Thirty Seven

This chapter is dedicated to @justarandomteengurl who actually gave the idea for the chapter.

December 30

San Diego, California

I'm freaking out.

I lost my fucking hearing aids and it doesn't make no sense because I had them last night before I went to sleep.

"Billie!" I scream in panic as I continue to search my room for my hearing aids. "Billie!" I yell again and curse under my breath.

Where is my phone? Why am I losing everything?!

I go to yell for Billie again when I feel a pat on my shoulder. I turn around and there's my girlfriend, looking at me confused. I see her lips move to say something but I quickly shake my head.

"I lost my hearing aids and I don't know where the fuck my phone is." I said and her eyes instantly widened before she started helping me look.

—

I'm losing my mind.

Billie and I been looking for my hearing aids for two hours now and we still haven't found them. I don't know I'm going to do because replacing them is going to cost money I don't have right now.

I feel bad for Billie because she has really been trying to figure out how to communicate with me without looking ridiculously stupid. Mission failed.

She first tried to sign but obviously that failed. She then tried to act out what she was saying. I don't even know why she tried that because I'm slow as hell and definitely wasn't going to know what she saying.

Now she just texting me which is funny because we in the same room and have to text to communicate.

"I'm never going to find them and then I'm going to be stuck trying to get the money to replace them." I sigh deeply and lay down on the couch in defeat. My phone dings with a message and I look at it.

What about insurance? Shouldn't there be some type of warranty on them or something?

I shake my head no. "There is but my mom has all that information not me" I mumble and Billie walks over to me looking defeated as well. She lays down in my arms and I feel her sigh against me.

"Looks like I'm going to have to teach you sign language or maybe your mom can" I suggest and she looks at me confused. I read her lips of her asking about her mom. "Your mom surprised me but she knows how to sign pretty good actually."

Billie looked away from me and laid her head back on my chest. I looked up at the ceiling as I sighed. This is going to be an interesting day without my hearing aids

—

'How's things with Billie' Iris signed as she sat next to me making me shrug my shoulders. Iris came over to stop setting up for our new years party tomorrow. I honestly forgot I even said we could do it at my place but nonetheless I'm hoping I at least find them by tomorrow.

'She is stressing out with trying to make sure I'm okay. I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm losing my mind because of my hearing aids' I sign before laughing making Iris shake her head at me with a smile.

'She is just use to you always having them that she doesn't know what to do'

'I was talking to her earlier and it just feels so weird to talk without my hearing aids like I don't know how to explain it. How I even know I'm saying the right thing or if I'm even talking at a normal volume' I sigh and look over at Billie who was on the phone with Drew and Zoe in the kitchen. "I need to teach her how to sign" I tell Iris who nods her head in agreement.

'Yeah you should' Iris signs back and yawns. I raise an eyebrow at her and she grabs the couch blanket before getting cosy.

'Ma'am you have a whole apartment for yourself if you don't go to sleep there' I sign before laughing making Iris flip me off.

'Your couch is comfy and I'm too lazy' She then sends me a tired smile making me roll my eyes and get up. She stretches out on the couch and I cover her with the blanket before heading into the kitchen.

Billie stands in front of the stove laughing at her phone as she stirs the stir fry. I walk over to her and wrap my arms around her from behind before kissing the nape of her neck.

She smiles and turns her head to peck my lips. 'Hi' she mouths and sends another peck to my lips making me smile. I look over at Drew and Zoe on her phone and wave at them.

"I'm going to get Miss Sleepy home." I tell Billie making her turn to me with a small frown. "Are you sure that's a good thing?" I read her lips as she spoke and nodded my head.

"Don't worry Iris is still driving." I tell her and she shakes her head no.

"How are you going to get home?" She asks me and I smile at her.

"Uber"

Billie presses her lips into a tight line before she turned to Zoe and Drew, who were still on the phone. Billie says something to them before hanging up. She then grabs her phone and starts typing something. My phone vibrates a second later and I pull it out of my pocket to see she texted me.

I think Iris will be okay to get home baby. I don't think— I stopped reading and sighed nodding my head. I didn't have to keep reading to know what she was going to say.

Just because I'm deaf doesn't mean I'm incapable of doing anything.

'Okay just let me at least walk her out' I texted her back and Billie smiled with a small nod. I kissed her forehead and left the kitchen. Iris was knocked out on the couch making me shuffle a laugh.

I gently shook her making her swat at my hand with a deep frown. I nudged her and I already knew she was groaning by the look on her face. She sat up with a yawn and glared up at me making me send her a bright smile.

"Come on time for you to get home and sleep the day away" I say and I see her laugh before standing up. She turns her head to, I'm guessing, tell Billie bye and I see Billie peek her head out of the kitchen before waving at Iris.

"I'll walk you out" I tell her and she nods her head. I watch as she grabs her things and follow her out of the door.

By time we get outside, Iris was texting me whole paragraphs about New Years tomorrow. I could only smile at her excitement, knowing Amir being there is really why she is so happy.

Iris has never had a New Year's kiss and actually I have only had one. I can't wait to spend the next year with Billie and I also can't wait to go into the new year with her tomorrow night. She might even be more excited than me. She picked out our outfits weeks ago which had me dying laughing because Billie would ramble about how perfect it's going to be.

Little does she know that I have a surprise for her.

While Iris got into her car, I noticed a little boy playing with a ball. He had a huge smile on his face as he kicked around the dirty ball. His mother stood a few feet away on the phone with a deep frown on her face. The boy kicked the ball a few more times before he kicked it a little too hard, sending the ball into the street.

He rushed to go after it making me quickly stop him. "I'll get it" I told him with a warm smile. I read his lips of him shyly saying thank you and I walked over to the ball.

Picking the white and black soccer ball up, I turned to walk back to the boy when I saw Iris running to me with a panic look on her face. She looked to be screaming something at me and I could only look at her confused.

What is she sayi—Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a white light making me turn my head only to see a car heading straight toward me.

Shit.