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Ryder wasn’t bad to shop with. He never complained. He was always happy to carry things. And he never made a peep about how much money Gideon was spending. Yeah, that was nice.
Oh!He also never teased Gideon about being too weird or impulsive. That was even better.
Gideon continued to wander through the store, catching glimpses here and there of the three other customers who were strolling the aisles in search of treasure. An eighties power ballad was playing on the store speakers, and Gideon hummed along. He was just about to consider the trip a bust when he found it.
A squeal might have erupted from him that was high-pitched enough to break glass, but he didn’t care. He dropped to his knees in front of the old leather-and-wood trunk with worn brass accents on the corners. The leather handles on the ends carried some wear and tear, as if someone had heavily used the trunk over the years. There were even some faded vintage stickers proclaiming the thing had seen Paris, Berlin, and Sydney in its heyday. It was beautiful and perfect in every way.
The sound of rushing footsteps drew his eyes from the trunk in time to see Ryder running toward him with his arms completely full of books. Gideon didn’t know how he was keeping all of them in his grip while running. It was kind of a miracle.
“Are you okay?” Ryder demanded, looking ready to pounce on anyone who’d dare to disturb Gideon.
“I’m in heaven!” Gideon laid his cheek on the top of the trunk and gently stroked it. “Isn’t it gorgeous? I used to have one exactly like this in my ballet days. They shuffled me between dance corps and living with different people. Because of that, I needed to stuff all of my things in a single trunk.”
“Are you getting it?”
Gideon straightened with a giggle. “I think so. I could clean it up a little and use it as a coffee table or an accent piece along with storage.” He started turning it around and even peeked inside, but there wasn’t a tag or sticker on it anywhere. He was pretty much willing to pay any price for it, but it would be nice to know what they were asking.
“Open the lid. I’ll put my books inside and carry it to the register,” Ryder offered.
Gideon was bubbling over with excitement. He found a trunk so much like his own and now he was going to bring it home. The lid creaked slightly as he opened it all the way, and there was a faint odor of musty roses that teased his nose for a second, and then it was gone. Ryder placed his many books inside and tested the handles before hefting it.
“Are you still looking?” Ryder inquired.
Gideon shoved to his feet and dusted his hands off against each other. “Nope. I’m good. What about you? Need more books?”
“I have plenty now,” Ryder said in a low voice as he turned toward the register.
Gideon snickered, twirling behind him. “I’m pretty sure there’s no such thing as plenty when describing books.”
Ryder stopped walking, wide eyes snapping to his face. “You like to read?”
He shrugged. “Here and there when I’m in the mood. Mostly manga right now, but I like a good dirty romance, too.”
Ryder smirked. Hesmirkedat Gideon before he continued to the counter. The woman waiting for them stared at the trunk as if she were shocked to see the massive thing.
“How much is the trunk? We couldn’t find a price tag on it.”
The older woman with wispy brown hair that was falling from a messy bun frowned, her glasses slipping down her nose. “Really? That’s…odd. I can’t even remember seeing this on the floor, and I’m usually the one who handles all the new items and donations. I’ll have to get the manager.”
“I’ll be paying for this and the books inside.”
“O-okay,” the cashier stammered, darting toward the back.
Gideon punched Ryder in the arm the moment they were alone. “You don’t have to do that. This could be expensive,” he tacked on in a low whisper.
“It’s a thank-you gift. You’ve spent a lot of your time helping to get things for my place when you could have been relaxing in your own home.”
Heat rose in his cheeks, and Gideon leaned his head on the arm he’d just punched. “Aww, you don’t have to do that,” he repeated because his brain wasn’t working. “I’ve had a lot of fun shopping for your home, and you’re fun to shop with.”
Laughter erupted from Gideon at Ryder’s very skeptical look.
“Okay, you became more fun when I learned that you really don’t have an opinion about things and you trust me to make all the choices. You don’t get impatient with how long it takes to find something or complain that I take too much time to decide. You don’t try to rush things.”
Lines dug furrows across Ryder’s forehead, and he frowned. “Why would I rush you? This is time I’m getting to spend with you and no one else.”
Melt. Swoon. Sigh.
Gideon leaned more against him, wrapping both of his arms around Ryder’s. “Man, you gotta warn someone if you’re going to whip out romantic lines like that. A guy could faint right on the spot.”
