Page 19 of The Wiener Across the Way

No. Ridiculous.

Maybe?

No.

Yes?

I had about two minutes to get my head out of my ass and decide. The backstage area was a flurry of activity, with VIP fans lining up for their chance to meet Kelsey. Jules and I waited our turn, and my heart rate went from just above normal to pounding like I was chasing some running back down the field.

I watched Kelsey interact with the fans just ahead of us. She was all smiles and warmth, but she had to be exhausted after all the effort she’d put into performing. At least when I played a game, I got breaks in between. She went full out for hours. But if she was tired, she masked it for her fans with professional grace.

But I saw the weariness in her eyes, the slight slouch of her shoulders.

Each time she leaned slightly against the table she was using to sign swag on for support, my hands clenched involuntarily, building an ache in my muscles. I gauged her energy like I would my own teammates’, ready to act if she showed any sign of needing someone to step in and shield her. Like a fucking linebacker.

The sight of her, so vibrant yet clearly pushing her limits, sparked an instinct in me I hadn’t known existed. It wasn’t just admiration or the thrill of being near a celebrity. No, this wasdifferent, a deep-seated urge to protect, as if her well-being had somehow become important to my own.

It was irrational, this newfound concern for someone I hardly knew, but it gripped me with an intensity that was hard to ignore.

When it was my turn, Jules stepped slightly behind me and fucking pinched me on the back of the arm. I jolted forward and turned and gave her a stare with an unspoken promise of retribution.

“Oh, Declan, hi.” Kelsey stepped forward to greet us, but her foot snagged the tablecloth and she stumbled, lurching fast and headed for a crash.

My finely honed reflexes rose up, and I instinctively reached out to grab her, wrapping my arms around her to steady her. She barreled right into me, and I hugged her against my body to keep her upright.

“I got you,” I murmured, holding her a little too long before I realized I was keeping her from getting back on her feet.

Cameras flashed around us, capturing the unexpected embrace, including that of my little sister. Kelsey laughed it off, thanking me with a grateful look in her eyes. “I’m gonna have to put you on staff, if you keep coming to my rescue.”

The smile she gave me completely fritzed out my brain. I forgot how to talk. I forgot my own goddamned name. What did I do? I gave her a little salute.

What the fuck was that? Get it together, man.

“Kelsey, meet my baby sister. This is Jules, she’s a huge fan.”

Jules stepped up, gave me look that said not to be the dumbass she thought I was, and then held out her hand to shake Kelsey’s like a normal person. She was bubbly with excitement though. “Kelsey, you were amazing, and I want to say thanks for representing us bigger girls so positively. Especially in anindustry so focused on appearance. I appreciate the impact you’ve made on fatphobia in the media.”

Kelsey blinked. That was Jules for you. Always defying expectations.

Kelsey’s assistant slid a photo and a t-shirt onto the table, and Kelsey signed them both, then handed them to Jules. “You’re exactly the kind of girl I do all of this for, so I’m really happy to hear you enjoyed the show. I’d love to chat sometime about your thoughts on teenage women and the body positivity movement.”

Her smile was genuine as she chatted with Jules. My little sister was just a baby when our mom died, and our dad worked really hard to be sure she had positive female role models in her life. Kelsey was exactly that and I felt both grateful for it, and a weird sense of pride that I had no right to.

She looked over at me, and her eyes met mine, holding my gaze for a beat longer than with everyone else around us. There was a flicker of a question in her eyes I didn’t know how to answer. But then I recognized the moment she put the mask of celebrity back on.

She didn’t want Jules to know there was anything between us.

There wasn’t.

Yet.

I was going to make sure there was.

“It was so nice to see you again, Declan. And genuinely nice to meet you, Jules. Thanks so much for coming to the show.”

Oh. Shit. We’d just been dismissed. Perhaps my agent had actually told her people I’d said no to the dating proposal. I’d really fucked myself with that one.

Kelsey’s assistant, the one who’d given me the tickets, held out a tablet and asked her to sign something. Yep. She was done with us. Just another set of fans that she was kind to, but in theend, we weren’t in her life for more than the special moment we’d just gotten with her.

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