"Want one?" Duff said, holding up a cigarette. We were backstage and the show was going to start soon.
I shrugged. "Sure. Toss me one," I told him. He nodded and threw a box of cigarettes and a lighter at me.
"I didn't know you smoked," Axl said, walking back into the lounge room.
"I do sometimes. I haven't in a long time, though," I said.
Axl came over to me and put his arm around my shoulders. He lit a cigarette and blew a cloud of smoke out of his mouth. He looked down at me and I looked up at him, then he smiled. I smiled back.
"So, are you two like, a thing?" Duff asked us.
I looked up at Axl and shrugged. Axl shrugged as well.
"I dunno," He said, "What are we, Laura?"
"I don't know. Whatever you want us to be, I guess," I said.
We both looked back at Duff, who had a confused look in his face.
"I'm lost," He said, shaking his head.
"Well, it's about time to perform, anyway, so let's go round up the rest of the band," Axl said, walking out of the room. Duff followed behind him.
I sat down on the couch and blew a cloud of smoke out of my mouth. I knew that Cassie wouldn't be happy to know that I've been smoking, because she's against that.
Soon, the concert started. The concert seemed to fly by. I sat backstage and made small talk with the people working tech stuff because they were coming in and out of the lounge room. I just stayed on the sofa, watching the band perform on the small screen in the center of the room.
It was the end of the concert, and the band was headed off the stage. As they crowded back into the lounge room, I smiled and clapped for them.
"Enjoy it?" Axl asked, sitting down beside me.
"You guys did amazing," I told him.
"Laura, I was wondering something," Axl said in a quiet voice while the rest of the band talked amongst themselves.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I was wondering if you wanted to come stay in Malibu with me tonight?" He asked.
"In Malibu?" I asked, my eyes widening.
"Yeah. I live there. I have a nice mansion that's right on the beach everything. You can stay for a night or two if you'd like," He suggested.
I smirked. "I need to pack some clothes and tell Cassie, first," I said to him.
"No, don't worry about clothes. We'll call your friend when you get to the mansion," He said.
I sighed. "Okay. I suppose," I shrugged and Axl grimes at me, making me giggle.
Axl kept grinning and he tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. He gently grabbed my hands and began playing with them. I couldn't stop giggling.
Axl took a breath and started humming, and we started to do our own little dance, the both of us bring clumsy and tripping over each other's feet in the process.
"Axl and Laura sitting in a tree!" Slash started, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" The rest of the band finished. Axl just laughed and rolled his eyes. I did the same, but blushed a little.
"Are you ready to leave, Laura?" Axl asked me.
"I an whenever you are," I said.
"Then let's blow this popsicle stand!" He said, bending down and scooping me up in his arms.
"Axl!" I squealed, a little louder than I meant to.
"We're out of here, boys!" Axl said to his bandmates, walking outside with me in his arms.
"You weigh nothing, you know that," Axl said, putting me down so I could get in his car.
"Ha! That's the biggest lie I've ever heard," I said, rolling my eyes and opening the door of the car.
Axl rolled the windows down and took off, speeding down the highway faster than he should have. We cranked up the radio and I had my elbow hanging out of the window.
"On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair," Axl and I sang along to the radio.
"Warm smell of colitas, rising up though the air," Axl sang.
"Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light," I sang, making Axl smile.
"What?" I asked, bobbing my head to he music.
"You're a really good singer," He said.
"I'm not that great," I shrugged, "I'm just average."
"Well, I think your voice is really pretty," Axl complimented me.
"Thanks," I smiled, blushing a little bit, but it was dark so he couldn't tell.
The two of us just sat without saying a word, listening to the music. I just listened silently as Axl hummed along to the chorus of Hotel California.
"H- you know, Laura," Axl started, but trailed off.
"What is it?" I asked softly.
"Nothing. Never mind," He said, and I gave him a look. Unfortunately, like I have already mentioned, it is dark, so he can't see.
"You're dragging me to your Malibu mansion and there's obviously some reason behind it. Now what we're you going to say?" I said, trying to get whatever he was going to say out of him.
Axl sighed and shook his head. "Nothing. I forgot. The thought just left my mind," Axl said quickly.
I sighed. "I'm not going to get it out of you, am I?" I asked. He didn't respond.
Axl was stubborn, that's for sure.
