CHANNING
But it had been worth it - and it had led to some even wilder and hotter fun in the ensuing days.
And the fun hadn’t ended at the cove either.
All in all, it was a whole ton of fun.
I’ve seen so much in the world.
But there’s so much more to see too.
Would… Max… travel with me?
Thoughts of making long term plans with Max would have seem totally deluded to Channing had anyone asked him about it a couple of weeks ago. Max wasn’t the kind of guy you could make a reliable plan for a single date with, let alone someone who you could arrange overseas travel alongside.
However Channing wasn’t so sure that was still the case.
Max was evolving. That much seemed obvious to Channing. Max may have been at a low point in some ways, and it was true that they needed to have a proper discussion about exactly what had been going on in his life prior to showing up at Channing’s place.
However, as bad as some things were, it was clear that Max was doing much better in other ways too. Channing didn’t want to take too much of the credit for that, but it was undeniable that Max seemed super-settled and contented in Channing’s company.
There were still questions swirling around in Channing’s mind though.
But is he ready to settle down?
Not just for now, but forever?
And would Max even want to do that with me?
Channing finished off pruning his potted plants and walked back inside the apartment. He always felt good having tended to his garden, and made his way into the kitchen for a nice, ice-cold glass of water.
Max was busy on the laptop, and Channing was curious to see what had captured his attention…
‘Checking out some hot guys?’ Channing said, a knowing smile on his face.
‘Ha! No, nothing like that,’ Max replied. ‘You’re quite enough for me, young man.’
Channing poured himself a drink of water and loaded it with a bunch of ice cubes straight from the refrigerator. Walking toward Max, Channing could suddenly see that Max was on the Bark Buddies website.
Interesting.
Very…. Interesting.
Is Max looking for… a job?
However as Channing approached, a flustered Max suddenly clicked off the Bark Buddies website and instead started looking through some sports results from the previous evening.
‘Playoff time!’ Max said, attempting to distract Channing from what he had only moments ago been looking out.
‘Sure,’ Channing replied. ‘You know me though, I’m not really much of a sports guy. Not like that, anyway.’
Channing could see that Max was a little bit flustered. But why didn’t Max want Channing to know he was looking at jobs at Bark Buddies? Channing thought it was adorable and definitely a positive thing, so couldn’t understand why Max would feel so shy and secretive about it.
Whatever reasons Max had for being secretive, Channing decided he should respect them. There was nothing worse than trying to do something privately and then have someone stick their nose in and potentially disrupt it.
So rather than cramp Max’s space, Channing gave him a quick kiss and took his ice-cold glass of water over onto the couch. It was time to make some plans with Tommy and Rick…
Hey guys! Any plans for this evening? Max is out with his bros – who are both single by the way!!! I’ll be all alone. Do you guys feel like coming over for a movie and popcorn night? Let me know what you’re thinking. Channing XoXoXo
Channing reclined on the couch and began to casually scroll through his Instagram. He checked his notifications and saw that he had been followed by Kyle Peters from work. While it was always nice to get a new follower, Channing immediately felt a shiver run over his body.
It wasn’t good news to have Kyle following him. While in theory it could have been an attempt to build bridges and improve their relationship in work, Channing sensed that Kyle had other motivations.
Urgh.
Why does that guy have to be in my life?
If he expects me to follow back, he can forget it…
Channing had a quick look through the most recent updates on the Bark Buddies Instagram page.
It was wonderful to see so many wholesome photos of the recent batch of dogs to have found their lovely new forever homes.
It filled Channing with joy to see so many pups find new homes and human friends who would give them a great life.
Channing could definitely see the appeal of working at Bark Buddies. He was very happy at Green Sky Future and had no intention of leaving – even if Kyle was a pain in the ass.
But the thought of Max working at Bark Buddies was just incredible.
Channing could help Max with his job application, and put in a good word for him with the Bark Buddies management. It was such a no brainer! But Channing kept quiet and decided that Max would bring it up with him if he wanted to.
Casting his eyes over a photo of the totally adorable Tracker, Channing wondered when this hunk of canine delightfulness would find his forever home. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too long, but sometimes bigger dogs found it harder to be rehomed sadly.
Then in a burst of notifications, Channing received replies from both Tommy and Rick…
Hey! Movies and popcorn sounds superb to me, I’m IN! But… I call first choice in the movie? Oh, and how about we double down and order food in? There’s a brilliant new plant-based taco place I want to try. Tommy xxx
100%. Let’s do it. Movies, food, talking trash and having a great time. My kind of night in. We could each choose one movie each? Really make a night of it. Rick
Channing smiled. It was great to see that his friends were so enthusiastic to come over and hang out.
Channing was glad that Max was finally connecting with his friends again, but at the same time Channing knew that he would probably feel a bit lonely alone in the apartment for the first time in a little while.
Having Tommy and Rick over would be the perfect antidote to any feelings that Channing might have. He trusted Max, and knew that his friends would look after him, but the memory of Max’s wild, partying ways was still on Channing’s mind a little bit.
I shouldn’t worry.
I should trust Max.
He’s changing… isn’t he?
* * *
With Max having left to go and party with his friends, Channing had settled in to having a nice wholesome night in with his own friends.
With Tommy and Rick having arrived, all three were now getting cozy in their colorful hoodies and shorts – a classic Los Frisco combination. Each one of them had a big bowl of popcorn to devour and in between movies the gossip and banter was certainly flowing back and forth at quite the pace…
‘I so do not have a crush on Jamal!’ Tommy said, rocking his head back in laughter as he attempted to deny his blatant crush on Jamal, the barista at Bean Scene.
‘Come on! You so do have a crush on him,’ Channing laughed, playfully throwing a piece of popcorn in Tommy’s direction. ‘I mean it’s so obvious, why deny it?’
The three friends laughed. Tommy nodded his head in acknowledgement of his crush.
Channing loved how the three of them could always be honest with one another.
They might be shy about revealing their crushes sometimes, but when it came to the important stuff they were always ready to be open and honest.
‘So… what about Max?’ Rick said, his dark brown eyes looking as deep and soul-searching as ever. ‘You think he’s going to be sticking around this time?’
‘I think so,’ Channing said. ‘I mean… I hope so.’
‘We don’t want to see you hurt again,’ Rick said. ‘We both love Max. And we love how happy he makes you. It’s just…’
‘It’s just we know that he’s got a history,’ Tommy said, clearly wanting to have his own input into the conversation. ‘And that’s cool, everyone has a history. It’s just… Max is Max. You know?’
Channing took a moment. He could see how much his friends cared for him and were just trying to make sure that everything was good between him and Max.
‘I know guys, and I appreciate you both looking out for me,’ Channing replied, a smile on his face. ‘But I know what I’m doing. I’m a big boy now.’
‘I bet that’s what Max thinks too!’ Tommy said, laughing.
The three friends all laughed together. It was time to put on another movie and let the evening continue as planned.
Channing felt happy that his friends were rooting for him, but Channing also felt a sense of satisfaction that he was able to answer their concerns over Max with a good degree of confidence.
Channing knew that he had been hurt by Max in the past. On the one hand, it wasn’t a great feeling to be reminded of that.
But on the other hand, Channing felt mature enough to be able to accept that aspects of his and Max’s past relationship had been tricky to deal with, sometimes even very painful to handle in fact.
But the past was the past.
As far as Channing was concerned, there was only one way that his and Max’s relationship was developing, and that was towards commitment, fun, and plenty of kink-based experiences together.
It felt good to finally be able to relax into a steady and trusting relationship with Max, and the more Channing thought about it, the more confident that he became.
‘Guys, let’s watch an action movie!’ Channing declared. ‘It’s my choice, and I want something full of hunky guys, big explosions, and cheesy one-liners.’
‘Sounds perfect!’ Tommy agreed.
‘Count me in,’ Rick added.
With that, Channing put on the movie and the three friends continued with their night in. Life was looking good. In fact, Channing might even have said that everything was pretty much perfect.