Chapter 10: Speak Now

Declan made small talk, expertly avoiding the elephant in the room. I cooperated, because well… food. He seemed more comfortable the moment the topic of that night had been dropped.

Postponed, not dropped. I was definitely getting my answers.

The food, however, was phenomenal. I moaned internally every time I took a bite. At least I knew that where food was concerned, I could trust him.

He seemed satisfied with himself as he watched me eat, but I didn't want him to think the way to my heart was through my stomach. That was partly true, but still.

I was filled with a strange sense of loss when the waiter cleared the table. Declan seemed to notice. "You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?"

"The food was great. Give my thanks to Tony."

"He'll be glad to hear it."

"Are you done playing hide and seek?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean."

"Alright," he sighed and raised his hands up. "What do you want to know?"

"The same question I've been asking all week. I don't think I have to ask again."

Declan lowered his head. Was he nervous?

"When I met you, I was captivated. You lit up the entire building, I couldn't help but stare. I was really glad when you looked at me, but I was also nervous because you're so beautiful and confident. So, I chickened out," he laughed and continued. "But you came over and it was like fate."

I smiled at him, eager to hear how the story ended, particularly why he stood me up.

"I made the decision on the spot to come back to see you when your cab pulled up. Trust me, I didn't really think about it, and I didn't even get your number. I should have, because when I got back to the office, I found out that I had to be out of town that week. If I had your number, I could have just called, rescheduled or even planned a proper date. I hated it, Leah. The thought of you hating me because of that, and I had no control over it. I was so glad when I saw you again. That was my chance to make it up to you, and make sure you didn't hate me. I'm really, really sorry Leah," he said, sincerity in his eyes.

That made sense. He didn't have my number, so he couldn't reach me to tell me about the change of plans. But something about his body language, and the way he couldn't meet my gaze the day he came to the office. He didn't seem happy to see me that day. From what he just said, he had hoped to see me again, but what I saw in his eyes that day was shock, confusion and shame.

I'm just being paranoid, I thought. Declan's explanation made sense, and he wouldn't ask me out if he didn't want to make things right. I should give him a chance.

I thought about what Marcella would do. If she really cared, she would give him a second chance.

Did I really care? Of course, I did. My mind was zeroed in on the man in front of me, and there was nothing I could do to change it.

So, I smiled at him. "Want to go for drinks?"

My stomach fluttered as his face spread into the brightest smile I had ever seen. He placed a few bills on the table, took my hand and led me out of the restaurant.

***

On Monday morning, I walked into the office feeling like a princess, because my life was like a fairy tale. I couldn't believe that Declan and I had found our way back to each other. Things were going really well between us.

Miranda was the first person I saw when I walked in, standing at the reception with Claire. In a good mood, I offer a big smile and an enthusiastic good morning.

"I almost thought you weren't coming in today. See me in my office in an hour," Miranda said.

I wondered what she wanted to talk about, but decided I wanted to stay in this mood for a while longer, and thoughts of Miranda would do the exact opposite.

With that, I walked over to my desk, saying hi to Tracy and Kevin on my way. They eyed me suspiciously because I seemed so cheerful, but were thankfully too busy to drill me.

I was brought down to reality quickly, when I saw the amount of work waiting for me at my desk. There were multiple emails from Miranda 'demanding' that I have every single article on her desk by the end of the day.

I rolled my eyes, regretting how chipper I was when I said good morning to her earlier.

Well, this much work would at least keep me from thinking about Declan's lips. I wanted to kiss him so bad, that I stared at his lips for an embarrassingly long time. He seemed to want the same thing because I had caught him returning the gaze.

I wasn't going to give in to my urges though. I liked him too much and wanted to build a strong connection. With how attracted I was to him, I knew I wouldn't stop at just a kiss.

The room was suddenly hot. It was probably that the air-conditioning had stopped working, and not my inappropriate thoughts. With a mischievous smile, I got to work.

I had barely finished a task when the mail came in.

"My office," it read.

Sighing, I got up and made my way to Miranda's office. I wasn't looking forward to this, because I knew I wouldn't leave in the same mood I went in with.

Miranda was on the phone when I walked in. I took a seat grimly and waited for her to tell me what I had done wrong this time. I searched my mind thoroughly, but I couldn't think of anything.

"I received the press release for the Samuelson launch. You're meeting with him must have been quite productive," Miranda said.

I froze. Did she know something? Was I going to lose my job for dating a client? But Declan wasn't a client anymore, right?

Terrified, and not wanting to give anything away, I said, "Yes, it was."

"Declan seems really interesting, doesn't he?"

"Excuse me?" I stare at her, confused.

"He's the hottest bachelor in town right now, and everyone is curious about him. I bet you're curious yourself." Miranda stood up and began pacing.

My heart tried to jump out of my chest, and all I could do was stare at her, waiting for her to tell me I'm fired.

"He generally keeps to himself, and we don't know much about him," she continued. "His media record is spotless, but is he really?"

She came up behind me and placed her hands on the back of the chair. I jumped slightly, secretly worried that she was going to strangle me while screaming the word, 'traitor'.

"Everyone has secrets, Leah, and I'm sure Declan is no different." She walked back to her seat like she had not just scared the sh*t out of me. "I want to know his secret, and I want you to bring it to me."

My head shot up fast. I felt the shock rush from my heart and settle in my stomach like a bad meal. I remained rooted in my seat, wondering what the h*ll was going on.