Billie arrived at her brother's house that evening, slipping through the front door with a lazy smile. It had been a long, quiet day after her morning with Mars and Zaine—quiet being a relative term considering how wild things had gotten between them. She adjusted the oversized hoodie Mars had thrown on her earlier, pulling the collar up to try and cover her neck, but it was no use. She already knew what her friends were going to say the second they saw her.

As expected, Zoe was the first to spot her as she strolled into the living room where everyone was gathered. Her eyes widened dramatically, and she burst into a fit of laughter, nearly spilling her drink. "Dude!" Zoe exclaimed, slapping Alex's arm. "There's an obscene amount of hickeys on your neck. Is Mars a vampire or something?"

"Oh my days," Billie groaned, face instantly heating up as she slid into a chair across from her friends, tugging the hoodie even higher, though it did little to help.

"Where's big daddy Tosin?" Alex asked with a sly grin, leaning back into the couch. "I'm guessing she's the reason you've been MIA since you came back from tour."

Odessa smirked, swirling her wine lazily. "Honestly, I wouldn't be shocked if you two spent the last few weeks just... you know, fucking."

Billie rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the grin that curled on her lips. "Oh my days, you guys need to chill."

Zoe shot her a look, arching an eyebrow. "Chill? You need to chill. You've got love bites all over you, like Mars went feral. She's wild."

"She's not that wild," Billie muttered, though the way she tucked her chin into the collar of her hoodie said otherwise.

"Not wild?" Alex snorted. "Girl, you've been off the radar for like three weeks. You skipped brunch. You never skip brunch."

"You skipped three brunches," Zoe added with mock outrage. "That's some serious post-tour dickmatization right there."

Nat's laugh was deep and slow. "We should call this phase the Mars Effect."

"Okay, okay," Billie groaned, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes to hide her amusement. "Can we talk about something else? Please?"

"Sure," Zoe said, clearly not ready to let up just yet. "We can talk about how you're practically glowing. It's suspicious."

"I'm not glowing," Billie mumbled, though she knew she absolutely was. She felt warm all over, like she'd been wrapped in Mars's arms for days. Which, in fairness, she pretty much had.

"Bet she's glowing because of all that aftercare," Odessa teased, raising an eyebrow. "Mars looks like the type to take her time, if you know what I mean."

Billie let out an exasperated laugh. "Can we not?"

Zoe leaned in, narrowing her eyes. "Tell us this, though. Is she all soft and sweet, or does she throw you around like you're a ragdoll?"

"Oh my days," Billie groaned again, covering her face with her hands as her friends collapsed into laughter.

"She's blushing!" Alex declared triumphantly.

"Of course she's blushing," Nat said. "If I were getting it like that, I'd be blushing too."

"Alright, alright," Billie said, lifting her hands in mock surrender. "Y'all are unbelievable."

Zoe grinned, clearly satisfied with the chaos she'd caused. "We're just glad to see you happy. Mars is good for you."

Billie smiled despite herself. "Yeah. She really is."

For a moment, the teasing energy in the room softened into something warmer, more genuine. They all knew what Billie had been through in the past—how hard it had been for her to find someone she truly clicked with, someone who made her feel safe and loved. Seeing her like this, so comfortable and content, was a relief.

Finneas wandered in from the kitchen then, holding a plate of snacks. He paused mid-step, frowning at Billie. "Why is everyone looking at you like that?"

"Because Billie has hickeys," Zoe announced with a mischievous grin.

Finneas blinked, clearly not expecting that. "Hickeys?"

"Obscene hickeys," Alex confirmed.

Finneas gave his sister a deadpan look. "Do I even want to know?"

"No," Billie said quickly, burying her face in her hands again.

Zoe, however, had no plans of stopping. "Big daddy Mars has been putting in work."

"Ew." Finneas cringed and shook his head in defeat. "You guys are the worst."

Later, when the teasing finally died down and the night started to wind down, Billie found herself scrolling through her phone, her thumb hovering over Mars's contact.

She slipped out of the living room, finding a quiet spot on Finneas's balcony. The cool night air kissed her skin as she tapped Mars's name and brought the phone to her ear.

It didn't take long for Mars to answer. "Hey, baby," came that familiar, low voice. Just hearing it made Billie's heart do a little flip.

"Hey," she whispered, leaning against the railing. "Miss you."

"You saw me this morning baby."

"Doesn't mean i can't miss you Mars." There was a pause, and Billie could hear the soft hum of music playing in the background on Mars's end. "How's it going over there?" Mars asked.

"Good. We're just hanging out. But, uh... my friends noticed the hickeys." Mars chuckled, the sound deep and warm. "Good."

Billie grinned, even though Mars couldn't see it. "You're ridiculous."

"You love it," Mars said softly, and Billie couldn't argue with that.

They stayed on the phone for a while longer, talking about nothing and everything, just enjoying the sound of each other's voices.

When she finally hung up and slipped back inside, her friends were waiting with knowing smiles, as if they'd heard every word of her conversation. Billie just rolled her eyes, but she couldn't stop the smile that tugged at her lips.

Yeah, Mars was definitely good for her. And she didn't care who knew it.