VALERIE STEPPED INTO THE meeting room, her heart pounding like a drum. she had spent the last fifteen minutes mentally rehearsing how to act normal, how to keep her cool, how to not look like she was about to pass out.
but now, standing in the doorway, her confidence wavered.
billie eilish was sitting at the table.
valerie swallowed hard.
she'd seen her before, of course. on screens, in music videos, in interviews she'd watched way too many times. but this? this was different. this was real.
billie had her phone in one hand, scrolling absentmindedly, her nails tapping against the table. her hair was jet black, long and slightly messy, like she'd just rolled out of bed and still managed to look effortlessly cool. oversized hoodie. baggy sweats. rings on every other finger.
she looked up when valerie walked in.
oh, fuck.
"hey," billie said, a small smile tugging at her lips.
valerie's brain short-circuited for a second. be normal, be normal, be normal.
"hey," she replied, her voice coming out way too quiet.
her manager, claire, was already there, deep in conversation with billie's team. valerie barely heard a word of it. she slid into the chair across from claire, her hands gripping her jeans under the table, hoping no one noticed how tense she was.
the meeting started. schedules, logistics, marketing plansâstuff she should be paying attention to. but her focus kept slipping. billie was right there, nodding along, occasionally glancing at valerie like this was just another normal day for her.
valerie felt like she was vibrating out of her skin.
and thenâ
"by the way," billie said, turning to her out of nowhere. "i've been a fan of yours for a while."
valerie blinked.
what.
she thought she misheard. maybe hallucinated. maybe finally lost her mind.
"uhâwhat?" she blurted, her voice an octave higher than she wanted.
billie just smirked. "yeah. since 'the grudge.' your voice? crazy good."
valerie couldn't move. couldn't think.
"you're... kidding."
billie shook her head. "it's literally been my number one streamed song on spotify ever since it came out."
valerie was gonna pass out.
billie eilish listens to my music.
she tried to process that, but her brain was refusing to cooperate.
"that's... wow," she said dumbly. "i'm also a huge fan of your work."
billie chuckled, leaning back in her chair. "yeah? well, i guess we're bound to be friends then."
valerie had spent years dreaming of meeting billie. she had prepared for every possible scenarioâexcept this. except billie sitting across from her, casually admitting that she actually liked valerie's music.
she was still trying to form a coherent response when billie glanced at the managers, then back at her.
"i'm really excited for this," billie said, voice lower now, more serious. "i think we'll make something really fucking cool."
valerie swallowed, nodding. "yeah. me too."
billie held her gaze a second longer than necessary. it did something weird to valerie's chest.
the meeting wrapped up not long after, the managers exchanging final notes. valerie stood up, her hands still slightly shaky.
billie stretched, grabbing her phone off the table. before she left, she turned back to valerie.
"it was nice meeting you, valerie."
valerie had to force herself to breathe. "nice meeting you too."
billie shot her one last smileâsoft, knowing, like she could see how much valerie was trying to keep it together. and then she was gone.
valerie stood there for a moment, staring at the empty chair.
what the fuck just happened.
MY BABIES FINALLLYYY MET SO GET READDYYY FOR THE ROLLERCOASTER HEHEEE