KISS THE RING ☆ Taylor Hawkins

12. Crossed the line

London, June 1997.

Neither Taylor nor Izzy mentioned their meeting on the streets of Manchester. There was no need to do that. The first of the month they all met in the capital, where they would have had to spend more than two weeks due to the four dates that would be held there. In Dave's eyes the redhead was behaving stranger and stranger, she really seemed more lucid than usual, but that didn't convince him. Nate kept telling him he was too paranoid, that Diane was okay and that she had that strange light in her face just because she had found love and there was no question about that, but something kept not coming back. She was much calmer than usual, almost relaxed. Obviously Diane seemed much calmer than in the past, after cutting of cocaine she had switched to heroin as if it was the most normal thing in the world: although her boyfriend had literally prevented her from getting close to that stuff, she still managed to convince him. So yes, she would normally appear calmer than usual in the eyes of others, but also more worn and unkempt than normal.

Izzy stayed with the group for a few days in the capital, before returning to Pasadena to work on his first solo album. Obviously he was about to leave some supplies to his girlfriend to prevent her from going to dig her grave with his own hands, as if she hadn't already been doing it for some time on her own.

"You're finally alone." Claudia announced before throwing herself on the redhead's bed, and she received an annoyed look as an answer for her statement. "Sorry? Did Izzy do something bad to you?" Diane then asked while continuing to arrange her suite which, since the guitarist left, was taking a normal shape. "Nothing to me." The bass player whispered sitting back up on the bed, with her arms outstretched and resting on the cool blankets. "He just made you a heroin addict." The redhead threw a pillow in her face, then approached her with a quick step. "Do you want to shout it to the world? Nate is standing next door, what the fuck?" The brunette looked at her in defeat, blowing a lock of hair that the pillow had ruffled off her face. "Well, it means I'll take this secret all the way to your fucking funeral." The redhead rolled her eyes, returning to her business. "Don't be dramatic, it's not that deep."

Without her boyfriend she didn't know how to handle herself, she didn't even realize how many hours had passed since the last shot and now she was starting to feel the first symptoms of addiction. After the soundcheck, she went to take refuge in the furthest bathroom from the Garbage dressing room, luckily for her she found herself in the one that was closest to the Foos' dressing room instead. Taylor, who didn't lose sight of her even for a second since she had set foot in England, after his soundcheck with the others, he tried to follow the same steps as the redhead, entering the corridors of the building. "Diane?" He knocked on the door of the women's bathroom with zero hope of finding her. "T, please come in ..." She whimpered trying to compose herself as quickly as possible on the toilet seat. As soon as the blond stepped into the bathroom he saw her all undone, the tourniquet tied to her arm and a syringe still full between her fingers. Her shorter locks of hair were stuck to her forehead from sweat and her legs dangling as if she had no control over her lower limbs. "Please help me. I... I can't." She handed him the syringe with shaky hands, being as careful as possible to keeping him from getting close to the needle. Taylor picked up the tool still in shock from the vision that came in front of him, nodding but not really knowing what to do. She timidly ran her hand over his face, hinting a smile at the blond who looked at her in a daze. "I can guide you." The redhead then whispered, letting her hand slide down his arm, pointing to the largest vein that stood out among the others. As the drummer stalled, trying to figure out how to give her the injection that went against his morals, she began to writhe in on herself, moaning and moaning as if there was someone stabbing her in the stomach. "Taylor, hurry up. Please." He nodded again, taking her arm gently before injecting her with that brownish liquid that made him sick. The redhead whispered his name before staring at him with empty, almost soulless eyes and leaning on his arms, as if to hold on. A few seconds after that, she rolled her eyes back, risking collapsing to the ground if it weren't for her friend who took her in his grip, mainly holding her head to make her stand still with the neck straight. "Diane, talk to me." He kept repeating for the next 10 minutes, only receiving noises from the redhead who, moving slowly in his arms, somehow reassured him. "Taylor?" She called out to him in a voice that almost didn't sound like hers, continuing to keep her eyes aware closed but still trying to look at him. She put her hands on the blond's face, trying to hold herself in the best possible way and hinted a smile. "I missed you so much." She raised both eyebrows as if she was about to cry, stroking the face of the drummer who closed his eyes to savor that moment of peace with the person he cared most about in that moment. She repeated his name several times, placing her forehead against the blond's one who suddenly held her tightly in his arms and then placed his lips against the dry ones of the girl. It didn't take too long to her to welcome him in her mouth, intertwining her arms behind his neck. The drummer's hands anchored to her hips before gently resting her back against the cold, sad bathroom tiles and he could swear he sensed a smile from her as they kissed. The first to move away was she but only to be able to catch her breath, keeping a low, almost guilty gaze, and her hands on the chest of the drummer who, with a questioning expression, looked for an answer from the girl. "Diane ..." he then called her looking at the wall in front of him and leaving kisses on her temples, he brought his hands into the back pockets of the redhead's high-waisted jeans. She rested her head on his shoulder shortly after, taking long breaths as she tried to clear up her head. "...what will happen now?"