Page 58 of Not Another Rockstar
“Not a cent. It’s taken care of,” Claudia said, waving them off.
“No, you can’t do that,” Axel insisted.
“Don’t argue with me, Adler. I have a gun with lots of needles, don’t make me use it. It’ll make me feel less like a terrible person for missing the funeral if you let me do this for you,” Claudia said, pouting.
Axel sighed, and gave in. “I wouldn’t dare argue.”
“Please let me tip you,” Phoebe pleaded, opening her purse. “You did such an amazing job combining the sketches I sent.”
“I won’t accept it.” Claudia closed Phoebe’s hand around the cash. “How about tickets to your next show? That would be thanks enough.”
“Consider it done, and a discount on whatever piece you like.”
Phoebe thanked her again, and Axel gave her a quick hug as she walked them to the door.
After saying their goodbyes, they walked down the street to the restaurant Claudia had recommended. Axel longed to hold Phoebe’s hand, but settled for an accidental brush here andthere in case they were spotted. At this hour, the dinner rush was starting, so chances of being noticed were higher.
“I don’t think we’ll be able to get a table,” Phoebe said.
Claudia must’ve sensed their need for discretion—the restaurant was a tiny hole in the wall, with candles and flowers on the tables.
“Claudia has a standing table; she’s allergic to cooking.”
“I know the feeling,” Phoebe said, as they sat outside under a tree.
The candlelight made it feel like a date. Luckily, Phoebe filled the silence before he had to think of a topic.
“I might’ve noticed that Claudia mentioned Nick a couple of times, what’s the story there?”
“She’s had a crush on him for years. They like to play cat and mouse with each other,” Axel said. Claudia always found a way to get what she wanted—Nick didn’t stand a chance.
Phoebe grimaced. “Gross, I don’t want to hear about my brother playing anything with anyone.”
Once they had finished ordering, he made sure to change the topic. “Why the blank canvas?” he asked.
“For a fresh start, a new chapter. I was thinking about how the canvases were ruined and decided to think of it as a chance to start again,” she said, sipping her sangria—virgin sangria, since alcohol isn’t good with new tattoos. Then she moved on to the breadbasket. “I think the adrenaline woke up my stomach.”
He passed her the butter before she inhaled the fresh bread.
“Since I answered your question, can I ask why you chose to tattoo a spider crawling up your neck to your head?” she asked as she passed him a piece of buttered bread. He’d eat anything she gave him.
“It’s not something I talk about much, but I figure, since you trusted me to take you on this trip… A spider represents accepting one’s fate or destiny. It’s a reminder that no matterhow much I try to control my life, at the end of the day we have very little control,” he said, sipping his beer.
“Why on the side of your head? I mean, I like it, it suits you—not that I know what you looked like without it,” she rambled adorably as her cheeks flushed.
He put down his fork and hoped he wasn’t about to ruin their nice dinner.
“Alopecia.” He decided to rip off the band-aid. “Believed to be caused by the stress of my dad bailing when I was younger. It’s a lot better now, easier to hide since I got my eyelashes and eyebrows back.”
“How come you never said?” she asked gently.
He rubbed his thighs, feeling vulnerable. “I do shave my head, but mostly because it grows in patches that aren’t very sexy,” he confessed as their plates of pasta and an assortment of seafood and steak were placed on the table. They had over-ordered, but the long day made them hungry.
“You said it was because your dad left?” she asked, cutting up the juicy steak.
“I was about fourteen when it started falling out, which was around the same time. Not sure, it’s an autoimmune thing. My immune system attacks my hair follicles, like those follicles are a threat,” he explained briefly. “It’s not really known why and there isn’t a cure.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” She offered him some of her steak like it would make him feel better, which it did.
