Falling by Accident // Billie Eilish

One

ONE

POV Lea

 « Hey ! Watch out, » grunts a man behind me.

I barely have time to see his face before he walks away with nervous steps, not even bothering to wait for my answer. 

« Sorry, I wasn't looking, » I mumble while making my way through the crowd.

Just like every morning, hundreds of people hurry in the corridors of the underground of Paris to take the subway. Workers, students, tourists everywhere. And just like every morning, they are all lost in their thoughts, walking with a quick pace without paying attention to what surrounds them, exchanging grimaces when they accidentally bump into each other. 

People give me pissed off looks as I shove them to the side, but I don't really have the choice. Today is literally the worst morning I could have ever had. I'm extremely late for my classes, and as if it's not enough, I'm very, very hangover.

« Fuck, » I whisper to myself.

As I'm about to take the stairs just like everyone else, I notice a passage that leads to a few elevators and that nobody seems to want to borrow. Despite the sign that prevents the access, I decide to go that way to save a few minutes. 

Most of the time, the prevention signs you see in the subway are outdated, and the elevators seem to be working just fine. I start walking towards them when my attention is drawn to a few people standing there with cameras and security guards all around them. Everyone is moving aside to let them pass, and that's when I notice the bunch of teenagers screaming and running in all directions. They are all going towards me, so it's in a hurry that I call the nearest elevator and jump into it as soon as the doors open.

I hate being surrounded by too many people, but I hate it even more when they're screaming and acting like fucking animals. Like seriously, calm down for a second. They are probably making a movie or chasing after some celebrity, that would explain the bodyguards and the medias. 

Why would a celebrity be in the middle of the subways in Paris on a monday morning anyway ?

« Wait ! Wait up, hold the doors, » says someone and a girl sneaks in my elevator just as the doors close.

Great. I keep my head down while listening to my music, without paying any attention to the person standing next to me. At least, as we begin to go up, the screams and the agitation are replaced by silence.

But then, just when I start to think that I might arrive on time to my first class, the elevator stops. At first, I don't think anything of it and I just wait. This kind of things happens all the time so there's usually no need to worry. But a few minutes go by and nothing changes. With a sigh, I take off my headphones before facing the girl next to me.

What I see takes me by surprise. It's like I've seen this girl somewhere, but I have no idea where she comes from exactly. She wears baggy clothes that somehow suit her very well and the hood of her sweatshirt is on her head, covering her face. I only see her back, and I feel like she's unsure of what to do. Finally she sighs, turns around and looks into my eyes.

Holy crap.

She's fucking beautiful. Her face, her blue eyes, her dyed hair. It's so unexpected, and for some reason I find myself having trouble breathing. I think she must be around my age but she seems... I don't know. Confident ?

C'mon Lea stop being a fucking moron.

I swallow hard and try to keep my cool when I see the stranger staring at me with curiosity.

« Dude, do you have any idea what's happening ? » she asks in english with a strong american accent.

Of course, she must an american tourist.

« The elevator is stuck, » I answer in english, slightly nervous. « I think we should press the emergency button, it's taking too long to get going again. »

The girl is now staring at me with even more curiosity than before, as if my reaction isn't what she expected. It makes me squirm with discomfort, especially since she seems so strangely familiar. When she realises the effect she has on me, she smirks.

« 'Right. Go ahead then, » she says.

Once the button is pressed, we wait in silence for a few moments until a man answers on the other end of the line. I explain to him the situation in french and ask him how long it's gonna take until we can get out of the elevator. He doesn't say a word for a moment, and that's when I start to understand the situation is about to become much more complicated. Then, he tells me that it will take at least an hour before a technician can arrive to examine what's causing the issue. Until then, we have to stay calm and wait.

Great. As if this monday morning couldn't get any more shitty. I fucking hate monday mornings anyway.

I sigh deeply, take all the patience I have left and turn around to translate everything to the girl next to me without losing my shit in front of her damn blue eyes. When she gets the situation, she swears and immediately takes her phone to call someone.

I just stand there. My head is spinning, I have a massive headache due to my hangover and even better, when I finally check my phone I realise it doesn't have any more battery. Fucking monday mornings.

« You okay ? » questions the girl, once her phone call is over.

« Yeah, amazing. I'm literally stuck in an elevator with a total stranger, I have a fucking hangover, I'm late to school and it's not like anyone is gonna believe my excuse when I get there. You see, I'm having the best day of my life right now, » I declare ironically, running a hand through my blond hair.

But when I don't expect it at all, the girl just bursts out laughing, making me blush slightly. Well, at least one of us is feeling good today. I'm not gonna lie, the sound of her laugh is so funny and contagious it makes me grin. 

« Dude I feel ya. I'm not having the best day of my life either but we're gonna be stuck here for a while. »

I sigh again, knowing she's right. I guess it could be worst. So I put up a friendly smile and, while stifling a yawn, I decide to introduce myself.

« I'm Lea. »

When she hears my words, the girl seems to hesitate a bit. Then, she just shrugs it off and gives me a playful smirk, making me raise an eyebrow in response. Damn.

« And I'm Billie ».

And just like that, I know that I've heard of her before. I mean, even her name feels familiar and I know I'm not going crazy, so I must know her from somewhere. 

« Okay I don't know if it's just me but I think I know you from somewhere. Maybe we've met before? What's you're last name ? » I ask with a curious voice.

« Nah, we've never met before. I'm Billie, you know. Just Billie. »

For some reason, I sense that she doesn't want to talk about this more, so I just drop it. After all, it's not like it's really important. I'm probably never gonna see her again after stepping out of this elevator.

« Okay then, just Billie. Happy to meet you. We've got at least an hour to kill, so what do you suggest ? »

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