‘What did you see on the hike?’
She frowned. ‘The hike?’
‘This is bad,’ he said, not thinking about who he was talking to. He knew, without any consideration, that this conversation would ruin everything.
‘Oliver…’ Paige said slowly, as though he might run out of the room at any provocation. ‘You’re not thinking this through. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It could be a very, very good thing for you.’
‘Yeah, well, it’s not, okay?’ he snapped, fear finally catalysing into anger. ‘You knowing about… whatever it is you think you know about… is exactly what Ididn’twant to happen.’
‘Why?’ she asked, surprised. ‘We both want the same thing, don’t we?’
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. ‘I doubt that.’ At the moment, the only thing Oliver wanted was to be able to look at Declan without feeling a corresponding ache in his chest at the thought that he couldn’t touch him.
‘I have the audio feed,’ she said cautiously, ‘of you and Declan in the bathroom at the manor.’
‘What?’ That was worse than he’d feared. He hadn’t imagined that she had proof. Evidence of his relationship with Declan could cause irreparable damage. Oliver knew well the lengths that Declan had gone to ensure his sexuality stayed a secret.
He’d turned his mic off, hadn’t he? He tried to think back through all that had happened on the double date, and couldn’t think of a single moment where he would have checked if they were being recorded. They were off set, and Paige and Brian weren’t around. They were in thebathroom. Weren’t there laws about that kind of thing?
‘I was tipped off, and I went looking to see if it was true, or if he was making it up.’
‘James,’ Oliver breathed out in recognition. No one else would have gone to the producers with something like that.
Paige ignored him. ‘I’ve been trying to get one of you to admit there was something going on, but you’ve given me nothing, and Declan’s even worse. I mean, I never expected him to react like that to the posts,’ she said, frowning. Oliver felt a jolt of understanding, of pure anger. It hadn’t been bad luck, bad timing. The fight hadn’t been his fault or Declan’s, it had been Paige’s. ‘So it seems the only way is to be upfront: what are your feelings for Declan King?’
He wanted to laugh at the absurdity of her question. How she assumed he could express something that he didn’t even fully understand.
‘What? You thought I would sit here and admit to you that I love him if you asked nicely?’
‘Are you saying you love him?’
He had never imagined he could get this angry over something that wasn’t even real, over a television show, but he felt like hewas about to burst out of his skin. A strangled sound came out of his mouth. ‘Why didn’t youtellme about the audio?’
He was shocked by the betrayal he felt over that small detail, but it seemed vital for him to understand. He was sure that if he’d known, he could have done things differently, could have fixed things before it was too late.
Paige pursed her lips. ‘I was trying to make it easier for you, so you didn’t feel threatened by me. I wanted you to feel like you could confide in me.’ She paused, studying his stony expression. ‘Oliver, I’m on your side here.’
‘Good job,’ he bit out. ‘That’s worked outfantastically, hasn’t it? I don’t feel threatened at all right now.’
She folded her arms. ‘Can you hear me out before yelling at me?’
‘Go ahead,’ Oliver said woodenly, knowing he had no say in the matter.
‘I have an idea,’ Paige said, looking as though she’d been sitting on this speech for a long time, ‘and if you agree to work with me, you’re guaranteed to win this thing.’
‘Does this idea involve me coming out on national television?’ Oliver asked sarcastically.
‘Well, yes,’ Paige replied, biting her lip. ‘Here’s the bottom line: I can’t sit on this audio. If Darcy finds out I knew about this and did nothing, it would destroy my career. I’ve already left it for longer than I should have.’
‘You’re going to air it?’ he asked, his tone flat. He didn’t allow himself to think too deeply about what that would mean for him or Declan.
‘Yes.’ She leaned in. ‘But we can take control of this narrative. If you tell the world that you love Declan, that’s not just good television, that’sgroundbreaking. The two of you would have this thing in the bag.’
‘That’s if you assume Declan reciprocates my feelings,’ Oliver said, still without any emotion. ‘You may have noticed we aren’t speaking at the moment, which would suggest he doesn’t.’
Paige sat back. ‘Of course he does. Being on a straight dating show isn’t the easiest way to start a gay relationship, and I’m sure that’s caused problems.’ She looked to Oliver, seemingly for confirmation, and he gave her a blank stare. He was beginning to suspect all of his and Declan’s problems were sitting right in front of him. ‘But with my support – and Darcy’s blessing – the two of you could just… be together.’
‘Yeah, that’s grand,’ he said, ‘except we’re not together.’
