Waking Up, chapter 5
As they walked out on to the street, Billie casually leaned over to Ella and grasped her hand. He looked way, trying to pretend he didn't notice. Ella just laughed.
"You're sweet," she said, kissing his cheek. Billie felt himself blush. She laughed again.
They walked in silence into a large park.
"What is this?" Billie asked, surprised.
"Central Park, dumbass," she said smiling.
"Oh. Well... It's just weird, in the middle of the city... ."
She nodded and paused. "You still should have known,"
Billie pushed her a bit. Ella pushed him back, hard, knocking him over. Ella collapsed in a fit of laughing.
"It's not funny,"
Ella couldn't answer. Tears were running down her face.
"Yes -- it is--" she barely squeezed out.
Billie, standing again, helped her up. The laughter slowly began to stop.
"People are looking at us funny," she said, regaining her ability to talk.
Billie rolled his eyes. "You don't say... It's not like you were laughing like a crazy person or anything,"
She just kissed him again. Billie didn't blush this time.
They continued to walk, talking about random things, Billie making Ella laugh. They came to a pond and sat down on one of the cold wooden benches. Ella snuggled up to him.
"What time is it?" Billie asked with his eyes closed.
"I dunno... " Ella murmured sleepily. Billie opened his eyes to check his watch.
"Shit. It's almost eleven,"
Ella jumped. "Seriously?"
Billie nodded and closed his eyes again. "Do you need to be somewhere?"
"Nope. I mean, yeah, I have to pick up Ana, at three, and go to work at five... "
Billie looked at her. "Do you ever get to rest?" he asked quietly.
"No... I mean, yes. Today is my own day. I get to do whatever I want for six hours. Almost anyway," her voice was sad and quiet.
Billie kissed the top of her head. "You need to relax," she nodded and laughed.
"I have needed to do that since I was sixteen. But I'm happy with what I have," she smiled weakly, looking up at Billie.
Frowning, he nodded. "Wanna walk some more?"
Ella nodded and they both got up.
Once again in the apartment, all three were in the kitchen, attempting to make dinner. Ella was the only one who actually knew what she was doing.
"Turn off the stove, Billie. Now! It's the pasta is going to burn!" she cried. "Ana, please don't bang on the pots, we only need the strainer... "
The phone rang in the living room.
"Billie, can you strain the pasta? I'll go get that... " she left without his answer.
"Okay, Ana, you gonna help me?" Billie asked. The girl shook her head vigorously. He laughed. "Fine then... "
He grabbed the pot and began straining the noodles in the sink.
"Billie, it's for you... " came Ella's voice, and she came into the kitchen. "It's in the living room. Near the front door," she added, to the confused look on Billie's face.
She took over the straining while he left to get the phone.
" 'ello?"
"Billie, where the fuck are you?" came Mike's irritable tone.
"Oh," sighed Billie. "At Ella's house,"
"Who is Ella?" Mike asked, his anger turning into curiosity.
"A girl I met. Did they find a driver?"
"Nope, we gonna take shifts. So you met her and now you're living at her house?" he asked, sound amused.
"Yeah. When are we leaving?" Billie was trying to change subjects, but it wasn't working.
"Tonight. We have to be in Philly by the morning. So you like her?"
"Yeah... I do... " Billie answered in a low tone, blushing madly for some reason.
Mike chuckled. "Alright then... We're leaving at ten, you have to be here by 9, so shoot for 8,"
"Mike, I'm not that late always... "
"Yeah, whatever, see you at 9:59," the line went silent.
Billie sighed and hung up. He didn't want to leave. He sat down on the couch and closed his eyes before a shout came from the kitchen.
"BILLIE! DINNER!"
Smiling, he got up.
Ella was helping Ana with her silverware.
"No, see? The fork works better for you in this hand. It's the right hand... "
He just stood in the doorway and watched for a second. Irritably he thought of how much he was attached to this family already. He shouldn't feel that way.
"Hey, what did your friend... Mike, say?"
"Not much..." he looked down at his plate. "I have to leave tonight,"
"Oh," was the response. It was a quiet understanding, but not the emotional Old Faithful that Billie was feeling. Dinner continued in silence save for Ana's endless talk about a friend at school.
"You know... " Billie said suddenly. "You could come to one of my shows,"
Ella looked up. "I... I can't Billie... "
"You... could bring Ana too!" he felt desperate and stupid.
Ella nearly laughed. "Ana to a concert? She's gonna be a wild one, but I don't want to start her off early... "
Billie nodded.
"Thanks, though. It would have been... " but the words died. Billie felt like running away and forgetting it all right then. He was leaving her. It didn't matter. She might not even remember him in a few months. He sighed inwardly.
"You're sweet," she said, kissing his cheek. Billie felt himself blush. She laughed again.
They walked in silence into a large park.
"What is this?" Billie asked, surprised.
"Central Park, dumbass," she said smiling.
"Oh. Well... It's just weird, in the middle of the city... ."
She nodded and paused. "You still should have known,"
Billie pushed her a bit. Ella pushed him back, hard, knocking him over. Ella collapsed in a fit of laughing.
"It's not funny,"
Ella couldn't answer. Tears were running down her face.
"Yes -- it is--" she barely squeezed out.
Billie, standing again, helped her up. The laughter slowly began to stop.
"People are looking at us funny," she said, regaining her ability to talk.
Billie rolled his eyes. "You don't say... It's not like you were laughing like a crazy person or anything,"
She just kissed him again. Billie didn't blush this time.
They continued to walk, talking about random things, Billie making Ella laugh. They came to a pond and sat down on one of the cold wooden benches. Ella snuggled up to him.
"What time is it?" Billie asked with his eyes closed.
"I dunno... " Ella murmured sleepily. Billie opened his eyes to check his watch.
"Shit. It's almost eleven,"
Ella jumped. "Seriously?"
Billie nodded and closed his eyes again. "Do you need to be somewhere?"
"Nope. I mean, yeah, I have to pick up Ana, at three, and go to work at five... "
Billie looked at her. "Do you ever get to rest?" he asked quietly.
"No... I mean, yes. Today is my own day. I get to do whatever I want for six hours. Almost anyway," her voice was sad and quiet.
Billie kissed the top of her head. "You need to relax," she nodded and laughed.
"I have needed to do that since I was sixteen. But I'm happy with what I have," she smiled weakly, looking up at Billie.
Frowning, he nodded. "Wanna walk some more?"
Ella nodded and they both got up.
Once again in the apartment, all three were in the kitchen, attempting to make dinner. Ella was the only one who actually knew what she was doing.
"Turn off the stove, Billie. Now! It's the pasta is going to burn!" she cried. "Ana, please don't bang on the pots, we only need the strainer... "
The phone rang in the living room.
"Billie, can you strain the pasta? I'll go get that... " she left without his answer.
"Okay, Ana, you gonna help me?" Billie asked. The girl shook her head vigorously. He laughed. "Fine then... "
He grabbed the pot and began straining the noodles in the sink.
"Billie, it's for you... " came Ella's voice, and she came into the kitchen. "It's in the living room. Near the front door," she added, to the confused look on Billie's face.
She took over the straining while he left to get the phone.
" 'ello?"
"Billie, where the fuck are you?" came Mike's irritable tone.
"Oh," sighed Billie. "At Ella's house,"
"Who is Ella?" Mike asked, his anger turning into curiosity.
"A girl I met. Did they find a driver?"
"Nope, we gonna take shifts. So you met her and now you're living at her house?" he asked, sound amused.
"Yeah. When are we leaving?" Billie was trying to change subjects, but it wasn't working.
"Tonight. We have to be in Philly by the morning. So you like her?"
"Yeah... I do... " Billie answered in a low tone, blushing madly for some reason.
Mike chuckled. "Alright then... We're leaving at ten, you have to be here by 9, so shoot for 8,"
"Mike, I'm not that late always... "
"Yeah, whatever, see you at 9:59," the line went silent.
Billie sighed and hung up. He didn't want to leave. He sat down on the couch and closed his eyes before a shout came from the kitchen.
"BILLIE! DINNER!"
Smiling, he got up.
Ella was helping Ana with her silverware.
"No, see? The fork works better for you in this hand. It's the right hand... "
He just stood in the doorway and watched for a second. Irritably he thought of how much he was attached to this family already. He shouldn't feel that way.
"Hey, what did your friend... Mike, say?"
"Not much..." he looked down at his plate. "I have to leave tonight,"
"Oh," was the response. It was a quiet understanding, but not the emotional Old Faithful that Billie was feeling. Dinner continued in silence save for Ana's endless talk about a friend at school.
"You know... " Billie said suddenly. "You could come to one of my shows,"
Ella looked up. "I... I can't Billie... "
"You... could bring Ana too!" he felt desperate and stupid.
Ella nearly laughed. "Ana to a concert? She's gonna be a wild one, but I don't want to start her off early... "
Billie nodded.
"Thanks, though. It would have been... " but the words died. Billie felt like running away and forgetting it all right then. He was leaving her. It didn't matter. She might not even remember him in a few months. He sighed inwardly.
