CHAPTER FOURTEEN / million pieces.
THE ECHOES OF THAT NEWS RINGS LOUD, NO ONE CAN NEVER DROWN IT OUT.
"So?"
"Hi, Daisy, how are you this morning? I'm doing great thanks for asking."
"Your voice is making me think differently there, Dette. How much sleep did you get last night?"
Odette ran a hand over her face. "My question, is how are you so chipper in the morning? It was the last thing I expected from you."
"I've had a cup of coffee already, clearly you haven't."
"Yeah, because I wasn't planning on getting out of bed until much later in the day."
Daisy sighed. "You're making me feel bad for this, but I actually called because your boyfriend is needed at the studio at nine."
"Let me guess, you've managed to get Regret Me on the album?"
"Well, that depends on everyone else," Daisy replied. "And you can most definitely help me by sweet talking Eddie."
"You owe me for this."
"Name your price."
"I know you can't rush art─"
"Don't you worry your pretty little head, Dette, you will have your boyfriend all to yourself in no time."
"I'm going to hang up now."
And she did, not bothering to hear if Daisy had said anything in response. Rubbing at her eyes, Odette looked up at the ceiling. They had been told that once the album was finished, they had three weeks off before tour rehearsals were to begin, this had been something that Odette had been looking forward to. While they hadn't had any plans like Warren did─ the man having dragged Eddie and Odette out to show off his boat─ there had been this silent agreement between herself and Eddie that they weren't going to waste any free time Eddie had before he found herself touring the country. She knew that it would still happen, but it didn't stop the disappointment that creeped in.
But as Odette returned to the bedroom where Eddie laid, still fast asleep, she had a sense it was more to do with the fact that even in her sleep induced haze, she was still riding the high from the night before, and now it was gone. Part of her wanted to be annoyed, but Odette was well aware these things did happen considering she had her fair share of reshoots. At least she knew the song was worth it all.
Slipping back under the covers, her arms snaked around Eddie, smiling when he leaned back into her.
"Your hands are fucking cold, princess."
She quietly laughed, pressing a few kisses to his bare shoulder. "And you're a goddamn furnace, hun, why do you think I enjoy shoving my hands down your shirt?"
"Well, that's a dent to my ago." Eddie then rolled over to face her. One of his hands slid underneath her shirt where he began to trace circles on her back. A trail of kisses was placed along her jaw before moving down her neck.
Odette wanted nothing more than to stay in that moment. But one glance at the clock was what caused her to grab hold of his face, forcing him to look at her. "I hate that I have to do this, and Daisy owes me big time, but you have to be in the studio in an hour." Eddie groaned, head falling to Odette's shoulder that she couldn't help but run her hands through his hair. "If it makes you feel any better, I've heard the song Daisy wants to add onto the album, I think you'll love it."
Eddie lifted his head. "An hour?"
She nodded. "Is this the part where you say we've got time and then kiss me?"
"You know, you could just go along with it, you were an actress."
"Okay right, keep going, pretend I said nothing."
Eddie shook his head and started to get out of bed, but Odette was quick to grab hold of him and push him back down onto the bed. She swung her legs over his waist and placed her hands on either side of his head while his went to her waist.
"We have an hour, probably forty-five minutes at the most before you should probably get read," she said.
"I can work with that."
And that was enough for Eddie to sit up, hands wrapping tighter around her and pressing their bodies together, meeting her halfway for a hungry kiss.
An hour later, Odette had the apartment to herself, readying herself for the day despite the most she had done was grab her and easel out onto the balcony to paint as she usually did on days when the heat was a temperature where it wasn't as if Odette felt as if her skin were on fire, but rather a nuisance. With the added addition of her sound of Abba drifting from the record player that sat in the living to outside, she barely heard someone knocking on the door.
How many times they had done so before Odette had noticed, and an apology rested on the tip of her lips upon the realisation, but when she saw Camila standing there, it got caught in her throat.
Despite saying they would, they hadn't talked about it, and if Odette was being honest, she had forgotten about it and she was sure Eddie had been the same, too wrapped in each other. But now she remembered it in full force and was hoping that she had been overthinking what she had seen last night.
Odette said nothing as she gestured for Camila to enter the apartment, the other woman shooting her a thankful smile. "Uh, do you want something to drink, tea?" She offered, heading over to the sink to wash her hands of the paint that covered her skin.
"Tea would be great thanks," Camila replied. "How was your date with Eddie last night?"
She could feel her cheeks grow hot. "It was good, really good," Odette admitted busying herself with making Camila's drink, opting to keep it light because she knew that if she hadn't, she could go on forever. "I forgot how easy it is with him." And then she found herself asking, "how was your night?"
Camila's silence was worrying and when Odette turned to hand Camila her drink, Odette found her staring at the counter in front of her.
"You slept with him, didn't you?"
Camila nodded, wrapping her hands around the cup. "There was just. . . I can't remember the last time Billy actually paid attention to me. It's always him coming home late, leaving early, I never see him. . . It didn't help that yesterday, after everyone left, Daisy and Billy went off and the way they were fighting. . . It reminded me of us."
Odette bit the inside of her cheek.
Camila looked at Odette. "And I found the lyrics to Please weeks ago, and it left me questioning everything."
"Did you talk to him about it?"
"I asked about the song, and he told me that Daisy wrote it, but she said the opposite."
"Daisy didn't write Please," she admitted. "She might've edited a few lyrics, but even I know that's not her work." Odette ran a hand through her hair as she leaned back against the counter. "I just. . . Did you ever fully trust him after the first time?"
It was another moment in which Camila was silent, staring down at her hands as if she were thinking over the answer. But it was a silence that lasted far too long that Odette was struggling to remain patient.
"Look, whether you that or don't, it's clear you're having trust issues at the moment when it comes to Billy which makes me think they were always there," she said. "Why did you stay with him?"
"You love Eddie, don't you?"
"If you're going to say that because I do, then I should understand, you should know that I don't. Eddie knows that if he ever did that to me, it would be the quickest way of loosing me and considering the fact that you turned to Lucy when you found out about Billy, then you know why I would never give him a second chance like you did with Billy." Odette sighed, wrapping her arms tight around herself. "You never told me what happened. . . I found out through Eddie, and I don't get why."
"I thought you would judge me for staying with him," Camila admitted. "I thought that if you didn't know─" She shook her head, cutting herself off.
"You do realise that if you had told me then I wouldn't have, right? Because all I've been is confused as to why you stayed with him despite how much Billy hurt you, even after Rehab before he finally started to get his act together. And maybe I have been a little judgemental about it, I can admit that, but as I said, I just never understood why you stayed."
"It's because unlike you, I didn't have the privilege of just walking away," Camila said, finally meeting Odette's eyes. "I didn't want Julia growing up without a father in her life because I didn't want her to grow up like I did."
Odette reached forward and placed her hand on Camila's arm. "You know I never would've judged you for that."
"You're right. . . And I'm sorry for that."
Odette nodded, squeezing Camila's arm. "What are you going to do now? Because I can't support the fact that you cheated on Billy─ I mean, I don't like him, but I feel like maybe if you talked to him then it might've made a difference. Did you? Talk to him, I mean?"
Camila shook her head. "I got so wrapped up in the attention I was getting from someone else that I just jumped into it. I've barely talked to Billy since yesterday. . . But I haven't about any of it."
"I think you know what I'm going to say, Cami."
Despite everything, a small smile appeared on Camila's face. "Don't worry, I know. If my suspicions are correct, will you be here?"
"If you leave, I will do everything I can to help, babysit Jules, buy you a house, whatever you need. . . But know that if you take him back if he is cheating, I can't sit by and watch that happen."
Camila nodded, a solemn look on her face. "Are we okay?"
"We're okay."
Odette hadn't realised just how much she had missed talking with Camila without Billy coming up as a conversation topic. After breaking away the tension that remained from their first conversation, they found themselves out on the balcony with Camila keeping her company as Odette worked. They fit back into the rhythm that they once had before The Six's tour ended abruptly, Odette never noticing until then that things had been different between them until things had finally gone back to normal.
Hours were wasted just talking and catching up properly and when Camila left to pick up Julia, it came with the promise that next time she was around, she would ensure that Julia would be with her. Something that Odette couldn't help but grow excited for.
By the time Eddie returned, it was late, Odette finding herself sitting on the couch, blanket thrown over her legs and bowl of ice-cream within her grasp as Singing in the Rain playing on the television. Odette opened her mouth to greet him, but he held up a finger before disappearing into the bedroom. She rolled her eyes fondly, knowing him well enough to know that there was nothing to be offended by the action, especially not when a few minutes later, he emerged in a plain t-shirt and sleep shorts.
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head before stretching out on the couch. Odette reached forward and placed her now empty bowl on the coffee table.
"Are you needed back tomorrow?" She asked, resting her chin on his knees as she looked at him.
Eddie shook his head. "Apparently, she owes you one and Warren and I got all our shit done today which means I'm all yours, baby."
And Odette couldn't stop the grin that appeared.
( GRAHAM: We had a three week break before rehearsals started.
WARREN: I chartered a boat and sailed down to Mexico, I needed a distraction from─ [ shakes head ] doesn't matter what from because it worked, three weeks of just forgetting about LA.
EDDIE: I just stayed around, you know, just. . . Not really doing much. )
Sometimes Odette couldn't help but wonder if her brother preferred Eddie over her. Ever since Romeo and James had gotten together, Romeo had been constantly talking about his lake house that he had bought for their personal getaway from prying eyes, putting emphasis on the scenery; "you'd fucking love it, O, it's gorgeous, especially at sunset," he had said to her. And of course, that was enough for Odette to want to see. But Romeo had always poked her nose and told her no with a grin on his face, the way she knew there was no reason for him to not say yes, he was just doing so to be an asshole.
And then Eddie came back to the apartment─ their apartment, because at some point, they had come to the realisation that neither of them could remember that last time he had actually slept there, which caused them to realised he hadn't since they had gotten back together and resulted in him actually moving him. There was a smug look on his face, one that Odette couldn't help but narrow her eyes at and wave her paintbrush threateningly at him. When he dangled a familiar set of keys, she couldn't help but gape at him.
"How did you do it?" She found herself asking.
"I asked," he replied. "And also promised that we'd keep in it the bedroom and bathroom as long as it isn't the master."
She had kissed him until they were out of breath and pulling apart at the realisation that Odette's hands were covered in enough paint that it got in Eddie's hair.
As they settled at the lake house, there was that feeling of annoyance that rolled over her over the fact that her brother had been hiding the sight from her, and Eddie had asked once, and Romeo had handed him the keys. Odette had voiced the fact out loud, only to cause Eddie to burst out into laughter, only stopping when he caught sight of Odette's pout that he kissed away.
It was easy to lose time there, and she could understand why Romeo was so drawn to it. She and Eddie spent the first night drinking until the sky was painted with yellow and orange hues, and the two of them fell asleep with their bodies tangled up together, fitting perfectly together like two puzzle pieces that never once parted from each other.
It was late in the afternoon when Eddie had discovered the Aurora vinyl that was clearly put out in the open, and the moment she heard the opening to Aurora, she perked up, suddenly finding herself far more awake than she had been before. As the album went on, Odette could feel Eddie's gaze on her, and every time saw his head move in her direction, her finger was on his cheek, pushing him away. And at a point, her entire hand was placed over his eyes to completely stop him.
As No Words came to an end, finally did she move her hand, but she didn't say anything.
"Your silence is worrying, princess," Eddie commented.
She sighed. "I don't really know what to say because any time I like something, a reminder of Billy's edits just pop into my head and I start asking myself, oh, is that bassline actually Eddie or was it Billy?"
Sitting upright, Eddie's fingers ran through her hair. "Don't worry about that, just forget about that."
Odette nodded. "It's a good album."
"Yeah?"
"Probably the best you've ever put out."
"High praise from you."
"I think Two Against Three is my favourite."
"Really?" He asked, a soft smile on his face.
Once again, she nodded. "It's a good song. Not saying ever other song is bad, it's just. . . It feels more vulnerable, especially with just the guitar, which I won't praise because─"
"Oh, wow, and here I thought you loved me."
She shot him a confused look. "That's you? You're playing guitar on the album and not Billy?"
"Well, just the one song, but yeah," he admitted.
At his words, Odette placed herself in his lap, her hand going to his cheeks as his instantly rested at her waist on instinct. "Eddie, love of my life" ─she couldn't stop herself from grinning as red hues dusted his cheeks─ "the guitar is fucking amazing. And I was going to say this anyway, but the fucking bass in Let Me Down Easy is fucking sexy."
Eddie shook his head, trying hard not to smile but his attempt was made useless. "You're really something else, princess."
( ODETTE: I had business in New York around the same time that the band had their time off─ I wasn't there the whole time, but even then, I barely saw them except for Eddie since he and my brother were friends, so he was around. But being so wrapped up in my art, I didn't know what was going on when it came to Daisy.
INTERVIEWER: You didn't know she had gone?
ODETTE: [ Nods ] last time I heard from her was the day they recorded Regret Me, she called to tell me that she had managed to get it on the album. After that. . . It wasn't until Eddie called me asking if I had heard from her that I realised something was wrong. )
"According to Billy she moved out of her place a few days after our break," Eddie told her.
Odette sighed, pressing her forward against the wall. "You and I both know she never called here."
"I know, I told Billy, but he practically demanded I ask you and I'm not going out of my way to fuck him off while we're on tour."
"I would buy good money to see that," Odette admitted, and she wished that they weren't talking over the phone so she could see the annoyed look on his face. "Look, I can ask Ivy but the chances of her knowing anything is extremely slim, but she's the only other person who knows Daisy that I can think of."
"It's worth trying."
( ODETTE: If I'm being perfectly honest, I thought that going to Ivy was a long shot.
INTERVIEWER: Ivy?
ODETTE: Right, Ivy Dane, famous fashion designer who I know was asked about speaking for this but refused so, here I am. At the time she was my brother's stylist and was married to him up until recently [ waves hand ] but that's not really important. I went to Ivy because she was the only person who I knew that also knew Daisy. )
Grabbing the first jacket that she could─ which was of course, Eddie's as opposed to one of her own─ Odette rushed out of the apartment in a hurry that she barely remembered to lock the door as she left; only realising when she was halfway down the stairs and forced herself to turn back despite this situation being one that she would consider an emergency.
Fingers tapping on the steering wheel, Odette did her best to calm herself down, but it was hard when she felt a mixture of confusion and anger towards Daisy's sudden disappearance. The last time she had spoken to Daisy, everything had seemed okay. Trying her hardest, Odette thought back to that conversation they had over the phone, but nothing seemed to be wrong. But then she remembered that Camila had mentioned an argument that occurred between Daisy and Billy, one that had Camila concerned due to how it seemed. Odette wouldn't have been surprised if that was the reason as to why Daisy had written Regret Me and left her wondering what that argument was about that led Daisy to tell her that she could no longer to be around Billy.
That thought alone was enough to make Odette want to turn around and head to the studio, but she was far too close to her destination.
It didn't mean that Odette was out of the car a matter of second after she parked in the driveway, not bothering to lock it up or even knocking on the door when she was close enough. Her stress increased at the realisation that only James was home.
"You okay?" He asked, standing up with a concerned look on his face.
"Ivy here?"
He shook his head. "She had a job in New York and has been there for a few weeks," James replied. "Although, she did call and said that she'd be back in LA a little later than expected because she needed to help her friend Simone with something."
"Simone as in Simone Jackson?" She asked.
James snapped his fingers. "Yes! That's the one, I don't know what they're doing but apparently, they're in Greece."
Confusion overtook her as she stared off into space, trying to wrack her brain around all James had told her. But she knew that Simone was a friend of Daisy, that was how Odette knew her, but she also knew that Ivy would've known her considering they had gone to Greece together for whatever reason.
( ODETTE: I barely know what happened in Greece except for Daisy getting married to that fucking prince or whatever─ everything else is between Daisy and Ivy, maybe Simone, but I've never pushed for answer. But being the one person that everyone trusted enough to talk to about things, it wasn't hard to figure out that something had happened to drive Daisy to Greece and not want to come back. )
The first person she had seen upon arriving at the studio was Teddy, something she was thankful for. She had mentioned nothing to Eddie about going in person to report back abut Daisy but given the fact that Teddy hadn't asked her why she was there, instead leading her to where the band were─ although she realised very quicky that they weren't fully alone as she spotted unfamiliar blonde tuning her guitar in front of the microphone. Odette knew within an instant that it was Ruby Tuesday who was the opening act for the Aurora tour.
"Hey Ruby, you want to give us ten minutes?" Teddy asked, the woman instantly looking up at him.
She nodded and wordlessly twisted her guitar to rest on her back and left the room. Under different circumstances she would've teased Warren who was watching Ruby's every move. But as Billy looked at her expectingly, she only saw red.
"What did you and Daisy argue about the day of the photoshoot?" Odette demanded, not bothering to mask the anger in her voice.
Billy at least had the decency to look taken aback. "How do you─"
"Camila," Odette replied. "She told me that the two of you were arguing about something, and it must've been bad considering Daisy said to me herself that she couldn't stand to be in the same room as you anymore. So, what happened?"
For once since she had known him, she had never seen Billy squirm under the weight of everyone's eyes, even as Eddie moved to stand next to Odette, his hand slipping into hers, Eddie's eyes never strayed from Billy.
"We had a disagreement."
"That's generally what an argument is, Billy."
"She was still upset about what happened with More Fun to Miss."
"Do you know if she's coming back?" Graham asked, and Odette's expression softened as she looked at him.
"I don't know. . . If I'm right, and she is the reason why Ivy and Simone are in Greece, there's no telling if she'll come back." Odette then turned her attention back to Billy. "Whatever you fucking said to her, you better hope she fucking comes back otherwise you're all fucked."
The air was tense around them, and Odette tried to fight off the regret that was instilled within her, especially at the worried expression that adorned the faces of Graham, Karen and Warren and she was sure that if he was within her line of sight, Eddie would've held a similar expression. She hated that she had been the one to tell them, that she was partly responsible for the flurry of emotions that everyone was enduring within that moment.
"Look, you all know that I wish I came with something better. . ."
Eddie squeezed her hand. "It's not your fault." And when she looked up at him, she noticed the subtle glare that he sent Billy's way. "Come on, I'll walk you out," he said, removing her hand from hers and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. As her arm went to his waist, she leaned against him. "You okay?" Eddie asked her once they were out of earshot of the others.
She sighed. "I'm worried about her. . . But I can't fucking do anything about it other than wait for her to show up."
"Well, one thing we do know for sure is that no matter what happens, is that this tour is going to be interesting."
AUTHOR'S NOTE 🎸 / fun fact, that scene between camila and odette was meant to be a little worse, it wasn't meant to end the way that it did, but midway through i couldn't figure how to make that happen, so we've got what we got, which i think the bittersweetness behind it and knowing what's gonna happen does put a dark cloud over that scene. also to explain odette's comment when she said that she doesn't know if she can stand by camila if she stays with billy if in fact he's cheating/ed, it's just one of those situations when you see your friend constantly going back to their shitty ex-partner under the assumption that when they say 'oh, i'll change for you!!' they will, but they never do so it ends up being a constant cycle that at some point, you can't be a bystander for and try to convince your friend who won't listen to you.
🎸 to anyone that had the pleasure of seeing my ranking of how odette would rank aurora (if anyone wants to see the outdated version it's buried deep on my message board, or hey, i might even make a comment with the new one and detail the changes), i did some more thinking, and her number one has changed because she would love two against three (it's also too underrated, along with no words and you were gone, it's a little sad to me). and i have no idea if eddie did the guitar for it on the actual album, but we're going to pretend like he did since he played it on tour.
🎸 i originally wasn't going to include that bit at the end about daisy and ivy, but i needed to include it as it sets up some stuff with the two later and i can't include it next chapter for reasons you will understand when said chapter is out. but considering it does connect with the camila scene (sort of), i don't feel too worried this chapter is too much. and it helps set up stuff that'll happen next chapter, just trust me.
🎸 anyways, i hope this chapter isn't as bad as i think it is. there's also that one chapter that i have mixed feelings about and it's very much safe to say that this is that chapter. i hope you all enjoyed it, don't forget to vote/comment.