Riot time in Paris // Billie Eilish G!P

Chapter eighteen

Delphine shot her an amused look. "Of course I had a nickname for you, silly. We all need a bit of bragging material for our friends on a Friday night, right? Besides, without nicknames it would get terribly confusing because as you know, you weren't the only woman I messed around with at the time." She laughed. "So, I used to refer to you as 'The Gardener'."

Kai's eyes widened. "'The Gardener'? You couldn't come up with anything more original? Come on, Delphine, I deserve better than that. I recently found out that my staff call me 'Magic Kai' behind my back. I mean, I'm not happy with it, but at least it sounds a little bit more intriguing than 'The Gardener'."3 a

"Oh, and I don't deserve anything better than 'Dog Beach Delphine'?" They both laughed. "So where did the 'Magic' come from?" Delphine asked, still chuckling. "Is it because you do that thing with your tongue when you..." 5 a

"No," Kai interrupted her, shaking her head with an amused smile. "God, no. It's a little bit more complicated than that and I'd rather not talk about it." She scratched Bouche behind his ears and threw the big stick he'd just dropped in front of her. The Doberman sprinted off in an attempt to beat Gumbo to it, leaving a trail of sand in Kai's lap. Gumbo caught it just before him and ran a little victory lap, trying to keep his head up while clenching the heavy stick between his teeth. "That's my boy. Well done, you won, Gumbo!"

"Come on, that's not fair," Delphine protested. "Bouche's legs get all tangled up when he tries to run. You have to give him a head's start."

"No excuses, Delphine. Gumbo is the fetch-champion today." Kai gave Delphine a playful wink. "Anyway, all nicknames aside, I'm glad to hear you're happy with your new lady friend. I'm sure she'll have a couple of nicknames lined up for you too." She suddenly realized it was much more relaxed talking to Delphine now they both knew they wouldn't end up in bed together. In fact, she genuinely enjoyed seeing her again. Kai was just about to invite her for a coffee, when Delphine looked at her watch and stood up.

"I'd better get going. I was on my way to Antibes when I saw your car parked up there and I figured Bouche would love to say hello to his friend. She put two fingers in her mouth and whistled hard, upon which Bouche came running towards her. "I'm sorry it was so short, I'm in a rush. Maybe a drink next time?" She flicked the cigarette stub into the sand and buried it with her foot. "Catch up properly?"

"Sure, that would be nice. You know where I live. Stop by anytime with Bouche if you're around and feel free to bring Alice too." Delphine beamed at the sound of her new girlfriend's name.

"Really? You wouldn't mind?"

"Of course not. I'd love to meet her." Kai winked. "As long as she brings pastries."

Kai stayed for a while, waiting for Gumbo to exhaust himself with two other dogs who had just arrived. She wished she'd asked Billie to come with her, but she wanted to be careful to not come across as too needy. Because the truth was, she did feel a little bit needy. She loved having Billie around, and she was already dreading the day she would leave. Billie was something else altogether. She was special, different to all the other women Kai had engaged with

Kai had taken a liking to her from the moment they'd met, and now, with each day they spent together, she was getting to know her on so many levels. Despite that fact that Billie had just been through a divorce and given up her life's work, she was beautiful, funny, clever, sharp, and didn't shy away from a bit of self-deprecation. Watching Billie argue with the olive tree farmer the other day had shown a whole different side to her. Billie didn't need protection. She didn't need Kai to help her heal or find her way. She was strong and independent, and Kai admired her for that. But it also made her realize that Billie would find a new job in no time and leave her without looking back. She'd have to look after herself and be careful not to get too attached, because Billie was someone who could quite possibly make her world crumble all over again. And that was something she wouldn't be able to handle. Not this time. Not with Billie.

***

"Bil?" Kai let herself into the kitchen.

"I'm here!" Billie yelled from the bedroom." "I'm just getting changed, I'll be right there."

Kai looked at the laptop on the table. She told herself it wasn't snooping. Bil knew she was here, after all. The open page advertised a Head of Finance vacancy in New York. The top tabs showed more job titles, all with headhunting agencies and all in the US or South-East Asia. She felt a knot tighten in the pit of her stomach. What did you expect? That she'd be hanging around here with you doing nothing forever?

"Hey you." Billie waltzed into the kitchen and flew around Kai's neck.

"Hey, gorgeous." Kai inhaled the scent of her freshly washed hair and placed a trail of kisses from her forehead down to her lips. "How was your day?"

Billie smiled and closed her eyes, deepening the kiss as she slid a hand under Kai's t-shirt, tracing her back.

"Uneventful. Just looking at some vacancies."

"And?"

"To be honest with you, I'm in a good place. There are quite a few options to consider. I had no idea so many companies would take an interest in me."

Billie scrolled through the list of vacancies she had saved on her laptop and sighed before closing it down. "I'm not sure if I want to do anything in the corporate sector, but I don't think I have the energy to start my own company again either. Frankly, I'm dreading going back to work. Any type of work, really." She shrugged. "But hey, I'll need to dive back into it at some point, or my CV will be as dated as those bananas." She pointed to the fruit bowl that she'd filled the week before with the intention of embarking on a healthier diet.

"Really? Is that how it works?" Kai picked up one of the blackened bananas, squeezed it and threw it in the bin. "I thought taking a sabbatical year was all the rage nowadays."

"Not in my world." Billie sat down at the table. "If I'm applying for a director's role, they'll get suspicious when they see a gap, especially when that gap is longer than six or seven months. They might assume I've had a burn-out and that I won't be able to handle another leading position.

"But you can explain it," Kai said. "You've been bought out, and you've been through a divorce. Surely people deserve some time off after a divorce."

"I know." Billie looked up at Kai, patting the seat of the chair next to her. "Still, it's best if I show interest and apply now, while there are lots of opportunities. Who knows what the job market will be like next year?"

Kai sat down. "Sure. But is that what you want?"

"I don't know." Billie shook her head. "Can we please talk about this some other time? I'm not in the mood for it, and I'd love to take you out for dinner."

There it was. Billie had put on her director's tone, steering the conversation away from herself and her plans. It made Kai feel uneasy, reminding her that Billie had another side to her that she rarely saw. That she'd always have another side to her and that she needed more from life than a simple existence in a small village in France. She decided to let it go. It wasn't worth having a fight over.

"Alright, boss. We'll take it offline." 

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