Tear Myself Apart // Billie Eilish

Chapter 23

CAMILLA'S P.O.V

"Good morning," I said as I stepped into the elevator.

"Morning." She leaned against the wall opposite me, a smile on her face. "You look tired."

"I am."

"What's up? Not enough sleep?"

I shook my head. "Definitely not enough."

She laughed. "Where's your coffee?"

"That is a great question. I was running late. I didn't have time."

She laughed as the elevator doors opened. "Poor thing."

"Mm-hm." I stepped out of the elevator and we went our separate ways. I hated it here. I was so tired. I didn't regret going to help Billie. I regretted coming back. I missed being out there.

"Camilla," Mr. Stone said as I walked into his office.

"Sir?" I raised my eyebrows, looking up at him.

"I need to talk to you."

Oh, hell. What did I do?

"Oh."

He laughed. "You're not in trouble. Sit down." He nodded towards the chair in front of his desk and I took a seat. "Unless there's something you should be in trouble for. You were looking a little worried."

"That was a look of confusion," I assured him.

"Right. Anyways..." He cleared his throat. "Um, so basically I just need to know if I should start looking for a new PA, or are you okay with everything that's happening?"

"What? A new PA? Why would you need a new PA?"

"They're transferring me to our company in LA and obviously you're my PA so I need you to come, but I don't know if you're okay with having to move that far away."

I shook my head. "No. You don't need a new PA. I'll go."

"Are you sure? I'd hate to drag you away from your family."

"No. Yeah. That's—" I took a deep breath. I needed to calm down. "I'm okay with that."

"Alright. We've got a month. You should go ahead and start looking for an apartment or something but if you don't have anything figured out by the time we get there, a hotel room will be paid for for you, okay?"

I nodded.

"Anyways... I need you to take this down to Lisa." He handed me the oh so familiar file folder and I made my way to the elevator. I clicked the button with an arrow pointing down on it and stepped in.

"Fucking hurry up," I mumbled as I click the button to make the elevator open. The elevator doors slid open and I quickly step per out, bumping into Jackson. Her styrofoam cup of coffee broke open and spilled all over both of us. "Damnit, Jackson!" I pulled on the fabric of my white button-up.

"Oh my God. I'm so sorry!" She looked down at my shirt and pressed her lips together.

I sighed heavily as I bit my lip. I wasn't gonna yell at her. It was an accident. I didn't need to yell at her.

"I was—I was gonna bring you coffee since you didn't have time this morning."

"It's okay. I'll go home and change on my lunch break. Don't worry about it."

"I'm really sorry." She threw the cup away and shook the coffee off of her hands. "I have a shirt you can wear in my car. I mean... it'll be a little big on you but it won't have coffee on it." She shrugged.

"That'd be great."

-

"So, I need your opinion on something," I said as soon as Claudia's face appeared on my screen.

"What?" She set her phone up against something so that she doesn't have to hold it.

"So you know I'm the personal assistant to the CEO of a publishing company."

"Uh-huh."

"He's being transferred to a company in Australia and he needs me to come with him, and I think I'm gonna go—"

She slammed her hands down on the counter. "Australia?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"That's so far."

"I mean yeah. I definitely wouldn't be coming back nearly as often—if at all but—"

She sighed, setting her elbows on the counter and resting her chin in her hands. "Oh my God. You're gonna make me cry."

I laughed. "Well, I was just kidding."

"Oh my God! I hate you! I don't even want you to come back anymore."

"Ooh." I shrugged. "Sucks to suck because I'm coming back."

"To stay," she asked hopefully and I nodded. "What?"

"Yeah. He is getting transferred. Just not to Australia."

"Wow. Does Billie know?"

I shook my head and scoffed. "No. Why would I need to tell her? She doesn't care?"

"I swear I hate you. Stop being so ignorant."

"I'm not being ignorant. I'm being serious."

She laughed. "Well, I can't take you seriously."

I shook my head, leaning back in my chair.

She tilted her head forward and stared at me for a minute, letting out a small laugh. "I can't tell if you're being serious or not. You really didn't tell her?"

"No. Why would I?"

"You can not sit here and tell me that there is absolutely nothing going on between you two anymore."

"But I am. There isn't." I shrugged.

"Here is an 'I'm sorry that I'm an idiot and spilled coffee all over you' hot chocolate." Jackson sets a hot chocolate down on the table in front of me and sat down.

"Thanks but I really think you should work on the name."

"Who's that," Claudia asked.

"Jackson." I faced my phone towards her for a second and then flipped it back around.

"Interesting. Well, I'm gonna go now. Bye. Love you."

"Love you too."

She ended the call and I sighed, setting my phone down.