Top Floor (Rendezvous #1)

Chapter 33

“Do you really want to know?” he asked in a secretive tone. Of course, it would’ve been easier if Declan just let him know, but playing around with his little brother wouldn’t hurt. Besides, he was having fun. He hadn’t teased Heath in a while.

Heath stared at Declan for a few seconds before he turned his head to look out the window and saying, “No. Now go away.”

“Alright, alright.” Declan quickly rushed forward. Heath was never one to be patient enough for jokes. “Fine, I’ll tell you. It’s about Claire.”

Right away, Declan got his younger brother’s attention again. “What? What about Claire?”

“You remember her, right?”

“Of course I remember Claire! Why would you even ask that?”

How could he not remember her? Dear God, the most important thing he had to get back to wasn’t the construction site or his work, but Claire Sparks! What was he doing in a hospital bed? They had left off badly and Heath needed to get back to her as soon as possible. Today, even.

“You do?” Declan snorted. “And here I thought you could’ve gotten an easy way out.”

“What are you talking about?”

Declan crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair. “You really don’t remember, huh?” Heath was still giving him a confused look, and Declan finally decided to tell him. “Clarissa.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. You’re the one who said her name first.”

Heath pondered about the name…but came to no conclusion as to who she was. “The name doesn’t sound familiar.”

“Even though that’s what you called Claire? I thought maybe it was just another name you called her, but by the look on her face when you said it, I guessed otherwise. But…” Declan nodded his head in realization. “Now I see.”

“Wait…” Heath’s head couldn’t immediately process his brother’s words. It seemed he had knocked his head harder than he thought. “…what did you say?”

“Claire came to visit you.” He said, surprising Heath. “And when you woke up, you looked at her and called her Clarissa.”

Heath made no comeback. No denial, no rebuttal, nothing. The room went completely silent as he sat in his bed with a blank look on his face. There would be no reason for Declan to lie about such a thing, so Heath could only believe that it was the truth.

“So?” Declan asked. “Who is she?”

Slowly, Heath shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know? The name even sounds familiar to me.”