Destination Unknown (sequel to Worlds Apart), chapter 23
It was a relief to finally get out of the rain. I sat in the passenger seat of the car shivering, with rain water dripping from my hair and my feet squelching in my shoes. Another adventure, another pair of chucks ruined. But I didn’t care. I couldn’t remember ever feeling this happy. I couldn’t even think straight. I knew I had all these reasons why I’d broken it off with him in the first place and right then I couldn’t remember a single one of them that made me question whether or not I was doing the right thing. We stopped for gas, and Billie Joe got me a coffee to warm me up. As he handed me the polystyrene cup, our eyes met and our fingers touched and I felt a shiver run up my arm. It was the same electricity I’d felt the night I very first met him. I had never been so desperate for someone.
It felt like the longest car ride of my life. And let’s not forget Billie Joe and I drove all the way from LA only month before.
That was seven hours.
That was nothing compared to this.
And he wasn’t making it any easier by continuously glancing over at me in the kind of way that made me feel like my insides were dissolving. I was longing for him.
“Dad, can we get pizza when we get home?� Joey asked from the back, snapping me out of my dream-like state and reminding us that we weren’t the only two people in the car. “You know…to celebrate�
“Not tonight, dude� said Billie Joe, “You’re going to your Mom’s�
“Nuh-uh� said Jakob, “We’re meant to be going to yours�
“Not anymore�
“Why?�
“Cause I say so�
“But Dad…I haven’t seen Sophie in ages and now she’s back and-“
“Jake, nor have I... remember? We’ve got catching up to do. She’ll still be here tomorrow�
“Yep� I agreed, getting excited at the prospect of spending the evening catching up with Billie Joe, and wondering exactly what he had in mind.
I’d never seen him kick them out of the car so fast. He pushed them up the driveway towards Adrienne, who looked slightly confused by the fact that he was there at all, let alone looking like a drowned rat. He babbled some kind of hurried explanation at her, before running back down the driveway and jumping back into the driver’s seat. Then he leaned over, took my face in his hands, and kissed me in a way that made my toes curl. He really was one hell of a kisser. As he pulled away he lightly touched my cheek.
“I can’t believe this is really happening� he whispered, with a smile, “You have no idea how much I…I can’t even…�
“I know� I whispered back, my lips grazing his, “I’ve missed you so much Bill…�
He stared into my eyes for a few seconds, then looked away, a mischievous smile touching his lips.
“I’m going to put pedal to metal now� he said, “Cause its getting kind of soggy in here. I think we’d better get home so that someone can help me out of these wet clothes…�
I almost choked on my coffee, spitting it down the front of my jacket.
“I knew you were going to say that at some point!� I laughed, “I had been waiting for it! I can’t believe you even lasted this long...�
“Am I that predictable?�
“Yeah, you really are�
“You think it’s cute though, right?�
I sighed.
“Right� I grinned.
He had obviously missed me just as painfully as I had missed him, because the passion that took hold when we got inside the house was beyond comprehension and left no room for talking. No sooner had the front door closed behind us than he had pressed me up against it. I held on to the front of his shirt as he leaned in to kiss me, stopping just short of my lips.
“Soph…I missed you so fucking much…� he murmured.
“I know� I replied, touching my nose against his, “It’s been hell…�
“We’re going to be ok now…right?� he asked, softly.
I smiled. I knew we would be ok. I knew we had a lot of talking to do and that things weren’t going to be easy. But there was plenty of time for talking later. Right then I just wanted to lose myself in him. I looked into his questioning eyes and answered him by closing the gap between our lips. I pulled him close as our kisses became deeper and more desperate and I wondered how I had ever been so crazy as to think I could live the rest of my life without feeling this again. The thought that I came so close to losing him terrified me. I listened to his breath turn shallow as I melted into him, tasting him, drinking him, drowning in him as we stripped each other of our wet clothes. His hands were everywhere as he struggled to catch his breath, whispering he loved me before I captured his mouth in another feverish kiss, biting down on his lip not too gently until I tasted blood and he let out a gasp.
“Fuck…I’m sorry� I breathed,
He put a hand to his lip and grinned,
“Three weeks and you’ve turned masochistic on me?� he joked. “You really are full of surprises.�
I giggled as he licked his lip and cupped my face in his hands, pulling me back towards him and kissing me deeply. I lost all ability of conscious thought as we slid down to the floor. I had never wanted anything more than this, and I knew it was going to feel like the first time.
“Did I mention how much I missed you?� he murmured into my ear. I was tangled in his arms, my head on his chest, rising and falling with his heavy breathing and listening as his heartbeat began to slow. I smiled contentedly, tracing circles on his chest with my finger. We never had made it further than the hallway floor.
“I think so� I said, “But you can tell me again if you like�
He pressed his nose into my hair and let out a long breath,
“You’re amazing� he murmured,
“You’re pretty amazing yourself�
“I’m serious� he said, “Soph…I can’t take it if you leave again. I need to know you want this as much as I do because…if I had to go through that again…I think I would die�
I turned to face him.
“Billie…I always wanted this� I said, “I just…I did what I thought was best. For everyone. I was trying to save myself from getting hurt in the future. But all that it taught me was that I’d rather try it and get hurt in the future than live without you and never know what we could be together�
He nodded.
“I know� he said, “At first…I didn’t understand. But I do now. I understand, but I still think you were wrong. Because I know that you’re the one I want to be with. And I never want anyone else�
I smiled and kissed his fingers.
“I heard about Adrienne filing for divorce� I said softly.
“You did?� he said, “How? I haven’t told anyone that yet�
“Joey told me. He overheard you guys�
“What the…oh shit…�
“No, he’s fine. He understands. Don’t worry. But, I was pretty surprised.�
“You weren’t the only one. Most people don’t expect to get dumped by one person and then divorced by another all within the space of a couple of weeks�
I felt a pang of guilt and I gently ran my fingers through his hair, which was drying now.
“It’s for the best though� he said, “I’ve known it had to happen for a long time. And I think she did too. I think the intensity of all the stuff between you and I just made her realise that�
“Is she ok?�
“I think so� he nodded, “You know that you don’t have to worry about her…don’t you?�
“I’m starting to now� I said, “This whole thing…it’s just made me realise how much we had. It was so much more intense than I realised or wanted to believe�
“I know what you mean. I’ve felt like the worst kind of shit this past few weeks. I felt like all my insides were just ripped out and I was just completely…�
He sighed, stroking my hair.
“Empty?� I finished.
He nodded and kissed my nose.
“I’ve thought about you all the time� he said softly, “I haven’t thought about anything else.�
“Me too. About you, I mean.�
“I even wrote you a ska song�
I raised my head and grinned, feeling even warmer inside, which I didn’t think was possible.
“Seriously?�
“Yeah. Well, its kind of ska. Like, it uses a syncopated rhythm�
“Right…�
“You have no idea what that means, do you?�
“Well…no, not really.�
“Pfft. Call yourself a musician�
“No…I’m just a drummer�
He laughed.
“If Tre was here, he’d kill you�
“I’m glad he isn’t� I said, snuggling closer, “I don’t want to see anyone but you all weekend�
“Sounds good to me� he smiled, holding me tighter, “If only I could be that lucky�
“You’re going to have to show me that song.� I said, “Is it a good one?�
“Well, I think it’s a heap of shit. So I reckon you’ll probably think it’s great.�
I jabbed my finger in his ribs and he cried out as he laughed and kissed me again.
“I really, really love you� he said softly.
“I love you too� I smiled.
I kissed him deeply before he broke off.
“Can we at least move to the couch or something?� he said, with a smile, “This floor is starting to really hurt my ass�.
** ** **
“I can’t believe you two are back to square one with the smoking� said Jason, smiling and shaking his head.
“Lay off, Jase,� said Billie Joe, defensively, “We’ve been through a stressful time. We need nicotine�
“You’ve had a whole week now. You have not been stressed. You have been making everybody else stressed with your inability to keep your fucking hands off each other�
He had a point. It had been one of the best weeks of my whole life. We had had a lot of lost time to make up for, and we hadn’t really done anything else besides make up for it. It had been so amazing that even the thought that we could have stayed apart made me feel sick.
We were hanging out at Tre’s house that night with a bunch of other people, of which Tre was already the drunkest. Needless to say, this was a party to which no members of Blink 182 or their spouses had been invited, so I was confident I wouldn’t be giving or receiving any bruises that night. Seeing as Billie Joe and I hadn’t seen anyone but each other and the kids all week, Tre and Mike had come over and physically removed us from his house and dragged us round there, insisting that we all had to drink lots of alcohol to celebrate the fact that we were back together again. Or that we’d got our personalities back, as Tre put it. Mike was there too, but I had a feeling he was less interested in celebrating Billie Joe and I getting reunited than celebrating the fact that Rosie had come to visit me for the weekend, because I hadn’t seen either of them in a while.
I giggled, taking another drag on my cigarette.
“We’re going to keep smoking until New Years� I said, “It’s going to be our resolution to stop�
“How convenient� said Jason, wryly, “That gives you at least another three weeks of sucking on toxic fumes�
“Hey, it’s not that bad� I said
I held up my cigarette packet and begun to read from it.
“’Smoking seriously harms others around you. Smoking while pregnant harms your baby’…you see, I’m fine�
Billie Joe giggled, and kissed me.
“I love that logic of yours� he said, as we heard a yell from the other side of the room.
“Guys! You have to help me! This is…it’s serious. I’m serious this time!�
I rolled my eyes. It was Tre, off his face, propped up against the couch amongst a group of guys from their tour crew who were playing some kind of drinking game. I’d already been over once to help him think of something Australian beginning with the letter ‘E’, but it didn’t do much good because he was too pissed to get his tongue around the word eucalyptus.
I slid out of Billie Joe’s arms and went over to him.
“What’s up?� I asked him.
“We’re playing the elephant game� said, Mark, one of the guys who I think was responsible for Tre being so drunk, “I have to tell him a story, and he isn’t allowed to think of an elephant�
“It’s really hard� said Tre, “You have to distract me, ok?�
“What happens if you do think of an elephant?�
“I have to do a shot. And I really don’t want to cause it’s that nasty tequila that Rosie brought up that she bought for ten bucks in the airport�
“Tre� I whispered, “They aren’t gonna be able to tell if you’re thinking of an elephant or not. Just lie�
He looked at me wide eyed,
“You can’t cheat at drinking games it would be… That’s it, get out. Just get out. You aren’t helping me anymore�
I grinned and nudged him with my foot so he fell over, before starting to walk away. He called after me again.
“Actually don’t go! Just please talk to me so I don’t think of elephants. Please?�
I giggled and shook my head as I walked back to Billie Joe, wondering how I ever thought I could survive without my Green Day guys.
When I went back over to Billie Joe, he was busy talking to Rosie, who seemed to have appeared again after a suspiciously long absence. Although really, it wasn’t so much talking as interrogating.
“Where have you been?�
“Down in the basement�
“By yourself?�
“No…that would be a little weird, Billie Joe.�
He raised his eyebrows.
“Oh really? So who with?�
“With Mike, if you must know�
“I knew it! What were you doing?�
“Talking and stuff�
Billie Joe turned to me as I approached, sliding my hand into the back pocket of his Dickies.
“Rosie and Mike have been doing stuff in the basement�
“Billie� I smiled, “Stop harassing my friend…�
“But she’s been in the basement with Mike for like a half hour. I have a right to know what the deal is here.�
“We’re…friends�
“…friends,� he mocked,
“Yeah. Why is it such a big deal?�
“I don’t know…cause it would be good if you guys got together. Cause you’re cool. And Mike’s cool. And you play the guitar – you know, he could teach you to play bass too…I’ve heard he’s pretty good…you could ask him for some “private lessons� or something�
She giggled at his quotation finger motions.
“Look you guys, I do really like Mike but…it’s not really ideal. I don’t think it would work out for him. I mean playing bass in a famous band is a bit different to playing acoustic guitar on Venice beach for tips…right?�
“Yeah,� I said, “These guys are choosy with their girlfriends. They only date rock stars like me�
She smiled,
“I guess you do have a point�
Billie Joe shook his head,
“Rosie, Mike is the kind of guy who would think playing acoustic guitar on Venice Beach was way cooler than any kind of celebrity status. In fact, he hates celebrities. He thinks you’re awesome. You are awesome. What is the problem here? Jesus Christ….I feel like Oprah.�
Rosie grinned and ruffled Billie Joe’s hair. I giggled at how much taller she was than him.
“Aww, thanks BJ� she said, “I think you’re pretty awesome too.�
“But not as awesome as Mike�
“You’re a close second�
“What about Tre?�
“You’re a close joint second�
“Are you kidding? He’s just the drummer!�
I thumped him and he laughed, as Mike appeared next to us.
“Hey Mike� said Billie Joe, “Rosie’s just been telling us she’d like some bass lessons.�
“She would?�
I grinned as Rosie blushed, whilst glaring at Billie Joe, who simply grinned back at her. He was such a kid.
“Come on Billie� I said, taking his hand, “Let’s go get some air�
“Air? Oh…ok. Air’s good.�
It was pretty cold outside, but I didn’t mind. We went out into the backyard and sat at the far end, under a tall palm tree, and leaned against the trunk. He wrapped his arms round me as we listened to the wind in the trees and the faint sound of voices coming from the house. I smiled as I leant into his warm body and closed my eyes.
“You know…� I began thoughtfully, “Coming back to you was the best decision I’ve ever made.�
He kissed the top of my head,
“I’m glad you made it�
“So am I. It scares me that I might not have done. Or that you might not have wanted me back...�
“I always would have wanted you back. You’re gorgeous. It was always me that caused all the problems with us.�
“I know� I smiled, “Why do I think you’re worth the hassle?�
“Ummm…cause I’m a hot rock star?�
I giggled, as I played with his fingers.
“Yeah, that must be it�
“You know…I don’t want you to ever leave me again�
“I won’t� I said, “I’ve told you that.�
“No I mean…I don’t want you to leave here. I don’t want you to leave the bay. I want you to stay here with me�
I turned to face him, surprised. It wasn’t something I had thought about. I was always going to be here for just 8 months. What happened when I left was something I hadn’t wanted to think about.
He stared back at me.
“Why are you looking at me like I said something wrong?�
“I’m not…you haven’t� I said, “I just hadn’t thought about leaving yet. It seems a long way off.�
“Well, April will come around fast. Time goes waaay too quickly when I’m with you... “
I sighed,
“I know what you mean� I said, “But Bill…my internship runs out in April and I have to-“
“You don’t have to do anything!� he protested, “You can stay here! You could get a job here in a second, you’re oozing with talent! Seriously, Soph. I’ve been thinking about this. I need you here. I couldn’t deal with you being that far away from me. I think San Francisco seems too far, so if I cant cope with the bay between us how am I going to cope with the whole ocean?�
I smiled, as I struggled to process what it was he was asking of me. This was a big deal. We had only been back together a week. But it was a great week…
“Billie� I smiled, “I don’t want to be away from you either. But…moving here permanently…that’s a pretty serious thing for me. I think we need to just see how we go for now…ok?�
“But we’re going good� he insisted, “And I know it’s serious, but I’m serious. About you.�
“I know� I smiled, kissing him as my insides went mushy. “And I’ve never been more serious about anything than I am about us�
“And I’m going to need you even more soon. You’re going to have to keep me sane when my next little Armstrong Brat arrives.�
“Oh, yes, the Armstrong Brat. I can’t believe I’m going to have four of you guys to look after…�
He grinned. Then he rested his forehead on mine.
“You are going to be ok with it, aren’t you? With me having a new baby to look after I mean?�
“It’s going to be pretty weird� I admitted, “I think I’ll find it pretty hard to deal with at first. But I always knew I would. I knew what I was signing up for this time. And I don’t know what its going to be like or how things will work out. But… I love you… and right now I just want to be with you and I don’t need to know anything else�
He smiled, as I pressed the palm of my hand against his and he laced his fingers with mine.
“I don’t need to know anything else either.� he said. “These past few months have been so crazy…I don’t know anything anymore�
“All I know is that I don’t know nothing� I giggled.
He grinned as he wrapped his arms tighter around me, before leaning in and kissing me softly.
“And that’s fine�
THE END
It felt like the longest car ride of my life. And let’s not forget Billie Joe and I drove all the way from LA only month before.
That was seven hours.
That was nothing compared to this.
And he wasn’t making it any easier by continuously glancing over at me in the kind of way that made me feel like my insides were dissolving. I was longing for him.
“Dad, can we get pizza when we get home?� Joey asked from the back, snapping me out of my dream-like state and reminding us that we weren’t the only two people in the car. “You know…to celebrate�
“Not tonight, dude� said Billie Joe, “You’re going to your Mom’s�
“Nuh-uh� said Jakob, “We’re meant to be going to yours�
“Not anymore�
“Why?�
“Cause I say so�
“But Dad…I haven’t seen Sophie in ages and now she’s back and-“
“Jake, nor have I... remember? We’ve got catching up to do. She’ll still be here tomorrow�
“Yep� I agreed, getting excited at the prospect of spending the evening catching up with Billie Joe, and wondering exactly what he had in mind.
I’d never seen him kick them out of the car so fast. He pushed them up the driveway towards Adrienne, who looked slightly confused by the fact that he was there at all, let alone looking like a drowned rat. He babbled some kind of hurried explanation at her, before running back down the driveway and jumping back into the driver’s seat. Then he leaned over, took my face in his hands, and kissed me in a way that made my toes curl. He really was one hell of a kisser. As he pulled away he lightly touched my cheek.
“I can’t believe this is really happening� he whispered, with a smile, “You have no idea how much I…I can’t even…�
“I know� I whispered back, my lips grazing his, “I’ve missed you so much Bill…�
He stared into my eyes for a few seconds, then looked away, a mischievous smile touching his lips.
“I’m going to put pedal to metal now� he said, “Cause its getting kind of soggy in here. I think we’d better get home so that someone can help me out of these wet clothes…�
I almost choked on my coffee, spitting it down the front of my jacket.
“I knew you were going to say that at some point!� I laughed, “I had been waiting for it! I can’t believe you even lasted this long...�
“Am I that predictable?�
“Yeah, you really are�
“You think it’s cute though, right?�
I sighed.
“Right� I grinned.
He had obviously missed me just as painfully as I had missed him, because the passion that took hold when we got inside the house was beyond comprehension and left no room for talking. No sooner had the front door closed behind us than he had pressed me up against it. I held on to the front of his shirt as he leaned in to kiss me, stopping just short of my lips.
“Soph…I missed you so fucking much…� he murmured.
“I know� I replied, touching my nose against his, “It’s been hell…�
“We’re going to be ok now…right?� he asked, softly.
I smiled. I knew we would be ok. I knew we had a lot of talking to do and that things weren’t going to be easy. But there was plenty of time for talking later. Right then I just wanted to lose myself in him. I looked into his questioning eyes and answered him by closing the gap between our lips. I pulled him close as our kisses became deeper and more desperate and I wondered how I had ever been so crazy as to think I could live the rest of my life without feeling this again. The thought that I came so close to losing him terrified me. I listened to his breath turn shallow as I melted into him, tasting him, drinking him, drowning in him as we stripped each other of our wet clothes. His hands were everywhere as he struggled to catch his breath, whispering he loved me before I captured his mouth in another feverish kiss, biting down on his lip not too gently until I tasted blood and he let out a gasp.
“Fuck…I’m sorry� I breathed,
He put a hand to his lip and grinned,
“Three weeks and you’ve turned masochistic on me?� he joked. “You really are full of surprises.�
I giggled as he licked his lip and cupped my face in his hands, pulling me back towards him and kissing me deeply. I lost all ability of conscious thought as we slid down to the floor. I had never wanted anything more than this, and I knew it was going to feel like the first time.
“Did I mention how much I missed you?� he murmured into my ear. I was tangled in his arms, my head on his chest, rising and falling with his heavy breathing and listening as his heartbeat began to slow. I smiled contentedly, tracing circles on his chest with my finger. We never had made it further than the hallway floor.
“I think so� I said, “But you can tell me again if you like�
He pressed his nose into my hair and let out a long breath,
“You’re amazing� he murmured,
“You’re pretty amazing yourself�
“I’m serious� he said, “Soph…I can’t take it if you leave again. I need to know you want this as much as I do because…if I had to go through that again…I think I would die�
I turned to face him.
“Billie…I always wanted this� I said, “I just…I did what I thought was best. For everyone. I was trying to save myself from getting hurt in the future. But all that it taught me was that I’d rather try it and get hurt in the future than live without you and never know what we could be together�
He nodded.
“I know� he said, “At first…I didn’t understand. But I do now. I understand, but I still think you were wrong. Because I know that you’re the one I want to be with. And I never want anyone else�
I smiled and kissed his fingers.
“I heard about Adrienne filing for divorce� I said softly.
“You did?� he said, “How? I haven’t told anyone that yet�
“Joey told me. He overheard you guys�
“What the…oh shit…�
“No, he’s fine. He understands. Don’t worry. But, I was pretty surprised.�
“You weren’t the only one. Most people don’t expect to get dumped by one person and then divorced by another all within the space of a couple of weeks�
I felt a pang of guilt and I gently ran my fingers through his hair, which was drying now.
“It’s for the best though� he said, “I’ve known it had to happen for a long time. And I think she did too. I think the intensity of all the stuff between you and I just made her realise that�
“Is she ok?�
“I think so� he nodded, “You know that you don’t have to worry about her…don’t you?�
“I’m starting to now� I said, “This whole thing…it’s just made me realise how much we had. It was so much more intense than I realised or wanted to believe�
“I know what you mean. I’ve felt like the worst kind of shit this past few weeks. I felt like all my insides were just ripped out and I was just completely…�
He sighed, stroking my hair.
“Empty?� I finished.
He nodded and kissed my nose.
“I’ve thought about you all the time� he said softly, “I haven’t thought about anything else.�
“Me too. About you, I mean.�
“I even wrote you a ska song�
I raised my head and grinned, feeling even warmer inside, which I didn’t think was possible.
“Seriously?�
“Yeah. Well, its kind of ska. Like, it uses a syncopated rhythm�
“Right…�
“You have no idea what that means, do you?�
“Well…no, not really.�
“Pfft. Call yourself a musician�
“No…I’m just a drummer�
He laughed.
“If Tre was here, he’d kill you�
“I’m glad he isn’t� I said, snuggling closer, “I don’t want to see anyone but you all weekend�
“Sounds good to me� he smiled, holding me tighter, “If only I could be that lucky�
“You’re going to have to show me that song.� I said, “Is it a good one?�
“Well, I think it’s a heap of shit. So I reckon you’ll probably think it’s great.�
I jabbed my finger in his ribs and he cried out as he laughed and kissed me again.
“I really, really love you� he said softly.
“I love you too� I smiled.
I kissed him deeply before he broke off.
“Can we at least move to the couch or something?� he said, with a smile, “This floor is starting to really hurt my ass�.
** ** **
“I can’t believe you two are back to square one with the smoking� said Jason, smiling and shaking his head.
“Lay off, Jase,� said Billie Joe, defensively, “We’ve been through a stressful time. We need nicotine�
“You’ve had a whole week now. You have not been stressed. You have been making everybody else stressed with your inability to keep your fucking hands off each other�
He had a point. It had been one of the best weeks of my whole life. We had had a lot of lost time to make up for, and we hadn’t really done anything else besides make up for it. It had been so amazing that even the thought that we could have stayed apart made me feel sick.
We were hanging out at Tre’s house that night with a bunch of other people, of which Tre was already the drunkest. Needless to say, this was a party to which no members of Blink 182 or their spouses had been invited, so I was confident I wouldn’t be giving or receiving any bruises that night. Seeing as Billie Joe and I hadn’t seen anyone but each other and the kids all week, Tre and Mike had come over and physically removed us from his house and dragged us round there, insisting that we all had to drink lots of alcohol to celebrate the fact that we were back together again. Or that we’d got our personalities back, as Tre put it. Mike was there too, but I had a feeling he was less interested in celebrating Billie Joe and I getting reunited than celebrating the fact that Rosie had come to visit me for the weekend, because I hadn’t seen either of them in a while.
I giggled, taking another drag on my cigarette.
“We’re going to keep smoking until New Years� I said, “It’s going to be our resolution to stop�
“How convenient� said Jason, wryly, “That gives you at least another three weeks of sucking on toxic fumes�
“Hey, it’s not that bad� I said
I held up my cigarette packet and begun to read from it.
“’Smoking seriously harms others around you. Smoking while pregnant harms your baby’…you see, I’m fine�
Billie Joe giggled, and kissed me.
“I love that logic of yours� he said, as we heard a yell from the other side of the room.
“Guys! You have to help me! This is…it’s serious. I’m serious this time!�
I rolled my eyes. It was Tre, off his face, propped up against the couch amongst a group of guys from their tour crew who were playing some kind of drinking game. I’d already been over once to help him think of something Australian beginning with the letter ‘E’, but it didn’t do much good because he was too pissed to get his tongue around the word eucalyptus.
I slid out of Billie Joe’s arms and went over to him.
“What’s up?� I asked him.
“We’re playing the elephant game� said, Mark, one of the guys who I think was responsible for Tre being so drunk, “I have to tell him a story, and he isn’t allowed to think of an elephant�
“It’s really hard� said Tre, “You have to distract me, ok?�
“What happens if you do think of an elephant?�
“I have to do a shot. And I really don’t want to cause it’s that nasty tequila that Rosie brought up that she bought for ten bucks in the airport�
“Tre� I whispered, “They aren’t gonna be able to tell if you’re thinking of an elephant or not. Just lie�
He looked at me wide eyed,
“You can’t cheat at drinking games it would be… That’s it, get out. Just get out. You aren’t helping me anymore�
I grinned and nudged him with my foot so he fell over, before starting to walk away. He called after me again.
“Actually don’t go! Just please talk to me so I don’t think of elephants. Please?�
I giggled and shook my head as I walked back to Billie Joe, wondering how I ever thought I could survive without my Green Day guys.
When I went back over to Billie Joe, he was busy talking to Rosie, who seemed to have appeared again after a suspiciously long absence. Although really, it wasn’t so much talking as interrogating.
“Where have you been?�
“Down in the basement�
“By yourself?�
“No…that would be a little weird, Billie Joe.�
He raised his eyebrows.
“Oh really? So who with?�
“With Mike, if you must know�
“I knew it! What were you doing?�
“Talking and stuff�
Billie Joe turned to me as I approached, sliding my hand into the back pocket of his Dickies.
“Rosie and Mike have been doing stuff in the basement�
“Billie� I smiled, “Stop harassing my friend…�
“But she’s been in the basement with Mike for like a half hour. I have a right to know what the deal is here.�
“We’re…friends�
“…friends,� he mocked,
“Yeah. Why is it such a big deal?�
“I don’t know…cause it would be good if you guys got together. Cause you’re cool. And Mike’s cool. And you play the guitar – you know, he could teach you to play bass too…I’ve heard he’s pretty good…you could ask him for some “private lessons� or something�
She giggled at his quotation finger motions.
“Look you guys, I do really like Mike but…it’s not really ideal. I don’t think it would work out for him. I mean playing bass in a famous band is a bit different to playing acoustic guitar on Venice beach for tips…right?�
“Yeah,� I said, “These guys are choosy with their girlfriends. They only date rock stars like me�
She smiled,
“I guess you do have a point�
Billie Joe shook his head,
“Rosie, Mike is the kind of guy who would think playing acoustic guitar on Venice Beach was way cooler than any kind of celebrity status. In fact, he hates celebrities. He thinks you’re awesome. You are awesome. What is the problem here? Jesus Christ….I feel like Oprah.�
Rosie grinned and ruffled Billie Joe’s hair. I giggled at how much taller she was than him.
“Aww, thanks BJ� she said, “I think you’re pretty awesome too.�
“But not as awesome as Mike�
“You’re a close second�
“What about Tre?�
“You’re a close joint second�
“Are you kidding? He’s just the drummer!�
I thumped him and he laughed, as Mike appeared next to us.
“Hey Mike� said Billie Joe, “Rosie’s just been telling us she’d like some bass lessons.�
“She would?�
I grinned as Rosie blushed, whilst glaring at Billie Joe, who simply grinned back at her. He was such a kid.
“Come on Billie� I said, taking his hand, “Let’s go get some air�
“Air? Oh…ok. Air’s good.�
It was pretty cold outside, but I didn’t mind. We went out into the backyard and sat at the far end, under a tall palm tree, and leaned against the trunk. He wrapped his arms round me as we listened to the wind in the trees and the faint sound of voices coming from the house. I smiled as I leant into his warm body and closed my eyes.
“You know…� I began thoughtfully, “Coming back to you was the best decision I’ve ever made.�
He kissed the top of my head,
“I’m glad you made it�
“So am I. It scares me that I might not have done. Or that you might not have wanted me back...�
“I always would have wanted you back. You’re gorgeous. It was always me that caused all the problems with us.�
“I know� I smiled, “Why do I think you’re worth the hassle?�
“Ummm…cause I’m a hot rock star?�
I giggled, as I played with his fingers.
“Yeah, that must be it�
“You know…I don’t want you to ever leave me again�
“I won’t� I said, “I’ve told you that.�
“No I mean…I don’t want you to leave here. I don’t want you to leave the bay. I want you to stay here with me�
I turned to face him, surprised. It wasn’t something I had thought about. I was always going to be here for just 8 months. What happened when I left was something I hadn’t wanted to think about.
He stared back at me.
“Why are you looking at me like I said something wrong?�
“I’m not…you haven’t� I said, “I just hadn’t thought about leaving yet. It seems a long way off.�
“Well, April will come around fast. Time goes waaay too quickly when I’m with you... “
I sighed,
“I know what you mean� I said, “But Bill…my internship runs out in April and I have to-“
“You don’t have to do anything!� he protested, “You can stay here! You could get a job here in a second, you’re oozing with talent! Seriously, Soph. I’ve been thinking about this. I need you here. I couldn’t deal with you being that far away from me. I think San Francisco seems too far, so if I cant cope with the bay between us how am I going to cope with the whole ocean?�
I smiled, as I struggled to process what it was he was asking of me. This was a big deal. We had only been back together a week. But it was a great week…
“Billie� I smiled, “I don’t want to be away from you either. But…moving here permanently…that’s a pretty serious thing for me. I think we need to just see how we go for now…ok?�
“But we’re going good� he insisted, “And I know it’s serious, but I’m serious. About you.�
“I know� I smiled, kissing him as my insides went mushy. “And I’ve never been more serious about anything than I am about us�
“And I’m going to need you even more soon. You’re going to have to keep me sane when my next little Armstrong Brat arrives.�
“Oh, yes, the Armstrong Brat. I can’t believe I’m going to have four of you guys to look after…�
He grinned. Then he rested his forehead on mine.
“You are going to be ok with it, aren’t you? With me having a new baby to look after I mean?�
“It’s going to be pretty weird� I admitted, “I think I’ll find it pretty hard to deal with at first. But I always knew I would. I knew what I was signing up for this time. And I don’t know what its going to be like or how things will work out. But… I love you… and right now I just want to be with you and I don’t need to know anything else�
He smiled, as I pressed the palm of my hand against his and he laced his fingers with mine.
“I don’t need to know anything else either.� he said. “These past few months have been so crazy…I don’t know anything anymore�
“All I know is that I don’t know nothing� I giggled.
He grinned as he wrapped his arms tighter around me, before leaning in and kissing me softly.
“And that’s fine�
THE END
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