Page 45 of Declan

As for me? I was going to sit in my room and probably thinkwaytoo much about Declan. Okay, noprobablyabout it.

“Come out with me!” Brysen called from the shower.

“No.”

“Why? You could use some drinks.”

“I have to open the store in the morning,” I answered, collapsing on my bed.

“Who wants to look at books that early in the morning?” Brysen said. “Sounds like torture if you ask me.”

Yeah, no one asked you, Twinky.

Ignoring him, I grabbed my phone and rolled over to face the wall.

I’d refrained from checking Twitter for three days, but I was too curious to see if Declan had posted anything. Not that I expected him to post anything too revealing. Celebrities had to fake it big time on social media.

I scrolled through his feed and only saw the generic morning posts and a few shares he’d done on some memes. One of the pages he followed was my favorite one for funny memes, and I smiled at that. I liked a few of his posts before dropping my phone on the bed and sighing.

There was ading.When I looked at my phone again, I saw I’d gotten a direct message on Twitter.

Declan_Price_Official:I can’t stop thinking about you.

Those six words packed a punch. My first instinct was to reply with something overly sappy and tell him I couldn’t stop thinking about him, either. But my past heartaches stopped me from doing so.

Kye927:You have a hand. Or maybe you’d rather bang one of the extras. There were lots of pretty girls on set that day.

Declan_Price_Official:I deserved that.

As I was thinking of how to respond, he messaged again.

Declan_Price_Official:You were right about me, Kyler. I’m sorry I said that shit to you. You weren’t just an experiment. Fuck, you were—are—so much more.

I read his message through watery eyes. God, I hated how sensitive I was.

Kye927:Then what’s the problem?? Why push me away?

Declan_Price_Official:Because I’m not out. And I don’t know if I’ll ever be.

Kye927:Why? Bcuz you’re worried what ppl will think?

Declan_Price_Official:You make it sound like it’s no big deal. Coming out for anyone is fucking hard, Kyler. But when you’re a celebrity? I don’t have privacy. My personal life is displayed for all to see, read about, and tear apart.

Kye927:So you’re afraid of the backlash?

Declan_Price_Offical:Mostly.

Kye927:Mostly? Is there another reason?

My thumbs hovered over the keyboard on my phone, waiting for him to answer so I could respond. The bastard kept me waiting too long.

Kye927:Jesus, Dec, just answer the question.

Declan_Price_Official:I want to see you.What are you doing tonight?

***

Declan looked exhausted and emotionally drained. He’d had another long day of filming, but that wasn’t what made him look like he was going to pass out. Dark circles were under his eyes like he hadn’t slept since I’d seen him three days before.