CHANNING
Last night had been fun with a capital F.
There was no denying that whatsoever.
Nope. Not going down that route again.
This time I’m playing it cool.
And I’ll do that by… avoiding him.
With this in mind, Channing sprung up out of bed. It was time to brush his teeth, shower, and creep out of the apartment without having to deal with Max at all…
* * *
After a brisk cycle in his comfortable cotton white t-shirt and pale blue shorts, Channing hopped off his bicycle and walked up toward Tommy and Rick who had already arrived at the café.
It may have been early on a Saturday morning, but the young people of Los Frisco were already up and about, so it was fortunate that Tommy and Rick had managed to grab a great seat outside with perfect views down onto the beach below.
Both Tommy and Rick had been up extra-early that Saturday morning to attend a sunrise yoga class. It sounded like fun, but both Tommy and Rick were far keener to hear about what Channing had gotten up to the previous evening…
‘Come on, spill!’ Tommy said, his slicked back chestnut brown hair glistening in the sun. ‘You know that I’d tell you guys everything if I’d just hooked up with a super-hot Daddy.’
‘Potential Daddy,’ Channing said, a note of caution in his voice.
‘Whatever! We need all the tea,’ Rick laughed, his olive skin looking as immaculate as ever as he sipped on his fresh OJ.
Channing paused for a moment and felt his cheeks flush red with embarrassment. This didn’t go unnoticed. Far from it, in fact…
‘Ha! Those blushing cheeks tell way more than a thousand words ever could,’ Tommy laughed, sipping on his drink and casually signaling to the waiter for a new round of juice.
‘Okay, okay, so yes it did go down last night,’ Channing said, the cheers and whoops of his two friends drawing the attention of the other people sitting outside the café. ‘But…’
‘Yeah?’ Rick said, leaning in ready for some extra-juicy details.
‘The most magical thing was seeing how happy Max was at Bark Buddies,’ Channing said, drawing groans from his two buddies.
‘Come on, guys, it’s true. We can talk about the sexy stuff too, but what made me so happy was seeing how into the dog center Max was.
He had no ego, he got right down to the stinky jobs too. He was like…’
‘A responsible adult?’ Tommy said, a wry grin on his face.
‘He sounds like he’s ready to be a real Daddy,’ Rick added.
‘Yup. Just like the kind of Daddy who I could actually see a real future with,’ Channing said, a wistful tone in his voice.
‘But this is Max,’ Rick said, arching his eyebrow. ‘Could he ever actually change. Even if he wanted to?’
The three friends looked at one another and burst out in laughter. Max was a big character, the kind of one in a million personality who was hard to pin down. Everything that Channing loved about Max and made him special was also part of the problems they had had.
Channing could see the funny side of his predicament.
‘I wish my love life could be simple for once!’ Channing exclaimed, pretending to bang his forehead against the oak table top. ‘I’m a Little who needs a Daddy, is that too much to ask for?’
‘Hey, at least you have a love life,’ Tommy said, rolling his eyes in mock exasperation. ‘The closest I’ve been to a blow job recently was getting my hair dried at the salon by Maxwell.’
The three Little friends all laughed again.
It was always great fun hanging out with Tommy and Rick, and Channing felt incredibly grateful to count them as his best friends.
They had all been there for one another through the good times and the bad, and even as they got older and had more work commitments, the same bond was always there between them.
As the second round of fresh juices arrived, Channing looked down onto the beach. There were small smatterings of people down on the golden sands. There were some folks in the water too, from early morning surfers to groups of swimmers too.
But it wasn’t outdoor activity of the sporting kind that was on Channing’s mind…
Me and Max together…
Naked. On the beach…
What would people say?
Channing suddenly realized just how excited he was getting by the prospect of being nude on the beach with a Daddy like Max and swiftly crossed his legs to cover up any tell-tale signs of arousal.
If it was ever in any doubt, Channing realized that keeping his mind off Max was a hopeless task to even attempt.
Channing decided that the only way of dealing with his feelings of self-consciousness around Max and their relationship was to tackle things head on.
It was time to message Max and arrange a meeting.
But whether Max would be even close to being awake for another few hours was a whole other matter…
* * *
When Max finally replied to Channing’s message, Channing was somewhat surprised to find that Max had been up for a few hours.
Even better than that, Max had actually paid an impromptu visit to Bark Buddies and helped out with their morning laundry session.
After making his way to the location that Max sent in his message, Channing took a moment to look around.
It was a cool block close to the beach, populated by a lot of hipsters and grungy types.
It was one of the few areas of Los Frisco that hadn’t quite been totally consumed by healthy lifestyle spots.
Even though Channing loved his clean and healthy life, he couldn’t deny that hanging out in a dive bar from time to time was fun too. And, more than anything else, it was one hundred percent pure Max Manchester…
‘Tracker says hi by the way,’ Max said, flashing a smile over toward Channing as the pair of them embraced. ‘This beer’s on me. It’s the least I can do to say thank you for your hospitality. And for bringing that big beast Tracker into my life too.’
Channing smiled and felt his heart skip a beat.
This was the kind, impulsive yet compassionate Max that Channing had developed such strong feelings for.
This was the Max who had kept a hold on a small but significant piece of Channing’s heart for so long.
But more than anything else, this was the version of Max that Channing wished could be on show for the whole time. There was no talk about a fear of commitment, no cancelling plans, and no flaking out on responsibility.
This version of Max was the Daddy edition that Channing desired.
Hell, this version of Max had actively sought out the responsibility of going down to Bark Buddies and helping out with the comparatively pretty dull task of sorting out stacks and stacks of doggy blankets and beds.
As they took a seat outside of a rough and ready bar, a rarity in Los Frisco, Channing raised his bottle of beer and saluted his old friend Max.
Max flashed a smile in return and took a big glug of the beer.
‘Feels good after a good deed at Bark Buddies,’ Max said. ‘Not that I was there just so I could justify a beer, of course. Those damned mutts are just too cute. Shit, in another life I might have been a vet.’
‘You totally could have been a vet,’ Channing said. ‘But you’d have needed to graduate though…’
‘Touché,’ Max replied, a grin on his face. ‘I’ll let that sass slide, boy. But, anyway, you know me. I like to cut and run too much, right?’
The pair of them shared a moment of contemplation.
Channing was glad to see that Max was at least self-aware of his own tendency to run when the going got tough.
‘I want to set things straight,’ Max said, a contemplative look in his soulful eyes. ‘College was college. You were young, I didn’t want to tie you down. Well, not like that anyhow.’
‘But you could have explained that to me,’ Channing said, determined to not let Max off the hook that easily. ‘It really freakin’ hurt me. It’s been an influence on my relationships ever since, and not in a good way either.’
‘And for that, I’m truly sorry,’ Max replied, the sincerity in his voice clear. ‘That’s the last thing I’d want. Even when I left, it didn’t change the fact that I felt so many strong feelings toward you. I always have done. I just have never been in the right place, you know?’
‘I think I hear you,’ Channing said. ‘But… what about now? What about last night?’
‘Last night was fun as hell,’ Max said. ‘I’d like more, much more. But I can’t make any promises, I want to be clear on that. My life is a mess. As much as I’d love to do a big romantic gesture, I can’t. It wouldn’t be fair. I know how much having a Daddy means to you.’
Channing took a moment to consider what Max was saying.
Yes, it wasn’t exactly the promise to total commitment that Channing would have dreamed of. But it was one thing. It was honest. Channing could see that Max meant every word that he said.
‘So…’ Max said, running his finger over the top of his beer.
‘So,’ Channing replied, licking his lips.
‘Shall we…’
‘Head back to mine?’ Channing said, his heart racing and his cock hardening.
‘No,’ Max replied. ‘I’ve got a better idea. And it’s an idea that I know you’re going to just love.’
Max flashed one of his enigmatic, totally enticing smiles. Channing felt like putty in Max’s hands.
Whatever Max had in store, Channing wanted to find out what it was.
Fortunately for Channing, the wait to find out what Max had in mind was even shorter than he imagined…