Chapter 2
No.
Fucking.
Way.
“Dad? You ok?”
The girl at the table gives him a concerned look and then peers back at Daisy. Daisy immediately approaches him and lightly grabs his arms.
“Billy? What’s wrong?”
Her touch. It was real. Too real. Every atom in his body was on fire. It had been so long since he felt it. He immediately remembers why he’d chosen water instead of fire.
“I’m. Fine.”
He gently takes her hands off of him and walks out of the kitchen. The doors slam behind him but the sounds echo as he walks away. He only now seems to realize that his house isn’t even actually his house. His room had been the same when he woke up, but the entire house was different. The hallway was painted a deep red color and picture frame hung on the walls. Billys head was still spinning but he had to see what the hell was happening. When he looked at the pictures, he’d expected to see him and Camilla holding and posing with Julia throughout her life or to see the singular photo Warren took of their wedding while high off his ass.
But those weren’t the photos that hung on the wall.
Instead, pictures of Daisy and Billy were plastered all over. Pictures of them in the recording studio. Pictures of them backstage. Pictures of the red headed girl in the kitchen. Pictures of Daisy in a white dress.
Wait….white dress?
Billy looks down at his left hand and almost hits the floor. A golden band sat on his ring finger. He slowly takes it off and inspects the ring. He holds it upto the light and his heart stops when he sees it. On the inside of the ring, in the tiniest font possible, was the letter D.
D as in Daisy.
D as in Daisy, his wife.
And if Daisy was his wife then the girl in the kitchen that kept calling him dad must be….
“Julia.”
Billys whispers as to not scream. Where the hell was Julia? Who was this random girl who was playing his daughter in this fucked up dream?
“Billy.”
He jumps around and sees Daisy standing at the end of the hallway. A knowing look paints her face and her eyes shift from his eyes to his hand.
“You’re not thinking of divorcing me, are you?”
She cracks a smile to show that she’s joking but Billy can still hear the tone of worry under her tongue. This was a dream. Just a dream. And the best way to get through a dream, was to go along with it until it ended on its own. That’s what he had to do. Stick it out until the end.
Billy slips the ring back on his finger and straightens up.
“Of course not. Just had a bad dream.”
Daisy face changes to something he can’t recognize and she comes closer.
“Again? Baby, you gotta see a doctor about this. These nightmares are getting out of hand.”
Her hands easily fall onto his face and he burns again. But this time, he allows himself to lean into it. It was only a dream after all. The burning begins to settle into a softer feeling. Like butterflies you get when you have your first crush. The feeling is so old and foreign that it shocked him. Daisy had shocked him. But that wasn’t shocking either.
“I’m fine Daisy. I promise. Just needed to…ground myself.”
A small smile comes into Daisys face and he plants a kiss on his lips. The butterflies triple and Billy feels himself getting red. God, dream-Billy had no shame.
“Well, if you want a good way to ground yourself more, you can come with me to yoga today!”
She smiles and almost jumps with glee at her suggestion. Yoga? Odd thing for his brain to dream about but whatever. It’s not like real him was doing the yoga.
“Sounds perfect.”
Daisy claps and actually does a little jump this time.
“Thank you thank you thank you!! I’ve been trying to get you to come forever but you’re always too busy showing Annie how to play strings or fixing something.”
Annie?
“I get shes your daughter but I’m here too.”
Daisy does a dramatic eye roll before winking and walking back down the hall.
Annie. The red head girls name was Annie. Billy almost laughed at the unknown accuracy his dream had. He turned to look at the wall of pictures one more time. The wall was plastered with pictures of Annie. Of her as a newborn. One with Graham holding her tight. Another with Camila holding a toddler Annie in her arms.
Wait….
CAMILA?