Love And Other Drugs

The studio was crowded, but the room was filled with laughter as Andy sat back on one of the couches and looked around. All of the girls were there today-Luxe had told him that sometimes it was just her and Char working-and it made Andy happy to see the group filled with so much joy and hope. Luxe was laughing at something Mads had said, the two of them had grown close since coming up to Seattle and it was a shock to everyone.

Mads had never been shy about expressing her feelings towards the singer-she thought Luxe didn’t fit in and probably never would-but slowly it seemed like the two had formed a bond that no one could touch. Andy sat back on the couch, looking over the song list in his hands for the girl’s sophomore album, Burn Down the Doll House.

Pearl
I’m Still Breathing
Let's Get Dead
Bloody Mary
My Sweet Unvalentine
Death Of The Party
Razor
The Arsonist
My Medicine
Light Me Up
Nothing Left To Lose
Who Am I Living For?
Not Like The Movies
Any Last Words?

So far the song names sounded a little disjointed, but Andy was sure the girls knew what they were doing. He could tell, by the album name and by some of the song titles that a lot of this record was influenced by Alex and the record label. Burning Down The Doll House was symbolic for the girls-it meant they were trying to distance themselves from being The Hollywood Dolls, at least the Dolls that the record label wanted them to be.

Alex was pushing, always pushing, for a more pop sound and the girls were completely pushing back at him. Luxe had told Andy that some of the songs were on the pop side-Pearl, Not Like The Movies and I’m Still Breathing-but there was a reason for that.

Those were the songs that the girls had written about the label and they were trying to prove a point. Andy was waiting for the girls to start their session, but he couldn’t help but notice that there was a distinct split down the group. Char, Pixie and Lulu were all sitting on one side of the room, talking quietly to one another. While Luxe and Mads were sitting on the same side of the room as him and they were being loud and laughing at something the other had said. Had something happened? Was Andy’s presence causing some kind of rift to happen in the girls?

Char had told him he needed to come up here, even though he had been planning on it for a few weeks. Why would she want him up here so badly? Now that Andy was thinking about it, he had noticed that Char kept looking his way, smiling at him, but there was something in her eyes. Any time those heavily made up eyes of her’s drifted towards Luxe, the guitarist looked scared and worried.

After his plane landed and they stopped by Butch’s place last night, Andy and Luxe had stopped by a small Mexican place that she claimed had the best enchiladas. They had laughed over their chips and salsa, sipping their maragritas as they talked about their recording studio stories. The guys seemed to be having a hard time getting Andy’s vision, but they were going along with it none the less.

Luxe told Andy about her depression and how she had used it to write some of the best songs she had ever written and Andy claimed he couldn’t wait to hear them the following day. She warned him though-there was one song that was kind of about him, but more so about how they had been pushed together. It was a slower song on the record, but Andy knew it would be great no matter what.

They had ended the night in her room, the house the girls were staying in was outside of Seattle by about twenty minutes, but it was gorgeous. All wood and windows, the house felt like it could float away with it’s inhabitants still inside. The other girls had been sitting around the den when they had arrived and hugs had been passed around. Char had whispered in his ear that it was a good thing he had come, but then their hug had ended and they hadn’t gotten a chance to talk. Luxe’s room was amazing-with a huge king sized bed, slanted ceilings and windows that made up an entire wall.

They had stayed up that night, making love to one another various time and in various ways, and then laid in her bed that faced those tall windows and watched the sun rise together. Her blonde hair had been resting on his chest, his strong arms wrapped around her, protecting her the best he could and then they had both drifted off like that.

The morning had come, then the afternoon when finally the couple woke up, only leaving the bed because Luxe had to get to the studio. A feverish makeout session in the car occurred while they waited for the other’s and Andy almost had a heart attack when Mads smacked her hand against his window, scaring them both.

Andy had sat by as the girl’s brain stormed, his hand holding on to Luxe’s as she talked about what needed to happen next. The album was getting in to full swing-today she would be tracking vocals for Not Like The Movies and Death of the Party-so soon enough they would need to think of things like album art, photoshoots and interviews to promote the album. Lunch time had come and Alex had finally shown up, bringing with him food and the stench of his over priced cologne. Andy had said hello to the manager, who shockingly seemed relieved to see the singer, even though the last time they had been in one another’s company they had almost come to blows.


“Alright! Time to hit the booth!” Luxe said, all smiles as she turned to him. Andy was holding her hand, which was like ice and he tried to smile at her. He was worried about her and he was hoping that the two of them could get together tonight and talk.

“Woo! Go Luxe!” Pixie called out and the girls all cheered as their singer rose and began to walk towards the small booth. Andy liked that the girls were all being supportive of one another, even if it was just because they kind of had to be. He watched as Luxe entered the booth, placing the head phones on her ears and she closed her eyes.


Andy knew that look-he had that look every time he got in to a booth himself and he knew that it was a look of pure happiness. A soft bit of music began to play, a piano and some acoustic guitar and Andy only guessed that this wasn’t the song Death of the Party. It was Not Like The Movies and as Andy listened to the words coming from Luxe, in that soft voice she had when she sang slowly, he felt the tears come to his eyes. The song was about a love that had been forced, that hadn’t felt right and he knew that in part it was about him.

When they had first met, the couple had wanted nothing to do with one another, but they had been pushed and pushed together every chance Alex got. The tour, the Meet and Greet package and all of the photographs that had been posted online of the two of them. As Luxe sang through the song, Andy knew that she hadn’t wanted to be with him, not at first, but now it was like they couldn’t imagine their lives without one another.


“Sounds good Luxey Girl, but let’s run through it again.” Butch was saying and Andy smiled, even thought his gut clenched. He still thought something was up between the producer and Luxe, but Andy just couldn’t figure out what it was.

Andy watched as Luxe only nodded and then started to sing over the song again. As Andy sat there and listened to her words over and over, they really began to sink in to his brain.

He put it on me, I put it on,
Like there was nothing wrong.
It didn't fit,
It wasn't right.
Wasn't just the size.
They say you know,
When you know.
I don't know.
I didn't feel the fairytale feeling, no.
Am I a stupid girl for even dreaming that I could?

If it's not like the movies,
That's how it should be, yeah.
When he's the one,
I'll come undone,
And my world will stop spinning
And that's just the beginning, yeah.


Three hours in and Andy had heard three songs, Not Like The Movies, Death of the Party and The Arsonist. He loved what he heard and while there was some differences going on between the songs, somehow they all worked together and flowed in a way he never thought they would. The girls were done for the day, saying they were going to head out to the Rooster and asking the couple if they wanted to come along.

Luxe obviously wanted to go and party, but Andy gave her a look that simply begged for them to have some time alone. Reluctantly Luxe bid her bandmates goodbye outside of the studio and then the couple began to walk hand in hand down towards Luxe’s car.


“What’s going on with you and Butch?” Andy asked suddenly, having stopped walking as they reached an alleyway on their way down towards the parking complex. Luxe only looked at him, her grey eyes unsure of she should say and what he wanted her to say.

“Nothing. He’s our producer.” She stated lamely and Andy dropped her hand, crossing his arms over his chest as he trained his blue eyes on her. He didn’t trust her and Luxe knew that Andy was on to something, but it seemed like the wrong something.

“No, producers don’t invite their bands into their private space…where they disappear for more than a few minutes. They also don’t give the singer cutesy little nicknames either…” Luxe laughed, a low chuckle and she knew that it only made Andy more agitated. He was being absurd and barking up the completely wrong tree.

“You’re being stupid right now Andy.” Luxe said and then yelped as Andy had grabbed her by her shoulders, pushing her roughly up against the brick wall behind them. Luxe felt scared, but then her fear turned in to passion as Andy’s lips crushed her own, their lips rings rubbing up against one another.

“Shut up Luce…just shut up.” He growled as his hands began to trail down her sides and then back up again, this time bringing her thin shirt with them. Luxe felt like she was on fire as Andy’s lips moved across her skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps.


They had made love the night before-getting only a few hours of sleep but it had been worth it. A month apart was obviously driving them both insane and as Luxe felt Andy’s fingers on the button of her jeans, she knew that their passion for one another was going to destroy them. His lips were on her neck, his teeth pulling at the soft skin as his finger dug around in her pants, finally entering her warm wetness and Luxe sighed in his ear before biting down on the lobe. She moved her hips, grinding in to him and Andy growled as he bit the skin right above her collar bone and caused Luxe to cry out.

Could they really do this? Could they really fuck one another in the middle of the day, in an alley where anyone could see them?

Andy dropping his pants to the ground and pushing his hips forward was her answer and Luxe only smiled as she kissed him hard and let him do what he wanted. She would always let Andy do what he wanted.

Notes

All songs used for the Dolls album belong to the wonderfully talented artists-New Years Day and Katy Perry.

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