess things up between us."

Zoey leans across the table, her voice low and serious. "Raven, listen to me. People don't just almost kiss for no reason. There's obviously something there. You need to talk to her."

I rub the back of my neck, feeling more unsure than ever. "I just... I don't know how to bring it up. What if she doesn't want to talk about it?"

Marc exchanges a look with Zoey before turning back to me. "You'll never know unless you try."

"I know," I groan, slumping in my chair. "But I don't want to make it awkward."

Zoey grins, leaning back in her seat. "Too late. It's already awkward."

I give her a look, but she's not wrong. It's been awkward ever since that night, and avoiding it isn't making it any better. "Great. That's exactly what I needed to hear."

Marc chuckles, taking a sip of his drink. "Look, you just have to talk to her. Worst-case scenario, it's weird for a little bit. Best case? You figure out what's going on between you two."

I frown, picking at the edge of my cup. "Yeah, but... what if she didn't mean it? What if it was nothing?"

Zoey rolls her eyes. "It wasn't nothing, Raven. Trust me. People don't just almost kiss someone they don't care about."

I sit there, letting their words sink in, but the knot in my chest doesn't loosen. I want to talk to Billie, but I'm terrified of what might happen. What if I'm the only one who's been thinking about this? What if she's moved on, and I'm stuck here, overanalyzing everything?

"You're thinking too much," Marc says, like he's reading my mind. "Just talk to her. She's probably thinking the same thing."

I sigh, nodding slowly. "Maybe."

Zoey gives me an encouraging smile. "You've got this. Just be honest with her."

"Yeah," I murmur, though I don't feel as confident as Zoey sounds. "I'll try."