HeartLESS (Fransykes)

7. Don't point your love at me like that

CW: Anxiety, feelings, ALL THE FEELINGS! Loads of fluff and sweetness and ugghhhh <3 I just love it! 

A/N: Lots of POV switching, had to make sure it all made sense and that everyone's feelings were made clear.

Oli's POV

The first night with Max is hard, but I knew it would be. With all the events of yesterday still weighing heavily on my mind, as well as keeping up with a toilet training puppy who hasn't really known life outside of the incubator, it was never going to be easy. Luckily, Jordan's off work the following day and he pops in to check everything's going smoothly. Of course, Max is learning really quickly, but Jordan insists on taking over for a couple of hours so I can rest.

The rest of the week passes without much drama. I'm at home most of the time and Max does fantastically and I'm confident he's going to be ready for his vaccinations next week. Once he's on the scale on Friday evening when I drop him back to the shelter, he's perfectly inside the weight bracket and is almost as big as a Frenchie of his age should be. I'm sad to say goodbye to him - I've loved having him around for the last few days, but I know he'll make the perfect addition to someone's life.

I've chatted on and off with Josh all week too. I told him about the incident in the shop on Tuesday and he told me about his own experiences with that kind of thing too. I'm angry that it happens to anyone at all, but Josh gave me some great advice for dealing with it better next time and not letting my emotions get in the way. Besides that, I'm more excited than ever to meet him tomorrow night and I get the feeling he is too.

Despite my nerves and excitement, I sleep really well Friday night and I take Luna for a run in the woods before work on Saturday morning. I'm in really good spirits when I reach the shop at just before nine am and I pour myself a coffee when I get there. Vegan is in the shop all day with me and we catch up a little for the first hour or so, but the pace picks up for the next couple of hours. Saturdays are the busiest days since new music usually gets released on Fridays and there's still something special about playing music on vinyl.

Once the lunchtime rush has calmed down, Vegan asks me about going out tonight, so I fill him in and show him the flyers Chris dropped in. He remembers Chris as a regular too and thinks that it's a really strange coincidence, all these things linking Josh and I. Oh yeah, I finally properly "came out" to Vegan. He wasn't surprised, as I knew he wouldn't be and said he'd always stand in my corner, especially if another incident like Tuesday happens.

The shop is quiet and so is the rest of the town where the shop is, so Vegan lets me leave at five pm. I'm grateful for that since I've been panicking about not having enough time to get ready. I'm home at just before five-thirty pm and it turns out that Mat is home this evening and has already walked Luna which takes another weight off my mind. While I shower and get myself ready, Mat takes the chance to cook for us both.

I've gone for a simple black button down shirt and black skinny jeans and hope it's nice enough to make an impression, but don't want it to look like I'm trying too hard. I've been messaging with Josh as usual on and off today and now it's less than an hour until we meet, my nerves are shot. I manage to eat about half of the meal Mat cooked, but he can see how anxious I am. I've ordered a taxi and at six-forty, the cab arrives to take me to The Lion's Head.

Fuck, this is really happening!

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Josh's POV

"Dude, you're gonna wear a hole in the floor!" Max jokes.

I grimace at him and continue pacing back and forth, wringing my hands together.