Might As Well Be On Mars // Motley Crue

Put The Thrill Back in Bed

Even more infuriating, he didn't hide the fact that he drank. Every time Evie went into the basement, there were a minimum of six empty liquor bottles scattered around the room. Almost every time she went to kiss him, she was assaulted by the smell and taste of alcohol. Since the night he first kissed Evie, Nikki had cut back on the nights where he drank himself into oblivion, but Evie could tell that he was almost always at least a little buzzed.

Deep down, she knew that it wasn't fully Nikki's fault. Nobody becomes an alcoholic just because they like the taste of liquor. She knew he was addicted, and probably needed professional help or at least an intervention. She tried to keep this in mind and be empathetic, but that didn't make it any easier to deal with. When she got frustrated with him, she would begin to resent him for his drinking, thinking he was being selfish for refusing to get help, that if he wasn't going to do it to help himself, he could at least be mindful of the pain it brought her. Evie really wanted to bring it up to him, the same way she had talked to Mick about his drinking problem, but something told her that it would turn into an explosive argument, one their relationship was not yet strong enough to withstand.

But these thoughts took up only a fraction of Evie's feelings towards Nikki. For the most part, she loved spending time with him. Even when he was drunk, he was still funny and kind enough to make Evie forget that he had downed a bottle of vodka an hour before. She hadn't had much of a chance to meet sober Nikki, after all; to her, the inebriated Nikki was the one she was beginning to fall in love with.

They would go to concerts at the same venues Motley played at, sometimes watching bands like Dokken and Ratt from the back row of the venues, and sometimes listening from the street when money got tight. They would use what they learned from the bands they liked to continue working on new music for Motley Crue's next album (even though the first one hadn't been released yet). They both discovered that not only could Evie write guitar pieces, but her lyrics weren't bad either. In the end, she would have four writing credits on the as-of-then unnamed second album.

On their more lax nights, the pair watched vintage horror movies or went to the library, where they would pick out books for each other. Nikki loved making her read science fiction, while she hoped her romance paperbacks inspired him.

But Nikki didn't need a novel to give him ideas. If anything, it was Evie who needed inspiration. He would have her three times a day and four times a night if he could, but she was still so scared. Of what, Nikki wasn't sure, but her fear was real enough that she didn't want to do anything more than kiss for a week after he took her virginity.

At first, Nikki assumed this fear was related to the sex itself-- she was self conscious of her body, or afraid it would hurt, or afraid he wouldn't stop if she wanted him too. It wasn't until one memorable Tuesday night that Nikki learned the truth: it was her emotions she was afraid of.

"I want to talk to you about something," Evie said, descending the staircase to the basement after watching her father's car pull out of the driveway.

Like most people after hearing that phrase, Nikki felt a surge of fear. He put down his bass and motioned for her to come nearer.

Evie stood in front of him, clearly thinking about how to phrase her thoughts.

"Are we dating," she finally asked.

Nikki looked past her, trying to decide how to answer. "I-I don't know. Do you want to be dating?"

"Yes."

Nikki blinked twice, taken aback by her bluntness. Then he smiled. "Then I guess we're dating."

Evie thought his confirmation would come as a relief to her, but it didn't. There was still a more pressing issue that she was afraid to bring up. She decided, though, that it was now or never. "I only brought it up because...I guess I'm just a little worried that you're not being monogamous."