Reason to Live

I sighed, staring at my reflection in the mirror. I didn’t know what to change, but I still wasn’t happy with how I looked. I pushed my auburn hair back, trying to get it higher. I was so nervous.

"Audrey!!! What's taking so long?” Holly screamed as she banged on the bathroom door.

We were spending the week in L.A in order to attend Gene's party as promised. The girls were hyped, knowing that this could be our bands chance to finally get somewhere, although I could tell that they were still a little unsure about it all. They didn’t dare to not believe me this time.
"She's gotta look good,” I heard Billie say.

"But must it take forty minutes? I need to pee!", Holly whined.

" Dude, she's getting ready to go to Gene Simmons' party! GENE SIMMONS!!!" Billie yelled.

"Ah, she's right. Bruce might be there - She must look amazing,” Debbie suggested. I rolled my eyes as I added the last touch of mascara. They were right, and I hated to admit it. Since that kiss he was all I could think about. I didn’t even care about the band anymore. I just wanted to see Bruce.

I kicked open the door and gave Debbie a pretend death stare. When I realised that Holly and Billie were staring at me I snapped "You can use the bathroom now!" They laughed at my stress while Debbie signalled me to calm down.
It didn’t take us long to get over that fight. She was the closest thing I had to a sister, other than my real one. It was hard to stay angry at her. Even so, I was still very conscious of what she said. It only made me more determined to prove her wrong. I wanted to make sure that she’d be kicking herself when I was getting married.

"You're beautiful Aud, Chill out!", Debbie said. I wore a black, lace dress with stockings and red heels. My hair was teased a little and wavy. I felt awkward, but I knew Debbie wouldn't lie to me, so her comment did calm me down.

Gene answered the door as we arrived, and I was star struck, even though I had already met him before. He had his arm around a beautiful blonde woman.

"Hi ladies, come in, make yourself at home,” he said as he led us into a room full of people. We were almost shitting ourselves. I was just waiting for Farrah Fawcett to appear and say “Welcome to the land of beautiful people.”

"Hi, I'm Shannon,” the blond said as Gene introduced us.

"Nice to meet you!" I replied. "Ohh, I love your necklace,” I said as I pointed to her gorgeous pearls.

"Oh, thanks. They've been in the family for years..." she replied before being interrupted by Gene. It was a short conversation, but I felt we clicked. Something that shocked me, because I generally wanted to kill any big breasted, blond, playmate that I had seen. Shannon was different though. She had a personality!

"I'll go get Dave, the man you must meet, just wait here for a few minutes, ok?" Gene said as he and Shannon disappeared.

We stood there, feeling a little out of place as we observed the guests at the party. Everyone who as anyone was there - EVERYONE!
It didn't take me long to spot Bruce amongst the crowd. He looked so good in jeans and a simple black shirt as he stood around laughing. I suddenly felt unworthy to even know him. He seemed so perfect.

Suddenly a man ran into me spilling his drink all over himself, missing me completely.

"Woah, I'm so sorry. Are you ok?" he asked in a deep, sexy voice. I couldn't believe who had just ran into me, so I just stood there looking like an idiot.

"She's fine,” Billie said, breaking the ice a little.

"Yeah, It's nothing,” I finally managed to say, blushing, maybe even drooling.
He smiled and waved as he walked away.

"Ahh! Was that Joe Perry?” Screamed Debbie.

“I... I ... oh, fuck it was too,” I gasped, finally taking a breath of air. " I almost died, Debbie I almost died!” I said, shaking her dramatically. She laughed.

"Yeah, look! He's over there with Steven Tyler!" squealed Billie. Steven smiled and waved when he noticed us gawking at him. They looked so amazing, I almost forgot my mission of the night.

"Dude, you're like some rock star magnet!” Holly said as she playfully punched my arm.

"Bitch,” Billie joked, not realising that Gene was standing behind her, looking impressed.

"Girls, let's go to my office before things get rough , hey?" He said as we awkwardly laughed.

Gene introduced us to guy named Dave Fields, as we played our demo tape. He was a tall man with a weird moustache. He looked very masculine, like he could kick your butt and still be suave. It kinda freaked me out though.
Dave loved it!!! “So we have a deal?” Gene asked, knowing the answer.

“Absolutely. This is amazing stuff. Deborah, you are without a doubt the greatest female vocalist I have ever came across!” He beamed.

“Came across,” Billie whispered, giggling. I rolled my eyes.

“Thank you,” Debbie smiled, blushing.
We talked for a while and it became clear that he was interested and that in order to succeed we had to move to L.A. Dave made plans with us to start recording within a few months.

As we were returning to the party Gene pulled me aside, while the girls practically ran off, probably to hit on Aerosmith.

"So do you know, Bruce is here?" Gene asked, not wasting anytime. I laughed.

"Oh really? I did not know that,” I lied, blushing.

“Sure,” he winked, and walked off, leaving me standing there by myself, looking lost.

I took a deep breath, and began to walk towards where Eric and Bruce stood, laughing at each other. I was becoming more and more nervous, and was struggling to continue. Then I saw her again.
Eric Carr’s girlfriend. She made eye contact with me as soon as she was in the room, not letting go of that glare. I gulped, nervously. As tiny as she was, she looked like she could kick my arse. She wrapped her arms around Eric’s neck, and kissed his ear, not once removing her eyes from me. Her face read “He’s mine.”

Without thinking, I hid behind a large indoor fern. Burying my face in my hands, I quickly established that I didn’t belong with those people. Everyone was so glamorous and talented and most likely rich. Being around them made me feel like none of the three.

“Hiding from somebody?” a voice asked, scaring the crap out of me. I turned around and saw Paul Stanley standing there, smiling.

“Oh...um.” He sat next to me on the floor.

“You wouldn’t be here in a place like this, unless you were hiding. It’s Bruce, right?” he asked.

I sighed. “Well, sort of. But more so Eric’s girlfriend. I don’t think she likes me,” I replied.

“Marie?” he laughed. “Why would you think that?”

“Because she gives looks that can kill,” I explained.

“Oh, yeah. I felt that vibe too,” he laughed. “She’s just threatened I think. She probably thinks you’re after Eric, when in fact it is Bruce.”

“Hey! Who said that?” I asked.

“Oh please,” he laughed. “There’s no point in denying it. You obviously like him.”

I blushed. “So.”

“So? Don’t let Marie get in the way. The two of you should be best friends anyway. You both seem to have a similar charisma. She’s the coolest chick I know. C’mon, I’ll prove it,” Paul said, pulling me up.

"Where are we going?...oh no,” I softly said as Paul and I approached Bruce, Eric, Marie and some other people. They all looked me up and down, except for Eric and Bruce.

"Hi, I'd like you all the meet Audrey,” Paul said. Bruce looked up and smiled at me. I could just imagine the dramatic colour change in my face.

"This is Gerald,” Paul said as he pointed to some guy I would only ever see that one time. I waved and said "Hi.”

"Eric, Marie and this is Bob Kulick, Bruce's brother. And of course, this is Bruce - but you know each other well, right?” Paul said suggestively.

"Hey, what does he mean by that Bruce?" Bob asked with extreme interest.

“Yeah, Bruce?” Marie asked, strangely, as if she had just figured it out. Eric giggled, which was insanely cute.

"Audrey and I have met before is what he means,” Bruce clarified, while giving Paul a less than impressed look. Bob was staring at me intensely, which didn't exactly ease my nerves.
There was an awkward silence for a bit, where we all just sort of stared at each other. Then Eric threw his arms up in the air and yelled “C’mon guys! Let’s go get some booze!”

“Oh, ok...” Bob said, sounding confused. My first impression was that Eric was a bit of an alcoholic. I realised later, that he was just trying to break the ice.

They all began to walk off, and as I watched them, I felt Bruce’s hand merge with mine. I looked down and smiled.

“Is he doing her?” I heard Marie ask Eric.

“Bacon, baby, I’ve told you! Yes, yes he is!” Eric laughed, turning around at us and winking.
Bruce laughed awkwardly, then smiled at me.

“Did he just call her Bacon?” I asked, confused. Bruce nodded, smiling.

“Yeah. He calls her that. Let’s go outside.”
Bruce shut huge glass doors behind us, blocking them out. We were outside on a beautiful night, with a cool breeze. The garden lights illuminated Gene's swimming pool - it looked spectacular!!! Bruce and I stood on the edge of the pool, watching our reflection.

" I'm sorry if they embarrassed you,” Bruce said breaking the silence.

"Ah, what are brothers and friends for?" I laughed. “By the way, your brother looks nothing like you.”

“Thanks. No, really, thanks,” he laughed. I can easily see why. Bob is shorter, bald, and has the weirdest voice. "Do you have a brother?” Bruce asked.

"No, but I have a sister who is beyond crazy and my friends.... well you know what they're like,” I replied. Bruce nodded, laughed, then stared at me, smiling. I had to look away because it was overwhelming.

"What?" I asked.

"You look beautiful, that's all,” he replied.

"Awww,” was my response. He took a step forward, but slipped and fell into the pool! I laughed hysterically when I saw how shocked he looked.

"Are you ok?" I asked while laughing.

"Fantastic!" he replied sarcastically.
I reached out to help him and he grabbed my arm, pulling me in too. Due to the shock, I squealed as I hit the icy cold water. Now he was laughing hysterically.

“You... you jerk!” I yelled, laughing, so that he knew I didn’t mean it.
This attracted some attention as I noticed Paul , Eric and Gene standing at the door looking concerned. Paul and Eric were laughing however.

"It's freezing!" I whined.

“Tell me about it! Not so funny now is it?” he asked, wading closer to me.

“I am so cold,” I whispered with chattering teeth.

"I can fix that,” he said as he pulled me towards him and began to kiss me. He wasn’t kidding. He could fix me. I went from one temperature extreme to another, just by the touch of his lips. He pushed me against the edge of the pool, and pulled my face closer with his hands. I ran my fingers through his wet hair as he became more passionate, leaving a trail of kisses down my neck.

“A hmm.”
We were interrupted by Gene, who was standing on the edge holding towels. We just laughed.

"Nice move,” I heard Gene say as he handed a towel to Bruce.

Once we were inside we sat by a fireplace in order to dry off. I watched my hair dry insanely curly as Bruce wrapped his arms around me. For the first time in years I felt like I belonged somewhere. Not in the mansion, with the “beautiful people”, but in Bruce’s arms. Being with him felt so right.
For hours we sat there, sometimes talking, sometimes just staring. We even actually tried a staring contest. I started to giggle after a few seconds each time.

“You might suck at this game, but at least you’re cute,” he whispered, kissing my forehead.

“Awwww you guys!” Eric smiled, as he and Marie sat down next to us. “It’s so beautiful,” he joked.
Bruce raised an eyebrow at him. “If he’s not doing her yet, can’t be too much longer babe,” he said to Marie. She laughed.

I must have blushed, because Marie gave me a sympathetic look. “Eric, don’t scare her away.”

“It takes a lot more than that to scare me, trust me,” I laughed.

“Hey, Bruce...” Eric said, moving next to Bruce, starting up a conversation about somebody I didn’t know. He was facing Eric as he talked, but still had his arm around my waist.

“Hi,” Marie whispered, smiling widely, shuffling closer to me.

“Hey,” I smiled.

“So you and Bruce huh?” she asked, curiously.

I smiled shyly. “Yeah. At least I think so.”

“Trust me. He likes you. All I’ve been hearing is Audrey this and Audrey that. I had no idea you were Audrey though.”

“You didn’t?” I asked.

“No. I thought you were just some random bitch that was trying to steal my man. Sorry about the death stares,” she apologized.

“That’s ok,” I smiled. “Hey, I like your nail polish,” I said, trying to make conversation.

“This? Yeah. Black nails kick ass. Oh, my fucking KISS here comes titzilla,” she said, pointing at some slut. She had the biggest boobs ever, and was all over this guy that looked like a rich Texan. I cracked up laughing, causing Bruce to look over his shoulder and smile at us.

“She might as well not be wearing a top,” I laughed at her skimpy clothes.

“We get it, you’ve got tits. Opps. You’ve dropped your purse, whatever will you do?” Marie commentated on her actions. “Yep, check all the guys are watching. Bend over. Typical,” she said with disgust.

“I agree. I hate sluts,” I said.

“She’s the type of character I’d kill off in a tragic meat cleaver incident,” Marie said randomly. I gave her a strange look. “Oh, I’m a horror author,” she clarified.

“Oh,” I laughed, relieved. “For a second there I thought you were..”

“Psycho? Just a little,” she joked. I laughed some more.

“You’re not from here. Where are you from?, your accent is driving me nuts!”

“I’m Australian,” I smiled.

“Oh, cool. I’m Canadian,” she began to explain, but Eric scooped her up in his arms, interrupting us. “I guess I’m going. Nice meeting you Audrey. Bye dimple boy!” she waved, being carried away by Eric.

“Dimple boy,” I teased, snuggling closer to Bruce. He laughed.

“Marie’s hilarious, isn’t she?” he asked, sounding as if he wanted us to be friends. He didn’t have to worry about that.

“Yeah, she is,” I smiled.

“Oh, I almost forgot. How’d the meeting with Dave go?” he asked.

I smiled. “You knew about that?”

“Yeah, Gene’s been keeping me updated. Ok, can I confess something?” he asked.

“Sure,” I replied.

“I’m only here because I knew you’d be.”

“Honestly?” I asked.

“Yeah. You’ve been driving me crazy woman. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you,” he smiled. I didn’t know what to say , so I figured a kiss would sum up my thoughts perfectly. He seemed to agree, because we ended up making out for ages.

"Oh, there's Audrey!" Holly smirked as she saw me with Bruce.

"We better leave Aud, early morning tomorrow", Deb hinted.

“What’s tomorrow?” Bruce asked.

“Dave’s showing us around the studio, then we have to go home and pack. I’ll meet you outside,” Debbie said, walking away.

“I’m supposed to be moving here,” I said to Bruce.

“I’m leaving for home tomorrow too,” Bruce said, concentrating hard.

“What?” I asked.

“Come with me,” he said, smiling.

“They’d kill me if I don’t leave with them tonight. This is our big break, and god forbid I screw it up. Oh, but I don’t want to leave you again,” I sighed, resting my head on his chest.

“There’s no way I’m letting you go this time. C’mon, we’re doing a tv show on Monday. I’d love for you to be there watching.”

“Ok,” I smiled. “I mean, my friends are going to hate me, but.”

“Go home with them tonight, as if nothing has changed. And tomorrow morning I’ll pick you up. Just say that you went home early because you have a lot of shit to pack, which I know you do.”

I laughed. “Ok.”

“I’ll get Gene to keep them here in L.A with a party or something, they’ll never know,
he smirked.

“Hmm. Or I can just say I’m spending the weekend with an amazing man, and if they have a problem with that... screw them!”

He laughed. “You are so genuine. It’s really cool,” he smiled, helping me up.

“I’m glad you think so,” I smiled back. As he walked me to the door, we made arrangements for the next morning. “Looks like you have to let me go for now,” I said sadly.

“Yeah. But I’ll see you in about seven hours!” he said, looking at his watch.

“I guess I better go back to the hotel and get some sleep then, or pack... whatever.”

Bruce kissed me one last time, making sure that the kiss lingered on. I walked out the door, still being able to feel him, smell him and taste him. I knew that I would not be able to sleep that night.