the second take went just as smoothly as the first, though this time, rowan was more prepared for the way billie fully committed to the scene. she knew billie had no problem being confident in front of people, but the way she delivered each line, the way she smirked at rowan like she was truly some girl she had just picked up at a bar—it was almost unfair.

when the director finally called cut for real, rowan leaned back with a deep breath, shaking her head as billie grinned at her.

"see?" billie teased, tilting her head. "easiest job ever."

rowan rolled her eyes but couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips. "i swear, you enjoyed that way too much."

"wouldn't you?" billie shot back with a smirk before nudging rowan's shoulder playfully.

the crew around them chuckled, and the director clapped his hands. "alright, that's a wrap on billie's cameo! you did great."

the small group that had gathered to watch clapped, and rowan watched as billie beamed at the attention. a few of rowan's co-stars came up to congratulate her, some teasing rowan about how real the chemistry had felt.

"are we sure she's not an actress?" one of them joked.

"she's just got a good scene partner," billie replied smoothly, wrapping an arm around rowan's waist.

rowan chuckled, shaking her head before glancing toward the clock on the wall. "alright, i still have one more scene to shoot. you sticking around?"

billie shrugged. "might as well. watching you in your element is fun."

rowan leaned in, dropping a quick kiss to her temple. "good. stay in my chair. it suits you."

with that, she headed off to finish her last scene of the day. billie, as promised, stayed put, watching rowan from across the set. it was something she never got tired of—seeing rowan transform so effortlessly, the way her entire body language shifted the moment the cameras started rolling. even though she'd seen it before, there was something fascinating about watching someone she loved do what they loved.

by the time rowan wrapped up, the sun had started dipping lower, casting a golden glow over the set. she let out a long breath, stretching her arms before making her way back to billie, who was now scrolling through her phone in rowan's chair.

"done for the day?" billie asked, looking up with a soft smile.

"finally." rowan exhaled dramatically before leaning against the back of the chair, her arms resting on either side of billie. "ready to go home?"

billie hummed in thought, tilting her head. "depends. you cooking dinner?"

rowan scoffed. "you really wanna take that risk?"

billie laughed. "fair point."

they gathered their things and headed out, the security detail already waiting with the suv. rowan climbed into the driver's seat while billie got comfortable beside her, resting her legs over rowan's lap as soon as they were on the road.

the drive home was peaceful, filled with soft music playing through the speakers and billie absentmindedly playing with rowan's fingers on the steering wheel. it was moments like these—small, quiet ones—that made everything else feel so much easier.

when they pulled into the driveway, shark was already at the door, waiting impatiently. billie let him out into the backyard while rowan set their bags down.

"so, do we actually have food here, or are we ordering in?" billie called from the backdoor.

rowan made a face, glancing into the fridge. "unless you wanna get creative with yogurt, eggs, and half a cucumber, i'd say ordering in is our best bet."

billie snorted. "chinese?"

"sounds good." rowan grabbed her phone to place the order while billie rejoined her in the kitchen, hopping onto the counter.

as she ordered, billie absentmindedly swung her legs, watching rowan. "so... i've been thinking."

"that's dangerous," rowan murmured without looking up.

billie nudged her with her foot. "i'm serious."

rowan chuckled, finally putting her phone down. "okay, what's up?"

billie hesitated for a moment, her fingers tapping against the counter. "the whole... stalker thing. i don't wanna just sit around and do nothing about it."

rowan frowned, leaning against the counter beside her. "what do you mean?"

"i mean..." billie sighed. "i know you're handling it. i know parker's handling it. but i feel like i should be doing something too. i don't wanna just be the person who gets used as leverage."

rowan's expression softened. she reached for billie's hand, squeezing gently. "you're not just leverage, baby."

"i know that," billie said quickly. "but you get to stand up to him. you get to fight back. and i just... i don't know. i don't wanna feel useless."

rowan studied her for a moment before nodding. "okay. then let's figure out what you can do."

billie looked up, surprised. "really?"

"of course," rowan said simply. "you wanna do something? we'll make a plan. you're not in this alone."

billie exhaled, some of the tension in her shoulders easing. "thanks."

rowan kissed her forehead softly. "always."

the doorbell rang, breaking the moment. their food had arrived.

for now, the conversation was set aside. but as they ate, sitting cross-legged on the couch with shark curled up at their feet, billie knew one thing for sure—she wasn't going to be a passive part of this anymore.

she was going to fight back.

after dinner, they curled up on the couch, the tv playing in the background as rowan absentmindedly ran her fingers through billie's hair. shark was sprawled out at their feet, already dozing off.

billie, however, was still wide awake. her mind was spinning, thinking about everything—how much their lives had changed since the stalker situation started, how she had gone from feeling safe and untouchable to looking over her shoulder everywhere she went. she didn't want to live like that.

"hey," rowan's voice was soft, pulling billie out of her thoughts. "you're thinking too hard."

billie sighed, tilting her head up to look at her. "i just don't want this to be my whole life, you know? always wondering what he's planning next. always being... the victim."

rowan frowned slightly, shifting so she could properly look at billie. "i get that. and i don't want that for you either. but we are fighting back. we have security, we have people working on it—"

"but that's the problem," billie cut in, sitting up straighter. "it's always other people handling it. i want to do something. i need to do something."

rowan studied her for a moment before nodding. "alright. then let's figure it out."

billie blinked. "just like that?"

"just like that," rowan confirmed, tucking a strand of hair behind billie's ear. "if you wanna take control of this, i'm with you. we'll be smart about it, though. no reckless plans."

billie smirked. "you think i'm reckless?"

rowan raised an eyebrow. "do i need to answer that?"

billie huffed but couldn't hide her smile. "fine. no reckless plans."

rowan nodded. "good. first step—what do you want to do?"

billie thought about it for a second. "i want to find out who he is before he decides to show himself. i don't wanna wait around for his next move. i want to make him feel watched for once."

rowan exhaled, nodding. "okay. that means looking into the messages, the patterns, anything that could give us a clue."

billie nodded, determination settling into her features. "and i want to help."

rowan studied her for a long moment before finally nodding. "alright. we'll go through everything together."

a beat of silence passed before rowan smirked. "you'd make a terrible detective, though."

billie gasped, shoving rowan playfully. "excuse me?"

"you're too obvious," rowan teased, dodging billie's next shove. "you'd make a face every time you figured something out."

"that's not true!"

"oh, it's so true."

billie huffed but couldn't hold back her smile. "whatever. i'd be an amazing detective."

rowan just shook her head, pulling billie back against her. "we'll see about that."

for the rest of the night, they combed through everything—the messages, the timing, the way he seemed to know their every move. billie was focused, determined, and rowan could tell this was exactly what she needed—to feel like she had some control again.

and if it meant staying up late, curled up on the couch with billie, working through this together?

rowan didn't mind one bit.

a/n: im backkk

i was on a school trip for the past week but i'm home now and i wrote this

i know i could do more but honestly im really tired and i just wanted to give you something

thoughts?

requests?

predictions?

love youuuu🫶🏻🫶🏻