KISS THE RING ☆ Taylor Hawkins

8. People are people

Encino, late 1996.

"Foxy, are you gonna get up?" Dave pulled back the curtains in the room as if he had received a positive response from the redhead, starting to open the windows and the balcony. "You're the worst roommate I've ever had." She whispered while rubbing her eyes in the meantime before giving him a glare that made him laugh with amusement. "Doesn't Pat tell you anything?" - "I don't even dare to go near his room." She sat up on the bed, then crossing her arms over her chest. "So what makes you think you can get close to mine?" The singer sat next to her on the bed. "Where's your boyfriend?" She arched an eyebrow at his question, pursing her lips slightly. "Where's your boyfriend?" Dave smiles, putting his hands under his chin like a baby. "Heck, you're right. He's mine." He pretended to threaten her by pointing his finger at her before bursting out laughing along with her. "Really, I don't know. I haven't heard from him for months." Then answered the redhead, shrugging her shoulders in defeat. "And why haven't you heard from him in months?" Dave asks her as he rests his head on his own shoulder, trying to look into her eyes. "I don't know... I mean, I don't even care." Lies. A few weeks earlier she was found walking by a newsstand in Melrose and her attention was captured by a front page of some gossip magazine: "No more Garbage?" was the headline written in large letters above a photo of Taylor next to a brunette girl, about as tall as he was. The text was clearly a reference to Diane, a gratuitous and useless attack. Over time she had learned not to react to this bullshit, in case they wanted to pass an excuse to attack her, she didn't want to throw any gas. She initially saw it all as a betrayal on Taylor's part. In the end, he disappointed her too. Then she, in retrospect, realized that it was stupid to blame only him, also because they had never been anything and perhaps never will be. So she decided to see it all as a let-through and the Guns ex-guitarist seemed to fall just fine.

"And how's going with Izzy?" Dave asked, while she was still staring lost in front of him. "Good, very good. He helps me a lot during my creative process and I can only be grateful." Her smile widens not even realizing it and Dave smiles back bitterly. Remembering how he had found her after the guitarist's departure from his life made him sick. "Maybe the second is the right time, Dave." Diane took his hands, squeezing them close to hers as she looked into his eyes lovingly. "I hope so, Foxy, I really hope."

"Man, finally someone is answering this fucking phone!" The blond yelled, putting a hand on the payphone at the gas station. "Taylor! I was just talking about you ... how are you?" Dave seemed very happy to hear from his friend after weeks of absence. "Great, but I can't wait to go back home." Chuckled the drummer shaking his head and, running a hand through his hair, smiled at the thought of the redhead. "How are you? How's Diane?" Dave sighs, looking down at the small notebook he keeps by the phone, scribbling random words. "Um... good. We're all fine. Committed to their respective groups, I'd say." He laughed embarrassed, trying not to let it slip that he was worried about the singer. "Dave? Are you okay?" - "No, T. Her addiction seems to be improving, almost gone, but that doesn't convince me." In that moment Taylor felt as he were being overwhelmed by an icy shower, immediately taking all the blame of this world. "What do you mean?" - "I don't know, I have to investigate." The two greeted each other quickly because the blond's tokens were about to finish. As soon as he hung up the receiver, he turned to Alanis who was looking at him waiting for some news from her friend. "She's fine, I think." He adjusted his black glasses on his nose, without saying anything else and, leaving the singer with a questioning expression, headed for the tour bus, happy to have to do the last three dates of the Australian leg before returning home.

"D, love... do you want to hear another song?" Izzy asked with a pleading look as he watched her put the diamond pin back on the second track of Jagged Little Pill. "Fuck no. I love this song, I'll listen to it until I ruin it." She answered before getting back into position in front of her mirror, holding the microphone off and starting to pose as her friend, while the other one rolled his eyes and threw himself with his back on the bed. She sang the song for the millionth time with all the breath she had in her lungs, imagining the drummer's face in front of her, as if she was yelling at him. "'Cause the love that you gave that we made wasn't able to make it enough for you to be open wide, no. And every time you speak her name does she know how you told me you'd hold me until you died? But you're still alive." The door of her room slowly opened, showing Pat with a mixed expression between thrilled and amused. "I notice you saw what they wrote on People." Diane's blood ran cold. How the hell he knew everything was still a mystery to her. "What did they write about on People?" The redhead asked nonchalantly, getting up from the ground to go and turn down the volume of the speakers. Her best friend handed her the newspaper that he kept rolled up in his left hand, again showing her that stupid photo with that stupid title. Diane took it in her hand, pretending to be interested as if it was her first time reading it. "Absurd of how reporters can embroider on a simple public appearance with a friend." She chuckled while handing the newspaper back to her friend. Izzy looked at them curiously, trying to figure out what they were talking about. Pat raised a hand to him, blocking him before he could open his mouth. "No, it's not worth it. You should know too." The guitarist nodded looking at his colleague. "In any case, I'm happy for him. I don't think I have to answer the magazine publicly, it will only make the situation worse so that's okay." Pat nodded, nodding at both of them before exiting the redhead's room. She turned off the record player before lying down next to her boyfriend who encircled her hips with his arms, leaving some kisses on her temples. "Hey, Iz?" She asked looking at him through the long loops, hugging him closer as if she never wanted to let him go. "Would you sing Sweet Caress to me again?" He smiled, kissing her forehead one last time before standing up and grabbing her guitar.