Previews: Gateway Drug | Volume II

"How's your baby boy?" She asks innocently, despite the fact that the question has me nearly choking on my water for a moment while Nikki awkwardly fumbles with his rings.

"He's great." I answer her.

"How old is he, now?" She asks next.

"Um, he just turned three months last week." I reply, and Gene leans back in his chair before bluntly asking:

"Does he look like the blonde kid?"

I know he's referring to Duff, my nails biting into my palms as I try to remember what I've been telling myself for the last three months.

People are going to ask questions. Talk about it like it's not a weird situation, and it won't be a weird situation.

"He does, actually." I nod, and he looks at Nikki.

"I bet you're thrilled about that." He tries to sound like he's joking, but I know he's not as he sarcastically throws it out to my husband, to which Nikki says, "I'm happy he's even here."

"At this point, I'm sure everyone's just grateful that he's a healthy baby." Shannon eases the tension before it even really arises.

"Exactly." Nikki agrees, glancing at Gene.

"Well, I commend you for what you're doing, truly, because it could not be me." He adds, raising his thick, black brows.

"You wouldn't be able to pull Vivian in the first place for it to be you." Nikki passive aggressively counters, his jaw clenching and unclenching despite his smile on his face as Shannon and I look at one another for a moment as if we're expecting to dodge from the table and let them duke it out – well, kind of. Gene doesn't seem like the type.

"Haha." Gene laughs it off with the same passiveness.

"I heard you on Howard Stern." Shannon starts next, her attention on me, and I feel the color drain from my face.

"Oh, yeah?"

"You two held it together really good – he was invasive. It would've given me the creeps if I had to be there." She says.

Shortly after I had Monroe and Appetite for Destruction flew off the charts and the band started blowing up big-time, Howard Stern wanted to sit down and talk with me and Duff about our unique predicament and Duff's forthcoming fame. It was just as weird as I had feared it would've been, and because of it I failed to mention even doing it to Tommy, Vince, Mick, and especially...

"Howard Stern? You were on Howard Stern?" Nikki asks as he looks at me with furrowed brows.

"This morning." I nod, licking my lips. "Duff and I went."

"For what?"

"To talk about the stuff that's happened, and Duff talked about Guns 'N Roses, and the album, and the tour, and stuff." I try to emphasize Duff's involvement and brush over the fact that I essentially got an interview with Howard Stern just for screwing my husband's friend and getting knocked up.

My sugar-coating doesn't work, however, Nikki's eyes staying on me while I drink more water to fill the gap of silence as Shannon looks as if she's in trouble for mentioning it while Mr. Simmons leans on his elbow, hand covering his mouth, hiding a smirk while he glances between the two of us.

I know we'll get into it on the way home tonight by the way he clears his throat, patting himself down before stating, "I forgot my wallet in the car, I'll be back in a second."

He offers a fake smile, patting my shoulder as he stands up and Shannon lets out a breath and smiles at me awkwardly.

"I'm gonna powder my nose." It's as if she's clawing to escape the quiet that has now engulfed our table, leaving me and her boyfriend alone so she can go to the bathroom, only for him to stare at me freely now, out from under the supervision of our significant others.

I stir my water with my straw, looking around for Nikki to come back as if he can walk at super-human speed.

I'd rather be arguing with him in the parking lot than sitting across from the man who's slept with over 2,000 women and allegedly has kept photo albums to document each conquest, and is looking at me as if I'm the next one.

"Is that your natural hair color?" He asks me and I look at him.

"Yep...is that yours?" I nod to his jet black hair and he slowly cracks a smile.

"Yeah, it sure is." He states. "All the hair on my body is naturally colored, too." He adds. "And yours?"

"I don't like body hair." I say flatly, feeling I know where he's trying to go with this, his brows shooting up.

"Woah, they didn't say anything about that in Hustler." He retorts.

"It was Playboy." I correct him as he picks up his water glass.

"Porn is porn." He finishes off his drink, the bottom of it hitting the table as he puts it down.