No Way Back (a Taylor Hawkins fan fiction)

Chapter 10 - I Don't Know How It Looks

The summer sunlight streamed in through the balcony doors as Taylor opened his eyes. Gen was still asleep, breathing softly against his chest, her arm around his side. He smiled to himself and kissed the top of her head gently. It was nice to feel someone in his arms again in this way - not some girl he'd picked up backstage, not some wasted actress who had seemed like a good idea at the time. He was used to waking up with a headache and a stranger in his bed. This was different, familiar, but uncertain. His kids would be back in California tomorrow and as much as he'd been trying to push it out of his mind as an issue, he knew things were going to get complicated. He liked this girl. He really liked her, but he had two young kids and an ex-wife and a demanding career. Would it work? Could she put up with it? Was he ready to get into something serious again? His mind buzzed with questions as he felt her stir against him. He looked down to see her eyelids fluttering open. Those huge green eyes quieted his inner monologue for a moment.

"Hi," she whispered, biting her bottom lip with a smile.

"Hi back." He pulled her into him, their lips meeting in a warm, sleepy kiss. Gen wrapped her arms around his neck and wriggled up against him.

"Shower?"

Taylor grinned in response, throwing the duvet off of them and pulling her out of bed as she giggled and playfully struggled against him.
After an incredibly long shower, the two returned to the bedroom clad in towels and smiles.

"Well that was a pretty dirty way of getting clean," Genevieve said, opening her overnight bag. Taylor laughed aloud and pulled on a pair of cargo shorts. Gen pulled out the boxers and Jane's Addiction shirt from her bag. "I really don't want to give this back," she said pouting. Taylor snatched them from her hands.

"Too bad - that's one of my oldest, dearest T-shirts," he replied. "You can't have it."
Gen sighed dramatically and pulled out the dress she had packed.

"Can we go to Venice today?" she asked. "I feel like the boardwalk today."

"Yeah that sounds good," he said, admiring her as she pulled on a white bikini that did wonders for her assets. "I'll go anywhere you want me to if you're wearing that."
Gen threw her towel at him and pulled the coral dress over her bathing suit.

An hour later they were parking on a side street a few blocks north of the beach.

"Intelligencia?" Gen asked, referring to her favourite cafe chain. "I need to caffeinate"
Taylor nodded his agreement and they walked hand in hand one block east until they reached the hip coffee shop. While in line for their drinks Gen could feel the eyes of strangers on them. These moments served as a thrilling yet terrifying reminder of exactly who she was holding hands with. A young boy Gen guessed was about 14 or so approached them timidly.

"Excuse me," the boy began anxiously, "are you Taylor Hawkins?"

Taylor smiled warmly.
"Guilty as charged, buddy," he replied. The boy's face flushed with nervousness and excitement.

"I'm a really big fan," he gushed. "you're like, the drummer of the best band ever."

"Well I don't know about that, but thanks, man!"

The boy asked Taylor for an autograph, which Taylor happily obliged, scrawling his name on the back of a flier for a local art show.

"Sometimes I forget that you're famous." Gen said as they left the cafe and headed towards the boardwalk.

"Good." Taylor squeezed her hand. "I like that about you."
The pair strolled the colorful boardwalk, goofing off, trying on novelty sunglasses, laughing at bizarre characters they encountered along the way. Gen felt like she hadn't laughed this much in ages.