Influence

I awoke slowly, trying to remember what had happened the night before. For one, my head hurt a little so that meant I must have been drinking. I groaned a little and pulled the blanket a little further over my body. From beside me, I heard Axl breath in heavily and his arm fell casually over me. I snuggled into his chest, feeling a little more comfortable then I should have been. Outside, I could hear Sarah up and about, probably on her way to the bathroom to throw up. I closed my eyes and hoped that sleep would find me again, but it didn’t.

When I reopened them, Axl was smiling down on me.
“Good morning,” I breathed. He kissed my forehead lightly and let out a sigh. I felt his hand move from my shoulder down to my hip and stay there.
“Good morning,” he finally replied. I smiled widely and tried to disentangle myself from his arms but he wouldn’t let me go.
“Why are you holding me?” I asked. He brushed a loose strand of hair out of my eyes and placed it behind my ear. But he didn’t answer the question. We caught each other’s eye, but didn’t flinch when we did.

It seemed the moment would go on forever, before we were rudely interrupted by a very impatient blonde.
“Dawn, are you awake?” she asked from the door way. My eyes instantly snapped closed again.
“No sorry, she isn’t,” Axl replied for me. I thought Sarah had left so I opened them and sat up.
“Oh, you are up. Alright then, can you order some breakfast from room service please?” she asked. I rolled over and stared at her, my mouth wide open.
“Do I look like a slave to you? It’s only a phone call away” I challenged. Sarah raised her eyebrows.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get it. What do you ladies want?” Axl chimed in from behind me. Sarah beamed.
“Well I feel like some eggs, what about you Dawn?” she said thoughtfully. I threw off the blanket and wrapped a robe around my body.
“I’m not that hungry. I might wait for lunch to come around,” I said, feeling bad about making Axl run around after us like a little dog. He nodded and stood up. He was wearing nothing but his black leather pants. His torso was white, especially against the black. He slipped on the t-shirt he was wearing from the night before and pulled his boots on.
“Thanks, uh Axl, was it?” Sarah half-asked. I rolled my eyes and walked to my suitcase, digging around for something to wear for the day. I found a pair of black jeans and a blue rosette shirt. Once Axl had disappeared, I stripped and started to get dressed for the day.
“Mmm, nice catch there Dawn,” Sarah shot at me. I pulled the shirt over my head and stared at her.
“I didn’t sleep with him Sarah. I mean, like, we shared a bed. But I didn’t fuck him!” I exclaimed.
“Sure, sure Dawny, whatever you say. You wanted to though,” was Sarah’s answer. I rolled my eyes and laced the jeans up. Two minutes later, Axl had rejoined us.
“It’s on its way up,” he announced. I smiled at him.
“Cool. I’m going to go and see what we have to drink. Any requests?” she asked.
“A glass of juice please,” I replied.
“Just water thanks,” Axl answered. Then she left us.
“What’s the time?” I asked no one in particular. My watch said eleven o’clock. I yawned and slipped on a pair of high heeled boots.
“I’ll take you to lunch yeah?” Axl challenged. I looked up at him and flipped a piece of hair out of my eyes.
“Yeah sure, whatever. Where do you want to go?” I responded. He slipped into his leather jacket and offered me his hand. I hesitated at first, but then twisted my fingers with his and we walked out of the room.
“Where are you two going?” Sarah asked, her eyes glued on our tangled hands.
“Lunch,” I replied simply. She furrowed her eyebrows in a confused way and then walked into the kitchen, mumbling something about ‘what a great best friend I was’. We left the hotel and headed up the street, not looking for anything in particular.

Eventually we reached a little diner a few blocks away.
“What’ll it be?” the waitress asked. Axl picked up the menu and held it up in front of his face.
“Can I just get a steak burger please,” he replied. I ordered the same and we sat and waited for our meal.
“So what do you think of LA so far?” he questioned. I looked out on to the street at the passing cars and pedestrians.
“It’s OK. Not used to the guys walking around in women’s clothes though,” I mumbled the last part. He smirked and shrugged his jacket off.
“Yeah well, it’s Los Angeles. What do you expect right?” he shot back. I smiled at him and the waitress brought our burgers.
“These are good,” I said after the first few bites. Axl hadn’t touched his. He was smiling at some one behind me. I spun around. There was a guy sitting in the booth beside us. He had jet black bangs and huge brown eyes.
“Hi there, I’m Izzy.” He said to me, showing me his right hand.
“Dawn,” I replied. He winked and returned his gaze to Axl.
“Where did you disappear to last night Axl?” he asked. Axl just rolled his eyes and took the first bite out of his burger.
“He walked me home. I was all by myself and it was lucky that he did. There were these two guys who tried to attack us,” I explained to Izzy. He smirked and looked out the window. I turned around to Axl.
“Finished yet?” I asked. He looked up, a piece of lettuce hanging out of the corner of his mouth.
“Um, you got a little something hanging…” I said, reaching over and pushing the lettuce through his lips. He chewed and then swallowed before answering.
“Thanks.” I took the last bite out of my own burger and chucked a fifty down on the table.
“Let’s go,” I said, standing up and wiping my face with a napkin. Axl swallowed the last part of his burger and then returned his jacket to his back.
“Yeah, see you later Izzy,” he shot at his friend. Izzy waved a hand to show that he had heard. Once again, I interlaced my fingers with his and we walked down the street.
“What now?” I asked. He shrugged and led us left towards an unfamiliar neighborhood.
“Do you want to head back to the hotel, see what Sarah is doing and maybe hang out there for a little while?” I suggested. Axl nodded and we turned to the direction of the hotel.

Half an hour later, we finally walked through the door of our suite.
“Sarah, are you here?” I called out when I discovered the apartment was quiet. I heard a bump come from Sarah’s bedroom. Axl raised his eyebrows at me.
“I don’t know. And I don’t want to find out either,” I mumbled. He laughed loudly.
“Drink?” I asked politely. He shook his head and collapsed on the sofa.
“Flick on the TV if you want,” I told him while I busied myself with the dishes. Axl grabbed the remote and started to look through the channels. Suddenly there was a huge bump from Sarah’s room and the door flew open.
“Hi there,” she exclaimed when she saw Axl sprawled across the couch and me finishing off the dishwashing.
“Hey bubba, what have you been doing?” I asked, not really wanting an answer.
“Just Nikki,” she winked when she said it. I rolled my eyes and dried my hands on a cloth.
“How are you Axl?” she asked. He sat up properly and pushed his hair out of his eyes.
“Yeah I’m, um, good. How are you?” he answered. She just smiled groggily. I saw two huge hands wrap around her waist and drag her back into the room.
“Wow that was, unexpected?” I said, trying to make it sound more like a statement other than a question. Axl laughed and I sat on the couch next to him.
“By the way, I never asked you. Since you’re trying to make it big in the music business, what area do you specialize in?” I questioned. He raised his eyebrows, obviously not understanding what I had said.
“Like are you a drummer or a guitarist or..?” I continued.
“Oh, I’m a singer,” he replied.
“Sing something for me. Please?” I challenged. He shook his head and tried to change the subject.
“Please? It would be awesome if you did,” I pleaded. He sighed and then started to sing.

Mama, just killed a man
Put a gun against his head
Pulled my trigger now he’s dead
Mama, life had just begun
But now I’ve gone and thrown it all away
Mama, ooh, didn’t mean to make you cry
If I’m not back again this time tomorrow
Carry on, carry on ‘cause nothing really matters.

When he finished, I applauded.
“Wow, your amazing,” I exclaimed. He rolled his eyes and turned back to the TV.

We sat there for several hours, flicking through the channels and talking about several different subjects. Finally 6 o’clock came around and my stomach grumbled softly.
“I’m hungry, are you?” I asked. He nodded vigorously. I stood up and walked into the kitchen.
“Do you want to make an omelet?” I sung out.
“Sounds good,” his voice was right behind me. I grabbed out the ingredients and walked to the counter.
“What first?” he asked. I reached up and grabbed a wok out of the cupboard.
“Can you put that on the stove and heat it up please?” I responded. He nodded and took the frying pan out of my hands. I set about cutting the vegetables up and throwing them into bowls.
“What next?” Axl asked from behind me.
“Um, can you put like, I dunno, maybe four eggs into the wok please?” I instructed. He nodded and grabbed four eggs out of the fridge. After I cut up the chives, there was still no sizzling coming from the stove. I spun around to see Axl at the wok, staring at it.
“What’s up?” I asked. He looked at me from the corner of his eye.
“I uh, it’s kind of embarrassing but I don’t know how to crack an egg,” he mumbled.
“Oh. No, that’s not embarrassing, it’s fine. Here let me show you,” I offered, extending my hand. He placed and egg into it and I tapped it sharply on the side of the wok.
“Oh ok. I get it now. Here let me try,” he said, trying to repeat what I had done. He beat the egg against the side of the wok, but failed miserably. The egg smashed all over his hand and the stove.
“Shit,” I heard him mumble. Smiling to myself, I grabbed a cloth from the sink and grabbed his hand.
“Here, let me get that,” I offered, wiping the egg remnants off. I heard him sigh intensely and place his head on mine. Closing my eyes, I breathed in deeply, my hand still cradling his.
“What would you do if I were to kiss you right now?” he whispered. I opened my eyes and looked up at him. His facial expression was blazed and determined.
“I would probably kick your ass,” I mumbled back. He smirked and moved his hands to my neck, pulling our faces closer together. I hesitantly placed mine on his thin hips. Soon there was no space between us, but neither of us had bothered to kiss the other. I pressed our foreheads together, we were both breathing heavily.

Finally, after ages, we moved in and pressed our lips together. I pulled my face away quickly and tightened my grip on his waist. He tugged my hair playfully and brushed a strand from my face. Then I leaned in again and pushed our lips together forcefully. At first, Axl was cautious, being very careful where he put his hands. But then pleasure took over and he had moved his hands from my neck to my thighs and hoisted me up onto the bench top. I threw my arms around his neck and wrapped one hand in his soft red hair. I could feel him trying to slip his tongue into my mouth. So I allowed him to do just that, meeting his halfway. I ran my nails up and down his bare arms, making his muscles tense. His fingertips trailed up and down my backbone, causing me to shiver with delight. At long last, I pushed up against his shoulders, making him release his tight hold on my hips. I ripped my lips from his and looked into his face. The same determined look remained. I ran my tongue over my top lip and made a move to get down from the bench top. He moved to the side and continued to crack the eggs, this time getting it right. I went back to the counter and looked up. Standing in the door way of her bedroom, Sarah’s mouth was shaped in an obvious ‘O’.
“Oh, hi there Sarah. How are you?” I asked. She didn’t move a muscle in her face. I looked away awkwardly, hoping she wouldn’t say anything. To make it worse, Axl came up behind me and grabbed my waist, pulling us very close together. I saw Sarah twitch slightly so I looked up again. She nodded to the room behind her. I put my head down obediently, escaped from Axl’s bear hug and walked into the suite. Sarah closed the door before spinning around and advancing on me.
“What in the hell was that?” she asked. I sat on the bed and didn’t look up.
“You’re just going to go and hook up with some random guy now? Even though we’re leaving tomorrow afternoon?” she half-yelled.
“Shush,” I hissed, pressing my index finger to my lips. She put both hands on her hips and stared down at me with those big blue eyes.
“The thing is I don’t know if I want to leave now. Axl is-” I started but Sarah held up her hand.
“You’re going to abandon your family, your friends but more importantly your JOB for some guy you met last night?” she exclaimed. I thought about what she said.
“You don’t understand, Axl is different. Like really, really different. He is sweet and funny and kind. I haven’t been so comfortable with a guy my whole life,” I said calmly. Sarah sighed in an annoyed way, and pushed a strand of hair from her face.
“I’m not trying to stop you, but think about what your parents are going to say?” she reminded me. I rolled my eyes and stood up, placing one hand on my waist, the other ran through my hair.

“You know what? Screw my parents! All they ever wanted from me was grandchildren! They didn’t come to anything important my entire schooling life. I got thirteen academic awards in high school and I was valedictorian. But they never came to any of the presentations. When I got that scholarship into college, they didn’t want to pay the other half. I had to get a job and pay for it myself. When I got that job as an accountant, they never once congratulated me. Not once, ever! So if they are going to cry and moan and complain about me staying in LA to have a shot at one of my first serious relationships with a guy that they haven’t recommended for me, then fuck ‘em. I am going to stay here and have a great relationship with Axl. I will make it work whether they like it or not!” I screamed. Sarah jumped back at my raise voice. I breathed in deeply and sighed. There was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” I called. Axl’s head appeared around the side of the door.
“Hey, I was going to take off. This sounds like an argument that needs to stay between you two girls,” he shot, looking at me specifically. I breathed in deeply.
“No, you don’t have to go. Sarah, do you mind giving Axl and me a moment to ourselves please?” I asked my blonde best friend. She blinked a few times before walking out and closing the door behind her.
“What’s going on?” he asked cautiously. I heaved a sigh, sitting on the bed and patting the blanket beside me.
“I need to ask you something serious,” I said, looking him in the eye. He nodded and sat on the bed beside me. I placed a hand on his knee and turned to face him fully.
“I want to stay in LA,” I spat out. He pulled at my hair teasingly and ran his fingertips down my arms.
“And why would that be?” he asked. I chuckled and ran my hand further up his leg.
“Because I like you, OK Axl? I like you a lot and I really think we can make this relationship work. But I was kind of hoping that you felt the same way because I don’t want to fall for you, only to have you run off and leave me stranded in LA forever,” my words came out slowly so Axl could interpret them properly. He pulled his eyebrows low down his forehead and pulled his lips to one side. I squeezed his leg, hoping it would help his decision.
“I’m willing to put as much work into this relationship as you are. So if you’re ready, I’m pretty sure I am as well,” he replied after five minutes. I blinked and then smiled widely. Returning it, he pushed his lips against mine. I slid my tongue into his mouth, feeling more playful this time around.
“No, not in my room on my bed you don’t!” Sarah yelled from the door way. I pulled away from Axl and stood up.
“What’s your decision bub?” she asked. Her face said that she didn’t care but I could see that she really did want me to come home.
“I’m gonna stay, see if this will work out,” I answered her reluctantly. She smiled, but her eyes were hurting. Axl’s breath was on my neck, making me giggle a little.
“What’s the time?” I asked, trying to cover up my little laugh. Sarah looked at her watch.
“8 o’clock,” she replied. I yawned.
“Whoops, looks like someone is a little tired. I’d better get her to bed then,” Axl announced. I rolled my eyes but allowed him to pick me up bridal style and whisk me out the door.
Once in my bedroom, he placed me on the huge double bed and removed my shoes. I laughed.
“You know I can take them off myself, I’m not a baby,” I snapped. He smirked and pulled the blanket over my body before kissing my forehead lightly.
“Please don’t go,” I begged. He smiled and walked to the other side of the bed, took off his jacket, shirt and boots and climbed into bed beside me.
“I’ll stay until you fall asleep,” he murmured once he had placed a hand on my hip and pulled me close. I punched my pillow into a more comfortable arrangement and settled into it.
“Promise that you’ll come back?” I mumbled. He squeezed my hip lovingly.
“I promise that I will be back before you even wake up,” he assured me. I grinned to myself and rolled over to face him.
“That’s good to know,” I whispered. He smiled and kissed me gently on the lips. I returned it and then closed my eyes to fall into a deep sleep. I didn’t even feel him pry himself from my grip and get out of the bed, leaving me all by myself. Neither did I feel him climb back in, kiss my cheek and mumble ‘I love you’.