Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2001 22:24:48
From: musicfan@indabox.com
Subject: Where Do We Go 32

    Stephen stepped into the foyer and let Eloy close the door behind them.
He tried to stifle a sigh of relief at the thought that they were finally
home.  Eloy turned on the lamp in the living room and they both sat down on
the sofa with a sigh.

    "How are you feeling?" He asked as he wrapped his arm around Stephen
and held him close.  Stephen leaned into his embrace and rested his head in
the hollow of Eloy's shoulder before looking up at him.

    "Better, thanks.  I hate getting motion sick.  It's hell on a tour, let
me tell you." He smiled as he tried to make a joke of it.  Eloy smiled
sympathetically.

    "I'm sorry," he said again. He leaned down and gave Stephen a light
kiss on the lips. "I'll try to avoid doing that to you in the future."

    Stephen savored the touch of Eloy's lips on his own. "Mmm, nice. Thank
you."  Eloy gave him a curious look.  "For inviting me and introducing me
to your family. They're great."

    "Ja, those you have met," Eloy said with a crooked grin.  At Stephen's
inquiring look, he continued.  "I do have a step-brother, Rob. He's from my
father's first marriage and a good bit older than I. He also doesn't
approve of my career choice." He said a bit dryly.  Actually, that was a
bit of an understatement.  He hadn't seen either of his nieces in years.
Sometimes it made him a bit sad, but it wasn't something he dwelled on.  He
certainly got enough support from his mother and sister.

    He thought it best to change the subject before they got on the subject
of Stephen's family.  Obviously he didn't get the support from them that
Eloy did and he didn't want to bring Stephen down at all.

    "So," he said, changing the topic. "What would you like to do now?"
Stephen shrugged and he smiled down at him.

    "I dunno. What'd you have planned?" Stephen said with a laugh.

    Eloy shrugged right back at him and joined him.  "Not a thing, yet."

    "Yet?" Stephen said, arching an eyebrow.

    "I do have something in mind for later," he said with a grin.  Stephen
looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before standing up and surveying
the room. He casually walked around, examining the room.  They hadn't had
much time in the apartment earlier, and he had to admit he hadn't paid too
much attention the previous night because he had been focused on Lucienne.

    He wandered over to the Disney cel of Snow White that was on the wall
behind a recliner.  A low whistle escaped him as he saw the number at the
bottom.  Eloy came over and stood behind him.

    "You like?" He asked with a grin.  It was one of his prize possessions.
He had gotten it at an auction and was one of the first things he had
brought into the apartment when he moved in.

     "Wow, do I!" Stephen said, his voice tinged with awe. "How the hell
did I miss this last night?"

     "The lighting was a bit dim, if I remember." Eloy said with a chuckle.
He moved around so he could watch Stephen's face.  "I have some others in
the spare bedroom, but none quite like that one."

     Stephen blinked owlishly at him.  "Spare bedroom?  Is there one?"

     Eloy nodded.  "You haven't had the tour yet.  Would you like one?" At
Stephen's nod, he took him slowly around the living room, pointing out some
of his other prize possessions.  Stephen made him go over his gold records
on the walls, which he would have glossed over.  While Caught in the Act
did well in Germany and some parts of Asia, they didn't have quite the
following that Boyzone did internationally.  Stephen asked him about each
of the songs, and who did the lead vocals for each.  He apparently was more
familiar with the group's songs than Eloy had thought, since he seemed
quite knowledgeable about some of their chart success in both Germany and
parts of Scandinavia.

     From the living room, Eloy led Stephen back down the hall and opened
the door to the spare bedroom opposite the bathroom.  Stephen hadn't
noticed it before.  The room was decorated much in the same fashion as the
rest of the apartment.  There was a queen-sized bed against one wall and
some pillows thrown over the duvet.  A rocker was off to one side, opposite
a window that looked out over the canal.  Stephen glanced around the room
and smiled at the décor.  There were Little Mermaid figurines on the
dresser, and some Beauty and the Beast characters mingling amongst them.
On the wall over the bed there was a large print from Beauty, and Stephen
saw that it was autographed by one of the artists.  Opposite that were a
series of animation cels from The Little Mermaid and he walked over to
inspect them.  Eloy leaned against the doorjamb and let him look around.

     "How'd you get these?" Stephen said as he examined the framed cels.
He had been working on getting his collection together, but tended to be a
bit picky about what he bought because he didn't have much room to store
things at home.

     "The first was a gift for a birthday present, then I started to fill
out the rest of the collection myself.  Friends have a habit of looking out
for what they know I'd like to buy." Eloy said.

      Stephen looked up from the cel he had been examining on the wall.
"Nice friends you have," he said with a grin.  Eloy grinned back at him and
beckoned him into the hallway.

     "Ja, I do," he said as Stephen followed him back into the hall.  He
brought Stephen into the master bedroom and pointed out some other posters
and collectibles about the room. Stephen wandered around the room while
Eloy sat on the end of the bed.  He would occasionally ask questions about
things and seemed more interested in the family pictures that Eloy had than
anything else.  He wandered over to the window that looked out onto the
street.  It was a quiet residential street off of the main road near the
canal. Across the canal, he could see what looked like a park off in the
distance.  Trees in front of the house shaded the window from the street.
Stephen could see that the late afternoon sun was dipping down behind some
buildings on the other side of the city.

    He turned around and noticed that Eloy was watching him.  "I like your
place a lot," he said.  He walked over and Eloy pulled him down onto the
bed next to him.

    "Thank you.  It's grown on me.  When I first moved in, I was
miserable." Eloy said, thinking back on when he first got the apartment.
Stephen wrapped an arm around Eloy's waist.

    "I remember.  But you were having a bit of a difficult time overall,
actually." He said.  Eloy nodded.  He draped an arm over Stephen's
shoulders and hugged him close.

    "Ja, I was.  I'm glad that time is over now. That seems like ages ago
now.  And I have you to thank for my change in attitude." He smiled down at
Stephen before leaning down for a kiss.  It seemed like each one was better
than the last to him, and he opened his mouth at Stephen's insistence.
Stephen's tongue darted in and the kiss deepened. He turned in Eloy's
embrace so that they were facing one another a bit better before pushing
Eloy back onto the bed.

    Eloy thought he had died and gone to heaven.  Stephen was rubbing his
chest with one hand while pulling the other arm out from behind Eloy's back
and using it to prop himself up so he hovered over Eloy. Eloy reached up
and held Stephen's lips to his own.  It was magical. He pulled so that
Stephen was half laying on top of him and enjoyed the weight of the younger
man's body on his own.  Stephen encouraged him by reaching beneath the
collar of his shirt and caressing his neck.  He wrapped his arms around
Stephen and held him tight.

    When Stephen finally pulled back he laughed softly at the expression on
Eloy's face.  He had a silly smile on his face.  At Stephen's laugh he
opened his eyes and looked up at his lover.

    "What can I say, you do that to me," he said softly.

    "Darling, the feeling is quite mutual." Stephen said. He leaned down
and lightly traced Eloy's lips with the tip of his tongue.  "I find you
quite delectable."

    "Oh, what a big word you used!" Eloy said in wonderment.  Stephen
pulled a face and he laughed before pulling him back to kiss the tip of his
nose.  Stephen smiled companionably down at him and they were silent for a
moment.

     The rumble of Eloy's stomach broke the quiet.  Stephen laughed at the
startled look on his face.  "I can't believe you're hungry right now!
After all we ate!" He laughed.

     "Was that me?" Eloy said.  At Stephen's nod he shook his head.  "It
couldn't be.  I'm not the one with the vocal stomach."

     "I am not getting blamed for that one!" Stephen said.  He rolled off
of Eloy and leaned over to listen to the other man's stomach.  "That one is
all you, hon." Eloy looked down, bemused at the noise.

     "Do you think I caught it from you?" He asked with a sly smile.
Stephen swatted him before sitting up on the edge of the bed.  He sighed,
realising their moment had passed. He could have lain there all day doing
that.  A glance at his watch showed him that quite a few hours had passed
since their brunch that afternoon.

     "Absolutely not." Stephen asserted with a sideways glance at Eloy.  He
rolled off the edge of the bed to avoid Eloy grabbing him. "Uh uh.  You're
not getting me again!"  He warily watched Eloy rise from the edge of the
bed and backed away. "Behave, you!"

     "Did I even suggest I was going to do something?" Eloy asked mildly,
his hands out to either side in supplication.

     "You didn't have to.  I know that look, and I'm not falling for
another tickling session!" Stephen said, shaking his finger at Eloy.  He
laughed at the look of consternation on Eloy's face.  "Yeah, you can't hide
it.  I can read you like a book.  Stop!" He said as Eloy started to
approach.  "Turn around and go that way." He pointed to the door and Eloy
looked over his shoulder before looking back at Stephen with a slight smile
on his face.  "I mean it, mister."

     Eloy meekly obeyed, walking out the door and turning so he could watch
Stephen. "Are you coming?  We still haven't finished the tour yet."

     "Are you going to behave?" Stephen asked suspiciously.  At Eloy's nod,
he moved towards the door.  "Promise?"  He made sure that Eloy kept his
hands behind his back before leaving the room.  "Go ahead, lead the way."
Eloy pouted at him before turning back towards the living room and he bit
back a grin.  He enjoyed teasing Eloy like this and didn't want him to know
that he thought it was funny.

     Eloy silently led the way back down the hall after dutifully pointing
out the bathroom.  Stephen grinned as he followed him back into the living
room and through another short hall that led to the kitchen. Stephen was
struck by the similarities to Lenie's house.

     This time, he took a good look around the kitchen.  Last night, he had
only stopped inside the door when Lucienne had come in to retrieve the
wine.  The walls were bare of decoration and the only thing in the room
other than the flowering plants, was a table and two chairs.  The
countertops were bare of all but a few pieces of crockery and glasses.

     Eloy leaned against a counter and watched him intently.  He was
enjoying their time together, and felt that he'd be happy watching Stephen
all day.  The younger man stepped further into the kitchen and looked
around.

    "Well, I certainly know now where you get your green thumb!" Stephen
exclaimed with a twinkle in his eye. Off to one side he saw what looked to
be a kitchen door and he got a puzzled look on his face as he spied it.
"You have a kitchen door on the 4th floor?" He asked, looking at Eloy.
Eloy smiled and moved over to open the door.  Stephen walked over,
forgetting his admonishment to Eloy about behaving earlier and peered
around the corner.  Inside was a pantry with canned goods and boxes.  One
side had a steep set of stairs that lead up to a trap door.  Stephen looked
curiously at Eloy who smiled.

    "That's the best part of the place," he said.  He moved forward and
climbed up the stairs, which were narrow and fashioned along the lines of
stairs on a boat.  Reaching the top, he unlocked the door and pushed.  It
opened up on hinges and he climbed out onto the roof.  He looked down
through the opening and motioned to Stephen.

    Stephen clamored up the steps and took Eloy's hand as he stepped out
onto the roof.  A low whistle escaped him as he took in the view. On top of
the roof was a wooden deck that encompassed most of the roof on one side.
Chimneys for the building formed a wall behind the trapdoor. A railing
extended along the edges of the roof, making sure that someone didn't
accidentally fall off.  Eloy had put up some chairs and a table and he led
Stephen over to where they were.  Stephen wandered over to the street side
of the deck and leaned on the railing, looking out over the city.  From
where he stood, he could see more of the park that he had caught a glimpse
of from the bedroom window.

    "Like it?" Eloy asked softly from behind him.  He nodded wordlessly.
Eloy walked over to stand next to him.  "This is the reason why I took this
place. I saw this and fell in love with it immediately."

    "I see why," Stephen said appreciatively.  "What a view." Eloy leaned
on the rail and nodded in agreement.  "What's that over there?" He asked,
pointing across the canal.

     "That is Vondelpark. It's named after a famous poet named Joost van
den Vondel. It's a great place to go for a walk or biking. I like it a lot.
I'll have to take you there some time."  He looked around at the view and
started pointing out other sights from where they stood.  "Off to the left,
you can see the Van Gogh Museum."  He looked over to see if Stephen was
still interested.

     He was avidly looking out over the city.  He loved traveling and loved
learning about new places.  This was especially true now that he was here
in Amsterdam, because it was where Eloy lived.

     "Right behind it is the Stedelijk Museum. There are even more works of
art there." Eloy smiled at Stephen.  The wind was picking up and pushing
his hair into his eyes.  Stephen absently brushed it out of his way as he
strained to see where Eloy was talking about.

     "Have you been to these museums?" He asked.

     "No, I'm not one for that type of art," Eloy said with a laugh.  "It's
a little old-fashioned to me."  He continued to point out various parts of
the city to Stephen.  They walked around the roof and Eloy pointed out
other sites that they could see from the roof.  By the time they were done,
it was getting dark.

     "Wow, E." Stephen said as he proceeded Eloy down the stairs and back
into the kitchen.  "This is a fantastic place.  I love it."

     "Ja, so do I." Eloy said as he closed the trapdoor and locked it
before climbing down the stairs.  He followed Stephen into the kitchen and
turned on the light.  Stephen looked up at him with a smile.  "Getting
hungry yet?" He asked.

     "I can't believe it, but I think I am," Stephen admitted.  He smiled
and Eloy indicated a seat at the table.

     "Take a seat, and I'll start putting something together for dinner."
He turned and went to the refrigerator and opened it. After rummaging
through the shelves he pulled out some items and put them on the counter
next to him.  Stephen sat and watched him.  "There's a wine rack behind
you, take a look and see what you'd like to go with some chicken."

     Stephen glanced around, remembering the wine rack from the night
before.  "You know, my knowledge of wine isn't the greatest."  He went over
to the rack and started looking at some of the labels.  "Anything in
particular that you'd suggest?"

     Eloy started pulling items out of their packages and lining them up on
the countertop.  "Any of the German ones will probably do quite nicely.
Definitely one of the Rieslings."  He brought some of the vegetables over
to the sink and started running the water.  Stephen dutifully started
looking the bottles over, glancing at the labels as he did.  Finding one
that said Riesling, he pulled it out of the rack and brought it over to the
table.

     "Do we need to chill this?" He asked, offering the bottle for Eloy to
inspect.  Eloy looked over and nodded approvingly.

     "Ja, that would be good.  Then, if you want, you can help me with
this."  He started scrubbing some vegetables.  Stephen placed the bottle on
the shelf in the fridge before heading over to the sink.  As Eloy cleaned
some of the vegetables he asked Stephen to pull up the cutting board.  He
told Stephen where the cutlery was and Stephen pulled a suitable knife out
of the drawer.

     They worked in comfortable silence together.  Eloy quickly finished
washing and left Stephen to the chopping while he headed over to the stove.
Hanging above the stove was a rack for pots and pans.  Brushing a hanging
vine aside, he pulled down a wok and put it on the front burner.  He lit
the gas and let it warm up. Along the back wall were spices and cooking
implements and he grabbed a bottle of oil and put it to one side.  Peeking
over Stephen's shoulder, he saw that he had things well in hand.

     Eloy went into the living room and turned on the stereo.  Soft music
followed him back to the kitchen.  Moving back to the stove, he added oil
to the wok and swished it around.  He went back to the counter and opened
up the package of boneless chicken breasts.  He grabbed one of the larger
knives and started cutting them up to smaller pieces.  Taking the package
over to the stove, he dropped them into the wok and started cooking.

    Stephen looked over when he heard the hiss of the chicken in the wok.
He sniffed appreciatively as Eloy added a teriyaki sauce and he opened the
cabinets to look for a bowl big enough to carry the vegetables over to
where Eloy was cooking.  Finding what he was looking for, he carried the
bowl over to the stove.

    "Danke, liefste." Eloy said absently while he stirred the chicken
around the wok.  Stephen stood to one side, watching in admiration.

     "Where did you learn to cook?" He asked, curious.

     "I got to hate eating out when we were on the road," Eloy said as he
added some of the chopped vegetables to the stir-fry.  "One of the good
things our management did was to get apartments in cities that we traveled
to a lot.  I got into the habit of doing my own cooking.  Then, when I was
living with Carlo, he taught me a bit here and there. The rest I just
picked up on my travels." He gave Stephen a quick grin before turning his
attention back to the stove.  "Now, would you like to eat up on the roof or
down here in the kitchen?"

    Stephen thought about going upstairs again, but knew it would be a lot
of work for Eloy.  "How about right here?" He said.  Eloy nodded agreeably
and suggested that Stephen get some dishes out of the cabinets.  He pulled
the dishes out and put them down on the table. Moving over to the drawer,
he pulled out some cutlery and added that to the place settings. Looking at
the table, he thought it felt rather bare.  Remembering that he had seen
some stuff in the pantry, he went in and pulled a couple of candlesticks
out.

    Eloy nodded approvingly as he turned off the gas on the stove.  "Goed!"
He said with a smile.  He motioned to the counter where a box of matches
sat off to one side.  Stephen got them and lit the candles.  The smell of
the stir-fry made his stomach grumble and he bit back a grin.  He hoped
that Eloy hadn't heard that or he would get no end of grief.

   "What about the wine?" He asked.  At Eloy's nod, he pulled the bottle
out of the refrigerator and was surprised to feel that it had gotten
markedly cooler.  He went back over to the wine rack and got two glasses
and the corkscrew. While Eloy put their dinner onto their plates, he opened
up the bottle and let it breathe.  Eloy tossed the wok into the sink and
ran some water in it before cleaning it and renewing the seasoning with a
film of oil.  When he was done, he hung it up on the rack.

    "All set?" He asked, turning to Stephen and indicating the table.  At
Stephen's nod, he moved over to the table and pulled on the string to the
light.  The only illumination came from the candles on the table. They sat
down and Stephen poured them each a glass of wine.

    "To peace and quiet," Eloy said as he picked up his glass and held it
out for a toast.  Stephen chuckled appreciatively as he tapped his glass
against Eloy's.  They both took a sip and Stephen let the wine rest on his
tongue.  It had a fruity taste and he enjoyed the flavour.  Eloy waited
expectantly for him to start eating.  He put down his glass and took a bite
of the stir-fry.

    "Oh Eloy, this is really good!" He exclaimed.  Eloy grinned at
him. "Not that I was expecting it to be bad, mind you, but I'm just
surprised that it came together so easily."

    "Nice recovery," Eloy said, saluting Stephen with his fork before
putting it into his mouth. Stephen laughed and made a face at him before
taking another sip from his wineglass. "But I do agree that it is quite
tasty."

    Stephen grinned before impulsively reaching over and touching Eloy's
hand that was resting on the stem of his wineglass.  "This is perfect."
Eloy turned his hand over to hold Stephen's.

    "Ja, it is.  Thank you for coming." He smiled up at Stephen.  "I just
wish we had more time."

    "Hush.  Eat your dinner," Stephen said, waggling his fork at Eloy
before giving his hand a little pat.  He picked up his glass again and
sipped.  "I like the way the wine offsets the teriyaki.  How'd you learn so
much about this stuff?"

    Eloy shrugged.  "You just pick up things here and there, you know? My
father was a bit of a wine connoisseur and I guess seeing the right wines
at meals just sank in."

    "My parents weren't much for drinking wine," Stephen said. "We're more
of a 'let's go down to the local pub and grab a pint' kind of family. But I
find beer a bit heavy for my tastes."

    Eloy nodded in agreement.  "I like it well enough with certain foods.
Like if we were having pizza or something.  But for this, a wine goes much
better."  They continued with their dinner, touching on different subjects
as they ate.  Stephen quizzed Eloy about his horse riding and he told
Stephen about how he used to compete on the jumping circuit as a kid.

    "That's neat.  I never learned to ride myself, but both Ro and Mick are
mad about horses." Stephen said.

    "Why is that?" Eloy asked.  He put his fork down on the empty plate and
poured them each another glass of wine.

    "I don't know actually.  Too much of a city kid, I guess." Stephen
said.  He was making ring circles on the table top with the bottom of his
glass.  He glanced up to see Eloy looking at him. "All right, because I'm
scared shiteless of them."

    Eloy let out a laugh. "But why?  Horses are beautiful animals."

    "Yes they are.  They're huge, too!" Stephen exclaimed with a laugh.
"What can I say?  I'm a wimp. We did a video once where Ro and Mick got to
ride horses. I got in between their horses by accident at one point and it
scared the bejesus out of me. I knew that one step, one false move and
wham!" He slapped his hands together. "No more li'l Stephen.  I'd be
crushed."

     "I can see how that would have been a bit intimidating," Eloy said
understandingly.  "Maybe someday when we have a bit more time I'll take you
out to meet a horse or two."

     "Thanks, but I'll pass on that one," Stephen said after finishing off
his glass of wine.  "Not that I don't appreciate the effort, but when
something's that big, I like to keep my distance."

    Eloy reached across the table and grabbed Stephen's hand. "Hopefully,
you don't want to keep your distance from me.  After all," he said lightly,
tracing a pattern on the back of Stephen's hand. "I'm about the same height
as one of those horses."

    Stephen cracked up laughing. "In more ways than one." Startled, he put
his hand over his mouth, shocked at what he had just said. Eloy sat staring
at him for a moment before he roared with laughter. Stephen got up and
started clearing the dishes away, trying to hide his embarrassment at his
outburst and failing miserably.

    "I think I'll take that as a compliment," Eloy said after he calmed
down.  Stephen had his back to the table as he washed the dishes
industriously.  Eloy got up and stood behind him.  Putting his hands on
Stephen's shoulders, he leaned down and put his lips to his ear. "Stephen."

    Stephen jumped slightly at Eloy's touch.  He was still blushing from
his faux par and sought to hide himself in doing the dishes. "What?"

    "Did you really mean that?" Eloy's breath tickled his ear and he
shivered.

    "Mean what?" He asked, a bit breathlessly. Though consciously he tried
to stop himself from responding to Eloy's actions, his body sought to mould
itself to Eloy's, leaning back slightly into his embrace.

    "What you said just now," Eloy was teasing him mercilessly and having a
ball. "Your insinuation."

    "What insinuation?" Stephen asked softly, still trying to figure a way
out of the conversation and unable to come up with a suitable distraction.
It wasn't helping that Eloy was sucking on his ear before nibbling down his
neck and back up again.  Eloy reached around his waist to shut the water
off.

    "Well, your comparison between me and a horse. I do hope you were
referring to a stallion." Eloy said, trying his damnedest to keep the
laughter out of his voice.  He barely succeeded.

    Stephen silently admitted defeat to himself and decided to brazen it
out. He dropped the hand towel on the counter and turned around so that he
was facing Eloy.  He looked demurely down before coyly glancing up into
Eloy's face. "Why of course I meant a stallion.  A well hung one."

    The look on Eloy's face was priceless.  He ducked beneath Eloy's arms
and swatted him on the butt as he passed him. Eloy tried to turn and grab
him, but he moved away from his grasp and put the table between them. Eloy
sauntered over towards him, confident that he wasn't going to get away.

   "Oh, is that so?" He asked, leaning on the table and grinning at
Stephen. "And just how many stallions have you been looking at for
comparison?"

   "Well, you know," Stephen said with a sly grin. "When you've seen
one..." He darted out the door with Eloy in hot pursuit.  They entered the
living room and Stephen made sure that the sofa was in between them.  When
Eloy made a move in one direction, he'd move in the opposite direction.  He
thought back to their recent tour and tried to remember if either of the
bedroom doors had locks on them.  He hadn't really been paying attention to
the locks.  He thought back to the kitchen and decided to make a break for
the pantry door.

    He narrowly avoided Eloy's outstretched hand as he passed him. He moved
the chair away from the table as a delaying tactic and made it through the
door a step before Eloy got to it.  Closing it, he realised it didn't lock
from the inside and he started climbing the stairs.

    Eloy knew he had no place to go and so he took his time at chasing him.
He opened the door to find Stephen was halfway up the stairs.  Climbing up
behind him, he straddled Stephen on the narrow steps and trapped him.

    "Got you!" He said as he held onto one railing and wrapped an arm
around Stephen's chest.  He rested his head against Stephen's back and
listened to him pant.

    "Damn," came the soft response. "I thought I could make it up, but I
forgot you had locked the door." Stephen had a stitch in his side from the
chase and took the moment to rest.  Eloy reached past him and after
releasing the lock, he pushed the door up.

    "Go on.  I want to show you something," He said softly in Stephen's
ear.  He loosened his hold on Stephen, allowing him to climb up the rest of
the steps unhindered.  Stephen made his way up and onto the roof.  Eloy
followed him and once again they stood up on the roof.

    This time they couldn't see much of the city beyond streetlights and
the occasional light that showed from windows here and there.  It was a
clear night out and Stephen gasped as he saw the stars overhead.

    "Good Lord!" He said staring up at the sky.  He opened his arms and
spun around, feeling like he was a part of night sky around him. Eloy
quickly moved over to grab him by the waist before he stumbled.

    "It is incredible, isn't it?" he asked softly, his breath warm in
Stephen's ear.  Stephen, still mesmerized, nodded silently.  If he looked
straight up, he could ignore the streetlights off the side of the street
and think of himself as walking amongst the stars.

    "I've never seen anything like this," he said softly, his voice tinged
with awe. "Is it always like this?"

    "On a clear night, ja.  There's something about this area that gives
some great weather sometimes." Eloy said. He brushed Stephen's arm.  "I'll
be right back."  Stephen nodded without saying anything and Eloy went back
down the stairs.

    He went to the linen closet and pulled out a blanket.  As he went
through the living room he tossed it over his shoulder and pulled a couple
of throw pillows from the sofa, tucking them under his arm.  On his way
back through the kitchen he grabbed another bottle of wine, a corkscrew,
and two new glasses.  Juggling them all carefully, he made his way up the
stairs and back onto the roof.

    Stephen hadn't moved.  He had his head tilted back as looked up and
Eloy had to smile at the look of wonderment on his face.  While Stephen was
engrossed with the sky above them, he took his time spreading out the
blanket and pillows before opening the wine and putting it to one side.  He
then got up and walked over to where Stephen was standing and wrapped his
arms around him.

    Stephen automatically leaned back into his embrace.  "Mmm, nice."

    "The stars, or me?" Eloy asked softly.  He rested his head on Stephen's
shoulder and nuzzled his neck.

    "Oh, both, of course," Stephen said with a soft laugh.  Eloy tightened
his hug before loosening his grip.

    "Well, before you get a crick in your neck, I have a better way to
watch the stars." He whispered into Stephen's ear. He tugged on Stephen's
hand and turned him around.  Stephen saw the blanket stretched out on the
deck and smiled.

     "Oh, that's a good idea," he said.  He allowed Eloy to lead him to
blanket where they sat down together.  Eloy reached over and opened the
wine bottle.  He poured them both a glass and handed one to
Stephen. Stephen accepted with a smile and wrapped his arm around Eloy's
waist.  He rested his head on Eloy's shoulder with a quiet sigh.  Eloy
squeezed him tight before resting his cheek on Stephen's head.

    They were quiet for a bit while they were lost in their
thoughts. Stephen took another sip of his wine.  "This is great, Eloy."

    "Mmm?" Eloy was feeling a bit dreamy.

    "I can't think of a more perfect way to spend the evening." He said.
He pulled away from Eloy so he could turn and smile up at him. Eloy looked
down at him and felt a pull on his heart.  How he had waited so long to
find Stephen was a mystery to him.  They got lost in each other's gaze for
a long time before Eloy dipped his head down to lightly brush Stephen's
lips.

    Stephen shivered in response.  He leaned into Eloy's kiss and opened
his mouth in an invitation.  Eloy silently accepted, reaching out to lick
Stephen's lips before sucking the bottom lip into his mouth.  A muffled
gasp met his action and he took his time exploring the delectable opening
in front of him. He reached behind and put his glass down before reaching
out and pulling Stephen's glass out of his hand and putting it alongside
its mate on the deck.

    His hand free, Stephen let his hand reach up and run his fingers
through Eloy's hair.  They came to rest lightly on his neck and he pulled
Eloy closer.

    Eloy leaned back, pulling Stephen down onto the throw pillows with him.
Their lips parted briefly before Stephen asserted himself and started
avidly kissing Eloy back.  They were lost for moments at a time as they
pulled back and stared into each other's eyes.

    After a few minutes of being lost like this Eloy smiled. "I think we're
missing the view."

    "No, I've got the perfect view right here." Stephen said, laughing down
at Eloy.  Eloy made a face at him and pulled him down to his side.

    "No, that view!" he said, pointing up at the sky.  Stephen sighed
dutifully and looked up.  Eloy tucked him into his shoulder so that he was
resting comfortably. "It is magnificent, is it not?"

    "I suppose," Stephen said, trying to keep a sulky note in his voice.
He didn't succeed very well and stopped himself before it became a laugh.
He was soon distracted by the nighttime sky.  Eloy pointed out stars and
constellations, softly telling Stephen the stories behind each.

    They grew quiet and lay together staring up at the skies.  After a
while, Stephen began to sing softly:

          I feel so much better when it's nighttime,
          That's when I can sort of disappear
          When the sun is setting it's the right time
          For pretending I'm not here
          Sometimes I just stare into the heavens
          Wondering if the answer is inside
          That's when I see the light

    Eloy interrupted him with a light touch to his cheek and he stopped,
looking over.  "What?"

    "What song is that?" He asked curiously.  He hadn't heard it before.
Stephen explained that he had been asked to record a song for a new Disney
movie that was coming out in the Fall.  Eloy showed how impressed he was
and Stephen laughed up at him.

     "It's just a matter of begging the right people until they get sick
and tired and say yes," Stephen said with a grin.  "Though I do adore the
song.  I can relate to the character a lot, too."

     Eloy held back a comment about how Stephen sang the lyrics.  It tugged
on him to think that Stephen was singing about himself as he sang that
song.  "Though I do have to say something," he said in response.  When
Stephen looked at him curiously, he continued. "I'd be awfully sad if you
disappeared on me," Eloy said quietly.

     Stephen smiled up at him.  "I'm not going anywhere, darling."

    "Goed, because I would be devastated if you did." Eloy said softly.  He
didn't know if Stephen realised he was serious, but he was. Sometimes he
felt that Stephen had a bad opinion of himself, and he hoped he could
change that viewpoint. He knew it was going to be a slow process, trying to
show Stephen how wonderful he thought he was.  But he was willing to take
it a little bit of a time, hoping that eventually Stephen would come to
understand his viewpoint.

   They went back to looking at the stars, spending quite a few hours up on
the roof together.