Chapter 15

(Billie loses her phone, but when she meets the girl who finds it, she ends up losing something else she didn’t expect….control. And maybe her heart too. )

It started like most things did for Billie lately…too fast, too loud, too many thoughts happening at once.

She was moving between places she couldn’t fully name anymore. Café, studio, car, another car, a hallway that smelled like paint and coffee and sleep deprivation. Someone was talking to her while she nodded automatically, half listening, half already somewhere else entirely.

Her phone was in her hand.

She remembered that much.

She always had it in her hand.

Then someone called her name.

Then someone else did.

Then she was laughing at something she didn’t fully hear.

And somewhere in the middle of all of that, her hand was suddenly empty.

It didn’t register at first.

Not properly.

It was only when she reached for it again..thumb brushing nothing but air, that her brain caught up.

She stopped walking.

Looked down.

Then around.

“…Wait.”

She checked her pockets.

Once.

Twice.

Then slower, like repetition might fix reality.

Nothing.

Her stomach dropped in a way she hated instantly.

“Shit …No, no, no..”

She turned back the way she came, faster now, ignoring the confused voices behind her.

“Billie?”

“Hey, where are you going?”

But she was already retracing steps she hadn’t been paying attention to.

Studio hallway.

Chair.

Table.

Taxi.

Café.

Her breathing got sharper the further she went.

Because it wasn’t just a phone.

It was everything.

Messages she hadn’t replied to.

Notes she didn’t want to lose.

Voice memos she forgot she made.

Passwords she never remembered.

Photos she never backed up.

Pieces of her life sitting in a small black rectangle she could not afford to lose.

And worse than that..

She knew how people were.

She knew what could happen.

Her pace quickened.

Then stopped.

Backtracking.

Spinning.

Frantic now.

“Okay…okay, breathe… think,” she muttered to herself, pressing a hand to her forehead. “Think, think, think…where was I-“

Her mind refused to cooperate.

Too many places.

Too many moments.

Too many distractions.

She let out a breath that almost sounded like frustration breaking into panic.

And then she saw it.

The café.

Outside.

Empty bench.

Her steps slowed.

Hope hit before logic did.

She crossed the street too quickly.

Almost jogged.

And then…

There.

Sitting alone on the wooden bench.

Face down.

Silent.

Her phone.

Billie stopped so suddenly it felt like her body forgot what to do next.

For a second she just stared at it.

Relief came first.

Then suspicion.

Then urgency again.

She walked over quickly and picked it up.

Unlocked it immediately.

Still there.

Everything still there.

She exhaled so sharply it almost hurt.

“Oh my God…”

Then, quieter:

“Okay. Okay.”

She looked around the empty street.

Then she noticed something.

A girl sitting a little further down the bench.

Watching her.

Billie froze.

The girl tilted her head slightly.

“…Is that yours?” she asked.

Billie blinked.

“…Yeah.”

The girl nodded slowly.

“Good. I was starting to think I’d accidentally stolen something important.”

Billie frowned slightly.

“You had it?”

The girl shrugged.

“I picked it up because it looked like it was trying to run away from its owner.”

That made Billie pause.

“…That’s a thing?”

“No,” the girl said. “But it felt like one.”

Billie stared at her for a second longer.

Then slowly stepped closer.

“You didn’t try to unlock it?”

The girl looked genuinely offended.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know you.”

Billie blinked.

That wasn’t the answer she expected.

Most people would have already been scrolling through it.

Or asking questions.

Or recognizing her.

But this girl just looked… calm.

Uninterested in the chaos Billie usually brought with her.

Billie hesitated.

“…Thank you,” she said finally.

The girl nodded.

“No problem.”

Another pause.

Billie didn’t leave.

She should’ve.

She had places to be.

People waiting.

A schedule already collapsing around her.

But she didn’t move.

Instead she looked at the bench.

Then at the girl.

Then back at the bench like it might give her instructions.

“…Do you always sit here?”

The girl shrugged.

“Sometimes.”

Billie nodded slowly.

Then, without really thinking it through..

She sat down.

Right next to her.

The girl blinked.

“…Are you okay?”

Billie let out a breath.

“I think I just had a mild existential crisis.”

“About your phone?”

“About my entire life, actually, but the phone was involved.”

That got a small laugh out of her.

Billie noticed it immediately.

Stayed for it.

“I’m Billie,” she said after a moment.

The girl nodded.

“Okay.”

Billie frowned.

“…Okay?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s it?”

“Should there be more?”

Billie stared at her.

“…Usually there is.”

The girl tilted her head.

“I don’t know you.”

Billie let out a small laugh despite herself.

“That’s fair.”

A pause.

Then…

“I’m Charlotte.”

Billie nodded.

“Hi, Charlotte.”

“Hi, Billie.”

Another silence.

Not awkward.

Just new.

Billie looked down at her phone again.

Still in her hand.

Still real.

Still safe.

“…So,” she said slowly, “you just… found it?”

Charlotte nodded.

“It was on the bench.”

“And you didn’t take it?”

“No.”

“Why?”

Charlotte looked at her like the answer was obvious.

“Because it wasn’t mine.”

That stopped Billie for a second.

Not dramatically.

Just enough to make her quieter.

“…Most people would’ve taken it.”

Charlotte shrugged.

“Most people are weird then.”

Billie laughed.

Properly this time.

A little breathless.

A little surprised.

She sat back slightly.

Looked at Charlotte properly now.

Really properly.

Not the kind of looking she did when people already knew who she was.

But the kind she did when they didn’t.

When there was no script.

No expectation.

No performance.

Just a person on a bench.

And another person who didn’t seem interested in anything except honesty.

—

“I should go,” Billie said eventually.

But she didn’t move.

Charlotte nodded.

“Probably.”

Billie looked at her again.

Then hesitated.

“…Thanks again.”

“Don’t lose it again.”

“I’ll try not to.”

A beat.

Then, quieter…

“I might, though.”

That made Charlotte smile.

“You seem like the type.”

Billie laughed.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“I am anyway.”

And then she finally stood up.

Phone still in her hand.

But something else had shifted too.

Something she didn’t have a name for yet.

Something that stayed with her even after she walked away.

Even after the street disappeared behind her.

Even after everything else came rushing back in.

—

Because for the first time that day…

she wasn’t thinking about what she had lost.

She was thinking about what she had just found.

And who she might want to see again.

————-

It had been two days.

Billie didn’t really know why she came back.

That was the honest answer.

There wasn’t a schedule reason. No work obligation. No interview. No reason at all she could justify in a neat sentence that would make sense to anyone else.

She just found herself walking the same street again.

Hands in her pockets.

Head down slightly.

Moving slower than usual, like she wasn’t entirely sure what she was looking for, only that some part of her expected to find it anyway.

The café was still there.

The bench too.

Empty this time.

Billie stopped for a second, looking at it like it might explain something if she stared long enough.

“…This is stupid,” she muttered to herself.

And yet she didn’t leave.

Instead, she sat down.

Same spot.

Same place where a stranger had looked at her like she was just another person who had lost something important.

Not a celebrity.

Not anything else.

Just… Billie.

The memory of that made her exhale quietly.

Weird.

That was the only word she had for it.

Weird in a way she couldn’t stop thinking about.

—

Charlotte, meanwhile, was absolutely unaware she had become someone’s lingering thought.

She was just… Charlotte.

Doing what she usually did.

Coffee in hand.

Sketchbook open on her lap.

Earphones in, though nothing was playing anymore because she’d paused it ten minutes ago and forgotten to press play again.

The city around her was loud, but she had already tuned most of it out.

She liked mornings like this.

Not because they were peaceful.

But because they belonged to no one else yet.

That was what she was thinking about when she heard…

“Hey.”

She looked up.

Billie was standing a few steps away.

Same hoodie.

Same slightly hesitant posture like she wasn’t fully sure if she was interrupting something.

Charlotte blinked.

“…Oh.”

Billie tilted her head slightly.

“Oh?”

“You’re the phone person.”

Billie let out a small laugh.

“Yeah. I guess I am.”

Charlotte nodded once.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

Silence settled quickly.

Not uncomfortable.

Just… unclaimed.

Like neither of them knew what shape this moment was supposed to take.

Billie nodded toward the empty seat next to her.

“Can I sit?”

Charlotte shrugged.

“Sure.”

Billie sat.

Carefully.

Like she didn’t want to disturb whatever rhythm Charlotte already had going.

For a while, neither spoke.

Charlotte went back to her sketchbook.

Billie just watched the street.

“You came back,” Charlotte said eventually, not looking up.

Billie blinked.

“…Yeah.”

“Why?”

Billie opened her mouth.

Closed it.

Then shrugged slightly.

“I don’t know.”

Charlotte glanced at her.

“That’s not a very strong reason.”

“I know.”

“Do you usually do things without reasons?”

Billie smiled faintly.

“Sometimes.”

Charlotte hummed.

“That seems inefficient.”

Billie laughed softly.

“Yeah, well.”

There was something strange about how easy it felt again.

Like the pause between them hadn’t been two days.

More like a breath.

In.

Out.

And now they were just continuing.

Charlotte finally looked at her properly.

“You look less panicked today.”

Billie raised an eyebrow.

“I looked panicked before?”

“Yes.”

“…About my phone?”

“About your entire existence, I think.”

That made Billie laugh harder than she expected.

“Fair.”

Before she could say anything else..

A group of girls walked past.

Then stopped.

Then turned.

Then froze.

Billie noticed them immediately.

Her body shifted slightly without thinking.

Recognition hit the girls at the exact same time.

“Oh my God..”

“No way”

“That’s..”

Billie sighed internally.

Not now.

Not here.

Please.. Not right now..

“Billie!” one of them shouted.

Charlotte looked up from her sketchbook.

Confused.

“What?”

The girls were already moving closer.

Phones out.

Hands shaking slightly.

Excited voices overlapping.

“Oh my God can we take a picture?”

“I love you so much!”

“We didn’t think we’d see you here..”

Billie raised a hand slightly.

“Hey..sorry, I can’t really..”

But they were already crowding closer.

Charlotte slowly stood up.

“What the hell is happening?” she muttered.

One of the girls glanced at her.

“Oh my God, are you with her??”

Charlotte blinked.

“With who?”

The girl pointed at Billie like it should mean something.

“That’s Billie Eilish!”

Silence.

A full stop in reality.

Charlotte turned slowly.

Looked at Billie.

Then back at the girls.

Then back at Billie again.

“…Who?”

Billie froze.

That was worse than screaming.

Somehow.

Much worse.

“You’re Billie Eilish?” Charlotte said slowly.

Billie hesitated.

“…Yeah.”

Charlotte stared at her.

Long.

Hard.

Then..

“…What the fuck.”

Billie winced.

“Okay..”

“No,” Charlotte cut in immediately. “No, no, no..what the actual fuck is happening right now?”

The girls were still trying to take pictures.

Billie stepped slightly between them and Charlotte.

“Hey, sorry, I can’t do photos right now.”

“But you’re..”

“I know,” Billie said gently. “Just not right now.”

The girls slowly backed off, still whispering excitedly as they walked away.

Still filming.

Still stunned.

Still very, very loud.

And then..

Silence again.

Charlotte just stared at her.

“You’re famous.”

Billie sighed.

“…Yes.”

Charlotte pointed slightly.

“Like… rich famous?”

Billie hesitated.

“I mean..”

“That’s a yes-or-no question.”

Billie gave her a look.

“Yes.”

Charlotte blinked again.

“…So I was just casually talking to a rich celebrity on a bench about nothing?”

Billie shrugged.

“When you say it like that, it sounds worse.”

“It is worse.”

Billie smiled slightly.

“Yeah.”

Charlotte crossed her arms.

“So what, you just… don’t tell people?”

Billie shifted her weight.

“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to act differently.”

Charlotte stared at her.

“…You thought I would act differently?”

Billie didn’t answer immediately.

Then quietly..

“Most people do.”

That landed heavier than either of them expected.

Charlotte frowned slightly.

“I don’t care who you are.”

Billie looked up immediately.

“…You don’t?”

“No.”

Billie studied her face carefully.

“Not even a little?”

Charlotte shook her head.

“I don’t even know what you do.”

Billie blinked.

“…I make music.”

“Cool.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

Billie exhaled a small laugh.

“You’re weird.”

Charlotte nodded.

“I’ve been told.”

Silence again.

But different now.

Less soft.

More aware.

“You said your name was Billie,” Charlotte said.

“I didn’t lie.”

“I just didn’t finish the sentence,” Billie corrected softly.

Charlotte narrowed her eyes.

“So you were going to tell me?”

Billie hesitated.

“…Eventually.”

Charlotte leaned slightly forward.

“Why didn’t you?”

Billie looked away for a second.

Then back.

“Because I didn’t want you to look at me like that.”

Charlotte frowned.

“Like what?”

Billie didn’t answer immediately.

Then quietly:

“Like I’m not real.”

That made Charlotte pause.

For the first time since meeting her, she didn’t have an immediate response.

Instead, she said:

“I don’t think you’re not real.”

Billie looked at her.

Charlotte shrugged.

“You’re just… confusing.”

Billie let out a quiet laugh.

“That’s fair.”

A pause.

Then Charlotte added:

“But I’m not going to suddenly change how I see you just because you have money or fans or whatever that was.”

Billie studied her.

Searching for any sign of doubt.

There wasn’t any.

Just annoyance.

Honesty.

Confusion.

And something steady underneath it all.

“…Okay,” Billie said softly.

Charlotte raised an eyebrow.

“That’s it?”

Billie smiled faintly.

“That’s enough.”

And for the first time since this started..

Billie wasn’t trying to be seen.

And Charlotte wasn’t trying to interpret her.

They just… were.

Standing in the middle of a loud city that didn’t care who either of them were.

But something had already shifted.

Because now it wasn’t just about a lost phone anymore.

It was about the girl who didn’t care who she was.

And Billie realizing she might care a lot more about that than she should.

———-

After that day, they didn’t stop seeing each other.

It just… happened.

First by coincidence. Then by choice. Then without either of them questioning it anymore.

Billie would show up in places she “just happened” to be near. Charlotte would pretend she didn’t notice the pattern forming.

Neither of them called it anything.

Neither of them needed to.

One night, they ended up sitting outside again.

Same kind of quiet street. Same low city hum. Different sky.

Charlotte was leaning back against the wall, talking about something small..something she probably didn’t even realize Billie was listening to so closely.

Billie wasn’t really focused on the words anymore.

She was focused on her.

The way Charlotte spoke like nothing mattered too much, but somehow everything did.

The way she didn’t try to impress anyone.

The way she looked at Billie like she was just Billie.

“You’re staring,” Charlotte said suddenly.

Billie blinked.

“…No I’m not.”

“You are.”

Billie exhaled a small laugh.

“Sorry.”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow.

“Why?”

Billie didn’t answer right away.

Then softly:

“I don’t know.”

A pause.

Something shifted between them..quiet, obvious, unspoken.

Charlotte looked at her for a second longer than usual.

Then, even quieter:

“Come here.”

Billie did.

Slowly.

No hesitation left this time.

And when Charlotte kissed her, it wasn’t dramatic or perfect or anything like that.

It was just real.

When they pulled apart, neither of them said anything immediately.

Charlotte just nodded once.

“…Okay.”

Billie smiled faintly.

“Okay?”

Charlotte shrugged.

“That’s my emotional range.”

Billie laughed softly.

And stayed.