by Bryce Oakley
Vero laughed. “You can still say yes,” she said.
“Okay, then… if you’re sure…” Billie said.
“I’m sure,” Vero said excitedly, her voice rising.
“Okay, uh, do you want to walk in together or just…” Billie asked.
“I’ll send you a dropped pin of where to meet. 3pm,” Vero said. She glanced to the clock. That was only two and a half hours away.
“Three,” Billie repeated. “Uh, Domino says we’ll make it work.”
“See you at three,” Vero said, the smile on her face making her cheeks ache.
“See you… at three, then,” Billie said.
Vero hung up the phone and ran to open the bedroom door. She swung it open to find Elena and Felix standing at the door, trying to look casual, but definitely guilty of listening.
Elena hastily wiped tears off her cheeks, but she was smiling.
“Dad, can you figure out how to talk to the producers to get me a date’s seat?” Vero asked.
Felix laughed. “I’ll see what I can do,” he said.
* * *
Vero sat alone in the oversized town car, waiting at the gas station where she had dropped the pin. They’d meet there and arrive together.
She was so nervous she thought she’d throw up.
It was 2:59pm. Her stylists had rushed so that she’d be ready in time, and they had done an incredible job. She wore a long, teal dress. It was nothing over-the-top extravagant but definitely stylish with a long slit up her leg. She had chosen to wear her hair down and slicked back. She wanted to channel Billie’s effortlessly cool style.
A red sports car screeched to a halt beside the dark town car. Vero’s driver stepped out and stood beside the back door.
Vero saw that Domino, Zoey, and Meg were all crammed inside the car as Billie stepped out. She laughed at the sight — it was like a clown car in there.
Billie was wearing a dark, tailored suit and heels. Vero’s heart nearly stopped as she took her in. Her hair was pulled back into a low pony, accentuating her strong jaw and chiseled cheekbones. She was a vision.
Vero’s driver opened the car door and Billie slid into the seat next to her.
Domino, Zoey, and Meg all yelled wishes of good luck with emphatic waves.
They sat in silence for a moment, looking each other over as the car began to move. They weren’t far from the venue and would only have a few minutes alone together before arriving.
“I want to kiss you but I don’t want to mess up your makeup,” Billie said, breaking the silence.
Vero laughed. “I think my stylists would kill you if you did,” she answered honestly. “But I have some extra in my bag, just in case.”
Billie took her hand. “I’m so proud of you,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion.
Vero pressed her lips together, trying to hold back her own emotion. “Thanks,” she said. “You gave me the courage to do it.”
“I do have one question,” Billie said. “Are we stepping onto that red carpet as songwriting partners or partner… partners?”
“Like… dating… partners?” Vero asked slowly.
Billie nodded, her brow knit with concern. “I’m fine with either option you're more comfortable with, and I’m honored to be invited either way,” she said.
The driver rolled down his window, giving Vero’s name and an ID number.
They didn’t have much time. Vero considered it for a moment. “I’m done hiding. I’m done covering up who I’m really with. I want to get on that red carpet and show you off as the woman I’m dating, because I’m the luckiest girl in the world.”
“Whoa, I never said we were dating,” Billie said, her face completely serious for a moment.
“Oh, I, uh,” Vero stammered, her heartbeat pounding in her chest.
“I’m teasing you. You’re mine. And I’m yours, if you’ll have me. And what’s done is done, and I’m ready to move forward. Together,” Billie said, leaning in to press her lips gently to Vero’s. “My lipstick is smear-proof, by the way.” She whispered, reaching out to hold a hand to Vero’s cheek.
“We’re almost there,” the driver said. “Get ready.”
The car in front of them moved forward, and they pulled up to where producers in headsets were waiting.
Vero took a deep breath. “Are you ready for this?” She asked Billie. “Is my makeup okay? Do I look alright?”
“You look perfect, my love,” Billie said.
Then, the door opened, and a million lightbulbs started flashing.
Vero reached back and took Billie’s hand in hers.
“Together,” she repeated.
Epilogue
The autumn air was crisp and cool and the only sounds on the trail were bird songs and their footfalls.
They crested an incline, overlooking the valley below. A gigantic waterfall flowed in the distance.
“I think this is my favorite place in the world,” Billie said, wrapping her arms around Vero as they paused, taking in the sights. The smell of pine and leaves in the air made her feel so at home.
Not to mention the gorgeous woman she had in her arms.
“We’re almost to mine,” Vero joked.
They were on their way to the hot springs. In the year and a half that they had been together, they tried to make it back to Telluride often, but with Vero’s career skyrocketing after winning two AMAs and a Grammy, and the album’s release in the spring, their schedules were even more hectic. Luckily, they had spent plenty of time together writing the rest of the songs for the album.
Moving in together had helped them coordinate schedules, but with The Shrikes album nearly finished, it looked like they were on their way to another busy winter.
Billie pressed a kiss to the nape of Vero’s neck and they continued, walking down the embankment to the river’s edge.
“I think this was where I first realized you were human,” Billie teased.
“I think this was where I first realized you had actual fears,” Vero replied.
“Remember when I asked you if you secretly liked the paparazzi?” Billie laughed.
Vero snorted, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, that was before they hounded you, too.”
“Well, dating the world’s most beautiful woman sure does get me a bit of attention. I think people must see our photos together and wonder, Them? How did Billie Rush manage to lock that one down?” Billie joked.
Vero ducked under a branch, holding it back out of Billie’s way. “Oh, stop it. I think people wonder why you put up with such a diva,” she said.
Billie nodded, furrowing her brow sagely. “Yeah, that’s probably true,” she teased.
Vero laughed, releasing the branch to smack Billie in the shoulder.
Billie felt her pocket for the tenth time, checking that the ring was still there.
She smiled at the thought, butterflies swirling in her stomach.
“Oh, I almost forgot. Dom texted me to see if we want to grab lunch when we get back to LA tomorrow,” Vero said.
It had taken months, but Billie had eventually forgiven Domino for interfering in her relationship. They hadn’t gone back to the exact way they had been before, but they were working on it.
“Hello? Earth to Billie,” Vero said.
Billie grinned. “Yeah, sure,” she said.
The trees opened up to the river, revealing the hidden hot springs. Their hot springs.
“Is this the time you finally get in?” Vero said, pulling her shirt over her head to reveal a bikini top.
Billie was momentarily stunned into appreciation of Vero’s gorgeous body. “Maybe I’m just here for the view,” she said with a grin. Vero had recently dyed her hair back to a darker brown color, and Billie thought the contrast of her hair and tanned skin with the light colored bikini was a striking combination.
Vero playfully smacked her with a shirt. “Creep,” she teased.
“The river will be pretty cold this late in the season. You're sure
we have to get in there first?” Billie said, smirking.
“We?” Vero said, her voice growing higher. “You’re going to jump in with me?”
“Well, the hike was pretty grueling, and I am a little sweaty,” Bille said, feigning sincerity.
She watched Vero’s eyes grow wide with excitement and a huge smile appeared on her face.
“Who knew it was so easy to make you happy?” Billie laughed, taking Vero in her arms.
“I haven’t been this surprised since you agreed to sing on stage with me during my show at the Greek,” Vero laughed.
Billie smiled to herself, hoping that getting in the river wouldn’t be the most surprising part of the hike.
“Take off your clothes!” Vero exclaimed, reaching for the edge of Billie's shirt.
Billie playfully smacked Vero’s hands away. She very carefully took off her shorts, folding them so as not to let anything of importance fall out. Vero tugged at her shirt again, and she laughed, letting Vero pull it over her head.
“Okay, since it’s your inaugural dip, I think we should jump from the edge of the hot springs wall,” Vero giggled, bouncing in place.
“What? Isn’t that dangerous?” Billie asked, suddenly more nervous for the water than her proposal.
“Live a little,” Vero chided, locking their fingers together as she pulled them out to the precipice. “Okay, you ready? On three, we jump.”
“I don’t,” Billie started.
“One,” Vero said, making her voice louder.
“Wait,” Billie said, fear rising in her chest.
“You’ll be fine. Two,” Vero said slowly.
“Okay,” Billie said tentatively, squeezing her eyes shut.
And on three, they jumped.
Part II
Bewilder
Chapter Twenty-One
Domino
Domino Rush’s board bobbed in the waves as she sat, eyeing the horizon.
“You can’t avoid her forever,” Meg said.
“I’m not avoiding her,” she said defensively, kicking her legs in the current she could feel pulling at her toes.
She tugged at the wetsuit around her neck. Winter hadn’t reared its head in Hermosa Beach yet, but the water in early November was already too chilly for just her usual bathing suit.
Meg sighed from somewhere beside her.
Domino glanced over to see Meg readjusting her short, wet ponytail, rolling her eyes.
“Look, I need The Shrikes, which means I need you two stubborn assholes to get it together,” Meg said, shifting her weight on her board.
The Shrikes was the band that Domino and her sister Billie had formed back in high school. Meghan Koo was the band’s drummer, and somewhere off jet setting through Europe was Zoey McCarren, their keyboard player.
Domino played bass and Billie had lead vocals and played guitar.
The Shrikes had risen to prominence with their first album, Heart’s Content, around three years earlier.
They were supposed to be writing the follow-up to that album for the past two years.
And yet, Domino couldn’t bring herself to do it. She had never had trouble writing before. The songs that they played throughout high school and college and recorded on bad demos had always come to her so easily. Even Heart’s Content was first written in a two week long fever dream of inspiration.
They had toured the world. Domino had been featured in magazines, hailed in reviews as a clever lyricist, and now, when she held a pen to paper, when she held a guitar in her hands or a keyboard in her lap –– nothing.
To make matters worse, she was currently in trouble with her sister for interfering in Billie’s relationship –– but that was a long story she didn’t want to think about.
That wasn’t Domino. Domino wasn’t the sad, sullen, dwelling type.
The waves crashed around the stilts of the pier from somewhere to her right. The sun rose higher over the horizon, lightening the pink-gray sky, shining over the ripples in the water, illuminating each crest.
“I know we didn’t come out here to talk about feelings, Mego,” Domino forced a smile, teasing. “We can talk about that all over a drink later. In fact, I think it’s downright irresponsible to discuss it without whiskey.”
“How can you think of whiskey at six in the morning?” Meg laughed, shaking her head.
“How can you not think of warmth and happiness right now?” Domino countered. She hated sitting still, letting the chilly morning breeze drift off the water and onto her wet hair and bare hands. Her blood had been pumping as they had paddled out there, but the cold was starting to get to her.
“Okay, I’m going to go for it before I go full Jack Dawson out here,” Domino said, eyeing the water before her for the perfect build-up.
Meg snorted. “I’ll never let go, Dom.”
Domino turned around, watching over her shoulder for the right moment.
When she saw the swell of the wave, she leaned forward, her mind completely clearing of any thought of The Shrikes, or her sister, or the whole laundry list of things she was currently failing at –– anticipation flooded her limbs, and then she was paddling, her board dropping into place as she pushed up onto her heels, glee clenching her stomach as she rode the wave for a few brief, blissful moments.
* * *
“This is a mess,” Zoey said from somewhere across the room.
Dom squeezed her eyes shut, pulling the pillow over her head. Her head pounded from too much… well, of something from last night. Were those gin and tonics? Her stomach lurched at the thought of them.
She had a vague memory of a woman coming home with her… Samira? Samantha? She lifted the pillow and blinked into the bright light of the room.
Her bed was empty. Wait, had she gone home with the woman? Or had they ended up back at her place?
“I regret giving you the door code,” she groaned, sitting up and resting her elbows on her knees as she rubbed her face.
“I brought you coffee,” Zoey said, crossing the room.
“I no longer have regrets,” Domino said, reaching for the precious mug of caffeine. “Wait, I thought you were traveling.”
“I got in late last night. It’s in the shared calendar,” Zoey said, taking the lid off of her own cup.
“We have a shared calendar?” Domino asked, her brow furrowing.
“Yeah, it’s in your phone under the very mysterious name of The Shrikes Shared Calendar,” Zoey smirked.
“Huh,” Domino said, frowning. “I had no idea. Did Billie set it up?”
“Yeah, four years ago,” Zoey said, shaking her head. “What’d you do last night?” She asked, looking distastefully around the messy room.
“I’m not… completely sure,” Domino said, blinking.
“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Zoey said, laughing, sinking onto the bed beside her. She pushed her curly hair out of her face and sighed.
Domino sipped the coffee, growing accustomed to the light as she dragged a hand through her hair to get the strands out of her face.
“I had an idea,” Zoey said. “Or rather, Billie and I had an idea.”
“Well, I’m proud of you. Ideas are rather hard to come by in these trying times,” Domino quipped, not liking the sound of the idea just from the introduction. She wasn’t on the best of terms with her sister after she had acted a little irrationally during her sister’s last breakup.
“Apparently, they are,” Zoey said, quirking a brow.
“Okay, okay, tell me your idea,” Domino conceded, eyeing up her friend.
“Your house is a mess,” Zoey said.
Domino blinked. “So?”
“Well, I have this friend,” Zoey started, as if not knowing how to just say what she needed to say.
Part of Domino enjoyed seeing her bandmate try to carefully broach an uncomfortable topic, since Zoey was almost always cool and collected. She was a fashion “it” girl, but Domino had known her for years before she had ever graced the cover of
magazines. Before they both had graced the cover of magazines. She waited, watching Zoey, wanting to delay the inevitable lecture she was about to receive. She sipped her coffee, watching Zoey’s hand gestures become more erratic.
“I’ve hired a home organizer for you,” Zoey said quickly. “She’ll just be doing a few spaces. Your clothes closet, linen closet, that sort of thing.”
Domino blinked, blindsided. She definitely wouldn’t have guessed that.
Zoey stared at her, biting her lip in awkward discomfort.
“Uh, why?” Domino asked, sitting up straighter.
“Okay, hear me out on this,” Zoey said. “Your laundry is on the dining table.”
“I just haven’t folded it,” Domino interjected.
“Your surfboard is blocking a main exit of your home,” Zoey continued.
“I didn’t want to leave it outside,” Domino countered.
“You have the Church’s boots I gave you last winter in the oven, I don’t think I know what your bathroom floor tile looks like, your closet looks like a tornado ran through it, your spare room has boxes you haven’t unpacked in seven months—”
“Wait,” Domino said, putting up a hand. “Those cute Chelsea boots with the embroidered bees are in the oven?” She had been looking for that pair for weeks.
Zoey stared at her blankly, shaking her head.
“Anyway, we’ve hired a maid service to come first, and then the organizer is coming for a consultation,” Zoey said, nodding her head as though the plan was settled.
“Why do you suddenly care if my underwear is arranged by color?” Domino asked, looking around her room.
She wasn’t dirty, per se, but she wasn’t extremely tidy. Her house was more like carefully controlled chaos. She knew where everything was, even if that meant she had to dig for it.
“Because I think if you have some level of organization and calm and control, you’ll have a clearer head,” Zoey said, her voice quieter with the admission.
“Oh, so that’s what this is about,” Domino said, narrowing her eyes. “So, Billie thinks if my house is clean, I’ll write better? And she sent you because she knows that if she came herself, we’d end up yelling at each other?”
