Page 24 of Declan
Chapter 7
Kyler
I loved people. Loved socializing and making new friends. I was an extrovert who had introverted qualities. There were times when I wanted to be alone, to reflect on things in silence without interruptions. And sometimes, alone time was needed to re-charge.
I’d done plenty of re-charging the past few days.
After my drunken night, it’d taken me days to recover. At home, I’d shut and locked my door so Brysen couldn’t bother me and had blocked out the world. Not only had I been hungover, but also mortified. My memory was blotchy from that night, but I recalled seeing Declan. I had no idea why he’d been atRaw.
And I’d puked on him. That, alone, was enough to make me want to crawl under the covers and never surface again. At least not for, like, ten million years.
I’d still had to go to work, though, and had been a miserable asshole as my hangover pounded in my skull. Normally, my hangovers weren’tthatbad, but I hadn’t gotten drunk that night atRaw; I’d gotten shitfaced.
I was back to my upbeat self as I greeted customers that day. Fortunately.
“Good morning!” I said from behind the counter as two girls walked in.
One of them shyly waved as the other one ignored me. I was used to that. But then when the one who’d initially ignored me looked my way, she perked up.
“Hey,” she said, approaching the counter.
Ah, so now that she knows I’m hot, she suddenly wants to talk.
“Anything I can help you find?” I asked, keeping a smile in place.
I worked at a bookstore and loved it. It wasn’t the job I wanted to have forever—obviously—but it related to my interests at least. My dream job was to be a full-time writer and screenwriter. I’d written several stories that I’d self-published and was working on adapting into screenplays, too. Those books hadn’t made me rich or anything, but the extra money that came in each month was nice, even if it wasn’t a lot.
“Yeah,” the girl responded, leaning against the counter. “I’m lookin’ for a book on healthy recipes.”
“You’ll find those in theDiet and Nutritionsection on the far wall, beside the magazines,” I said, pointing to the area. “I can show you, if you want.”
“That’d be great.”
I got the sense they were checking me out as I led them to the aisle. One, because they kept giggling. And two, when I turned around, the shyer one’s face was beet red.
“Uh, well, this is it,” I said. “If there’s anything else I can help you with, please let me know.”
“We will,” the confident girl responded, not taking her eyes off me.
Okaaaay. Not creepy at all.
I walked back to the counter and pretended to check something on the computer, just so I wouldn’t be awkwardly standing there, seemingly not busy and available to chat. The girls found a book and came over to pay. The flirty one kept smiling at me as I handed them back the book along with the receipt.
“Enjoy the rest of your day.” I wore my best, customer service smile.
“What time do you get off?” she asked, leaning forward.
“Four,” I answered.
“Want to meet up?” She pressed her boobs to the counter, flaunting them. “We can grab a bite to eat and go back to my place.”
“I’m gay,” I blurted out.
Her cheeks reddened and she snatched the book from the counter before turning and walking away.
The other girl grinned at me, clearly fascinated by something, and then I saw herYuri on Icebag.
Ah, that explains it.
