You Make It Easy || Nikki Sixx

Chapter 19

     I shook my head "I- I don't remember... It was something like I was being chased or whatever" I lied.

     "Did you watch a scary movie lately?" he laughed.

     I laugh in a nervous response "Nope, don't think so."

     Nikki didn't want to fall back asleep until I did, but I couldn't, so we stayed listening to the background noise of the TV. I was stuck staring out the window, at the moonlight and the only two stars you could see in the sky due to the city's light reflecting this far. Nikki played with my hair as he watched the late-night programming.

     "Hey Nikki?"  I said with a low voice.

     "Yeah babe?" he responded in an alike manner.

     "Can you tell me a story?"

     "Like what?" he asked.

     "From when you were a kid... you haven't really told me a lot and I want to know what little Nikki was like" I shift my laying position so that I can see his face.

     "Uhh" he scoffs with a slight smile. "Well, it's kind of a long story."

     "Then tell me a short one"

     "Let's see if I can think of a not-so-depressing story... ha- I'll tell you about the time I discovered Kiss."

     "I hate Kiss." I cringe.

     Nikki cringed back at me but continued on. "This was around the time that I started listening to Pink Floyd and Deep Purple, I was doing something in my room and my Nona called out to me and said "That guy you like, Peter Cooper. He's on TV." I knew what she meant. I didn't have any Alice Cooper albums, but I was becoming interested in Alice Cooper, so I ran right out, down the hall, and into the room where our TV set was and The Merv Griffin Show was on. That's when I got my first glimpse of Gene Simmons from Kiss- definitely was not Alice Cooper but he was cool too. He was dressed up in full makeup, big boots, devil horns coming up from his shoulders, just going for full-on shock. I didn't love Kiss's look but I didn't hate it. I never became obsessed, the way some of my other friends did. Everyone liked them the same way they still do today with tattoos and t-shirt kind of shit but I paid more attention to their songwriting more than anything else, and it's funny: Oh Ari you are going to kill me for this."

     "Why?" I laughed.

     "Not long ago when we were co-headlining with Kiss, and I was playing ["Ten Seconds to Love-"]"

     "Yeah my favorite song..." I narrowed my eyes.

     "And it's ironic that you hate Kiss so much because I was just balls-deep in the song, the crowd was going wild, and suddenly I realized: "Whoa! I totally ripped this song off of 'Calling Doctor Love'!""

     "WHAT!" I screamed.

     "Shhhh you're going to wake your parents." he put his finger over my lips.

     I then screamed in a whisper "What!? Nikki, I am so breaking up with you after that!"

     "Oh come on- it's not that bad" he whined.

     "Yes. Yes it is... I do not like Kiss what-so-ever and now I find out that the only half-decent song you have is a fucking Kiss rip-off?"

     "Are you kidding? "Only half-decent?" You are so full of shit" he laughed.

     I chuckled at Nikki's playful protest. "Okay, okay, maybe I'm being a bit harsh. But seriously, a Kiss rip-off? I expected better from my so-called "rockstar" boyfriend."

     Nikki gave me a mischievous grin. "Well, darling, sometimes inspiration comes from unexpected places. Besides, it's not like we're the only ones who've borrowed a riff or two in the music world."

     I rolled my eyes playfully. "Fine, I'll let it slide this time. But you owe me a non-Kiss-inspired masterpiece."

     He leaned in closer, his voice turning serious. "Deal. And I promise, it'll be a song that's just for you."

     I smiled with a sense of pride "Alright, I'll hold you to that. Now, tell me more about your younger days. I want to know everything about little Nikki."

     Nikki settled back, his fingers tracing patterns on my back as he began to reminisce. "Well, aside from discovering rock music, I was a bit of a troublemaker, I have to admit. My friends and I used to pull pranks on the neighbors, harmless stuff like toilet papering trees and ringing doorbells. Oh, and there was this time we tried to build a homemade rocket out of firecrackers... Let's just say it didn't end well."

     "You were a handful, weren't you?"

     Nikki shrugged, a playful glint in his eyes. "Hey, what's life without a little chaos, right?"

     Later, when I started to doze off, Nikki whispered softly, "You know, no matter how crazy things get, no nightmares or doubts can change how much I care about you."

     I turned to look at him, a warm feeling spreading through me, I kissed him. "I know, Nikki."
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