Jenalyn: Disconnected (#5) [Complete]

Chapter 57: Hayden

Sat. 1/31/09 • 11:04 P.M. PST

Russell's place is a lot more minimalistic than I would have thought it'd be given his appearance. He looks like he would have a lot of junk and knick knacks just lining tabletops and shelves in seemingly disorganized organization. That seems to be his niche. Instead though, it looks almost as if he just moved in! There isn't much furniture at all, and what he does have is bare shelved. 

"It's not much," he says, seemingly reading my mind as we make our way throughout the house on a small tour. "But I'm not home very often. I haven't really had to the time to clutter up this house as much as my father did."

I nod my head, silently scoping out the large dining room we've made our way to. A part of me wonders if Russ is being truthful about how he came to own this house; I mean it looks brand new! The structure of the house itself doesn't seem like it's been around long enough for his father to have lived here for years! 

What would be the point of lying about it though? Unless he was a drug dealer, or a hit man or something. I mean... he could have had it remodeled, I guess. It doesn't seem like he was very close to his dad, so maybe a complete renovation was what it took to purge him from this house. 

I don't know. People cope differently, I suppose. 

"Want anything to drink?" Russ asks, making his way into a kitchen branching off from the dining room I stand in. "I've got wine; red and white, vodka, schnapps, and whiskey. Anything sound good to you?" 

I haven't really considered that I might want to drink tonight while at Russ'. A part of me would feel guilty about it because the baby is at home, and I know that Evelyn may call me needing me to go home if things get too hectic for her. Another part of me knows it's okay to indulge sometimes though; The baby is with a sitter, just like any other. Evelyn has already saved Kaiden's life once though, I'm sure I can trust her more than I like to give credit for... right?

Plus, I finally have control over Jenalyn. If ever a time to drink a little... why not now?

"Hmm, I'll have vodka, if you don't mind!" I respond before too long of a silence passes between us. "Do you have anything I can mix it with? I'd take shots, but I'm on call for the baby, so... mixed drinks are probably the better option."

Russ nods his head and proceeds to his fridge to start mixing a drink for me. I lean up against his very bare island to watch him, my eyes unapologetic as they stalk every part of his body beneath his baggy casual suit. 

He's a lot smaller than most men I've ever been with. I can't quite say I have a type, but taller men have definitely been more prominent considering that I am only 5'4" myself. Dane was pretty big; tall and a little muscular. Rob and Ty are practically the same height, only a little shorter than Dane. As a matter of fact, all of the men I've been with have been taller than Russ! He may very well be the shortest, only standing about an inch and a half - two inches taller than myself!

I allow my eyes to find their way to his ever-so-famous man bun. That's also another first for me, somehow! Dane kept his hair relatively short for the most part. Even at its longest, it was never enough to pull up into a bun. Same with Ty and Rob, and their hair was always quite a bit longer than Dane's ever was!

How did this guy do this to me? He's nothing like anyone I have ever went after before... but somehow in his rugged appearance, still may be one of the most attractive!

"So what's with the man bun?" I ask suddenly, the smirk on my face similar to that of a cheeky teeny bopper. "You ever take that thing out? What are you hiding? You look like a girl or something?" I tease.

Russ turns around with a playful eyeroll, sliding my glass of what seems to be orange juice and vodka across the island before leaning up on it to face me. He's poured himself a drink too, but I can't tell what it is. 

"You think you're funny?" he asks, his glare burning a million fires inside of me. "What's it to you? How I wear my hair? I can assure you, I am a man. Do not be deceived by my height and hair length, miss!"

His eyebrows, though bushier than I'd usually be into, create a shadow over his eyes that only makes me want to look into them harder. I can't look away, not even as I raise my glass to my lips and take three long sips. 

"Let me see," I tell him, tilting my head to the side as I wait for the hot alcohol to reach the bottom of my belly. "I want to see what you look like with that mop let free!"

Russ rolls his eyes, but chuckles as he repositions himself to seem unimpressed by my request. He crosses his arms over his chest and shakes his head, his smile still dazzling. I can't help but smile just looking at him.

"Ah, you don't want to see that," he says, nonchalance filling his voice through his quiet laughter. He grasps onto his frizzy little bun before running his hand along the sides of his short but scruffy beard. I can tell he's just pretending to be modest though; Something in the way he smiles tells me that his "mop" will only pull me in further.

I take another quick sip of my drink before furrowing my brows at him and crossing my own arms over my chest. "I do though!" I exclaim, playfully pretending to reach my arm over the island to rip his bun out myself. "Let me see!"

I only decide to actually crawl up on and across his kitchen island because of how playfully he responded to my fake attempt, and because there is absolutely nothing on here other than my drink that I could damage in doing so. I slide across his island, kneeling right in front of him before launching my attack on the bun. 

"I look like a girl! I look like a girl!" Russ calls out, his attempt to sound feminine enough to have us both keeled over in laughter! He still manages to gently swat my hands away though, only putting out a fraction of the effort I'm sure he could. 

I practically launch myself at him, taking advantage of the fact that he wouldn't let me get hurt, and land right in his open arms. I scramble to reach my hands above his head while he's busy keeping me from hitting the hard kitchen floor. Holding the bun at its base with one hand and gently pulling a rubberband in his hair with the other, his shoulder length dark brown curls tumble out of the bun to frame his face. 

"My mop! You've exposed my mop!" Russ mock wails before laughing. He's quick to plop me back down on his counter, his smile coy behind his usual confidence. "Now I look like a girl!"

Russ' hair doesn't look all that prim or proper; It's actually a bit frizzy compared to the hair of most other guys out here in LA right now. His extended goatee and mustache are also pretty unique to the guys I am used to, but work for Russell in a way I couldn't explain if I tried. 

"I'd turn gay for you," I tell him with a shrug of my shoulders, my lips pursing before turning up in another grin. "I mean- you'd have to do something about this! But... I'm into it, beautiful!"

I run my hand along his jaw, lightly pulling at a patch of his short but thick facial hair. Russ laughs for a second before his face falls more serious, his eyes burning into me with the heat of a thousand suns. He just smiles. Smiles, and then slowly leans into me for a kiss.

I easily reciprocate, pulling myself to the edge of his counter until I can wrap my arms around his neck to pull him closer. Feeling his smile as we kiss, I can't help my own from forming on my lips. 

"I'm really glad you decided to come tonight, beautiful," Russ says with a small laugh as he momentarily pulls away from me. He brushes a few stray strands of my curly blonde hair from my face, his eyes gleaming. He stares at me as I were the best prize he'd ever won. "How would you feel about.. I don't know? ...Doing it more often?"

I can't help the laugh that escapes my lips. I feel like I haven't been able to do anything except work since McKaiden, let alone spend the nights out "socializing!" Even when Ty has her Monday through Wednesday, my schedule is usually so packed I'd have to be home by 3 AM somedays, and that's completely taking sleep out of the picture! 

"Let's see how tonight goes, but..." I start tell him anyway, my legs extending from the counter to slink around and pull him closer. "I'm really glad I came tonight too."