declan

Declan Sinclair. 26. CEO of Sinclair Industries.

[sergeantalexhudson-blog]

“Thank you.” Alex nodded, sliding is jacket off and hanging it on the rack. His eyes went around the apartment, seeing how similar it was in outline to Cristinas old one, but naturally, differently styled. Alex walked over to lean a little against the kitchen counter, his attention moved to the stove. “I’m alright. What are you making?” He inquired curiously. Back in the army he used to cook, but now a days Alex couldn’t always find the time, and living in the dorms always meant a crowded kitchen. 

[declansinclair-blog]

“Just some pork, spinach, and mushrooms. Is that alright with you?” Declan didn’t recall the other man mentioning he was a vegetarian or anything of the sort, so he hoped his selection was alright. It was a rather mild and well-liked choice, so he felt it was a wise one.

[ellaxpeters-blog]

Ella laughed a little before nodding, “Well I am glad you come here because you enjoy learning.” She nodded before looking at him, “Oh just ones between people in college but my partner is very competitive and doesn’t like losing so I have to put my all into it.” She shrugged before looking at him with a smile on my face “Well that makes sense. I think I will go with Red, it tastes better.”

[declansinclair-blog]

“Are you likely to win?” While Declan knew his friend played tennis, he didn’t know a lot about her athletic career, and was curious as to her odds. “Of course. One moment, please.” He turned around in his kitchen, fetching two glasses and a nice bottle of Malbec, before heading to the counter to uncork the wine and pour both of them a glass. “I’m glad we ran into each other tonight, because I don’t often have the time to think of inviting someone to join me. This is a nice change of pace.”

[sergeantalexhudson-blog]

Alex shuffled his feet a bit waiting. He was glad to get out a little if he was honest. This week had just been both a hard and confusing one. And despite himself he didn’t regret it or look back at it with much else than a weird sense of happiness. As the door was opened he pulled out a smile. “Hello. Yes, thank you.” He walked in, dispersing of his shoes and jacket. “Thats great. I wouldn’t mind a glass of water?” 

[declansinclair-blog]

“Of course. I’ll get you one in a moment. You may leave your jacket over there,” Declan gestured to the coat rack behind the door, where several of his pieces of outerwear were stored. “Feel free to take a seat wherever you’d like.” He led the way into the kitchen, allowing Alex to choose a place to relax as he grabbed two glasses, filling them with ice and then heading toward the sink.

[ellaxpeters-blog]

Ella nodded, “Well I guess that makes sense I just didn’t think of that reason, I just thought you enjoyed learning.” She smiled a little looking at Declan before nodding, “I would hope so, I don’t have time to be ill. I have to get ready for this tennis competition I have soon for some unknown reason. And I need to start filming my short film.” She laughed as they walked in to the apartment and looked around before at him and nodded, “Just some water, unless you have wine sitting around here somewhere.”

[declansinclair-blog]

“I do enjoy learning, so you’re not incorrect.” Declan listened to what his friend was saying, aware she clearly had a lot on her plate. “What sort of tennis competition do you have?” Smiling a little, he gave a nod. “I do have wine. Plenty of people choose that as their gift once a deal is struck, so I already have quite a few bottles around here. Red or white?”

[ellaxpeters-blog]

“That is very true, I think I am aware of that. I am sure it’s very busy. Oh right that makes sense, so why do you come to Charlton then then?” She nodded looking at him and smiled a little, “As long as you don’t give me food poisoning I am sure you will do fine.” She smiled softly looking a him.

[declansinclair-blog]

“A business degree will make some of the older people with whom I work feel more comfortable making deals with someone so young,” he told her seriously. Declan nodded, smiling a little, himself. “I sincerely hope to keep you healthy.” Leading the way into his apartment, he gestured toward the counter in his kitchen. “May I get you anything before I begin cooking?”

[declansinclair-blog]

@sergeantalexhudson

Upon hearing the knock at his door, Declan finished sending the email he was rereading and then rose from his seat to greet the person on the other side. “Come on inside,” he gestured into the apartment upon opening the door for Alex. “Everything should be finished cooking in a moment. Would you like something to drink in the meantime?”

[kendallxjohnson]

Robes & Rumours || Kendall & Declan

[kendallxjohnson]

Kendall tried to keep a straight face as Declan proposed his problem to Carter, watching the other boy’s face as he lost his shit. The girl bit her lip as the cashier started messing with the boy, now staring at Declan’s reaction and the strictness in him, unable to smile. The girl took it as a challenge to at least force a small grin out of him, always looking for new tasks. “Thanks, babe” Kendall rolled her eyes, grabbing Declan’s arm and guiding towards the toiletries, eventually erupting in after once they were out of his sight. “How can you keep a straight face through all that? Do you even know what fun is?”

[declansinclair-blog]

Declan followed Kendall through the aisles to the place they were told to search. His demeanor was just as buttoned up as it always was when he was in front of either strangers or potential business partners. “I do, and this isn’t it,” he informed her neutrally, arriving in the toiletry section and searching for some shower gel. While he didn’t mind her company, he wouldn’t consider roaming around in his bathrobe to complete mundane tasks his idea of fun.

[ellaxpeters-blog]

Ella nodded, “Yeah I can imagine that,  I mean I get the feeling when i work but your job seems more busy then mind” She nodded looking at him and smiled softly looking over at him, “That’s good. No I am not rushing off anywhere. Well do you cook good food? Because I don’t mind taking you up on that offer.”

[declansinclair-blog]

“My job is far different from yours. Though yes, it likely occupies all of my time since it is full time employment,” he reasoned aloud, never one to make it seem as if someone else’s work was lesser. “I like to think I’m at least fairly decent in the kitchen. Though you can be the judge of that.”

[declansinclair-blog]

Stranded // Preity & Declan

[preity-malhotra-blog]

Preity blushed ever so slightly at his observation. So his eyes did work after all and they had noticed her. But she knew that he was right, the jacket did look far too big on her. Preity was a tall girl yet she was incredibly slim and he was the opposite. “Do you work out a lot?” She asked before she could stop herself. “I-I mean the jacket is quite large so you must have a good set of muscles to be able to have something this large. Look at the arms, mine look tiny compared to yours!” Preity couldn’t stop herself, she was rambling on and there was no way to pause her compliments and her word vomit. “I bet you lift the heaviest weights available in the gym.”

“I’m always one to make adjustments when needed,” she stated, proud of herself for that trait.  There were many traits that she had but she was able to adapt to any sort of situation which made things much better and easier for her. Plus, she wasn’t used to the weather change from India to America, especially when she’d gone back home for the summer and was exposed to the scorching sun. “You should make it a habit of yours to get to know a lot of the people here, something tells me you have a good memory. Especially since you’re always looking at the papers of you’re writing emails.” She chewed on her lip and winced. “I mean…I don’t stalk you or anything, I-I just…I’ve seen you around with papers and your laptop so I just assumed.”

[declansinclair-blog]

Her question caught him off guard since it didn’t fit at all with the rest of their conversation, but he displayed nothing other than mild surprise. The expression faded into something more neutral and polite as Preity continued her explanation. Once her many thoughts came to a close, he gave a slight nod before responding. “Your arms are tiny compared to mine, though that might simply be a result of how differently we’re built. However, yes, I do try to exercise quite often. Though I certainly don’t lift the very heaviest weights; those are for bodybuilders and the like. I don’t have enough time on my hands to work out that much,” he told her, slightly amused.

“That’s excellent.” While Declan knew the importance of standing his ground and finding new angles from which to get his way, he also understood the many benefits of being able to adapt when unexpected situations posed an obstacle. “I would not have assumed you stalked me,” he reassured her, taken aback yet again by something she had said, this time a kind smile playing across his lips. “Though I am nearly always working, so I’m not surprised if you’ve seen me doing so. I am trying to get to know a few more people, but my degree comes first.”

[declansinclair-blog]

Stranded // Preity & Declan

[preity-malhotra-blog]

Preity had always wondered what she would have been like if her father wasn’t a priest. Her family was wealthy, they had enough money to send their daughter all the way to get an education in America but that was mainly due to being sponsored by so many people that believed she was the Chosen One or those who respected her father. If she had been the daughter of a Politician then she didn’t really think she’d be this religious either and she doubted she would be like herself. Preity’s faith and religion was a strong part of her and with it she wouldn’t know she would be. Snapping out of her thoughts, she smiled. “I’ll make sure to keep that in mind next time so we don’t end up out in the light rain over something so small.”

Preity took the jacket from him and placed it on, it was much bigger than she was but it was cozy all the same. Inside, she could feel herself dancing. Her dance would consist of a lot of arm movements and she would basically be jumping up and down on the spot. If Declan wasn’t standing near her right now, she would most likely start dancing for real on the spot. She was known for randomly dancing when she got something or a mission was successful. “When the snow arrives then I won’t pray outside,” she shook her head, deciding it was better if she paid attention to the conversation. “I would pray inside without candles, I would pray for other things that didn’t involve candles or fire.”

[declansinclair-blog]

He smiled in return, nodding. Preity definitely didn’t seem like the type to try to start fires, and while he hoped her candles didn’t land them on the sidewalk again, he could hardly be annoyed at her for doing her daily prayers. Even if he did have emails to finish, Declan was good enough at going with the flow not to be put out by the current situation. “I hope that helps,” he said, gesturing toward her once she had his jacket over her shoulders. “It’s a little large for you, but as long as it does its job, that’s the important part.” She looked as though the coat had swallowed her up a little bit, which amused him slightly.

“That makes perfect sense. Sometimes adjustments must be made.” While Declan would drive or trudge through the snow whenever necessary, he preferred to stay out of it. He imagined standing outside for a while praying with candles would be a great first step on the road to frost bite. “The positive thing about your penchant for candlelit prayer is it got me away from work for a bit. That and now I know someone else in the building,” he pointed out, smiling over at her.

[kendallxjohnson]

Robes & Rumours || Kendall & Declan

[kendallxjohnson]

As the two of them arrived at the store, Kendall stopped nearly every feet, examining a product she’d never seen before. Flavoured peanut butter was a first. “Mhmm,” the girl sang, finally catching up with the other boy and laughing as she noticed where he was standing. The girl picked up a pregnancy test and waved it into the boy’s face, “Uh oh, trouble with one of your hook ups?” Throwing the box away, the girl rolled her eyes, noticing Carter standing behind the counter. Kendall chuckled to herself, knowing that Declan was going to make a complete fool out of himself and the other boy won’t let it go easily. It was a glorious moment to be alive. The girl roamed around one of the aisles before making her way to the counter herself, leaning onto the wooden surface and playing around with some of the bits and bobs laid across it, paying close attention to the conversation beside her. 

[declansinclair-blog]

Her voice breaking his thoughts, he turned around to face Kendall, only to see her waving around a boxed pregnancy test. It served as another reminder of how almost everyone around him still had no experience in the real world. “Wouldn’t you like to know,” he replied, shaking his head, and returning his attention to the counter. The two of them approached, and while she fiddled with objects, Declan cleared his throat to gain the attention of the cashier. “Excuse me? Do you happen to have any shower gel? I ran out yesterday and didn’t realize until the last minute.” It was a pathetic activity to undertake, but if it would keep his name clear, then Declan didn’t mind going around and asking for bath supplies. His only wish was he didn’t have to do it while so informally dressed. At least he sported quite a nice robe instead of a ratty one or something indecently short.

[ellaxpeters-blog]

She looked over at Declan giving a smile softly looking at him nodding ,”Yeah it’s good to bump into you too, why haven’t I seen you around recently?” Shaking her head, “No not really but hey it’s life, it’ll be fine. How about you?”

[declansinclair-blog]

“Work keeps me busy,” he told her. Ella’s new residence likely also had something to do with it, though he wouldn’t be surprised if she visited people in Pembroke more often than he knew. “I’m doing alright, thank you.” However, Declan couldn’t ignore Ella’s disappointing response. Rather than asking her to talk about it, he made an offer. “Are you hurrying off somewhere? I’m about to make dinner; you could stay and eat, if you’d like.”

[ellaxpeters-blog]

She laughed a little, “Oh don’t be sorry, just I don’t need anyone to be formal around me. .” She stated a little looking at him as she nodded, “That is good to know and being busy is a good thing. Oh right yeah I haven’t been here since I moved to the shared house but I was coming to see an old friend.” She nodded, “But it’s good to bump into you.”

[declansinclair-blog]

He inclined his head in understanding. Formal was Declan’s natural setting, especially when he was at Charlton on work, so he had to remind himself to relax with the people he knew better. “It’s good to bump into you, as well,” he told her, smiling slightly. “Are you having a good semester so far?”

[declansinclair-blog]

Stranded // Preity & Declan

[preity-malhotra-blog]

Preity let out a small sigh of relief when it was clear that he wasn’t mad or judging her. She really hadn’t set anything on fire, the smoke had just triggered the alarm - she would like to think that she was lucky, God was looking out for once again. The situation could have turned nasty yet she’d been lucky enough that it hadn’t. There were no burns on her and her prayers were not interrupted. “They weren’t, I completed them in time.” Her eyebrows furrowed in thought, there always had to be at least one candle or lamp shining when she prayed but she was aware that you could pray without the candles too, you’d just pray for different things. “You can,” Preity told him, “I do prefer to use candles, however. The flame is good.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” she smiled, biting her bottom lip at the contact of their hands. Once again she was sure that he wouldn’t even notice her blushing, if he did then she would just blame it on the cold. He may be a great businessman but Preity knew that he was lacking in the people department, he couldn’t even see the schoolgirl crush she had on him and the way that she acted around him. Her heart felt like it was going to leap out of her chest at his offer. He was far too kind and he was a gentleman. What more could you want? He was the perfect person to have a crush on and he was mature. In her opinion, it was better to have someone mature and not childish like a lot of the guys here. “I would appreciate that very much,” she said softly. “It’s freezing out here.”

[declansinclair-blog]

Declan and praying had little history together. As a boy, his parents had never really taken him to church, and though he had a few friends over the years who attended, barely any of them mentioned it much, aside from the usual moaning and groaning about needing to dress up for the whole shebang. “The flame is good unless it’s too close to the fire detector in your apartment,” he mentioned, hoping to keep the mood light so she didn’t feel too guilty about the incident. Though they’d only just met, Preity seemed very lovely and warmhearted, and though he knew better than to make assumptions, he so far had only positive impressions of her, and wished to be on good terms with his neighbors.

“It’s chilly, especially with the rain.” He nodded in agreement, easing the jacket off his shoulders and holding it in front of him, facing Preity to she could ease her arms into it. After several more moments of silence, he felt he should say something else, and glanced back at the young woman curiously. “What will you do once the snow begins? Will you still pray outside?” That was none of his business, but while Declan hoped to avoid apartment fires, he also wasn’t so sure it was such a good idea for his new acquaintance to stay outside in the freezing cold for too long.

[kendallxjohnson]

Robes & Rumours || Kendall & Declan

[kendallxjohnson]

Kendall rolled her eyes as she watching the man’s expression, letting out a sigh. “Geez, grandpa I’m just messing with you. It’s all just fun, loosen up.” It was really hard for the girl to get her point through as her teeth chattered after every syllable, a sigh or relief leaving her lips as she spotted the building sitting comfortably on one of the many hills in the small town. While the name would refer to a tiny épicerie, the store was equivalent to any medium-sized store located in a city. The store had numerous aisles, all of them packed to the heavens with a grand variety of goods. If you couldn’t buy it at the Charlton store, chances are you couldn’t get them anywhere else in the state. “Actually,” the girl put her index finger on her lip, as to show she was deep in thought, “I think you should do it.” The girl believe in cooperation and even more in getting people to do what she wanted. This case was a mix of the two. Where’s the fun in doing everything by yourself? Kendall didn’t use people because she was incapable of succeeding on her own, oh boy has she seen people fail at doing something she could master in a second, but the pure joy she got from it. This date was meant for the both of them, the wasn’t going to let him get away with just walking beside her.

[declansinclair-blog]

Loosening up wasn’t exactly in Declan’s repertoire. While he was known to have plenty of laid back and carefree moments, none of them really came into play while at Charlton. He kept it formal in meetings with potential investors and business partners unless joking was required. He needed a certain level of respect in order to make real progress. At the university, he wanted to make sure to stick to his task; he could leave poor college choices to his brother. “That’s alright with me,” he told her, unfazed by the prospect of requesting shower gel. Standing there in his bathrobe was already strange enough, and Declan saw no reason not to at least get the job done while they were at it. As they arrived in the school store, he wound his way through several aisles with Kendall nearby, pausing once the registers were in view. “Shower gel is all we need to request, correct?” He turned to her, paying little attention to his surroundings as he ran through a polite way to complete their dare, knowing the person helping them would either be very confused or not at all surprised by the sight.

[ellaxpeters-blog]

Ella wasn’t often found outside of the shared house or around campus but she had decided to go for a walk, and she ended up walking towards a friends room. Being used to the Pembroke apartments she knew she could find her way around the area easily. As  she walked down the hall she noticed or heard a familiar voice and smiled softly looking up at him so he wouldn’t notice how she really felt right now. “Hello Declan, no need to sound so formal, it’s just me.” She nodded smiling again at him and nodded, “Yeah things are good and how are things with you?”

[declansinclair-blog]

“I apologize,” he inclined his head, aware his tone was frequently formal, especially when people appeared off guard, as she rather did at that moment. But since Ella told him things were going well, there was little reason to take that opportunity to worry further. “Everything is going well, thank you. Busy as always. I haven’t seen you here in quite some time.” It was nice to see the familiar face again, albeit a bit of a surprise.

[declansinclair-blog]

Stranded // Preity & Declan

[preity-malhotra-blog]

Preity was sure it was mentioned that you couldn’t keep candles in your room yet she knew that many people had them in their apartments. They used them to make the place smell better and make it feel like home. Also the candles which could change color with the heat were quite cool, she hadn’t seen anything like them before she arrived in the country. Her gaze landed on him for a few minutes and she felt her heart beat faster in her chest yet he didn’t seem to recognize her at all. This was what happened when you decided to feel something for someone important and focused on their job. She thought that she could do a lot of things in front of him and he wouldn’t even notice that she was there. Maybe Preity could jump up and down on the spot or she could wave her hands in the air and he wouldn’t notice her or even know her name - he’d be too focused on his business reports.

“I was,” she confirmed with a nod. “And no, luckily nothing caught on fire.” Shivering, she wrapped her coat tighter around her tall frame. Preity liked to think she was able to handle a little fire or even to be an expert at using candles now. The girl had seen him around campus numerous times and this was the first time they’d actually spoken properly. “Well observed. I lit five candles, the others were behaving except the last.” Preity tucked a strand of her long hair behind her ear as she glanced around at the other residents, some were familiar faces others she hadn’t seen around before. “I was praying, usually I do that outside by the weather stopped me from doing so. Therefore my room was the next place. Well church could have been the next place but I didn’t feel like walking there so I decided on my apartment.” She chewed on her lip. “I’m Preity.” Of course she already knew who he was but introductions were needed. “And you are?”

[declansinclair-blog]

It really was not his business as to what other people did in their nearby apartments, and so he usually paid little attention to such things. However, with someone lighting a variety of candles, they were all now stuck outside, and he was relieved to at least know why they were standing outside. Declan was rarely one to get mad, and so he was hardly annoyed. His email could wait, anyway. She was praying. That seemed like one of the more sensible reasons to light so many candles. Usually it was just that people were taking a bath or having a mock seance or something weird like that. “I apologize your prayers were interrupted. Can you pray without the candles?” Maybe that was a safer option for the future.

“Declan,” he told her, sticking out his hand so he could shake hers in greeting. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Preity, even under these circumstances.” He wasn’t really one to hold a grudge, and so Declan took this as an opportunity to remember the name of someone he hadn’t yet known in his apartment. Now he simply had to hope she didn’t create any further hazards. Though it wasn’t raining very hard, the night was getting cooler, and he noticed how Preity continued to shiver. “Would you like to borrow my jacket as we stand here? I don’t want you to become ill just because of a fire drill.” Whether or not she accepted his offer was up to her, but he figured he should at least make the opportunity available to the chilly young woman.