His twenty-two-hundred-mile trek through the woods had given him so much - the post-breakup healing he’d craved, the courage to start on his own again, incredible photos, lifelong friends, and patellar tendinitis, an overuse injury that was fixable. All he needed was a little physical therapy.
And all he wanted was another thru-hike. But he had to be back in top form to do that kind of mileage again, and his body might not be so kind after a second adventure.
Heading through the lobby of the medical building, he held the elevator door for an elderly woman with a cane, and she gave him a once-over, winking at him with a thank you. They exited the elevator on the same floor but he turned left, signing in at the desk and waiting for the physical therapist, his gaze drifting.
Since it was the middle of the day, there weren’t many people, but on one of the tables off to the side was a striking man doing a side plank.
Instantly drawn in, the room fell away as Tristan studied that sharpprofile. With white-blond hair swept back on the sides and high cheekbones, he looked like a piece of art. Metal glinted every time he shifted, and Tristan noticed a significant number of piercings in his ears, almost too many to count. Did he have even more under those clothes?
“Tristan Maddock? I’m Kass.” Tristan’s thoughts crashed into a wall, and he was sure he looked like a blubbering fish as a tall woman with kind eyes introduced herself. Recovering, he went through intake, making sure to focus on the exercises, and he only looked around again once he was on the stationary bike.
Sneaking glances, Tristan watched as another physical therapist set up the intriguing man near the wall bands, demonstrating what to do and then leaving him to his own devices. He was even more stunning up close, ethereal, like a fae who’d stepped through a portal and had gotten wrapped up in human affairs, and Tristan’s dick twitched.
He quickly looked away, surprised at the sheer need that washed over him. After spending almost a decade in a tumultuous relationship that ended badly, he hadn’t felt this level of attraction in a long time.
Things between him and Eve had been over long before the breakup, and lately he’d been wondering if she’d ever loved him at all, or if she even had the capacity to love. Truthfully, he’d only stayed that long because of her son, Rain. He’d become family, proof that Tristan hadn’t wasted ten years of his life, and Tristan had tried to shield Rain from Eve’s poor treatment for as long as he could.
However, once he’d started having nosebleeds, he’d taken it as a wake-up call. It had given him the strength to break things off and take care of himself, to do something he’d always wanted to do - hike the Appalachian Trail.
On the outside, walking from Georgia to Maine had seemed like a fool’s journey, but to him it’d been a dream that had started when he was a child exploring the woods around his home. Taking week-long section hikes or puttering about in the state forest hadn’t been enough; Tristan had always wanted to experience life on the trail.
And he’d made the right decision, because the green tunnel had brought him back to himself in every way, giving him the perspective that he’d needed to clear out his brain. Part of that perspective had included makingout with a few cute guys along the way and traveling around Maine with one of them once he finished his hike. It hadn’t been anything serious, but it had added another layer to Tristan’s newfound freedom.
While Tristan was bi, his post-relationship attraction had swung to only men; however, he shouldn’t be ogling someone who was clearly over a decade younger than him, no matter how broodingly pretty he was. The universe seemed to agree because his phone rang, reminding him that this man was not much older than Rain, whose name sat across the screen.
“Hey.” Tristan kept his voice low so he wouldn’t disturb anyone.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be bothering you.” Tristan and Eve’s breakup had tossed Rain out of the nest, and he had managed to free himself from her, but he’d ended up heartbroken after falling for a local photographer. A week ago, he’d knocked on Tristan’s door, tears in his eyes and a kitten in his arms, and they’d been living with Tristan ever since.
Tristan didn’t mind. He hadn’t fully acclimated to post-trail life and lacked steady employment, so it was great to have Rain helping with rent. But Tristan had other reasons for keeping Rain close. He still felt guilty about leaving him behind, and for never being strong enough or fierce enough to fully protect him from Eve.
But now that Tristan was a new man, he’d do whatever he could to make sure Rain lived a good life, because Eve sure wouldn’t.
A sniffle told Tristan that Rain had been crying. “Um…where are you?”
“I’m at physical therapy.” Tristan looked down at the timer. Four more minutes.
“Sorry…I just…I wanted to talk to someone.”
“It’s okay. I understand.” Tristan knew exactly what it was like to have his heart broken, so Rain needed a bit of spoiling to get over Mason. “How about I stop at the doughnut place on the way home?”
“You always know how to cheer me up.”
Tristan forgot to reply because the pretty man’s face flickered with disappointment, and for some reason, Tristan felt like it was his fault.
“I’m doing a lot better,” Tristan stated as Kass started him on the bike.
“Is that so?” She raised a friendly eyebrow at him, adding five minutes to his timer.
“I shouldn’t have said anything,” Tristan grinned.
“It’s good to hear you’re improving. It’s because you do the exercises at home.”
“Do I get a gold star?”
“Even better!” She began the timer. “You get a healthy knee.” Patting him on the shoulder, she left him to his cycling, and Tristan immediately searched for his intriguing fellow patient. They’d been keeping the same schedule over the last four weeks, and Tristan couldn’t help but look forward to seeing him. To seeingJax.Because Tristan had been listening for his name.
They’d exchanged glances many times, and Tristan could get lost in Jax’s deep brown eyes. Sure, he’d had crushes before, but something about Jax felt familiar, as if they knew each other from somewhere; however, none of that mattered because Tristan wasn’t ready for anything with anyone, not yet. And he didn’t want to have a fling with someone who wasn’t even born in the same decade as him.
