Page 89 of Declan

I hadn’t expected him to.

***

Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned to months. The passage of time didn’t make me love Declan any less, but it helped me not break down as much. I no longer barricaded myself in my room, and I smiled a lot more. We hadn’t talked since the night he’d texted me.

He had it way easier than me.

Declan could move on with his life and never think of me again. Whereas, he was everywhere to me. In the news, on the cover of magazines I passed while grocery shopping, and on TV. I couldn’t forget him if I tried.

Brysen was watching a morning talk show. I had a little over an hour before I had to be at work and decided to kill time until then.

“Can’t sleep again?” I asked, sitting beside him.

Brysen shook his head, his blond curls bouncing. Dark circles were under his hazel eyes. He’d worked a ten-to-five night shift and still hadn’t slept.

“Come here.” I put an arm around his small shoulders and pulled him against my side.

He snuggled in and didn’t say anything.

“Okay, I need the girls in the audience to control yourselves,” Perry, the talk-show host, said as a huge smile spread across his goofy face. “Our next guest has been known to melt panties right off.”

His co-host was a woman named Tracy, and she fanned herself. “He sure melts mine.”

The audience erupted into laughter.

“A little vulgar for morning TV, don’t you think?” I asked.

Brysen nodded.

“He’s been voted Sexiest Man Alive for two years in a row, has won an Oscar for Best Actor, and he’s here to talk about his new movie.” Perry stood and motioned to the side of the stage. “Declan Price, everybody!”

My heart dropped into my stomach.

Declan walked out wearing a navy suit that hugged his muscular frame to perfection. The white shirt underneath had the top few buttons undone, showing his sexy neck. His brown hair had been cut since the last time I’d seen him and was shorter on the sides with the top of it sticking up a little.

Dashing and charming, he was the epitome of heartthrob movie star.

Brysen sat up and reached for the remote. “I’ll change the channel.”

“No,” I said in a rush. “It’s okay.”

As pathetic as it was, I wanted to see him. Wanted to hear his raspy voice and see his smile.

The hosts made small talk with Declan at first. Tracy told him he looked nice, and Perry agreed with her in an exaggerated flirty way, cracking up the audience again.

“So, you went on a nice vacation earlier this year, didn’t you?” Perry asked.

“Yeah, I got back about two months ago,” Declan answered, leaning back in the chair in that cool, confident way. “Went to Greece for a week.”

My skin warmed and tingled.

“Did you go with a certain co-star?” Perry asked.

“No comment.” Declan smirked and adjusted his suit jacket. Obviously putting on a show. “I never kiss and tell.”

The girls in the audience lost their shit at that, hooting and hollering at him.

It hurt worse than I’d thought to hear him dismiss us so easily. I mean, I knew he was playing the audience. He couldn’t admit he’d been vacationing with someone else when he was still keeping up appearances about the co-star rumors with Jennifer. And even if hecould, he’d never admit it’d been with a guy.