Something New

by Sean Ashcroft

  Still, Ash was nervous about tomorrow, underneath the excitement. What if no one showed up? What if they didn’t trust strangers, or weren’t ready for outsiders to run their beloved bookstore?

  The sound of the door opening made him turn around. He’d expected it to be Declan coming back, but it turned out to be a dark-haired, slightly younger man with huge glasses.

  “We’re actually not open until tomorrow,” Ash explained.

  “I know. I’m looking forward to it,” the other man said. “I was just coming by to introduce myself. I’m Charlie.”

  He held out his hand, and Ash took it automatically. “Ash. Uh. Nice to meet you.”

  “I wouldn’t have barged in here if the door wasn’t open,” Charlie said. “I work at the library. Run the library, actually.”

  “Oh.” Ash blinked at him.

  “I’m not here to tell you to stay off my turf or anything. This place was a haven for me as a kid,” Charlie said, looking around. “I’m glad to see it getting a little love again.”

  “I promise to love it,” Ash said, grinning at Charlie. Charlie was a book person, so that made him one of Ash’s people. “Did you, uh… did you know the guy who used to run this place?”

  “Marv?” Charlie asked. “Sure yeah, and his husband. I thought of them as friends, and they were good to me. I probably wouldn’t be a librarian without them.”

  “Huh,” Ash said. “I never met him, but… I’m glad you have good memories of this place. I hope I can live up to them.”

  “I have no doubt you will.” Charlie beamed at him.

  A blush crept down Ash’s neck. Charlie was cute, and he was being very charming. It probably wasn’t flirting, but he didn’t meet cute bookish boys all that often.

  He wasn’t even sure that was his type. This was more like meeting a fellow puppy than someone he actually wanted to date, but it felt good.

  Ash had almost forgotten what it felt like to meet people he actually liked.

  “So how do you like it here so far?” Charlie asked, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. “Am I taking up your time? Should I help you unpack boxes? Can I help you unpack boxes?”

  “You sound excited about that,” Ash said, glancing at the pile of boxes he had to go. There were a lot in the storage room—which was now serving as Ash’s bedroom, since he really didn’t mind sleeping with all the books. It’d take him a while to go through and catalogue them all, so right now he was focused on getting the bulk of them into broad categories and on the shelves.

  It wouldn’t hurt to have someone who knew their way around handling and sorting books to help for a little while.

  “I wanna see what you’ve got.” Charlie shrugged. “Besides, if I befriend you first, you’ll take my side when I’m in here with my husband and he’s raising an eyebrow at the number of books I’m taking with me.”

  Ash’s eyes lit up. Husband. Charlie was definitely one of his people.

  A gay man running a small town library. Wow. Hope Springs really was a magical place.

  “I’d take your side anyway. Book people have to stick together, right?”

  “Right.” Charlie grinned at him. “So…”

  Ash nodded to the boxcutter he’d been using. “Knock yourself out. Even just opening up the boxes would be a huge help.”

  “I used to work at the grocery store, so I’m good at that,” Charlie said. “I was promised there were two of you and you were both cute.”

  Ash chuckled at that. “Sorry to disappoint you. Declan’s actually just gone to the grocery store.”

  “Hey, you’re cute,” Charlie said. “Declan’s your husband, right?”

  “Yeah,” Ash said, pausing at the strangeness of that. He hadn’t really thought about Declan as his husband. They’d gotten married, but it was weird to think of it as something that changed their relationship. “Yeah, he is.”

  “You sound unsure about that,” Charlie pointed out. “Is everything… okay?”

  “Oh yeah, it is,” Ash said, hurrying to cover his mistake. “It’s just… new. We’ve known each other so long and we only got married a couple of weeks ago and then all this with the store… I’m not used to thinking of him as my husband, yet.”

  Charlie smiled a tiny, warm smile at that. “Took me a while, too. I never expected to get married, honestly, and then the most wonderful man in the world just showed up out of the blue one day.”

  “Sounds like he makes you happy,” Ash said. The look on Charlie’s face spoke volumes.

  One day, Ash wanted to have someone who made him feel like that. It wasn’t going to be Declan, and he’d accepted that a while back, but…

  It would have been nice to have someone.

  “He really does.” Charlie sighed dreamily. “Do you need a dog?”

  Ash turned to look at him, confused. That was a complete change of subject.

  “Uh, we don’t really have a much of a yard, so…”

  “You could have a small one,” Charlie said. “We’ve… I, uh… should probably explain that we foster dogs. You’re not a real local until either me or Scott has offered you a dog. But we could find you a little one, if you wanted.”

  “I think I’m more of a cat person,” Ash said.

  “I can also arrange for you to meet some very good-natured cats,” Charlie offered. “And… I’m totally turning into Scott.”

  “Your husband?” Ash double-checked.

  “Yeah. He’s a vet, hence the dogs. I’m just excited. It’s not every day we get new people here,” Charlie said. “I mean, new people to stay. We get a lot of people passing through, but that’s not the same.”

  “I like you,” Ash said, grinning at Charlie. He’d been worried about making friends, but obviously he’d been worried for nothing. They were coming to him for once.

  It was nice to be somewhere he felt like he fit in. That hadn’t happened a lot in his life.

  Charlie put the boxcutter down and closed the gap between them, hugging Ash tight. “Welcome to Hope Springs,” he said.

  Ash laughed, hugging him back. Charlie was a little more enthusiastic than he was used to, but it wasn’t a bad thing at all.

  “You have to come to dinner some night. Maybe Wednesday? I’m getting in first, because you’re gonna get a whole lot of invitations like that.”

  “I think we’d love to,” Ash said. “Wednesday sounds awesome.”

  The door opened again, and this time, it was Declan.

  Charlie finally let go of Ash, taking a half-step back.

  “Hello,” Declan said, looking between Ash and Charlie with one eyebrow raised. “I don’t think we’ve met.”

  He offered his hand to Charlie, smiling a warm, friendly smile that Ash hadn’t seen on him in a long time.

  “Charlie.” He beamed at Declan, taking his hand. “I was just about to get out of Ash’s hair, but it’s great to meet you. I’ll be back tomorrow on my lunch break to buy out the store, but I have to go back to work now.”

  Ash’s heart sank a little at having to say goodbye to his new friend so soon, but they lived in the same small town. He’d see Charlie a lot, and he knew where Charlie worked.

  He definitely needed to check out the local library. If nothing else, it’d give him an insight into local taste in books. Besides, he needed all the friends he could get if he was starting over.

  Not that he’d left a whole lot behind. Acquaintances, mostly. No one he felt compelled to go back to see.

  The only person he really wanted in his life was Declan, and Declan had come with him.

  “I’ll see you later,” Ash called after him, earning himself a wave and a bright, honest smile that made him want to smile back.

  He hadn’t felt like that in a long time.

  “That your new boyfriend?” Declan teased.

  “That’s the local librarian,” Ash said, turning back to the pile of boxes he still had to go.

  It would have gone a lot faster if he didn’t keep pausing to r
ead the books.

  “He seems nice,” Declan said. “We can definitely pretend this is an open relationship…”

  “He just invited us to dinner with him and his husband,” Ash said. “So unfortunately, he’s off-limits.”

  “So the good ones are always taken even if you’re gay, huh?” Declan asked.

  Ash snorted. Declan wasn’t exactly wrong. “I’m not taken,” he protested.

  “That ring on your finger says otherwise,” Declan nodded to Ash’s hand.

  Ash had almost forgotten about his ring. The plain gold band had almost become a part of him, like a tattoo would have. He’d never taken it off since Declan had put it on him.

  That was… probably a little pathetic, but Declan had worn his since, too. Ash was trying desperately not to read anything into that.

  Or the fact that Declan had just implied that he was taken.

  “He’s not really my type, anyway,” Ash said after a moment. “He probably should be, because he does seem sweet, but I think I made a friend. Friends are good. More friends, less fucking this year. I’ve decided.”

  Declan chuckled. “I don’t think it’s possible to, uh, have less sex than I had last year, but… I could go for more friends, too. This place seems friendly.”

  Ash had suspected that Declan hadn’t gotten laid in a while, but over a year seemed excessive.

  Of course, he’d been…

  Depressed, honestly. And for good reason. Ash had been watching helplessly as more and more of Declan was chipped away by his crappy boss and useless colleagues, not knowing what he could do to help.

  Declan already seemed better now that he’d been away from that job for a month. Not back to his old self, but better.

  He’d probably never be the man he once was, but time changed everyone. As long as he was happy, Ash was happy. Declan deserved so much better than he’d gotten.

  Ash was glad he’d decided to start over, and that they’d decided to do it together.

  Even once they were divorced, Ash planned on sticking with Declan for as long as Declan let him. He might not have been able to have him as a romantic partner, but Declan’s friendship meant everything to him.

  “Here’s to friendship, then,” Ash said, making a toast gesture with the book he was holding.

  Declan grabbed another book and tapped it against Ash’s, yawning widely. He had dark circles under his eyes, too, from the long drive yesterday and what had probably been a sleepless night in a new place.

  This building was old, and it made all the sounds an old building made and then some.

  “Go take a nap, and I’ll make dinner when I’m done down here. Okay?” Ash said. He wanted to treat Declan gently, and it was just as much effort to make dinner for one as two. It wouldn’t hurt to be kind to his best friend.

  “Okay,” Declan said. “Unless I can help?”

  Ash shook his head. “I need you to be at your best tomorrow, so no. I can handle this. I’ve been handling this for a long time. We’ll ease you into it.”

  Declan smiled at that, warm and kind, back to his usual self. “I’m glad I married you,” he said. “I’m never getting a better offer.”

  Ash snorted. “We’ll see about that. Go.”

  He squeezed Declan’s hands one last time, and then let go of them, giving him a nudge toward the stairs.

  Chapter Eleven

  Despite being tired down to his bones, Declan hadn’t slept well at all. He’d woken every hour or so, checking the time and wishing he could just fast-forward to morning before finally giving up a little after seven.

  They were supposed to be opening at ten. Ash had determined that there wasn’t really much point in being open before then, since most of the other stores on the street opened at ten as well. The bakery was the sole exception, but Declan figured that was because it was a bakery.

  He looked over at the shelves Ash had stacked, skimming the worn covers and hand-written category signs. Ash had really neat handwriting. Declan had known that, but he only ever saw it on birthday cards.

  It was nice to be reminded that he wasn’t in this alone. He could never have done this by himself, and he was lucky to have Ash’s help.

  A knock on the door startled Declan out of his thoughts. He looked up to see who it was, and found the baker from a few doors down waving at him through the glass, holding a white cardboard box in one hand.

  Declan suspected it was full of pastries, and he wasn’t about to say no to that.

  “Hey,” the baker said the moment Declan opened the door, breaking into a broad grin. “I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself before, thought I’d come say hi. I’m Marcus.”

  Declan stepped back from the door to give the other man space to step inside. “Uh, Declan. Come in.”

  Marcus stepped around him, setting the box on the counter next to the espresso machine and immediately reaching out to touch it.

  “This is so cool. I definitely have to get a new one.”

  Declan chuckled at that. “So you are here to scope out the competition.”

  “Unless you’re gonna start opening at six, you’re not the competition,” Marcus said. “Besides, there’s plenty of room for both of us. Your better half not up yet? Because I brought you guys breakfast,” he added, nodding to the box on the counter.

  Declan took that as an excuse to open it, finding an assortment of doughnuts inside. “Damn,” he murmured. “People in this town sure know how to do welcomes.”

  Marcus grinned at him, still running his fingers over the espresso machine. “Yeah, well, they were awesome to me when I first moved in a few years back, so I figured I should pay it forward.”

  “Do you wanna make some coffee with that instead of just teasing it?” Declan asked, unable to ignore the way Marcus was touching the machine any longer.

  He got it. He’d done the same thing when it’d first arrived and bounced anxiously while he waited for it to be hooked up.

  Letting Marcus have a little fun was a fair trade for a box of doughnuts.

  “Can I?” Marcus asked, his eyes lighting up.

  “Knock yourself out,” Declan said, struggling to decide on a doughnut. He knew better than to take the cream-filled one, since those were Ash’s favorites. Instead, he picked out a yellow-tinted ring, holding it up so Marcus could see it.

  “Pineapple glaze,” Marcus said. “Those normally sell out by eight.”

  “Good enough for me,” Declan said, taking a bite and humming happily as the combination of sugar and sourness hit his tongue. He could see why they sold out. Marcus knew his way around a doughnut.

  He also, apparently, knew his way around an espresso machine.

  “I’m letting Ash sleep in,” Declan explained belatedly. “My, uh. My better half.”

  Ash was definitely Declan’s better half.

  “Lucky guy.” Marcus grinned at him. “You’ll meet mine later today, I assume. He runs the florist next door. If this place is open for business again, I’m gonna need to buy him some bookshelves.”

  Declan nodded, his mouth too full of doughnut to say anything intelligible. His brain caught on the he, though.

  Another gay couple. Declan wasn’t sure he’d come across this many gay men in his life before.

  “Is everyone in this town gay?” he asked after he’d swallowed, worrying as soon as he got the words out that he’d just said something horribly offensive.

  Fortunately, Marcus chuckled. “Oh, no, not at all. Many of us are bi.” He grinned.

  Declan blinked at him, unsure how to respond to that.

  “Dude, it’s a joke. I assumed that was why you guys moved here, though,” Marcus said. “It’s definitely a little more gay than usual.”

  “We didn’t know,” Declan said. “Not until the entire welcoming committee turned out to be gay, anyway. My great uncle left me the place, actually, but I guess if you’re new you wouldn’t have known him.”

  “Can’t say I did,” Marcus said. “This plac
e has been closed for as long as I’ve been here. Always seemed a shame. It’ll be nice to have it up and running again, I think. I love old cookbooks.”

  “Well, lucky for you, we found a whole box of ‘em. You’re welcome to take a look, I don’t think they’re out on the shelves yet.”

  Marcus grinned, pouring milk into the frothing jug. “I’ll take you up on that on my lunch break. Latte? Cappuccino? Real macchiato?”

  Declan chuckled at that. “Latte. Sorry for being boring.”

  “Hey, lattes are the test of a good coffee shop,” Marcus said.

  “Maybe I could take some lessons from you,” Declan said as Marcus started frothing the milk, tapping the side of the jug to test the heat. He obviously knew what he was doing.

  “I get the feeling you don’t need any,” Marcus said, sliding Declan’s coffee over to him. It smelled rich and dark and not at all burned, so Marcus definitely knew something about coffee.

  “Well, you can come over and make me coffee anytime,” Declan said, holding the cup close to his chest while he waited for it to cool a little.

  He would have poured the milk so that it made a rosetta on the top of the cup—or a heart, maybe, depending on his mood and how pretty his customer was—so maybe he knew a thing or two that Marcus didn’t, but it was a solid cup of coffee all the same.

  Footsteps on the stairs told him Ash was coming down, which felt like good timing.

  Ash paused in the doorway, blinking at the two of them. “Uh. Hello?”

  “Morning, gorgeous.” Declan beamed at him, figuring he should put on a show for Marcus.

  He wasn’t exactly sure how he was going to handle telling people they’d broken up. He hadn’t really expected to meet anyone who cared about them as people.

  Declan had never lived in a small town. It was already completely different from living in a big city.

  Not bad, not bad at all, but different.

  It’d take some getting used to.

  “Are you trading me in for a hotter model?” Ash asked, nodding to Marcus.

  “He’s taken,” Declan said. “And I wouldn’t trade you for anything.”