Nightcall - Billie Eilish

13 -

After a few drinks, as usual, we hit the road to the address Billie had sent me earlier this week.

I knew it wasn't the smartest move, but the alcohol was already kicking in. I'm not the type to stress out anyway, but now I was practically floating, forgetting that in a few minutes, we'd be at Billie Eilish's house. And especially forgetting that Kate had absolutely no idea. Honestly, I couldn't wait to see her reaction.

The taxi dropped us off miles away from downtown Los Angeles, in front of a massive gate. A security guard stood tall in front of it, while a dozen people strolled into a huge house visible in the distance. Kate, amused, turned to me with a laugh.

"You didn't tell me this Billie was loaded."

"Oh yeah? Thought I mentioned it."

She was so not ready for what was next.

We headed for the entrance. The guard gave us a once-over, his gaze lingering a little too long on Kate. I frowned and snapped :

"Something bothering you, asshole?"

Ugh, men, seriously.

Kate grabbed my arm and pulled me away, muttering, "Come on, let's not do this now."

I took a deep breath to calm down, and we joined the crowd at the house entrance. The vibe was wild, a mix of people in fancy gowns, hoodies and baggy pants, and even swimsuits.

Kate couldn't stop looking around, her eyes shining with excitement.

"Dude, I can already tell this party is gonna be insane."

Her enthusiasm made me smile, and honestly, it put me at ease.

"Man, I was thinking the exact same thing."

As we stepped into the house, the place was packed and buzzing. The energy was electric. Barely through the door, a guy approached us to say hi. He was kind of cute, I had to admit. Kate immediately dropped my arm, her eyes locking onto the handsome brunette.

"I thought all the most beautiful girls were already here," he said with a charming smile. "Can I get your names?"

Kate burst out laughing, that fucking fake laugh I hate. The "flirty mode activated" kind. She placed her hand lightly on his arm and introduced us.

"I'm Kate, and this is my girl Dina. Any idea where we can grab a drink?"

The guy, clearly caught in Kate's web, grinned even wider.

"I'm Kole. Follow me, I know exactly where to go."

He offered Kate his arm, and she hooked onto it like it was nothing. Watching her flirt was always a mix of hilarious and impressive.

As they chatted, I couldn't help but scan the room, hoping to spot Billie. The house was massive, and I was already bracing myself for the possibility that we might not even see her tonight.

Our duo quickly became a trio as Kole led us to the kitchen. A huge table was overflowing with bottles and cocktails. I'd never seen so many drink options in my life. This was next-level hosting. Kole handed us cocktails before hitting us with the question.

"So, did Billie invite you?"

My heart skipped a beat. Oh god. I glanced at Kate, who answered calmly.

"She's a friend of Dina's. I'm just the humble plus-one."

Then she turned to me with curiosity.

"By the way, haven't you seen your client yet?"

Before I could reply, Kole raised an intrigued eyebrow.

"Client?"

I hesitated, searching for the right words, but Kate jumped in first.

"They met at the record store where Dina works."

Kole gave me an impressed smile.

"Well, you're lucky. Billie rarely shows up at public stuff like this."

Kate, puzzled, looked at him.

"Huh? Why's that?"

Kole started to explain.

"Well, you know, being famo..."

I quickly cut him off, pretending to cough loudly. Before he could say more, I grabbed Kate by the arm.

"Thanks, Kole! Let's go check out the rest of the place, Kate."

Kate was surprised but let me pull her away without arguing.

The party was incredible. We met a bunch of cool people, played drinking games, and killed it at beer pong. Kate and I were practically glowing after every win. The vibe was perfect.

Then we found ourselves facing a duo I recognized instantly Finneas, Billie's brother, and a girl who turned out to be Claudia, his girlfriend.

"You ready to lose, guys ?" Finneas said with a mischievous grin.

Kate fired back without missing a beat.

"You mean ready to crush you? Hell yeah."

After an intense match, we were declared the winners. Finneas and Claudia shook our hands like good sports. Finneas, clearly a little too drunk, leaned heavily on the table, making us all burst out laughing.

Still laughing with Claudia, Kate leaned over and whispered to me :

"It's crazy how much this guy looks like Billie Eilish's brother."

WHAT?! Of course, she'd say that while I was mid-sip, making me choke on my drink. I coughed loudly as Kate patted my back.

"Seriously, you must've caught some stupid virus, you've been coughing all night."

Claudia, concerned, handed me a glass of water, which I took gratefully. But even the water felt hard to swallow at this point.

"We should probably find the bathroom," Kate suggested.

We started looking when suddenly Kole appeared out of nowhere. He locked eyes with Kate before turning to me.

"Mind if I steal her for a minute?"

I glanced at Kate, hesitant, but her expression was clear.

"You better not mess up her night," I said, shooting him a glare.

Kole smirked.

"It's not in my plans, I swear."

Kate seemed convinced and went with him. And me? I was left alone. I already regretted it.