Going the Distance
This story took me a bit to finally completely write. My main focus was to try and develop the characters a bit, and I believe that I had done that. I will admit, as far as most stories go, the sex was a bit plain. It's more my style to be rather vanilla with that sort of thing anyways. It's a long story too, 10 pages worth according to Word. I started it a week ago, since I had promised Twitter and Google + a story within a week. Not sure if anyone took me seriously anyways. xD
Here it is, Going the Distance. I hope it proves to be enjoyable. All Criticisms are welcome, I want to develop and learn from what my readers liked and disliked. Love you all.
'If foxes were meant to fly, then we would have a pair of freaking wings!' the fox swore to himself. He was flying in a plane, thousands of feet into the air, to what he felt would be his eventual demise. The handsome fox was already holding onto his armrests as if they were his last lifeline, but then the turbulence started shaking the plane, and the fox was muttering swears under his voice.
"Hon," he heard a feminine voice from the seat next to him, "If you held onto that seat any tighter, you'll end up breaking it in half."
He didn't realize his eyes were shut tight, but he slowly opened them to see what the source of this voice was. There sat a very peculiarly dressed badger, her big soft brown eyes on him. She almost reminded him of his mother in that instant, if it wasn't for the giant pink dress with two lines of frills running down her front accompanied by a small, round pink hat that looked as if it would fall off her head at any moment. At first, the fox had wondered how he managed to sit next to a character without noticing this before, but then he remembered that he's had his eyes closed in fright for the past two hours.
"Ah, heh, yes, I err, I'll be alright..." the fox stuttered out. Even he remained unconvinced.
"Yeah, and I'm the aunt of a monkey," the woman replied, sarcastically. "I'm Marianna, and what might your name be, darling?"
She seemed very well spoken, but the fox's ears couldn't mistake that slight southern drawl she carried. When he finally unlocked his jaw enough, he said "My name is Ben."
"Nice to meet you, Ben," she said. "So what is bringing you to the lovely city of Atlanta? Are you meeting up with a lucky girl when we land?"
"Wha-?" Ben stuttered, "W-what makes you think that?"
"Well, we're landing in Atlanta at 7, which is too late for any kind of business related work, and you're wearing quite the suit there, hon."
It was true; the fox glanced down at himself. His newly polished shoes shined from underneath his pant legs, his navy blue vest almost shimmering over his white undershirt. A black tie was worn loose around his neck, his jacket was folded in the storage bin above, and his glasses were sitting at an angle from the turbulence, but the message was still clear about his plans.
The badger continued, "And that cologne's smell gives it away a little more."
If a fox could visibly blush, Ben would be a much darker red. But he spoke up, because it bugged him to leave it unspoken. "I-I'm not meeting a girlfriend there... I am meeting my boyfriend."
The badger just gave the fox a smirk. "Ah, I see. What's the lucky guy's name?"
"Jake." The fox continued to squirm in his seat. The turbulence seemed to have passed by, but he was still extremely uncomfortable in his seat.
"Tell me more." The badger's eyes seemed to smile with sincerity, as her lips curled and did the same. Even then, the fox stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out if she was serious. After a short period a stagnant silence, the fox said, "W-well, Jake's a cougar who lives in Atlanta. He runs a little fitness center, Wilde Fitness."
The badger interjected "Oo! Jake Wilde is your boyfriend? I never would have pegged him as man-lover." The fox glared at her. "Teehee, do continue."
"Err, well, he really likes his little fitness center. Said it had been a dream of his for a while. Well, even before he started the gym he always talked about his he wanted to run his own business. In a way, I helped him realize that goal."
The badger's eyes and smile seemed to sparkle more, as if she was discovering something. "Oh? How do you mean?"
"I am a banker. Of sorts. I've been helping run financial services and accounts for 4 years now, and forgive me for, shall we say, hooting my own horn, but I am damn good at it. I helped him set up his accounts and loans, and had continued to help him bookkeep his fitness center into something successful."
"And you did that from a distance? That is quite impressive." The badger seemed to be analyzing his comments closely, as if sizing him up. "You'd really have to know the area's banks quite well, as well as the economy of the area to have made him into something so successful. I mean, even I've seen his commercials."
The fox turned is nose downward, shyly. "I'm going to take that as a compliment, then."
"You should. I may not look it, but I am quite the busy badger, hon." She stopped being so business feeling for the moment, and continued, "So now you're flying in from California, though you seem quite uncomfortable with it to see your boyfriend? I would think that someone had imposed a time constraint on you then, otherwise you'd prefer driving. I guess there's more to this trip then?"
Ben was stunned. "Er, yeah, I mean, yes ma'am. I have a job interview tomorrow with Daedalus Banking. They had a job opening for an analyst that I only barely managed to get called in on for an interview, so I'm really hoping for the best."
"I see." Marianna gave this somehow knowing smile. "Well, I wish you the best of luck, Ben."
Ben smiled. "Thank you. I mean, I'm really banking on this job, no pun intended. Me and Jake were wanting to move in together." Ben kept smiling at the thought. "He really is wonderful. Keeps my cynicism in check, keeps me active, and his heart is in all the right places." His wide smile kept growing wider.
"Well, well! If I can tell anything from the increasingly goofy smile of yours there, you're pretty mad about him." The badger chuckled in amusement, as the fox once again tried to hide his face with his shyness.
The conversation seemed to keep going, back and forth in idle chatter for another hour or so, before the fox stubbornly went to sleep on the plane. Marianna figured to sleep as well, and pass the time on the flight. Before either of them knew it, they were landing in the Atlanta airport. Ben helped Marianna grab her bags from the overhead storage, not realizing how short the little badger was. After leaving the gate, they parted ways. It wasn't until Ben was in baggage claim that he realized exactly what the badger was actually doing.
"Damn it," he muttered to himself. "I wish I could have realized and said thank you at least." The humbling badger had calmed him down, and had allowed him to finally relax on an airplane. The thought seemed to completely erode away, as he saw a tall, muscled cougar wearing what could easily be a limo driver's suit. He was even holding a sign that said "Benjamin" on it, but the sign was covered in hundreds of pink and red hearts surrounding the name.
Ben couldn't help but feel his cheeks grow sore from how suddenly and widely he smiled. He rolled his luggage up to the tall cat and said "Excuse me, but who is this 'Benjamin' fellow, and why would he be picked up by a limo driver who's sign is completely cluttered with hearts?"
Jake's green eyes looked down into the dwarfed fox's face, and said, "Oh, Ben? He's this shmarmy little handsome fox who would be wearing my favorite scented cologne. He's got some interview or something tomorrow for a big bank, and is really very cute. You wouldn't have happened to see him on your flight from L.A., would you?"
The fox's eyes glistened from the compliments, and grabbed the cougar's tie with his free paw, and pulled the cougar down until their lips met. They shared this kiss for only a moment, lips giving off a satisfying smack as they parted. "Oh, you must be him," said the cougar. "Well then, let me grab those bags for you, sir. I have a place you need to go to so you can be well rested for your interview. But first, dinner is in order."
Ben's tail swished back and forth, and he followed the cougar out to the pickup zone, holding on to one of Jake's arms. "Where did you have in mind, honey lump?"
Such a silly pet name irked the cougar. His ears twitched at it, but he ignored it and said, "I had to pull a few strings, but I managed to get some reservations to Tony's. They've been quite famous since some Cocker Spaniel fell in love with one of the waiters there."
"I heard about that. It was Lady. She was quite rich from her family's inheritance so the media kind of made a big deal out of it. Made a movie out of it too, I think."
The cougar loaded the fox's suitcase in the back of his car. Despite being very successful, Jake seemed to insist on driving an old Ford Focus. The same Focus he's always driven. Most men of Jake's stature want to make themselves look bigger by driving a tiny, fast car. But Ben thought about how humbling it really was, and adored the choice of keeping the same car.
"You're cute, you know that?" Ben said. Without the context of his thoughts, he knew it'd only make the cougar blush.
Jake cocked his head to the side a little in wonderment at the sudden compliment, but he said nothing on it. Jake opened the passenger door to his car, and said "After you, my lovely red mystery." The fox tried not to laugh as he accepted the invitation.
Tony's was not too far from the airport it seemed. And, as expected, finding parking for the popular restaurant was challenging at best. Once they got inside though, the building seemed to be very spacious, and there was only a murmur of a crowd going around them. The Italian restaurant was lit with dim overhead chandeliers, decorated with elaborate patterns of olive leaves and other flora, the whitish gold reflecting beautifully in the dim light. The chairs and tables had similar design around the edges, with a luxurious, shimmering golden color for the paddings of the tall chairs. The tables themselves had a very thick, solid looking base that looked like tree stumps growing up into a thick slab of glass, which seemed amazingly spotless.
The host greeted them, "Buona Sera, gentlemen. Who is the reservation made out to?"
"Wilde, reserved for two."
"Ah, Jake Wilde. Of course, right this way." The mouse host grabbed two leather-bound menus and guided the couple through the maze of tables. As they passed by, there seemed to be a few whispers around, talking about Jake's presence. It seemed strange that people thought so highly of a fitness center owner.
They were seated in a quiet booth along the side of the restaurant, hidden from view from most of the crowd. The host already seemed to procure some glasses of iced water for the two of them, and sat them down across from each other. The host said "You'll be served by Aldo, and he'll be here to introduce himself shortly. I hope your meal is perfetto." And without another noise, he was off to help the next group entering.
The fox was a little overwhelmed by how up-scale this restaurant was. He was born into a middle-class family, nothing too fancy. But the cougar seemed especially uncomfortable. His upbringing was not so fortunate. Ben said, "This is quite the place to eat. Very, very upscale."
Jake grunted a little, and stared at the menu. "I err, I can't make heads or tails of this menu. It's all in Italian." He said it in a low voice, almost like he's ashamed.
Looking into his menu, Ben couldn't make heads or tails of it either. "Don't worry, honey-lump, I can't read Italian either. But, I do have this!" Ben slides out his phone, and places it on the table. "I'll be able to look up anything you're interested in."
Jake seemed frustrated, but nodded. No sooner than they had decided on what they would want did their waiter show up, a tall Dalmatian with some oddly large spots. Must have been a partial breed with a Labrador, for he also seemed a little too burly to be just a Dalmatian.
"Evening gentlemen, I am Aldo, and I'll be your server for tonight. Have you had a chance to look over the menus?"
Jake groaned a little, lacking in understanding of the menu. Ben decided to order for the both of them, butchering how to pronounce the words as he went. "For an appetizer, we wanted to have some Mozzarella Caprese. For beverages, we'd like some of the Sicilian Chardonnay. And for the main courses, I would like some... pasta alfredo con pollo y broccoli, and he would like some err..."
Jake interrupted, "Just a basic chicken alfredo for me. Nothing special."
"Molto bene. I'll take your menus." The Dalmatian mix took their menus, and went off to fulfill their orders. Ben could tell that the cougar seemed upset for some reason.
"Are you alright, love?" he asked.
"Hm? Oh yeah, yeah... I just feel really uncomfortable here. I guess I'm not used to the very... rich lifestyle. It's kind of a brash reminder of how I lived before we started my business, and how strange this one feels."
The fox have the cougar a hard look. "Well, maybe this restaurant wasn't the best choice immediately, probably should have been eased into it. But, it's always nice to try new things. I'm definitely a little out of my league here. Just relax, try and enjoy yourself. That's really what these food places are about." The fox smirked under the chandelier's dim glow. "Mood lighting." He fell silent to let the quiet music play for a little. "Subtle themed music. Restaurants like this are more about savoring all of your senses, not just your tastes. So, try and enjoy it while we're here."
Jake nodded. "Okay foxy. I guess I get it. It's just weird, completely different experience."
The fox chuckled. "Weirder than a fitness center manager taking his lean boyfriend to a date in said 'weird' restaurant? Speaking of which, you do realize how many people were talking about you as you walked into the room, right?"
The cougar shyly retreated, leaning back into his seat. "No, I guess I didn't realize it." He sighed. "The local newspaper had run some story about me. I mean, I did managed to get a business up and running successfully in the middle of an economic repression. With a certain fox helping, mind you." He added, as Ben leaned into the table. "They called it a success story, and it seemed to help enlighten some of their reader's moods. I guess word got around quickly."
"As well they should, my honey-lump. News coverage is like free advertisement, good or bad." Ben smiled at his cat, as he winced from the pet name. Though, the fox was a little bit worried suddenly. The news seemed to be reporting on him now. "Which err, I hope this isn't a bad thing... I mean, you taking me here. Or anywhere so public. I'm not sure the media would take too kindly to having their success story turn to a, shall we say, homosexual public relations debate? I really don't want to be the cause of any bad press for you..."
The cougar reached one of his giant paws around the fox's muzzle, keeping him quiet. "I'll hear none of that now. You should know better that, if the media asks me about my orientation, I'll proudly say that I'm gay and mated, and if that really changes how people view the best fitness center in town, then they can take their money elsewhere."
He nodded under the giant, soft paw. After he was released, Ben said "And it's that kind of attitude from you that I've grown to admire. I wish I could be more relaxed."
The cougar said something that caught the fox off guard. "Hey now, I need your cynicism to keep my optimism in check."
They enjoyed their meals together, idly chatting about how the fitness center is progressing and about the big interview tomorrow. Ben also detailed how his plane trip was, and how frightened he was at the start of the flight. The food they were delivered was everything you would expect out of such a restaurant and more. Each bite was a beautiful blend of flavors, and the Chardonnay was the perfect choice for their meals. After their bellies were completely satisfied, they carried the rest of the food out in boxes for later use, and went over to the cougar's house.
The car matched the house in a way, modest and not very rich. Ben had been here before, several times. Each time he comes back and walks in through the door, Ben always feels like he's finally in a proper home. A place he wants to stay, and yet there was nothing special about it. The front room had a sofa that looks like it's been handed to him from his parents many years ago, there was a television that was hardly used propped up on the opposite wall, and an ottoman between the two. The kitchen was lackluster, and had basic equipment stashed away in there, while the bedroom consisted of a bed and a large dresser. Maybe it was the simplicity that had all the charms of a home, whereas Ben's apartment was a little cluttered and overly decorated. Gifts from his parents and friends seem to clutter his rooms.
"Well foxy, it's getting a little late. I can make some tea for you if you wanna just wind down for now." Jake offered. "Your big interview is tomorrow, after all."
Ben smiled at his cougar. "You know, I slept on way here. I'll be alright, my dear. For some reason, I feel quite well rested." Ben approached his cougar, and pressed himself against Jake's fit body.
"Oh!" said the cougar. "I see. But I would want you to be able to rest well somehow." He grabbed his fox around the waist, and slowly rocked his hips from side to side. "How does one tire out a fox?"
"I can think of a few things." The fox teased. "Could always go for a jog."
"Too dark, and my treadmill is out of operation currently."
"Oh, then how about just lifting those frightfully heavy weights?" The fox smirked innocently. "I'm sure those will somehow wear me out."
"How about you give this cougar a workout?" Jake said bluntly.
The fox tilted his head in mock innocence. "How could I do that? You already look quite big and strong, I'm not sure how..."
"Here's where I still your tongue with my own." The cougar rushes his head in before the fox could utter another word, plants his lips against his fox's and kisses the fox passionately.
The fox could not protest, and kissed his burly cougar back, running his paws along Jake's arms. Jake responded by putting his large paws squarely on the fox's butt, pressing the fox against himself roughly.
The passionate kiss got their hormones running, and the air around the two was awash with arousal. Ben felt his heart rate pick up, his breathing heavier, as he untucks the cougar's shirt, and runs his paws along the cougar's chest, feeling the strength behind the fur.
The cougar leans down a little bit, still swirling his tongue in the fox's maw as he lifts up the little fox, and carries him by the legs into the bedroom. The fox was placed onto the bed, and the cougar crawled on top of him. Ben paused his kiss only to completely take off the cougar's shirt, as well as his own.
Maws still locked in love, the fox runs his paws into the cougar's pants, feeling the cougar's bulge. The cougar humped the fox's paw, while the fox massaged Jake's balls. Jake purred playfully, and bit into Ben's shoulder. Ben let out a low gasp, and arched his body against Jake. When Ben finally removed his paw from Jake's pants, he noticed that the cougar had already started leaking precum through his underpants.
Ben smirked at this, and pressed against the cougar's shoulder with a paw. Jake rolled, and Ben pinned down the large cougar underneath him, and unbuttoned the large cat's pants, sliding them down to reveal Jake's large, beautiful cock. The scent drove the fox into a slight maddening frenzy, as he quickly started sucking the dripping, slightly barbed penis.
The cougar moaned from the sudden change in pace, and rocked his hips unconsciously. The fox's maw felt so good, so warm wrapped around his member. How long had it been? He couldn't remember, but he ran a paw through the fox's head fur, and gripped the back of his head and kept rocking his hips.
Ben allowed the cougar to start taking over, simply enjoying the taste of cum as pre kept dripping out of the cougar's dick. He wrapped his tongue around Jake's livelihood for added effect, and the cougar purred with pleasure.
Jake let go of the back of Ben's head, and pulled the fox up to him, and kissed Ben again, not minding the musky taste of his own precum in his mouth. The cougar removed Ben's pants, which Ben kicked off the side of the bed. Jake pressed his saliva-soaked dick against Ben's penis, and rubbed it there for a while, purring as he went, feeling the warmth of their members against each other.
Golden-furred paws scratched at Ben's back, sending shudders down Ben's spine. Jake kept going down and down, until he was at Ben's tail. Claw sheathed back in, Jake grabbed the fox's butt, spreading the cheeks apart, a single finger playing with the fox's tail hole. Ben moaned loudly as he felt the cougar's paw work at the fox's hole, and eventually slide a finger inside. Ben felt his velvety insides stretch slightly to accommodate the intrusion, and bit his lip.
Noticing the slight wince, the cougar slid the finger out. He then rolled the fox onto his back, and slid down the fox's body. The cougar have the fox's delicious cock a lick, and lifted Ben's legs up a little. He leaned down, and licked the fox's tail hole, drenching it in saliva. Ben squirmed under the attention, and Jake ran his tongue across the fox's hole again, warming Ben's ass up. His tongue did a few more sweeps before he rolled up his tongue, and pressed it into Ben.
The tongue's intrusion was a lot more satisfying than the paw, lubricating and warming his insides a bit more gently. The wiggling tongue made the fox moan loudly, and he muttered "Oh that's good..." His body focused on the increasing pleasure Jake was giving him. It was over only too soon, as the cougar went over to his dresser, and procured a small bottle. He squeezed some of its contents out into his paw, and slathered a decent layer of it over his cock.
Going back to his position, Jake continued to rim his fox a little longer, and used some of the excess lubricant on his paw to help stretch the fox's tail hole. The fox's hole seemed a lot more relaxed around the cougar's paw, as the cougar felt around inside Ben. He flexed and wiggled around, and inserted a second finger, being careful not to stretch him out too fast. Ben moaned loudly with pleasure, the sound like music to Jake's ears.
Jake continued to massage Ben's prostate, but also climbed on top of the fox. The large cat's body pressed against him, sharing their warmth together. The cougar slipped out his paw, and rubbed against his cock again, ensuring it was well lubed. Without further warning, the cougar locked his maw with Ben's yet again, and suddenly slid his large, slightly barbed dick into the fox.
"MMmmmfff," was all the fox could utter, sending vibrations into the cougar's maw. One inch, two, slowly but completely the fox relaxed himself around Jake's dick until his entire length was inside. The cougar's face was flush with the sudden warmth around his dick, and had to resist going too fast, his primal instincts wanting to take over. The pressure around his penis was intoxicating, and was rubbing all the right places. Jake rocked his hips back, slowly sliding himself out, and pressed it back in, slowly at first. Jake closed his eyes, focusing on the motion, his breathing heavy with the pleasure.
Ben grunted under the cougar's powerful body, the motion massaging his insides with perfect precision. He bit his lip again to try and stifle his cries of pleasure as the cougar fucked him gently, but let loose another "Oh my..." before he could stop himself. Ben closed his eyes, and took in the cougar's scent as he felt the pressure build up inside him.
The primal feelings in Jake completely took over, as the cougar started using most of his strength to abuse his fox's hole, well-paced hard thrusts causing his balls to smack against the fox with an even beat. The cougar picked up his pace more and more, but to try and stifle his cries, he bit into the fox's shoulder.
Ben could barely feel the teeth being pressed against his shoulder, driven crazy by the cougar's repeated pounding. Ben locked his legs around the cougar's body, using his legs to help apply more pressure against the cougar's strong thrusts, his insides almost already crying out for release.
The cougar was lost in his own frenzy, the smell of his fox flooding his nostrils. He felt his loins light up, and tried to resist the oncoming orgasm, concentrating all his efforts on holding back. His breathing became deeper, and his motions more jagged. He couldn't hold it back, the fox's insides were too much. He let loose a low growl as he came inside his fox, the sticky seed shooting into the fox's insides.
The sudden warmth filling Ben tipped him over, as his own orgasm oozed from the tip of his dick. Another wave came out of Jake, and another oozy wave of cum slipped out of the fox's penis, and again. Each thrust feeling like it was final, but another seemed to take place as the cat milked out all that he could. The two of them held their breath, and when it was all over, the heavy cougar collapsed on top of the fox, and started panting in his afterglow. The fox's head was thrown back into the bed, breathing very deeply, and the world was still around them as they slowly regained their composure.
Still in a little bit of an afterglow, the cougar slid his barbed cock out of the fox, and a helping of cum slipped out of the fox onto the bed. Not that it mattered how dirty it got, he did end up falling into his fox's cum and spread it all over his fur.
"I couldn't think of a better way to wear me out." Ben was the first one to speak. "I'll be sleeping well tonight."
Jake purred on top of his fox, and gave him a kiss. "Well, you managed to give me a good workout. I should be sore in the morning."
"YOU should be sore? Sorry, who was it that should be sore?" Ben teased.
"Alright, alright dear." Jake nuzzled Ben's chest, forgetting that it was covered in cum. "Ack!"
Ben laughed as Jake tried rubbing the cum off of his nose. "Come on, I know how you cats like to be clean." He said, pulling on the cougar's paw toward the shower."
They bathed together, affectionately washing each other's bodies under the warm water, each of them completely unable to remove their completely ridiculous smiles off their faces. Ben's thoughts turned towards their future. Even if he couldn't get this banking job, he would find any way possible to move here. Maybe he could help run the fitness center? He was already keeping books after all.
As if he read his fox's thoughts, Jake said, "You know you'd be restless without getting that job. But don't worry, I know you're going to get hired tomorrow. You'll knock their socks off."
"As much as I would like to think so, I gotta be prepared for the worst," said the fox. "And right now, the worst isn't bad looking at all," he added, staring at the cougar's ass.
"What? My ass is the worst? I never thought it was that bad..."
"You know what I meant!" the fox kissed his cat under the warm water.
Sleep came easily after that. As if in a blur, they had fallen asleep in each other's arms, and the fox's phone alarm went off to remind him of the impending interview. Before he even knew it, Ben was dressed and Jake was driving him to Daedalus Banking headquarters. Ben's mind was swirling in worry. He really wanted, no, he needed this job to work out. He wasn't sure he could handle being away from Jake for any longer. He really loved that silly cat.
His suit was adorned with a heavy blazer to make it more professional, and he inspected his tie in the elevator's reflective doors on his way up, making slight adjustments, and even tossed a Listerine strip into his mouth to keep his breath minty.
He rounded the corner after reaching the top floor, and approached the CEO's personal secretary, a strange-looking male badger. He would have thought this strange, except the name tag said "Kurt Daedalus". This was the boss' husband. What was the first name of the CEO? He only knew her as Mrs. Daedalus.
"Ah, You're that interviewee right?" He said, a hint of a southern drawl in his voice. "Benjamin Vashj?"
"Y-yes, sir. Pleased to meet you."
The badger chuckled. "Relax, son. You're going to an interview, not being thrown into Death Row. My wife was expecting you, please go on in."
"Ah, of course. Thank you, sir." Ben stuttered, trying to relax.
He opened the office door on the right, and was a little overwhelmed by the sunlight coming in from the far side of the room. He walked a little ways until he finally adjusted his eyes enough to see where he was going. The office was huge, as expected of a CEO of a major company. A large oak desk was at the far side of the room, a large chair behind it with a strange, looming sense of foreboding behind it.
And he would have believed it too, if the person sitting in the foreboding chair wasn't wearing a bright pink dress, with two rows of frills running down her front and a hat that looked like it could fall off her head at any moment. Ben walked towards her with a strange sense of familiarity.
Then she spoke in a very mothering voice, with a hint of a southern drawl. "I just looked over your resume and your work history, darling. And since we already had an interview, I won't sit you through that again. You're hired, when can you start?"
The name tag on the desk said "Marianna Daedalus". Suddenly, everything clicked in the fox's head. The fox took a moment to let the moment soak in. Everything had gone according to plan, and he'll move in with Jake. Who said that long distance relationships couldn't ever work out? He smiled, and said, "How about Monday?"