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"The last few weeks, we’ve coordinated through his PR manager and made sure our schedules coincided so we could be seen together. This way, they’d leave us alone the rest of the time. It helped us play to the #Declene fans, and that kept us both relevant and top-of-mind with the media. Not that the pictures were all posed.”At least, not on my side.
"And that was important? Being seen together?" Mira pushes up to sit cross-legged.
"There are #Declene fan clubs, and countdowns to our possible engagement. In fact, they’ve even dedicated a shrine to the two of us somewhere in Asia."
"They have not." Mira gapes at me.
"They have." I lower my chin to my chest.
“Not that it’s creepy or anything. Okay, strike that. Itiscreepy.” Penny takes another pull from her miniature whiskey bottle. “You’re going to hate me for saying it,”—she pulls up her knees—“but I'm with Mira. I don’t buy that he’s engaged to someone else.”
"I heard him, remember?" I pull up my knees and wrap my arms around them.
"But do you believe him?"
I frown. “I have no reason not to.”
"But you’ve never seen them together before this or thought he was cheating on you?" Mira taps her fingers on the bed.
"No. I knew he was conflicted about us. We hadn’t been calling each other that often, but I put that down to him being busy with the film. It never occurred to me he would look for another woman."
"And how did you find out he was in LA?" Penny supports her chin in her palm.
"What’s with all these questions, eh?" I look between them.
They both exchange glances again, then Penny turns to me. "Humor us, babe. How did you find out he was in town?"
"We were supposed to have another planned photo-op with the paps. Giorgina mentioned Delcan might be at home, so I stopped by the house, hoping to see him. I thought we could go together. When I went upstairs, I heard something in his room. So, I went to say hi." In my mind's eye, I flash back to that day—how excited I was to see him again after so long, and how confused and heartsick I felt when I saw him with her. "That’s when I saw them."
"Hmm…" Penny looks at Mira, who raises her hands.
"What? What is it?" I scowl.
Mira starts, "If this was a planned photo-op, he had to know you'd be coming home…"
Penny excitedly adds, "I think you need to test him on this."
"Why would I do that?"
"Because I think he wants you to believe that he’s with someone else. He planned it—for you to walk in on him."
"What?" I drag my fingers through my hair. "Why?"
"Because he wanted you to break up with him,” Penny exclaims.
"Well, it worked. I did break up with him. I never want to see him again." I shake my hair back from my face.
“But don’t you want to find out why he’d do something like this?”
“No.” I firm my lips.
Both of them look at me with matching expressions of sympathy, mixed with frustration and hope. Damn it, there’s this big, fat hope shining in their eyes. Something I don’t want to believe in. Something I can't afford to believe in.
“I think the two of you are clutching at straws,” I mumble.
Mira raises a shoulder. “Maybe, maybe not, but I vote we find out.”
Penny nods vigorously.
