The warehouse rehearsal space was buzzing with wires, reverb, and caffeine. Tokio Hotel and Phantom Youth were scheduled for a live TV taping later that week, and the energy was... off.
Tom strummed his guitar, half-listening to Gustav and Georg banter while Isadora adjusted her mic. She looked tired — or maybe tense. Either way, something was different.
Enter: Roxie Vale — a solo artist with sharp eyeliner, louder hair, and a voice that could shatter glass and egos.
> “Heard you guys are the ones to beat,” she said with a wink, sidling up to Tom. “Kaulitz, right?”
> Tom gave a polite nod. “Yeah.”
> “Cool ink,” she added, fingers grazing his forearm tattoo — the one Isadora gave him.
Isadora, mid-vocal run, froze.
Nina leaned over to whisper, “Okay, who the hell is Barbie-on-fire, and why is she touching your man?”
> “He’s not my man,” Isadora snapped, though her tone betrayed her.
> “You’re literally wearing his hoodie right now.”
> “That’s beside the point.”
But it wasn’t. Not at all.
Roxie lingered near Tom during breaks, flipping her dyed-red hair, asking for help with her amp settings, laughing a little too loud.
Tom, to his credit, wasn’t flirting back — but he wasn’t exactly shutting it down either.
Later that night, Isadora caught him outside loading his gear into the van.
> “So... you and Roxie vibing now?”
Tom blinked. “What? No.”
> “Looked like it. Real cozy.”
> “Isa, seriously? You’re mad?”
> “I’m not mad—” (She was.) “—I just think maybe you forgot we’re trying to not draw attention.”
> “Exactly. So me starting drama over nothing isn’t gonna help.”
> “Over nothing?”
That stung. She turned to walk away, but he caught her wrist.
> “She’s not you,” he said, voice low. “Nobody is.”
And just like that, the ice cracked.
YOU ARE READING
"Strings Between Us
Romance2004. Germany. Tom Kaulitz is used to getting what he wants - the stage, the crowd, the girls. As Tokio Hotel begins to rise, so does his ego... until she shows up. She's the Brazilian guitarist in a rival band - quiet, sharp-tongued, and completely...
