No Way Back (a Taylor Hawkins fan fiction)

Chapter 21 - American Skank

Gen and Taylor strolled through the Camden market stalls hand in hand, browsing the bohemian selections and laughing. Gen felt good; cautiously optimistic. The tiny voice was still there in the back of her mind, asking it's nagging questions and playing over recent events on a constant loop, but the fog was lifting and Taylor was being particularly sweet, making it much easier to ignore the nagging "what if's."

"Hey babe, what do you think?"

She turned to find Taylor's usual trucker hat replaced with a drooping rastafarian knit cap and erupted in laughter, almost choking on the soda she had been sipping.

"Oh we've found it!" she cried. "Your new look, at last!"

He grinned his famous grin and winked as he tossed the hat back in the bin he'd found it in and her heart fluttered the way it always did when she was on the receiving end of such gestures.

"I'm thirsty," he said, stretching his arms above his head, uncovering a tiny glimpse of his tanned stomach as his shirt rose. "I think it's time for a drink."

Gen nodded in enthusiastic agreement. "When in London..." she smiled, taking his hand in hers as they weaved their way out of the market and back out to the High Street.

"There's a great pub around here somewhere," Taylor mused, looking around as they walked. "It's on some side street I think."

"It's London... there are pubs on every side street."

"Yeah but it's a really good one. It's like, two stories, with a rooftop patio."

"The Hawley Arms," she replied, realization washing over her like an icy ocean wave.

"That's the one! It's just around this corner I think!"

She followed him around the familiar corner and toward the bright red facade of the pub she knew so well. Stepping over the threshold felt like stepping back in time. As she nervously played with the ends of her hair, she took in the main room of the bar, the walls covered in autographed photos, the clinking of glasses, the hum of the dishwasher, the chatter of patrons enjoying afternoon pints.

"Let's go upstairs - the patio is rad." Taylor grabbed her hand and lead her up the stairs to the second floor where a smaller bar room opened out to an outdoor seating area with a view of the Camden rooftops. "Go grab us that table," he pointed to an empty spot outside. "I'll get the drinks and meet you."

Gen followed his instructions and pushed through the patio door, tossing her bag on the bench of the unoccupied picnic table in the far corner and sliding in beside it. This tiny patio held so many memories, both good and bad. She had spent so much time out here drinking far too many pints and laughing til her sides hurt with Serge and Noel, sometimes joined by their completely ridiculous friend Russell Brand, who at the time had only been a big deal in the UK but was now shooting to big time celebrity status in Hollywood. She instinctively pulled a cigarette from her purse as she had so many times before, lighting it and taking a long drag. She looked into the bar to see what was holding Taylor up and was not surprised to see him laughing and chatting with the bartender. The man immediately befriended everyone. She loved that about him. Looking out over Camden town she couldn't seem to summon any sort of emotion.

——————————————

"I love this patio." Gen sighed, resting her head on Sergio's shoulder and taking a sip of her beer.

"It's our patio," he replied, kissing the top of her head.

She squeezed his thigh, snuggling closer to him, taking in the smell of his cologne and wishing she wasn't leaving in two days. This was her third time in London and it only got harder each time she had to say goodbye. While they were always complaining about the distance and romanticizing the idea of being together, they never truly discussed a solid future plan. Gen was too nervous to seriously bring it up, afraid that Serge might run for the hills if she tried to force reality into the equation. She took another sip of her beer and set it down, winding her arms around his waist. With one hand she tugged gently on the silver heart necklace that hung against his grey T-shirt and smiled.