𝟖𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐

HAYLEY LOOKS AT her with a straight face, trying to bury the anxiety and nervousness deep within her mind. "Say it again."

Billie stares at her with wide eyes, confusion prominent as she steps closer to Hayley. "Say what again?" A loose strand of hair falls into her eyes and she quickly brushes it away.

With her heart racing in her chest, so strongly that she's almost certain that Billie can hear it, Hayley's voice softens. "You didn't hang up," she says. She watches Billie stare at her, still immensely confused, then the girl's eyes widen in alarm when she realises that she had heard everything. "Say it again."

The shock finally passes. "I love you." Billie takes a deep breath and stops before her. Her hands move up to hold Hayley's cheeks that are flushed a soft pink. "I love you," she repeats.

Hayley O'Brien finally feels whole. Her eyes dart across Billie's face and watches her smile. Subconsciously they slowly inch closer to one another. Hayley loops her hands around the back of Billie's neck and draws her in. Her eyes flick down to the girl's lips, then back up to the seas of blue. "Can I kiss you?" she whispers. And she prays that the answer will be yes.

"If you don't, I will," Billie breathes out.

Their lips graze, each hesitant to move any further. But then she finds herself far too impatient. Hayley pulls her toward her and their mouths crash together, feeling Billie's hands slide down her body and land on her waist in an effort to draw her body impossibly closer. She feels wrapped up in a small bubble that contains just herself and the girl next to her. All she can comprehend is the intoxicating orange and floral perfume that wafts off of Billie's neck, and that her lips are being parted open gently. When they part for air, it's only for a few seconds. She feels like she needs to be kissing her.

Their foreheads gently rest together and Hayley stares into her eyes with a smile gracing her face. "If it wasn't clear, I love you, too," she says softly. Billie grins. "So, so fucking much."

"I'm never gonna get tired of hearing you say that," she replies with a sigh. "I can't believe I didn't hang up, like, if you hadn't-" Her words are muffled by Hayley locking their lips together again and a soft moan leaves Billie's mouth. With her hands in her hair, Hayley feels herself being gently led over to the couch pressed up against the wall. Billie tugs her bottom lip in between her teeth as she watches Hayley straddle her lap and grabs her face to kiss her again.

"Billie, have you seen- fucking Christ!"

Both girls slowly pull away from each other and turn to see Finneas with his back to them in the doorway. Even though they're each thoroughly annoyed by his sudden arrival, they're amused by his reaction. "You look like you just saw a ghost," Billie comments. Hayley grins.

He slowly turns around to face them, his hands covering his eyes. "I'm just gonna stay blind for a moment... But it's about fucking time!" he exclaims.

"Finn?"

He hums at Hayley's question.

"Get the fuck out."

Finneas rapidly nods. "Yeah, absolutely, goodbye." Just before the door closes, he grins as he pokes his head into the room one final time. "I did this," he says, pointing a finger between them. "This is my work."

"Finneas!" Billie yells exasperatedly.

"Sorry!"

They both giggle when they're finally left in peace again. Hayley sighs in content. "It's a good thing we're stuck together for the rest of the year, because I am not leaving your side." She closes her eyes as she feels Billie pepper kisses over her face.

"Great," the girl murmurs. "I wouldn't want you to."

Hours later, Hayley finds herself at the barricade during Billie's performance. With her arms wrapped around multiple fans surrounding her, tears stream majority of their faces as they watch the end of 'Ilomilo.' Throughout the entire afternoon, Hayley hadn't been able to think of anything but the kisses she had stolen with Billie. And what makes her heart flutter a little more is the fact that no one aside from Finneas knows. No one around her knows that the love of her life is up on the stage before them.

The lights go out, and she listens to the thousands of people screaming. Just like everyone else, she's focused entirely on the silhouette of Billie moving in the dark. But unlike everyone else, she knows what's happening next.

A spotlight lands on the girl with black hair and she adjusts the microphone attached to the stand before her. "So, a little fun fact, I've never played this one live before." The screams appear again, but the world's a little blurry for Hayley O'Brien. When she locks eyes with Billie, everything disappears. "It's actually the song on the deluxe which will be out next week. But it's written about someone who's here tonight. She knows who she is. I love you, baby."

Olivia Michaels' eyes widen as she turns to look at her best friend in shock. She notices Hayley's eyes are glossy. She watches Billie smile at her. And Liv smiles herself as she comes to the realisation. She wraps an arm around Hayley's waist and lets her best friend's head drop onto her shoulder. The piano chords float out of the speakers and Hayley feels them right in her heart. The entire arena falls silent as Billie takes a deep breath.

"I don't want it. And I don't want to want you. But in my dreams I seem to be more honest, and I must admit, you've been in quite a few. Halley's Comet, comes around more than I do."

Tears begin to fall down Hayley's cheeks as her hands shake within Liv's. The blonde wraps her arms around her as she hugs her, both of them swaying side to side.

"But you're all it takes for me to break a promise." Billie finds her once more, and their eyes meet. Both of them are silently crying. "Silly me to fall in love with you. I haven't slept since Sunday, midnight for me is three AM for you. But my sleepless nights are better with you than nights could ever be alone. I was good at feeling nothing, now I'm helpless. What a drag to love you like I do."

She closes her eyes as she listens to the peaceful vocals ringing through her head. It's the most beautiful song she's ever heard. It's already ingrained into her brain. And the next lyrics hit her harder than she had ever thought, because it sounds like Billie had gone through exactly what she had for months.

"I'm sitting in my brother's room, haven't slept in a week or two. I think I might have fallen in love, what am I to do?"

When the piano finally fades off, Hayley doesn't bother to wipe the salty water off her face. Her eyes are locked onto Billie who drops her microphone without a care in the world and jumps down off the stage. She hears Billie wave off the security that try to stop her from climbing over the barricade, and when she gets across to the other side, she rushes toward the girl coming toward her. Even with thousands of eyes watching them and the voices and exclamations filling the air, she doesn't care. Neither of them care.

Hayley kisses her with fever, pouring all of the emotions inside her into the single action. She feels Billie literally melt against her and they both smile as their noses brush together. Billie reaches up to brush the tears away with her thumb. "I should've played that sooner," she murmurs. Hayley hums and their lips move together for a moment that feels so long she believes that time has momentarily dilated around them.

All of it had been a risk, a risk she knew from the very beginning that she was eventually going to take. Today, she finally did. And God was it worth it.

𝘴𝘰... 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵?

𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘪 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺'𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨