Welcome to Paradise // Billie Joe Armstrong // #Wattys2017

Waiting

I feel the leather touch of the car seat against my cheek when I wake up. I blink my eyes a couple of times to adjust to the brightly shining light as I try to sit up straight. Through the two front seats I can see Billie, who has already gotten up and is trying to fix the car.

I drowsily watch him struggle with the engine, while nibbling on a chocolate bar that's supposed to serve as my breakfast. After a while, Billie catches me staring and sends me a sweet smile. I ponder where all of this is going.

I have been craving any sort of interaction with Billie since I was 14. From hearing his sharp and energetic voice through a microphone to even spotting a glimpse of his face in real life, I didn't care what. But now so much more of my desires have come true. And I don't know how to feel about it.

It simply doesn't feel right.

It's like the protons in my body attracted Billie's electrons by accident and that's why we ended up together. It must've been nothing more but an untaught mistake of mother nature. Billie seems unaware of it though, he's been so loving to me the past days, but I'm not sure if it's because he needs my help finding Adrienne or because he actually cares.

Nobody ever cared a lot, so why, out of all people, would he? It's something that doesn't make sense to me.

When I'm in the middle of my nerve wrecking thoughts, the car door next to me opens and Billie steps inside. He sighs deeply and places his head against the back of the seat. "I don't know what the fuck is wrong with this car, but I can't get it to work" he groans.

I take another bite of my chocolate as I think. This better not be the end of our journey, I left the school for this. We can't go back, because it's too far to walk and we seem not very capable of going any further either.

Visions of myself dying in a post-apocalyptic gas station flash through my head. This is not at all how I imagined to go.

"We're going to have to walk to the bar, there's no other way" Billie interrupts my thoughts again. I look up at him in disbelief. "Walk? That's going to take us years, we'll be dead by the time we get there" I say, sounding almost shocked.

Billie chuckles at this. "Aileen, all we did yesterday was drive in circles. You we're far out with your thoughts, you didn't even notice until after hours. What's been on your mind?" Billie asks sweetly. I melt at the concern in his voice, until I'm reminded by the fact why he is so caring.

I shrug. "I'm in a post-apocalyptic world looking for my biggest idol's wife and his two best friends?" I brush him off. "I think I have all the right to be far out with my thoughts".

"Aileen, I really appreciate you being here, I mean it" Billie sighs as he grabs my hand and gives me an earnest look. His touch sends electric pulses through my veins and I have to keep everything together to prevent myself from smiling. "I don't know how you manage to keep up with the crap I put you through" he continues.

"No, Billie that's not true, you saved my life yesterday." I protest.

"Yeah, but without me there wouldn't have been the need to save you because you would've been safe. I'm sorry I dragged you along in all of my problems"

"Are you nice to me because I help you or do you actually care?" I suddenly ask. Billie falls silent for a while after my question, which is as much of an answer as anything else would've been.

"I need you, I most definitely need you" Billie nods. "And we wouldn't have been sitting here if it wasn't for the world we live in today, but I care about you Aileen. I care a fucking lot" he continues.

I'm a little blown away by his answer, I thought this was going to be the part where he would confess everything to me and we would eventually part ways or something. But most of all, I'm confused. "Why do you care?" I ask sternly.

Billie smiles, a little confused. "Because you're so interesting" he states, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. I shyly look down at the ground beneath me as I try to process everything he has said, but then Billie grabs me by my chin, so that I'm facing him again.

He studies my face, staring from my eyes to my lips, as he softly bites his' until he looks me at me again. I almost get lost in the green of his eyes and it's like I'm floating through an unknown world of all his secrets. But I'm snapped out of his nirvana when he leans in and places his soft, pink lips against mine.

It's like every single sense in my 17-year old body is awakened at the same time. It's so wrong for us to be doing this, we're both very well aware of it. But right now, neither of us could care any less.

I carefully place my hand around Billie's neck, intertwining my fingers in his hair. He brings his hand up to my face and deepens the kiss. The heat in the core of my stomach seems to be radiating off my body and for a moment, I fear I might be getting a sun stroke from the warmth I produce.

After what seems like an eternity of pure joy, we part, both panting. Our chests go up and down in a synchronous rhythm and we both stare at each other, trying to process exactly what just happened.

"I-I'm sorry, Aileen I-" Billie nervously chuckles. I look at him and smile. "It's alright, I didn't mind"

To this, Billie relaxes a little, a smirk appearing on his face. "Well in that case" he smiles, before placing another soft kiss on my lips.

"Now let's go get to that fucking bar"