𝓗𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓫𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴

𝕮𝖚𝖗𝖗𝖞

The morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow across the kitchen table where we were sat in strained silence. The events of yesterday lingered in the air between us, a palpable tension that neither of us knew how to dispel. Bill's attitude seemed slightly softened from the previous day, but the hurt in his eyes was still evident. Despite our awkward encounter yesterday, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease that hung over us like a dark cloud.

Clearing my throat, I broke the silence. "So, uh, Bill... I met this girl yesterday. Her name's Gabrielle. She's going to be working with me on the photoshoot."

Bill looked up, his expression unreadable. "Oh, that's... that's good," he replied, his voice tinged with a hint of sadness. "Yeah, she seems nice. We hit it off pretty well," I continued, trying to fill the awkward silence with small talk. Bill nodded, his gaze drifting to the window as if lost in thought. "I'm glad you have a friend here," he said quietly, his words carrying a weight of resignation.

Before I could respond, there was a soft knock at the door. Startled, I glanced at Bill, who looked equally surprised. "I'll get it," I said quickly, pushing back my chair and crossing the room to answer the door. As I swung it open, Gabrielle stood on the doorstep, a bright smile on her face. "Hey, Lolita! Want to hang?" I returned the smile, relief flooding through me at the distraction. "Absolutely. Come on in."

She cheerfully greeted Bill and introduced herself, reaching to shake his hand, but he just gave her a weak smile, excused himself, and walked back to his room.

"Is he alright?" Gabrielle asked, watching him close the door. "Long story," I quickly shook it off. "Have you had breakfast yet? It's quite early," I tried to change the topic. "Oh my God, no. I had a few errands today, but I slept in, so I didn't even really have time to do my hair. I hope no paparazzis spotted me; you know how it is, you might not see them, but they always see you." she said, looking into the wall mirror and letting out a disappointed sigh.

"Come on, let's fix you up something quick," I said, gesturing for Gabrielle to follow me back into the kitchen. "We can't let you go around starving."

As we rummaged through the fridge, I couldn't help but feel grateful for Gabrielle's presence. Her easygoing nature was a welcome distraction from the tension that seemed to permeate the air whenever Bill was around.

"So, tell me more about yourself," Gabrielle said, leaning against the counter as I scrambled eggs in the pan. "How did you end up here with these rockstars?" I chuckled, flipping the eggs with a practiced hand. "Long story short, Georg is my brother and I needed a place to stay so I could attend art school, which, unfortunately, didn't work out, and now I'm kind of stuck here. But I wouldn't change it for anything."

Gabrielle nodded, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Oh, right, Listing. But sounds like quite the adventure though."

Before I could respond, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway. Bill emerged from his room, looking slightly more composed than before. "Morning again," he muttered, rubbing his eyes as he shuffled into the kitchen. "Morning, Bill," I replied, offering him a small smile. "We're just fixing up some breakfast. Care to join us?"

He stared us down, as if contemplating whether he should stay or not. "I, uh," his eyes locked with mine. "I have to go," he said and turned to leave. "Shouldn't you be staying in bed?" I yelled after him. He looked back, biting his lip. "Don't wait for me, I'll be back late," he said before slamming the door after him.

"Is there something going on between you two?" Gabrielle asked, a suspicious smirk on her lips. "Based on this question, I'm assuming you are not an active Twitter user," I replied, handing her a plate with her breakfast. She took a bite and literally moaned. "Mh, these are so good, what did you add?"