Categories > Celebrities > Guns n' Roses > Faithfully I'm Still Yours
The next morning, Laurie woke up and was immediately aware of the heaviness of Axl's arm on her side, of his warm breath tickling the back of her neck, causing her hair to gently brush against her skin. Their legs were hooked together under the sheets, and for a few seconds Laurie was almost able to believe that she was just waking up to another day back in '85-'87.
Then she remembered that they were in '91, and she and Axl were not together, and she instantly shrugged his arm off her and got out of bed.
"Hey," he muttered, waking up at her movement, staring at her sleepily through a curtain of silky red hair, his head resting on the pillow. "Where're you going?"
"Bathroom," said Laurie, slipping inside and shutting the door behind her. When she came out, Axl was sitting up on the mattress, arms hooked around his legs, staring at his feet.
"Hey, Laurie, c'mere," he said. "Come sit here."
She shook her head. "I told you last night that sleeping in your bed with you would be a one night deal, and I wasn't lying. We can't make a habit of this, okay?" She grabbed a T-shirt and jeans and slipped them on over her pajama shorts and undershirt.
"Hell, Laur...I just want you to come sit next to me for a second..."
"Knowing you, that's not all that'll happen," replied Laurie smoothly, not to be deterred. She slipped on a pair of tennis shoes and walked over to the bed that had been designated as hers from the beginning. She sat down on the mattress and started combing her hair.
Axl glanced at the clock. Its glowing green digits read 12:00 noon. He looked up at Laurie.
"I--wanted to thank you...for listening to me talk about my dream..."
She smiled at him. "It wasn't a problem."
He leaned over the space between their beds and grabbed her hand. "We've got about three hours before sound check," he said. "You wanna go grab some lunch?"
She pulled her hand away.
"No," she whispered. "I'm fine."
Confusion, followed by anger, flashed across Axl's eyes.
"Hey," he said, struggling to keep his voice calm. "What the hell is going on here, Laurie? We slept in the same bed, huh? We didn't have sex, did we?"
"No."
"So why are you suddenly acting like my touch is absolutely repulsive? Laurie, for God's sake, I'm not trying to get back with you. I just wanted to take you out to lunch. Is that a problem?"
"Yes, actually, it is," Laurie snapped, suddenly flaring up. "Last night Duff McKagan told me that you seem to find it perfectly acceptable to slack off and come late to concerts because you have 'so much to do' before you go onstage and sing. Well, guess what, Axl: it's not perfectly acceptable. You have an obligation to those people; you make set times at which to perform and you should stick to it. So I think that instead of going to lunch with me, you should spend now getting your ankles taped and what-not so that at eight-thirty--"
"Hey. Shut the hell up, Lauren. I'm gonna do this the way I want to, and if I want to start my shit at four in the afternoon then I will."
"You'll miss sound check."
"Like I've ever actually been to sound check since this tour started, Laurie."
"Like I knew that." She glared at him, and he glared back, steel on steel.
After a moment, he broke eye-contact and stared out the window. "I'm sorry we can't enjoy a lunch together, Laurie. I thought maybe--"
"Well, you thought wrong." She was being mean and she knew it, but she didn't care.
Did she?
He deserves it.
Did he?
When Axl spoke again, his voice was thicker than usual. "I'm going back to sleep, Lauren. And I'll wake up when I want to, and I'll get my stuff together when I want to, and I'll come down to the arena when I want to. Understood?"
She just stared at him.
He's changed so much. Sometimes I wonder...is he really the same person? Or did he lie down with dogs and wake up with fleas?
"Yeah, I get it," she said after a bit. "I get that you're throwing your entire career down the drain. I get that you're losing all your friendships because you refuse to act professionally."
He shoved himself under the sheets.
"You're not gonna sleep with me again tonight, are you." It was a statement, not a question.
"No, I'm not, Axl. But I don't see why it should matter to you. I haven't seen you since '87. You should be used to sleeping alone by now, right?"
He rolled over and, pulling the covers back, stared at her. She was shocked at the expression she saw in his eyes: pain, deep pain, like someone had stabbed him with a knife. Laurie remembered Duff's words from the night before and felt the tugging motion at the back of her throat that meant she was about to cry.
"Being used to something," Axl whispered huskily, "doesn't make it any less painful." And he rolled over and didn't look at her again, not even when she slammed the door shut as she walked out of the hotel room.
Then she remembered that they were in '91, and she and Axl were not together, and she instantly shrugged his arm off her and got out of bed.
"Hey," he muttered, waking up at her movement, staring at her sleepily through a curtain of silky red hair, his head resting on the pillow. "Where're you going?"
"Bathroom," said Laurie, slipping inside and shutting the door behind her. When she came out, Axl was sitting up on the mattress, arms hooked around his legs, staring at his feet.
"Hey, Laurie, c'mere," he said. "Come sit here."
She shook her head. "I told you last night that sleeping in your bed with you would be a one night deal, and I wasn't lying. We can't make a habit of this, okay?" She grabbed a T-shirt and jeans and slipped them on over her pajama shorts and undershirt.
"Hell, Laur...I just want you to come sit next to me for a second..."
"Knowing you, that's not all that'll happen," replied Laurie smoothly, not to be deterred. She slipped on a pair of tennis shoes and walked over to the bed that had been designated as hers from the beginning. She sat down on the mattress and started combing her hair.
Axl glanced at the clock. Its glowing green digits read 12:00 noon. He looked up at Laurie.
"I--wanted to thank you...for listening to me talk about my dream..."
She smiled at him. "It wasn't a problem."
He leaned over the space between their beds and grabbed her hand. "We've got about three hours before sound check," he said. "You wanna go grab some lunch?"
She pulled her hand away.
"No," she whispered. "I'm fine."
Confusion, followed by anger, flashed across Axl's eyes.
"Hey," he said, struggling to keep his voice calm. "What the hell is going on here, Laurie? We slept in the same bed, huh? We didn't have sex, did we?"
"No."
"So why are you suddenly acting like my touch is absolutely repulsive? Laurie, for God's sake, I'm not trying to get back with you. I just wanted to take you out to lunch. Is that a problem?"
"Yes, actually, it is," Laurie snapped, suddenly flaring up. "Last night Duff McKagan told me that you seem to find it perfectly acceptable to slack off and come late to concerts because you have 'so much to do' before you go onstage and sing. Well, guess what, Axl: it's not perfectly acceptable. You have an obligation to those people; you make set times at which to perform and you should stick to it. So I think that instead of going to lunch with me, you should spend now getting your ankles taped and what-not so that at eight-thirty--"
"Hey. Shut the hell up, Lauren. I'm gonna do this the way I want to, and if I want to start my shit at four in the afternoon then I will."
"You'll miss sound check."
"Like I've ever actually been to sound check since this tour started, Laurie."
"Like I knew that." She glared at him, and he glared back, steel on steel.
After a moment, he broke eye-contact and stared out the window. "I'm sorry we can't enjoy a lunch together, Laurie. I thought maybe--"
"Well, you thought wrong." She was being mean and she knew it, but she didn't care.
Did she?
He deserves it.
Did he?
When Axl spoke again, his voice was thicker than usual. "I'm going back to sleep, Lauren. And I'll wake up when I want to, and I'll get my stuff together when I want to, and I'll come down to the arena when I want to. Understood?"
She just stared at him.
He's changed so much. Sometimes I wonder...is he really the same person? Or did he lie down with dogs and wake up with fleas?
"Yeah, I get it," she said after a bit. "I get that you're throwing your entire career down the drain. I get that you're losing all your friendships because you refuse to act professionally."
He shoved himself under the sheets.
"You're not gonna sleep with me again tonight, are you." It was a statement, not a question.
"No, I'm not, Axl. But I don't see why it should matter to you. I haven't seen you since '87. You should be used to sleeping alone by now, right?"
He rolled over and, pulling the covers back, stared at her. She was shocked at the expression she saw in his eyes: pain, deep pain, like someone had stabbed him with a knife. Laurie remembered Duff's words from the night before and felt the tugging motion at the back of her throat that meant she was about to cry.
"Being used to something," Axl whispered huskily, "doesn't make it any less painful." And he rolled over and didn't look at her again, not even when she slammed the door shut as she walked out of the hotel room.
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