The Artist / Billie Eilish

Chapter 21

I pulled away when I heard Finneas' voice, Billie's hands sliding around to the back of my neck to crash our lips together again, breathing heavily.

She tugged my bottom lip slightly, groaning under her breath and pushing her body up against my own, as close to each other as we could get.

Once I heard Finneas knocking again, I pulled away from Billie for, nudging her off my lap and jogging to answer the door.

"Where the fuck were you guys?" He laughed, making his way into the apartment. Glancing into the bedroom, he saw Billie glaring at him from the bed. His head whipped around to look back at me, then back at Billie, and he repeated this motion a few times, his mouth hanging open.

"No way..." He mumbled, covering his mouth with his hand as he let out a shocked, stifled laugh. Then, Claudia appeared in the doorway, smiling at Finneas' laughter.

"What's so funny?"

There was a moment of silence as the three of us pondered over our answers.

Finneas spoke up first.

"Rose and Billie are hooking up."

Billie erupted into noise as Claudia playfully squealed, pushing the door shut behind her. As Billie shoved Finneas, he quickly wrapped his arm around her head jokingly as she struggled, before reading from his phone.

"Anyway, as I was initially here to say," he smirked, letting Billie go and running and hand through his hair, leaning back against the couch. A now-disheveled Billie huffed, plodding over to stand next to me as Claudia watched us excitedly.

Billie rolled her eyes.

"Management text me. And, based on whatever the hell I just walked in on..."

He grimaced, not looking up from his phone.

"You're not gonna like it."

Billie scoffed, walking up to her brother and snatching his phone straight out of his hands- jogging away from Finneas as he tried to get it back, her eyes glued to the screen.

She scanned the email for what seemed like multiple times, and Finneas gave up trying to get it back, a defeat washing over his features. He gently put a hand on her shoulder as she stayed focused on the screen.

"I'm sorry, Bil," he muttered as she put the phone down, looking aimlessly in disbelief, lost in her thoughts.

Claudia and I just stood on the other side of the room, clueless.

Finneas noticed our confusion out of the corner of his eye and chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Billie, um..." he started, scratching the back of his neck.

"Has been assigned into a PR relationship."

•

It was about 3am when Finneas and Claudia left.

Billie and I were in bed, wrapped up in her hoodies like always, but the air was thick with tension.

I hadn't heard her voice for hours.

The entire time Finneas was trying to work it out, she just sat and stared.

I had no idea how she felt, but I felt awful for her.

Being forced into a fake relationship just for press must be horrible.

She sniffed, turning on her side to face me, her diamond-blue eyes piercing through my own. She focused on watching my lips for a few seconds, before opening her mouth to speak.

And then closing it again.

She did this a few more times before she just sighed and shut her mouth, her bottom lip quivering ever so slightly and her eyes watering.

My heart twinged with empathy as I quickly leant in a pecked her lips, stroking her cheek with my thumb. She laughed breathily, rolling over onto her back and resting her hands on her forehead, shaking her head.

"Just my fucking luck," she mumbled, laughing again bitterly,

I furrowed my eyebrows, leaning up on my elbows to get a better view of the girl.

"Huh?"

She sighed, holding her palms over her face, her words muffled as she spoke. "Just my luck to get put into a PR relationship when I finally am happy with a relationship I almost have."