Love Me Tender (W. Axl Rose) (Izzy Stradlin)

Chapter Sixteen

I watched Izzy enter my apartment, a white towel strung over his shoulder with clean clothes in one hand and a razor blade in the other. I was still upset with Izzy, especially with his comment the night before and also with the way he was acting towards me. But, fortunately for him, I allowed him into my apartment with open arms just so he could have a shower. He was suppose to be having a plumber around to fix up his shower, it had basically just broke. In Izzy's words he had said; "I woke up and went to freshen up, turned on the lever and the fucking shower head exploded. Water pissing everywhere. It scared the shit out of me and the water was fricken freezing." I had to say, his explanation was enough to make me laugh and feel sorry for him at the same time, so because he was the first person for me to meet and befriend here in Los Angeles, I allowed him to make himself at home and take a shower. Seemed fair enough.

"Thanks again for letting me use your shower Ethel. I know I was a prick last night, I owe you big time." Izzy flashed me half a smile before he shut the door behind him and descended pass me into the bathroom, quietly closing the door.

Sitting quietly on the lounge with my knees against my chest, I combed my fingers through my hair just staring into space. I had the baby monitor on the ground in front of the lounge while I left Nathaniel to sleep in the cot, in the bedroom. I was still tired from coming home late last night, but I was more deep in thought than tired. My mind was elsewhere, thinking about thinking. Thinking about from the things that Izzy said to me last night and his comment that didn't come out the way it was suppose to. The two men I had met for the first time, that Gilby and Matt and also everything Axl did and said to me last night. So as said, I was deep in thought.

Due to being so deep in thought, I hadn't even heard the knock at my door or even noticed Axl walk in. In fact he actually walked up to me while I was spaced out and brushed his thumb against my cheek. I was definitely in another world completely and being that way and not noticing someone enter my apartment was utterly embarrassing to me.

"Hey darling." Axl breathed a sigh of relief as he plopped himself down beside me on the lounge.

"Hi, sorry I sort of was spaced out." I smile sheepishly whilst making brief eye contact with Axl.

"That's fine, we all do that sometimes." Axl smiled kindly before he reached one hand into the inside of his leather jacket. "Anyway, I saw this and thought of you." Axl pulled out a thornless red rose, holding it out in attempts to hand it to me.

"It's beautiful Axl, thank you." I say in surprise, staring at the rose that was now in my grasp.

"Beautiful rose for a beautiful girl." Axl murmurs with a charming smile. I could feel the butterflies swarm in the pit of my stomach as I intently looked at the rose. Smiling as a blush grew across my cheeks, I brought the rose up to my nose and inhaled deeply. The beautiful smelling scent almost intoxicating me.

"I love it, Axl." I say moments after lowering the rose from my nose. Biting my lip and trying not to blush anymore, I allowed my eyes to meet Axl's yet again. His eyes, a green mixed in with patches of blue staring back at me, then staring back at me was enough to have me melting on the inside. I loved his eyes so much. They were gorgeous, they looked innocent yet they had the mischievous look to them. Axl's hand smoothly brushes over my feet as I continued to sit with my knees against my chest. Continuing to stare into my eyes, I felt myself leaning in closer, the closer his face seemed to inch to mine, the more my heart raced. Slowly lowering my knees from my chest, the hand that was holding the rose slithered onto Axl's shoulder and progressed around his neck. Moving around as slow as it did with our faces inching towards one another. I could feel his hot breath fan my face as our lips brushed against one another.

"Jesus Christ." Axl breathes against my lips. We hadn't yet kissed or done anything and already it seemed like we were both out of breath. Out of breath in anticipation. Unable to hold myself in the position without anything happening, I managed to compress my lips against his. The need to kiss him was strengthening more and more. His lips returned the kiss and within seconds the kiss deepened and became much more heated than I would have expected. Even though our kiss could have lasted longer, Axl soon pulled back and rested his forehead against my own.