Page 32 of Broken Hero
We all clink our glasses, and I look over my glass to Dec, he’s smiling at me softly, and when he meets my gaze, he gives me a wink. Wow. My stomach flutters with the anticipation of how good this weekend could be.
After Lydia and I have emptied the bottle of Prosecco, Dec announces he’s going to go back to the room to take a shower so that he can free up the bathroom for me. Apparently, ‘with all the shit I have brought, I will take forever,’ he declared to everyone. I would have liked to argue, but Idotake forever.
“So, you and Declan, huh?” Lydia says when they've finally left.
“Yeah, I guess Gary filled you in that we’re only pretending?”
“He did, yeah, but there hasn't been much pretending going on from what I can see.”
“Oh no, have we been crap? Do I need to step up my game?”
She laughs. “No, I mean, whatever is going on between you two - it looks real.”
I'm taken aback. “We’re not...there isn't anything romantic between us. He asked me to come along so people would presume that, but it's not like that.”
“Are you sure?”
I nod. “Yeah, we've become friends since I moved in, but that's it. He...he’s not available.”
“What do you mean?”
“He isn't available for relationships, he said as much, it's like he’s closed off.” I don’t want to give too much of his personal stuff away.
She looks as though she’s going to say something when her phone rings. She looks at the display, “Aw, I'm sorry, I have to take this; it’s my sister. I'm going to head up to the room and take it there.”
I wave away her apologies. “No worries, I’ll head up now anyway - get a head start on tonight’s preparations - I would never admit it, but he’s right - I take a long time getting ready!”
We make our way to the lift. I'm early, but I’m sure he’ll be out of the shower by now. I hope he's decent...or do I? I think about what Lydia said. Does it look to everyone else as though we’re something more than friends? There is no point denying that I like him more and more every day, the flirting and the chemistry between us is getting more intense. I meant what I said though - whatever happened in his past relationship has destroyed him. I might try and speak to him when he’s relaxed - try to find out what happened. I tried to get info out of Jack at work, but he was a closed book on the subject of Declan, which surprised me because he never shuts up about everything else. It made me wonder f there was a secret hidden somewhere.
I get to our door and slide my key card out of my back pocket. I clumsily drop my bag as I walk in and bend to pick it up as the door clicks shut behind me.
“Sophie.”
I hear Dec and look up while retrieving my bag.
I freeze. He’s wet and in a towel...only a towel. But my eyes move to something else. He has scars.Badscars. It looks like he's been severely burned, from his left peck all the way down, nearly to his navel - covering one half of his chest. It’s severe. I look up at his face and see from the horrified expression that I'm the last thing he expected to see.
“I...I'm sorry, I had to come back early.”
“What the fuck, Sophie!” He shouts.
He storms into the bathroom and slams the door. I hear him shout. “Jesus, fuck!”
Oh god, his body, his beautiful body marked like that - when did that happen? It must have been on a call out with work before I met him or Jack. I’d have heard about it. I can't even imagine the pain he must have gone through to sustain scars like those.
I walk over to the bathroom. “Let me in Dec,” I say, knocking quietly.
“Leave me be.”
“Please let me in. I'm sorry...I'm sorry I came back early.”
I'm startled by how much I don't want him to fall out with me, how much I don't want him to hurt.
He doesn't say anything -it’s silent.
“Declan, I mean it, let me in.”
I wait for a couple of minutes, my head resting against the door,fuck,what the hell do I do now? I have no idea.
