Juliette did slip out of Nikki's mind only a couple hours after he met her. That night was like every other night for Mötley Crüe: loads of drugs, plenty of obscene acts with the women that poured in, and a marvelous amount of alcohol.
The next day was a regular one as well. Pounding heads, aching muscles, sickness, and a couple passed out groupies.
That night, the group met up for another night of endless debauchery on the one and only place to do so: Sunset Strip. Boots thudded on the pavement. The neon signs reflected in Nikki's irises like mirrors. The smell of alcohol and Tommy's cigarette filled his nose.
When they arrived at the Whisky, familiarity resounded somewhere in Nikki's brain. It faded as quickly as it came and he pushed in beside Vince, the leather of his jacket brushing against his shoulder. The group was met with loud music and cheering. As they stood there watching the show, Nikki's eyes stopped on a girl three people to his left.
Her eyes rung a bell and he jolted with recognition.
Juliette.
The name came back to him and he remembered the conversation they had in a fuzzy, distorted frame. Yes, yes. The girl who thought she was so smart.
He also recalled her attitude.
"Most girls backstage are sluts. I'm not too interested in sucking you off. I actually like you and the Crüe and I can actually name your first album."
He snorted. Her self-dignity comment made him chuckle too. Boy, she was one who had an ego. Despite that confidence, she was relatively smart and the most eye-catching girl of the night.
Congratulations.
It was only now that Nikki realized he'd been staring at her. To his dismay, she had noticed too. She glanced to her right and was immediately met with Nikki's unending gaze. She eyed him with a look of light amusement and looked away again.
Nikki felt slightly embarrassed. Slightly. He looked away too, processing. Would she talk to him? Would he talk to her? His memory of how much he liked her was coming back, but he wasn't sure he liked her feisty attitude too much.
Who cares?
He shoved it to the back of his mind and shifted his attention on the band again. As he watched, he felt somebody push past him from behind. He ignored this, but he felt Vince turn and from his peripheral vision he saw Tommy turn with him. Nikki ignored it until he heard a voice that kicked his memory again.
Just as he turned to see what was going on, Juliette slipped away. Vince and Tommy watched her go, raising eyebrows as she went. "Wow." Vince muttered and gave Tommy a look, one of which he returned. They continued watching Hanoi Rocks play, loosening up throughout the duration of the show.
Nikki attempted to focus on the show but like the tendrils of ivy, Juliette kept snaking her way into his thoughts. This started to annoy Nikki. He originally didn't believe he had that much interest in her, but by the way he was acting, he began to question this. She wasn't significant by any means, or was she? Nikki physically shook his head.
She was inches away from him. He could walk up to her and talk to her, decide if he really did care about her enough. Mentally, he kept insisting he didn't, but there was a tug, a certain gravitational pull he couldn't describe. Probably a good fuck and nothing more. That's what most of them are.
Something about the way she grabbed his attention, way she held herself, and tone of her voice as she talked suggested otherwise. The thought of her being a good one night stand and nothing more than that satisfied him for the moment and he let it slip like he did the night before. He let himself get more involved in the show, so involved he didn't feel Tommy slip behind him again.
The lights went down and Nikki rushed out, in order to not get caught in the crowd. Vince was behind him. They both searched the stream of people and couldn't find him. It's not very hard to miss a guy like him.
The two shrugged and headed down the street to the Rainbow. They were stopped for fifteen minutes by fans, and after signing some things and talking, they continued their walk to the bar, joking and chatting. People walked by them and women looked them up and down suggestively.
Nikki slipped in the Rainbow with Vince and as he looked around for a table, he felt Vince nudge his arm. "Check it out. Guess he found the girl of the night, huh?"
Nikki scoffed. No way.
Tommy was sitting at the booth with Juliette. A shot glass of cherry vodka was in her right hand and a box of Marlboro cigarettes was in her left.
