Since I Don't Have You (Guns N' Roses - Duff McKagan)

Chapter Three

Arriving at a café that was chosen by Alison and Izzy, I parked my bike only a store down from where the actual café was located. Izzy and Alison had made their way down to my workplace to see if I wanted to go out for brunch on my day off, which I happily agreed to. But they never specified if it was just going to be the three of us and the kids, or whether they had invited anyone else along. With Izzy knowing that I wasn't ready to face Duff, I was sure he wouldn't have invited him along, out of respect for me. Alison though, she was very unpredictable at the best of times.

Leaving my bike and walking into the rather empty café, I made my way to the counter to see if they had a menu. While I was there, I figured I would order a drink while I waited upon Alison and Izzy's arrival. Not seeing anyone behind the counter, I stood there for a moment before I decided to call out for service, as there was no bell to ring. At once, I heard a holler from what sounded to be the kitchen.

"IN A MINUTE!" A woman yelled.

Wow. Alison and Izzy liked this place? I understood that everyone has their off days or might not like their job, but you couldn't scream at a customer like that. That was one way to lead the business into being known to have a bad reputation. Letting out a sigh as I tapped my fingers along the counter, I heard footsteps come into the cafe, but I continued to stare straight ahead. I knew it wasn't Izzy or Alison, because I managed to see a bit of a fuzzy reflection off of the coffee machine. It was only one person who walked in, so that couldn't have been them at all.

Feeling something dig into the side of my ribs, I heard a males voice speak. "Hands up." They spoke in a very deep tone of voice.

Not knowing what was up against my ribs, I did what I was told. My heart was beating fast and I could feel a chill run down my spine.

"Name your favourite Guns N' Roses guitarist?!" The voice demanded, but at the end I heard that all too familiar laugh. Relaxing as I was pretty sure I recognised who was behind me, I spun around to see Slash standing there with a lighter in hand. He had a very pleased smile across his face and his eyes sparkled as they met mine.

"Slash!" I cried out, bouncing into his arms.

"I fuckin' knew I was your favourite all along." Slash chuckled, wrapping his arms securely around me.

"Of course you're my favourite." I murmur into his ear, unable to keep myself composed. I missed this guitarist the most, even though we did have some sort of contact over the years.

"Fuck I have missed you, Shelly." Slash clenched onto me with his dear life. "You are never leaving again, I'm not going to let you."

"Don't worry, I am here for good." I laughed in his embrace.

"Good. Now let me look at you." Slash backed away and took a moment to admire how I looked.

While he did that, it gave me the chance to look at Slash. He definitely looked older than the last time I had seen him, his hair was at least four inches shorter and his curls were a little frizzy today. Slash also appeared to have recently shaved, because he was facial hair free. His big brown eyes hadn't changed though, they were still as gorgeous as I remembered them to be and they still appeared to look at me like they used to years ago. "Aren't you looking as handsome as ever." I complimented with a slight blush.

Slash's cheeks turned rosy and his lips peaked into a cute smile. "Stop it." He chuckled.

"What? Can't I compliment you?" I teased.

"Not without getting my hopes up." He shrugged, still with a smile.

Shaking my head as a reply, I placed my hand on his shoulder and leaned in closer to him. That's when I decided to kiss his cheek. "I missed you Slash."