Everything I Wanted

Back To Tour Life - 35

Story woke up the next morning feeling lighter, yet still unsure. The conversation with Billie had gone well—better than she expected, honestly. They had agreed to take things slow, to see where they ended up, and while that should have put her at ease, there was still an underlying nervousness buzzing in her chest. She wasn't used to this feeling—this uncertainty. With guys, things had always been clear-cut. She knew the script, she knew the role she was supposed to play. But this? This was different.

Rolling onto her side, she reached for her phone and saw a text from Gracie.

Gracie: Morning, lovebird. How was your talk with Billie?

Story let out a small groan, already knowing Gracie was going to be insufferable about this. Still, she smiled.

Story: It was good. We're just going to see where things go.

Gracie: Aka, you two are gonna be all flirty and soft and pretend like nothing's happening even though EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING??

Story: ...maybe.

Gracie: You are so hopeless.

Story: I KNOW.

She chuckled to herself, tossing her phone aside as she rolled out of bed. Today was supposed to be a work day, but she already knew focusing was going to be a challenge. Billie was on her mind.

✨

The studio session was productive, yet Story found herself drifting in and out of focus. Every lyric she wrote, every melody she hummed, felt like it had Billie woven into it.

"Earth to Story," her producer, Leo, called out, waving a hand in front of her face. "You good?"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry," she said, shaking herself out of it. "Just... thinking."

Leo smirked. "Thinking about a certain someone?"

Story's face heated instantly. "No! I mean, yes, but not like that. I mean—ugh, shut up."

Leo just laughed, but thankfully, he let it go. The rest of the session went a little more smoothly after that, but the moment she left the studio, her mind wandered back to Billie.

A text from her popped up just as she got into the car.

Bils🤍: Hey, some of us are hanging at Finneas & Claudia's later. You should come.

Story hesitated. Seeing Billie in a group setting felt... different. Like it would make this whole thing feel real in a way she wasn't sure she was ready for. But at the same time, she wanted to see her.

Story: Okay, I'll be there.

✨

By the time she arrived at Finneas and Claudia's place, her nerves had settled—mostly. It wasn't like this was a date. It was just Billie, her brother, and some friends hanging out. Normal. Casual. No big deal.

But then she walked inside and saw Billie laughing at something Finneas said, her whole face lighting up in that way that made Story's heart do a stupid little flip. God, I'm screwed.

Billie noticed her then, her smile softening. "Hey, you made it."

"Yeah," Story said, suddenly unsure what to do with her hands. "I did."

Billie patted the spot next to her on the couch, and Story sat down, keeping a respectable distance but still feeling hyper-aware of every tiny movement Billie made.