Hello! Here be another chapter! Much quicker than last time, yey me :)

Thank you to everyone who read the last chapter and special thanks to those who left comments. I know Yuuri broke many a heart in the last chapter, especially Victor's but don't worry, Victor is not the kind of person who sits back and allows the thing he wants most to run off someone else. As this chapter and the next will prove. Spoilers!

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. I'd love to know your thoughts on this one - especially as the next chapter may contain some... let's say some 'adult entertainment' :P

Happy reading!

Chapter 07

It had been two weeks since my first date with Alex. Since then we had been to another comedy show, it wasn't really my thing but it was nice to see how much Alex enjoyed it. Apparently, stand up was his passion and he'd spent his time at university trying out material at local festivals but it hadn't really taken off. Alex was an interesting guy. He had more hobbies than I thought was possible to keep up with but his well paid accountant job allowed him to explore whatever his heart desired.

When Alex had suggested that we meet up for breakfast before work one day, I had initially been reluctant. Mornings were usually spent around the lake or lounging around the living room eating a large breakfast Victor had prepared for us. Victor had sensed my hesitation and assured me that he didn't mind. He encouraged me to meet with Alex, even suggested that I wear the black turtle neck jumper I only wore on special occasions. He kept telling me how exciting it was, how happy he was for me.

But for some reason, I still felt guilty.

"Something on your mind?" Alex asked.

"Oh, no," I smiled at him. "I'm just... I'm worried about Vitya."

"Is he ok?" He looked concerned.

"He's fine," I assured him. "I'm worrying over nothing."

"You could bring him with you next time," Alex suggested as he sipped his coffee.

I held back a laugh. "Maybe," I said instead.

"I was thinking of dinner at mine?" Alex looked down at his hands and I noticed the faint blush on his cheeks.

"Yours?" My stomach twisted into knots.

"We don't have to," Alex said quickly. "I like cooking and I was thinking it would be nice to cook for someone else rather than just me." He gave a sheepish shrug. "You could bring Vitya with you... if you wanted to..."

"That's..." I paused. It was kind of him but it really wasn't a good idea. "I'll think about it."

"Do," he leaned forward and held my hand. "I'd really like to get to know the other man in your life."

I laughed nervously. "Yeah…" He had no idea! I snatched my hand away from his and drained the rest of my coffee. "Look at the time, I really should get going."

"Yuuri?" Alex caught my arm just as I was about to flee. "I hope you don't think I'm pushing this. It's just that I like you and I want to spend time with you."

I looked down at him. He really was a nice guy but there was just something missing. "I know," I smiled at him. "Thanks for breakfast. I'll text you."

I wasn't sure what it was about Alex that left me wanting something more. He was kind, thoughtful. He'd made it very clear that all he wanted to do was take care of me. That was what I wanted wasn't it? I'd enjoyed the time we spent together, enjoyed his company but I didn't burn for him. Not like I did with… I shook myself. I really didn't need to be thinking about anyone else.

"Hi Yuuri."

I glanced up to see Sara standing behind the till in the gallery shop. "Hi Sara," I made my way over to her.

"Are you ok?" She asked. Sara and I had become fast friends since I started working at the gallery. She had started just a few months previous and we were by far the youngest staff members. We both had an interest in photography and had studied similar subjects at university. She had recently moved to the city, which had caused a separation from her brother that apparently she was happier with than he was. She had been a source of comfort at work, a good friend.

"Weird morning," I mumbled.

"But you're always in such a good mood first thing in the morning," she looked over at me with concern. "Did something happen at the park?"

Sara knew how much I enjoyed my morning strolls with Vitya, what they meant to me. "I didn't go this morning," I replied. "I met up with Alex…"

Sara's face turned into a frown. "You never seem happy when you're talking about him."

I sighed. "I know," I put my bag down behind the till and sat on a stool next to her. My work day had yet to start and it was still so early in the day that there weren't many patrons in the gallery yet. "I like him, he's a nice guy…"

"I feel a big but coming," Sara winced.

"There's just something missing… he doesn't make me… I don't know…" I sighed again.

"He doesn't make you burn," Sara said with a nod. "You want someone who makes you feel like you're on fire! You want someone who makes you feel alive."

I smirked. "How's your dating life going?"

Sara sighed. "It's simmering at best," she laughed. "Which is why I'm living my love life vicariously through you."

Since Sara moved to the city she had taken full advantage of the dating scene. Her over protective brother had turned away many interested guys during her years at school and university and she felt she had missed out. To make up for it, she was signed up to every dating site and had at least two dates per week but she was still looking for that perfect someone.

"If we're both not settled down by 30, I say we move in together," Sara nudged my shoulder and we laughed.

"As long as you're happy to do your share of dog walking its fine by me," I smirked.

"Of course!" She said with excitement. "You know I love Vitya. He's such a cutie and he's so attentive!" She thought for a moment. "If only Vitya were a guy, I bet he could set your body on fire." Sara laughed hysterically. This was so Sara. "Could you imagine?!"

I laughed nervously. "Yeah... pretty weird..." Oh god. "I should get to work..." I picked up my bag.

"Fancy a drink tonight?" Sara called after me as I ran from the shop.

"Sorry! I'm busy tonight," I said over my shoulder as I continued to run.

I wasn't busy at all but Sara hit too close to home with her comment. Of course she was just playing around and had no idea what was really going on in my unbelievable life. It was all too much for me to handle, even in jest.

Once work began, I threw myself into my new project. Going through the archives to find new pieces for an upcoming exhibition was exactly the kind of distraction I needed. I leafed through the catalogues of art work and photography of local artists and lost myself in their passions. The exhibition was in conjunction with a local animal charity and would focus on the importance and positive affects an animal could have in the home or work place. It was a cause close to my heart and I was thrilled to be a part of the research team.

I had been so focused on my work that I hadn't realised lunch had already come and gone. I was an hour late.

I quickly gathered my belongings and, not for the first time, wished that Victor had a phone so I could call and let him know I was running late. From the day I had brought Vitya home, even after I came to know him as Victor, I had never missed a lunch at home. I wondered if he would be upset with me.

I ran up the stairs from the basement, took two steps at a time and ignored the burn in my lungs. I needed to start running again.

"Yuuri!"

I heard Sara's voice as I ran through the lobby. I looked in her direction and she waved.

"Sorry Sara," I called back. "I'm running late!"

"There's someone here to see you!" She called back.

I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at her with a frown. I jogged toward her when she beckoned me closer. "To see me?" I asked. I never had visitors at work.

Sara grinned. "If the guy sitting by the window in the cafe is Alex, then all I have to say is; what is your problem?" She pointed toward the cafe and I followed her hand to where he sat at a table, bathed in the winter sun.

Victor.

He was wearing black skinny jeans and my light grey jacket, my favourite green scarf draped around his neck. His hair was tied up, his long ponytail across one shoulder, and the loose strands around his temples fell across his face as he stared down at the book resting on his crossed knees. Wasn't he something?

"Is it him?" Sara asked.

"Erm... no." I felt myself blush.

"You like him though," Sara teased.

"What?" I turned to look at her. "No I don't!"

"You're blushing!" She smirked.

"I am not," I covered my cheeks with my hands. "I don't... what makes you think I..."

"The fact that you were staring at him," she said. I tried to deny it but Sara continued over me. "And I can tell by the way you looked at him."

"I'm not looking at him any different than I do anyone else," I said.

"Sure," Sara folded her arms, unconvinced. "So who is he?"

"A friend," I said quietly. I glanced over at him again and Sara scoffed when she caught what I was doing. "I should go see what he wants."

I slowly made my way over to Victor. He was so engrossed in his book that he didn't notice me walking toward him. I didn't mind, it gave me more time to watch him. It was strange seeing him alone outside the house, to see him fit in with everyone around him. He could be a student from the university or an artist who attended classes in the gallery. I couldn't deny it, he looked good.

As I neared the table, Victor looked up and smiled.

"Hello," he said softly.

My breath caught in my throat.

"I'm sorry," I blurted out. "I lost track of time and I..."

"Don't worry about it," he smiled and reached down for the back pack on the seat beside him. "I thought you might have been busy so I brought lunch for you."

I stared at the lunch boxes he laid out on the table. "You didn't have to do that," I said as I sat down opposite him. "But thank you, I'm hungry."

"I didn't mind," Victor laughed softly. "I wanted to see where you work anyway."

"I could give you a tour if you're interested?"

"If we have time," Victor looked out the window at the people walking past the gallery.

He seemed so at home here, like this was a normal thing between us. I relaxed almost immediately, just like I always did when he was around me, no matter what form he was in. I thought back to my breakfast with Alex, I hadn't been able to relax around him at all.

"Wow!" I peered into the lunch boxes. Victor had packed enough food for an army!

"I didn't know what you would want," Victor shrugged. "So I put in a selection of your favourites."

"This is perfect," I smiled happily. "Thank you." I began to dig into my food enthusiastically. "Would you like some?"

Victor turned to look at me at my question. "How was your breakfast with Alex?"

His question took me by surprise and I tensed at Alex's name. "Fine," I said. Victor gave me that look that told me he didn't believe me. "He's nice but I just... I don't think he's right for me."

Victor's eyes seemed to darken and he turned his attention to outside the window again. "Will you continue seeing him?"

"I..." I looked down at my food. I hadn't really had chance to think about it but I knew it wasn't fair to Alex. "It wouldn't be right," I said after a moment. "I thought my feelings would change as I got to know him but I just don't think we're right for each other.

When I looked up, Victor was watching me with a thoughtful expression.

"Then I hope you will consider me," Victor eventually said.

"Consider you?" I was confused.

"If things don't work out with Alex, if you have decided that he is not right for you then I hope you will consider that I might be right for you."

His words echoed around in my mind.

"I like you Yuuri," he said softly. "I tried not to... I didn't want this to become complicated."

What was happening?!

Victor looked down at his folded hands on the table. "I revealed myself to you that night because I knew what was happening. I knew you were going to meet someone and I just couldn't stand it."

"But you..." He'd been so supportive.

"You seemed happy," Victor looked up at me sheepishly, as if he knew my thoughts. "I didn't want to get in the way of that. You deserve to be happy."

I looked down at my food. I was at a complete loss of how to respond to this. Victor liked me?!

"But if Alex is not the one who will make you happy... then I hope you will give me a chance to try." He looked at me with such warmth in his eyes. Eyes that I had come to love so very much... love...

When he kissed me, he said it was because he hadn't had a lover for a long time. Had he lied? Had he said it because I had been worried about my behaviour? Had Victor been looking out for me even then?

"You don't need to respond now," he stood up and took a step toward me. He placed his hand on my shoulder and leaned down to kiss my cheek.

"Victor..." I didn't really know what I wanted to say to him. I could only think about how soft his lips were, how his warm breath against my skin drove me crazy.

"Enjoy the rest of your day, Yuuri," he squeezed my shoulder gently and then left.

I sat at the table and stared at the food in front of me. Could I really think of Victor like that? The answer was yes, a big yes. I had been at battle with my complicated feelings for him since he kissed me. Or perhaps it had been the very first time I met him as Victor, when he had been sitting in my kitchen wearing nothing but his red dog collar. I couldn't help it, I smiled at the memory.

Movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention and I looked up to see Sara waving at me. Of course she wanted to know what happened, she was just like Phichit in that respect, but I wasn't ready to talk about it. I wasn't ready to share these feelings. I shook my head and returned to my lunch. I made a mental note to text Sara later.

I found that the rest of my day passed at a snail's pace. The work that had thrilled me only hours before was now no longer interesting enough to hold my attention. Instead, I sat in the archives, surrounded by texts and samples, and doodled on my notepad.

Victor was asking for a chance to make me happy, but as what? Clearly he wasn't talking about friends but did he want to be my lover... my boyfriend? I couldn't even imagine what it would be like making love to a man in the evening and walking him through the park on a leash the morning after. How would I feel having him lay in his dog bed as Vitya while Phichit stayed over for one of our drunken movie nights? Would we even be able to go out with my friends as a couple?

"It's past six, you should go home Yuuri."

I looked up to see my boss, Celestino, smiling from the doorway. He had become somewhat of a mentor to me since I started working for him and he was always trying to find projects to suit my interests. He even allowed me to indulge in my passion for photography.

"You've worked hard today," Celestino remarked.

"Thanks..." I hadn't.

"Pack up and go home," he said again.

"I will," I smiled at him. "Have a good evening, Celestino."

"You too, Yuuri," he waved over his shoulder as he left.

I began to pack away the materials I had been using for my research and reached for my notepad. I glanced down at the pages I had made notes in and froze when I spotted the doodle. Victor's face looked up at me, his familiar eyes staring right at me from under my biro scribbles. I groaned and slammed my book shut. I was in big trouble.

In trouble you will be Yuuri but it's the best kind of trouble! Now if only he could get his head in the game and go after Victor too... oh but wait, this is Yuuri we're talking about! Haha.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to let me know what you're thinking. I have the next chapter pretty much done so hope to have the next one out very soon.

Love to you all!