POV - Landon

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1600

-Begin Chapter-

-Next Day-

Josh: Good Morning, Baby Boy. I hope you had a wonderful sleep. I am very glad you enjoyed the Sushi and soda. I was surprised when I learned they had a Mango flavour as well. Please let me know how it tasted. Thank you for your well wishes on my travel. We are getting ready to depart right now from the airport. I hope you have a wonderful day at work, my precious, beautiful, Baby Boy.

I laid in bed and stared at the message, my mind whirling in a hundred different directions, trying to figure out what was going on. Why was Josh this interested in me? I am not that special, unique, or anything. The only thing I have going for me is that fact that Preston, the owner of one of the biggest businesses in America, is my cousin, that's it. Yet here Josh was though, less than 24 hours after meeting me, calling me his Baby Boy.

What is going on?

I let out a deep sigh and locked my phone, deciding to respond to the message a little later, probably on the bus ride to work.

I hope today is more of a "normal" day for me so I can just get it over and come home and have more time to think about this...oh wait.

I suddenly remembered I agreed to go out with Rob to dinner tonight.

Oh, fudge...

I let out a deep sigh and dropped my phone, my hands going to my face, dry scrubbing it harshly as the realization hit and I almost regretted saying yes to Rob last night. Now that everything has hit me, I just want to come home and think. So much, has happened so fast. 

I just wish I had a second to really figure this out...maybe I can talk to Rob about it tonight when we go to dinner. He knows Josh way better than I do, maybe he will have some advice or something.

With another sigh, I decided it was time to get ready for work, so I moved to get up out of my bed, heading to my bathroom to do my normal routine.

Within a half an hour, I was almost ready to go, just finishing the last button on my, shirt, looking into my mirror, wondering what it would be like to have Josh standing behind me, his head resting on my shoulder, himself already dressed, smiling at me. I felt a heated blush come to my cheeks and I chastised myself for thinking like that.

Am I really that lonely that I am already imagining having the first man, who really paid me attention, with me while I am getting ready in the morning as if we lived together? For fudge sakes.

I let out a sigh and went to grab my tie when all the sudden I heard a knock at the door. My brows furrowed as I looked towards the door as another knock sounded.

Who could that be?

Grabbing my tie, I walked out of my room and towards the door, putting my tie around my neck as I went. Reaching the door, I unlocked it, opening it quickly to reveal someone who I really didn't want to see this moring. At least yet.

"What do you want, Preston?" I asked, feeling irritated. I already have to deal with him at work and now he wants to come here and bug me? Really?

I bet he is here because he wants to ask me about Josh...

"Wow, that's a nice way to say hello to your favorite cousin." he said, sounding "hurt".

"Keeley isn't here, so I can say hi however I want."

"Wow!" exclaimed Preston, dramatically, "I see how this is. I give you an apartment and a great job and this is how you treat me?"

I ignored his drama queen moment and asked him again, "Preston, I am trying to get ready for work. What do you want?"

"What, can't a loving cousin come to give you a ride to work?" he asked, putting that "winning" smile on his face.

"No." I said, my voice sounding dead, "I believe you told me when I got hired that I was to find my own way to work because your beauty sleep was too important to get up early enough to come to get me and take me to work." I said, using air quotes around what he said.

"WHAT!" he exclaimed in shock, "That's ridiculous. I would never say anything like that to you."

I just looked at him while Preston looked back at me, smiling.

I let out a deep sigh, just deciding to drop it, this conversation would just go in circles and I didn't want to be late to work on my second day of work, even though it would be Preston's fault.

"Look, I am almost ready, I just have to grab my shoes and phone. Give me five minutes and we can go."

"Okay, but be quick though, I don't need to be late," Preston replied.

"Preston, you are the boss, you can never be late," I said, turning away from the doorway to head to my room to get my things.

"Not with David as my secretary. If I am not there by 8, he gets really angry and won't talk to me the rest of the day."

"That must make it really hard to flirt with him when he won't talk to you," I called out from my room as I moved to stand in front of my mirror again, tying my tie quickly, making sure to not imagine Josh standing behind me again.

"I DO NOT FLIRT WITH DAVID!" screamed out Preston, sounding closer. I guess he invited himself into my apartment. Such a typical Preston thing to do.

"Sure..." I said, moving away from my mirror to go next to bed and grab my shoes that I had set there last night, "That's not why you find every excuse to talk to him and you secretly keep a stash of Steam gift cards and his favorite Beer in the safe in your office to give to him when you really piss him off."

"He's my secretary! Of course, I have to talk to him a lot and I have those in there for...wait...HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?" screamed out Preston, coming into my room as I sat on the bed, tieing my shoes.

"Preston, everyone knows."

"HOW?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "I don't know, why don't you ask the only other person that would know the code to that safe."

"Rob..." growled out Preston.

I let out a chuckle as I stood up, moving to the side of my bed so I could grab my keys and phone before turning to look at Preston, watching him furiously typed on his phone, grumbling to himself.

I shook my head and then spoke out, "I'm ready, can we go, Preston?"

Finishing up his text, Preston locked his phone and put it in his pocket, "Yeah, come on." he said before turning to exit my room.

I followed my cousin as he walked through my apartment and out my front door. I made sure to lock the door behind me before following Preston down to his car. 

His bright orange sports car.

Dear god, why?

Neither of us spoke as we climbed in the car, Preston starting it and fiddling with the radio before moving to back his car out of the spot.

"So..." he began as he exited the parking lot of my apartment building and merged into the steady flow of traffic, "Have you heard from Josh today?"

I let out an annoyed sigh.

I should have known that was the reason he came to pick me up. He wants to talk about Josh.

"Yes, he texted me this morning."

"Fudge yes! Did you reply?" Preston asked excitedly.

"No. I was going to do it on my way to work."

"Well do it! You don't want to keep an important man like Josh waiting for your reply!"

I rolled my eyes, "Preston, stop it. I getting really fucking annoyed with you and this whole Josh thing and its only been less than a day! Leave me alone and let me talk to him how I want to. I don't need you telling me what to do with him."

"But..." Preston started.

"No Preston. I don't need you pressuring me to do this, okay? This is the first guy that has shown me any interest and I would really like to experience it without you breathing down my neck."

My cousin was quiet for a moment before he replied, "Fine, sorry. It's just...Landon. You don't understand what this could mean for my company. What doors this could open. The chances we would have." he said, his voice sounding uncharacteristically quiet.

"I know Preston, but please, I need you to trust me. Let me do this on my own, I want to get to know Josh and see what he's all about. Get to know him and stuff. I don't want to just throw myself at him or anything, even if it's for the good of your company. We only just met anyway, there is no telling what's going to happen or what is going to come out of this."

Preston sighed, "I know. I'm sorry. I really shouldn't be trying to push this on you, you could end up getting hurt that way. Just please, please Landon, just try with Josh, that's all I ask."

"I will Preston, promise."

"Thank you."

There was a pause.

"So, are you going to text him or not?"

"For fudge sakes!" I exclaimed, going to my pocket and grabbing my phone, unlocking it. I went to mine and Josh's messages, quickly typing a response to him.

Landon: Good morning, Josh. My sleep was really good, I hope you had a good sleep as well. I am probably going to try the Mango flavour tonight after I get home from dinner out with Rob, but I will let you know how it is. I hope you have a good day as well and that your flight was pleasant and safe.

"There, done," I said, exasperatedly.

"Good," said Preston, sounding pleased with himself.

I sighed.

Why did I agree to work for him again?

-End Chapter-

I hope you enjoyed reading this and may your day be filled with, love, smiles, and laughs!