AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Declan
Andi had been gonewhen he woke the next morning, blissfully content until he realized that the other side of the bed had long since been cold, her scent still lingering in the room as he went to shower and pack, knowing they were heading back to Ireland later in the day after a quick press conference this morning.
He had barely stepped out of the shower and gotten dressed when a knock sounded on his door and his heart pounded in the hopes that it was Andi, and not Jameson who actually stood at the door, a coffee in each hand.
“I thought you might need a coffee after the sex gymnastics I heard last night.” his friend teased, then glanced around the room. “Where’s Andi?”
Declan took the coffee from Jameson and shook his head. “She left.”
“Ah Dec, mate, I’m sorry.”
That was all that Jameson had said, letting him wallow in his broken heart even at the press conference, where Declan had been hoping to see Andi, but she hadn’t turned up. Instead, he stared blankly at the exit as reporters tossed questions at the band.
“Declan, Declan! Tell us more about the mysterious Rebel Heart girl!”
Normally, Declan wouldn’t have bothered answering those kinda questions, but at this point, if he had already lost Andi, then he couldn’t lose her more, could he?
“Let me tell you a little about the Rebel Heart girl,” He began, his tone sounding like he’d been on the drink for a week straight, his bandmates looking at him with wide eyes. “I’ve been in love with her since I was seventeen and too stupid to realize that the woman I wanted to marry was right there beside me. I messed up and now, maybe too much time has passed between us, too many angry words and hurt feelings. But I still love her and I always will.”
Declan shifted his gaze to the camera and he looked into it as if there was not a gazillion lights and faces watching him, and that he could just be looking into Andi’s eyes and putting his heart on display for her.
“I’m sorry I was a fool. I’m sorry I pushed you away, and I’m sorry for not telling you that I loved you sooner. I always say the wrong thing around you because you tie me in knots but I need the world to know that I am so in love with you, Andrea Collins. And I will still be in love with you until the air leaves my lungs and my heart stops beating.”
Declan rose from his seat and headed for the door, the band following out after him. Declan didn’t say a word on the entire flight, ignoring the band's concerned looks as they dropped him off at home and Jameson told him that he would check in tomorrow.
“Rhys?” Declan as he jumped out of the minibus and held the door open. “Will you just tell me if she’s okay? Just text me that she’s okay and I’ll never ask you for anything again.”
Declan closed the door before Rhys could answer and headed inside, going on full alert when he realized the studio door was slightly ajar. He picked up a hurley that was at the bottom of the stairs leading up to his apartment, dropped his holdall, and crept inside.
There was no one in the main communal area but he heard noises coming from the recording studio. His heart kicked like a snare drum as Declan shoved open the doors and he almost dropped the stick from his grasp as Andi looked up from where she was sat behind his piano and offered him a small smile.
“I would be intimidated by the hurley if I didn’t know just how shite you were with it.”
Declan, despite himself, barked out a laugh and put his weapon of choice away. “What are you doing here, Andi?”
Andi chewed on her bottom lip before she got to her feet, her fingers grazing the keys of the piano before she picked up a wrapped present that sat on top of the piano, striding over to him and holding it out.
“I got you a present,” Andi said, her tone husky as she cleared it and then tried again. “Can you open it, please?”
“It’s not going to explode or anything is it?” Declan himself tried to use humour to deflect from the tension in the air but all Andi did was smile and shake her head.
Declan ripped open the wrapping and frowned at the box in his hand before he opened the lid to reveal a pair of well-worn purple Nike trainers. Lifting his puzzled gaze, he beheld Andi with her arms around her waist, cheeks flushed.
“I saw you on the news. I heard you when Rhys sent me a voice note of conversations you had when writing the song. I listen to Noah when he called me and ripped me a new one for being just as pigheaded as he was and focusing on the bad.”
Declan didn’t know what to say, but his hands trembled as Andi took the box and place it back on the piano. “I’m sorry I ran away last night but I was terrified of what could go wrong.” She inclined her head to the shoes. “I’m tired of running away, Declan. I’m tired of stressing that we are making the biggest mistake of our lives by trying. I don’t want to run anymore so I am giving you my running shoes and my heart.”
Declan felt his mouth gape open as Andi blew out a breath. “I love you too, Declan. I always have. I can’t say I might not try to run again if I get overwhelmed but I want to try and see if this thing between us is real. So, here I am, Declan, telling you the words I wanted to when I was seventeen but never got the chance. I love you.”
Her eyes brimmed with tears, as if she expected him to push her away but Declan closed the distance between them and tugged her into his arms, feeling his heart soar when Andi wrapped her arms around his back and he felt the wetness of her tears soak into his tee.
Declan reluctantly untangled himself from Andi to cup her cheek. “Hey, no tears. I love you. I’m sorry for being a dickhead and I’m sorry for the years that we danced around one another. If you want to go to the US with JJ, we can work it out. But I am never letting you go again, Andi. Not until my heart stops beating.”
Andi swiped at her eyes. “I told JJ no. I couldn’t leave even if we decided not to try. LA might have been exciting, but the reason me and Charlie wanted to set up Rebel PR in Cork was because we both wanted to come home. Ireland is where we belong.”
Declan kissed her then hard, felt her smile into the kiss, and then they were tugging off each other's clothes barely making it to the floor before Declan was thrusting inside of her, each of them declaring their love in the way their hands touched one another and after their climax, they lay on the floor of the studio, Andi draped over his body and Declan knew if he died today, he would die a happy man.
“Move in with me.” He blurted out into the quiet, knowing he was probably steamrolling ahead but he didn’t care. They had wasted so much time; he didn’t want to waste any more of it. “And before you argue, you still haven’t found a place and we can redecorate if you want. Plus, I’m hoping the lure of the studio will convince you even if you aren’t tempted by the thought of waking up beside me every day. I don’t want any walls between us anymore, Andi.”
She sucked in a breath as she lifted her head to look at him, then grinned. “Okay, but just so you know...you had me at studio.”
They laughed and kissed some more and Declan had to pinch himself that this was real and not all a dream, telling Andi that he hoped she would come along when they travelled the world to tour with Oli.
“I wanna see the world with you, Andi, and then come home with you. I wanna go to sleep beside you every night and wake with you in my arms. And if you want to run, I’ll run with you. and if I act the idiot, feel free to call me on it...then we can have lots of makeup sex!”
Andi swatted at his chest as she laughed then got a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she traced her hands across his chest. “How soundproof is this room?”
She didn’t give him a chance to respond as she slid down his body, and stroked the length of his cock before she grinned flicked her tongue over the head before taking him into her hot wet mouth and any coherent thoughts fled.
