Allergic to Roses

Interviews

Axel's POV

"Thanks for joining us, Axel, I'm Carleigh McBrady and welcome to Picture This." The eccentric interviewer said to me as I walked out of the backstage and into the limelight of the stage.

I flashed my classic paparazzi smile, "thanks for having me." It was all a lie, I hated these publicity stunts.

She smiled, her pearly white teeth glowing abnormally bright, "so how's your career going? Any new movies?"

"Actually, yes, we recently started filming 'That Summer'."

I was pissed at Julianne for telling me that I had an interview this morning, when I had already been filming for four days straight and I was supposed to have a day to myself.

The interviewer smiled, "any news on the female lead?"

I shook my head, "as of now, no. The first choice backed out, so we're still searching."

Originally it was supposed to be this girl named Sylvia, but her father got deathly ill so she had to travel back to Ireland to be with him, and couldn't do the movie, so the director was still searching. We were filming all the movie parts that didn't require a female lead, but they said that soon we would have a new one.

She nodded, before asking the typical interview question that everyone seemed interested in, "is there anyone special? New girlfriend, maybe?"

I shook my head again, but the image of Harley popped into my mind. "H-" I stopped myself, "hardly, at the moment." Good cover up, my inner voice chided sarcastically.

She sent a secret smile in my direction almost as if she knew all about Harley, but I held my poker face, knowing that Julianne would've killed me if I mentioned the gorgeous black haired beauty.

"Well, that's all the time we have today, thanks for being here with us Axel and good luck on your new movie, we look forward to seeing it in theaters!" She said loudly, the crowd applauding at the end of her sign off.

I walked off the stage sighing loudly. "What the hell was that, Rose?" Julianne's bitchy voice broke me out of my Harley trance and I gazed at her tiredly.

"What?"

"Your slip up!" Her fiery green eyes were bugging out of her head and she was waving her clipboard around frantically, trying to get her point across to me. I was too busy counting the moles on her face, to be honest, to pay attention to what she was saying.

I rolled my eyes, "I didn't have a slip up. I merely stuttered."

She saw right through my lie, only adding to her fire, "who is she?"

"Why the hell do you care!" I shot back, angry now, fully aware that the whole backstage was looking at us like we were insane.

She huffed, throwing her hands down to her sides, "I can't deal with this right now. Go home, Axel."

"My pleasure," I grumbled, stalking off in the direction of the exit.

I took out my phone and dialed the familiar digits to Duncan's cell. It rang twice before I heard his voice, "this is Duncan."

"You'll never guess what Julianne the wit-"

"Leave a message and I might call you back!" His laughter followed and I grumbled a small 'asshole' before getting in my car and driving off to the apartment building.

I snuck inside the building and went straight to the fire escape stairs, where I always went to think, no matter how illegal it was. I was surprised to already find someone there. Who the hell would be here at seven in the afternoon?

I spotted dark wavy hair that reminded me of Harley's and the girl was listening to music loud enough for me to hear it.

I scrunched up my face in disgust as I heard it was Dubstep, how could she like this stuff?

I tapped her on the shoulder, prepared to tell her to leave. She jumped and ripped out a head phone, turning to scowl at me.

Familiar dark brown eyes glanced at me, eyeing me up and down before widening slightly.

I slapped my hand over her mouth, "don't scream."

She rolled her eyes, and pried my hand off her face.

I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that she looked how Harley would without a mask on, but ignored it because Harley would still be in New York, where I left her.

"I'm not going to scream, dumb ass."

My mouth dropped open slightly in shock as she continued to look at me, searching my face for something.

"I know I'm gorgeous, but you don't have to stare at me." I sent her a wink as she scrunched up her nose in distaste.

"You look familiar s'all." She turned around, leaning back on the stairs and closing her eyes, the head phone now back in her ear, the music volume turned up.

Did she not know who I was? I was literally just on the TV hours ago, there was no possible way. Unless she lived under a rock.

I tapped her shoulder again, and she sighed deeply before yanking out the head phone, "is there something I can help you with, pretty boy?"

"What's your name, gorgeous?" If I didn't ask, I'd be mad at myself for eternity. What if it was actua-

"Elle." I frowned slightly and her lips turned up in a smirk, "mad I wasn't named something more exotic? Like, Candie or Doloris?"

I laughed suddenly, a genuine laugh. "Yeah, that's it."

She nodded, "well, I've gotta go." I watched as she brushed past me, her shoulder lightly bumping mine.

I wasn't going to let another hot girl leave me, "wait! What's your number?"

She raised an eyebrow, "sorry, dude, I'm not a booty call. I'm classy."

I smirked, she kind of read my mind. "I like a challenge, Candie."

It was her turn to smirk as she walked off, leaving me alone on the fire escape, her retreating figure walking away.

What's with it and girls not falling for me all of a sudden?

***

"Was she hot?" Was the first thing Duncan asked me when I was back at or flat an hour later, pizza in hand. He was watching a movie so I just vented about how the chick in the fire escape resisted my charm.

"Yeah," I told him honestly.

"What did she look like?" He asked.

I rolled my eyes, "wavy black hair, brown eyes, at least 5'9", uh..."

"So basically Harley without a mask?"

I shook my head 'yes', "yeah, but her name was Elle, so it's obviously not the same girl."

He shrugged, "I don't know man, it sounds like her."

"She lives in New York," I pointed out, "and this girl was a lot more feisty."

He winked, "maybe she came here with Jordan."

"Why would Jordan be here?" Why wasn't Duncan making any sense? Jordan didn't even live in London, and besides, Duncan wouldn't text her if he ended things.

He stopped chewing his pizza and sent me a wink before walking out of the living room.

"Woah! Tell me what you meant!" I yelled after him, getting up from my spot on the couch and following him out.

He just shrugged, "figure it out." With another secret smile thrown over his shoulder, he slammed the door shut in my face.

"You're such a dick," I told him.

"I know." He replied.

Rolling my eyes, I made my way to my room and threw off my shirt and shorts.

I slid under the covers in just my boxers, minutes later.

That night I didn't find sleep, my mind only clouded with images of Harley and Elle. Why couldn't I get them out of my mind?