Book 3: You Don't Want My Love (Slash FanFic)

Ch. 2: No Worries

I felt a little bad when Steven finally broke me free from my chains. Here he was searching the entire hotel room, refusing to leave my side until I was properly rescued, and all along I was harboring a huge secret from him.

"See? I told you I'd find them!" He cheered as he unlocked me from the bedpost.

"You did," I confirmed softly, forcing a smile as I rubbed my sore wrist.

"You excited for the tour?" Steven asked, beaming up at me from his spot at the foot of the bed.

"Of course I am."

"Me too!" He babbled on. "I can't wait to visit more places. It's going to be crazy. And the openers! Have you seen them? They're insane!"

I was trying to pay attention to what Steven was saying, but I was having a hard time keeping track of his words while also trying to balance myself enough to get dressed properly. Part of me was saying that I just really needed to focus, but another part of me knew the truth: that I was too much of a pussy to look Steven in the eyes and tell him what was going on behind the scenes. What the rest of his band mates were scheming.

"All the fans are gonna' be so stoked!"

We've already replaced you.

"I'm going to get a t-shirt at every truck stop!"

His name is Matt.

"I'll fuck a girl from every city!"

You will be gone by the end of the week.

"We're going to see the world, man!" Steven was practically bursting with joy. "It's just like we always talked about. You realize we've wanted this since we were kids?"

And yet, you find a way to fuck it up.

I finished getting dressed by throwing on a wrinkled Aerosmith tank, happy to finally be done getting ready so that I would have an excuse to walk away from Steven and his cheerful disposition.

I turned to him, catching the expectant grin on his face. I heaved a sigh before walking right passed him and snatching up my guitar case as well as my suitcase, which surprisingly was already packed. I could only assume some roadie or perhaps one of our many agents had taken it upon themselves to pick up after me to speed along our travels. Probably to make sure we weren't smuggling a bunch of illegal shit too.

"Hey! What's wrong?" Steven called after me, his tone thick with worry.

"Nothing, man. I just gotta' go call my agent about my snakes!" I half-truthed as I scurried towards the door. I didn't want to be around him longer than was necessary, I worried that the guilt might eat me alive otherwise.

As I hurried off down the hall, I tried to stifle my conscience as it began to scold me. After all, it wasn't entirely my fault that Steven was being booted out like this. He had had multiple chances to shape up, and yet he still managed to end up slumped over his drum set, too high to function. Drugs were the reason Izzy was beginning to avoid the rest of us, and now, they were the reason that my best friend would no longer be performing by my side.

Still, the least I could do as his closest friend would be to let him know what was coming. Help him to prepare, maybe finally give him a reason to get clean. But he had been given many chances before, and I was tired of playing the role of his mother.

"Hey, there you are!" Duff was standing in the lobby, cigarette in hand and a cowboy hat on his head. He towered over a couple of girls who were giggling beside him, and who gasped in collective excitement at the sight of me.

I didn't see Axl, which meant he probably slipped off to hide on the tour bus, away from all of the crazed fans. Smart man. Duff, unfortunately for him, was far nicer than the rest of us. He got stuck as the fan girls' consolation prize.

"Hey, here I am," I said sarcastically, still in a hurry to leave my thoughts far behind me.

He snorted in response and went back to chatting with the girls, signing their posters, acting like a real gentleman. Still, even Duff wasn't enough to hold their attention for long. I was up there with Axl now, I was recognizable. They continued gawk at me as I hobbled up to the front desk and asked to borrow a phone.

As soon as I was handed the clunky machine, I punched in Grant's office number and waited for him to answer.

"Hello, Grant Summers' office."

"Hey, it's Slash."

"Slash! Good morning, er, sir!"

I nearly laughed out loud at his awkward attempt at calling me sir. That title sounded far too gentlemanly for a dude like me, but I appreciated the thought.

"Axl told me you called about my snakes."

"Ah, yes! Eh..." I could hear him shuffling around his desk, along with the sounds of various items being tossed about as he rushed to find the information he was looking for. Grant was probably still worried that I would start treating him like Axl treats his agents when he got impatient. He had yet to see me angry, and I figured he was just waiting for my inner-rockstar/diva to come out at any moment. "I've got a handful of top quality zoologists! All of them specializing in herpetology, all of them highly recommended."

Well of course they're highly recommended, I thought sarcastically. Every zoo would kill to boast about how one of their employees personally got to handle Slash's snakes. 'Yes, the Slash from Guns N'Roses!'

"Cool," was all I said. "When can I interview them?"

"What time would work best for you?" He inquired.

"You tell me. You're my agent."

"Oh! Yes! Yes, you're right! My mistake, sir!"

I bit back a laugh as he stumbled over his words. Okay, first the secrets I kept from Steven, and now the way I'm torturing my agent...maybe I am just a horrible person.

"It looks like you've got a few shows around LA and San Fransisco before you head east. So, I'll pencil you in for Thursday, 3 o'clock. That gives you enough time to sleep in, interview, and be back to your bus in time for your next departure."

"Sounds good to me." I was losing interest fast. I really just wanted to get back on the road, fuck more girls, play more shows. The sooner I could get someone to watch my snakes, the sooner I would have one less thing to worry about.

"Good. I'll call you Thursday at your hotel. Have a good day, sir!"

"Right, man. Thanks."

I hung up and shoved the phone back over to the receptionist just as Dizzy approached me from behind and clapped me on the shoulder. He grinned at me, his brown waves of hair falling over his shoulders.

"Rough morning?" He chuckled.

"What do you think?" I held up my fist, showcasing the light shadow of a bruise around my wrist.

"No worries," he reassured me before heading towards the main exit. "It'll be better once we get on the road. Nothing beats touring with Guns N'Fuckin'Roses!"

He didn't notice my frown as he left. With Izzy avoiding everyone, sinking more and more into himself, and knowing that Steven would be out by the time we finally left California's borders, I wasn't so sure if it would get better. I wasn't even sure if this was Guns N'Roses anymore.

A/N: updates for this book will probably be sporadic as hell. I'll try to publish when I finish a chapter, but just know that unlike my last book, I don't have any drafts saved.
Thank you for your patience, sorry for the boring beginning chapters, and enjoy! ❤️