Cheaters = Losers

"Good morning," a pair of green eyes right above my own were the first thing I saw.
"Agh! Billie!" In shock I pushed him off me and rolled back into the safety of the little warm cocoon I had made. His hands were there immediately, prying the covers off of me. "Go away," I whined, fighting back "Haven't you got to go to the studio or something?"
"We're self-producing. I can take a day off whenever I want. Also, it's 11:30 get up,"
"Noooo," my voice was muffled because I was shaking my head into the pillow.
"Fine," he said and burrowed down beside me. I could feel the heat radiating off his body already and by turning myself around I could see that he was only in his boxers again.
"That's not fair, you're not even dressed yet,"
"I wake up, you wake up," Billie Joe smirked.
"I like you a lot better when you leave me alone and cook breakfast," he kissed my nose before I swatted at his face and rolled over.
"Lily,"
"No."
"Lils?"
"I'm not talking to you," I was only playing at being serious
"Why not?" I could hear the amusement in his voice and fought my own smile.
"Because! You woke me up!" Billie chuckled and I could feel his warm breath on my neck, his lips resting lightly on my skin, sending a warm shiver through me.
"C'mon, baby,"
"Do not call me that." I said and got up. I'd never liked the term, and especially since Josh insisted on calling me baby or babe, I had a bit of a vendetta against it. Instead I stalked across the hall to my room, where I quickly changed and went downstairs.

I was at the counter, scowling and cursing at American cereal because why can they not have normal food instead of freaking fruit Cheerios and marshmallows? After picking all the marshmallows out of the Lucky Charms and putting them back in the box, I sat down at the counter and began to eat. Billie came in then, looking very sheepish.
"Lily?"
"Sorry," I cringed "I know, I need to stop overreacting at that,"
"You've said before about Josh calling you baby, I should've known...oh my God I love you!" he shouted, thrilled as he poured himself a bowl of Lucky Charms that was more marshmallow than cereal.
"Y'know I can't get why you don't like these things," he said as he sat down opposite me through a mouthful of pure marshmallow.
"It just feels wrong to eat marshmallow at breakfast," I shrugged, growing up with strict parents had effected me more than I thought, shaping a lot of the little things I did everyday.
"I really am sorry, Lils. If only there was something I could do to make it up to you," A familiar bolting look shot across Billie's eyes. "Saying as we have the house to ourselves all day," he added, when I gave him a blank look that said I wasn't mad at him.
"Well," I dragged my words out slowly, and traced a line from Billie's Adam's Apple right down to the waistband of his boxers and the look on his face was one of pure excitement. "I want to be treated like a freaking queen for one thing," I laughed at Billie as his shoulders slumped down, clearly a bit put out that I wasn't begging him for sex.

"Alright then, your majesty," he mock curtsied. "I think our first order is to discuss your sleeping situation," Billie spoke in a poor British accent.
"What about it? And cut out the accent I like the way you talk,"
"Really? Well, y'know, I came in late last night and you were in your bed,"
"Because it's my bed?"
"And you're my girlfriend and I wanna to go to sleep with you and wake up next to you. It also makes spontaneous fucking a little easier," he grinned.
"Sold on the spontaneous fucking," I pressed a quick kiss to his lips and sprinted off to have a shower, leaving Billie in the dust.

Once we were both showered and clean, Billie decided that the day's task was to move myself into his bedroom, which took us all day because we soon realised that I had a lot more stuff than it seemed, and also Billie kept getting distracted.
"Billie, not that drawer,"
"Why?"
"It's my underwear drawer," I said, feeling the heat creeping onto my face. He grinned.
"Excellent,"
"Billie Joe!" And with that he had the drawer open and was rummaging through my pants. "Billie, I swear to God, stop it now!" He just gave me a crooked grin and kept digging, right to the back.
"Didn't peg you as one of those girls," Billie said with a smirk, a black g-string dangling between his fingers.
"Holy shit, put it back! My friend bought that for me as a joke to cheer me up,"
"Have you ever worn it?" He asked, examining the minuscule scrap of fabric. I could feel the heat becoming painful, but there was no point in denying it.
"Once, to this club," Billie swallowed and licked his lips as he was clearly imagining the scene.
"Wear it for me?"
"What? No!"
"Please?" He begged, looking at me with wide eyes. I didn't say a word as I snatched the panties off of him and stuffed them in my back pocket. We finished the room shortly after that, and I decided to cook dinner.

Billie said he wanted to help, although he wasn't very helpful at all. He spent most of the time sat chatting away, or coming up behind me and kissing my neck. I had just about put the lasagne in the oven when my phone pinged on the side.
"Bill, what's that?" He leaned over to see the screen.
"Um, you've been tagged in a post on Facebook?"
"Facebook?"
"Yeah," that was weird. I only had Facebook to keep in touch with all the people I knew back home, and I hadn't been active on it for ages.
"Here, lemme see," I said and actually opened up the notification.

Edmund Fitzgerald-Johnson tagged you and 183 others in a post:
Calling class of '07! It's been 10 years since we finished Year 11 and went on to College and University. I am thrilled to invite you to come back to St Thomas' Academy on Saturday 2nd of September to catch up with our old chums in what will surely be the first of many reunions. We hope to see as many of you there as possible, especially you Captains - no excuses!

"Oh. My. God," I muttered, a nasally voice away from sounding exactly like Janice.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah. I've been invited to a High School Reunion,"
"What? I'm older than you and I've not been to one yet,"
"Of course you haven't, the worlds most obsessive human has organised it. He wants to do one every ten years. I can't believe it's been that long already,"
"Time flies, huh?"
"Yeah it really does,"
"When is it?"
"Um, the second. Shit! That's in a month! I've got to book a flight!"
"You're actually going?"
"Yeah, it's all but compulsory and you do not want to be on the bad side of Edmund Fitzgerald-Johnson. You don't have to come or anything," I began but Billie cut me off.
"England sounds fun. And I'd like to see your old stomping grounds," he smiled gently.

After we ate I was sat in bed, nestled between Billie's legs as I scrolled through pages on my laptop of late flight bookings.
"Oh for God's sake the only flight is two weeks before the damn thing. It's that or October,"
"What are we gonna do in England for two weeks?"
"Well there's the Air Festival on that weekend," I said, pointing to the calendar on my screen "So we can camp for a few days there. My parents live in London but we could get a hotel and sightsee for a while. Oh and of course there's Liverpool, too. I went to Uni there,"
Billie rest his chin on my head and nodded. "You're in charge, whatever you want to do,"
"Okay then. What time is it? I have to call my mum,"

The phone call was painful. My mother was a very grand woman, and she did not mix well with technology.
"Lily! Darling it's so good to hear from you! Where are you?" She spoke loud enough so Billie could hear as well.
"Hi, mum. I'm still in California, I'm staying in Oakland now. It's a bit of a way from L.A.,"
"Oh thank the Lord. You know I never liked you living in that big city. With all that drinking and smoking and danger. Has Joshua Ryan got a new place? Please tell me you got a mortgage," Billie was trying very hard not to crack up beside me.
"Mum, Josh and I broke up. I'm living with someone else now,"
"Oh who? A friend?"
"Well he was a friend. He's a little more than that now. Anyway, mum that's not why I'm calling,"
"Oh do tell me his name!"
"Mum,"
"Lilium!" I couldn't look at Billie as mum used my full name.
"Fine. He's called Billie Joe,"
"William Joseph. He sounds like a well rounded young man," I looked at Billie apologetically.
"Mum, he's right here."
"Actually, ma'am, my name's not William Joseph, it's just Billie Joe," Billie added.
"Oh dear Lord, he sounds like a hillbilly, Lilium!" I could hear my mother, in her silk dressing gown with her hair in curled clutching at her heart.
"Mum he's not, he's a great man. Anyway listen, Edmund tagged me in a thing on Facebook-"
"Edmund Fitzgerald-Johnson? Oh he was such a lovely boy! And what a name too. Now someone like you Lily should be finding a boy like that, not some Billie Joe Yankee." I rolled my eyes at Billie and stuck my tongue out at him, this was typical of my mother.
"Anyway, Mum, he's invited me to a High School Reunion and so Billie and I will be coming over to England for two weeks,"
"Oh you must come and stay, dear! And bring this Billie Joe character with you, too. Your father and I would love to meet him,"
"Okay great, so we're just booking flights-"
"Oh you should have said something sooner! We'll pay for the tickets," I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose.
"Well I only found out today, mum. So Billie and I will be doing some of our own sightseeing, but are we okay to stay for a few nights for the reunion?"
"Of course, sweetie, of course! Chrissie will be so pleased to see you!"
"IT'S CHRIS!" I heard my younger sister's faint shout down the hall. It always echoed there.
"Tell her I said hi. I've got to be going now, mum, but we'll see you in a few weeks,"
"When is your flight?"
"Wednesday the 17th, we arrive at Gatwick at 9am,"
"Excellent, I'll have a car sent for you,"
"Yes mum, bye mum," I said and put the phone down promptly. It's not that I don't love my mother, I do and very much so, but she's a very difficult woman to talk to, and Billie was cracking up behind me.

"You, Yankee, are you sure you're going to be able to cope with that for two weeks?"
"We're only staying with her for a few nights, right?" Billie said a little worried.
"Maximum. I do love her but she's a very difficult woman. Be prepared to be called Billie Joe for everything, if not William Joseph. My parents have a thing about names, they think it has something to do with status.
"Will they like me?" Billie asked, and there was something about his worried look that warmed my heart a little bit.
"Once they get over the heart attack, yeah. My sister will love you,"
I twisted round and pressed a quick kiss to his lips, booked the tickets, put my laptop away and shimmied myself onto Billie's chest.
"Night,"
"Night."

~~~~~~

The following few weeks passed quickly. Billie was in and out of the studio trying to get as much work as he could done before the trip. I was buzzing about packing, whilst I adored my new home and friends in California, the nostalgia of home was growing stronger by the day and I was itching to get back. Jimmy did not take to the news well.
"What do you mean, I can't come? I'll pay for my flight and everything. Don't leave me here with the boys," she complained for the umpteenth time, clinging onto my legs as we sat, going through my now expanded wardrobe.
"Billie's going to give mum palpitations as it is, let's not finish her off by introducing you as well," Jimmy frowned a little, partly from what I said and partly from the old shirt in her hands.
"What's wrong with me?"
"Nothing, but my parents are stereotypical English people. They're not mad keen on Americans as it is without the whole punk thing. I mean, I'm still in trouble for this," I pointed at the tiny gem nestled high up in my left ear "And she doesn't even know about the tattoo," Jimmy's eyes went wide
"She doesn't know!? Damn. I love that thing, show me again," she demanded as I pulled the waistband of my jeans down slightly to reveal the St Jimmy heart with a cross through it that was inked on my hip.
"So like I said, she hates what I do, so seeing you will most likely finish her off," Jimmy laughed, seemingly amused that her dangerous appearance would be able to have that effect on someone.
"Well if you ever need me to, just call," she grinned wickedly.

All our bags were loaded into Billie's car and before I could process what was going on I was stood at Oakland Airport checking in my bags. The woman took mine and Billie's with a blank expression as she checked them through. Billie and I had four hours to wonder around the shops, eat and drink coffee.
"Do you get recognised a lot?" I asked him over my latte. We were sat in a small coffee house at a tiny table. Billie pulled a face and shrugged.
"Not as much as you'd expect, why?"
"Is it crazy that I'm worried about paparazzi?" Billie just laughed gently and took a hold of my hand.
"No, they're not that bad though. They like the actors more and you learn to avoid them," he said tapping the baseball cap that was somewhat concealing his messy hair.

After a very long wait and endless security checks it was time to board the plane. As we climbed the steps Billie made an obvious gesture that he was pulling his jeans up to which I sent him a confused look. He leant close to my ear and whispered, "I got thrown off a plane once for having my pants too low," I couldn't help but laugh at him as we collapsed into our seats.
"Are you ready for the most boring thirteen hours of your life?" I asked, already struggling to get comfortable in the small seats. Billie just smirked at me
"It's gonna be many things, but boring ain't one,"