Chapter 23
As soon as I get out of my car, I race over to the extension cord and plug it in. The twinkling lights on his balcony light up, calling him to me.
I have his number now, so I could just text him. But this feels better. It feels like us.
I wanted to find Declan as soon as lunch was over after I saw Carter talking to him. But I figured that he’s his own person, and he will come to me when he’s ready to talk about it. If he even wants to.
That all sounds very mature, doesn’t it?
Well, turns out I’m still pretty fucking immature. Because all day long I couldn’t stop imagining what they would need to talk about. Obsessing over it. Worrying that Declan was interested in Carter or something.
Something about seeing them speak to each other felt all wrong. Declan looked so uncomfortable. I mean, he doesn’t like people, but this was different.
Even though he signaled to me that he didn’t need me, I know him. The whole interaction was off.
What the fuck could Carter possibly want to talk to him about?
And now, as I impatiently wait for Declan to see our signal and come out of his house, all of that “he’ll come to me when he’s ready” shit has flown out the window.
I need to fucking know now or I’ll go insane.
I haven’t exactly told Carter that I’m done seeing him. I just haven’t hit him up at all and have been swerving his texts and advances. Maybe he can already tell, and if so… he doesn’t seem that upset.
The slight squeal of the front door’s hinges snaps me out of my spiral, and a few moments later, Declan comes trudging around the corner to where I am on the side of his house.
His light purple hair is messy but in a cute way that makes me want to run my hands through it. The pink crop top he’s wearing reveals just a hint of his belly before it’s covered up by his oversized sweatpants.
Despite how anxious I am, seeing him come toward me still makes me smile. Until I remember why I’m there, then the smile drops and I rush up to him. “Why was Carter talking to you?”
He looks up at me with wide eyes before flicking his gaze around us. “Um, do you want to go to the spot first?”
I remove my hands from his shoulders, which I realize I grabbed in my crazy state, and take a few steps back. “Yeah. Yeah, let’s do that.”
The walk to the spot is silent, but my insides are fucking screaming. The closer we get, the more unwell I feel.
When we get there, he sits on the log. The sun is hitting him just right, creating a back glow all around his silhouette. It looks too perfect to be real. A butterfly even floats by his face on its way to rest on the irises.
“Do you want to sit?” he asks, gesturing to the space beside him on the log.
I shake my head immediately. “No.”
He looks a little uncertain, but nods his head. “Okay. I assume you’re here because of what you saw at lunch. I was going to tell you eventually. I wasn’t really sure the best way to approach it or—”
“Declan. I’m absolutely dying right now. Just out with it.”
Sighing, he folds his hands in his lap and looks down at the dirt. “Carter… kind of… came on to me.”
“Came on to you?”
“Yes. He asked me if I knew how pretty I was.” His face twists. “Then he said he wanted to get to know me as well as you do and he… touched my knee.”
“He touched you?” There’s an edge of irritation in my voice. I start to move, pacing out some of what I’m feeling. I’m uncomfortable as fuck.
He looks up at me. “Just my knee.”
I try to squash the storm that starts raging inside of me, keeping my body still and facing him. With a calmer voice, I ask, “Um. Okay, so how do you feel about that?”
He cocks his head at me, his eyes assessing and critical. “Why aren’t you more upset? I thought you’d be mad that Carter would do that.”
“I am,” I answer as I walk to the log and sit beside him. “Just not for the reason you think.”
“I don’t know what that means,” he states plainly.
“I haven’t really seen Carter in a bit. Not that interested, honestly.” I pause and search his face. His gray eyes look into mine. They beam against the black smoky lines he’s painted around them. “I’ve been thinking about someone else,” I confess softly.
“Oh,” he says quietly.
I grab his hand, circling it with mine.
His eyes dart down, watching as I rub my thumb back and forth against his soft skin, letting my fingers skip across his black painted nails.
“Um. I don’t know who you—” he starts as he raises his eyes back to me.
I cut him off. I don’t want to lose my nerve. He needs to know how I feel before he starts something up with Carter, if that’s what he wants.
“Ever since we kissed, I can’t stop thinking about you, munequito. I think maybe I’ve felt this way for a long time, but I didn’t know what it was. It’s like the kiss unlocked something.”
He stays quiet, intently listening with those silvery eyes.
I continue. “If you decide to explore something with Carter then I’ll respect that. I’ll still be your friend. I could never give you up completely. But I don’t think I could live with myself if I never told you how I felt.”
He shifts his gaze away from me. I can see the parts of his brain whirring away to process everything I’ve said, until he turns back to me.
Squeezing my hand, he asks, “So what do you want, Javier?”
“You.” It requires no thought. “I want you to be mine. Only mine. Solo mío.”
We both stare at each other. The silence stretching out between us.
Then he launches himself at me, clumsily climbing into my lap as he presses his lips to mine.
The kiss is more incredible than the first. It sends explosions detonating through every part of my body, shaking my core.
I pull away and gently set him back down on the log beside me, before getting up and plucking one of the iris blossoms from the plant near the creek.
When I walk back toward him, his confused expression smooths out into a pretty smile.
Standing in front of him, I tip his chin up and tuck the iris behind his ear. “Mi munequito.”
We stare at each other for a few more moments before I pull him up to stand with me. I lean in, my skin buzzing for another taste, when my phone pings, popping our little bubble.
I groan and pull it out of my pocket. “Shit,” I mutter as I read the angry text from Scott that’s telling me to get my ass back home. “Sorry. I gotta go. It’s my stepdad.”
I take both of his hands in mine. “So, I guess this means that you feel the same?”
He nods and shyly smiles up at me. A shy Declan is not something I’ve seen before. “Yeah. I do,” he says.
A huge smile stretches across my face. “Listen. There’s this party that I have to go to in a few days. It’s a birthday thing for one of the guys on the team. You wanna go too? Like with me?”
He purses his lips and looks off to the side. “I don’t know. A party? Like with people?”
I chuckle and trace my fingers across the flower next to his face. “Yes. Typically, only people go to parties.”
“What about a birthday party for a dog?”
I level him with a look. “Declan. Come on. I want to take you and show everyone that you’re mine.”
He still looks unconvinced, so I take his face in my hands and place a gentle kiss on his lips. “I’ll be there with you, munequito.”
“Okay,” he mutters reluctantly.
I smile and give him one last lingering kiss before I head back to my house.
Even when Scott is yelling some bullshit at me, my mood stays high. Nothing can bring me down.
Declan Turner is mine, and I’m about to let everyone know it.