Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 01:21:30 EDT
From: Sprout _ <bigdaddycool_0813@hotmail.com>
Subject: This Gift 3

	Wuz up y'all? The positive feedback I keep getting, is doing me
great wonders for wanting to continue. I love it all, and appreciate it
greatly.  To all of you who've written me, I thank you with all my heart.

	I have to thank two people who've done a lot of persuading to get
me to post, even if this isn't the story they thought I'd post. They are
Lucas (Because I Love You) and D (Brian and Me). Both of them are great
friends of mine, and very talented authors, so if I were you, I'd check out
their stories.  I assure you, you won't be disappointed.

	Lucas, I can never express just how thankful I am that you have
walked into my life. You've been great for me, and I hope that I can
continue to be a great part of you. D, what can I say? You're such a
smart-ass, just don't stop.

	Matt, I owe you lots. You've been there for me these past couple of
weeks of discovery that have been very trying for me. Thankfully you
understand what I'm going through. Lots of love to you. (D, you're included
in that package)

	An honourable mention needs to go out to a couple of friends of
mine who've supported me with my 'ball-growing' process to get my story out
there for y'all to read. These people are Adam and Zach, and Missy you know
who you guys, (and girl) are. (See Zach, I'm a man of my word!)

	I'm dying to hear from y'all, so let me know what you think of my
first attempt. I wanna hear it all, good and bad, so leave me a message at
bigdaddycool_0813@hotmail.com. Thanks.

	Now I gotta tell you that I don't know anything when it comes to
the PERSONAL LIVES of the guys of 98 Degrees. As much as I'd love for one
of 'em, or two, or three, or all four of 'em to be gay, odds are, they
probably aren't. Too bad, eh? Drew's pretty hot. :) So, what I'm saying is
this is COMPLETELY fiction.  That means not true for the slow ones out
there.

	Now if you're not supposed to read this, because you're too young,
or you're not allowed in the area you inhabit, please don't. If you do, and
you're not supposed to, do us both a favour, and don't get caught. But I
still gotta say; do NOT read this if you're not allowed. Got it? Thought
so.

*************************THIS GIFT -- Chapter
3*********************************


	I looked up into those beautiful hazel eyes, and immediate was lost
in them. `How could he come looking for me after this?' I asked myself
mentally.  Drew grabbed my hand, after some hesitation, and started to pull
me to the doors. "Come on, let's get out of here. My time for here will
come, it just ain't now."

	All I could do was nod. I said a quiet 'thank you' to God, and then
left the church. 'God...You're the best!' I was still nervous after last
night. How could he possibly forgive me after I was so cruel? Walking down
the steps, I noticed the whole gang was there, in my van. Before I could
ask him anything, he answered me. "I didn't know where the church was, and
I knew that's where you were, so I had to drag Martha along. Jeff wouldn't
stay at home if Martha was going, and since Jeff wasn't staying at home,
Nick wasn't gonna, and Justin either. So here they are."

	I just smiled, thinking of how this had become like a field trip, a
'let's rescue D' field trip. "And don't worry Andrew, I didn't tell them
anything."  Even though I wasn't thinking about that, I was relieved to
hear it. What was catching my attention at the time is how he continually
referred to me as 'Andrew' now.

	"So, is that gonna be my name for you now?" I asked him.

	"What do you mean?" I guess I didn't make it clear enough, but then
again, he was slow.

	"You keep calling me Andrew, is that gonna be what you call me?"

	He blushed. "Oh, you noticed?" I just nodded. "I figured no one
else calls you that, so it'd be kinda personal. So that's what it'll be, at
least until I find you another one." I just agreed and we hopped in the
van. The only seats left were the ones in the very back, so naturally,
that's where Drew and I sat.

	"Woah! D's a church boy! Why'd you go so early, and on a day
there's no service?" Nick asked.

	"I had my reasons...I'm starved, can we grab something to eat?" I
tried to avoid the topic.

	"Yeah, but it's gotta be drive-thru, we're not gonna be able to eat
anywhere in peace at this time," he explained.

	I glanced at my watch and realised it was just after noon. I didn't
think I spent *that* much time in the church. I left early morning. Either
way, I needed to get it done. God heard what I had to say, and that's what
the whole purpose of my trip there was. I was just glad Drew came to get
me.

	While sitting in the back, Drew and I talked. Basically he talked
and I apologized, over and over. "Drew, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, I
was just so confused..."

	He hushed me, placing a finger over my lips. "It's alright. It's
fine, really, I understand. Just don't think that I'll be trying that again
anytime soon." I just smiled; it was a poor one, but a smile even
still. "You tell me when you're ready to go further, if you're ready. Just
as I'll tell you when I'm ready. For now, no, but wait, time will fix it."

	Again, I just smiled, what else could I do. We sat for the rest of
the ride pretty much in silent. I had my hand on his thigh the entire time,
just as proof he was there. I was glad he was respecting the silence
between us as much as I was. Being there, side by side, was enough to
satisfy our needs for the time being. I knew we were going to have a deep
conversation once we had some alone time. I was afraid of it though, just
as much as I was looking forward to it. My emotions were still all jumbled
up.

	I knew I liked him, but at the same time I was still afraid of
it. I mean, this just wasn't normal for me. As much as I tried to make it
seem normal, I could never manage. This was something surreal to me; having
feelings for a guy.  I loved it; it made me feel adventurous, kind of like
I was exploring forbidden territory or something. It was exciting, but at
the same time, I was punishing myself. Even though I had thought all of it
was cleared up at the church, there were still some doubts in my head. They
were only little doubts mind you, but still, doubts enough.

	Jeff was the one driving, so Martha directed him to the McDonalds
close by. I rolled my eyes with disgust when I noticed what we'd be
eating. Drew noticed, and displayed some silent concern on his face, but I
just shrugged, indicating that it was nothing. He just nodded, but still
showed concern.

	Before we made our way to the drive-thru window, Jeff started to
take our orders. "What's everyone want?" Martha picked up a pen and grabbed
a piece of paper from the glove box, waiting to hear everyone's orders.

	"Nugget meal, super size, with coke. Oh! And a Big Mac! And two
apple pies!" Justin seemed to have a never ending stomach. Every time I saw
this guy eat, it was enough food. But like he puts it, `hey, he's a growing
boy!'

	Martha quickly wrote it all down, "Nick?"

	"Um, I want a nugget meal. Super sized. Sprite. And sweet and sour
sauce."

	"Next?"

"I'll just have a McChicken meal. Nestea." Drew explained.

	"Super size his meal, I'll have some of his fries and drink." I
told Martha so that she could write it down. She then wrote down her order,
and Jeff knew what he wanted, so he pulled up to the drive-thru speaker and
gave the order.

	"Please proceed to the next window to pick up your order." The
annoying voice came through the speaker. Jeff obeyed and pulled up to the
next window, waiting for the order to be prepared. Finally, after a couple
more minutes, the window opened up, and the guy (thankfully) started to
hand to food through the window.

	"You're total comes to $42.86." I passed Jeff the money, but he
refused to take it. He grabbed his wallet, pulled out some money and paid
for it. It amazed me how they seemed to have so much Canadian money left,
since they were supposed to be leaving and all. Jeff pulled away from the
window, heading for my house.

	About ten minutes into the drive home, Nick's cell phone started to
ring.  He grabbed it out of his pocket and flipped it open. "Hello...yeah,
we have a week...what? That's great!...And we only have to do the
one...thanks. I'll pass the message on. Thanks a lot! Bye."

He flipped his phone shut, and looked around, then his eyes landed in the
direction of the back seat, to me and Drew. "I've got some good news." He
was leaving us all in suspense, so I found the first thing I could find and
threw it at him. It was on of my little cousin's plush toys. "Tell us
already!" I practically screamed. I hated not knowing things.

	"Well, we get to stay an extra week. The only consequence is we
have to do another concert. This time, D can come; management has already
talked to his boss, saying they wanted to thank D for sparing the company
some money, by allowing us to stay with him. And, in a way to show their
gratitude, all the proceeds from this concert will go to a charity that you
choose D."

	I have to admit, I was honoured. I never even thought of anything
like this happening, and I've always wanted to something good for others,
charity wise. I just never could. Every time I asked a charity if they
could use my help, I was kindly refused, being told they had enough help at
the time, but they'd keep me in mind. Basically, they just thought I'd be a
waste of their time. Now, even though I wasn't doing anything personally,
the guys were doing it, I got to choose were the money went.

	"Wow. I'm really gonna have to think `bout that one." I was just
overwhelmed. Nick just nodded, and explained he needed to know within the
next two days, so that their management could work things out with the
charity. I was just so glad, never in my life had I felt like I had done
some good for someone, and I hadn't even done it.

	"When's the concert?" I asked.

	"Saturday, which means, boys, we gotta rehearse." There was a round
of groans from the guys, showing they really weren't looking forward to
it. I looked at Drew questionably, I thought he loved music.

	"I thought you loved music, why you groaning for?"

	He just looked at me and smiled, "When it's the same songs over and
over, it gets pretty boring...Hey! Will you come and watch us? That'd make
it more interesting."

	I just nodded. "That'd be great." It really made me feel good that
he wanted me there.

	"You should be flattered," Nick interrupted my little moment, "he
doesn't normally ask anyone to watch us rehearse. The only other person to
actually watch us rehearse outside our company is my girlfriend. He just
won't let anyone be there." I looked into Drew's eyes, his smile
beaming. When I say beaming, I mean truly beaming, it was brighter than
staring into those bright lights at the dentist's office. I noticed him
blushed slightly, and that made me do my next move, surprising both him,
and me.

	I move in closer, and kissed him on the cheek. I know it was only
on the cheek, but it was enough to satisfy me for the time being, and it
seemed to miraculously remove the redness from his cheeks. He just smiled
at me, knowing it took a lot for me to do just that. After I had done it, I
was trembling, in fear he'd do the same thing I had done to him. My hands
were shaking, my palms were sweating, and I felt like I was about to
faint. I know he sensed all of this, and all he could do, well, all he
would do to comfort me, was place his hands in mine, and give them a
squeeze. It was a little gesture that meant the world to me.

	We finally arrived at my house, and we all headed straight for the
dining room. We were hungry, at least the others were. When it came to
McDonalds, my stomach just basically shut down. I could force a couple of
fries down my mouth, and maybe some chicken nuggets, but none of that
alleged beef. Hells no, you wouldn't catch me putting that shit near my
mouth. Jeff and Martha placed the bags on the table and started to pull
their orders out. It was disgusting to see how much of this Justin was
actually gonna eat, but it's his body that he's damaging, not mine, so I
shouldn't worry too much. Besides he's gotta work out like mad crazy to
keep fit with the amount of food he ate.

	Drew grabbed his McChicken meal, and headed to the back porch. I
had a sinking feeling he was beginning to like that place as much as I
did. I followed him, since I was just going to steal a couple of fries and
a sip or two from his Nestea. Soon enough, everyone else had followed us,
and instead of eating on the porch we walked down into the yard, and sat at
the picnic table. Personally I always hated that table, but mama forced me
to keep it. She always used it when I had family come over and the weather
was nice. I may be an outdoor person, but I've always felt that your food
should be eaten inside, not where all the bugs and birds can do whatever
they want to it.

	Drew grabbed a seat at one of the ends of the table, and I scooted
in beside him. Nick took up residence beside me, while the other three sat
on the opposite side. They were all eating relatively in silence; it
annoyed the hell out of me. I hated it when it got quiet, especially when
four of the present company were professional singers. After eating a
couple of fries, and taking a sip from Drew's drink, I got up. I just
couldn't sit there anymore.

	"Damn, do you guys always eat in silence?" I practically shouted,
running into the house.

	"Where ya going?" Drew called after me.

	"I'll be back in a sec." I assured him. I went into the house to
turn on the radio. I had a pretty damn good sound system, if I may say. It
was a gift from my parents when I bought the house. They insisted on paying
for some of the first payments, but I wouldn't let them, so they bought me
the system. I just needed to shift the speakers to face towards the door
that led to the backyard, crank it up, and I was set. My neighbours really
didn't mind, they loved me.

	I tuned into 93.9 again, it was the only radio station I ever
really liked. Ottawa didn't have that big a selection of good music
stations.  Unless you were into rock or alternative, Kool FM was basically
your best bet. I walked out the door back onto the porch to see them still
stuffing their faces. "I just can't stand silence!"

	"Why didn't you say something sooner, I'm sure Martha and I
could've made some nice sounds for your enjoyment." Jeff joked, making
Martha blushed.

	"Um..." I pretended to consider it, "No!"


	Just then, Nick finished, and went to drop his garbage in the
garbage can by the stairs to the porch. Right beside the can there was a
soccer ball one of my little cousins had forgot the last time they came to
visit. My cousins seem to forget a lot of stuff when they come over,
there's not one time they haven't left with everything they came with. Nick
bent down, and scooped the ball into his hands. "Y'all up for soccer?"

	I knew right away what Martha's answer would be. She loved soccer,
and all throughout high school, she was on the girl's soccer team. As soon
as Martha agreed, Jeff agreed, and soon enough, they were all looking at
me, hoping I'd agree. I wasn't really athletic, it was kind of embarrassing
actually. I really didn't want to make a fool out of myself, "Naa, it's
alright, y'all can play, I'll just watch."

	I knew as soon as I had said it, that there was no way I was going
to be sitting this one out. I counted down the seconds in my head. `3-2-1,'
as I got to `1' Drew came running up behind me, placing his hands on my
shoulders, he began to talk to me in my ears, just so the others wouldn't
hear. Somehow he knew I was embarrassed about the situation, and couldn't
thank him enough for not making it public. "Come on Andrew, just play with
us."

	"No, it's alright, really, I don't wanna."

	"You don't have to be embarrassed, it's not like we're superstar
soccer players or anything. Come on, for me......please?" He had me, all he
had to do was give me puppy dog eyes, and I would cave. I turned around,
(big mistake) and looked him in the eyes. I caved.

	"Fine." I sighed. Drew did a little victory dance, claiming me on
his team.

	"Like we didn't see that coming." Jeff mocked.

	"K, and you guys can have Nick too, make it like a family affair."
Martha explained. `Family affair? I like that!' I thought to myself as Nick
came over, placing an arm around my shoulder, and the other around Drew's.

	"Here's the plan. We cheat. Cheat like mad crazy!" he whispered in
our ears. I completely agreed with him, I wasn't going to play fair. When
you played by the rules, you never had fun. I'm sure Jeff was giving Martha
and Justin the same speech.

	We began to play, and I have to admit, for not wanting to play I
sure was having a lot of fun. Nick and Drew must've been pro-cheaters back
in high school, they were killing Martha and Jeff. Justin was just standing
by, and played whenever the ball came his way. I was psyched, I was jumping
around, and running all over my backyard. You think that they would've
passed me the ball at least once...but they didn't. I really didn't care,
but I was going to use this to my advantage, Drew wasn't going to hear the
end of this.

	This scene reminded me of a movie, you know where the people are
playing a sport, and the music is playing in the background. I was really
just enjoying the time being spent with these goofs. It saddened me to
think that they'd have to leave at the end of the following week.

	I was just standing there, thinking about it, when the ball came
flying in the air, hitting me smack dab in the nose. Everything went black
and I fell to the ground. It didn't hurt or anything, I just remember
getting dizzy and falling on my ass. The funny thing is, I wasn't
unconscious, I just couldn't open my eyes. I heard everything that went on
around me, and had to giggle to myself at the concern in Drew's voice. He
was the one who kicked the ball to me, well, to my nose.

	"Great...I finally kick the ball to him, and I knock him out!" Drew
was the first one by my side, stroking my face with his soft hands, and
slapping them lightly. "Wake up, come on, please...wake up. For me?"

	I decided to make a little joke myself, and made my voice sound
hoarse.  "That's not gonna work this time...you've cooked your rooster." My
eyes fluttered open slowly, and took in the sight of having five pairs of
eyes looking down upon me. Drew's were tearing slightly, and I couldn't
help but laugh. "I wasn't dead." I joked, wiping at the tears.

	"Well you never know," he tried to defend himself.

	I sat up, and tried to stand, but the dizziness came once again and
I almost fell back on my ass. I would have, if Nick hadn't caught
me. "Woah!  Easy tiger!" he laughed.

	"I think now's the time I should sit out." Nick helped me over to
the picnic table, and as I sat, I noted that my nose had started to
bleed. That just sent Drew into `mommy' mode. He went rushing into the
house for a cloth and some ice, afraid my nose was going to swell or
something. He came back out, and made me tilt my head back, and practically
shoved the cloth up my nose. I winced in pain, and it was then that I knew
it was more serious than I had thought.  Whatever pain I was in, I couldn't
let Drew know, he felt guilty enough already.

	"Why weren't you paying attention?" He tried to scold me.

	"Well, maybe if someone would've included me from the beginning, I
wouldn't have had to look in the clouds for entertainment." I countered. He
got this dejected look on his face.

	"Ooh, that's gotta hurt." Nick said, looking at the bridge of my
nose. I had no idea what he was talking about, I hadn't even checked myself
in the mirror yet. Drew removed the cloth for a second, and his eyes
widened in horror, tears starting to form in his eyes again.

	"What?" I asked, fear becoming evident in my voice.

	"D, I think you should go to a doctor, get that checked out or
something.  It ain't right." Justin explained. I slowly got up, fighting
the dizziness, and made my way to my bathroom. I flicked on the light
switch, and glanced in the mirror. The sight that greeted me was a horrible
one; my nose was all purple, and the bone was sticking out. Definitely not
the way things should be.

	"Guys, I think I'm gonna go the emergency clinic. Anyone coming?" I
let out an exasperated sigh. Drew quickly volunteered, but the others were
as enthusiastic about it. I really didn't care, it was my issue, not
theirs, I just needed someone to drive.

	Drew got into the driver's seat, no questions asked. Actually,
that's a lie, he did ask questions, he needed to know how to get to the
emergency clinic.  I held the cloth over my nose, the blood soaking through
it, and continually dripping on what used to be one of my favourite
shirts. The entire way there, Drew apologised over and over.

	"Drew, it was an accident. Stop worrying. I'll be fine." I tried to
reassure him, but he still couldn't help but blame himself. I had to admit,
if I were in his shoes, I'd be feeling guilty too. We finally made it to
the clinic, and Drew and I walked into the `no appointment' door, and
walked directly to the reception desk. After asking the nurse to see a
doctor, she coldly handed me over a bunch of forms telling me I had to have
them filled out before I could see one.

	Drew grabbed the forms and a pen and we went and sat down at a
table in the corner. I grabbed my wallet knowing that he'd need to know my
health card number and whatever else. Surprisingly he filled out the entire
form, only asking me two questions, one he already knew the answer
to. "Andrew, do you have allergies to medication?"

	"Nope."

	"Are you sexually active?" he asked with hesitation, afraid he was
going to find out something he didn't want to know.

	"Have we been doing something that I'm not aware of?" I asked,
trying to lighten the stressful atmosphere. No matter what the reason to
see a doctor, there was always this atmosphere that was thick with
stress. It always reminded me of the Arrid deodorant commercials, "Stress
stinks, Arrid works."

	"Uh-uh." He replied. He looked at me still awaiting an answer. I
just looked back at him with a `there-you-go' look. I waited a couple of
seconds before I saw a smile creep across his face, letting me know it
finally clicked in. He handed the papers over to the nurse at the desk, and
I was seen almost instantly.

	The pain was starting to become apparent. Before it was just numb,
but now that I knew there was something wrong with my nose, I could feel
the pain.  Half the time I wouldn't even know I was cut until someone
pointed it out to me.  The nurse led me into one of the rooms, and asked
Drew if he was going to be joining me. It was cute how he was so uncertain,
cause he just stood there, looking at me to answer for him. "Yeah, he's
coming." I said with a laugh.

	Once we were both in the room, she closed the door behind us. The
doctor was still seeing another patient, so it'd be a couple of
minutes. Drew took a seat in one of the chairs lined up against the wall,
and exhaled forcefully.  "Is it just me, or does this place a huge weight
on your shoulders?"

	"It's not you, it's this place, it always does it." My talking
became somewhat slowed, and I was getting dizzy again. I decided to lie
down on the examination bed, and close my eyes for a bit, waiting for the
doctor. Drew pulled his chair closer to the bed, and started to run his
fingers through my hair, apologising again. I kept trying to reassure him
that I was fine, but I passed out before the words could come out of my
mouth.

	The next thing I knew, I opened my eyes to have a doctor standing
over me, doing something to my nose. Whatever it was, it stung. "Ow, what
are ya doing?"  I said between hisses of pain.

	"Well, we decided to fix your nose up while you were out. I was
afraid you were going to wake up in the middle, but thankfully you
didn't. Well, the bad news is that you've got 25 stitches on the bridge of
your nose. The cartilage broke through the skin in a couple of
places. You've lost a lot of blood, but you should be fine if you rest for
a while. The good news is, you're gonna be fine."

	I let out a sigh, I knew I'd be fine, I just thought that there'd
be more wrong with me. "Thanks Dr. Matthews." Drew said softly. It was
barely audible, but the doctor acknowledged it by nodding.

	"So..." Dr. Matthews looked down at my medical folder,
"Mr. Paquette, you have to take it easy, and come back and see me if
there's any complications.  Alright?"

	I nodded, and sat up, while Drew helped me get off of the bed. We
walked out of the room, and made our way back to the van. Drew wasn't
really wishing to drive back, so I reluctantly decided I'd do it. The drive
home was uneventful, the only conversation that took place was Drew asking
me over and over if my nose hurt. I assured him I couldn't feel anything
since they had used anaesthetics so they could stitch it.

	We pulled into my driveway to have the curious lazy-asses come
running out the door to see what the damage was. Martha was the first one,
she came running up, kissing me on the cheek, and asking me if I was
fine. Surprisingly, Nick did the same think, running up to me, and planting
a big wet juicy one on my cheek.  "Are you ok?" he said in his best girly
voice.

	"Yes, honey. I'm fine." I joked.

	Drew gave us both a look, one I placed as jealousy, though Nick
placed as an `I don't want to know' look. Either way, he just tried to
laugh it off.  We made our way into the house, what a disaster! I have no
clue what they were doing while I was gone, there were throw pillows
everywhere, some of my plants were knocked over, and for some strange
reason, there was raw wieners laying everywhere. The look on my face said
it all, they all began explaining at once:

	"Martha started it," Jeff said seriously.

	"Justin started it," Martha said while pointing to Justin.

	"Don't look at me, it was all Nick." Justin defended himself.

	I knew where this was going, so immediately, I looked towards
Jeff. With a sigh he began to recall the events that I had
missed. "Alright, D, this is what happened. You see, Martha was making some
remarks about my, um, `wiener' being somewhat aroused, which Nick thought
was funny. To prove his point he went into the kitchen, and grabbed a
package of wieners and began throwing them at me.  I picked up the pillows
and threw them at Nick, and Justin got involved, which soon led Martha to
join in too."

	"So, who's gonna clean this up?" Drew asked in such an
authoritative tone that shocked even me. Once again, they all started
pointing fingers at each other. Finally they compromised on team work,
something I wasn't sure they could handle AND clean up at the same time.

	"Well, I'm beat, and I could use some company," I looked at Drew,
"so I think that we're gonna head out for the night." Drew nodded his
agreement, and soon enough we were up the stairs and into my bedroom. I was
praying we'd get through the night in the same bed, without a repeat of the
previous one.

	I stripped down to my tighty whities and crawled into bed, and
scooted over, allowing room for Drew to follow my example. He didn't need a
second invitation, he complied in record time. We lay there, a distance
between us for some time before I spoke up.

	"Drew, can I move closer to you?"

	"Yeah."

	I inched my way closer, and then began to think again. "Hey Drew?"

	"Yeah?"

	"Can I move even closer?"

	"Mmm-hmm."

	Once again, I moved closer, this time so our skins were
touching. He was so warm, and I was freezing my ass off! The touch of his
warm flesh against mine sent sensations coursing through my body, making me
shiver. "You cold?" Drew asked full of concern.

	"Nope...those were for a different reason." I said, the smile able
to be heard in my voice. I moved so I was able to look into his eyes, and
noticed the smile my last comment had created. He obviously knew what I was
talking about, his smile was the tell-tale sign.

	I decided to take my chances, and stretched one of my arms across
his chest. I tensed slightly, afraid of his reaction. It was my turn to let
out a sigh when Drew wrapped an arm around me a pulled me into him more. I
was never so relieved than at that moment. It made me feel as if I had made
the previous night non-existent. I snuggled into the crook of his neck, and
fell asleep wondering what Drew was probably thinking at that exact moment.

	I loved the feeling of being in his arms. He was my protector, he
was my hero. This hero of mine just happened to be a really cute and
adorable guy that belonged to a band which had millions and millions of
girls lusting after them.  I was distraught by that thought. I roused from
my slumber after thinking of that. I'd always thought during my dreams, it
was the base of all my dreams, thoughts. The guy I was falling for, had
practically half the world wanting him.  `How am I ever going to keep his
attention focused on me. He's going to want to be other places, not tied
down to me.' I sighed softly, mostly out of frustration.

	"Stop thinking about that, you're wrong." Drew said with his
scratchy voice. Hearing his voice made me jump a bit, but it was
soothing. I loved his voice, especially when he used it just after waking
up. It was sexy. Damn, it made me get this incredible urge to just grab his
head, and lock lips for hours on end.

	"Think about what?" I tried playing dumb.

	"Stop thinking you'll lose me to those screaming pre-adolescent
girls. You know that you're the only one who has captured my attention. My
eyes are on YOU, not them, YOU! Am I lying in one of their beds? Just go to
sleep sweetie."

	That was the first time he called me something like that, and he
couldn't have known exactly how much that made my heart do a little dance
inside me.  I complied with his wishes, gracefully falling asleep, in the
arms of the most amazing man I had ever met. I fell asleep again with one
thought on my mind, `I could get used to this!'

	I awoke to something hard poking into my side. At first I didn't
know what it was, but after opening my eyes, it only took a second to put
it all together.  A smile spread across my face and I couldn't help but
notice that Drew had a smile on his face too. For some reason he seemed to
be happy, REALLY happy if you get what I mean. I just lay there wondering
if I was the reason of his happiness, or if some other object of his
affection had such an explosive effect on him.

	No matter how much I wanted to stay laying there in the bed with
him, I became restless and needed to get up. I weaselled my way out of the
bed without waking Drew, and made my way to the kitchen, yet again in
search of my salvation, my orange juice. You haven't met a bitch until
you've met me when I had to skip my morning OJ, and trust me when I say you
don't want to.

	I walked into the kitchen, poured myself my juice and headed
towards the living room. I plopped myself down onto the sofa, and cuddled
into one of the corners. Flipping on the TV I surfed through the channels
until I came across Much Music, it's kinda like the Canadian version of
MTV. Music was a major part of my life, and I listened to it as much as I
could, so it was no surprise that I'd check out the music stations for what
was on.

	By luck, or coincidence, Intimate and Interactive was on, and which
group was the spotlight on today? You guessed it, 98 Degrees. I thought
there'd be no harm in watching it, even though I had seen it at least ten
times before. I just thought they all looked so cute on it, so what harm
could it do? I sat there sipping my juice, with my perma-grin in place,
staring at the TV. The program went to commercial when Nick walked into the
room, taking a seat in the recliner.

	"D, whatcha watching?" he asked, yawning at the same time.

	"Much Music, I & I"

	"Hey, I remember doin' that show. Who's the focus today?"

	As he finished his sentence, the program came out of commercial,
and the music for "Because of You" began to play, and pictures of the four
cuties began to flash onto the screen. "You can't be serious," he rolled
his eyes at the sight before him.

	"Oh, I assure you, I am serious. D'you have any idea how cute that
guy is?" I asked pointing to the TV.

	"What guy?" he was obviously curious since when I had said it,
three people were displayed on the screen.

	"Him." I said pointing again.

	"Who?" he was a little annoyed.

	"Rick...the host."

	"You better not be thinking of Rick." Drew warned, walking in and
sitting beside me, placing his head in my lap and flinging his feet over
the other edge of the couch.

	"And what are you going to do if I am?" I played.

	"Um...I'll do...I'll do...I'll do this!" he exclaimed before
lifting my shit, and blowing into my stomach making a farting noise. You
know, the thing you do to a little baby that makes them giggle. Nick burst
out laughing, practically falling on the floor, while Drew finished his
slob-fest on my stomach. "So, were you thinking `bout him?" he asked,
trying to catch his breath.

	"I wasn't before, but maybe I should start. He seems a little more
normal."

	Drew slapped me playfully in the arm, "Watch it!" he warned. I
couldn't help but laugh, it was just too damn funny. "So, you gonna come
and watch us practice today sweetie?" He gave me one of those irresistible
puppy dog looks, what else could I say?

	"Well, if you want me too." I tried to play it off as if I wasn't
excited about it, but in reality, I was going berserk.

	"Of course I want you too." Nick answered for him in his best whiny
voice.

	"Then I guess it's settled, I'm coming with y'all. When are you
going?"

	Nick glanced at his watch, "In about two hours, and we'll be there
for a while, so bring anything you want with you, unless you're gonna want
to come back to get it."

	Drew sighed, and stood up, "Guess that means I should get washed
up." Nick just nodded, and Drew was gone to shower. I followed him, not to
join him in the shower, but so I could make the bed, and choose my clothes
for the day.

	I walked into my room, and noticed that the bed had been already
made, apparently Drew had been taught manners when he was younger, and made
his bed when he got out of it. I never did, until I bought my own house, my
bed was made for three seconds each day, and that was the three seconds it
took me to turn on my music I listened to while I slept.

	Since my bed was made, I only had one other thing to do, I made my
way to the closet to pick out what I was looking forward to wearing. Drew
was still in the room, gathering his clothes to wear and placing them on
the bed. He stripped down to his boxers, then walked over to the bathroom
door. Standing in the doorway between my room and the bathroom, Drew called
my name, making me look in his direction. Once he saw me looking at him, he
dropped his drawers, mooning me. Once his shorts were on the floor, he
rushed into the bathroom and closed the door. I couldn't tell if he was
embarrassed he had done it, or if he didn't want to leave me standing
there, `happy.'

	I just shook my head, smiling in disbelief. He always seemed so
shy, yet he was the first one out of both of us to do anything like
that. Come to think of it, he was the first one to actually kiss me too, he
was the one doing all the first moves.

	I needed to shower myself, so I lay on the nicely made bed to wait
for Drew to be finished with the bathroom. Laying there, bored out of my
mind, and thinking of the beautiful man in my shower, made me fall doze
off. I was awaken by drops of water falling on my face, the drops belonging
to Drew. My eyes fluttered open, noticing that Drew was leaning over me,
his face above mine.  "Wake up sleepy head!"

	"Don't you know how to dry your hair?" I asked, wiping the drops
off my face.

	"I did."

	"Did you? If you did, I sure as hell can't tell." I said wiping the
drops that were continually falling in my face. "You know, if you're not
gonna dry your hair, the least you could do is NOT lean over me...you're
getting me all wet."

	Drew laughed, "You know, that can be taken in a couple of ways,
which way were you meaning?" he teased.

	"Oh no you didn't," I said, punching him playfully in the arm.

	"Oh yes I did. Whatcha gonna do `bout it?"

	I lunged forward, flipping him onto the bed, and straddling him. We
wrestled around rolling on top of each other, and basically just tiring
each other out. Finally I had Drew pinned, sitting on his chest. As I sat
there, I noticed that he was still in his towel, and I was sitting on his
bare chest.  DAMN he was sexy. I figured I'd break the rules a bit, and
make the first move this time. I leaned forward, and kissed his lips, not
passionately, but tenderly. He gave into the sensations at first, kissing
me back, then suddenly pulled away.

	"I'm not ready for this, not after what you did last night. I
can't.  Sorry."

	I understood exactly how he felt. He wanted it, he really did, but
he wouldn't allow himself to be put into a position where he'd end up
getting hurt.  I respected him for stopping, but at the same time could
help but feel dejected.  I slid off of him, excusing myself to the
bathroom, the mood totally murdered.

	I walked into the bathroom, stripped my clothes, set the water, and
then stepped into the tub. The water pouring over my body felt incredible,
it relieved some of my stress, not all of it, just some of it. I took my
sweet time, thoroughly washing my body and shampooing my hair.

	I began to feel water-logged so I exited the shower and towelled
myself off. I couldn't help but feel refreshed, I don't think I've taken
such a lengthy shower in a long time. It felt good. I opened to door the
bedroom a crack to see if Drew was still there, seeing that he wasn't, I
opened the door completely, and walked over to the bed au naturel and got
dressed for the day.

	I walked downstairs to see everyone ready, waiting for me. "What
took you so long?" Justin laughed, "You couldn't have been *that* dirty."
He looked over at Drew, "Oh wait, never mind, you *could* have."

	Nick laughed, and Drew blushed. Jeff was preoccupied with Martha,
making me wonder where she had been all night, though I knew. "Is Martha
coming too?"  Drew asked. I knew he didn't like to have others there when
they practiced, I just didn't know how serious he was about it.

	"No, she's not, she has to go to work. Don't worry Sprout." Jeff
explained. I noticed Drew let out a silent sigh, possibly of relief. I
could exactly understand why though, he performed in front of millions of
people, why couldn't he rehearse in front of a couple?

	We walked out the front door of my house, stopping only to allow me
to lock the door behind me. Jeff gave Martha a good-bye kiss, as she got
into her car, and sadly drove away. I knew she hated to work at the grocery
story, but she had to, at least for now.

	We piled into my van, and Nick decided he'd be the chauffeur for
the night, since he knew where he was going, surprisingly. Again, Drew and
I had claimed the furthest seat to the back, leaving Jeff in the passenger
seat, and Justin taking up the middle seat all to himself. As we began to
drive away, I couldn't help but ask, "Drew, why's it hard for you to
rehearse in front of people?"

	"Well," he sighed, "it's just that, I'm practicing, I haven't
perfected my show yet, and I don't want people to see me struggling through
the parts I don't get or I have problems with."

	"Then why are you going to let me watch?" I asked curiously.

	"Well, this may sound dumb I know, maybe even corny, but I like you
and I want you to see me. All of me, good and bad. Rehearsing in front of
you is like a step to you show you the true me, at my worst. If I can share
my bad moments with you, it'll make the good ones even more special. I just
don't want to be apart from you, and I know that since it's inevitable,
that I want to spend as much time as I can now with you, before we leave.

	"Not only that, but you'll get to see me do what I love. I love to
sing, it's my life, and if you can see me lovin' it, and understand why I'm
going across the world, then what would be the point in askin' you to bear
with me and stick by my side?"

	I understood it all. He wanted to share his every moments with me,
and I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with joy. Tears started to slide
their way down my cheeks (alright, so I'm sentimental, shoot me), not the
reaction he was expecting. "What's wrong sweetie?"

	"Nothing." I said, more tears falling, I couldn't have felt more
loved than at that moment. "You just caught me off guard, I wasn't
expecting that, and it was just so sweet..." I couldn't finish, he placed a
finger to my mouth, shushing me. I was glad, I was already at a loss of
words, and he spared me the embarrassment of making myself sound like an
ass.

	Cupping my face in his hands, he gently wiped my tears away with
his thumbs. No words were needed, we just looked into each others eyes, and
knew what the other was thinking. My mind was doing circles, I was happy,
for once, I was happy, no worries...at least for the time being. I looked
into his hazel eyes, and knew that for once, I was filling the void in
someone else, that had pained me for so long. Damn, it felt good. God was
being good to me today, and I couldn't thank him enough for it.

	We finally arrived at the Corel Centre, where they were gonna do
their rehearsal. Their concert was gonna be the next night, so they had to
be back again tomorrow to do voice check, and all the pre-show stuff they
have to do. It all sounded pretty chaotic to me, but they loved it. As
strange as it seemed, the chaos seemed soothing to them, and if it was good
enough for them, I thought that it couldn't be as bad as it seemed.

	We walked into the Centre, and Nick led us to where a member of
their management was standing. They exchanged words briefly, and then Drew
decided to introduce me. "Mike, this is Drew Paquette, the guy we're
staying with.  Drew, this is Mike, part of our management team." Mike
looked from Drew to me, and back again, a smile creeping up the corners of
his lip. It baffled me, `Does he know that Drew's gay? *Is* Drew gay? I
still haven't established that, he could be bi. But still, what does this
Mike guy know?'

	It was obvious the wheels were turning in my head, I shook Mike's
hand without much feeling, and blankly wished him well before excusing
myself. I walked away, heading to a corner out of everyone's way, just
sitting off in the side. Drew still had to talk to Mike for a bit, so he
didn't follow me, and I was glad he didn't. I just didn't know if I should
ask him questions about his sexuality before a rehearsal. I didn't want to
make his day horrible.

	Justin saw me sitting by myself on the sides, and walked over to
me. I never really did have much to do with Justin, he was a real quiet guy
at first.  He opened up quite a bit with me though, something that made me
feel good.  For all I knew, I could've just been a fan to him.

	"What's wrong D?" he asked with his deep voice.

	"Nothing..." I tried to pass it off. Like I said, I wasn't close
with Justin, if anything I would've wanted it to have been Jeff that walked
up to me.

	"Don't lie. I can tell. I can smell wood burning, whatcha thinkin'
`bout?"

	"Gee, thanks. I was just thinking, I saw the way Mike was looking
at me and Drew, does he know something I don't?"

	Justin let out a sigh. "You know, I shouldn't be the one to tell
you this, but Drew's gay. We've all known for some time, he told us a
couple of months back. He's always been looking for someone, but he hasn't
had any luck in finding him...until you came along. You should have heard
him that night, after we sang happy birthday for you, he knew you had to be
something for that many people to want us to sing for you. Do you have any
idea how much your friends at the airport dished out just for us to sing
that little song?"

	I just shook my head, I really never even thought of it.

	"It's not important anyway, they got it all back. Drew wouldn't let
us keep it after meeting you. Anyways, after the concert, he knew we had to
go to the airport, and was hoping he'd see you. He had such a good feeling
about you, without even seeing you, he needed to get just a glance. When we
walked up to the counter and Tim Hortons that night, his eyes lit up. They
shone with such brilliance, I never in my life seen him so happy. Then when
you went to go change, all he could do was talk about you, every single
aspect. I mean, you guys didn't even have a real conversation, but he was
head over heals already.

	"Then, the other night, I was talking with him. You should've heard
him talk about you. He kept on babbling how about how sweet you are, and
how he feels safe around you, like in the cab when he was sleeping on
you. He told me he never had such a good night sleep like that first night
y'all slept together.  I'm serious. D, Drew's hooked on you. Don't hurt
him.

	"And you asked about Mike. Mike knows about Drew, we had to tell
him, in case anything in the media came up. Who do you think arranged for
us to get to stay a bit longer? Who do you think was the one that called
your manager and got you some time off? Mike. He wants to see Drew happy,
just like the rest of us do. He's hoping y'all will hit it off."

	Our conversation was interrupted by someone calling for the guys to
get onstage. I looked over at Drew who was looking around him like mad
crazy, as if he'd lost something. I waved at him, he smiled, and I could
see his chest raise and fall as he sighed with relief. He made his way up
on stage, talking with the guys while the crew set up their microphones. I
just sat there in the obscurities, admiring the beauty before me.

	`I gotta get mama to meet him. She's gonna love him. She just has
to. And I know he's gonna be such a sweetheart to her. Yeah, we're gonna go
see mama soon.' I thought to myself. I didn't want to shut my mom out of my
life, and since I had moved out on my own, she hadn't played such an
important role in my life. She knew I had liked guys, she knew before I had
even told her, at least I'm pretty sure she did. It didn't shock her when I
finally admitted it. I knew she'd love to see Drew. Who wouldn't?

	The music began and they started to practice one of their most
popular songs among the ladies, `I Do.' I just sat back and watched with
pride as they worked it through. The entire time they sang, Drew's eyes
were planted in my direction, losing contact only to blink. The spotlights
shining down on him made him appear as an angel, and to me, that's what he
was. He saved me from loneliness, he was my saint, my angel. Sitting there,
I realized exactly how much he meant to me. Though we hadn't known each
other for long, he was truly a part of me. Sleeping with him the last
couple of nights, save the night with the incident, really were the best
nights of my life. Especially last night, when we fell asleep in each
others arms knowingly.

	I was in a trance, staring at the object of my affection,
everything else a blur. The words they were singing were drowned out by my
thoughts, though I'm sure they were well into their third song. He amazed
me. Everything about Drew was perfect, his eyes, his cute dimples, he
brilliant smile, his sexy voice, he well-toned body. Just everything about
him was like nothing I had ever seen before, and probably wouldn't see
elsewhere. I was definitely locked in my thoughts. I was only roused once I
saw the spotlight fade out and the guys walking over to me.

	"So, how'd you like it so far?" Drew asked.

	"You're incredible."

	"The song was *that* good?" he asked with an odd expression.

	"Baby, I wasn't talking about the song. I said *you're*
incredible."

	He began to blush, making him even cuter than ever. I had no idea
just how lucky I was until I saw him look into my eyes, and saw the love
reflected back into mine. I knew I love him, I just couldn't say it yet, I
had to be absolutely sure nothing was going to go wrong before I'd risk the
chance of losing the sacredness of love.

	"We have a ten minute break to grab something to drink, then after
that, we're do another hour, then we're done." Nick explained.

	"So maybe you'd like to go out after and eat D," Jeff added,
glancing at Drew. I knew what he meant, and I was gonna do it. I had to. A
nigh just to me and Drew, that was gonna prove to be something.

	"Yeah, I think I will," I agreed. I couldn't believe it, just last
week, I was at my job, serving donuts to the bitchiest of customers, and
now here I was in the presence of really talented singers who accepted me,
and one of who loved me. If this wasn't a taste of heaven, I don't know
what would be.

	Justin came from somewhere with bottles of water for each of
us. They had really worked up a sweat, dancing and singing, but I wasn't
really thirsty at all. I thanked Justin for the water nonetheless, it was a
sweet gesture even though I really didn't want it. I figured if I had the
water, I'd slowly sip at it, so it wasn't like it'd go to waste. They
quickly drank some water, towelled off their faces, and went back to
practice some more.

	I contented myself by sitting in the corner, yet again, and singing
to the songs. They guys were singing loudly into the microphones, so I
didn't even cover up my attempts to sing. I loved to sing, really I did,
and I would give anything to be in Drew's shoes. Singing to millions and
millions of people.  But I couldn't, I didn't have the talent he had, so I
might as well face the reality that it was never going to happen. After
singing a couple more songs, the lights dimmed again, and they were done.

	"Well, that's it for the day, we're done." Jeff sounded
exhausted. I couldn't believe how much of himself he put into his
performances. That was the sign of a true performer, pushing themselves to
the point of exhaustion.

	"Well, I'm going out for dinner, who's joining me?" I knew all the
others would kindly refuse, I just didn't want to make it seem like I was
asking Drew personally. I knew how he felt about me, but I still had a
feeling he'd reject me if I had just asked him.

	"I'm coming." Drew practically shouted. "Just let me clean up
first." With that he ran off, my guess to their dressing room to shower or
something.

	"So, y'all coming?" I had to offer again, just in case someone did
actually want to come, though I knew they probably wouldn't.

	"Naa, you two go ahead." Nick stifled a yawn.

	"Yeah, I'm beat, I'm gonna go home, shower and sleep." It made me
feel good how Justin referred to my house as `home.' It was like they truly
were becoming my family.

	"I'm with Justin, just a shower, and a bed." Jeff was already half
asleep, barely able to keep his eyelids open.

	"Alright, suit yourself. You won't know what you're missing." With
that, I pulled out my cell phone and called one of my favourite
restaurants, making reservations for two. I knew the manager, we were good
friends since I ate there many times, so I was sure I'd get the privacy I
asked for. After three rings, the call was answered.

	"Good evening, Las Palmas restaurant, Maria speaking, how may I
help you?"  one of the girls that worked there answered the phone. I knew
Maria pretty well, she was usually the one that seated me when I reached
the restaurant.

	"Hey, Maria. Como esta? It's me Drew."

	"Drew! Muy bien y tu?"

	"Bien. Listen, Maria, is Vanessa in tonight?"

	"Just a sec, let me check," I head her asking someone nearby if
Vanessa was in, "Yeah, you wanna talk with her?"

	"Yeah, please."

	"K, just a sec."

	"Thanks cariņa"

	"Anytime. Here ya go," she said as I heard Vanessa's voice come
through the phone.

	"Andrew, is that you? I haven't heard from you in like so
long. How've you been?" Vanessa sounded excited to hear from me, after all
it had been a while since we last talked.

	"Good, good. V, I gotta ask you for a favour. I'll be dining there
tonight, but I need a table with privacy, you think you can arrange that?"

	"Yeah, for how many people?"

	"Two."

	"Ooh, two? Is this your romantic night out? Who's the lucky
person?"  Vanessa always like to tease me when it came to having dates. She
always had, and I bet she always will.

	"Um...you'll see, I can't say just yet." The sad part about it was
Vanessa didn't know I was attracted to guys. Not that many people did know
for that matter, aside from mama and Martha, the guys were the only ones.

	She sighed, knowing I wouldn't give in. "Fine, fine, I'll have your
table free all night, just come whenever."

	"Thanks, you're the best. See ya later, bu-bye."

	I ended the call, and looked back at the guys, all of who were
looking right back at me. "What?" I couldn't understand the looks I was
getting.

	"Somebody's got connections," Nick laughed. Although I only worked
at Tim Hortons, I was still pretty popular. I had connections all over,
movies, restaurants, clothing stores, shoe stores, music stores, basically
anywhere you wanted.

	"I guess," was all I could say. I mean I didn't want to sound
conceited or anything.

	"Yeah, you guess." Jeff laughed.

	Finally Drew returned, fresh and clean, dressed in new clothes. I
glanced him over, approving what he was wearing. I laughed when I noticed
he didn't fix his hair, and just covered it up with his cap. No matter what
he wore, he could always make wearing a cap look good.

	"Well Drew, it's just you and me. These fools wanna go home and
sleep." I explained.

	"Ah, they won't know what they're missing." This got a round of
laughter from the others, and a confused look on Drew's face. He couldn't
understand what was so funny, but how could he, he wasn't there minutes
earlier when I had said the same thing. "What's so funny?"

	"D said the exact same thing like 2 minutes ago." Justin supplied.

	Realization clicked into Drew's head, and he just smiled. "Well, we
gotta go if we want to make our reservation, we'll check you guys later?"

	"Yeah, we're gonna call a cab, so y'all can take the van, we just
need a key to the house." I forgot all about that until Nick pointed it
out. None of `em had a key. I pulled the house key off my key ring, and
handed it to Nick, grabbing Drew and heading to the van.

	"We'll catch up with you later!" Drew screamed back at them.

	The ride to the restaurant wasn't a long one. The traffic was
light, and with the way I drive, driving time is usually cut in half. Drew
had a little nap while I drove, I figured he deserved it.

	As I pulled into the parking spot, I drove over a bump that caused
Drew to wake. "Well, we're here." I stated the obvious.

	"Guess so." He said. We both stared at each other, looking into
each others eyes, communicating silently. Ever so slowly we leaned into
each other. I began licking my lips, and closed my eyes, preparing for the
kiss. I was so close to him, I could smell the sweet fragrance of his
cologne, and was ever so thankful I was sitting down or I'd've fallen to my
knees. This was just so perfect. I leaned in even more and...

TBC

****************************************************************************

	Sorry I ended it like that, just didn't have any other way to do
it. Hope y'all like it. Let me know. bigdaddycool_0813@hotmail.com take
care y'all,

Sprout.