At exactly 8:34PM, the lights of CO-OP Live dimmed, and the crowd erupted into deafening cheers. The energy was electric, and Lena could feel it buzzing beneath her skin as Billie Eilish appeared on stage. Her silhouette, backlit by a wave of brilliant lights, sent the audience into a frenzy. Even though Lena had seen this show before in Detroit, something about tonight felt different. This wasn't just a concert—it was an experience, a moment she had been waiting for since she bought that impulsive plane ticket.
But this time, Lena had a different strategy. Instead of fighting for a spot right against the barricade at the main stage, she had made her way to the B stage. She knew Billie would perform a few songs there later in the set, and she wanted a different vantage point, one that gave her space to dance and lose herself in the music.
The pit around the B stage wasn't as packed as the front row, giving Lena the freedom to move. She found herself surrounded by other fans who shared the same enthusiasm, and together, they laughed and danced, belting out every lyric with pure, unabashed joy. There was something so liberating about this—about letting go, surrounded by people who understood exactly what the music meant to her. The sweat, the bass, the unity—it was intoxicating.
Billie moved effortlessly through the set, each song hitting just as hard as it had in Detroit. But when the familiar beat of "you should see me in a crown" began to pulse through the speakers, Lena's heart skipped. She knew what was coming next.
The stage lights shifted, and in an instant, Billie popped up on the B stage, right in front of Lena. The crowd around her surged forward, the screams so loud they could probably be heard outside the arena. The entire pit seemed to vibrate with energy as the heavy beats thudded through the ground, syncing with the pounding of Lena's heart.
Lena felt like she was floating, lifted by the music and the energy of the crowd around her. She jumped up and down with the other fans, her voice hoarse from screaming, her body moving in time with the rhythm. There was no holding back now; she was all in, completely consumed by the performance. Billie's voice, raw and powerful, washed over her as she sang the lyrics Lena knew by heart.
"You should see me in a crown... I'm gonna run this nothing town..."
Lena shouted the lyrics with every bit of breath she had, throwing her arms in the air, her feet barely touching the ground as she danced. She felt alive in a way she hadn't in months. This was what she had come here for—the rush, the connection, the feeling of being part of something larger than herself. The adrenaline was coursing through her veins, and she couldn't stop smiling, couldn't stop moving.
What Lena didn't realize, in the midst of her euphoria, was that she was being watched.
The stage lights cut through the darkness, sweeping over the crowd in bursts, but every now and then, they lingered. And in one of those fleeting moments, a pair of familiar ocean-blue eyes locked onto her from the stage. Billie, moving effortlessly through her song, had spotted her again.
From her vantage point, Billie scanned the crowd, always keeping an eye on her fans. And there, just a few feet away from the stage, dancing like no one was watching, was Lena. The same girl who had caught her attention back in Detroit. For a split second, Billie's gaze lingered, her voice not faltering as she sang, but her mind briefly distracted.
It couldn't be—could it? How was she here, in Manchester? Thousands of miles away from that night in Detroit, where Billie had already felt that fleeting connection.
But Lena was oblivious to Billie's gaze this time. Her head was thrown back, her body moving with the music, completely caught up in the moment. She had no idea that, once again, she had caught Billie's attention. The stage lights flashed, and the connection was gone in an instant as Billie shifted her focus back to the rest of the pit, finishing the song with the same intensity she always brought to her shows.
As the final notes of "you should see me in a crown" faded, Billie smiled, giving the crowd a small wave before moving on to her next song. Lena was still buzzing, still high off the performance, her heart racing as she caught her breath and laughed with the other fans around her.
Tonight felt magical in a way she hadn't expected, and though she hadn't noticed it, Billie had seen her again.