Page 53 of Not Another Rockstar
They both nodded.
“Two tequilas and orange please,” Axel asked.
“It’s not even twelve o’clock,” Phoebe said, not being one for day drinking.
“If I can’t tell you to relax, then I can help you do so.” Axel took the drinks from the attendant and handed one to Phoebe.
“What do I owe you?” Axel reached into his back pocket for his wallet. Phoebe caught the steward checking over his shoulder. “On the house. It’s a pleasure to have you fly with us.” He winked knowingly. “I hate to ask, but if you could sign this for my boyfriend, he’ll just die.” He offered Axel a napkin and a pen.
While he signed, Phoebe downed her drink. The sweet, tangy orange juice masked the burn of the tequila.
“Thirsty?” Axel eyed her empty plastic cup.
“Parched.” She took his from his tray table and tipped it back.
“Better?”
“Much.”
Wanting to distract herself, she focused on their plans once they landed.
“We can stay in the villa in Atrani—booking a hotel will only draw attention,” she reasoned, after the interaction with the attendant. “We’ll have more privacy, and it’s only a thirty-minute walk to Amalfi. I don’t want to give Anita a reason to kill us.”
“Are you sure? Won’t that be a bit difficult? A lot of fresh memories,” Axel asked, but what he meant was: was she okay staying in the place where Cillian had proposed?
“I have to face the place at some point. I need to go and figure out whether I want to sell the place or not,” she said, still unsure if she wanted to keep the reminder of a time when they’d been so happy. “It’ll be easier with you around to keep me company.”
He’d be the perfect distraction. Cillian had made her feel on edge and that was the excitement she’d thought she loved, butwith Axel, she felt calm, at peace. It was unsettlingly different, but he was exactly what she needed right now.
“Just say the word and we can get out of there,” Axel said. “If you change your mind, I’ve booked a hotel.”
“Just one room?” she asked. They hadn’t kissed since that night on the couch, but they had slept together every night since.
“I booked a suite, so two rooms,” he explained, as though the thought had never crossed his mind.
She blushed for presuming, given their unspoken sleeping arrangement at home.Maybe I’m the one getting carried away with my feelings, and he was just trying to be a good friend.She didn’t know whether he was being respectful or if he was waiting for her to make the first move.
Given the early flight, Axel fell asleep with ease while she fretted over her feelings. Who knew tequila only fuelled her ability to overthink.
The drivefrom the airport to the villa had taken a little over an hour, not that Phoebe noticed. She woke with her head on Axel’s shoulder. After escaping the airport in Naples without incident, she had drifted off in the safety of the hire car. Seemed the tequila only hit her when they landed.
“You’re drooling on my favourite shirt,” Axel said.
“I don’t drool.” Phoebe bolted upright, staring out at the coastline. The sun had started to set as they had driven along the highway running the length of the Amalfi Coast.
“I’m only teasing, and I’m surprised you didn’t wipe out on the flight. The stress of being on the plane wore you out and the tequila probably helped. Two in the air is four on the ground,”he said, as she brushed off the embarrassment of having fallen asleep on him. It wasn’t the first time, and she doubted it would be the last.
Staring out at the beautiful views, they spent the rest of the drive in silence. The smell of the salt in the air and the sight of the town of Atrani tucked snugly between two mountains was the change of scenery she needed. Though she’d never thought that when she returned to paradise it would be with Axel.
When they arrived, there was no parking, so they walked up a small pathway and more than a dozen steps to get to the villa tucked into the mountainside. Phoebe took the key from the envelope and opened the small gate. She felt worlds away from home, and the sight of the villa filled her with both excitement and trepidation, haunted by fond memories.
“Phoebe?” Axel asked, and she realised she’d frozen in the hallway looking at the photos of them all together. It seemed like another life.
“Sorry, I was thinking of all that needs to be done.” She forced a smile and headed down the stone hallway and through the arch to the kitchen. Rowena had kept her promise and stocked up the fridge and presses.
“Are you sure you’re happy to stay?” Axel eyed her warily as though she was about to burst into tears.
“Perfectly,” she said. “I’ll feel better once I’ve finished getting everything organised.”
