Riley’s gaze darted to Seth’s lips, then back to his eyes, quick as a blink. He seemed to be searching for something in Seth’s face, maybe, but hell if Seth knew what it was.
And then Riley turned away, heading out into the gloom without another word.
Seth hadn’t even realized he was holding his breath until the bell chimed over the door. His cheeks were hot again, flushed like he’d been standing too close to his ovens.
In the corner, Violet cleared her throat, giving Seth a pointed look, as if to say,See?
Yeah, Seth was going to have to be very, very careful there.
5
SETH
Seth didn’t see Riley the next day, but the intense, quiet young man was there bright and early Tuesday morning, fifteen minutes before Seth opened.
Seth got him settled with a tea and a broken Danish (it was possible Seth had put aside one wrecked pastry each morning, just in case), and went about his business. Riley stayed at Coastal Crumbs longer that time—almost an hour—and then left just as abruptly as his other visits.
Wednesday and Thursday were each another no-show, and then on Friday, Riley was at the door by five thirty. He brought a book that time, which he started doing regularly as the days went by, reading for hours at one of Seth’s little tables. He had a taste for the classics, it seemed—Frankenstein,Rebecca, plus more than a few titles Seth had needed to look up later—which Seth might have written off as performative if Riley didn’t get so engrossed in them.
Not so engrossed that he still didn’t clock each of Seth’smovements with the precision of a bloodhound, but whenever there was a lull in customers, Seth had started slyly asking him what was going on in his book, and Riley always had a ready answer.
(“She’s just been shown the west wing of the house, and it’s basically a shrine to the old wife.” Or, “They’re plotting to switch the two ladies’ identities and stick one of them in the asylum after the other one dies.”)
Riley’s willingness to let Seth know exactly what was happening in his books changed Seth’s questions from a teasing joke to a new routine of Riley telling him bits of stories while Seth neatened his display cases.
It was silly and entertaining, and Seth was kind of growing to love it. He wasn’t much of a reader and never had been, not even when he’d been required to read for school assignments, and he’d missed out on a lot of the classics. He hadn’t realized how batshit some of the plots actually were. And Riley’s voice, when he used it, was so soothing that it always mellowed Seth out just to hear it.
Riley had his off days too, when he’d come into the bakery and just sit, staring, no book and no conversation to be found. He usually left quickly those mornings, and though Seth was always sad to see him go, he didn’t really mind the quiet version of his wayward guest either. There was something about Riley’s unwavering attention that added a little vibrancy to Seth’s day that was missing otherwise. Some increased awareness of himself and everything around him that was quickly becoming addictive. It was easy to forget how they’d first met—the oddity of that night in Seth’s driveway.
Seth had acquired a steady stream of customers now, and most of them greeted Riley by name on the days he was there, never seeming offended when he only nodded in reply. He didn’t talk much to anyone other than Seth, even on his good days.
Seth didn’t actually know why he was so fascinated with Riley, or what exactly pulled him to this relative stranger. It wasn’t likeRiley was his only new regular, even if he was the only one coming in before opening hours.
Violet and Luke were still showing up multiple times a week, and they were a treasure trove when it came to town gossip. Both had gotten over the shock of one of the town’s recluses sitting in their midst pretty quickly, and only greeted Riley absently the mornings he was there.
There were other regulars too. The older bickering couple came in most every day, and there was a quiet guy somewhere in his late twenties with a rotation of anime-themed shirts who apparently lived on his own out in the woods, as well as a gruff lumberjack type who never smiled but always tipped substantially, even though he only ever took pastries to-go.
So Coastal Crumbs was getting into a rhythm, basically, as was Seth himself, but something about Riley…
Seth kept having to fight the urge to touch him, to push back a lock of hair or give his shoulder a squeeze in passing. It wasn’t completely out of character for him—Seth was a tactile guy—but he’d never had so much trouble around someone who kept his walls up so clearly.
But the way Rileywatchedhim.
The thing was, Seth didn’t exactly think Riley would be opposed to Seth touching him. He might even welcome it, if that hot and focused gaze of his was any indication. But that was just as much of a problem. Even if Riley had some sort of crush on him, Seth couldn’tacton it, right? Besides the fact of Riley being so young, there were too many unknowns.
Like, sometimes Seth caught Riley looking at the toddler Colby with this…sorrow. Seth couldn’t tell if Riley wanted kids of his own or if seeing a young, carefree kiddo opened up bad memories. Given the rumors Seth had heard about a traumatic incident in his childhood, it was probably the latter, wasn’t it?
And Seth had been worried, at first, that maybe Riley didn’thave a safe place to be, and that was why he was gravitating toward the bakery. But with the way Riley talked about his home and his moms, the few times he’d mentioned them both, that didn’t seem to be the case.
It was all…odd. Confusing.
But it was ten minutes to closing time now, and Seth still hadn’t seen him. And the bakery was closed tomorrow, so there wouldn’t be another sighting until Tuesday.
And that was fine. Totally normal for two acquaintances who hadn’t so much as exchanged phone numbers. Seth wasn’t disappointed or holding his breath or whatever.
Hewasn’t.
Jesus. Maybe Seth needed a night out, if he was this desperate for company.
