Knockin' on Heaven's Door (Axl Rose)

15: Joyrides and Ailments

I woke up alone, but there was a note on the pillow that Axl had been laying on. At first I was worried he'd genuinely left me for some reason, but then I read the note.

Dear Angel-face,

Went out to buy that car you just gave me the money for. Will be back to take you for a joyride. I wanted to wait for you, but you were sleeping in for so long I figured I'd be back before you woke up.

Love,

Axl ;]

I smiled after I read it. Forget that he'd left me, he wrote 'love.' I got up, running my hands through my hair. Despite the razor-straightness it had last night, the mess of curls returned once again. Honestly, I should think that Axl would be happy about that. I'm never straightening it again. 

I went through the two drawers of the small dresser that sat in the room, finding some clothes to wear for the day. I settled on a skirt and a lacy blouse. I walked out to the kitchenette and living room area, seeing Slash stand at the counter. "Afternoon," He said, smirking a little bit.

"Afternoon," I replied, sitting at one of the stools on the other side of the counter. 

"How was the show last night?" He asked. He had a mug of something in his hands. It was steaming a little bit.

"It was great." I smiled as I recalled the exhilaration of the show. Every second was sheer perfection. 

"And the afterparty?" He smirked again. I put my head in my hands, embarrassed. "You and Axl should really try to be more quiet," He teased. "But I think," He reached under the counter, pulling out two shot glasses and a bottle of tequila, "that congratulations are in order." He opened the bottle, pouring out two shots. He held one in one of his hands and passed the other one to me. He raised his tiny glass. "To you and Axl."

I decided that I'd already sinned so much that there would be nothing wrong with a little more. I raised my own glass, tapping it to his. We both drained them within seconds. (They were shot glasses, after all.) 

"Where is he, anyway?" Slash asked me.

I shrugged. "Getting a car." As if on cue, I heard a car horn outside. "That should be him. He's taking me for a joyride."

The guitarist raised an eyebrow. "Do you know what a joyride is?" I gave him a strange look. "Oh, Lucy. You're in for a real shock."

I gripped the console of the car and the door at the same time, knuckles turning white. "SLOW DOWN!" I screamed at Axl, who only laughed as he pushed the gas down further towards the floor. The windows were all wide open, blowing the wind in our faces and making me feel like we were going even faster.

Behind us I heard a siren. "You need to pull over!"

"Let them try and catch me!" The singer dared, making a turn so sharp he drifted a little. I was terrified and exhilarated all at the same time. I promised never to take another joyride ever again, but I wouldn't regret this one. 

We turned corner after corner, still unable to lose the sirens behind us. I feared Axl was going to end up in jail if he kept this up much longer. "Axl, please stop!" I begged. "You're gonna get us arrested." Finally sensing my genuine fear, he slowed the car down, pulling over. 

"Open the glove box," He sighed. He pointed to a door located near my knees. I opened it. "Give me the papers." I did asked, handing him the papers inside of it. The officer pulled up behind us, stepping out of his car and walking up to Axl.

"Do you know how fast you were going?" The officer asked.

Axl rolled his eyes. "No, wasn't watching the needle. Thought you were chasing someone else for going a hundred and twenty four miles an hour."

The officer gave him an annoyed look. "I'm going to have to write you a ticket. Let me see your license." I stopped listening after this. My knees felt funny. My whole body felt funny, really. Blood was rushing through my ears. Everything felt far away. I felt like I wasn't my own person anymore. So there were consequences in the real world...

"Hey, Angel-face," I suddenly heard Axl's voice in my ear. I snapped out of my trance, looking at him. "Are you alright? You look really pale." Concern filled his voice, which I found sweet. He wrote 'love.' I smiled weakly in response. 

Then I threw up all over my shoes.

Axl spent the night taking care of me. Despite the fact that I was clearly okay, he gave me a few pills, one of which was birth control, and made me tea. He covered me in a blanket and made me stay out on the couch so he could help me as soon as anything went wrong. It was adorable. He handed me the television remote repeatedly, asking me if I was sure I didn't want to watch something. I insisted that I was alright, but he didn't seem so sure. "You've gotta want to do something," He told me. 

"I feel fine. Can you guys take me out to drink some more?" I asked. Axl shook his head. 

"Absolutely not! You're staying right here until tomorrow. You'll get sick if you drink alcohol." What he didn't know was that I'd made Duff slip vodka into the tea that Axl had made for me. It was delightful. 

Oh, how the tables have turned.