Declan Romano

I sat on the warm sand, still warm from the day, my legs tucked under me, frantically jotting down the lines that had been burning in my soul all day. Every word was filled with Declan—his cold gaze, which made my heart skip a beat.
I guarded this secret like the most precious and dangerous treasure. Even Lily, my best friend, from whom I usually kept no secrets, didn't know about my hopeless crush.
A shadow fell across the pages of the notebook, and I flinched. Lily approached so quietly that I didn't notice her.
"Who are you writing about?" she asked with a smile. I slammed the notebook shut, feeling hot blood rush to my cheeks.
“Um, sorry, but that’s too personal,” I replied, trying to hide the notebook behind my back. Lily’s face instantly changed. The smile disappeared, giving way to genuine offense. “Personal?!?” Lily replied. “I thought we were friends.” A painful pang ran through my chest. I felt unbearably ashamed for lying to her face and destroying our trust.
and I blurted out the first name that came to mind, just to divert suspicion from myself: “Fabian... I’m writing about Fabian.” Lily’s eyes widened, now showing complete astonishment. “Really?” I opened my mouth to continue this stupid lie, but didn’t have time. Declan was sitting behind us, right on the wooden parapet.
He was reading something with great interest, but when he heard from you about Fabian, he slammed the book shut in anger.
A familiar grin played on his lips as he lazily said out loud: “Well, yes, of course, she writes about a poor musician.”