Infatuated With You (Guns N' Roses - Duff McKagan)

Chapter Forty Two

I had spent most of the day hidden away in my room, the entire time Duff stayed by my side. I wasn't sure whether he was trying to prove some kind of point or he was feeling guilty and was sucking up to me. I had given up on telling him I wanted him out of my room, I had completely given up about telling him I wanted time to myself, to be able to think. He was stuck to me like gum stuck to the sole of a shoe.

"Hey Shell, do you ever think about going home?" Duff questioned. He was sitting on the bed beside me, staring ahead at the wall, he had been previously playing tunes on his guitar.

"Duff, it wasn't long ago that we were in Brisbane. I love it there, but I don't exactly miss it." I shrugged.

"No, Shell. I was talking about where you come from, where your family lives." Duff twiddled his thumbs, he was struggling to keep still. He had ants in his pants, so it seemed.

Staring away from the music magazine I had sprawled out in front of me, I turned my attention to Duff. He had taken me be surprise, by asking about my home town. "Well yeah, I have thought about it." I nodded.

"So why haven't you?" Duff shifted, trying to get himself comfortable.

"I dunno." I darted my eyes away from the handsome blonde. "When I left, I guess I never looked back, I had my reasons for that though." I peered back at Duff, realising he was looking at me.

"Don't you miss your family?" He frowned.

"Of course I do, I would love to go see them. I will one day, just won't be anytime soon." I smiled, simply thinking about my parents and brothers. "Whenever I get a good paying job, I'll save up to go home." I looked back to the magazine and turned the page. As I did, my eyes landed on a picture of Duff and I. It was so strange to see myself in a magazine, especially in the Rolling Stone.

Hearing a knock at the door, I go to get up but Duff had already got off the bed. "I got it." He reassured me.

Turning over and staring back at the doorway, I watched as Duff swung open the bedroom door. "What do you want?" Duff's tone of voice was a little harsh, but as soon as my eyes landed on the person who stood outside my bedroom, I understood why. It was Axl.

"Can I talk to you Shelia?" Axl questioned, ignoring Duff and looking directly towards me.

"What do you want, Axl?" I answered Axl, watching as he cautiously took several steps into my bedroom. The entire time, Duff watched him like a hawk. But instead of staying near the doorway, Duff returned back to the bed and sat as close as possible to me, almost like he was guarding me.

"I just wanted to say how sorry I am, for all that I did. I wouldn't be surprised that you will never forgive me for it, but I just really wanted you to know that I truly didn't mean it. I don't ever intend to harm you, I can't blame my prescription drugs entirely, but they are a huge reason for my behaviour lately. I've had what the doctor calls, an 'adverse' effect, whatever the fuck that is." He shrugs. "I'm off that drug now and start a new one today." He held up the brown paper bag, which obviously had the medications in.

"I'm glad that you went and got help." I bit my lip.

"Yeah, me too." He nodded, his green eyes meeting the floor. "Anyway, I've annoyed you enough. I better go." He quickly dismissed himself, shutting the door behind him as he left.

Turning my eyes back to Duff, I watched as he returned the same expression. "That was," Duff paused, knitting his eyebrows together. "Nice?"

"I appreciate him apologising about it and letting me know he is on new medication, but that doesn't stop me from not wanting to be around him. I need time." I slowly got out of the bed. "And at least he knows that and doesn't pester me." I added, talking about Duff, directly to his face.