"Get a grip!"
☆

Milo stands back from Jude's door, waiting for him to answer. It sounds like there is a lot of commotion happening behind it, as Milo hears the yelping of a small animal, followed by an abrupt "shhh!"

Finally, the door opens..."Hey. Come in." Jude announces, trying to sound as casual as his attire, though inside, he felt like a jellyfish.

"Hey. You look cute." Milo comments as he steps into the apartment, taking in Jude's outfit.

"This?" Jude looks down on himself. "Just something I found and threw on." He blatantly lies. 

"Well you look good." Milo reiterates. 

"Thanks." Jude smiles as he closes the door. Milo takes off his shoes and momentarily stands in place, taking in the surroundings. Jude's apartment was more spacious than his own and almost felt like it was out of a house and home magazine. 

"Your place is nice too." Milo comments as he makes his way to the couch, looking at the many photos of Jude and who he assumed was Tashen hanging on the wall, along with some of Tashen with a dog and a couple with Tashen and a guy with jet black hair. 

Milo thought how many more pictures Jude had with his best friend, than he had with Hester. With all that time they had lost over the years, Milo made a mental note to put that right.

"So...I hope you like soup." Jude informs, making his way to the stove to give the contents of a copper pan a stir. 

"Smells good." Milo comments, as he gets comfy on the couch. "What kind is it?"

"Vegetable." Jude calls over his shoulder as he tests the soup which he reckons will be ready in five. 

Milo smiles to himself. Vegetable soup was Hester's favourite. They were sure to get on well when they finally meet.

Milo is now distracted by a new pair of eyes looking at him. At his feet, sat Jojo. The dog is staring at Milo inquisitivly, head tilting from side to side as if weighing the visitor up. "Hey little one." Milo says with a smile, as he lowers his hand to pet Jojo on the head. This causes Jojo to bark in response as Milo retracts his hand quickly. 

"Jojo shhh!" Jude says firmly to the pet approaching the pair at the sofa, lifting Jojo onto his knee as he sits beside Milo. "Now let's have manners... Jojo, this is Milo, Milo, this is Tashen's diva dog Jojo." 

Milo stills slightly as he lets the small dog sniff all over his shirt before padding onto Milo's lap. Milo again attempts to stroke the pet, this time with more success as Jojo's tail begins to wag with excitement. "That's better." Jude praises the dog, smiling. 

Jude watches for a time at how unaware Milo is at how much he is smiling. That smile, rarely on show in Jude's opinion. "You should really smile more often you know." Jude finds himself saying. "It suits you." 

Milo looks up at Jude looking at him. He can feel his cheeks blush slightly at the comment. "Well maybe these days, I've got more to smile about." He replied, now making Jude's cheeks glow red. 

Jude quickly clears his throat as he gets up. "Mhm, okay, so I think the soup should be ready now." Jude says, wanting to change the subject post haste. He could already feel his urge to pin Milo down on the couch then and there wanting to surface, for being so frickin charming, but he so wanted to play it cool. 

Milo watches as Jojo now curls into Jude's vacant space, allowing him to get up. "Where's your bathroom?" Milo asks. 

"Oh, along the corridor, second door on the left." Jude points with a ladle as he continues to dish out the soup into two bowls. He then places them at the small kitchen table, along with a basket of bread and two sodas and spoons.

Milo finishes washing his hands and stares at himself in the mirror, checking his hair. It had been a while since he had felt this way about someone and did not want to mess things up. 

It's then he thinks he sees it, or should he say him? Less than a second, a millisecond perhaps, just there, in the reflection of the mirror, over his right shoulder....Hester...staring....

Milo turns so fast he feels dizzy, but there's no one there. Of course there's no one there. He can't be in two places at once! 

Milo looks back at his reflection once again, with just his own face now staring back. A little unnerved, he turns on the water and begins to splash his face. He watches as the water droplets drip down his cheeks. "Get a grip!" He says under his breath, through gritted teeth. 

He grabs the towel from the rail and pats his face down. Placing the towel back, he stands up straight looking in the mirror. He sees nothing....he saw nothing.