Page 59 of Not Another Rockstar
“I told you about my sisters and the drums, my fighting in school. I fought because I was bullied a lot because of it. I tried to cover it up with caps when it started to go patchy, but shaving it was easiest,” he said, picking at the calamari.
“I’m glad you defended yourself.”
He loved how passionate she was. “And I wish I was as imaginative with my vengeance as you.”
“I’m glad you had your sisters, but I’m sorry that you felt that you had to keep it from us.”
“My symptoms have lessened over the years; I have my eyelashes and eyebrows, and that’s enough for me. Siobhan, my sister, developed symptoms as she got older. She loves her assortment of wigs. She rocked a buzz cut for a few years, but as I got more famous the media hounded her, especially if she came to shows.” Axel tried not to let the anger seep into his words.
“I can’t imagine how that must have felt for either of you. I wish I could’ve kicked all their butts for picking on you,” she said, and he smiled at her scrunched features. He didn’t doubt she meant every word.
“I’d have loved to have such a fierce protector,” he said, and kissed her palm, forgetting where they were.
“Don’t tease. I may be small but I’m scrappy, especially when it comes to those I care about,” she said, holding onto his hand. Her assurance made him love her more than he already did.
“So that’s why you picked that spot for the spider, because of the lack of control.” Her eyes settled on his tattoo.
“I decided to embrace it. As a man, losing our hair can be a sensitive topic.”
“And a giant spider is a good way to say fuck off,” she added with a smirk.
“Precisely.” He smiled, and helped her finish the steak.
“Thank you for telling me.” She rested her hand over his, only to remove it when a waiter came to take their plates.
“Thank you for listening.” He noticed her fidgeting. “Is there something on your mind? You’re studying your wine glass.”
“There is something I’ve got to tell you, but before you freak out, it might be nothing and I didn’t tell you or the others because it might be nothing, but since you’re being open with me, I think I owe you the same honesty.” She rubbed her hands on her thighs, and he tried not to panic.
“Okay, I promise I won’t freak out or interrupt. Please skip to the point before I have a heart attack.” He wiped his lips with his napkin and gave her his full attention.
“Before we left, Olivier gave me my mail from the studio. There was a package, I thought it might’ve been from a fan of my work.” She hesitated.
His eyes narrowed, waiting for the shoe to drop.
“I opened it, and there were confetti strings…” She trailed off.
“And?”
“Razor blades,” she admitted, picking at the plaster on her finger.
Axel put his hands on his head and took a deep breath so he wouldn’t react.
“You promised not to react,” she whispered, leaning in close. He was very aware of the others in the restaurant and remembered to remain calm.
“Sorry, yes. Not reacting, I’m cool.” He glanced at her plasters, remembering seeing them the night he had helped her dye her hair.
“That’s how you cut your fingers,” he breathed, taking her hand.
“I didn’t say anything because I thought that the package might’ve been there a while. Could’ve been dropped off by Sheen before the break-in, I hadn’t checked my mailbox for weeks, and it’s big enough for parcels,” she explained. He hated to see her stressed.
“I’m not mad, but I wish you’d have told me. We could’ve given it to the police.”
“I wanted to, but how do we know it wasn’t the police who leaked what happened at the studio to the press? If the person who sent the fan mail wants attention, then we shouldn’t risk it getting leaked. I wanted to wait and see if it was mentioned in the press before I said anything. Then we’d know for sure thatthe same person harassing me is the same person leaking the news.” She paused as a waiter filled their water glasses.
“We need someone we can trust, and I think I might know a person,” he said, thinking of Autumn, who’d had a detective work her own stalking case last year. “I can make a few calls and we can get to the bottom of this, together. Have room for dessert?” he asked, hoping something sweet or chocolatey would cheer her up.
“So I didn’t ruin your appetite?” she said sadly.
