“What do you mean?” he laughed.
“If you’re teaching the other students,” I pointed out, then grabbed a second bowl. “Granola?”
Russell nodded softly. “Sure.”
Competence was sexy. Which was yet another thought I shouldn’t entertain.
I poured the granola and passed it off to Russell. “That bookstore you work at, it has a lot of instructional books, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, it’s kind of our thing.”
“So you like teaching people?”
Russell gave me a lopsided smile as he pulled the gurgling coffee out. “I guess so. I don’t want to be in front of a classroom or anything, though.” He took my mug to fill it for me, then handed it back. “You remember what it was like at my dad’s hardware store. People just sat around telling each other how to do stuff all day. I guess it got stuck in me.”
I snorted a laugh. I hadn’t spent a ton of time in the hardware store, but I knew exactly what he was talking about. My parents were both teachers at the high school in West Creek, the small town where we all grew up, and they were decent friends with the Youngs.
“I’m sure you explain things in a nicer way than the old men at the hardware store did,” I pointed out.
Russell rolled his eyes with a smile. “Definitely.”
Fucking adorable. Had he always been this cute?
I remembered Russell as quiet and withdrawn, and I guess by high school, Peyton, Casey, and I were too wrapped up in our shit to pay much attention to the younger siblings. But back when we were just kids, playing in the neighborhood, Russell had been playful and sweet.
I remembered him laughing, back before he hid away inside himself and became so quiet.
I grabbed my granola and my coffee. Russell had come out of his shell a little that morning, and he wasn’t running away yet. “You around this weekend?” I asked. “Casey and I still want to take you out, welcome you to town.”
Russell ran his finger along the lip of his coffee mug. “This weekend? Yeah, that should work.”
“Good,” I grunted, satisfied. I was ready to take off, but then I remembered his spill the night before and the hard thud I’d heard when he collided with the floor. I shifted the granola onto my arm, then reached out and rested my hand on his shoulder. “You okay, by the way? If you’re sore from that fall last night, I can check you out.”
Russell tensed slightly, and I realized that my heart had jumped. In a flash, it felt like my desires were jumping to the surface again, and the warmth of his flesh against the palm of my hands sent electricity to my core.
Touching him felt loaded and tense, and surprised, I pulled my hand back, stepping away.
“I’m fine,” Russell answered quickly. He rested his hand on his shoulder, right where mine had been. “I’ll be totally okay. No problem.”
I nodded. “Cool,” I said. “I won’t think of it again.”
With a soft breath, I saw Russell relax. Deciding I should leave while I was modestly ahead, I gave him another nod and took off into my day.
