Russell
Don’t forget. Updates and pics, please!
I looked at the text, using it to summon some confidence while I walked down the block on my way to meet Blake and Casey. River signed his message off with a string of flowers and smiley faces, and his encouragement helped me to stay excited instead of tumbling off the edge into anxiety.
Blake and Casey were taking me shopping. The idea sent trembles down my spine as I shoved the phone back in my jacket pocket and walked through the snow. A dusting had fallen an hour ago, and with the sun out now, the city was bright and glowing.
Excluding the hangout with River, I’d only ever ordered makeup and pretty stuff from the internet. Waltzing into a store and trying it all in person felt like yet another milestone. This time, though, Blake and Casey being around didn’t make it more intimidating. Instead, having the guys by my side actually made it all feel easier.
With two muscly, hot dudes flanking me, I couldn’t imagine anyone would mess with the shy guy buying mascara.
And ever since we hooked up, my confidence had been soaring. The sex I’d had in the past was always awkward and forced. I never felt like I wasme, which made it pretty damn hard to be present. But with Blake and Casey, it was the opposite, like I was finding a whole new person buried inside of myself, someone they teased out a little more with every grunt and grope.
We’d hooked up a couple more times, both of them spontaneous. We stuck to hands and mouths, but we were greedy, all of us grabbing each other at the same time. It was like my mind turned inside out, like the world was different because of it, and the highs I was riding just kept taking me higher.
But still, I heard them loud and clear that they weren’t looking for a relationship. If they were, the two of them would have just gotten together on their own years ago, I was sure. That was a little hard for my heart to accept, especially when my daydreams kept reminding me how nice it was to just lay on the couch with both of them, sweating and hot and happy.
But that was fine. I was going to have casual sex that I enjoyed for the first time in my life, and Blake and Casey were going to be totally sweet and take me shopping, and I totally wasn’t going to fall in love or anything stupid like that.
I got to the store and pulled my phone out again, then looked at the message from River.
“Excited,” I whispered to myself. “Not anxious. Excited.”
“Russell!” Casey called from across the street. I turned and saw him and Blake, stepping through the snow. They both had their jackets zipped up and their hands shoved in their pockets and almost identical knit caps, except that Casey’s was black and Blake’s was navy blue.
“Hi!” I called out with a wave, my heart skipping. They just looked so good together, with Blake’s grumpy face on the edge of breaking open in a smile and Casey grinning like he was about to get himself in trouble.
“Hey.” Blake pulled me into a hug first, clasping my shoulder and pressing our chest together. After a heartbeat, he handed me off to Casey, and I felt his beard brush my chin and my neck as he pulled me in.
Just like that, and I felt as happy as I’d ever been.
“Thank you guys again,” I said as I stepped back. “This is so nice.”
“I told you,” Casey said, his breath making a cloud. “We want to welcome you to town.”
I bit down on my lip. “That old excuse?”
Blake’s mouth turned up in a half-smile, and I could tell he appreciated it when I was a little flirty. “You ready to get in from the cold?”
“Boutique North,” I said as we stepped in to the little brick shop, and the bell dinged on the door above us. “You’ve been here before?” I looked around, my eyes landing on the little displays of makeup and jewelry, shelves of heels, and racks of clothes. “Or maybe not?”
“It was a recommendation,” Casey said as he unzipped his jacket. “My friend Regina’s friend from the hospital likes it. I wasn’t sure what you wanted, but they carry a big range of stuff, makeup and clothes and shoes, so I thought it would be a good pick.”
Blake raised an eyebrow. “Your friend Regina?”
“New friend,” Casey answered. “Pool shark.”
The attendants were busy with a couple of women in the back of the shop, and as we stood there, I became increasingly aware that we were the only men and also that everything looked incredibly expensive. The guys had said that they were taking me shopping, but I still wasn’t sure exactly what that entailed.
I lifted a small silver necklace, then looked at the price tag. “Yikes. I can probably only afford one thing here,” I said, although truthfully, I doubted I could afford even that.
“Blake’s wardrobe starts and ends with track pants,” Casey said. “And I’m not going to pretend that old jeans and T-shirts cost me much. We got some space in our budget to help you out.”
I took in a deep breath and nodded.
Excitement, I reminded myself. The guys taking an interest in me was a weird, happy fluke in my life, a one-time thing I couldn’t count on happening again, and I needed to enjoy it.
One of the attendants came over, and before I knew it, she and Casey were chatting and joking around like old friends. As she smiled at me and answered my embarrassingly basic questions, I relaxed and found myself a few minutes later sitting in front of a little makeup mirror while she offered samples of different lipsticks and my guys stood back and watched.
