Date with Gio

Juniper woke up bright and early the next morning. He watered his vegetables on the balcony, it has been a few days later and he knew they would be ready to harvest by the end of the week. He noticed that his Nexus network account had also been verified late last night so he could start a broadcast as soon as his vegetables were harvested.

He threw this thinking about livestreaming to the back of his mind as he was excited about meeting Gio. He took a shower and changed into a fresh set of clothes and then headed downstairs. He made a pot of coffee and sat down at the dining table. The scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, making Juniper's mouth water. When it was ready he poured himself a cup and sipped slowly.

He opened his communicator and noticed he had quite a few notifications waiting for him. There was notifications from the Pheremone Match database saying he had a Match to make contact and another one detailing his account with the Nexus network. He didnt want to accept anyone as a match at the moment, as he already knew two names on there he thought it would be best to get to know them further instead of meeting a stranger.

Gio said he would meet him at the place they met before, Juniper glanced over to the clock. It was barely 8 o'clock so he had plenty of time. He drank the rest of his coffee and then got up, placing his mug in the dishwasher and putting it on auto-clean.

"I'm heading out," he announced to no one in particular.

Outside, Juniper hailed a taxi and headed towards the Mall. He didn't have anything else planned for the day and wanted to spend it with Gio.

The taxi pulled up outside the mall. He paid the driver and stepped out onto the sidewalk. The Mall had a variety of shops and restaurants along with a food court. Juniper walked along the path outside the mall It took some time but finally he arrived at the same place where he had met Gio yesterday.

The young man stood patiently waiting for Juniper. He looked up and flashed a bright smile towards Juniper

"I didnt make you wait did I, Gio?" Juniper replied quicking his pace.

"Not at all," Gio replied "It is a pleasure to see you again." He paused for a moment then spoke again ''I hope I can take this as you accepting my pursuit of being your partner... and this will be our first date?'' He held out his hand towards Juniper.

Juniper took it and shook it lightly. His fingers brushed against Gio's skin. He could feel the warmth of Gio's body through the thin fabric of his shirt. He hadn't even realised how nervous he had been until now.

Gio had accepted this match and Juniper wasn't against it, It was an opportunity that he decided he would take.

"I'd like that very much," Juniper said softly.

There was a coffee shop nearby and Juniper suggested they sit there to have breakfast. They went inside and placed their order with the barista. Juniper ordered eggs benedict while Gio opted for bacon and eggs.

They sat down at a table and each started eating. They both chewed slowly, savouring the taste. Juniper was trying not to stare too much at Gio, but he couldn't help himself. So instead he kept glancing at Gio. Whenever he caught him looking back, he smiled softly. This made Juniper feel more comfortable.

After finishing their meal they began to walk around the mall and window shopped, holding hands and talking. They found a pet store that catered to exotic animals. Inside were animals like snakes, lizards, turtles, monkeys and other creatures Juniper had never seen before.

''Why don't we head over to my workplace, you will see more than whats here, there are only pet like beasts here.'' Gio suggested as he saw that Juniper was interested in the animals.

"Alright" Juniper agreed.

They eventually left the Mall and were going to Gio's work place. The beast training area, this was closer to the centre of Capital star. As soon as Juniper saw the facility he was shocked at its sheer size. It was easily twice as big as any stadium he had ever visited.

"This is my workplace," Gio spoke up "If you don't mind, I'd like to show you what I do here."

Juniper nodded and followed Gio through the main entrance and into the building. They entered a small room which had benches and lockers lining the walls. Opposite the door was a large glass window with a view of the arena.

"Please follow me, Juni." Gio smiled and waved his hand over the control panel to open a gate.

A second later the wall behind them slid open to reveal a huge arena. Juniper gasped silently at the sight. A huge beast was charging towards him. Its tail swished side to side.

"Woah!" Juniper shouted. He jumped back as far as he could go, holding onto the bars above him.