Page 45 of Not Another Rockstar
Anita was too busy gathering her things to notice their hesitation.
Lying low meant the most exciting part of the day was deciding what colour sweatpants to wear. Today was an old grey pair with some paint stains, which only increased Phoebe’s desire to start painting again.
Wandering out into the garden for some fresh air, she found Axel playing fetch with Bart, the ever-energetic Shepherd, who brought her the tennis ball as soon as he saw her. He had only stopped whining outside Cillian’s bedroom door since they had put one of Cillian’s T-shirts in his bed to help cheer him up. He had started eating again and wanted to play. Phoebe’s heart warmed to see him getting back to his happy self.
“Lena sent over everything from the studio the other day. I was wondering where my paints are,” Phoebe said, taking the slobber-covered ball and tossing it across the gardens.
“Are you sure you’re ready?” Axel asked as Bart brought the ball back to Phoebe.
“Good boy!” She rubbed Bart’s ears and threw it for him again. He took off, tail wagging happily. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready, but I was wondering if there is a room I can set up myeasel in. I was going to ask Nick but he’s out in the studio and I didn’t want to disturb him.”
“You don’t need one,” Axel said, as Bart dropped the ball at his feet. She frowned, wondering why he was acting so dismissive.
“I can use my bedroom, but you’ve got so many free rooms, I didn’t think it’d be a big deal.”
“I didn’t mean you can’t have a room. I meant you already have a space.” Axel grinned as he tossed the ball for Bart, who disappeared into the house with it, not wanting to give the ball up anymore.
“Okay, I’m not following?” Phoebe crossed her arms over her chest. It was far colder than expected, even for the early spring.
“We were going to save this, but since you’re asking.” Axel started walking down the path to the guest house. There was plenty of space inside, so it made sense they’d store her stuff in there. Then again, the last time she’d been there, she’d pushed him in the freezing pool.
She hesitated at the door. “You’re not going to toss me in the pool, right?”
He chuckled, which didn’t inspire much confidence.
“Tempting, but not this time.” He winked, and she followed him inside.
They had transformed the living space into an art studio. Of course, it still smelt like chlorine, with the pool being in the other room, but she beamed like a child of Christmas morning.
“This is…” She didn’t know what to say. Her easel was set up in the corner by the glass wall overlooking the gardens on one side and the sea on the other. Shelves with her brushes and paints had been installed on the wall behind. They must have done this while she was playing Sleeping Beauty, she realised.
“If you want to change anything around, feel free,” Axel said. “I can help or ask the others, so you don’t hurt your hand.”
“This is perfect.” She couldn’t stop smiling.
Blank canvases of every size sat against a blue suede couch. Her smile slipped when she noticed, above the double sinks with her stained glass jars on the washboard, two paintings hanging on the white-bricked walls.
“That’s two of the paintings from my show.” She struggled to find the words as she stared at the illustrations.
“Since we couldn’t be at your show, we wanted to support you.” Axel shrugged like it was nothing.
To see the walls decorated with her work made her feel like she was back in her studio. They reminded her of what she had achieved and what she could do again in time.
Before she could stop herself, she wrapped her arms around Axel. He stilled, only to relax into her embrace.
“Thank you,” she said, all teary-eyed. His chin settled into her shoulder, and she didn’t want to let him go. “This is the best present I’ve ever received.”
She couldn’t wait to get started; having such a sunlit beautiful spot to work in would make it worth the pain. She would just have to ice her wrist a little longer tomorrow.
“I know you didn’t want to be here, and lying low sounds a bit like house arrest, but I hope having your own space out here, you can feel at home,” Axel said, when she finally released him.
“Thank you again,” Phoebe stammered as he headed for the door. “It’s perfect.”
“It was a team effort, and with all you’ve done for us—the songs…” He paused. “We wanted to give you a slice of home.”
“Like the pancakes?” she asked, seeing that he had a habit of doing something nice for her and then framing it as a ‘team effort’.
“Have fun,” Axel said, and she swore she saw him blushing as he left.
