"You can't go back to hiding in your room!" Willow continued to bang and kick on my locked bedroom door.

I ignored her, laid on my stomach on my bed as I continued to finish up an old sketch I'd found in my draws.

I wasn't hiding- as much as it might have seemed like I was. I wasn't hibernating or a hermit or whatever other things you could come up with. I just sometimes didn't like going out.

"Stop ignoring me!" The doors handle rattled manically. For a second I thought maybe the door handle would drop straight off- then I'd be locked in this room. Wouldn't that be ironic.

"I'm busy Willow,"

The handle stopped moving. "Did it not go good with Tre?"

"It's nothing to do with them! I'm just drawing!"

"Well then let me in!"

I huffed out, closing the sketchbook and dropping my pencil over it before getting up off my bed. I unlocked the bedroom door, Willow following into the room behind me.

"So what happened?" She asked.

I sat back down on the bed, rolling my eyes. "I've told you. Nothing,"

"You didn't tell me how it went yesterday?" She pointed out, sitting beside me on my bed. "In fact... you went straight upstairs after you came back,"

"I just wasn't in the mood to talk,"

"So then what happened?"

"Nothing!"

"Was Tre still angry at you?"

"Yes- but that wasn't my reason for going upstairs-"

"-So what was?"

I grunted, putting my head in my hands.

"Echo just speak to me for Gods sake,"

"Nothing much happened,"

"So what did?"

Finally, I lifted my head up with a long sigh. I looked back over at Willow before briefly explaining. "I tried speaking to Tre. He was blunt. So I spent some time with Mike and Billie, found out they still live in California. Then I came back home, went-"

"-Woah woah woah woah- let's just rewind a bit there,"

I didn't want to talk about it. But my attempt of spitting it out like a casual part of the scenario hadn't gone over Willows head like I'd hoped.

So in annoyance, I huffed. "What?"

"They still-? Billie still lives in California? Across the country. Which is... not in New Jersey. Where we are,"

"No Willow." I sighed, standing up off the bed as I began walking away. Knowing of course the conversation wasn't at an end because she would only follow.

"And you just found that out?" She continued, walking down the stairs behind me.

"I hadn't meant to find out," I let out, turning into the kitchen. "Mike had told me which out realising it wasn't the time,"

"So when the hell would've been?" Willow jumped up on the side beside me, still listening to my every word intrigued.

"Before one of us left again? Who knows,"

"Are you angry?"

"At what? Him or the situation,"

"Both,"

"I'm not angry at him," I breathed out. "It's not his fault he doesn't live here in New Jersey. I'm just angry things still aren't working out. Just when I thought I'd caught the biggest and most convenient break of my life,"

The conversation after that had been forcefully moved on from Billie on to other boring things.

The weird thing was, I didn't know how I felt about the situation.

Later on I'd left Willow to catch my shift at work. I walked in, said hello, walked into my own office. Called out for a client, designed a tattoo, tattooed it, cleaned up, back in ny office. It was all the same.

Had my life always been this repetitive? For how long? Was it only just now I was realising that?

I find Billie again. The same green eye'd teenage boy who I'd spotted walking into the maths classroom to the shaggy haired guy who'd lost his wallet at a bar. I'd left him in California, he'd be leaving me for California.

Not to mention the same little tattoo shop. Sure it was 'homely' and 'cosey' and what have you. But it was small. It was cramped. In other words: it was the best I could do for myself.

Of course when Billie would leave things would be different than last time. But my life would be the same? Shared placed. Small work building. Same bars, parks, neighbours.

"Echo?"

My eyes flickered up from my papers, over to Georgia who worked at the desk.

"Is everything okay?" I asked confused.

"There's someone here who wants to see you,"

Huffing, my hands landed on the end of my desk as I pushed my chair back. "Client?" I asked rhetorically.

"There you are,"

As I walked through the door, Billie smiled over at me from where he was stood.

I squinted, my mouth was supposed to be a hard straight line. But it twitched into a smile I couldn't contain nor hide. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you,"

"I'm at work," I chuckled.

"I know- I realised after stopping by yours and Willows first,"

I shook my head walking over hugging him. He'd hugged me back instantly, tightly too before I realised the items in his hands.

"What's with these?" I asked confused, taking the baseball cap out of his hand and putting it on my head.

"Disguise," He whispered, sliding the glasses on my face to match.

"Doesn't seem like a good one,"

"It's not,"

"I'm assuming the FBI must be looking for you,"

"Worse," His eyebrows pushed up. "Paparazzi,"

I looked over my shoulder at the desk to realise Georgia wasn't there.

"So how come you're really here?" I asked jumping to the point as I took the 'disguise' off.

"Huh?"

"What did you wanna see me for Billie?" I asked him, walking over as I sat on one of the waiting chairs.

He breathed out trying to calm himself, before sitting down beside me. "I was gonna tell you,"

"About California?"

"I never thought I'd see you here. In New Jersey. I thought maybe one day you'd come back to Cali. Not in a bar in New Jersey,"

"I never thought I'd see you in a local bar either," I shrugged, agreeing with him yet still not understanding the relations.

When I focused on his eyes, what I noticed was he failed to look back at me. His mouth opened, then closed. Almost like he was struggling to say what he really wanted. And so he was beating around the bush.

"You're making me nervous Billie Joe," I whispered.

His eyes didn't meet mine, he looked around. Before looking at me. "When do you get off your shift?"

"I can leave early...? Why?"

"There's just something important I gotta talk to you about,"

Although his words made my nerves peak more. Almost shooting through my chest, I nodded asking for him to give me a second. Before I went to find Georgia. I explained briefly that something had came up and I'd be leaving now. Which of course was fine.

I could leave when I want with out asking. But I'm not a total douche. So I asked incase she'd need assistance with anything or any overlapping clients coming in later. But thankfully all was well.

So I left the tattoo shop with Billie, he rushed me into his car in paranoia of 'Poparazzi' finding him. And I thought while he started to drive how it must be constantly like living in a zombie apocalypse with the Poparazzi as the zombies. Or maybe I was over thinking that part.

Billie decided to park in the car park of an old fashioned looking diner. Of course making sure his disguise was on before we got out the car and made our way inside.

Whilst walking in, Billie seemed shifty. Looking around like a notorious wanted criminal. After we found a seat in a booth around the back of the diner, he slid the sun glasses off.

"What's going on?" Was the first thing I asked.

"Huh?"

"C'mon- I mean. You showed up at my work randomly. Took me out of it to a diner. There's something you wanna say so... just say it,"

Deep inside of my gut, I had a bad feeling. Bearing in mind my gut didn't have the distinct past of being right. Nor wrong. But I had a wallowing feeling what he was gonna say was gonna ruin what we had found when we re met. Whatever that was.

Billie let out a long sigh as he looked down at his hands that rested upon the table. He was twiddling his thumbs nervously, a habit I never remember him having. "You're right, there is,"

"Well.... What is it Billie?"

His eyes followed me back up to meet mine, before a second exhale. "I know I probably should've mention something earlier that I didn't live in New Jersey. But I didn't wanna spoil how nice it was to see you again,"

My eyes twitched slightly. In both sadness and confusion. "So when we're you gonna tell me?"

"I had a plan-" he quickly stated. "-I wasn't just not gonna tell you,"

"Well what was your plan?"

His quick answers had caught up with him as he took another sigh. Looking back down at his hands as he twiddled his thumbs. Black strands of his hair picking out of his cap. "I'm here for the start of our tour," He finally told me, I looked back at him as he did me. "The start of the tours always the longest. We go to our first state to prepare. Begin our touring, continue to go to our other states,"

"Because you just released an album... right?"

He nodded. "We're touring around. And after the tour, we go back to California. Take a break. Get back at the writing,"

"Like a cycle?"

"That un including contracts, photo shoots, company deals- that sort of thing,"

"But... I'm still not understanding?"

He gave his hands one last look, before his chest fell in acceptance and he took them off the table back into his lap. Looking at me. Small smile. "Before everything would begin to set into motion. I was gonna-"

"-Hi, can I get you anything?"

I grunted futsratedly as I looked up realising a waiter with a small note pad looking at Billie and I. Before she gasped.

"Oh my god," she realised. "You're Billie Joe Armstrong!"

Billie looked around panically, before forcing a smile. "Yeah- hi how you doing?"

"I'm a big fan-" she began, trying to breath correctly.  "I can't believe you're here I... would it be much trouble to ask for a photo?"

I could see Billie was aggravated by his clenched jaw as he nodded agreeing. The plastic smile was only getting past the blonde waiter.

He stood up as she took her phone out her apron, dropping the note pad on the end of Billies and mine table. Still speaking on about how amazed she was by him.

They snapped a photo or two together before she tried to compose herself asking again if there was anything we could get. Billie ordered himself a coffee as I decided against getting anything. The suspense wasn't helping my nerves.

Finally when she walked away Billie looked at me smiling with his mouth open slightly. "See, that's what the disguise is for,"

"It clearly didn't work well,"

"Only because I looked up at her,"

"Billie- you're killing me,"

"Huh?"

"Before everything would set in motion... you were gonna what?"

"Oh! Right! Of course-" He shook his head chuckling. "-Well- there's no easy way to just come out and say it but..."

"C'mon Billie! What is it?"

His nerves got the better of him now, he kept flickering his eyes around. Although I couldn't see his hands I knew he was fidgeting. Little tiny beads of sweat building up on his forehead. Or maybe that was the stupid baseball cap in the hot weather.

"Billie your-"

"-I wanted to know if there was a chance at all that when I start this tour you'll... come with me," He blurted out, his eyes wide as he looked back at me.

I looked at him for a moment, could he be serious?

"Here's your coffee Sir," The same waitress beamed, placing his coffee cup down infront of him.

He didn't even realise. He looked at me still as the waiter walked away. Then added. "Then come back home with me. " He gulped. "Back home to California..."