Date: Fri, 10 Dec 1999 00:32:53 EST
From: BrwyMilo@aol.com
Subject: "Nick and Justin" part 32
Again, I must apologize with how late this is. I'm just getting over the
flu, so I was kind of out of it for a while there. But, the next installment
is ready. As always, I want to thank everyone who has given this story a
chance and has read it through all of its parts and twists and turns.
Special thanks to everyone who has sent me e-mail with suggestions and
encouragement when I thought I should stop writing this, as well as to RJ, my
partner in crime in "Lost and Found". Give it a look if you get a chance.
If you have any comments, suggestions, criticisms or just want to say hi,
just send me an e-mail at BrwyMilo@aol.com. I love e-mail so keep it coming.
This story is totally fictional and is not meant to imply anything about
the sexuality or beliefs of anyone involved. It is totally a work of my
imagination and should be read as such. That said, enjoy the story!
*****
"Have you told Justin about this yet," Fatima asked, her voice slightly
pained as she held the note in her hand.
"How could I right before a show? You should have seen him before. He
was terrified because he saw a page from Christina's journal and he thought
it was Robert. If he sees this...I don't even know what he'll do." Nick
dropped his head and stared down at the floor. "What the fuck am I going to
do about this?"
Fatima looked over at Devon he was rubbing his neck with one hand. "Tell
Kevin," he replied flatly. "I don't think it's a good idea to tell Justin
yet. Eventually, yes, but not now. We'll be keeping an eye on him and maybe
Kevin can get that Mindy girl to help."
Nick looked up hopeful for a minute and sighed. "I guess that's the best
thing to do then." He took a step back and walked into someone. He spun
around quickly, muttering apologies.
"You are the sweetest person I've ever met," he heard a voice say. Nick
looked up and saw Justin's smiling face, holding a bouquet of roses. Nick
gasped and looked quickly at Fatima and Devon, both with eyes wide open.
"I am," Nick asked.
"Yes you are," Justin grinned holding up the flowers. "You always know
how to make me feel better."
"What can I say," Nick said quietly as he felt Justin give him a tight
hug. "I just want to make you feel good."
"Well you make me feel wonderful," Justin said, kissing him on the cheek.
"I'm gonna put these in some water and get out of this horrible costume."
Nick watched as Justin ran down the hall, removing his shirt as he went.
"And now I lied to him," Nick said sadly.
"You're protecting him Nick. It's alright," Devon said, placing a hand
lightly on Nick's shoulder.
"It's not alright," Nick said, shrugging it away. "I just lied to him.
I've never lied to him."
Fatima walked over quickly and pulled him into a hug, putting his head
down on her shoulder. "Kevin will know what to do," she said calmly.
"Nothing's going to happen to Justin." She looked down and saw tears in
Nick's eyes. She glanced up at Devon who could merely watch. "Everything
will be alright."
*****
Britney sat in her dressing room, combing her hair out. She had just
drenched it, hoping to get out all the mousse from the show out of it. She
looked at her reflection carefully. 'I have a cute nose,' she thought to
herself as she scrunched it up. 'Cuter than hers at least,' she thought with
a grin. She put her hair up in a pony tail and stood up from her chair.
There was a knock on the door.
"Come on in," she said happily.
"Hi Britney," Christina said happily.
Britney froze, her back to Christina as a long sigh escaped her lips.
She turned around quickly and smiled wide. "Hi there!"
"Listen, I need to ask a kind of dumb favor," Christina said, scrunching
her face up slightly.
"What do you need," Britney said as she leaned against the wall.
"Well, I was wondering if I could borrow some clothes or something. My
luggage is kind of gone and these clothes are pretty dirty. I know you're a
lot heavier than me and all, but I thought you might have something that
could fit for now."
Britney's smile quickly faded as she turned around. "Well let me check.
I know I only have the usual tents that I call clothes, but maybe I can find
an old pant leg or something that would fit you better."
"Oh Britney you know what I mean," Christina said with a smile.
"Right," Britney replied. She tossed a t-shirt in Christina's direction.
"That might look alright. It looks a little better on a woman with a full
chest, but it might work for you." She smiled to herself, not noticing the
scowl on Christina's face. "And I have these pants...they might fit." She
turned around quickly, as Christina smiled again.
"This kind of makes us like sisters doesn't it? Sharing clothes and
stuff." She giggled to herself.
"Um, sure," Britney replied, laughing weakly.
"Well, I'm gonna go put these on then. See ya later," Christina said,
muttering 'bitch' as she exited.
"Whore," Britney whispered. She turned back to the mirror and stared
herself. "And I am not heavy," she said to no one.
*****
"Justin," a voice said from the door of his dressing room.
Justin jerked his head up quickly from the vase he was staring at. "Oh hi
Christina," he said. His face turned red as he recalled the page from her
journal. "Great show."
"It was alright," she said as she sat down in a chair right next to him.
He quickly took a couple of steps away from her and moved the vase over to on
top of his trunk.
"Can I help you with something," he asked, his back to her.
"No. I just wanted to stop by for a visit. The rest of the guys left
already?"
"Yea," Justin replied. "They wanted to go to a club. It's just Nick me
and a couple of BSB left here."
"And Britney," Christina said with a slight scowl on her face, indicating
the clothes she wore. Justin looked at her and laughed.
"I thought I recognized those clothes," he said with a smile.
"Yea, I kind of swim in them. I never realized how much heavier Britney
was," Christina said. Justin looked at her for a moment, his mouth hanging
open.
"Yea, I guess," he replied after a pause. He watched as Christina stood
slowly from the chair and stretched.
"So what are your plans for the evening? Are you going to go out and be
a bad boy," she asked seductively.
"Actually I'm gonna stay in and watch a movie," he replied quickly.
"Oo, that sounds like a lot of fun. Do you mind if I join you," she
asked with a grin.
Justin froze. He knew that it wasn't a good idea to tell Christina about
Nick and him, but how could he get out of this without hurting her feelings.
"Actually I'm pretty tired. I really wouldn't be good company," he said.
"Aw, that's too bad," she said, the disappointment almost palpable.
"Well, just promise we'll do it some other time and I'll forgive you for this
one."
"Ok, we can do it another time," Justin said as he rolled his eyes.
"You have to promise," she said eagerly.
"Alright, I promise," he replied. "Now I really do have to get out of
these clothes." Christina grinned and sat back in her chair. "That's your
cue to leave actually," he said.
"I'm just playing with you," she replied. She looked him up and down and
smiled briefly. She kissed him on the cheek and bounced out of the room. As
soon as she left, Justin wiped his hand across his cheek and groaned.
"Talk about hormones," he said with a laugh.
*****
"That's my cell," Kevin said as he reached into his jacket pocket and
pulled out his sleek silver phone. Glancing out the window, he could see
that the limo was still a ways away from the hotel. The phone in his hand
rang again.
"Are you planning to answer that," AJ said with a brief laugh.
Kevin looked quickly away from the window and gave a weak smile. He
lifted the antenna and held the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hey there," a females voice said.
"Oh hi," Kevin said happily. He looked over and saw AJ staring at him,
one eyebrow raised. Kevin rolled his eyes and settled on Nick and Justin.
Justin was sleeping peacefully, his head in Nick's lap. Nick's fingers
slowly moved through Justin's hair as Nick stared sadly out the window.
Kevin stared harder, trying to read what was bothering Nick.
"Are you there," the voice on the phone said again.
"Yea Mindy, sorry," Kevin replied. He heard a low laugh from AJ and
turned a bit in his seat. "How are you doing?"
"Pretty good," she said. "Any chance of me seeing you tonight," she
asked.
"I think I can arrange that," Kevin replied with a smile. He glanced
again at Nick and saw what looked like a tear falling from his eye. He
covered the mouthpiece with his hand and spoke lowly. "Are you ok Nick?"
Nick jerked his head up and wiped one hand across his eyes before anyone
could see him. He tried to give a small smile, but failed. "I'm fine," he
said as his eyes closed slightly.
"Mindy, would you mind if..."
"Not at all," she replied with a slight laugh. "Maybe tomorrow before
you leave?"
"Thanks. And yes, definitely tomorrow," Kevin said.
"I love you," she said slowly.
"Ditto," Kevin replied happily. "Bye." He hung up the phone and put it
back into his pocket. "Nick, I want to talk to you once we get to the hotel."
Nick looked up and nodded sadly. He looked back down at Justin and
leaned over slowly, rubbing his head gently. He placed a soft kiss on his
neck and sighed softly. 'This can't be good,' Kevin thought to himself.
*****
"We don't have to wake up in the morning, do we," Brian asked through
half shut eyes. He had his head on JC's chest, listening to the rhythmic
beating of his heart.
"I don't want to lie," JC grinned. "But, we do have a while before we
even have to think about getting up."
Brian glanced up and looked into JC's eyes. "Any ideas on how to pass
the time?"
"A few," JC replied as he slowly leaned down to meet Brian's lips. Brian
arched his back and felt the jolt as his lips touched JC's. Slowly, his lips
parted as JC's tongue slipped inside. They shifted their bodies on the bed,
Brain now lying on his back as JC supported himself above him on his hands
and knees, his head. Their kiss continued as JC began to lower his body, his
groin reaching Brian's as he slowly began to move up and down. Brian leaned
his had back further and let a moan escape his lips. JC smiled as he
continued to move his hips in a rhythmic pattern.
"You're not tired are you," JC asked with a grin as he suddenly stopped
his movement.
Brian looked at him as his jaw dropped. "Play nice," he said with a
smirk. JC laughed slightly and placed the entire length of his body on top
of Brian. Brian groaned loudly as a smile spread across his lips.
"Those boxers look a little tight," Brian said with a grin.
"Yea, a little," JC said with a grin.
"We can fix that." Brian slip his hands down to JC's hips and began to
tug on the elastic, sliding down until they rest at his knees. JC lifted one
leg up, then the other, kicking them off as he went. Brian looked at JC with
longing in his eyes. "Would you make love to me?"
JC smiled and nodded his head slowly. He reached down and slowly began
to pull on Brian's boxers. Brian arched his body up and allowed his only
article of clothing to be removed. JC lay him back down completely and
reached into the nightstand, pulling out a bottle of lube. Brian groaned as
JC applied some to Brian's hole. Brian then took then bottle and applied it
generously to JC's already hard member. JC kept his eyes locked on Brian's
and licked his lips, breathing heavily.
Brian nodded his head and placed his hands at the sides of the bed. JC
positioned himself on top of Brian and slowly began to push his way inside.
He heard Brian hiss through his teeth and slowed his entry, trying to make it
as painless as possible. After a moment, Brian smiled and gave a small nodd.
JC bit his lower lip and pushed in a little further, going in slowly inch by
inch until he was all the way inside. His eyes were clenched shut as his
lips finally parted and he let out a long breath. Brian's breath rose
heavily as JC began to slide out of him and push back in. He looked up and
saw JC's brow furrowed as he continued to pump into him. He lifted his head
up slowly and brought his lips to JC's kissing them as JC continued. He felt
his tongue enter JC's mouth, and could feel JC's warm breath escaping as
there bodies moved. He groaned loudly, finally pulling away and dropping
down as he came between them. JC could feel Brian's orgasm and threw his
head back as he erupted inside of Brian.
The two lovers panted loudly, JC's body limp and collapsed on top of
Brian's. He kissed Brian's neck softly and ran a hand through his smooth
hair. "God that was wonderful," he whispered through panted breaths.
Brian nodded and swallowed hard as he wrapped an arm around JC's neck.
"I think we should both get some sleep now." He looked down, but JC was
already shutting his eyes. He smiled and felt a sigh escape his lips. "Long
day, longer night."
*****
Kevin heard a low knock on his door. He got up slowly from his bed and
looked through the hole. "Finally," he said aloud as he pulled the chain
from the door and swung it open.
Nick stood on the other side, wearing a pair of green pajama bottoms and
a white t-shirt. "Hi," he said quietly. Kevin noticed him holding something
in his hand.
"Hi Nick," Kevin said as he motioned for Nick to enter. Nick followed
suit and entered Kevin's room.
"It's pretty late, but I'm glad you wanted to talk," Nick said as he
collapsed on Kevin's bed.
"I was kind of worried about you," Kevin said as he tried to read Nick's
body language. "What's-"
Nick held out the small white object that was in his hand and breathed
heavily. Kevin stared at it for a moment before finally holding it close
enough to read. He brought it close to his face and began to examine the
tiny print. Nick watched as Kevin's eyes grew wide. Kevin turned it over
and mumbled something as he read the back.
"Someone sent Justin some flowers and that was attached," Nick mumbled
sadly.
"Does he know about this," Kevin asked.
"Of course not," Nick said, his voice raising slightly. "How could I
tell him that the psychopath that almost got us killed and was obsessed with
him may be alive after all?"
Kevin reread the note and sighed. "Maybe it's not from Robert," Kevin
said. "One of the guys could be playing a joke."
"They wouldn't do that," Nick said without emotion. "They all know how
easily Justin gets upset. They'd never try to hurt him like that." Nick
burried his hands in his face and stifled the urge to scream on the top of
his lungs. "What do we do Kevin? Devon and Fatima both said to come to you.
You have to know what to do."
Kevin stood where he was and watched the look of total fear on Nick's
face. "I don't know if we should tell Justin right now," he said. "Nothing
may come of this. This letter could be a totally isolated incident and we
may never get something like this again. There's no use worrying Justin
about it until we have to. I will have Mindy look into this though." He
paused a moment and got a worried look on his face. "Where's Justin now?"
"Sleeping," Nick said, managing a weak smile. "He was exhausted after
the show."
"We've been working really hard, I can imagine," Kevin said. "Listen,
why don't you go back to your room and make sure he's ok?"
"Yea, I guess I should," Nick said as he stood. He stretched and yawned
loudly. "I need some sleep myself." Kevin grinned and walked over to the
door. Before he got there he felt a pair of arms around him. "Thank you,"
Nick whispered. Kevin stood where he was and watched as Nick slipped quietly
around him and walked out the door.
Kevin stood there and shook his head. "This is something we really don't
need right now."
*****
Nick stood in the hallway outside of Kevin's room and leaned up against
the wall. He stared across the hall and looked at his own closed door. He
took a tentative step forward and then stopped, leaing back up against the
wall.
"Are you holding that wall up or something," Devon asked as he
approached. Nick gave a slight jump and breathed heavily for a second.
"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that," Nick said.
"Brian's the one with the bad heart, not you," Devon said with a small
laugh. He looked over at Nick's room. "So why aren't you with your honey?"
"He's sleeping. I just had my talk with Kevin."
"And," Devon asked after realizing that Nick wasn't volunteering much
information.
"And he's gonna have Mindy look into it. He told me not to worry about
it, it could be a scam and just take care of Justin." Nick looked up at
Devon a moment. "I'm scared," he said, more like a little boy than Devon had
ever heard him sound before. Devon didn't move for a moment. Then in the
next instant he had his arms around Nick and was telling him that everything
would be ok.
Nick stayed where he was for a moment, totally unmoving while Devon held
him. Slowly he began to squirm. Devon laughed a bit and slowly began to
pull away. "You get into your room and sleep with your baby. He's probably
missing you real bad right about now."
Nick looked up at him through his sad eyes and nodded. "I guess you're
right. Ok, I'll go do that, and you go keep Lance company. He must miss you
too."
Devon smiled and led Nick to his door. Nick sighed and pulled out his
room key. "Thanks Dev. I owe you one."
Devon merely grinned and gave Nick a light shove, forcing him into the
darkened room. The door closed behind Nick, making a low creaking noise.
"Is that you Nick," a voice said.
Nick gave a slight jump and fell against the door. The lamp by the bed
turned on, revealing Justin, a sheet pulled up to his bare chest, squinting
against the light. "There you are."
Nick gave a slight laugh and stood up from where he was. "Yep, only me,"
he said with a grin.
"Come to bed," Justin said as he stretched a bit and sprawled out over
the width of the bed.
"In a minute," Nick said. "I just need to take some aspirin."
"You have a headache," Justin said as he sat up. Nick nodded and saw
Justin reach into the drawer of the nightstand. "I beleive these are yours."
"Oh yea," Nick said as he caught the bottle Justin threw at him. He
quickly downed two and pulled off his t-shirt. He glanced over and caught
Justin smiling from the bed. "And what are you smiling at?"
"You," Justin replied with a grin. He sat up more and held his arms out.
Nick gave a slight laugh and walked over to where Justin was. He crawled on
top of Justin's lap and wrapped his arms around Justin's neck and shoulders,
kissing his cheek gently.
"Did you miss me," Nick asked with a smile.
"Always," Justin replied, kissing the tip of his nose. He gave a short
yawn and stretched lightly.
"Why don't we get some rest sleepy head," Nick said as he rolled over and
pulled Justin close to his body.
"That's a great idea," Justin replied. He leaned his head against Nick's
chest and sighed. Within moments he was sleeping.
Nick lay where he was, one hand slowly moving through Justin's blond
curly hair. Justin cooed in his sleep and snuggled closer. Nick could feel
his breath catch in his throat. "I'm not going to let anything hurt you," he
said with determination. "Nothing."
*****
Lynn lay relaxing on the couch in front of the television. She struggled
to keep her eyes open, but soon discovered she was fighting a losing battle.
With a sigh, she reached for the remote control and flicked the tv off. The
room was now devoid of all light, save for that coming from a digital clock
on the table next to the couch. 'I should really just get up to bed,' she
thought to herself with a sigh. She paused for a moment, then shook her
head. 'The couch is plenty comfortable for now.'
Her thoughts began to fly through her head, lingering a moment on Justin.
'Why doesn't that boy call me more often? I've heard from him twice since
he got out of the hospital.' She inhaled deeply. 'He's in a relationship
now. He's a very busy person. Still, a boy should call his mother.' She
swung her legs off of the couch and placed her hands on her knees. Another
breath and she pushed herself off of the couch and stood erect, stretching
back and releasing a loud yawn. She glanced at the clock on the table. "One
am," she exclaimed with a brief laugh. "Way past my bedtime."
The phone in the kitchen began to ring. Lynn breathed heavily as
thoughts of who would ever call her at this hour of the night rushed through
her head. "Justin," she said aloud.
She walked hurridly through the living room and into the kitchen, pulling
the phone off the wall.
"Hello," she said eagerly.
There was no answer on the other end. Lynn stared directly ahead of her
and cleared her throat. "Hello," she repeated, a bit louder this time.
"I'm sorry to be calling so late," a man's voice finally said. "I just
realized there must be quite a time difference."
"That's alright I guess," Lynn assured the caller. "I was awake anyway."
"Worrying about your son no doubt," the voice said.
"Excuse me," Lynn said increduously. "What did you just say?"
"I said you must be worried about your son. Again I'm sorry for calling
so late. I should introduce myself."
"I think you'd better," Lynn said, a slight threatening tone to her voice.
"I'm a reporter. I know what you're thinking, but before you hang up, I
have one very important question."
Lynn rolled her eyes as the anger rose within her chest. "You call my
house at one o'clock in the morning to ask me a question. I thought this was
an emergency!"
"It very well might be," the voice on the phone said.
"Ok then Mr. Reporter. What is your question," Lynn said with a smirk.
"How does it feel to have a gay son?"
Lynn froze. Her hand began to shake as she tried to steady the phone.
"What did you say," she asked as her voice quivered.
"How does it feel to have a gay son? It can't be a pleasant feeling. I
bet you were really disappointed in ol' Justin."
"Who is this," Lynn asked as the anger returned.
"A friend of Justin's," the voice said. "Just someone who wants to look
out for him. Take care of him. Better than Nick can. Someone who knows
what he needs."
"Who the fuck is this," Lynn screamed into the phone. One hand banged
against the wall as her voice rose.
"You'll find out soon," the voice said. There was a click and then the
sound of a dial tone. Lynn stood where she was, the phone in her hand, a
loud beeping noise being emitted. Slowly she sank down to the floor and sat
against the wall. 'I have to get to him,' she thought suddenly.
*****
The room was darkened. The curtains on the windows had all been drawn
tightly shut, the lamps turned out. A 'Do Not Disturb' sign hung on the
door. The sound of music covered the stifled moans of the two lovers.
The sheet was thrown loosely over the two bodies as they clung to each
other. Hands were tossed everywhere, groping, reaching for whatever there
was to hold. Another moan rose. This one was more audible. The tape
clicked off as the heavy breathing continued.
"We've been at this for forty-five mintues now," AJ whispered as he
kissed Britney's neck. She nodded as she turned her head to meet his lips.
He kissed her gently and brought one hand to behind her head. His fingers
ran down the length of her hair, stopping at the small of her back. He
paused and tried to look into her eyes through the darkness. "Do
you...um...want to go any further?"
A sigh emitted from Britney's lips. He leaned up on her elbows and
reached over, turning the lamp on. She turned her head to look at AJ, a
frown on her lips.
"I guess that answers it then," AJ said, trying, but failing, to hide his
disappointment.
"AJ, you know how I feel about that," Britney said.
"I know," AJ sighed as he leaned back. "It's just a little hard, that's
all."
"I know it's hard baby. But I don't want to do anything that could
jeopardize our careers or relationship. Now just isn't a smart time for us
to be having sex."
"I don't think it's about it being or not being a smart time. It's about
the fact that I love you."
"I love you too," Britney said defensively.
"Then what's the problem," AJ asked, sitting up in the bed. "I want to
show you how much I love you."
"I believe you AJ. I don't need to have sex with you to know that you
love me."
AJ lay back down and rested his head against the pillow. Britney sighed
and lay her head back down on his shoulder. She began to kiss his neck and
earlobe. He groaned slightly and pulled away.
"You can't do that," he said a bit angrily as he stood up.
"Do what?"
"You can't tell me there's no way I'm having sex with you one minute, and
then start kissing my neck again the next. It doesn't work like that."
"Oh so it's all or nothing with you then, is it," Britney said spitefully.
"No," AJ sighed as he tried to appease her. "It's just that..." He
groaned loudly and threw his hands up. "Forget it." He sat back down on the
bed as Britney recoiled.
"I think you should go now," she said without looking at him.
"Are you serious," he said flatly. He received no response. He inhaled
deeply and stood up quickly. "Fine, if that's how you want it then." He
threw his clothes back on quickly and walked out the door, slamming it behind
him. He leaned against the frame and brought his hand to his temple.
'You're an asshole AJ,' he thought to himself.
"You alright," a voice said from next to him. AJ snapped his head in the
direction of the voice and groaned.
"Yea, I'm fine Christina." She was wearing a pink nighty, her hair
pulled back behind her head in a short ponytail.
"You don't look alright." She paused and bit her lower lip lightly. "I
kind of heard what was going on." AJ glared at her for a moment. She
brought her hand up to his upper arm and slowly let it slide down. "I know
how hard it can be to go without something you want. Believe me, I know."
"Your point being," AJ said rudely.
"My point being, you don't have to go without what you want anymore than
I have to."
AJ stared at her a moment, his jaw hanging wide open. "If I wasn't more
of a gentleman I might take you up on that. But I am one." He turned his
back on her and began to walk down the hall to Howie's room. He paused and
turned his head back to face her. "And you are no lady."
Christina smiled as she watched him go. "Ladies finish last tiger," she
threw after him. She giggled loudly and walked seductively back into her own
room. AJ inhaled deeply and paused. "Britney was right. She is the Bitch
in the Bottle."
*****
Sunlight streamed into the initially darkened bedroom. The figures on
the bed lay under the sheet, safe in each other's arms. They began to stir
lightly as the buzzing of the alarm went off. Justin's head peaked out of
the sheets first, his eyes still closed. He leaned back and stretched,
giving out a loud yawn. He looked over to his left where Nick was still
sleeping. He smiled lightly and ran his hand down the length of Nick's arm.
"Are you awake," he asked lowly.
"Mmm," Nick replied, his eyes still closed and his head still hidden
under the blanket.
"I guess that's a yes," Justin replied as he leaned over and kissed
Nick's cheek gently. Nick sat up quickly, his eyes darting all around the
room. Justin stared at him a moment, giving him an odd look. "Are you
alright?
Nick's head snapped quickly towards Justin. Nick stared at him a moment,
almost thinking it wasn't Justin who was really there. He tilted his head to
the side and examined his face closely. Justin stared into Nick's eyes the
entire time. "You're scaring me," he said a little too seriously.
Nick snapped out of his trance and smiled. "Sorry. I...just had a bad
dream or something." He kissed Justin lightly on the nose and yawned,
suddenly wide awake. "This is a first. You being the first one up."
"Hey, I can be responsible you know," Justin laughed out.
"I know," Nick replied with a smile. He glanced over at the clock. "Time
for a shower," Nick groaned. "You wanna go first?"
"Sure," Justin said with a grin. "Feel free to join me," he said
seductively.
Nick's eyes perked up as a smile spread across his face. "I will in a
minute. You start it for me." Justin kissed Nick quickly on the lips and
then hopped up, bounding off to the shower.
Nick lay back down on the bed and began to think. 'If Robert really is
alive, would he actually try something? Or would he just try to freak us
out.' He sighed and sat up. "Better not keep Justin waiting," he said aloud
to himself with a wide grin.
The phone rang. Nick groaned and reached for. "Hello," he said quickly.
"Nick, it's Lynn. I need to talk to Justin." Her voice sounded frantic,
very uncharacteristic off her.
"Justin's in the shower Lynn," Nick replied calmly. "Are you alright?"
"I don't know Nick." She paused. Nick could hear her heavy breath on
the other side of the phone. "I was going to call you guys at around one am
last night, but decided to wait until now."
"What's the matter," Nick asked as he drew his legs into his body,
sitting indian style on the bed.
Lynn paused again, inhaling deeply. "I got a phone call last night," she
said. "Someone was asking me how it felt to have a gay son. When I asked
who it was, they said someone who could take care of Justin better than you
can. It freaked me out a lot. Then this guy just hung up."
Nick never moved a muscle. He merely heard what was being said to him.
His mouth felt totally dry. "He didn't tell you anything about himself?"
"He said he was a reporter. That's the only reason I stayed on the phone
as long as I did."
"Did you say a reporter," Nick asked, almost gasping.
"Yes, a reporter. Nick, what's going on here. I want to know what this
has to do with Justin."
Nick paused again. He fell back against the pillows and stared upwards
at the blank ceiling. "I have no idea what's going on Lynn," Nick said
slowly. "But I'm going to find out about it."
"I would like to talk to Justin about this," Lynn said forcefully.
"Lynn, I'm going to ask you not to do that yet. We're trying to protect
him for a bit. He's been under a lot of stress lately and we don't want any
of this to hurt him anymore."
"What do you mean "any of this"," Lynn asked. "What else has been going
on over there?"
"Lynn, please I can't get into it right now," Nick said pleadingly. "I'll
have Kevin contact you. Justin is doing fine. Don't worry."
"What do you mean don't worry? I don't hear from him for weeks and then
I get this phone call from a lunatic and you tell me not to worry!" Lynn's
voice rose to a shrill yell as Nick held the phone away from his ear.
"Please. I'm begging you here Lynn. Don't tell Justin this yet. We have
Kevin looking into everything as well as one of his friends."
"I really don't feel comfortable hiding something like this from my son,"
Lynn said, sounding very doubtful of the circumstance.
"We'll tell him soon. But right now, please. I don't think he could
handle it right now," Nick asked, more pleading in his voice than anything.
Lynn let out a long sigh. "Alright Nick. We'll keep it a secret for
now. But not too long. And I want you to keep an extra close eye on Justin.
I didn't like how this guy sounded."
"I will Lynn. And thank you," Nick said, a sigh escaping his lips.
"Take care Nick. And be careful," Lynn said before hanging up the phone.
Nick replaced the phone on the table and leaned back. He stared up at
the ceiling as his thoughts took control of his mind. 'Is it really right to
hide this from him.'
"Nick," a voice said suddenly.
Nick shot up and stared around. He saw Justin standing by the bed,
dripping wet with a towel wrapped around his waist. He smiled wide as he
stared at his wet hair and face.
"Hey cutey," he said.
"Um...I thought you were gonna join me," Justin said unsurely.
Nick's eyes bugged out as he smacked his forehead. "Oh my god I kind of
fell asleep," he said guiltily.
Justin giggled softly. "Well we don't have time anymore. We've gotta
get to Kevin's room I guess. So just grab a quick one while I get dressed."
Nick paused and stared at him. "I told you I can be responsible!"
"Well I guess you're right," Nick said with a grin. "I'll go shower
then. He hopped out of the bed and ran towards the bathroom. He stopped at
the doorway and looked back at Justin. "I love you," he said with a slight
smile.
"I love you too," Justin replied shyly. "Now go bathe yourself!"
Nick laughed and ran into the bathroom. He shut the door behind him and
turned to the mirror to face his reflection. "You've got to tell him."
*****
"And this is Kimberly," Justin said as he introduced the blond haired
girl to Joey. "She's been on the tour from the start. How could you have
missed her, she's so pretty."
"I have no idea," Joey said a bit awestruck.
"Please, call me Kim," the girl said with a giggle. "All my friends do."
She looked around a bit and grinned happily. "So this is what the big bus
is like."
"Yea, a little cramped, but we call it home," Joey said with a smile.
"You think this is cramped," the girl said a bit shocked. "We have twice
as many people on our bus and it's no where as big as this one."
"Wow," Joey said. "I can't imagine living like that."
"Well, like I said it's a bit cramped, but we call it home," she said
with a laugh, echoing Joey's recent words.
Joey laughed loudly and looked over at Justin. "Her I like," he said
with a smile.
"Well good," Justin said with a grin. He placed one hand on each of
their shoulders and smiled broadly. "I'll leave you two kids alone then to
get to know each other." He began to walk away, glancing occassionally over
his shoulder to see that they were up to.
"Well, how's it going," Howie asked as he tried to look past Justin and
into the booth that Joey and Kim had moved in to.
"They seem to be getting along," Justin said with a grin.
"And Joey doesn't feel like he's in third grade or something," Chris
asked with a grin. "I mean having his friend get his girls for him."
"No he doesn't," Justin replied. "Besides, I don't see you with a
girlfriend now do I?"
Chris sat silently and tried to think of a quick come back. Unable to
think of one, he groaned loudly and stood up, walking swiftly towards the
back of the bus.
"Guess that was a no," Howie said with a grin. He glanced at Justin and
looked around. "Say, where's Nick?"
"Taking a nap," Justin replied with a smile. "He was up pretty late last
night I think. He thought he'd get some rest on the bus before the show
tonight. Don't wanna fall asleep in the middle of a set."
"No, that wouldn't be good," Howie said with a smile.
*****
"Mindy, I kind of have to ask you for a weird favor," Kevin said as he
spoke into his cell phone.
"Kevin, after knowing you for so long, I've gotten used to new limits of
weird. This one can't be too far off," Mindy replied with a laugh.
"Remember that guy Robert? The one who you said was dead,'" Kevin began
tentatively.
"Yea, the one who died in the hospital," Mindy said prosaically.
"Well, we don't think he's dead," Kevin said quickly.
There was no sound on the other end. Kevin waited a second and sighed
heavily. "Are you there?"
"That is weird," Mindy said finally. "So you want me to find out if he's
really dead," she asked.
"Yea. I don't know how you would go about doing that, but there has to
be some way," Kevin said hopefully.
"Well, there are a few places I can start." She paused and breathed a
bit heavier. "Kevin why would someone so close to you guys fake their own
death. That seems a little too far gone for me."
"Mindy, if I could explain everything right now, I could. But I'm on the
bus, so I really can't discuss it too much. I will next time though."
"Ok Kevin," she said a bit uneasy. "Next time we talk I want all the
details."
"Deal. I love you Mindy," Kevin said as he smiled at his phone.
Mindy laughed slightly. "I love you too you weirdo. Now get off my
phone so I can work."
"Bye," Kevin said sweetly as he hung up. He leaned back on the couch and
looked up. He gasped loudly at what he saw staring down at him.
"Hi Justin," Kevin said quickly as he threw his legs over the side of the
couch. He stared hard at Justin's face trying hard to find any sign that
Justin had heard his end of the conversation.
"Hi Kevin," Justin said, seeming a bit unnerved.
"Um, are you alright," Kevin asked slowly, continuing to stare into
Justin's eyes.
He received no answer. "Is there something you have to tell me," he
asked as his gaze met Kevin's.
Kevin could feel his heart pounding in his chest as his mind did flips.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said quickly. "Are you ok?"
"Kevin, I heard your conversation," Justin blurted out quickly, dropping
his head to the floor.
Kevin leaned all the way back against the couch and sighed loudly. "I'm
sorry Justin."
"How could you keep something like that from me? From some of the other
guys, maybe, but this is me here," he said. Kevin rubbed one hand against
his temple.
"We thought it would be better if you didn't know," Kevin said.
"Who's we," Justin asked suspiciously.
"Well, Nick and I. I kind of convinced him not to tell you yet. Until
the time was right or we knew for sure."
"Nick knows too," Justin said loudly. "I can't believe you told him and
not me!"
Kevin gave Justin an odd look. "What are you talking about Justin?
Nick's the one that came to me about all this."
"What are you talking about," Justin asked, sounding more confused than
ever. "Wasn't that Mindy you were just talking to?"
"Yea," Kevin said, waiting for some kind of explanation.
"How could Nick have told you that you love her. I mean, that's a bit
weird don't you think," Justin said as he continued to stare at Justin.
"Wait a second. How long have you been in here," Kevin asked as he
leaned forward.
"Just a few seconds. I had time to catch the 'I love you' part. Very
sweet," Justin said with a smile.
"So you didn't hear any of the beginning of the conversation?"
"No," Justin replied. "Why were you guys having phone sex or something?
Is that why you're so red?"
Kevin laughed loudly as he sighed in relied. "Yes Justin, that's exactly
right," Kevin said with a huge smile.
"It's nothing to be embarrassed about buddy," Justin replied. "Lots of
people do it. I'm still pissed that you didn't tell me about the two of you
though. And just wait til I get my hands on Nick," Justin said.
"No, it's not his fault," Kevin said as he tried to cover for his
band-mate. "I convinced him not to tell you. Nick only found out because he
walked in on a conversation like you did. I made him pinky swear not to tell
you."
Justin looked quizzical for a moment but finally nodded. "Alright, I'll
believe you. I won't do anything to Nick."
"Thank you Justin." Kevin looked down at his watch and groaned. "We
should be at the venue soon. Why don't you get some rest in your bunk with
ol' what's his name?"
Justin's eyes perked up a bit. "That's a nice idea," Justin said with a
laugh. "I'll talk to you later Kev."
"See ya Curly." Kevin leaned back and threw his legs up, reclining on
the couch. "You have got to be more careful," he said to himself slowly. He
shut his eyes and began to drift off to a light sleep.
*****
Devon sat up in the bunk, his breath catching in his throat as the sweat
ran down his face. He glanced down at his side and saw Lance in the same
position, his eyes shut, his breath coming hard. He looked up at Devon and
smiled weakly.
"Think we were too loud," he asked as he exhaled.
"I think the bus was shaking," Devon said with a laugh as he lay back
down and scooped Lance up in his arms. Lance sighed happily and rested his
head on his shoulder.
"Well, at least they stopped banging on the curtains," Lance said. "That
was getting annoying."
"Oh please. You know you love the attention," Devon said with a wide
smile.
"Like you don't?"
They remained like that for a few moments, neither moving, laying in each
other's arms and listening to the hum of the tires on the pavement as they
were driven to the next destination. Finally Lance spoke up. "Who says
touring and life on the road has to be lonely?"
*****
"Hello, I need one dozen roses. No, I won't need them to be delivered.
I'll be doing that myself. Actually, do you have any blue roses now that I
think about it? You do? Perfect. Change that order to one dozen baby blue
roses. I'll be buy in about an hour or so. Have a good night." The man
stared into the mirror, rubbing his finger along the length of the scar that
ran from his forehead down to his ear lobe. "I'll see you soon Justin. And
then everything will be all better."
*****
Well, that was 32. I hope everyone enjoyed it. I know it seemed a bit
rushed, but I wanted to get it out and get ready for the next one. I'm going
to try to get the next few out sooner as the action picks up. So, if you
have any questions, comments, etc, send them to BrwyMilo@aol.com. See ya
next time!