Axel
“ Y ou’re all finished!”
Claudia added the second skin to protect the tattoo for the first couple of days. helped Phoebe hop off the bed, and she hurried to the long mirror in the corner.
Thankfully, she didn’t seem fazed at all after her first sit. He had never cared so much about another person’s welfare before. He constantly wanted to check how she was, if she was in pain or in need of a hug. He wasn’t sure how long they would have before Anita caught on and tracked them down, so he wanted to make every minute count.
“I love it! Thank you so much for taking the time to do this,” Phoebe said, wrapping her arms around Claudia. Seeing her so happy made his day.
“My pleasure. It’s not often I get to do such delicate work, since these tough guys like their bold lines and darker themes.” Claudia nudged .
“You have to let us treat you to dinner,” offered, wanting to thank her for squeezing them in. She was always booked out years in advance, and she had done this as a favour. He didn’t want her to think he was taking advantage of their friendship.
“Please join us?” Phoebe pleaded while Claudia tidied up her station.
“I would love to, but I’ve got a date. When I get home, we can all go out together. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Nick,” Claudia said, with a small smile that spoke of her not-so-secret crush. He’d known she’d bring up Nick; she always brought up Nick.
“I’m sure August and Nick would love to have you round to the house,” said.
“How much do I owe you?” Phoebe asked, putting on her T-shirt.
“Not a cent. It’s taken care of,” Claudia said, waving them off.
“No, you can’t do that,” 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.
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 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. longed to hold Phoebe’s hand, but settled for an accidental brush here and there 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,” 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 matter how 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.
“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.” 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.
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 that the 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.
“Not in the least.” wanted to reach across the table and wrap her in his arms. Instead, he settled for passing her the dessert menu. “On to more important matters—chocolate lava cake or tiramisu?”
“Both?”
“Just when I thought I couldn’t want you more.”
God, he loved it when she blushed.