{20}✔️

Dahlia's POV

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"We're not going in there, dude." I rolled my eyes as I tried to pull her away from the store, but she wasn't having it. Damn, she's strong. "Come on, it'll be fun! I need some new undies!" She whined.

After finishing our food, we'd left IHOP and headed to the mall as we'd planned. We'd gone into several stores; GameStop, footlocker, Sephora and the bookstore. Billie had bought me ten new books and three new games against my will, all because she'd seen me looking at them. After that, I decided I'd keep my eyes completely on her because she'd already spent way too much money on me.

Now here we are, in front of Victoria's secret, Billie trying to drag me in and me begging her to just come somewhere else with me. It's not that I'm ashamed to go underwear shopping with her or anything like that, it's just the fact that Victoria's Secret has always intimidated the fuck out of me. The workers, the sizes, the fucking vibe. I don't know.

"Billie, I haven't been in here since I was 13 years old and my tits were just coming in!" I argued. "And it was the worst experience of my life!"

"That was ages ago," she rolled her eyes. "It's not that bad, I promise. Look, if you come in with me I promise I'll buy you—"

"NO!"

"Okay, I promise I won't buy you anything. And I'll...let you pick out what I should get for myself?"

Well, that certainly sparked an interest in me. Me? Choosing what Billie fucking Eilish gets to put on beneath her humongous clothes? Huh.

I let out a small sigh before crossing my arms over my chest and staring at her pleading face. "I get to pick out what you get, pay for it, and then after we're done we have to go into the toy store."

"The toy store," she muttered to herself before letting out a small laugh. "Of course. We'll go to the toy store."

I grinned before grabbing her wrist and dragging her inside.

It's so fucking pink in here and it makes me feel yucky. I really like the color pink, actually, but not too much of it. It smells like candy, sex, confident women and fresh underwear in here.

I glanced in all directions before turning to walk toward a table set up near the back of the store. It has all black underwear, and I figure Billie will like it.

Underwear shopping isn't really a thing I'm used to and I usually just get my undergarments from Walmart or something, so this...was weird.

"Why is just one thong fifteen dollars?" I questioned as I held up the flimsy thing. I hate thongs. "It's on sale." Billie shrugged, smirking. I rolled my eyes at her before putting it back down.

I went through the underwear, picking up about fifteen pairs that I found cute, and handing them to Billie as I did. They were mostly all black, but some were brighter colored. My favorite pair was the neon green pair with the pink lace outlining them.

"I think this is all I can afford." I shrugged. They have big sales going on and I have an app on my phone with tons of coupon codes too.

"Darling, you're not paying for this."

"But the deal was—"

"Nobody pays for Billie's underwear except for Billie. You got to pick them out and I'm taking you to the toy store after this. Two out of three ain't bad."

"Don't ever refer to yourself in third person again." I shook my head at her before starting to walk toward the counter. She pulled me back quickly and wagged her finger at me. "No, no, no, we are not done yet. I need bras. And you're getting something too."

I would've argued, but now I'd seen a few pieces I wouldn't mind having for myself so I didn't bother.

We were in there for at least forty more minutes, cackling as we hit each other with underwear and apologizing as the people who worked there sent us glares before they began talking to the other customers again. It's Billie who was starting the underwear wars! Not me.

We searched for more undergarments and I actually ended up finding quite a few that I liked and knew I could comfortably fit. When we'd finally finished looking at everything, we went up to the counter to pay. I made Billie step back as I paid for my own and she pouted before paying for hers. Then we left, went out to her car to put all the bags we already had in it and went back inside to go to the toy store.

I don't know what it is about being in here that I love so much, but I seriously have to come in here every time I come to the mall or it just feels weird. Most of the time, like today, I'm lucky enough to come at a time when there aren't that many actual kids in here.

I lead Billie toward the back of the store and gasped as I saw a huge blue bear on the floor. I practically tossed my phone at her before running to sit on it, wrapping its arms around me. "Take a picture!" I grinned.

She did as told and laughed as I struggled to get up after she had. "That was really cute. Send it to me?"

"Maybe." I smiled.

We walked around the store, messing with the toys and reminiscing about all the toys that we'd had growing up, taking pictures of each other as we did goofy poses and cracking jokes as we did them. After a while, we finally decided to leave the store and Billie suggested we get some frozen yogurt before leaving the mall.

After we got our yogurt and got back in the car, she turned and asked what I wanted to do next. I thought about it for a moment before smiling largely.

"I wanna go to your house!"

"The whole point of today was supposed to be to get out of the house." She laughed. "I know, but I always feel so damn comfy in your room, dude. Plus, I wanna hear your music. I know it's gotta be beautiful."

"My house it is." She shrugged.

***

Billie looked so fucking beautiful as she sung. She'd been singing to me for the last hour and a half and her voice was the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard. So were her lyrics, though I'd stopped listening to what she was actually saying long ago as I focused on just watching her and my thoughts became louder than what she was saying.

I don't know how the hell I managed to get so lucky. I've only known Billie for a month, a week, and two days, and that's insane to think about. A month ago I couldn't be around her without stumbling all over my words and blushing until it felt like my cheeks would have second-degree burns. Two months ago I hadn't known her at all. I had no idea that this gorgeous, talented, confident, sexy, adorable, badass, friendly little sweetheart freak existed, and that's so crazy to think about. I'm so glad that she's in my life now. Aside from the twins, she's the best friend that I have. It's easier for me to make friends now than what it used to be, but getting this close to someone this quickly? That's something I never thought could happen.

Not only is Billie my friend, but she's my...person that I like very much in a more than friends sort of way. She makes my heart flutter with every little thing she says or does to me. She makes me blush by just looking at me sometimes. She makes me feel comfortable enough to actually be me. I feel like I can be open and honest with her completely, I feel like I can actually trust her. I'm weird and she's weird and we go together pretty damn well despite that, if not because of that. I feel like I'm high every time I'm near her. How could I not feel intoxicated when I look into those beautiful eyes of hers?

I've never felt like this about anyone in my life. Not the dudes I thought I was crushing on when I was younger. Not the 'boyfriends' I'd had in middle school. Not Kai.

It's funny because I always thought that once you had sex with someone that was it. You were automatically in love with them and always would be.

I guess I just thought that doing something so intimate, sharing your body and, in term, your soul with someone and connecting to them like that, physically and mentally...I thought that'd make you love them forever and ever. But after being with Kai I realized that wasn't true. I didn't love her after we fucked, I didn't even like her as more than a friend. And now I fucking hate her so it definitely wasn't true.

But Billie? I've only ever kissed her and I feel like those kisses meant so much more than all the sex me and Kai had had. I feel so close to her. Even after just holding her hand or looking into her eyes or just...being in the same room with her, both of us focused on something that isn't each other. I still feel so close to her.

I'm starting to freak myself out, actually. I don't think I should feel this strongly about a girl that I'd practically just met. I shouldn't be thinking like this about a girl whose story I don't even know. Me and Billie talk a lot but we don't know shit about each other. She doesn't know about my childhood and I don't know about hers. She doesn't know what my pet peeves are and I don't know hers. She doesn't know what automatically makes me sad and what automatically makes me happy and what my favorite movie is and what my favorite book is. She doesn't know who my favorite YouTuber is or what my best and worst memories are. She doesn't know what I'm allergic to, she doesn't know how I act when I'm pissed at my siblings or when I'm so fucking happy I could burst. And I don't know any of that about her.

And yet. Here I fucking am. Practically in love with the bitch.

I mean—I mean that sarcastically. I'm not in love with her, I don't even know her. That's the point. I don't—

"Was I boring you?" She snapped her fingers in front of my eyes as she let out a small laugh. "Sorry, sometimes I get carried away when it comes to my music and I just—"

"It wasn't boring! You sounded amazing and it was really soothing and I—I wish I'd listened more, but I just ended up zoning out because I was just—thinking about everything? Sorry." I stuttered out.

"What were you thinking about?" She sat down the journal she'd been holding and scooted closer to me.

"You." I mumbled.

"Me?" She whispered, raising her eyebrows. "What about me?"

"Just...I'm really happy we met. You're a really good friend and I really appreciate it. Everything you've done for me already—I could never repay you for it."

"Everything I've done for you, I'd never do for just a friend." She whispered before leaning in to press her lips against mine. The kiss started out slow and sweet as all our kisses seem to, but as the minutes ticked by it got to be a little rougher and a lot hastier. She'd laid me down on my back and crawled on top of me after a few minutes, her fingers tracing my sides as I ran mine through her hair.

She pulled away after a while, breathless. "Maybe we should chill before this turns into more than a kiss." She huffed out a small laugh before trying to get off of me. I grabbed her hips and held her in place, searching her eyes for a few moments before shaking my head.

"Maybe we shouldn't."