Everything I Wanted

That's That Me Espresso - 10

Story practically floated into Gracie's apartment, still on a high from lunch with Billie. She and Gracie exchanged quick see ya's, parting to their rooms, and Story let herself fall back onto her bed, grinning as she replayed the afternoon in her head. She couldn't shake the memory of Billie's laughter, the way her eyes crinkled when she smiled, or how easy it felt to talk to her. Every detail of Billie seemed clearer now, and as she lay there, she found herself daydreaming about how effortlessly beautiful and kind Billie had been in person.

Her phone pinged, breaking her reverie. Story's heart leapt as she saw it was from an unknown number, and a little thrill ran through her—she knew exactly who it had to be. With a giddy smile, she opened the message.

xxx-xxx-xxxx:
Hey Story, it's Billie. I really hope this is you bruh.

Story burst out laughing, rolling onto her side as she quickly typed back.

Story:
Haha, it's me! You found the right Story :)

And just like that, their conversation flowed, jumping from little jokes to sharing random thoughts from the day. Story found herself smiling at her phone, her cheeks warm, as Billie's messages seemed to fill her with a calm excitement she couldn't quite place. She didn't entirely understand the feeling bubbling up inside her, but she knew one thing: she was happy. She quickly added Billie as a contact. With every message Billie sent, she felt a little closer to her, like maybe this was the start of something new and beautiful.

✨

Story's phone buzzed, and she saw her mom's name light up the screen. She quickly switched from Billie's text thread to answer.

"Hi, Mom!" she greeted, a slight bounce in her voice.

"Hey, honey!" Her mom sounded just as cheerful. "I just wanted to call and say—oh my goodness, the response to your interview has been amazing! I'm so proud of you. Have you been keeping up with the fan reactions?"

"Thanks, Mom! Yeah, it's been kind of overwhelming but in the best way possible." Story smiled, feeling a warmth spread through her chest.

They chatted for a bit about the fan response before her mom added, "I've been thinking...this could be a perfect time to start teasing your new album. Have you thought about putting something out on Instagram? A little hint?"

Story hesitated, excitement building as she considered the idea. "Actually, that sounds perfect. I could tease the first single with that picture of me holding an espresso martini."

Her mom laughed, catching on immediately. "I know exactly where you're going with this. It's clever, and the fans will love it. Just something simple to stir up curiosity without giving too much away."

Story grinned, nodding to herself. "I'll do it. I have a picture from my album shoot with the martini. I'll add something like, 'that's that me espresso💋,' just to play with the lyrics a little."

"Perfect," her mom agreed. "Go ahead and post it. And Story—remember, just enjoy the ride. It's going to be so worth it."

"Thank you, Mom. Love you."

"I love you too, sweet girl."

As soon as she hung up, Story scrolled through her camera roll, found the perfect shot with the espresso martini, and added the caption, "that's that me espresso💋." After a quick double-check, she hit 'post' and watched as the likes began to trickle in. Her heart raced, already anticipating the fans' reactions to the first taste of Short and Sweet.