Nothing More to Say

Here I Am

Present

Alise drums her fingers on the table before her, nervousy welling up inside of her.

After her phone call with Axl the other day, they arranged to meet at a small café in the heart of Malibu. The time at which they had set to meet was five-thirty, but Alise is fifteen minutes early. Axl still has fifteen minutes before he would be considered late.

Luckily, it seems Axl doesn't intend to keep Alise waiting long. He enters the café only seconds after Alise sits down. Alise, who had elected to turn to the door every time the little bell would jingle, spots him immediately and flags him down with a small smile.

Axl uses a cane as he makes his way toward Alise's table. He nods at a couple who recognise him and trudges on. When he arrives at the table, Axl props his cane against the edge of the table and pulls off the scarf and fedora he had previously donned. Alise observes every move he makes, noticing distinct similarities between she and him.

Axl finally seats himself across from Alise with a small grunt of relief. Finally, Axl takes a look at her.

"So you're Alise, huh?" He asks, leaning back in his chair and placing his hands on his knees. Alise clears her throat.

"Yes sir," she replies, allowing a small smile to appear on her features. "And you must be Mr Rose." Axl chuckles at her formality.

"Just call me Axl. Mr Rose was my dad."

Alise's smile widens.

"Okay then, Axl. I'm so glad you could meet me. I actually have something really important to talk to you about, and I wanted to talk face-to-face rather than over the phone," Alise says. Her smile shrinks a little as her palms begin to sweat.

Axl, sensing the girl's rising anxiety, stops her.

"Hey, why don't we order something then talk? Maybe you'll loosen up a little. You're getting real tense."

Alise nods, exhaling in relief. Ordering a drink should give her enough time to think about how she's going to tell him. Axl offers her a small smile and flags down a waitress.

The waitress comes to the table with a large smile and happily takes down Axl and Alise's orders. When she leaves the table, Axl settles his gaze on Alise. Alise's palms sweat again, and she knows she has to tell him. He has to know. He deserves to know.

"So what'd you need to talk to me about? You said it was important, so I'm dying to know," Axl asks, folding his fingers together on the table top. Alise's chest tightens, and she clears her throat again, hoping to get some relief. She has to tell him. She can't let this opportunity slip through her fingers, not like her mother did.

"I've been staying with my mom here in Cali while I'm on a modelling hiatus. In my closet, there's a tattered photo album filled with pictures from when she first came to Cali from Florida. You were her first friend here," Alise begins, still anxious to proceed with what she needs to say. Axl squints his eyes slightly but nods anyway. He uses his right hand to rub his chin, but remains silent.

Alise decides to continue. "Anyway, I kept looking through the album, and I couldn't help but notice something...I guess it's like a theme. After 1992 or so, every single picture is of you. Magazine clippings, newspaper clippings, article print-outs, paparazzi photos: they're all of you. There are a lot of more recent ones in there too." Axl furrows his brows in consideration, but he doesn't break the silence.

"I was a little weirded out, so I confronted my mom about it," Alise continues, "She told me all about how you guys met and dadadadada, and then that night, I was up the whole night because there was this one thing that kept bothering me—"