‘Can you not?’ Georgia said, not unkindly, to Imogen. Imogen whirled around, eyes wide.
‘Sorry,’ she said, quickly sitting on Declan’s other side. ‘Didn’t even realise I was doing it.’
Declan grimaced. ‘It’s okay,’ he said. ‘To be honest, I didn’t notice.’
‘It’s going to be all right, Decs,’ Georgia said.
‘Yeah!’ Imogen agreed.
Declan looked between them. ‘You guys don’t need to be so nice to me,’ he said finally.
‘Nonsense,’ Imogen responded, as Georgia said, ‘Oh, piss off.’
Declan huffed out a laugh and the girls grinned at each other. He’d been nervous to introduce Imogen to Georgia when they’d first got back to London, but he needn’t have worried. They were thick as thieves now.
It had been an interesting couple of weeks. He and Imogen had exited the plane with the rest of the couples to find Georgia waiting for them. Declan hadn’t even attempted to play coy, spilling his guts about everything on the drive back to his flat. Georgia hadn’t looked surprised by any of it; she’d simply turned to him and asked, ‘What now?’
Which was how Declan found himself wanting to completely upend his life. He stood and pressed his suit jacket down, easing imaginary wrinkles. This was what he wanted. He hadn’t spent the past two weeks in prep meetings with his manager, agent and father on a passing whim. He wanted this, even though it was the most terrifying thing he’d ever done.
His dad opened the press room door, slipping into the hallway with Declan’s brother at his side. His eyes were kind when they met Declan’s. Jim had been understanding when Declan had told him his plan to retire and come out in one fell swoop. He hadn’t been disappointed, like Declan had expected. He had simply asked if he was sure, and had hugged him after hearing that he was.
‘All right,’ his dad said, laying a hand on his shoulder. ‘They’re ready for you.’
A near-blinding cascade of camera flashes went off as Declan entered the room.
‘Hello, everybody,’ he said, leaning in to speak clearly into the microphone. ‘Thank you for coming.’
He was met with silence as the reporters poised their pens. He saw a few lean forwards, their phones held out to record.
‘Right, well,’ Declan said, glancing at his hands. Imogen had suggested he bring notecards and now he wished he had listened to her, if only to keep them from shaking. ‘I’ll be retiring from boxing effective immediately.’
A massive roar of questions followed. He held up a hand for quiet, pointing at a slim woman in the front row.
‘Declan,’ she began, ‘you’re still a relatively young athlete – why retire at this age? Is it because of the injury you sustained earlier this year?’
‘This has nothing to do with that.’ Declan rolled his left wrist to display a full range of motion. ‘Boxing is just no longer my main interest. I’ve got other priorities. Plus,’ – he caught hisbrother’s eye at the back of the room – ‘I want to give Aaron a fighting chance in the ring.’ Aaron grinned.
The joke got him a few laughs before more hands shot into the air. Declan pointed to a stout man towards the back.
‘What are your plans for retirement? You mentioned other priorities; will you be pursuing another career?’
Declan thought for a moment. ‘I have no set plans at the moment, and I reckon I’ve earned a bit of a break. My priorities are personal.’ That caused a murmur among the crowd.
Another woman raised her hand, and Declan nodded at her.
‘You were on the latest season ofSummer of Love, where you met and were romantically connected with’ – she consulted her notes – ‘Imogen Vichare. Does she have anything to do with your shifting priorities?’
Declan chuckled. ‘No, I’m sorry to say she does not. Imogen and I are not dating,’ Declan said, for the first time looking directly at the cameras lining the back wall of the room. ‘We were never dating. It was all for the show.’ Another flurry of hands shot up, but Declan ignored them, clearing his throat.
‘Which brings me to my next announcement,’ he said. ‘And I want to be clear: I’m choosing to tell you this not because I think you’re entitled to know, but because I’m tired of keeping it a secret.’
Declan glanced over at Georgia, standing with his dad, his brother and Imogen. He couldn’t read her expression with the lights glaring on him, but if he had to guess, he’d say she looked proud.
He took one final deep breath in and said, ‘I’m gay. I never found that relevant to my career, so I didn’t share it publicly. For any of my fans who are disappointed, I can honestly say I don’t care.’
There was a brief moment where no one said anything. Declan could see the red blinking lights of the cameras at the back of the room. He cleared his throat again.
‘And I won’t be taking any questions about this, because, frankly, it’s no one’s business. So, um, thank you.’
