Page 51 of Not Another Rockstar
“Why never?”
Bart snuggled between them, like he was jealous.
“Maybe one day, but Cillian never liked them.”
He frowned. “I was there when he got his sleeve.”
“He didn’t like them on girls.” She couldn’t meet his eye as she said it.
He nodded slowly.
“Why would that stop you? Your body, your choice.”
“It wasn’t like I wanted one desperately, so what was the point in arguing over something that I wasn’t set on? Relationships take compromise.”
It only took his death to realise how much she had compromised.
“I don’t think it’s considered compromise when he got all the tattoos he wanted but didn’t give you the same freedom.”
“You’ve never been in a long-term relationship.” She didn’t want to argue with him, and it wasn’t him she was mad at. She was mad at herself for letting Cillian treat her as less than him for so long.
“Maybe not, but I sure as hell would never tell a woman I loved what she could or couldn’t do with her body.”
“If I tell you that yes, I want a tattoo, will you drop the subject?” she said, wanting to end the conversation about what he did or didn’t do with women’s bodies. He’d done enough to hers to make her question her sanity.
They never talked about their intimate moments. They carried on as though nothing had happened, and that was how she liked it, because right now she couldn’t handle complicated, and he was a red flag with ‘complicated’ written in bold.
“The artist who does mine is currently doing a residence in Italy. She’s usually booked out a few months in advance, but I’m sure she’d be delighted to work with you on it,” Axel offered eagerly. “She loves collaborating with other artists.”
“Just because I doodled a tattoo doesn’t mean I want to run off to Italy to get one,” she said, though given the mail she’d received today, getting out of town felt like a good idea. She thought about Rowena at the villa, and packing up Cillian’s belongings. She might be able to kill two birds with one stone.
“Why not?” Axel asked.
“One, a tattoo is a big decision. Two, Anita told us not to get into any trouble, and us boarding a plane together going to Italy,one of the most romantic destinations in the world, isn’t going to help put out any fires.”
She stated the obvious, but he didn’t seem convinced.
“Is that an invitation?” he said with a smirk.
She was about to argue when he waved it off. “It was only a thought, a chance to get out of the country, away from the press and the fans. Breathe in some of that ocean air and take some time to yourself. Anita did tell you to lie low, and leaving the country is the best way to do that.”
Phoebe chewed her lip. A little weekend trip might be just what she needed, and she could sort out the villa while they were there. And it might give her the inspiration she needed to start fresh.
“I did promise you dinner,” he added, nudging her a little. “It would be a lot easier to have dinner in a beautiful Italian restaurant where no one would even suspect to find us.”
The thought of being able to walk around with little notice felt too good to pass up. If the person who’d sent the package was looking for her, maybe some time away would be safest for everyone.
“Okay! I’ll go. I’ve got to go to the villa anyway—the housekeeper Cillian hired wants me to go through our things,” she explained, or more like barked, because Bart’s ears perked up in alarm.
Axel beamed, and she’d never seen him smile like that. He turned a little so she couldn’t see his expression, but she could sense how happy he was.
“I’ll make a call. When do you want to leave?”
“As soon as possible.”
He hesitated for a moment before reaching into his hoodie pocket for his phone. “Pack a bag, and I’ll call us a car.”
“You’re seriously coming with me?” she asked.
