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We spend the rest of the lunch shift serving everyone who co the line I follow Russ’s lead and s to lie, for a volunteer gig, it’s a lot of fun, if a little worrying to see how grateful people are to be spoken to or smiled at
By the end of the shift,all the trays My heart aches too, but it’s a good kind of ache I feel full, happy Like I made an actual difference, for once Maybe it’s just a tiny one, but still
Russ loops an arm around my waist and kisses ainst my hair, “how did it feel? You wanted to help people…”
“It felt great,” I reply, tilting my face up to smile at him It takes me by surprise when he leans down to kiss me, in full view of everyone around us, all the other volunteers, everyone eating nearby, on the other side of the lunch line I pull back a little sooner than I’d like to, in spite of how hot and soft his lips feel against mine “Um… should we do that here?” I ask, unable to help the catch of nerves in my voice
Russ chuckles softly under his breath “As if your father would ever be caught dead anywhere near a place like this,” he points out, and I can’t help but laugh softly, too
He has a point
The other volunteers have helped themselves to small portions, and are clustered near a table in the kitchen, chatting Russ grabs a tray for me, one for himself, and pulls out chairs near the end of the table A few people smile over at us, but they seeether in a while, so nobody moves closer or tries to strike up a conversation
Which is good, because I have about a s I want to talk to Russ about, now that we’re soet tangled up, until I finally just settle on asking “So… you’ve been doing this for a while?”
“Every day I have off, ever since I started at the hospital”
My eyebrows shoot upward, so high they nearly touch my hairline “But… I’ve never heard youHow does he not know?”
“Because I never felt coured if I mentioned it, he would start to ask why I do it, and I couldn’t have that” Russ catches h h my shell and into my core, whenever he does that
It makes me both nervous and excited, all at once It also h his outer shell, see the real Russ underneath So I clear ently “Why do you do it?” I ask, my voice pitched low
“Back when I was in med school with your father, I couldn’t afford a full-ti, but it wasn’t enough to make rent, even in the crappy kind ofin at the tiet on his feet—not a lot, h to h his hair, and the silver speckles in it catch the light, reflecting in the fluorescents in a way that ers through his dark, fine hair, and see how soft it feels today
But I curl my hands around each other instead, to resist Not while he’s telling me this I want to hear the whole story, first
“Anyway, I eventually got a housing grant from the department, after I came out top in the class But before then…” He clears his throat “Well, there were a couple of h it”
My eyes go wide I take another slow glance around the shelter, the realization slowly dawning on me “You mean…”
He bows his head “I was homeless for a little while, yes It was the hardest period in h, and I can’t hold myself back anymore
I reach out and gently cup his cheek He turns to face ain, as I draw hiainst his, the kiss slow and gentle When I draw back, he’s shtly
“That’s not the usual reaction I get to this story,” he says quietly, and I laugh