It's a Jungle, Baby

A Happy Family and Behind Closed Doors

It been about a week since everything happened, we're all friends again. Not a day goes by that we don't see Guns N' Roses. They've set up camp in our apartment. I don't know what's going to happen with Duff and I. It's killing me not being able to act normal around him, I miss it. It was only a couple of days but I miss it.

I walk into the apartment and it's already full of girlie men. Slash, Steven, and Axl are sitting on the couch watching cartoons. They look up as I walk in.

"Fall asleep in another lecture?" Axl wonders as I walk into my room and grab my soccer crap.

"No." I say and dig through my bag. "Jesus." I mutter, I can't find my other cleat.

"Lose something?" Steven calls and I look up.

"Which one of you have it?" I question and they all laugh. "I'm serious guys, I'm already late." They just laugh harder and Izzy and Duff walk in.

"What are we laughing at?" Izzy wonders.

"TJ lost her cleat." Steven smiles. Izzy laughs.

"This cleat?" Izzy holds up my black and red cleat. I take it from him and they laugh.

"You're all assholes." I say and look through my bag again. "Fuck off, which one of you have my shin guards?" Duff holds up my shin guards.

"Tada." He smiles and I take it back.

"Thanks, I'll be back in a couple hours." I say.

"We'll try not to burn the apartment down." Axl calls.

"That's all I ask." I say as I walk out the door.

It's weird but it's like growing up with four more Axls. We're all like some weird ass family. They've excepted Chelsea as one of their own so it works out well.  Along with our apartment, they all love to hang around the bar.

After soccer, I quickly shower and head down to the bar. I'm working an earlier shift today even though it's not Friday. It's just after eight and the bar's empty. I figure I should probably catch up on reading for my literature course. I pull out To Kill a Mockingbird, I read it in high school but didn't really pay much attention to it, so that makes this course a whole lot harder.

The door dings and in walks the band and Chelsea.

Duff

We walk into the bar and Taylor is doing what she's been doing for the past couple of days, trying to read this book. I opened it to see paragraph after paragraph and decided I wasn't going to try. Taylor looks up as we sit down at the bar in front of her.

"What are you reading?" Izzy wonders.

"To Kill a Mockingbird." She replies.

"Tequila Mockingbird?" Steven wonders and she shakes her head.

"No, To Kill a Mockingbird." Taylor makes sure she says it clearly.

"Then what's Tequila Mockingbird?" I wonder and she smiles.

"A bird with a drinking problem." Taylor answers without missing a beat.

She grabs us beers, well she gets me vodka and we all talk. The bar isn't as busy during the week so we can all just shoot the shit. Brandi, the bitchy blonde manager isn't here today either so Taylor won't get into trouble.

It's times like these, when Taylor is talking or laugh, I realize how crazy about her I am. When I look into her bold blue eyes, I see all the stars in the sky. Her laugh is like a song, my favourite song. Her smile is like a camera, every time I see it I smile. Taylor is funny, and beautiful, and confident, and Axl's little sister. Why does she have to be Axl's sister, I would've rather dealt with big bad brother Steven, he's not scary.

I can picture a future with Taylor, which scares the hell out of me but I don't care! I want to hear about her day. I want to be her shoulder to cry on. I want to be her reason to smile. I want to be with her when she's sick. I want to be with her through all the hard time. I want to be with her for all the good times. I want to be hers and I want her to be mine. I want to stand in front of God and everyone I care about and pledge my love for her. I want her in a white dress, she'd hate it but it'd be the happiest day of her life. I want a honeymoon away from everyone for time for us to be man and wife. I want kids with her. I want to sit of the porch of a house and watch our grandkids play. I want a perfect little life with Taylor Jane Rose. If I could get that, anything else is extra. If the band makes it, extra. If the Seahawks make the Super Bowl, extra. Ever other good thing would be extra.

This is insane, I've never felt this way before. I don't want her for a night, I want her for every night. Is this love? Maybe it is.

TJ

I finish my shift at the bar and decide I should go back to the apartment and try to study even though I'm beat. Three lectures today, soccer practice beat the hell out of me, and I had to work on top of it all. If being a student is hard, I don't know what it's going to be like as a real adult.

I'm never going to get a job in my field. I'm a world history major and my minor is art. Im never going to get a job as a history guru or anything and I'm not big on showing my art work. Oh well, I'll figure something out.

I get back to the apartment and go straight to my room. I get changed into an old, oversized Colts shirt and a pair of red and black plaid cotton shorts. I sit on my bed and start to read through my text books and notes.

To be honest I'm not sure how long I was studying for when I got up to get a drink. I look at the clock on the stove and it read 2:37am. I grab a bottle of water and head back to my room. I close the door and turn around to see Duff standing in my bedroom. He smiles at my choice of pyjamas and he walks closer to me. Duff walks me against the door and lifts my chin up with his finger. He smiles down at me and puts his other hand on my waist.

"How the hell did you get in here?" I wonder and he smirks.

"The fire escape, then the window." Duff admits as he moves his hand down my waist and to my ass. "I had to see you again, this past week has nearly killed me."

"Me to." I say putting my hands on the back of his neck.

"I was hoping you would say that." He says quietly, moving his face closer to mine.

At first he kissed me gently but that didn't last long. Duff moves his hands to the back of my thighs and lifts me up, pinning me between him and the door. He pushes me further into the door, kissing me harder. I wrap my legs around his hips and match his force. Duff laughs slightly as he sticks his tongue down my throat. I pull him closer to me with my arms, now folded across his shoulders. He runs his hands up and down my sides underneath my shirt, until finding my hair. Duff's fingers wrap themselves in my hair and he gives my hair a pull every now and then.

Duff pulls away out of breathe, still holding me against my door. He leans down knocking his forehead on mine and looks me in the eye.

"Wanted to do that all week." He says out of breathe, he starts to kiss my neck.

"What would you have done if the fire escape was through Chelsea's window?" I wonder and he smiles.

"Would've came in her window then walked in here. Hoping she doesn't hit me with a bat or anything." Duff says putting me back on my feet.

Duff kisses my forehead and slides his hands up my legs and to the waistband of my short. He smiles as he slides them down my butt and let's them fall down my legs. Duff pulls his shirt over his head and wraps his hands around my waist again. I run my hands along his chest and he smirks down at me.

"Can I have you tonight?" His mouth turns into a devilish smile.

"Of course you can." I say and he kisses me again.