Chapter 20

The next morning I woke up to sunlight streaming through the curtains and my stomach tangled in knots. I paced the living room, phone clutched in my hand,my heart a frantic best.

Today I had to tell Yasmin.

I could already hear her voice in my head. Sharp, steady, always three steps ahead of me. She'd been my manager since I first started putting music out, guiding me through the chaos of fame like a lighthouse cutting through a storm. She was ruthless when she needed to be, fiercely protective, and honest to a fault. And she was going to lose her mind when I tell her I'm joining Billie on tour.

"Just rip the band aid off" Ivy called from the kitchen, pouring herself a cup of coffee."She can't kill you through the phone"

"Yeah" Aidan added from the couch; not looking up from his laptop. "She'll wait till she sees you in person."

I shot both of them a glare, my thumb hovering over yasmins contact. My stomach twisted, nerves pulling tighter and tighter until I thought I might be sick.What if she told me it was a bad idea? What if she made me second guess everything. What if she's right.

I took a deep breath and hit the call button. It rang twice before Yasmin picked up.

"Ember it's early, is something wrong?"

Her voice was sharp with concern, and guilt immediately tangled with my anxiety."No, nothings wrong" I rushed out, pacing even faster.

"I just- I need to tell you something"

There was a beat of silence, then carefully."Okay what is it?"

I sucked in a breath, closing my eyes."I'm going on tour with Billie."

The quiet stretched out, too long, too heavy, until I thought she might have hung up.

Finally, Yasmin spoke; her voice a dangerous kind of calm."Billie. As in Billie Eilish?"

I winced."Yeah"

"Ember are you -" she stopped herself, inhaling sharply. "When did this happen?"

"Two days ago" I admitted, chewing my thumbnail."She asked me to come and I said yes"

"Without talking to me?"

My chest caved in."I wanted to be sure before I told you" I whispered "I didn't want to drag you into my mess if I ended up changing my mind"

Yasmin sighed, and I could picture her pinching the bridge of her nose, her nails perfectly manicured, a dozen emails already waiting for her response.

"Ember, this isn't a small decision. You know what this means, right? You and Billie. On tour. Together, the second someone snaps a picture of you two, the internet is going to catch fire."

"I know" I said, voice trembling. "I know yas. But I- I want to go. I want to be with her"

Another long pause, this one softer, less furious, more thoughtful.

When Yasmin spoke again, her voice lost its edge."Do you love her?"

I blinked, catching my breath. "I don't know" I exhaled."I don't know I really don't. But I know i can't stay here while she's out there. I know being apart feels worse than whatever fallout comes from being seen together"

Yasmine hummed, quiet for another beat, then she sighed."Okay"

I stopped pacing. "Okay?"

"You're a grown adult Ember. I can't stop you from making this choice. But if you're doing this, we need to be prepared. Press statements. A social media strategy. Contingency plans for when- not if- when people find out"

The knot in my chest loosened, and I blinked against the sting in my eyes."You're really okay with this?"

"I didn't say that" she muttered."I'm not okay with anything that makes my job ten times harder. But you're my client, more importantly, you're my friend. And if this is what you want, truely what you want, I'm going to make sure you survive it."

My knees buckled and I sank onto the couch, my whole body trembling."Thank you" I whispered. Tears slipping down my cheeks" I mean it Yas, thank you"

"Yeah yeah" she said, her voice softer than I'd ever heard it.

"I'll start making some calls. But listen - you'll need media training. No more winging it in interviews. You and Billie both. If people start digging, you need to know exactly how to answer questions without giving everything away."

My heart skipped a beat, nerves prickling down my spine."Media training?"

"Yes. And a stylist. You need to look intentional when you're photographed, not like you just rolled out of bed"

I chewed my lip, glancing down at my worn hoodie and sweatpants."I'm not sure I'm cut out for that"

"You are." Yasmin said firmly."I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think you could handle it. But if you want this - if you want her - you need to be ready for what comes with it"

I wiped my face with the sleeve of my hoodie, my chest aching with the weight of Yasmins words, of everything I felt for Billie. The fear, the longing, the way her voice could steady me with just a word.

"I am" I whispered, my heart beating steady and sure. "I'm sure."

"Good" Yasmin said, already back to business.

"I'll contact some people and get in contact with Billie's manager, both your story's need to be squeaky clean. You two are best friends, that. Is all." She firmly said, I nodded my head although she couldn't see.

"We'll have a meeting tomorrow, have a good day Em, I'm proud of you truely" I smiled at her comment.

"Thank you Yas, I'll see you tomorrow" And with that I hung up. Immediately turning to Ivy with the most insane expression on my face.

"I'm going" I said, a smile creeping up on my face

"I'm fucking going!" I yell, earning some screams and yelps from Aidan and Ivy.

Bring on this tour.

A/Nidk how tf I've already written 20 chapters and I feel like I've barely dug into the story 😭 thank you all truely for all the views and votes ILY! It's only gonna get more interesting from here 😋