Chapter Thirty
Rusty plucked at the strings of Declan’s guitar, gently twisting the keys until each note rang true, smiling as it all came into tune. He’d forgotten how much joy he got out of this. Out of sharing music with other people.
Declan was a quick study, and he’d benefited a lot from Rusty giving him a few pointers.
Rusty had benefited a lot, too, since Declan was a man who knew his coffee. Marcus was great, too, but Rusty liked the warmth and darkness of the book store just a little better than the bakery.
He still went in there for all his bread. Nothing was better than a fresh-baked loaf and a sneaky chocolate doughnut.
He’d gained a pound or two since he’d started living here, but Blake didn’t seem to mind. Not judging by the amount of furniture they’d broken having sex on.
That was their own fault for not buying a sturdier couch or kitchen table in the first place, and they’d learned their lesson now.
The only thing better than the sex was the way Rusty could feel himself glowing when Blake was around. He’d sunk into the feeling of being able to breathe, let himself rest for a while, and was now enjoying the longest break he’d ever taken in his life.
It was nice.
“You gotta teach me how to do that,” Declan said, finishing up the cup of coffee he’d been making for Rusty.
“Get an app on your phone that listens to the notes for you,” Rusty said. “You’ll get used to it eventually, but there’s no replacement for just… doing it a lot.”
“Practice makes perfect?” Declan asked.
“Yeah, that,” Rusty agreed, accepting the coffee gratefully. He passed the guitar over, watching Declan sit down and run through a few chords while he waited for his coffee to cool.
“You’re dropping your shoulder again,” he said after a moment. Declan corrected his posture instantly.
“Sorry,” he said, glancing up at Rusty.
“I’m getting you a corset,” Rusty joked. “You’ll thank me when you’re not lying around whining about your shoulder hurting.”
“I’ll thank you, too,” Ash said, coming through from the store room with an armful of books. “Besides, corsetry could be a good look for you,” he said to Declan.
Declan looked over at him, the tiniest smirk spreading over his lips. “Maybe for your birthday,” he said.
Ash blushed a dark red color, focusing on the shelves in front of him instead of making eye contact with either Declan or Rusty.
“So mean to your poor husband,” Rusty tutted, shaking his head, but smiling at Declan.
He liked these two. He’d been making friends all over town, but Ash and Declan had quickly become two of his favorite people.
Probably because they were the last new additions before him. They’d only been here a little while themselves.
“He can handle it,” Declan said. “I’ll make it up to him later.”
Rusty chuckled, looking over at the door as the bell on it chimed. He waved over at Marcus as he came in, scooting over on the couch he was taking up to give him room to sit down.
He liked Marcus, too. It was nice to be absolutely surrounded by people whogothim.
Blake had never quite made it clear how much of a queer haven Hope Springs was, but Rusty was sinking happily into it. He’d never felt more at home in his life.
“I can’t believe you’re cheating on me,” Marcus said, nodding to Rusty’s coffee. He clearly wasn’t serious, since Declan immediately got up to make him a cup.
“We’re in an open relationship,” Rusty said. “Besides, this coffee is free.”
Marcus laughed at that. “You’ll come crawling back to me.”
“I always do,” Rusty said. Between Declan and Marcus, he was pretty happy with his choice of baristas.
