Think About You (Izzy Stradlin)

Chapter 19: The Photograph

Saturday, March 1987

There was a soft knock on Emily's apartment door, only two faint knocks, but she still looked up from her book at the sound. Closing the novel she was currently reading and standing up from the couch, the brunette singer took her time opening the door.

Once she did, her green eyes grew wide.

"Izzy?"

Emily was surprised to see the raven haired guitarist standing at her door at 8:00 o'clock in the morning. His slim figure was slumped, covered with a baggy black hoodie. The hood hung over his handsome face, along with strands of his greasy black hair, so she could barely even see his features that were hidden in the shadow of his hood.

There was a tense silence between them that seemed to last an eternity.

"What's wrong?"

Izzy just froze, trying to remember why he thought it would be a good idea to run to Emily in his... current condition.

The pretty brunette singer hesitantly reached out to touch the rhythm guitarist's hidden face but he flinched away, making her pull back instantly.

"Izzy talk to me.."

"Just never mind, okay?" He mumbled, taking an unstable step back from the open door frame. Emily frowned and hesitantly stepped forward, reaching for his ominous black hood.

She managed to tug it down, before she gently brushed his long, black hair away from his thin face.

"Izzy... what the hell happened?" The pretty brunette girl gasped suddenly, her expression softening at the sight of big, blue bruises littering Izzy's pale skin. He finally glanced up and made eye contact with Em, his hazel eyes looking dark and sad under a brutal, swollen black eye. His left cheekbone was bruised with a big gash, which was still oozing thick, dark blood that rolled down his features like little red trails.

Izzy didn't answer her, he just wearily watched her reach forward and brush his long, black hair away again. She took a chance and intertwined her slender fingers with the rhythm guitarist's, then pulled him into her quiet apartment before shutting the door. Silence engulfed them, as they just stared at one another, taking in every detail of each other's familiar features.

Emily knew Izzy; if he didn't want to talk about something, it was almost impossible to get it out of him. He would simply not speak, and put on his usual blank expression.

Instead of asking another question, the pretty brunette singer dragged the GnR guitarist to the small bathroom. She grabbed a clean washcloth and ran it under some warm water, like she had done for her red headed brother numerous times before.

Izzy's observant hazel eyes watched Emily intently, relishing in every little touch and concerned glance she gave him. He knew he was going to have to explain what happened, especially since he was selfish enough to allow her to get involved in his own mess.

The pretty brunette girl dabbed lightly at the deep cut on Izzy's cheekbone, making him wince. The pale skin around the wound had already turned an ugly purple- brown color, and it hurt like hell. The warmth from the washcloth was helping, but what Izzy was really focused on was the beautiful girl taking care of him.

Those hazel eyes were burning a hole in Emily's pretty face, so she set the washcloth on the edge of the sink and stared back at the handsome rhythm guitarist.

"Who did this?" She whispered, noticing the pained expression on Izzy's face before the blank mask quickly returned. Em reached out and brushed his greasy, black hair from his bruised face again, her fingertips gently caressing his black eye as she did so. Izzy reached up and laid his rough hand over top of hers as she cupped his face, staring at him with those bright green eyes.