billie_kent posted

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billie_kent: one whole year with my favourite muse <3

COMMENTS:
jamie_tartt: I'll be your muse forever

maddsgreen: Richmond's hottest couple

alfiesykes98: easily your best muse

keeleyjones: adore you both!!

jamie_tartt posted:

liked by: billie_kent and 368,134 others

jamie_tartt: 365 days of me and you

COMMENTS:
colinhughes: my favourites

billie_kent: my gorgeous boy

alfiesykes98: I'm so glad our girl found you

will_kitman: my parents!

"Happy anniversary, babe," Jamie grinned as Billie lay beside him, her eyes slowly fluttering open.

"Happy anniversary, J," Billie smiled as she leaned towards him, placing a gentle kiss on his lips.

"I can't believe it's been a whole year," Jamie sighed as he pulled her body towards his, her arms wrapping around his torso as she rested her head on his chest, "It's gone so quickly, but I also feel like I've known you forever."

Billie rolled over to lay on her stomach, resting her chin on Jamie's chest, "Everything that happened before you, made me think I'd never find my forever person," She whispered as he tucked her hair behind her ear, "And then you found me."

"I mean, I think it were the job, babe," Jamie smiled back at her.

"It sounds way more romantic the way I said it," Billie rolled her eyes with a grin.

"Okay, well then we found each other," Jamie laughed, running his thumb across her jaw, "Is that romantic enough for you?"

"I think I can top that," Billie grinned.

"You think you can out-romance me, Kent?" Jamie raised his eyebrows in intrigue.

"Oh, I know I can, Tartt," Billie smirked as she propped herself up on her elbows, "Pull my sleeve up."

"Eh?" Jamie frowned.

"Look," She rolled the sleeve of her sweatshirt up, showing him her lower arm.

Jamie's gaze flitted down to her bare skin, a fresh new tattoo had been drawn onto her skin. His heart skipped a beat as he trailed his fingertip over the fresh ink, a small tattoo that to anyone else wouldn't mean a thing, but to Jamie and Billie, it spoke a thousand words in just one.

Ditto.

"Ditto?" Jamie muttered with a grin.

"I love you," Billie whispered.

"Ditto."

"So you like it?" Billie smiled.

"I fucking love it," Jamie placed a heavy kiss to her lips, threading his hand through her hair, "Your present's in me bedside table."

"It's not a fucking vibrator is it, Tartt?" Billie smirked against his lips.

"Get your mind out the gutter, Kent," Jamie laughed in between kisses, "It's actually proper fucking sentimental what I've got you, babe."

"If you insist, pretty boy," Billie pecked his lips before she sat up straight, letting him lean over to his bedside table, watching as he pulled a small box wrapped in brown paper, tied with a forest green velvet ribbon.

He handed the parcel over to her with trepidation, not because he thought that she wouldn't like it, but because he cared so much. He'd spent the past two months thinking of ideas that felt right, he wouldn't settle for anything less than perfect.

Billie slowly unravelled the ribbon, discarding it before peeling off the paper. She was met with the sight of a cassette case, a black and white photo of the pair from one of their many photobooth visits was slotted into the front cover. Jamie watched as she opened the cassette case, a tape and a folded up piece of paper slotted inside.

She promptly unfolded the piece of paper to see a list, written in Jamie's handwriting, using one of Phoebe's glitter pens, but it was evident that he'd tried his hardest to keep his writing as neat as possible. Billie couldn't hold back her smile as she read the title of the list: 'The Music of Our First Year.' She wasn't sure she'd ever been so touched by a gift before, anything Brad had ever bought her was to prove that he could, that he had the money to shower her in gifts that were worth a lot in money but not in heart, most of the time they were to act as a plaster over the emotional wounds he'd caused her.

One: She's Always a Woman by Billy Joel - I love you just the way you are

Two: Valerie by Amy Winehouse - our very first (and not last) kitchen dance

Three: Fearless by Louis Tomlinson - the song you gave me to get me out of my head (I still listen to it on bad days)

Four: Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran - this reminds me of our very first kiss on the roof of that equipment shed

Five: Never Grow Up by Niall Horan - I want to grow old with you, but i never want us to grow up

Six: Somewhere Only We Know - this one reminds me of that night at the Tate Modern, the world makes so much sense with you next to me

Seven: My Kind of Woman by Mac Demarco - speaks for itself

Eight: Blind by Role Model - because i've 'never seen something quite like you'

Nine: Baby I'm Yours by Arctic Monkeys - I'll be yours until the stars fall from the sky

Ten: ? - it's up to you, but whatever it is, we're singing it at karaoke tonight

"You did this for me?" Billie whispered with a smile, her eyes glossing over as love tugged on her heart.

"Yes," Jamie nodded, he would've spent thousands of pounds on her, because she deserved the world and he wanted to spoil her. But he also knew Billie, he knew memories mattered more than objects that could be broken and replaced, the memories they had tied to those songs, they were irreplaceable.

"Where are we doing karaoke?" Billie asked nervously.

"I've found this place in Shoreditch," Jamie told her, sensing Billie's hesitance as he took her hands in his, "You trust me, don't you?"

Karaoke was something that he knew she loved, that brought endless joy to her life, but it was something they had never done together, and there was nothing Jamie wanted more than to be stood on a tiny stage at a bar in London with the love of his life singing their hearts out.

But since the photo incident, Billie had struggled being in busy public places. She was fine going into the club everyday, because she loved and trusted those boys, but if she ever needed anything from the shops and Jamie wasn't around to take her, she'd just order what she needed online instead. So as much as she would've once loved the idea of performing on a little stage, she knew that people in karaoke bars had phones and those phones had cameras on them, and the cycle would just go on and on until the wheels fell off.

"Bils," Jamie took her hand in his, "Nobody's gonna hurt you, I won't let them."

"I just don't want the way my brain works to ruin what you've got planned," Billie whispered, even though she knew Jamie well enough to know that all he really wanted was for her to be truly happy.

"It won't," Jamie assured her, "We can take baby steps, even if we just sit in the bar and watch everyone else sing, that's progress."

It was true, it would be progress, she hadn't been on a night out since the Brad incident, so this was a step forward. She knew that she could trust Jamie to keep her safe, that was the unspoken truth.

"You're the sweetest man, Jamie Tartt," Billie smiled as she wiped her damn eyes.

"Babe, why are you crying?" Jamie pulled her closer to his chest, kissing the top of her head.

"Because you get me and I get you," Billie sighed, "And that's something that only comes around once in a blue moon."

"My girl," Jamie smirked before kissing her slowly.

"As much as I'd love to stay in bed with you all day, gorgeous boy, we've got to get you to training."

"You know, I didn't wanna say it at the time 'cause I'm trying to be less stuck in my fucking ways," Roy remarked as he, Billie, Ted and Beard stood alongside the training pitch, watching the boys scrimmage.

"But?" Ted replied with a smile.

"I thought it was nuts to change our entire philosophy and style of mid season," Roy told them.

"But?" Beard replied.

"It's fucking great," Roy looked at the two coaches.

"You know, they're having fun, we're having fun, these folks are having fun," Ted nodded at the fans sitting in the stands, open training having become a popular event for the most dedicated fans, "It's a whole bunch of fun."

"I haven't seen twenty two dudes have this good a time on grass since I saw the Grateful Dead jamming with the Black Crowes and Phish," Beard remarked.

"I bet that was a tight show," Ted smiled.

"Oh, it was a mess, but they had fun," Beard nodded.

"I have no idea what any of that means," Billie sighed, "But they're having as much fun as One Direction in their One Way or Another music video and that's enough for me."

"Kids these days, huh?" Ted chuckled.

"Dude, I'm twenty four," Billie quipped.

"Still a kid," Roy huffed.

Billie watched as the boys neared the goal, Jamie passed his ball back to Isaac who buried it straight in the back of the net with a proud grin on his face. The fans erupted in applause and Roy clapped in approval as the team approached him in delighted praise.

"Whistle, whistle, whistle!" Roy called out, "That's half, great job."

"Woah, y'all hear that," Ted exclaimed, "Roy said y'all did a great job."

Upon Ted's words Billie swerved behind Coach Beard, ready to catch him trust fall style as he dropped his clipboard and collapsed backwards theatrically.

"I got you, Beardo," Billie said as she brought him back up to a standing position.

"I don't know what came over me," Beard sighed dramatically.

"The Roy Kent Effect works in mysterious ways," Billie grinned, her smile dropping as she looked past him, watching Isaac brush past his best friend, Colin.

"Indeed it does," Ted nodded.

"Right, I'll leave you gentlemen to see to getting the kids back inside," Billie smiled, "I've got to get today's posts scheduled for tonight, we're busy later."

"Ooh, anything nice planned?" Ted asked in intrigue.

"It's mine and Jamie's one year anniversary," Billie smiled fondly, still coming to terms with the idea of going out for the night, "We're going out tonight."

"Doesn't time just fly by when you're having fun?" Ted remarked, delighted that the young pair had found themselves something special, "Congratulations to you both," He nodded, turning to Beard, "Coach, what's the symbol for a first anniversary?"

"Paper."

"Whistle!" Roy shouted as the boys continued to chat amongst themselves at the other end of the pitch, "Tartt, five lap sprint now, go!"

"How's that fair?" Billie frowned as she watched Jamie begin to run without question, while Roy offered no reply, so she turned to Beard instead, "Just make sure my boyfriend comes back to me in one piece, we've got a karaoke duet to do tonight."

"On it," Beard fist bumped her with a subtle nod.

Billie had a difficult call to make, a call that she'd been putting off since her meeting with Oliver Clarke. She wasn't sure that working for him was what she wanted, she was only twenty four and she had an entire lifetime to do something as momentous as that, her twenties were for mistakes and learning curves. But there was a big part of her that worried what might happen if she said no, whether he'd withdraw the injunction and that photo would resurface, making her personal progress feel pointless, that was the last thing she wanted. 

She sat at her office desk, still unsure of what to do, even though she'd spent an evening a week ago discussing the pros and cons of the opportunity with Jamie, who was of course delighted by the opportunity that had been presented to his girlfriend.

Before she could put it off much longer she typed in Oliver's phone number from his business card, letting the phone ring as she waited to hear his voice with baited breath.

"Oliver Clarke," He answered promptly, startling Billie.

"Hi, it's Billie Kent," She replied, "I just wanted to have a quick chat about the offer you made me."

"Alright, so you've reached a decision?" Oliver asked.

"I can't take the offer," Billie told him, ripping it off like the metaphorical plaster she hoped that it wouldn't be, "It just feels like a lot of pressure so early in my career, I'm very content in the making mistakes and learning from them part of life."

"I pulled a lot of strings for you, Miss Kent," He told her, and even though she'd presumed it was coming, it didn't make it any less difficult to hear, "My family may not be able to keep that injunction in place without your business association."

"I really don't care anymore," Deep down she knew it didn't matter, that the photographers would still be housing her regardless. After some loving from Jamie and a good chat with Dr Sharon, and she was able to see that it didn't matter where that photo ended up, it was never going to amount to anything in the grand value of what made her the woman she was.

"You don't care?" Oliver scoffed in disbelief, "And when your future children see that photo?"

"I'll teach my sons what it really means to be a man, and my daughters that no one owns their mind or body except them," Billie replied promptly, a proud smile on her face, "I'd like to say the pleasure was all mine, but I'm quite sure it was all yours."

Before he could utter another word, Billie put the phone down, smiling to herself. If she was ever going to leave Richmond it would be on her terms and at her pace, not because a powerful man had made her an offer he assumed she couldn't refuse. She decided to leave her office in search of Jamie to tell him the news, knowing that the team would be somewhere between the locker room and the gym.

She left her office, lingering in the doorway as she saw Isaac stood at the water fountain while Colin approached nervously.

"Hey, boyo," Colin said with trepidation in his voice, "Do you wanna get a beer or something later? Have a chat?"

"No," Isaac replied before walking off yet again, heading straight past Billie with no sign of his usual charming smile that he'd often offer her.

Billie could tell that something wasn't quite right between the two friends, the boys who if they'd been friends as kids, would've shared the same sandpit and squabbled over who had the best football boots like brothers. They were brothers in every sense of the word, but as Billie watched Isaac brush past his brother, Colin again, she was aware that there was something deeper going on.

"Hey, Isaac," Billie hurried after him, "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, why wouldn't I be fine?" He huffed as they walked.

"You just brushed off your best mate like it was nothing," She told him, "What was that about with you and Colin?"

Isaac stopped in his tracks, turning to face her, "Ask Colin."

"I'm not asking Colin, I'm asking you," Billie folded her arms across her chest, "We are at the peak of our existence in this league, and you're acting like a stubborn child."

"I ain't stubborn," Isaac frowned, "And there's nothing wrong, I just didn't want a beer with..."

"Fine, you don't want to go for a beer with Colin, but I can tell it's more than that," Billie finished his sentence after his voice trailed off, "It was kinesics, Colin's slumped posture, your resting bitch face."

"I don't have a resting bitch face," Isaac retorted.

"You do when you're in a mood," Billie reminded him, "Look, you don't have to tell me what's wrong if you don't want to, but whatever it is, please don't let it ruin your beautiful friendship, alright?"

Isaac didn't reply, he simply kept walking towards the gym, with not much else to offer Billie. He knew deep down that she was right, but it was so much more complex than that, it was him as a friend and a person that concerned him the most.

"Hey," Billie looked down to see Jamie's familiar arms wrapped around her shoulders as he stood behind her, kissing the side of her head, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Billie nodded as she turned to face him, "I told Oliver that I don't want the deal."

"You did?" Jamie replied in intrigue, "And how did that go?"

"As I thought it would," Billie replied, "He said he doesn't know if he can keep that photo out of the press."

"Convenient," Jamie exhaled, "Are you alright with this? I could look into paying the papers off for you, call it another anniversary present."

"I don't need you to do that," Billie assured him, touched by the generous gesture as she ran her thumb across his cheek, "Because I don't care about that photo the way I first did, it's not me, it doesn't matter to me or to us, they'll be on my back with or without that photo."

"I'm so proud of you," Jamie grinned as he kissed her, resting his forehead against hers, "And I'm never gonna stop being proud of you."

"I'm going to walk away before you make me cry my mascara off," Billie laughed, kissing him quickly, "Bye."

As she headed in the direction of Rebecca's office, she felt Jamie's hand around her wrist, reeling her back in, "Just one more," He whispered, kissing her gently.

"Back to training, gorgeous boy," She sighed, resting her hands against his chest, "I won't be held responsible for you not being on time."

"Love you," Jamie grinned.

"Ditto."

"Hello, lovely lady," Rebecca beamed as Billie entered her office, delighted to be in the company of her two favourite ladies, "Happy anniversary."

"You make it sound like we're married," Billie sighed as she flopped onto the couch, giving Keeley a squeeze of a cuddle.

"Any anniversary is an achievement, Billie," Rebecca assured her, "And achievements deserve presents."

"You really didn't have to," Billie sighed as Rebecca handed her a black box tied with a dark green bow.

"We're just very proud of you," Keeley told her, still in awe of Billie's growth from fearing vulnerability with Jamie to being in a relationship with him, "And this was Rebecca's idea, but it's from both of us."

Billie unravelled the ribbon, lifting the lid off of the box to be met with a framed print of a constellation of stars with coordinates printed at the bottom.

"It's the sky over Richmond, a year ago today," Keeley told her.

"That's just perfect, thank you," Billie grinned, hugging them both.

"You're more than welcome, lovely," Rebecca smiled, "But that's not everything."

"You're aware we're not even married," Billie sighed with a smile, overwhelmed by the effort that Rebecca and Keeley had gone to for something she assumed would just be celebrated by her and Jamie.

"Yes, but I'm also aware that you've been through a lot together," Rebecca replied, "So I've booked you a suite at the Shangri-La."

"Fuck off, the Shangri-La, as in The bloody Shard?" Billie exclaimed.

"Indeed," Rebecca smiled as though it were nothing, because with a bank account as full as hers, money wasn't a concern, it was the gesture of consideration for her friend who had more than earnt some pampering, "Leslie said he'll have Nelson for the night, something about him and the boys convincing Julie that they should get a dog."

"Thank you," Billie grinned.

"Now help yourself to some brunch!" Rebecca insisted, gesturing to the various takeaway boxes scattered across the coffee table in front of them.

"So, have you heard from Jack yet?" Billie asked as grabbed herself a chocolate croissant from the table, the last Keeley had told her was that Jack had ignored her messages, which Billie knew was an inevitable bad sign.

"You know how you're never ever supposed to write another text to an unanswered text?" Keeley glanced between her two closest friends.

"Of course," Rebecca nodded.

"Oh fuck, you sent a double text," Billie sighed in preparation as Keeley opened her phone, displaying the messages to Rebecca and Billie.

Rebecca began to scroll through them, not really reading them out of respect, "So much blue," She exhaled.

"I know," Keeley winced, "It's like I've got diarrhoea of the thumbs or something."

"Come here," Billie wrapped her arms around her, determined to prove that Keeley's past relationship with Roy wouldn't hold them back from maintaining their friendship.

"Uh-oh," Ted sighed as he entered the room, armed with a trio of small pink boxes, "When girl talk turns to girl hug, you know that either means something horrible's happened or absolutely nothing at all."

"Jack's ghosting Keeley," Rebecca sighed.

"Oh, first she wants to go on a break, and now the old digital Irish goodbye," Ted sighed empathetically, "Which is a term I never really understood, 'cause I got a buddy back home named Seamus O'Malley, and that son of a gun hugs folks goodbye for like twenty minutes before he leaves anywhere."

"It was the exact same both times that I met Niall from One Direction," Billie told the group, even though twenty minutes may have been a slight exaggeration, "He hugged me until Roy got fed up the first time, and then Jamie started doing 'pretending not to be jealous that his girlfriend's hugging her favourite Irish singer.'"

"I understand, he is a gracious, charming and handsome man," Rebecca smiled.

"Well, I bought some biscuits, you know, to soften the blow," Ted handed Keeley a small pink box, before handing one to Rebecca and one to Billie, "And that's just a little anniversary gift for you and Jamie, you can dip them in your hot chocolates or something like that later, our very own Posh and Becks."

"What?" Keeley gasped as she opened her box, "There's like forty quid in here."

"Well, I didn't know you were gonna be here till this morning," Ted told her, "No time to do anything special, so I just tossed a little cash in there."

"That is very sweet, thank you, Ted," Keeley replied with a gentle smile.

"Ain't nothing to it but to do it," Ted shrugged, "Hey, boss, you mind if I skip the press conference today? Michelle and I got these parent-teacher meetings I don't wanna miss."

"Of course, Ted," Rebecca nodded, "Family first."

"I appreciate it."

"Oh, we could have Roy do it," Billie suggested, hoping that perhaps it might give her brother the opportunity to prove himself to Keeley, to prove that he cared, "I know he says he hates it, but he's really good at it."

"I mean, you know, fine by me," Ted shrugged in agreement.

"Great idea."

"You ladies, you're like our very own Kardashian-Jenners," Ted grinned, "Keeley, you've got that Kylie businesswoman thing going on, Billie, you are Kendalling the heck out of the media industry, and Boss-"

"If you even dare call me Kris, I'm nowhere near old enough to be their mother," Rebecca raised her eyebrows.

"I was gonna say Kim, I promise," Ted nodded, "Anywho, Keeley might be heartbroken, but she's still kicking butt."

"I mean, I'm not heartbroken, more like heart-bent," Keeley sighed.

"Heart-bent, I like that, it's a great title for a country song, you know, like...I'm heart-bent in my apartment, 'cause all that you left was your fart scent" Ted sang as the woman bopped their heads side to side to Ted's unique rhythm.

"Alright, goodbye, Ted," Rebecca smiled.

"And now that you're gone, I wrote this song," Ted sang as he made his way out of Rebecca's office, "'Cause all that you left was the smell of your farts."

"Speaking of songs, Jamie's taking me to karaoke tonight, I don't have a clue what to wear," Billie told the women who were always eager to offer fashion advice, knowing that they'd be on hand to help her feel as confident as possible, "Surely if we're staying at the Shangri-La I have to exude class?"

"I highly doubt that the karaoke bar will be at the Shangri-La, Billie," Rebecca smiled fondly.

"Yeah, but I want to look classy when we leave the lobby together," Billie replied, her insecurities about the media attention that continued to plague her relationship with Jamie since the photo leak prevailing, having done herself no favours when she glanced at the fan forums discussing the leaked photo, and how some fans thought Jamie deserved better, "There were two paps outside the house when we took Nelson for a walk this morning, I looked like shit, there's bound to be paps at a building like The Shard."

"Darling, whatever you wear, you'll look gorgeous," Rebecca assured her, "What matters today is celebrating your relationship with Jamie, so fuck the rest of them."

"She's right," Keeley nodded, "Doesn't matter what you wear, as long as Jamie can't take his eyes off you."

"I mean that's his permanent state ninety percent of the time we're together, so it's not much of a challenge," Billie sighed with a smirk.

"I know!" Keeley exclaimed, "The Dolce and Gabbana set with the bralette and the blazer, you look fit as fuck in that."

"God, I love you," Billie grinned, wrapping her arms around Keeley.

After a good thirty minutes of gossiping in Rebecca's office, the three women made their way downstairs to visit Billie's office so she could show them both some of the shots from her most recent shoot with the boys.

"Roy'll be fine at this press conference, it's the journalists I worry about," Billie sighed as the three women made their way down the stairs.

"Alfie can keep him in check, surely?" Rebecca replied.

"He's still terrified of him," Billie laughed.

"Speak of the devil," Rebecca smiled as they reached the bottom of the stairs, met with the sight of Roy walking towards them.

"And he shall appear," Billie smirked.

"Okay," Roy nodded hesitantly before turning his gaze to Keeley, "Keeley."

"Roy," Keeley smiled.

"So I need you to fill in for Ted at today's press conference, if that's okay," Rebecca told him.

"Fuck no," Roy huffed, earning raised eyebrows from Billie and Rebecca, "I mean, why can't Ted do it?" The three women remained silent as Roy stared back at them, dumbfounded by the workings of the female mind, despite being a brother to two sisters, "I mean, I'd love to."

"Wonderful," Rebecca smiled before glancing at the young women either side of her, "Shall we?"

"Mhmm," They both nodded, walking past Roy in the direction of Billie's office.

"Fuck," Roy muttered under his breath.

"I heard that," Rebecca remarked.

Billie had been sitting at her desk for around forty minutes, editing photos of the boys from training when her phone buzzed several times. She picked it up to see a flurry of messages from Alfie, Alfie who was sitting in on the morning's press conference.

ALFIE

Mate, Beard's gone mad...

We were told your brother

was meant to be in here

But it's Beard,

shouting about guitarists

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Billie hissed under her breath as she hurried from her desk, rushing out of her office and down the corridor towards the press room, opening the door that led into the back of the room to allow her a subtle entrance.

"That is not what I said, Gary!" Beard exclaimed as Billie made her way down towards where Alfie was sitting.

"How bad is it?" Billie whispered as she crouched beside Alfie.

"I mean, they're fucking loving it," Alfie laughed, "But, it's not exactly a good look."

"I have your quote right here!" Gary remarked as Billie looked over her shoulder to see Higgins and Rebecca entering the room.

"You did say it, Coach," Lloyd added.

"Stay out of this, Lloyd!" Beard shouted.

"Don't shout at Lloyd."

"You said, and I quote, 'Joe Walsh is a better guitarist than Jimmy Page," Gary remarked, "That's what you said."

"Fine, I said it!" Beard exclaimed, "But what I meant was that Joe Walsh, underrated, Jimmy Page, overrated!"

"Oh fuck."

"Joe Walsh is a poet, Jimmy Page is a fucking court stenographer on Adderall," Beard scoffed as the room gasped.

Billie glanced over her shoulder at Rebecca, mouthing, "What the fuck do we do?" as the journalists continued to bicker with Beard.

"...It's art, not a competition, you fucking neanderthal!" Beard exclaimed, Rebecca promptly ushering Higgins towards the front of the room.

"Hello!" Rebecca exclaimed as she reached the front of the room while Higgins promptly guided Beard out of the room as he rambled on about guitarists, "Hello, I-"

"Stairway To Heaven is a glorified fingering exercise, and you all know it!" Beard shouted as Higgins promptly shut the door on him.

"Ah, so much passion, I can't think of the last time I was able to be here with all you absolutely brilliant members of the press down here in the press room," Rebecca smiled, "So with that in mind, I would love to take some questions."

"I've got this," Alfie whispered to Billie as he raised his hand.

"Yes," Rebecca pointed at him.

"Alfie Sykes, The Guardian," He stood up, notepad in hand.

"Hello there, Alfie, how are you?" Rebecca smiled.

"All the better for seeing you," Alfie replied, earning a playful thump from Billie thanks to his ever charming personality, "Miss Welton, in your opinion, who's the greatest classic rock guitarist of all time?"

"She said 'the guy from Cream?'" Jamie frowned as he focused on his appearance in the hotel room mirror, combing through his freshly washed hair as Billie sat at the dressing table, applying her makeup.

"Yeah, the journalists fucking lost the plot," Billie laughed fondly, as she sat on the wooden cushioned stool, "Who would you've said?"

"Brian May from Queen, obviously," Jamie smiled at her, "You?"

Keith Richards, Rolling Stones," Billie answered.

"Smart girl," Jamie replied, "Rebecca proper laid into your brother in the gym earlier."

"She did?" Billie looked up at him.

"Yeah, told him to get his hairy arse into her office," Jamie told her, "It were a fucking relief, 'cause he wanted me to do another twenty on the bench."

"Well, I'm enjoying the view, regardless," Billie looked at him through the reflection of her dressing table mirror.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool out there, innit?" Jamie remarked cluelessly as he glanced out of the large window that offered a panoramic view of the London skyline.

"I'm not talking about that view, J," Billie mused as he turned back to face her, "I'm talking about you, wearing nothing but a pair of gym shorts."

"Oh," Jamie smirked as he wandered towards her, "You're playing that game before we've even been out?"

"Maybe I am," Billie smirked as he stood beside her, placing his hands on her shoulders, looking at her through the mirror's reflection, "Do you have any idea how hard it is working in the same building as you when you're walking around looking like that?"

"Why don't you enlighten me?" Jamie muttered as he edged her forward, allowing him to sit behind her on the same stool, his legs either side of hers as he pulled her hair back, exposing the side of her neck before he placed a gentle kiss against her skin, "Tell me, babe."

"You look fucking fit, Jamie," Billie exhaled as Jamie began deepening his kisses against her neck, placing his hands on her waist as he did, "All the fucking time, when I'm meant to be doing my job, but all I'm thinking about is..."

"I'm listening," Jamie hummed against her skin, hoping that he might be able to offer her a distraction from everything whizzing around in her brain, because he knew that going out for the evening instead of a takeaway and a movie home was a big deal for her.

"You," Billie exhaled, and it was the truth, whenever she took photos of the boys in training, there was a high chance that her lens would be drawn to Jamie the most. Since he'd bulked up from all his training, she found it difficult not to let her eyes linger on him, especially when he was lifting weights in the gym.

"Mmhmm," Jamie smirked against her skin as she gripped his knee, her heartbeat quickening under his touch.

"Jamie."

"Billie."

"I fucking love the way you say my name, Jamie," Billie exhaled as Jamie place his hand on her jaw, turning her head to face him as he gazed down at her, kissing her slowly as her grip on his knee tightened.

"Ditto."

After about an hour of getting preoccupied in each other's company, making up for lost time due to busy work and training schedules, Billie and Jamie had finally plucked up the motivation to get ready to go out. Jamie had practically peeled Billie out of the bed after she'd insisted that she was happy to just stay at the hotel and enjoy his company.

They'd made their way to Jamie's chosen karaoke bar, which wasn't too far away, situated in Shoreditch, fitted with neon lights, disco balls and sticky floors - the last place you'd expect to see a Premier League footballer and his girlfriend, which Jamie supposed was part of its charm.

Billie wore the bralette and blazer coord that Keeley had suggested, with a leather mini skirt and knee high boots, while Jamie had worn a dusky pink blazer with a white t-shirt and jeans.

"You okay, babe?" Jamie asked as they approached the entrance hand in hand. 

"I think so," Billie nodded as Jamie held the door open for her, the distant hum of Islands In The Stream coming from the main room.

"If you feel uncomfortable at all, you just tell me, and we'll go back to the hotel and order all the fucking room service, alright?" Jamie assured her.

"Okay," Billie nodded as Jamie led her into the main room.

"So, we've got a table just over-"

"Is that Higgins and Julie?" Billie remarked as she laid her eyes on the couple standing on the small stage, before glancing around the room, recognising various faces. Ted and Beard were sitting at a corner table, Colin and Trent at another, while Will and Sam were serving at the bar, "Why's the team here?"

Jamie took his hands in hers as he stood in front of her, "I know you were nervous about being around strangers after everything that's happened, so I thought I'd fill the room with people you trust," He gestured to the booth behind her, where Alfie and Madison were sitting, "They're the customers, the staff, they're the everything, it's still our night, they're just here to help you feel more comfortable."

"You, Jamie Tartt," Billie cupped his jaw with a smile she wasn't sure she quite describe, "Are my fucking everything."

"Ditto," Jamie smirked, gently kissing her hand, glad that the last minute sizable payment to the landlord had paid off, "So, we've got the place till midnight, it's up to you what we do, alright?"

"Yep."

Jamie had found them a cosy booth at the back of the bar with a perfect view of the stage, a vodka lemonade for Billie and a diet coke for him, prepared by Richmond's very own bartender, Will (making those sports mixes during training had paid off, it seemed).

"I like it here," Billie leant towards Jamie, speaking over the sound of Coach Beard singing Applause by Lady GaGa, "Reminds me of a bar we always used to go to in Manchester."

"There were this bar I went to when I were at City, on Langford Road, they had karaoke every Thursday," Jamie sighed as he took a sip of his diet coke, "I did a proper good rendition of Rock DJ by Robbie Williams."

"It wasn't Iggy's, was it?" Billie remarked.

"Yeah," Jamie raised his eyebrows in intrigue, still amazed by how intertwined their lives had been before they'd even met.

"No way!" Billie exclaimed, resting her head against Jamie's shoulder, her perfectly curled hair brushing against his jaw, "I know I go on about how I'd find you in any lifetime, but fuck me, I'm convinced fate would've made sure you ended up in my life somehow."

"You have such a way with words, Billie," Jamie smirked before kissing her as Beard came to the end of his song, "Always fucking amazes me."

"Ditto," Billie hummed.

"You gonna tell me what you've chosen for our song?" Jamie muttered against her lips, the pair of them were so perfectly slotted in the back corner of the room, it was as though no one else were there.

"It's a surprise," Billie smirked.

"Up next, we've got Billie and Jamie," Will, who was acting as the landlord, announced right on cue.

"Come on, pretty boy," Billie took his hand in hers, "Let's show them what you're made of."

They made their way up to the tiny stage, the team clapped with little enthusiasm.

Once they'd reached the tiny stage, Billie typed the title of her chosen song into the small screen, it wasn't a song that had been released as a single so she wasn't even sure it'd be on the system, but as the song appeared she grinned with delight, clicking on the first result as Jamie handed her one of the microphones.

"You're gonna love this, babe," Billie grinned as the song began to play, she watched as Jamie's bemused frown, waiting for the song to begin.

"Do I know it?"

"Yeah," Billie nodded, having sung her chosen song around the house multiple times, "Stained coffee cup," She began to sing as she watched Jamie smirk in realisation, "Just a fingerprint of lipstick's not enough."

"Sweet where you lay, still a trace of innocence on the pillowcase," Jamie joined in, smirking as he remembered the conversation he and Billie'd had about the true meaning of the song when she was drunk once and decided to provide Jamie with an extensive deep dive on One Direction's entire discography, "Waking up beside you I'm a loaded gun, I can't contain this anymore, I'm all yours, I got no control, no control."

"And I don't care, it's obvious I just can't get enough of you. the pedals down, my eyes are closed, No control," Billie sang as she moved closer to Jamie, the team whistling and applauding in support.

As Jamie sang the words to one of her favourite songs by her favourite bands, she couldn't help but smile, and she couldn't help but feel safe in his company. He'd gone to such great efforts to make her feel comfortable, and she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to articulate how grateful she was for the lengths that he'd go to just to put a smile on her face.

She knew for sure what her answer would be if he ever asked that four word question.

The pair continued to perform the song, as the team watched on with smiles on their faces, until it came to an end and they offered her a standing ovation, while Jamie wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head.

As Dani took to the stage to sing his version of Like A Prayer by Madonna, Billie and Jamie made their way back to the bar, where Will met them with eager smiles and a drink each.

"Hello, kiddo," Billie smiled at the young man, "How long have you known all about this?"

"Oh, only since this morning," Will smiled, "It's quite surprising how many Premier League players don't have plans in the evening."

"Indeed it is," Billie nodded as Alfie and Madison joined them at the bar, "You two are very good at keeping secrets, huh?"

"If it's in the name of Loverboy surprising you, I'm all for it," Alfie wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "We're doing Spice Girls later, right?"

Billie glanced over at Colin and Trent, Colin who seemed distant, yet comforted in Trent's company, she knew it wasn't her place to press for a reason for his hesitance or for his out of character interaction with Isaac, "Yeah, absolutely," She nodded, her gaze lingering on Colin.

"Sweet," Alfie grinned before following Billie's gaze, "Erm, I'll be back in a bit."

Alfie promptly left the group at the bar, Jamie was busy asking Will about the next photoshoot that he'd be working on, telling him that he's proud of everything he'd achieved so far.

"I'm so happy for you, Bils," Madison smiled, wrapping her in a hug, "Seeing the woman you are when you're with him, the way he adores you, that is all that we've ever wanted for you."

"Thank you, it means the world to hear you say that," Billie whispered, "Anyway, how are you? I feel like I barely see you when I'm at Jamie's and you're at Ryan's, has that all been going okay?"

"I mean, he's no Jamie Tartt, but I'm happy," Madison assured her with a smile. He was one of the other teachers she worked with, he was thirty five, a single dad and everything that Madison had assumed she didn't want in a partner during her twenties, and yet she hadn't ever really been as happy as she was in his company.

"As long as you're happy, we're happy," Billie smiled.

"Now, get back to that lovely boyfriend of yours and have some fun celebrating your first of many anniversaries," Madison squeezed her hand before making her way over to Alfie.

"Hello, my pocket rocket," Jamie wrapped his arm around Billie as she stood beside him, "Is this all okay? Are you okay?"

"It's perfect," Billie assured him, pecking his cheek, "You're perfect."

"I'm not sure about that, babe." Jamie frowned.

"Well, I'm bloody sure."

billie_kent posted

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COMMENTS:
jamie_tartt: ditto.

will_kitman: I am lost for words

alfiesykes98: fit

samobisanya23: I love love