Lips (Keith Richards)

Chapter One: Vivian

author's note
I know it's fluffy and introductory, but I sincerely wanted to get this out sooner, and it still needs some tweaks and since I'd already made some, I thought I'd publish the rough draft anyway. I hope those of you who read it enjoy, I promise it will get much better. Please constructive criticism and other comments are welcome, I'm always welcoming words of improvement. Love and thanks to all!

I had never been out of the United States without my parents, and to be honest, I was scared. On the bright side of things, though, I was going with two of my best friends and I knew that they would take care of me. We had just graduated high school and this was our last hurrah before college days would impede on our friendship. And... No matter the cost, I was going to make this trip the best. My two best friends, Joan and Marie were going with me, they had been my best friends since before I could remember. We loved each other not because we had to, but because we wanted to. However, Joan was my real best friend. Joan was the one I could tell everything to, the one who wouldn't judge me for stupid shit that I did. The same couldn't be said for Marie, Marie was a goody two shoes in every sense of the word, she liked to hear gossip but stories were never started about her or by her. Marie wanted to be a bad girl, but every time she was given the chance she would look down at her pristine purity ring and change her mind. I couldn't say I didn't love her for it, though.

This trip was to Nice, France, where I heard the water was a beautiful blue and the people were sweet, as well. This trip was my birthday gift, a gift that later on I would cherish because of the events that occurred during our four-month escapade there. During the ride to John F. Kennedy International Airport, my mother and father warned me of impending danger and things I should be aware of while in France. However, I was too busy worrying about what I was going to do when I arrived on the foreign soil to even care about what they were actively saying. Joan and Marie along with both pairs of their parents met up with us at the airport, and like my parents, their parents were also making sound warnings to the two of them. With our luggage and carry-ons waiting in the wings, we all hugged our parents and bid them goodbye for a while. Little did I know, I wouldn't be coming back for longer than expected.

With the goodbyes said and the luggage in hand, we made our way into the airport and through the airport towards the waiting area. Long story we waited at least thirty minutes for a flight to be called and we began to get anxious with the passing of minutes. I read a publication of Vogue whilst Joan and Marie retired to the bathroom to freshen their makeup and to use the bathroom. Finally, a few minutes after the two of them returned to the waiting area they called our flight. We walked to the main terminal for loading. We were all checked by security and then loaded onto the plane, in the First Class section. We sat down in our row and waited for the rest of the passengers to board.

Not even fifteen minutes passed before we were instructed to latch our lap belts and prepared for the airplane to take off. I fell asleep only mere minutes after takeoff but I woke up with a jolt when the plane suddenly landed. We had arrived in Munich, Germany where we would board the next flight, that flight then taking us to our final destination. The airport in Munich was boring and the layover was supposedly only supposed to last a good hour and a half. However, after filling our stomachs with food it seemed as if the waiting seemed to pass by quite quickly.

We boarded the flight in Munich to Nice shortly before three in the evening, and our flight to Nice was only planned to last an hour and a half. I relished in the feeling that soon I would be in France.

Just like the airport had said our plane landed in Nice, France shortly after four o'clock French time. I was the happiest I'd ever been. Hell, I was happy to be out of New York, not that living in New York was incredibly bad or anything. I could smell the sea as we exited the airport and I longed to be on the beach, bathing in the sun.

By the time we checked into the hotel and settled our luggage and belonging throughout the suite, the three of us decided that we'd fancy dinner in a nice restaurant by the sea. I was dressed to impress, lord, if my parents had known what I was wearing now I would have been strung up by my toes. However, France was an accepting country and my outfit was one that would have been conservative by their standards. It was a new style of shirt, one called a crop top, and it showed off my toned stomach. I wore jean shorts with it, ones that were quite short, but not incredibly short.

With all of us ready and dressed, we left the hotel in a chartered car. The car took us to a seafood restaurant right on the beach, it had a bar and in France, we were all legal to drink, which I was lucky for. I wanted to let lose, and for once I was finally given the chance to. As soon as we entered the restaurant, I smiled at the atmosphere of the place. This alone was a sign that this trip was going to be great. The people chatted away in all types of different languages, French overpowering most of the languages though.

We chow down on the food and proceed to the bar where we start a tab, I'm about to take my first swig of whiskey when a guy sits down on the stool beside of me. He looks familiar but I can't say that I know him. He smiles in my direction, but I assume he's looking at Joan, she's the prettiest of our group. I swirled my drink, and tried my best to ignore the man's gaze. I was surprised when Janis Joplin started to play over the sound system in the restaurant, I hadn't realized that she was big outside the U.S. I hummed along, until the man caught me off guard. "Are you gonna ignore me much longer?" The man asks with his thick British accent.

"Me? You were looking at me?" I hold my hand to my chest. He has to be kidding me...

He grins, "Not you, your friend." He motions to Joan and I can't help but feel disappointed. I turn away from him, and back to my drink. "I'm only kidding, darling, you are the only blonde American in this joint."

I turn back to him, sort of glaring, "You have to be kidding me."

A grin forms on the man's face and I can't help but smirk, this is the first time in months that anyone has passed Joan up for me. "Sweetheart, I would've already taken your friend home with me if I hadn't been kidding, however, I'm working on taking you home with me right now," He says.

I giggle, and I scold myself for acting like a naive child. "You can't take me home if I don't know your name," I smirk at him, trying to sexualize myself to the best of my abilities.

"I was sure you'd recognize me, darling, or I would've introduced myself sooner," He begins, before taking another measured drink of his whiskey and motioning for me to come closer. I oblige, although I don't know why he wants me in such close proximity with him. He covers his mouth over my ear and I can feel his hot breath on my hair. "I'm Keith Richards," He whispers and in that moment I'm dumbfounded because of course he really is.