‘The worst thing is that I don’t even think he cares about being eco!’ Channing said, anger in his voice. ‘It just stinks I have to be around him.’
Both Tommy and Rick put their arms around Channing as they walked back to their bikes. Channing felt reassured to have such good friends, but he knew that as soon as he stepped into the office, it would be just him.
I can’t let Kyle mess things up for me.
I’ve worked too hard.
I care too much to let him put me off my game…
* * *
It turned out to be a very decent day at work. Despite his fears over Kyle Peters stirring up all kinds of crap, Channing actually managed to avoid Kyle for most of the day.
This had been a real blessing.
Not only was Channing able to happily work on a new presentation he was hoping to show to the senior management board, but he was also able to have a chat with the sweet new guy who was working on the welcome desk at Green Sky Future.
Channing wasn’t sure if it was a love match between them, but it was fun to talk all the same…
He’s cute.
Maybe not exactly my usual type.
But with no Daddies in my world, I might need to be more open to something else?
However, now he was back at his apartment, Channing decided to shut down all thoughts of work and allow himself a little rest and relaxation time.
Channing’s ground floor apartment had a big, open plan living area that was flanked by two bedrooms on either side. Channing’s room was the master suite and had a generous sized bathroom off it. The guest bedroom was a little more snug but had its own shower.
All in all, the apartment was just about perfect for Channing.
When he had a friend from out of town over to stay, there was just about enough room. But on a day-to-day basis there was plenty of space.
In fact, Channing would often use the guest bedroom to store his in-progress work projects, spare bike parts, and whatever paperwork he had taken home from the Bark Buddies dog center.
‘Okay… so shall I have a juice box or….’ Channing wondered out loud, momentarily blushing self-consciously as he realized how much of a cliché he must have looked. ‘Damn. Talking to myself. Iseriouslyneed a Daddy…’
Channing laughed and shook his head as he walked over to the tall, metallic refrigerator. Opening it up, Channing had to search around for the eight pack of ice-cold juice boxes that he knew was in there somewhere.
‘Jeez. I’ve got enough greenery in here to call it a second garden,’ Channing grumbled before finally pushing past a big bag of kale and pulling out the multicoloured juice boxes. ‘Not that I’m complaining.’
Channing actually loved his healthy diet and environmentally conscious lifestyle. He could easily have afforded a sports car or to eat out every night, but he genuinely loved nothing more than cycling and making his own food from scratch. It was just who he was, and Channing was more than happy to admit it too.
Just as the juice box was primed and ready to open, Channing caught a glimpse of his cellphone flashing over by the large l-shaped couch.
Taking a quick sip of mango and tropical fruit juice, Channing walked over toward the phone and picked it up.
It was almost certainly either Tommy or Rick, but if they thought that they were going to get Channing out for a night on the quayside bars, then they had another thing coming.
Channing was still sweating from his cycle back from work and his plan was very much to sink this juice, shower, and then indulge himself in a big crunchy salad and a golden era - 1990s of course - Disney marathon.
But rather than the message being from Tommy or Rick, it was in fact from someone else altogether…
Yo, Channing! You still at the place over on Ocean Drop? Max X
Channing paused.
His first reaction was to simply put the phone down and ignore the message altogether. It had been months upon months, possibly even closer to two years, since Channing had even heard so much as a single word from Max.
