CHANNING
‘This place is wicked cool,’ Tommy said, smiling from ear to ear as he made his way toward the large bouncy castle in the corner of the play area. ‘Come on, let’s hold hands and jump on the castle together!’
‘Look, there’s even a diving board!’ Tommy cried out, tumbling forward and crawling the rest of the way toward the rope ladder that would take him to the platform. ‘Watch me!’
Soon enough, the three Littles were climbing and jumping to their hearts content.
‘So, wait, you and Max used to date?’ Ricky said, lying on the big pink beanbag and taking a big gulp from his sippy cup.
‘Kinda,’ Channing replied, realizing just how complex his and Max’s relationship had been. ‘Max was back at university doing a refresher course. He’s super-smart. But then he dropped out and kinda dropped out of my life too…’
‘Oh no, I’m sorry,’ Tommy said, smiling kindly. ‘But… he’s back now?’
‘Yeah, I guess he is,’ Channing said. ‘Max is wild. He always was ever since I met him. He went to Princeford University right out of high school but he’s not exactly what you’d think an Ivy Leaguer would be like.’
‘No, I can tell!’ Tommy giggled. ‘If your experience at the beach is anything to go by, Max is definitely not an uptight academic.’
Channing felt himself blushing.
‘Hey, don’t embarrass me,’ Channing said, covering his face with his hands. ‘But yeah, the beach was super-hot!’
The three Littles all burst into a round of giggles and squeals of delight. Tommy even asked Channing to replay every last bit of what had happened that day at the beach, and by the end of retelling the story Channing was very much in the mood for a replay.
‘Max hasn’t always been perfect,’ Channing said, holding a cushion over his lower half to cover up his excited state. ‘But he helps bring out another side of me. A side that I actually really like…’
‘That’s so cool,’ Ricky said. ‘And remember, no one’s perfect. If Max has got your best intentions at heart, that’s what matters. He just can’t run out on you again though.’
‘I agree,’ Tommy said, munching on his choc-chip cookie. ‘Even a wildcard Daddy has to show to his Little that he’s in it for the long haul.’
‘Well either way, I know we’re all in it together,’ Channing said, his cheeks rosy red and his heart full of joy.
The three Littles all held hands and shared a quiet moment of friendship together.
But less than thirty seconds later they were all back playing again. With their tummy’s full of cookies and juice and their bloodstream pumping sugar around their bodies, Channing and his friends were ready to keep the partying going for a little while longer at least.
And with Channing safe in the knowledge that his Daddy was coming to pick him up, Channing knew that he could go crazy and expend as much energy as was possible.
The Pajama Palace was a great new venue for Channing and his friends to spend time and have fun in – but the truth was that the three of them together could have fun just about anywhere in the world.
Channing had his friendship group locked down.
The only question was whether his relationship with Max was secure forever, or just another passing trend…