thirty-eight

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

ten minutes later - august 30, 2020

i keep my eyes closed the remainder of the ten minutes that billie and i had gotten off of the phone. i open my eyes again when i hear the familiar hum of her challenger.

god, have i missed that car.

as soon as billie put her car into park and shut the engine off, she jumped out and crouched down beside my open door, obviously avoiding the bile standing beside the back door.

"are you okay?" she asks me, brushing my hair away from my face.

i gently pushed her hand away from my hair, not wanting now to be the time for my hair to start coming out in clumps. "i'm okay, just really dizzy."

"come on, gwen," she murmurs, slowly grabbing my hand and pulling me out of my car. "lets get you home so you can rest."

"i didn't want you to come home to this," i tell her as tears cloud my vision. "i'm so sorry."

"as you said," she starts, holding me by my waist. "its just a bug and it'll go away soon - you have nothing to be sorry for."

the guilt of not telling her that i was dying hit me harder than ever in that moment. as she helps me into her car, she places a chaste kiss against my forehead. i know she wanted to come home and be with me without any type of stress, but with my constant sickness and the hair loss that i am soon to experience, i don't want her to witness it.

"maybe you should just go back to tour," i mumble under my breath as she climbs in the driver's side. "you don't need to take care of me like this - especially on the only break you're gonna get, probably."

"don't start with that bullshit, gwendolyn," she says with an annoyed sigh, shoving her hand through her dyed hair. "i came home because i miss you and don't want to be without you - and i also wanted to ask you a question."

"if you're about to propose to me, o'connell, i swear to god," i grumble, looking at her with a glare. "don't you fucking dare propose right now."

she lets out a soft laugh, shaking her head at my words. "we've been seeing each other for, what, two months now?"

"i lost count of the weeks, like, thirty chapters ago," i grumble, my eyes rolling playfully. "i'm not about to go back and do the math."

"i feel like it's been longer than two months," she says with a slight nod, turning her turn signal on as she switches lanes.  "lets say, four months - what month is it?"

"like," i shrug slightly, chewing on my bottom lip. "august, i think."

"okay, so, let's say six months then." she hums, her hand moving to hold my left thigh. "we've been seeing each other for six months - i don't move that fast."

"sure," i say with a slight laugh, looking out the window as she turns onto my street. "you just gotta get into these accidents and decide to come see me every week."

"its not every week," she says jokingly, glancing over at me. "you're hot, and i wanted you, and i always get what i want."

i shake my head and let out a soft hum, my hand moving on top of hers. "i'm gonna be honest and tell you that by the third time you came to see me, i thought you were just drug seeking."

"i figured," she nods, pulling into my driveway. "thats why i asked for your number when finneas went in - to give you some kind of hint that i wasn't looking for drugs, i just wanted to see you."

i smile at the fond memory. it seems like so long ago.

"on the record, though, i didn't know that i truly loved you until you almost died." she says bluntly, looking over as she puts the car in park. "i thought it was just a little crush until i saw you in the-"

"can we not talk about that?" i ask softly, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth.

"sorry," billie murmurs softly, raising her hand to cup my cheek. "the point is, i love you, through everything."

"i love you, too," i whisper, leaning into her touch. "what was the question you wanted to ask me?"

she lets out a soft hum, a slight smirk growing on her lips. "i wanted to know..if you wanted to come on tour with me."

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net