Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2000 06:50:29 EST
From: Lucas Thompson <rtstories@hotmail.com>
Subject: Because I Love You - 2
Author's Note: Well here goes nothing. This is my first story for all to
read. I've been an avid reader of the Nifty archives since I found out
about it, which is about four years ago, I think. About a year ago, for the
most part, I ditched all of the other categories and just read boy-band
entries.
Some of my favorite stories come from this section. I can only
hope to be as good as some of the author's that I've read on here.
Hopefully you'll find my story interesting to say the least, and keep up
with it. I think I have a good story to tell and hope you'll listen and
enjoy.
Once again, this is my first time posting something that I've
written. All of your comments and criticisms are appreciated. Please let
me know what you think of the story. (I've always hated this plea from
authors asking, almost begging people to write them, but now I know how
important it is because you put time into writing something for others to
read and just want to know what they thought. So, please let me know)
E-mail me at rtstories@hotmail.com
Legal Disclaimer: This work is purely fiction. It is purely derived from
the mind of the author and in no way dictates the sexual orientation of any
of the Back Street Boys. Only in my mind do I really believe that they're
gay and in love with me. Any similarities to real life or to someone's life
is purely coincidental. It contains homosexual subject matter. If you're
not into that, why not??? Gay porn/erotica is way hotter than heterosexual
porn!!! Do not read any further if you are under the legal age for viewing
this material in your country, state, province, city, town, suburb, home, or
shack!
Because I Love You
By: Lucas
Chapter 2
After finishing his e-mail to Ewan, Nick reached over to the side
pocket of his laptop case and pulled out his discman. He unplugged the
earphones from his laptop and plugged it into the discman. He grabbed a CD
and popped it in, grabbed his jacket, and started for the door. He decided
to leave unpacking for later. He just needed to get out. He felt like he
was trapped and just wanted to bust free. It's the feeling you get when
everything seems to overwhelm you and you need to get out, to just feel free
and unconstricted. Nick had this feeling right now and just wanted out.
As he reached the lobby, he pulled out the sunglasses and hat that
were in the pocket of his jacket. He walked towards the large, glass double
doors leading towards the outside. He thanked the doorman, as he passed by,
for opening the door for him. He walked down the traditional red carpet
that they laid out in front of the large, fancy hotels like the one he was
staying in. He walked towards the curb and stuck his right hand straight
into the air, motioning for a cab to take him to his destination.
Inside the cab he told the driver where he wanted to go and sat
back. In New York the cabs have this recording after you get in. A
celebrity voice comes over the speaker and tells you to buckle up. Nick
leaned back and heard the familiar recording coming from behind him. "Hi,
this is the BackStreet Boys! Don't forget to buckle up because... 'I want
it that way.'" He sat back and laughed as he heard himself and the guys
finish singing the recording they did for the New York City cabs last
summer. He chuckled at the fact that he was ignoring his own advice by not
buckling up. 'But hey,' Nick thought to himself, 'that's life.' He turned
his head to the right so that he could look out the window of the cab. He
noticed that the usual tourists were wandering about the city clogging up
the streets. He thought to himself how easily one could pick out the
tourists from the natives of New York. New Yorkers usually were the ones
pushing past the gawking tourists, shaking their heads in disgust as they
pushed their way through the large crowds of people.
The cab whisked down 5th Avenue and Nick watched as the buildings
around him turned from large corporate offices to fancy midtown shops. He
leaned back inside the cab and closed his eyes. He could hear the cabbie in
the front having some sort of conversation on a cell phone. Nick shook his
head in awe as he thought, 'Geez, everyone has a cell nowadays. I don't
even know how anyone survived without them before. People tend to cling to
them like a lifeline, when all I want to do some days is throw mine away.'
With that thought, Nick reached in to the inside pocket of his jacket and
pulled out his cell phone. He hit a few buttons, and soon enough he put his
phone on silent.
The cab came to a stop and Nick heard the familiar printer on the
meter printing out the receipt, signaling that he was at his destination.
He pulled out a twenty from his pocket and handed it to the driver. He
pulled his door open and closed it right as the cab was pulling away. He
looked up and saw the familiar arch that let him know that he was in
familiar territory. Nick laughed as he mentally compared this arch to the
one in Paris. Seeing both, Nick knew he liked the one in front of him far
better because it reminded him of when he, Brian, and Ewan were last
together in New York. That's how Nick knew where he wanted to go. The
three of them had wandered around the Village area the last time, and Nick
had made a few mental notes of places he wanted to go explore by himself.
Nick crossed the street and walked into the park. On one side he was
surrounded by the sounds of children playing on the jungle gym while their
nanny's sat on the surrounding park benches making conversation with each
other while trying to keep watch of the children in their care. Nick looked
around and saw the familiar sight of NYU students wandering through the
park. He followed the path towards the area where the chess tables were set
up. He noticed what he dubbed the "pros," sitting on one side of the table
and their opponents or victims, however you choose to view it, sitting on
the opposite side. It was easy for him to spot the pro's as they all had
the same look in their eye. It was like watching a predator circle it's
prey, just waiting for the right moment to strike. Nick new how to play
chess, but would never subject himself to the almost inevitable loss that
would happen if he were to sit down and play one of the pros. He knew well
enough that everybody lost more than just their dignity to these guys. If
one wasn't careful, they stood to lose the shirt on their backs. Unless of
course you were Bobby Fisher.
Nick forged on with his walk. It was getting somewhat chilly so
he stuck both his hands in his pockets. He crossed sixth avenue as he
neared his destination. He continued to walk down the New York streets that
he deemed so quaint in this part of the city. He passed by a few shops and
restaurants on his walk. He took in the atmosphere that surrounded him as
he walked by. Some stores were just souvenir shops catering to the passing
tourist, while others specialized in certain adult pleasures. Those stores
were a tell-tale sign that he was approaching his final destination.
Nick slowed his walk as he had to cross another avenue. The sign
said seventh but that meant nothing to him as he considered himself just
another avid visitor guided by landmarks that were in his memory. One sign
that did catch his eye was the one he found as soon as he crossed over. It
said "Christopher Street." He walked down this part of the city and gazed
at his surroundings. He let out a small chuckle as he caught a glance from
a guy passing by. He was flattered at the gesture, but thought to himself
that any nine-teen year old guy walking down this street would get some sort
of attention.
He continued on his journey through just one of the worlds that
New York held. Strangely enough, this wasn't the reason why Nick came down
to this area. He knew that he could never openly walk into one of the bars,
coffee houses, or stores that this street held. But, he did hold a
fascination for it and could not help but slow his stride and casually look
into some of the establishments. The end of the street held what Nick came
down here for, but he couldn't help enjoy the route he decided to take.
Nick could now see his final destination. He only had a leg of
highway to cross before he got there. He waited for the light above him to
signal the cars to stop, allowing him to cross. He quickly ran across and
was there. Nick hadn't noticed the darkness of the night set in, but he
didn't care. He leaned over the railing and took a deep breath. He closed
his eyes and let the sound of the water before him drown out all of the
sounds that told him he was, in reality, in the city. He opened his eyes
and just stared across the river at the lights of the next city just across
the way.
He turned up the sound on his discman as one of his favorite songs
came on. He had put in his other Radiohead album before he left the hotel
and was listening to the last song on "Pablo Honey." The song had this
melodic almost sullen beat that put Nick into some sort of trance. He heard
the lyrics "I wish I was special...You're so fuckin' special...but I'm a
creep...what the hell am I doing here...I don't belong here" pump through
his earphones and he started to drift off in thought. He thought about
himself. He thought about Brian.
'God, what am I supposed to do? I know how I feel but I can't let
the person I long for know how I feel. This sucks. First, I figure out I'm
gay. That's fine...I can deal with that now...but what the fuck do I do
now??? Do I really love Brian? I know I love him like a brother but it
would never work out. He's Brian and I'm Nick and we're both BackStreet
Boys!!! We can't fall in love with each other.'
Nick had this debate in his mind almost every time he got down on
himself. At this point he wanted to scream. That was the reason why he
came down to the waterfront. He just wanted to let it all out and throw his
problems to the sea.
'Wait...nevermind loving Brian...he...they don't even know about
me. How am I supposed to tell them something like this? Do they know?
No, they can't know. I can't just tell one and not the others...Forget one,
I can't tell Bri because he's the one I'm in love or I think I'm in love
with. I can't tell A.J. because I want someone who'll take this seriously
and not just shrug it off. D's cool, but we were never really close. I
don't even know if I've ever even had a really serious talk with him. I
usually have those with Frick, but he can't know about this...not yet. Oh,
and I can just forget about Kevin. Knowing him he'll just freak and yell at
me like he usually does, plus he's Bri's cousin. How do you tell your best
friend that you've fallen in love with them??? I need to talk to someone
about this or else I'm just gonna go nuts.'
Nick looked down at his hands and realized that he'd been gripping
onto the railing for some time now, holding onto it with dear life. It was
then that he realized that he had to tell someone. He needed advice or just
someone to talk to. But who? He thought to himself and mentally ran down
the list of possibilities. He pulled out his left hand from his pocket and
pulled up the sleeve of his jacket. He looked at his watch and noticed that
it was getting late. He wasn't ready to go back to the hotel just yet, but
decided on letting the guys know he was skipping dinner, and would just meet
them for breakfast.
Nick took one last look at the sea which almost always gave him
solace. He turned around and headed back towards where he came. At the
first opportunity he stretched out his right hand and hailed down a cab. He
leaned over and told the driver where to go. He leaned back in his seat and
sighed. He pulled out his cell phone to see if anyone had tried to contact
him while he was gone. He flipped on his phone and checked the display. He
saw the little sign that said he had messages in his voicemail. He dialed
the number for his phone and punched in the code for his voicemail. He put
the phone up to his ear to listen to the messages. He heard the familiar
robotic sound come through the phone.
You have two new messages...
"Nick, it's Marc. I thought I told you to keep your phone on.
Anyway, I just called to remind you that breakfast reservations are for 8
o'clock tomorrow morning. You and the guys should meet in Conference Room 1
on the second floor of the hotel. Don't be late. I'll go over the daily
schedule then. Please don't stay out too late, and don't get into any
trouble!!!"
Beep...Thursday 8:02 pm
'Why the hell does everyone think I'm so irresponsible? I'm not a
retard. Who the hell does he think he is telling me not to stay out too
late? I'll stay out as late as I Fuckin' want to.' Nick said to himself.
He hated always being told what to do. Just then he heard the next message
come on.
"Yo, Nicky. It's Bri. I just wanted to see where you headed off
to. I stopped by your room but you weren't there. We just got done playing
ball and the guys made plans to meet for dinner, and then maybe go out
later. It's a little after eight right now. I'm just gonna take a shower
and then head out. Call me in room 2102 or on my cell. Let me know what's
up."
Beep...Thursday 8:10 p.m.
Nick checked his watch and saw that Brian had only called about
twenty minutes ago. He erased the messages on his phone and dialed
information. He asked to be connected to the hotel they were staying in.
Once he got through clearance at the front desk, he was transferred to
Brian's room. After a few rings, he heard Brian on the other line.
Brian had just gotten out of the shower and only had a towel
around his waist. He heard the phone ring just as he opened the bathroom
door.
"Hello."
"Hey, Bri."
"'Sup Nick? Where are you?"
"Well, I'm in a cab right now."
"I hope you're on your way back 'cause we're meeting for dinner in
about half an hour."
"That's what I was calling about. You guys go on ahead. I'll
catch up with you at breakfast. Is that cool?"
"Yeah I guess so." Brian paused and thought about Nick distancing
himself as of late. "You sure you don't wanna go out with us tonight? It
should be fun. A.J.'s been pushing to go clubbing." Brian threw out the
last statement hoping Nick would bite.
"Naw, it's cool I think I'ma do my own thing tonight." Nick said
almost as if he were trying to get Brian's permission to not go out with
them.
"Alright." Brian let out with a hint of disappointment. "Well do
you want some company? I'm sure I can ditch the guys and we can meet up
somewhere. We haven't hung out in a while...you know, just you and me. We
could go get dinner and maybe catch a movie or something."
Nick thought about Brian's offer. As much as he wanted to spend
some quality time with Brian, alone time at that, he just wanted to be by
himself right now.
"Thanks for the offer Bri, but I'll be alright. You go on ahead.
I'm sure you'll have more fun with the guys right now than with me." Nick
let out a sigh knowing that he wanted to be with Brian right now, but he was
so confused. He wanted to be alone, but be with Brian at the same time. He
wasn't sure he could trust himself around Brian because every time he was
alone with him, he had to restrain himself from screaming to Brian, and
everyone else, how much he loved him.
"You sure Nick...I mean it's no problem." Brian wanted to try one
more time.
"Yeah...I'm sure. Just tell the guys I'll see them at breakfast."
"No prob. If you change your mind," Brian trailed off as Nick
finished his sentence for him.
"I know, I'll call you on your cell."
"Unless you're in jail and need to be bailed out, 'cause I think
it's Kev's turn to do that" Brian added wanting to end the conversation on a
lighter note.
"Funny Bri. It was one time, and it wasn't my fault! It was
Ewan's. He dared me to flash that old couple" Nick added with a laugh.
"Oh, and you couldn't have said no?"
"I told you...he double dog dared me...I couldn't refuse."
"Alright Nick. You know you can be such a kid sometimes."
"I know, I'll talk to you later Bri."
"Laterz Nick."
They both hung up the phone. Brian turned towards the suitcase
that lay open on the bed across from him. He rummaged through it searching
for something to wear for his night out on the town with the guys. He was
distracted from his search by the thought of his conversation with Nick. He
couldn't help but think how Nick always wanted to be alone lately. He
wanted to help so bad.
'What if I just make him tell me what's bothering him? At least
then I can help. We've never had this problem before. He's always been
able to come to me when he had a problem.' Brian thought to himself. He
paused, and then finished his thought. 'I hope I didn't do anything to piss
him off. But he doesn't act like he's pissed off. Shit...this sucks ass.'
Brian zipped up his pants and grabbed his bag with his gel and
toothbrush, and walked into the bathroom to finish getting ready. He turned
on the radio in the bathroom and found a station that played dance music.
He wanted to get his mind off of Nick and into the mood for tonight.
Across the hall, A.J. walked out of his room barefoot. He walked
up to Brian's door and knocked. When he didn't get an answer, he knocked
again. 'God where the hell is he?' A.J. asked himself. After knocking a
third time and getting no response, he walked down the hall towards Kevin's
room. He knocked hoping this time there would be an answer. He heard
Kevin's voice from the other side.
"What?"
"Kev, it's me open up." A.J. answered.
"I'm getting dressed."
"I know, but I need to borrow your hair dryer."
"I'm getting dressed." Kevin let out this time with more urgency.
"I heard you the first time. I just wanna use your hair dryer.
It'll take two minutes Kev. Open the door, pleeeaaassee." A.J. said
jiggling the door handle a bit.
"Fine. Hold on a sec."
A minute later Kevin came to the door and stuck his head out.
"I'm busy. What do you need A.J.?"
"I told you. I can't find my hair dryer so I came over to see if
I could use yours. Why won't you just let me in? It'll just take two
minutes. I promise."
"Fine, hold on." Kev finished and then closed the door again.
'The hell's goin' on here?' A.J. asked himself.
Just then Kevin opened the door to let A.J. in.
"Geez Kev. What's with the twenty questions? Couldn't you just
open the door instead of making me wait?"
"Huh?" Kevin said distracted, before he turned away from A.J.
"You O.K. Kev?" A.J. asked puzzled. "I thought you said you were
getting dressed. You're still in a towel, and why are you all sweaty?
Didn't you shower yet?"
"Yeah" was all Kevin could get out.
"If you say so. You're so weird sometimes."
Confused at Kevin's disposition, A.J. just decided to drop the
subject. He turned and made his way towards the bathroom.
"I'm just gonna use your hair dryer then. Is it in the bathroom?"
"Yeah, it should be on the counter." Kevin responded letting out
a sigh. He heard the sound of the hair dryer turn on and started to look
for some clothes to wear.
In the bathroom, A.J. was fiddling with his hair trying to get it
to look just the way he wanted. As he was moving his head around trying to
get all of it dry, he spotted something laying on the floor, just off to the
side, as if someone had kicked it there. He shut off the hair dryer and
bent down to pick it up. It was a magazine. Just then A.J.'s eyes shot
wide open as he pieced together why Kevin hadn't open the door right away.
"Eeeeewwww!!!" A.J. let out as he dropped the magazine.
Kevin heard A.J. shriek and turned towards the bathroom. Just
then the realization hit him. 'Shit...the Magazine!!!' Kevin thought
starting to get flushed.
A.J. walked out of the bathroom holding the magazine with his
thumb and pointer finger as if the object would soil him if he held it with
more than just his two fingers. He knew full well what Kevin was doing with
it.
"KEVIN RICHARDSON," A.J. said in a mock parental tone, "what is
this SMUT?" A.J. tried getting the question out without laughing, while
trying to embarrass Kevin even further.
"Gimme that A.J." Kevin said as he dove for what A.J. held in his
hand. He rolled it up and stuffed it in one of his bags.
"Care to explain yourself Kevy?" A.J. said as he folded his hands
across his chest trying to look stern.
"Just drop it A.J." Kevin said looking like he had just been
caught by his mother. "It's not like you guys don't do 'it' either.
Remember when Brian caught Nick doing 'it' on the bus of all places?" Kevin
added the last part hoping to change the subject and get the attention off
of himself. But A.J. wasn't that ready to just drop it.
"Yes I do. Remember Nick's bunk is directly on top of mine. Oh,
and just in case you forgot Kev, you are old enough to say 'jerkin off'
instead of 'it.' And don't change the subject. It's more fun when you get
caught."
A.J. loved to see Kevin squirm. This was one of the few times
Kevin ever got caught doing something wrong. As minor as this was, A.J.
basked in the light of Kevin's embarrassment. It was like catching a worm
when you were a kid. Just holding it and watching it try and get away.
A.J. was that kid now, and Kevin was his worm.
"So that's why you wouldn't let me in right away, and obviously
paid no attention to what I said. You know Kev, you'll go blind if you do
'it' too often." A.J. let out with a laugh.
"Alright. Fine. You win. You caught me. Now can we please drop
the subject?"
"Sure, but I'll remember this the next time I need something."
"Thank God! Now we can all get on with our lives." Kevin let out
knowing he was free...for now.
"Now finish getting dressed. We're supposed to meet the guys
soon."
"Yeah I'm almost done." Kevin buttoned up the shiny black shirt
he was wearing for tonight. "I gotta to do my hair." Kevin said as he
walked into the bathroom.
A.J. took a seat on the bed while he waited for Kevin to finish.
"You want some privacy to finish up what you were doing before?"
A.J. said deciding to toy with Kevin a bit more.
"No," he heard Kevin yell, "the moment's gone. Plus, I think I'll
have to burn my 'inspiration' since I won't be able to look at it without
thinking of you."
"I'm flattered Kev that you'd associate me with your porno
fantasies, but porn is porn."
"Yeah, and I don't like sharing my porn with ANYONE."
"Aw, I never pictured you as the possessive type. I didn't know
you had such an attachment to your porn." A.J. joked with Kevin.
Kevin peered out of the bathroom and looked at A.J.
"Dude, there's some things you just don't share."
"Kev...It's porn. Don't tell me you've never borrowed a porno mag
or a movie from a friend when you were younger."
"Hell's no."
"Not even from Brian?"
"Ewww. Especially not from Brian. He's my cousin for
chrissakes."
"That's what I'm saying. That's what cousins and big brothers are
for."
"Um, No." Kevin said with a look of disgust on his face.
"Well that's too bad 'cause your cousin has some pretty good
selections."
"What?" Kevin said obviously shocked at what A.J. had just
revealed. "He does not."
"Sorry to break it to ya, but yeah he does. Where do you think
Nick got that porn you caught him with when he was fifteen?"
"Brian? Naw, can't be."
"Yeah, I was there when he gave it to him."
"You're such a liar A.J."
"Just ask Brian or Nick." A.J. said as he paused to think about
something. "Hey, why don't you just give that magazine of yours to 'ol
Nicky if you're just going to throw it out. I'm sure he'll appreciate it.
Just think of it. According to your theory, he'll think of you every time
he jerks off." A.J. said not being able to resist the temptation of
embarrassing Kevin even further.
"Alright. Now I'm grossed out." Kevin responded to A.J.'s
comment as he finished brushing his teeth.
"You shouldn't be grossed out...you should be flattered at the
possiblity of being the star of Nick's jack-off fantasies."
"Whatever A.J., I enjoy having women in my porn."
"Hey, I don't mind having women in my porn...just as long as they
keep their clothes on...and...uh, Kev, if it's a video...as long as the
women get out of the scene before all the action starts. You know before
the guy gets down and..."
"I don't want to hear it." Kevin cut off A.J. before he got into
detail.
"Hey, you started it."
"And now I'm gonna end it." Kevin said walking out of the
bathroom. He looked as hot as ever in his black boots and tight fighting
leather pants. His shiny, black shirt was tucked in and buttoned only half
way exposing his tight, muscular, chest just enough to get the imagination
going.
"Fine." A.J. stated as he turned towards Kevin. He let his gaze
last longer than usual. Kevin noticed A.J. staring and a devious smile
crossed his lips.
"Alex," Kevin started, "didn't yer mamma tell ya not to stare?
It's impolite." Kevin finished trying to lay on his southern drawl as thick
as possible for A.J.
"Huh?" was all A.J. could get out.
"A.J. stop staring or you'll go blind."
A.J., being the embarrassed one this time, picked his jaw up off
of the floor where it had fallen to earlier. Trying to think of a witty
remark to recover from his embarrassment. He turned to Kevin and said,
"Naw, I think you should worry about others going blind from that shirt
you're wearing."
"Oh you're just jealous."
"Of what?"
"Me." Kevin said with the utmost confidence.
A.J. rolled his eyes at Kevin and said, "Whatever. C'mon lets go
I need to grab some shoes before we leave."
Kevin grabbed his jacket and headed back down the hall with A.J.
A.J. slipped his key card in the door and opened it. He held the door open
and let Kevin in. As soon as the door closed, A.J. headed towards the
closet. Kevin took a seat on the bed as A.J. picked out a pair of shoes to
wear.
"Boots or dress shoes?" A.J. asked holding up both pairs for
Kevin to choose from.
"Boots." Kevin answered.
"Dress shoes it is then." A.J. said with a smile.
"Why even bother asking?" Kevin said exasperated.
"Dunno."
"I hate you." Kevin said already immune to A.J.'s little quirks.
He decided to change the subject instead. "Have you heard from Nick?"
"Nope. Brian said he'd call him though."
"He's probably not coming then."
"How do you know?" A.J. asked as he took a seat on the other bed
across from Kevin.
Kevin turned to face A.J. and leaned back on the bed propping
himself up on his elbows. "He hasn't gone out with us the last few times.
What makes you think this is any different? He's like ignoring us."
"Well you shouldn't write him off so easily. Maybe he has stuff
to do."
"A.J., we're in New York. What 'STUFF' does he possibly have to
do here."
A.J. knew Kevin was right, but he still felt like he needed to
defend Nick and his actions, as of late, to Kevin.
"I don't know...maybe he's got issues, and just wants to be left
alone."
"Issues? What issues?" Kevin said as his interest grew in the
conversation.
"I don't know." A.J. said knowing from Kevin's tone that he had
just said the wrong thing. He only hopped Kevin wouldn't push the subject
any further.
"You don't know? Or you won't tell me? Spill it A.J."
'No such luck,' A.J. thought to himself. "I really don't know
Kevin."
"Well, have you talked to him? How do you know he has issues? Has
he talked to you or Brian, or anyone? 'Cause he hasn't talked to me."
Kevin said starting to get slightly irritated.
"I don't know." A.J. said hoping Kevin would stop questioning
him. But deep down, he knew Kevin wouldn't. It wasn't his style to just
drop the conversation.
"A.J., how could you know that he has issues and not know anything
else?" Kevin said starting to get annoyed with A.J.'s answers or lack there
of.
"I don't know." Was all A.J. could come up with.
"If you say 'I don't know' one more time, I'll kick your ass A.J."
"Fine," A.J. started as he felt Kevin pressuring him more for
answers, "I hate it when you get like this. All I know is that Brian talked
to Nick and told him that if he needed our help, we're here for him." A.J.
hoped that this would be enough to get Kevin off of his back.
"And?"
"And what?" A.J. asked innocently.
"A.J." Kevin said knowing when A.J. was withholding information.
"Fine...AND...that Nick said it was 'one of those things' he
needed to figure out on his own. Those were his exact words and that's all
I know. I swear." A.J. said out of breath from Kevin's interrogation.
"Hmmmmm." Kevin let out as he thought to himself.
"Hmmmmm...what?" A.J. asked puzzled.
"Nothing." The table's were now turned and it was Kevin's turn at
being vague.
"No!!! That wasn't a 'Hmmmmm' nothing. That was a 'Hmmmmm'
something Kevin."
"Well what do you want me to say?" Kevin knew he was toying with
A.J.
"I want you to tell me what that little 'Hmmmmm' of yours meant."
Satisfied with giving A.J. a taste of his own medicine, Kevin sat
up straight which caused A.J. to do the same.
"Well, you should know what it means if that is what Nick said.
It should all be familiar to you."
"Me? Why me?" A.J. asked confused. "Stop being so cryptic and just
tell me Kev."
"Fine. You're no fun by the way." Kevin said with a smile on his
face.
"Like I care." A.J. said sticking his tongue out at Kevin.
"Don't you see? Nick's acting and saying the same things you said
when you were about his age. He's probably going through the same things
you were."
"What? Who? Nicky?" A. J. said with surprise and disbelief.
"Yeah, you're so dense. It all makes sense now. He wants to be
alone, he's distancing himself, he needs to 'figure things out on his own.'
You said and did those very same things to me when I asked you if you were
ok back then, right before we had that talk remember?"
A.J. was silent as he thought about what Kevin had said, and as he
thought about the "talk" Kevin referred to. If Kevin was right, A.J.
thought, then Nick's going through hell right now because that's what I had
to go through. He turned back to Kevin and looked into his eyes for
confirmation. He knew that Kevin was convinced he was right.
"Naw. It can't be. If those are the facts you're going by Kev,
then remember when Howie got the same way. When he got all depressed and
wouldn't talk to any of us for weeks?" A.J. questioned trying to disprove
what Kevin had proposed.
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Well, Howie told us later that it was over that girl who he said
he fell in love with, but wouldn't go out with him because she had just
broken up with her boyfriend and wanted to try and work things out
with her ex."
"Yeah, so?"
"So...It could be the same for Nick." A.J. said pleased with
himself.
"Alright fine. Then it could be on of two things. A.) Nick's in
love, or in love with someone who doesn't love him, or just got his heart
broken...or...B.) He's gay."
Just then they heard a knock at the door. A.J. turned to Kevin to
get the final word in.
"Don't go jumping to any conclusions Kev. And keep this between
us for now, K?" A.J. said as he got up to answer the door.
"Fine. But let me know if you hear more."
"Fine. We'll talk more about it later."
A.J. opened the door and found Brian and Howie waiting for them.
"You guys ready yet?" Brian asked.
"Yeah." Kevin and A.J. said in unison.
"Then let's go. I'm starving." Howie added in.
With that A.J. pulled the door shut to his room.
****************************************************************
First, I'd like to appologize to those who wrote me for telling
you that I'd have this chapter out sooner. I originally wanted to post it
days ago. I got caught up in writing this chapter and it actually turned
out to be longer than what you've just read. I decided to split it just to
be mean...just kidding. I really wanted yall to read all that I've written
so far, but I thought it was too long and that people would lose interest.
So, what did you think? What do you think so far? What did you
like? Who do you like? I wanna hear from all of ya reading this. I'm
kinda curious as to where you think the story is going, or where you'd like
it to go. Or if you hate the story. I have a plan for the story and know
where it will end up, I think, but it seems like as I keep writing, the path
tends to swerve and get more interesting. But nothing is set in stone so
E-mail me!!!
rtstories@hotmail.com
Lastly, I'd like to thank all of you who wrote me. Like I said, I
am an avid reader of the nifty archive but never wrote any of the authors.
Now that I've converted I've actually begun a dialogue with some of my
favorite authors. And they're really cool!!! Hi guys!!!