Free Bird (Axl Rose Fanfic)

4 - "Hello?"

Aryl hated alcohol. She hated alcohol so much at that moment, that she could punch one of the band members in the face. She hated alcohol, because now she was in the private jet, with 5 hangover men that kept on wailing.

She also hated it because of how it made her lose her senses the previous night. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't erase the feeling of Axl's lips on hers, how he touched her, how they almost...

She grimaced at the thought, she was still not able to believe it. She was not a girl like that. She was nowhere near it. She'd had only one partner in her life before, Dustin, and it hadn't been long since they broke up. She couldn't believe how she threw herself at a man she had met only hours ago, and a certainly not so stable-minded one. What if he robbed her, or drugged her up or something, as he took her away to "talk" in that filthy street? What if he raped her? She was so naive, so stupid... Had she gone to college and graduated with the best degrees in order to act like this? Well, perhaps she hated herself at that moment, more than she hated alcohol.

A few minutes later, Paul rose from his seat and walked towards Aryl, desperately holding a hand to his forehead. No matter in what situation he was in, he still needed to do his job. And then began the talk of business, with Paul explaining the next steps the band should take, the guys commenting unwillingly, and Aryl just listening with a frown. They finally agreed that it was time to record their debut album if they wanted to stay in the spotlight. Certainly, the main concern of the band was going to be recording when they got to New York. They were signed by Atlantic Records just a month ago, having their first manager slightly after that. Now, it was time to go get some attention, if they could.

...

Raindrops, spilling onto her skin as if they wanted to wash her from the mistakes she had done, as if they wanted to clean her up... Cold raindrops, and a cool breeze, leaves from the trees falling down. The ground, wet, slippery. This was one of the few things that made Aryl feel that she belongs here, to the world. The sky thundering, lightnings striking... It was the most beautiful thing to her. That was why the band was called Rain in the first place.

She raised up her arms, to the sky, and stood there until she was soaked in rain. The cold water drops spilling onto her face, sliding down her neck, getting her clothes wet... Her hair sticking to the back of her neck, thunders creating a relaxing vibration, one that would normally scare people. Aryl stood there, under the rain. And all the stress, all the unpleasant feelings poured out of her body, spilling to the ground, mixed with the raindrops. Her mind was calmer than ever, this was what she loved about the rain. It would calm her down in a second, letting her wash away all the bad memories...

"Doin' your rain ritual again?" She opened her eyes, the rain attacking them. There stood Dustin, looking much drier than her, his hands in his pockets. Aryl gave him a smile, "Yeah, you could say that." Dustin walked up to her, certainly not as comfortable as Aryl under the rain, which was why she was surprised when he said "Mind if I join you?"

She shook her head no, and Dustin stepped even closer to her, getting soaked under the rain. Then he threw his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, his touch giving her goosebumps. It had been a while since they last touched like this.

They stood there in a comfortable silence until Dustin opened his mouth to speak: "Rea?"

"Yeah?"

"Why aren't we friends anymore?"

Aryl froze, not even daring to look at him, "W-We are still friends, Dust." she said shakily. "Aren't we?"

Dustin shook his head. "Yeah, we are, but we're not as close as we used to be. Don't you think so too?" Aryl let out a sigh, realizing once again that he was right. They used to be so close that they would share everything with each other, they knew each other better than everyone else. After making the worst decision and starting to date, they were never the same. "Yeah, but... We'll become closer again eventually, it's just... We don't know how to behave when we're together, and I think that's normal. We just need some time."

Dustin nodded: "You're right, but I want you to know something." He glanced down at her and gave a little smile. "I'm there for you, okay? I've done some stupid shit in the past year. But that doesn't mean I'm not your friend anymore."

Aryl smiled back, wider. "I know, Dust. And I'm there for you too, you should know that."

...

Months passed, and Rain released their first album. It was mostly hard rock, but mixed with different genres like progressive and psychedelic rock. They decided to name it "Rain", trying to emphasize that it's their debut album. Soon enough, it got so popular that three of their songs went up to Top Ten. It was an amazing success, and no one in the band could believe it. The album got very good reports from music critics, and whenever they went out, tons of people would surround them and ask for autographs. It was surprising how fast they reached their goal.

While Rain was taking the lists by storm, there was something else in Aryl's mind. No matter how hard she tried, she kept on being reminded of it. From the moment she woke up till she falls asleep, even in her dreams... All she thought about was how Axl still didn't call her.

It'd been months since she met him and he promised that he would call, but there was nothing. She was still not giving up, she couldn't get any sleep most nights and waited to hear the ringing of the phone instead. Maybe he lost my number, she tried to keep her hopes up. Or what if something happened to him?

However, what she saw one day was enough to prove that he was alive and well, maybe even better than he has even been before. An album called "Appetite For Destruction" hit the shelves, by the one and only Guns N' Roses. She was probably one of the first people to buy it. When she listened to it for the first time, she was again mesmerized by the quality of the music and the passion they had. That's when she decided to call the number Axl gave her, the Hell House. Maybe he couldn't remember what happened that night, he was drunk after all, she thought. And when he saw the number, he must have thought that it was just a random chick's.

She picked up the phone and dialed the number, and when it started ringing she couldn't help but feel butterflies in her stomach. The sight of his beautiful green eyes and flawless strawberry blond hair never seemed to leave her. His perfect bone structure, the cute little dimples he had on his cheeks, his slender body covered in colorful tattoos... How he looked at her in desire while they were sitting on the piano stool, how he picked her up and carried her to the couch, how his lips felt against hers... The thoughts that kept her awake almost every single night started to run through her mind again as she was waiting for someone to pick up. It rang, and rang, and rang...

Suddenly, she heard a deep, raspy voice on the other end of the line: "Hello?"

...

Wonder who it is :) 

Hey guys, as you know I haven't been on Wattpad for a really long time. I was so busy and kinda lost my passion to write, and a lot of other things came up. I just couldn't update any of my stories. And unfortunately, I don't think I'm back yet :( I'm currently on a break and that's how I could finally find the time and motivation to write, but when the break is over I really don't know when I'll update again. I'm really sorry :(

Also, about this story... I have many plans for this story and this is just the very beginning. I'm sorry if it isn't exciting enough, but it will get exciting, I promise. These first 5 chapters are like an intro to the whole story, just the background info you need to know. I also wanted to mention Aryl's feelings towards the rain as it will have a big importance in the story. I also wanted to make the bond between Aryl and Dustin a little more clear, which will again be very important in the future.

Sorry for this extremely long A/N :) This story is like my baby and I really want to continue, but like I said, I really don't know when. This chapter was a little boring and there was no action, I know. But it contains things that will be important in the future. Thanks a lot for reading and sorry for this huge A/N :)

Peace!