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“Huh,” said Am. “Makes sense. That was some good thinking on his part. He’ll get more of a say in matters, they all will up there.”
“And now can we move on to our news?” Cass asked.
Jules rolled her eyes. “Let me guess. Selling single socks? Backpacks for birds? All the daily nutrition you need in one little pill?”
“Enough cheek,” Am said.
“Single socks sounds like a good market,” said Cass.
Amelia ignored her. “We’re taking over the cafe from Gertrude.”
Jules dropped her cloth. She had a second to think as she bent to pick it up. “You’re kidding?” she said when she was back above the bar. But actually, it sounded like a good thing. A sensible thing. “Um, congrats.”
“Cheers,” Am sniffed. “Can we get those drinks now?”
Jules turned to pour as the microphone on the small stage screeched.
“Ey up, lover girl’s on,” Cass said.
“Alea and I… we’re not working out,” Jules said, lips feeling a little numb as she said it.
“That’s not who she means,” Amelia said, eyes gleaming.
???
Billie took a big breath as she walked through the pub doors, following Alea’s strong back, ignoring the eyes that were on her.
She took her place at the back of the stage and let Alea introduce the band, all the time trying not to look at the bar, trying not to feel everyone watch her.
It took everything she had to hold her head up high. But she did. She breathed and centered herself and knew that she wasn’t even approaching the difficult bit yet.
It wasn’t until they started to play that she found herself, that she disappeared into the music and let her violin intertwine with Alea’s voice until it was hard to tell one from the other.
But even then there was a stone in her stomach as she prepped herself for what had to happen next.
???
“Is that… It’s Billie Brooke,” Jules said.
“At least there’s nothing wrong with your eyesight,” said Amelia, sipping on her beer.
Jules glared at her. “I thought you were going to punch her the next time you saw her?”
“You angling for me to start a bar fight?”
Jules stuck out her tongue. But she was too entranced by the sound of Billie and Alea and the rest of the band to really listen to Amelia. She leaned on the bar, letting the music wash over her, and wondering why Billie was playing with them.
Wondering why Billie was here at all.
Wondering if she could talk to her after, if she could find the words.
And knowing now that she couldn’t let Billie walk out of her life. Knowing just by seeing her that she couldn’t live in a world without Billie in it.
Why had she waited so long? She should have gone to Billie’s immediately, screw what granddad Jim thought. She should have fought for her, for what they could have.
Her mouth was dry and she only hoped that she’d have a second later to try and catch Billie.
???
