Cheaters = Losers

My heart was thudding so hard I could feel it in my throat, pounding in my ears.

In love.

That was scary. Those were big words, especially from someone I'd known for all of what, two days? There was no way Billie, or I, were in love. This was one of Tré's harebrained schemes that meant nothing. Nothing but words. I took a shaky breath, trying to forget what I'd just heard, pushing my hands through my hair at least four times. Why was I struggling to control my breathing? My heart was doing a bit more than just fluttering and there was more a stampede of elephants than a few butterflies causing havoc in my stomach. I jumped about a mile when there was a knock on my door.
"Lil? You ready for a few drinks?" Billie's voice floated through the door.
"I- yeah," I spoke, my voice so quiet that I would have been surprised if he heard me. I rifled through my bag at top speed, throwing on the first clean shirt I came to, which was an old Hard Rock Café one from Berlin I'd bought on a school trip years ago.

I followed Billie Joe's back, now wearing a black shirt with several badges all over it, downstairs and into the lounge like a lost puppy. Tré and Mike were sat grinning at me suspiciously as I sat down on the smaller settee opposite them. We sat there like that for an uncomfortably long time. In reality it was only about half a minute, but in silence with two idiots staring at you it felt like so much longer, and I couldn't stand it.
"What?" Tré's face was almost split in half with his beam, he looked like a gleeful twelve year old girl who'd just found out who her best friend had a crush on.
"Naaathin'," he sang irritatingly.
"Fine, then stop staring at me," I responded shortly, but the smile tugging at the corners of my lips said otherwise.

At that moment Billie appeared in a different doorway, four bottles in hand, made his way over to the three of us and without hesitation sat down very closely beside me on the settee, which I was realising was more of a love seat. The smirk on Tré's face only grew as he watched Billie.
"Oh Billie, of course you're not,"
"What the fuck?" Billie immediately snapped, no longer pretending to be confused.
"You know what I'm talking about," the smug look on his face was becoming nauseating, but Billie had caught on to Tré.
"Fuck off. Just 'cause I don't wanna get all cosy up and close with you,"
"Don't even lie to yourself, Billie Bob, everyone wants to get up close and cosy with Uncle Tré," I couldn't help let out a little laugh at Tré's own ridiculousness. As if reading my thoughts, Billie handed me one of the beer bottles and tossed another one to Mike, who caught it with ease. Getting the message I lobbed the beer in my hand at Tré, who caught it nanoseconds before it hit his head and let out a loud guffaw, at me or himself I didn't know.
"You sound like a fucking pedo, asshole," I playfully bit at him.

"I heard pedo, where's my boyfriend?"

I whipped round to see a girl standing in the doorway coming from the front door. She looked a good bit taller than me, maybe an inch or so shorter than Tré and had long-ish dark blue hair that framed her pretty face. Along with her amazing raven-like hair, she had large, doe-like brown eyes and freckles. A few tattoos were visible on her exposed skin as well as the silver glint of piercings. Instantly I felt intimidated by her stunning beauty, and a little bit jealous.

Billie looked up with a smile,
"Ayyyy, it's our very own patron saint," he called to her. "Jimmy, get your butt in here." She darted over with elegant strides and plonked herself down beside Tré.
"There's my girl!" He shouted, despite the fact that she was beside him and he slung an arm casually around her shoulders, pulling her into his body as if she belonged there, his lips pressed into her temple. She, Jimmy, twisted a little so she could kiss him properly.

It was strange, seeing Tré kiss someone. Definitely not something I was ever expecting to see, Tré had always struck me as someone too oddball and hyperactive to settle down, or at least be serious. They broke apart quickly and Jimmy cast an eye over to me for the first time. Her eyebrow arched upwards as she looked me up and down, and I fought the urge not to shrink into Billie or squirm.
"Well, she's a scrawny little thing, Bill, where'd you pick her up?" I hoped she was joking, at least she had a half smirk on her darkened lips. Billie seemed quite relaxed, however as he laughed softly.
"I found her in a bar, for your information, Jimmy. And I don't think she's scrawny," Billie sent me a small but meaningful smile.
"Thank you," I rolled my eyes, amused how they were discussing me as if I wasn't even there.
"Well, she's gonna need feeding up a bit. And we'll have to do something about that hair. And those glasses. And the clothes. And-"
"Jemima," Billie cut in. Instantly Jimmy's face turned from what looked like it might have been teasing to stone cold. Billie swallowed, and he looked a little afraid.

He turned to me.
"Ignore her, I think you're beautiful," I ended up smiling at the floor, unsure of what to say or how to act in the company of others. We fell into silence for seconds as we all had a drink. Jimmy took Tré's bottle without hesitation. After a lengthy swig, she stood up and walked over to me. She extended her hand towards me, I stood up to my full height as I shook it, looking her straight in the eye and swallowing any fear I had which was a lot.
"Hi, I'm Jimmy,"
"Lily,"
"I like you," I felt warmer, like I had achieved some kind of stamp of approval. I nodded, unsure of what to say.

She sat back down with Tré and I with Billie. Mike seemed perfectly content to simply sit, drink and watch the interaction without any fuss. Tré leaned over and whispered something to her, his pale eyes darting between myself and Billie, who was talking to Mike about something. I was fascinated by Jimmy, her striking beauty and bold looks captivating me. As Tré finished whatever he said a dangerous looking glint crossed her eyes and a smirk enough to rival Tré's crept onto her face, her silver snakebites glinting in the filtered light, casting the illusion of real fangs.
"So, Lily, you and Beej make a cute couple. How long have you two been together?"

The words caught in my throat, I didn't know how to think, let alone react. I could feel the blood rushing to my whole face and my mind began to reel. A relationship with Billie? I wasn't going to lie, I had thought about it. I'd been thinking about it long before I'd met him, and after having met him I definitely wanted there to be something more, but with how Billie had been acting since the show, I wasn't too sure what he wanted. There would always be that little niggling feeling that I was just a body to him, something to satisfy himself with when he got bored. Billie and I spoke at the same time -
"I'm not, we're not-"
"I'm not dating her dammit!" Jimmy lent back with a cackle,
"Oh my god, Tré you were right, he totally is!" Billie had a face like thunder and it was directed at Tre,
"Stop it! For fuck's sake I'm not, okay?!" Jimmy looked like a kid in a candy store,
"Oh, but you are!" She cackled with Tré.

She stood up, followed by Tré.
"Anyway, we should be heading off now, Billie has all the company he needs,"
"Tré!" Tré gave a small cackle at Billie's reaction to his words and pulled Jimmy into his chest, placing a small kiss on her nose.
"Anyway, I haven't seen Jimmy over here in a long time and no one wants to see that,"
"Mike, we can drop you off at Rube's if you want?" Jimmy ignored what Tré had said. Mike smiled mildly and stood up, too. Billie grinned at him,
"Have fun with Ruby," Mike just smiled at the floor. They went to leave, but as Jimmy walked past me she leant over and whispered, not so quietly,
"He likes you," before they all left, leaving Billie and I alone in silence and me beetroot red.

The thud of the door swinging shut seemed to wake both of us up from our embarrassed silence. Billie looked up from where his gaze was fixed on the floor towards me, his cheeks were slightly pink and he had a hand in his hair.
"Well, she's not wrong,"
"What?"
"Jimmy. I do like you, it's kind of obvious really, I mean I kissed you the night I met you and I invited you to live with me. I'd be mad to do that if I didn't like you, y'know?" I pressed my lips together as I nodded my head in slow understanding.
"Well, if it wasn't obvious, I kind of like you too," I responded. Billie sat quietly for a second before laughing into the silence.
"I'm glad we got that cleared, y'know?"
"Yeah, and if you don't mind I think I'm going to have a shower," I said with a small laugh, excusing myself from the slightly awkward situation. I wasn't going to lie, I was a bit disappointed that he hadn't asked me out, but I swallowed my sadness and accepted the facts, this wasn't school anymore, you can like someone without asking them out and after what I had overheard from Tré, he had been hurt. Perhaps against my better judgement, I let myself hold onto the glimmer of hope that he had avoided taking it further with me because he was afraid I'd hurt him.

I found my way back to my room and picked up a large white towel off the bed and making my way across the hall to the bathroom. I would have preferred to not have the bathroom right next door to Billie's room, but I didn't have a choice and I was just grateful that I wasn't sharing a bathroom with him. I hated sharing bathrooms with guys, I was forced to at university and they were such slobs it was disgusting. I left my towel folded on the toilet seat by the shower and my clothes neatly beside it. I found myself sending a thanks to the shower god that Billie's shower was easy to work and when I was greeted under a large torrent of hot water I actually moaned.

The shower was perfect for all of five minutes.

Then I heard the lock click.

Immediately I had my body pressed against the back wall, hiding myself as best I could from the intruder,
"What the fuck? Get the fuck out!" I screeched at the top of my lungs. I heard the unmistakeable chuckle of Billie.
"Billie!" I whined. "Billie, get out!"
"No,"
"Billie, this is my bathroom. You have one in your bedroom, get out you pervert!"
"I'm lonely," he complained. "And it's my house."
"You couldn't cope for ten minutes?" I cocked an eyebrow at the wall, in response I heard him make a small noise of protest,
"Billie Joe, I mean it! Get out!"
"Aww man, I just wanna clean my teeth, y'know?"
"Well clean your teeth in your room. You'll be fine." I snapped at the wall. It went quiet and I hoped Billie had gown up and left. There was no way I could move to check without revealing myself so I just had to hope that he'd left.

I had no such luck.

Out of nowhere a pair of arms wrapped around my waist and gently pulled me back under the main jet of the shower head. I wriggled out of his grasp and I don't think I'd ever shouted as loud as I had in that moment,
"Billie Joe!"
"Lily!" He mimicked.
"Billie Joe get the fuck out of my shower right now!"
"I like it in here,"
"I swear to God, Billie, get out!"
"I'm not even looking at you, relax,"
"I don't care. You can't do this!"
"Why not?"
"I don't know! It's just wrong," I was fighting against myself because every fibre of my being was telling me to relax against him and the water because nothing had ever felt so right.

"Really?" He murmured, his hands had once again found my hips and I could feel his wet hair as he rested his head on my shoulder again. "It feels very right to me," he was almost purring against my skin, leaving kisses as he spoke. I felt myself shiver and silently cussed myself out as I melted into his touch, Billie was even more electric in water.

He traced kisses along my shoulder, up my neck and across my cheek until I turned my head to allow him to capture my lips. He kept himself there, softly kissing me as he gently turned me around, his eyes closed.
"If I pull away, I won't look if you won't."
"Okay," I whispered against his lips,
"On three," his voice was soothing and gentle and if he kept talking to me like that I would have done anything he asked.

"One," I opened my eyes to find myself staring at a hazel pair.
"Two," we pulled away from each other slowly.
"Three," we separated fully from each other, and true to his word Billie never broke his eye contact, never once allowed himself to look down and neither did I. He sent me a crooked smile.
"There, not so bad was it?" I shook my head in response, nerves and self consciousness stopping my voice. Billie pushed his lips against mine again.
"Too far?" He asked and I nodded a little, wanting to go back and finish washing my hair, cliché and lame, I know. He nodded and exited the shower, grabbing a towel before leaving me alone.

The whole time I was washing my hair my thoughts were on Billie. He said he liked me, sure, but he never asked me out and then he just joined me in the shower. All the signs were very confusing and I didn't really know where they were pointing. One thing that had been proven, however, was that I could trust him. Even if he was a bit loopy.

I left the shower and wrapped my towel tightly around my body, quickly brushing my teeth before leaving the steamy room. Predictably and unfortunately Billie was not in his room, but walking across the hall meaning that he got a full view of me in a towel. Great.
"Oh, um hi," he sounded a little nervous and he was avoiding my eyes, but I didn't miss the quick and sweeping glance over my body. I guess I had to forgive him though, he was only a male after all, and in all honesty if the roles had been reversed I would have been exactly the same. At least I wasn't naked.
"I was just about to head to bed actually, so, um, goodnight and all that," he muttered before rushing into his room.

Once in my room the quiet was overwhelming and I realised that if I listened hard I could hear Billie, just about. I listened for a second and heard what sounded like a phone ringing before Billie spoke,

"Mike? Mike. Yeah, hi. Mike, man, you gotta help me. You were right."