Duff
I'm leaning up against the wall in the corner of the room, smoking a cigarette and watching carefully as Anastasia makes conversation with Billy Duffy, the guitarist from The Cult.
We haven't hung out with The Cult guys much at all, and hardly any of them knew our names. It was funny though, because they all got to know Ana really, really well.
I notice she doesn't seem very interested in whatever he's saying, and she keeps stealing glances from me, a smirk held permanently on her pretty face.
My fingers fumble with the cigarette as I watch Billy's hand find it's way to the small of her back.
I wonder how she'll react.
She shimmies out from underneath his grasp and her eyes flick to mine almost simultaneously. I give her the 'come here' motion with my finger, and she doesn't even bother to tell Billy she has to go.
She walks towards me elegantly in her short black dress and high heels. She's all long legs and deep, tanned skin.
I can't believe she's mine.
I put my bass down and take a seat on the couch. She doesn't waste time crawling into my lap, straddling me gracefully.
"Hey." she says with a smile.
"What's up." I tell her casually.
"The sky." she jokes, her pretty red lips curling up promiscuously.
"He wasn't bothering you much, was he?" I ask her.
She chuckles. "I'd be lying if I said he wasn't."
I lean in and whisper in her ear quietly. "I can always kick his ass you know."
"I know." she smiles. "But then you'll get the band kicked off the tour and have no one to open for" She says smartly.
I chuckle and brush a lock of hair out of her face so I can see her pretty blue eyes.
"We could always find someone else to open for." I tell her, running my fingertips from just above her backside, up her spine to the back of her neck. This causes her to lean in closer to me, her eyes changing suddenly from innocence to lust. I feel her shutter under my touch, and the air around us feels as though it could spark at any second.
"Besides, it might be worth it if I get some time off to spend with you." I smile at her, and the implausible idea makes her grin.
Her ruby red lips lean in to speak in my ear, barely grazing my cheek as she goes by. "You and I both know you'd never do that."
Every hair on my body stands on end as I process her words.
"Yeah, but there's other things that I can do." I answer her.
I don't know if she does it on purpose, but her body shifts so she precisely grazes over my crotch.
"Oh yeah? Show me." she says, batting her lashes at me.
Fuck me. She totally did it on purpose.
"Get up then." I instruct her.
"For what?" she questions innocently, as if she doesn't know what's going on.
"Let's go to the dressing room." I tell her.
"Duff, your drunk off your ass. The guys will be lucky if they can get you out onto the stage. And your family is going to be here in like, fifteen minutes." she says, rolling her eyes.
"So what?" I ask.
"So we can't do that now." she shoots back.
"Then stop teasing me." I tell her.
"Then stop being so fucking hot." She says with a smirk.
"Hey, that's my line!" I say, grabbing her and pinning her down onto the couch. I proceed to tickle her until she decides to beg for mercy.
She's laughing in a fit of adorable giggles, and I tickle her even more.
"Fucking stop, Duff! This isn't funny!" she screams.
Axl rolls his eyes.
"Sheesh, Ana. Can you shut the fuck up?" A hungover Slash says from the corner of the room.
"Fuck off, Slash." I shoot back at him.
"Alright, alright, I give up!" She finally says, but she won't get off that easily.
"Who's the best boyfriend you ever had?" I ask her.
She thinks for a second, and her smile turns mischievous. "Brian Cook in the 10th grade. He was a sweetheart."
"Wrong answer." I tell her and I tickle her again.
"No, no, no! I was just kidding! You are! You are!" she screams in laughter.
"I am what?!" I clarify.
"You're the best boyfriend ever!" She squeals, and I stop tickling her.
She smiles at me and takes my chin in her hand.
"Now gimme a kiss."
_______________________________________________________________________________
Anastasia
The band is going on in about a half hour, and Duff and I are making out on the couch alone. The rest of the band walked out of the room when they noticed we were sucking face.
Duff's shirt (along with his denim jacket) lays on the floor in a heap as he hovers over me, pinning my hands above my head.
Hmmm. Maybe we would have the time and space for a quicky.
Duff's hands find their way to the top of my dress, where they wander in an effort to pull it down. Before he gets the chance though, the door handle to the room we're in jiggles.
"Fuck." I mutter, scrambling to pull the top of my dress back up to it's proper position.
Unfortunately though, in his drunken compromised state, Duff can't find a spot next to me in time. When the door opens, he's still on top of me, and it's no surprise who it is: his family.
I watch in horror as Duff's Mom's face goes from pale to flushing bright red. I see a couple of Duff's siblings behind her, and I can't help but hide my face in embarrassment.
"Hi Mom." Duff says nonchalantly as if nothing happened. He gets up slowly and finds an empty seat next to me.
How could he always be the epitome of cool, no matter what was going on?
"Slash and Axl told us you were back here. I didn't think to knock---" Mrs. McKagan says, shaking her head.
This was a disaster, but it could have been a lot worse. At least we both had clothes on. And it's not like they saw anything except for kissing. Couples were allowed to kiss, she had to know that.
"It's no big deal. How was the ride over?" Duff remarks, changing the subject quickly.
I watch him reach down to the floor and pick up his denim jacket, shrugging it over his shoulders.
"Not bad. We had just enough room to take one car." his Mom says, and she approaches me first.
"Hello, Ana darling. Long time no see." she says, hugging me and kissing my cheek daintily.
"Hello." I answer back.
Duff's sister Claudia, whom I met early in the day, comes up to me first and hugs me. Another woman follows her close behind.
The woman is older, but still younger then Duff's mother, and she has dirty blonde hair. She wears a pencil skirt and a nice dress shirt. Her shiny black pumps are just high enough and she wears a pretty gold necklace. It dawns on me that this must be Duff's other sister whom I had yet to meet.
"Anastasia, this is Joan. Our other sister." Claudia introduces with a smile and I offer her my hand. Instead of shaking it, she hugs me instead.
When she pulls out of the hug, she holds me at arms length.
"Goodness gracious. You're absolutely gorgeous. Claudia wasn't kidding when she said you were pretty." She says kindly.
"Oh thank you. It's so good to finally meet you." I say with a smile.
"Okay, enough monopolizing my girlfriend. Where's Mark and Matt?" Duff asks Joan as she gives him a hug.
"They're hanging out with the rest of the band." She says, shooting Duff a strange look.
Duff shoots her a look right back, and no one else notices but us three.
"Well, the front row is reserved for you guys. I can take you out." Duff says to his sisters and mother.
"I'd like to talk to the boys for a little while." Mrs. McKagan says. I watch her as she uses the mirror that sits in the corner of the room to fix her lipstick.
"Well we're going on in about 15 minutes, Mom. They're probably in the dressing room getting ready. I gotta get ready, too. We can catch them after the show." Duff tells her.
She smacks her lips together as if to seal the deal on her fresh coat of lipstick. "Alright then, lead the way." she says.
I watch as Duff leads his mother and his sister Claudia out the door. I'm about to follow behind when his sister Joan starts to speak.
"I'd like to sit and talk with Ana for awhile. I didn't get to know her like you all did. I'll meet you guys out there." Joan says, and my heart drops out of my chest with nervousness.
"You don't even know where you're going." Duff quips.
"I'm sure Ana wouldn't mind showing me the way after we're done talking." Joan responds.
Shit. What could she possibly want to talk to me about?
"Of course." I answer in response.
I quickly shoot Duff a panicked glare and he smirks at me.
It takes me by surprise when he turns back around and connects his lips with mine. "If I don't see you before the show starts, I love you. And I'm sorry I don't have a way to save you" he says with a smile.
I watch him walk away, leaving me in the room alone with Joan. "I love you, too." I mutter.
As soon as they're out of sight, Joan takes it upon herself to shut the door. "It's so loud out there, I can barely hear myself think." she says.
"Oh I know, you should hear it when they start playing. You'll crawl in bed tonight with ringing ears." I tell her with a smile.
"I'm sure that's fun." she says with a laugh.
"You let me know by the end of the night if you think so." I joke, and we both share a laugh.
A silence proceeds to ensue, and I'm nervous for what she might say next.
"Well, to be honest, Claudia and Carol have told me everything about you already." she says with a grin.
"Oh, really." I say enthusiastically.
"Yeah. You're really talented. And smart, too." she responds. "I think you're really good for Duff. He's never brought a girl home."
So what Claudia said about Duff never bringing a girl home was actually true!
"Well thank you." I answer politely, and A small silence ensues once more.
"I only told Duff I wanted to spend some time getting to know you because I needed to ask you something. I know this is the only time I'll have to ask you without him hovering over you like he does." she says, waving her hand in the air as if shooing a fly.
"Yeah, we're hardly ever apart." I agree.
"I noticed. And that's good. Duff needs stability in his life. He wasn't always the most law-abiding kid, that's for sure. He needs someone he can take care of and someone who will take care of him." she says, nodding her head. "He's really happy, and it's because of you and the band. I've never seen him so happy."
"He's the only person I've ever felt so strongly about. I don't know what I'd do without him." I answer honestly.
Silence.
"I'm worried about him, though." she says, and I immediately know what she's going to say.
"Claudia said this morning he completely reeked of booze and cigarettes. When I hugged him, I felt like I was being assaulted by the smell of alcohol on his breath. And it's no secret that he's as drunk as a skunk right now. Has he been drinking since breakfast? He's been smoking since he was young, even though mom doesn't know, but is he really drinking now, too?" she wants to know, and I feel like I should bite my tongue.
I stop for a second to think.
This was not a good situation to be placed in-- In the middle of betraying Duff and/or angering his sister.
"He drinks pretty often. Every day at least. He's not always drunk, though, but he likes to get loose before the shows." I tell her reluctantly.
"Do you think he has a problem?" she asks me.
"Maybe, but he'll tell you he doesn't. And he won't listen to anyone-- not even me." I tell her.
"I know. He's always been like that. He does his own thing and doesn't care about what anyone has to say." she answers.
"It's good to finally talk to someone who knows him just as well as I do." I grin.
"Duff's my favorite brother. He's always been the baby of the family and since I'm the oldest, he was more like my own child then a brother. I raised that boy more then my own parents did." she smiles as if she's reminiscing the past.
"It's nice that you have that kind of relationship with him." I tell her.
She thinks for a second and begins speaking once more.
"Duff's a good person. He has a big heart and a lot of love to give. I know he can be a little shy and quiet sometimes, but he's a lot smarter then he lets on. With that being said, he's got a lot of growing up to do. He's stubborn, and I think you've learned that already. He's not gonna change unless he wants to, and there's nothing we can do about that."