Crash - Guns N Roses Fanfiction

SIXTEEN

(AN: HAPPY VALENTINES DAY WOOT WOOT HERE'S AN UPDATE FOR YOUUU)

The guys were all out, save for Steven. Speaking of which, I'd been starting to notice that when they went to the studio, sometimes one of them just didn't go. It was kind of funny, thinking about how they would get any work done without their goddamned drummer there, the backbone of the entire music of the band. Thinking back on it... maybe they weren't even going to the studio. How would I know? I'm pretty sure I just sort of assumed they were.

Anyway, we were sitting on my bed, him smoking a cigarette as I quietly turned the pages of my book.

"Whatcha readin'?" he finally asked when I was a couple pages in, several minutes already passing since the time he first sat down.

"A book about a girl who gets sucked into dreams."

"Oh. That's... different," there was a short silence when I didn't respond. "It's pretty big. How long do you think it will take you to finish?"

"Depends how much you all annoy me."

I flipped a page dramatically.

"Oh. Sorry. I'll go." He repositioned himself so he could scoot off the bed and leave, but I put a hand on his arm before he could go any further.

"I'm just kidding. Stay." Because I enjoy your company, probably a lot more than you'd ever really understand.

"It's boring watching you read anyway."

"Then I'll stop. All you had to do was ask, y'know," I smiled warmly. He grinned back.

But then its warmth faded, and my heart broke a little. What could be bothering him so badly that his smile lost its spark, or even falter in the slightest? Had I done something?

"Is something wrong?" I asked. "Did I do something?"

"No! No, I mean, not really. Well--no, I guess... no, it's fine, really. It's not you, though," he replied nervously.

"Oh. Well, what's on your mind?" I prodded gently, my shoulder brushing his as I moved closer to him. I lifted my head to gaze at his face--the slope of his nose, the perfection of his lips, the curl of his lashes.

"I just... I kind of wanted to talk to you about the other day."

Okay, but which other day? The day we stared at the stars together, the day I was almost raped, the day you and Axl got angry with each other... the list seemed endless. I decided not to ask which day exactly, because that would probably make things awkward.

"Oh. Okay. Go for it, then."

"Right, well... I never got to apologize for... um... I--I mistreated you, and I know that, and I didn't really know how to tell you that, and I knew that showing was better than telling, and I didn't really know how to show that either, so I was gonna ask you if you were willing to go somewhere with me tonight..." he fumbled with the string on his shirt, nervous. He had no reason to be. I was so, so pleased with him. He was being such a gentleman. "Or, or, not tonight--it could be another time... whatever you'd like, it's really up to you."

"Cool. Tonight is fine," I tried to keep my tone as neutral as possible, to hide the excitement and happiness coursing through my body in waves. I smiled as I elbowed his chest gently. "I appreciate that a lot, by the way, Steven. Thank you."

"Of course, Cassie," the way he said my name, the shape of his mouth, the giddy smile on his lips, made me feel wondrous things. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to love him, and I wanted him to love me back just as much. Cassidy and Steven. Oh, how I could get used to hearing that. "I'm really sorry about what happened."