Date: Thu, 04 Apr 2002 18:51:02 +0000
From: Christopher Barrett <aliens_in_your_horizon@hotmail.com>
Subject: Building Dreams chapters 11-14

Here it is...another wad of text to infuse through your brains.  This is
kind of an action to get me motivated to update my other story (sorry to
everyone who has been waiting for an update on SLJ).

Enjoy

Disclaimer: don't know 'em, don't own 'em, and certainly don't mean to
imply anything about anyone.  I think I actually own the fictional
characters I have created though, so I can claim summat!!

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

Chapter Eleven

Strong sunlight streamed through the wide windows, devoid of any barrier
with the parted curtains flanking them limply.  The gentle reality of the
room presented itself to the silent and ignorant World beyond the four
walls; two forms, breathing in time with one another, intricately tangled
in each other's limbs under the protection of heavy blankets and such,
perfectly at ease.

Slumber filled eyelids split apart, exposing my eyes to the reality of my
stage.  Justin laid so close to me.  I could feel the warmth spilling from
his body all over me, the touch of his skin threaded over my tired limbs
like some reassuring veil and the calming caress of his breathing on my
neck.  I didn't know what to do first.  My gut was telling me to strengthen
those bonds that already seemed shared between us, if not by words but by
touch; to kiss him to waking and indulge in the expected exchanges to
follow.  My head was filled with my pessimism; with theories of
drunkenness, of confusion, of mistakes and regrets and influenced
actions...

"Morning."  The softness of the words took me by surprise.  I couldn't
speak.

"Why are you upset?" Justin asked cautiously.  "I can leave if you want."
His hold on me loosened.  I had to think quickly, but my desperation was
consuming my rationality.

"This isn't a mistake?" I asked seriously.

"What?  No."  He began to lift himself onto his elbow.  "Not for me."  He
looked upset.

"You don't regret this?  Can you remember anything?" I began panicking,
barely hearing his responses.

"What are you saying?  Why are you being like this?"  His face became a
mixture of angry and sad.

"I've really messed up." I muttered to myself, holding my head in my hands,
"Damn.  Damn.  I'm so sorry Justin."

"No.  It's fine!" Justin shouted angrily, rushing out of bed, "I'm the one
who's sorry, Chris!"  He slammed the door as he exited the room.

The silence of the room took on a new, menacing atmosphere, so different to
the quiet hush of morning that had been.  Its replacement threw accusing
looks at me from every direction.  What have you done?  I quickly got out
of bed, picking up my clothes and hastily dressing.  Every piece of
furniture seemed to scream at me; "We are his.  You aren't!  What are you
doing!  Sharing his bed!  He doesn't know who he is anymore.  And it's your
fault".  I held back any tears of frustration, of confusion, pricking at my
eyes and ran from the room.  I retrieved my bag from the hall downstairs,
seeing Britney on the way.

"Morning."  She greeted me, taking a large gulp of her hot coffee, looking
less than star like in her oversized pyjamas with her hair all messy, "Hey,
did you see Justin?  He looked well pissed off when I saw him upstairs.
Ran into the bathroom.  Said he wanted to be alone.  I expect he's going to
reacquaint himself with all those tequilas."

"Pissed off?  Shit." I ranted, countering her puzzled look with a light and
unconvincing laugh.

"So, are you getting a shower now?"  She motioned to my overnight bag.

"Oh, no.  Err... I have to go now.  Could you tell Justin that I'm sorry
for last night?"

"Okay, but he was worse than you." Britney laughed.

"Oh, right."  I performed my transparent laugh again "Just tell him that
not everything we do matters.  No, I mean that his life doesn't have to be
determined by a single thing.  And it's okay because everyone makes
mistakes."

"Okay..." She humoured me,

"And that I'm not going to see him any differently because of it.  Like, I
won't want anything from him."

"Did something happen last night that I don't know about?"  She quizzed.

"You'll have to ask Justin."  I laughed, not wanting to explain something
to her that I wasn't sure Justin would want to remember.

"How are you getting home?"  Britney asked lightly.

"Can I get a coach or something?"

"There's a coach station in town.  It's about fifteen minutes walking.  If
you waited a little while, I could get Frances, the chauffeur, to drive you
there, although he wasn't impressed with you last night!"  She laughed.

"No, that's fine.  I really need to go now.  Thanks for the information."
I called back as I raced out of the house.

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

The coach journey back to LA was tedious, stopping every so often, making
me more and more frustrated, so I ended up sleeping most of the way.  Once
I had returned to my hotel, I fell into a chair and sighed heavily.  I
couldn't stop thinking about what had happened.  I couldn't remove the
image of Justin's angry face and the slamming of the door from my mind.  I
had really mucked everything up.  We could never stay friends now.  I
couldn't imagine how confused he must be.  The drone of the telephone
roused me from my thoughts.

"Mr Barrett, I was just wondering how everything's going."  The expectant,
singsong of the near forgotten Mr Fuller sounded in my ear.

"Oh.  It's going fine, I guess."  I said dully.

"Good."  He replied with doubt, "I was thinking maybe you'd want another
meeting with your client as it's been a considerable amount of time since
the last."

"Oh?"  I sounded surprised, "I saw him yesterday."

"You did?"  His voice became stiff, "You must remember that all contact
with Mr Timberlake and Miss Spears must be done with the proper preparation
and security."  He softened his tone, "You must remember that they are very
highly wanted by the media and we mustn't make any... mistakes."

His words jabbed at my lungs.

"Of course."  I sighed, "I don't think you'll have to worry about that
anymore."  I sat up in my chair, "I'm very sorry to tell you this Mr
Fuller, but I have decided to resign from this project."

"Huh?"  The PR façade was dropped momentarily, but quickly regained,
"Why have you made this very unexpected decision?"

"My involvement in the project isn't beneficial to the clients and that is
where my interest lay."

"Have you been offered another project?" He demanded, "We shall meet the
offer, if not exceed it."

"No, I haven't."

He sounded desperate, attempting to regain some authority,

"You know, you are breaching the contract."  He cleared his throat, "Mr
Timberlake and Miss Spears must agree to let you go.  If you don't want us
to take legal action."

"Whatever."  I said, disinterested.

"I'll contact Mr Timberlake and Miss Spears for a consultation.  Keep
working in the meantime, won't you?  I don't want to be paying you to take
a vacation."

"Goodbye Mr Fuller."  I dropped the phone down.

To keep my mind away from thoughts of Justin, I attempted to throw myself
back into my work, even if it would ultimately be fruitless.  The time
moved to the swirls and scars of my steely pen on the paper, my thoughts
bleeding to nothing with the plumes of watercolour on the monotone pages,
bringing some lightness and joy to my mood as I strived for perfect
drawings.  Tired from working, I began to distract myself with TV, writing
and reading later in the day, although my worries began reasserting the
pressure on my temples and behind my eyes.  The anxiety made my stomach
feel clogged and diseased.  Happily I lay down on my bed, my eyes open,
almost willing the phone to ring.  I speedily reached for the receiver,

"Jus-" I started, then stopped myself, "Hello?"

"Hi."

"Britney?" I gasped.

"Thanks for the warm welcome."

"Sorry, I just didn't expect you to call." I realised why, "How did you get
my number?"

"Ah!" She laughed shortly, "I stole it from Justin."

I couldn't say anything for a moment.

"Chris?  You still there?"

"Yeah," I said calmly, "Why did you call?"

"There's the little matter of the movie premiere."

"Shit!  I'd forgotten."

"Hmm, are you still coming?"

"You want me to?"  I questioned.

"Sure.  Look, I realise that something has happened between you and Justin
but-"

"What?  You know?"

"Well, I don't know exactly.  I just know that he wasn't too happy with you
when I spoke to him this morning."

"Oh," I said sadly, "Is he okay, though?"

"He's switching between highly depressed and really angry.  He'll tell me
what's wrong when he's ready."

"Britney?"

"Uh-huh."

"I've asked Mr Fuller if I can be dropped from the project."

"Why?" She demanded, "I mean, you've been doing okay, haven't you?"

"Well, it's all this involvement with you and Justin.  Now that I've messed
up with Justin, I don't think it's wise to stay."

"You're still coming to the premiere, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but I thought after that I should leave."

"What has happened to make you so miserable and him so, um, miserable?"
Britney cried out, "No, wait!  I don't want to think about this.  Do you
want to go shopping for your premiere rags tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I do need something good to wear."

"Maybe by then I'll have got the story from Justin and we can have a good
talk about this and sort you two out."

"Thanks for being so understanding."

"Oh, I don't understand anything!" She protested, "Yet."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, I'll call round about two o'clock."

"Okay, bye!"

"See ya!"

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

Britney Saves the Day

Tomorrow arrived quickly as I slept for a long time, the questions buzzing
in my brain combining to become a fast acting sedative.  I woke after
midday and motivated myself to get ready to meet Britney and her knowledge
of the other day.  I almost felt like ignoring the knock on the door when
it came but, with great trepidation, I allowed her in.

"Oh Chris!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around me, "I don't know what
to think!"

"I guess you heard then?"

"Oh yeah, I wore him down."  She drew back to look me in the eye, "I kinda
guessed anyway.  After you asking me about Justin, then him telling me how
he didn't know what he was feeling."

"Sorry I messed him around."

"Hmm, that's the part I don't get."

"What?  You should be angry with me."  I said carefully. "Not all
sympathetic."

"Let's just hit the stores, then I'll talk about this afterwards, okay?"
She said, grabbing my hand.  "There's a cab waiting."

Silently, and slightly dumbfounded, I let her take me away for a heavy dose
of retail relaxation.

Britney had an incredible knowledge of the shops in the area and I seemed
to be shoved from shop to shop with amazing speed.  Her enthusiasm was
uncontrollable and I acted merely to catch the various garments she threw
at me to try on.  It was fun none the less and I ended up with something
that was maybe slightly pricey for my personal tastes, but with the Britney
Spears seal of approval, I was safe in the knowledge that I wouldn't look
out of place at the premiere.  After what seemed like ages, we paused at a
coffee house for a well-deserved rest, and the inevitable talk.  We ordered
and I nervously awaited my fate.

"So."  Britney began brightly, "Last night."

"Last night." I repeated warily.

"What you two did, I'm not too concerned about.  Let's just say that it was
intimate."  She clasped her hands together.  I nodded and she continued,
"You wake up together and you tell Justin that it was a mistake."

"Yeah."  I said guiltily.

"And he rushes off all angry."

"Yeah."

Our coffees arrived and Britney paid, thanking the waiter and taking a deep
gulp of her drink.  I blew off the steam from mine and stirred it.

"Why did you tell him that it was a mistake?"

"Because I didn't want that to happen."  I explained, "Justin and I
agreed..."  I trailed off.

"It has happened before then?"

"Once.  We got drunk and kissed."

"Only once?" Britney raised her eyebrows, and then elaborated, "I mean, you
kissed once then stopped."

"No." I looked down, partly ashamed of my actions, partly embarrassed that
I was telling this to Britney, "We kissed until we slept."  I couldn't help
but smile at the memory.

"I take it that you're not against the idea of you and Just kissing some
more?" She asked me with innuendo, "Sorry.  I just meant that it's a happy
memory."

"Yeah, it is."

"So what was your problem with it happening again?"

"I didn't want me and Justin to, you know, do anything until he was certain
about how he felt."  I explained, "We kissed ages ago, when I was at his
house, and he freaked out."

"You thought that he might regret it happening?"

"Well, he does, doesn't he?  He was so angry the other day, I thought it
was like I'd failed him."

"Hold on!" She put up a hand to stop me, "You think he's disappointed with
you?"

"Well, yes."

"Whoa!" She chuckled into her coffee, "You don't know how wrong you are."

"How do you mean?" I frowned.

"Justin is into you."  She smiled.

"He's into me?" I queried.

"Yeah." She took my hand, "Like really.  He totally knows what he feels."
She noticed the black ink on my hand, now fading, "He wants you, Chris."

I couldn't say anything.

"Why couldn't he tell me?"

"I don't know.  Maybe because you kept on at him that he should be sure,
and he kept on listening!"  She laughed lightly.  "And now, he thinks that
you're rejecting him.  Like you used him or something."

"Oh fuck!" I said loudly, lowering my head.  Some people from the other
tables bent their heads to see what the noise was about.  "I'm so happy!" I
couldn't contain myself.  "I can make it right, then?"

"Well, he's real pissed."  Britney reasoned, "Maybe when you come to the
premiere..."

"When is that?  I just realised that I still don't know."

"Must've slipped everyone's mind to tell you."

"So how long have I got to lose a few pounds, get a facelift and trade in
my old personality?" I laughed.

"Err," Britney began, rolling up her sleeve and looking at her watch, "Will
two hours do?"

"Today?  It's today?"  I gasped, "How will I get ready in time.  I mean
I've got to go back to my hotel and shower and everything!"

"Hey, don't worry.  You can come get ready with me."  Britney said
excitedly, "It'll be great.  I can do your hair!"  She laughed.

"Oh, God, thanks.  I think."

"Let's get going!"

Leaving my untouched coffee still wafting its clouds of steam into the air
and smiling stupidly, I left with Britney.

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

Chapter Twelve

The remainder of my afternoon dissolved quickly as I felt an army
butterflies hatching in my stomach, waiting to cause a wave of apprehension
later.  Getting ready with Britney was something of an experience.  In my
excited state I had forgotten that she would have some help in her
preparation; two people, a man and a woman, were waiting for us when we
arrived at her apartment.  The man was a very expensive hair stylist and
the woman was a similarly priced beauty technician (if I can remember her
title properly).  Britney ordered them, using a suitably bossy tone, to
"care" for me too.  I managed to avoid most of the lady's advances,
persuading her that I'd rather look oily than wear foundation, although I
enthusiastically took up the man's offer of some hair treatment.  My secret
passion for colouring my hair was released and I ended up having some
blonde high lights with my hair waxed up into a messy Mohican.  Even though
I was feeling nervous about what was to come once we arrived at the
premiere, the act of getting myself together was exhilarating.  I was
feeling better than ever once I had put on the clothes that I had bought
earlier in the day.

I wore a suit, although it was quite a unique suit.  The shirt was made
from layers of net with silver thread running through in a tartan pattern
and I left the first few buttons open so it fell into a, quite flattering
V.  The suit material was a kind of tweed and looked slightly rough and
worn, with some metal clips running down the discreetly open seam of my
right leg to make it sexier, according to Britney.  When I was pulling at
the sleeves of my jacket in front of a mirror and checking for any loose
threads or dust, Britney, in a near coordinating outfit, keeping the net
and ripped theme, walked up behind me, carrying her heels in one hand.
Smiling at my reflection, she put her arm around my shoulders and said,

"If he doesn't have you when you look like this, then I'll happily take you
off his hands."  She leant in and kissed me on the cheek.  She stood,
hanging onto my shoulder for a second longer, just looking at our
reflection, before her eyes brightened again, "Oh, I nearly forgot."

"What?"

She released my shoulder and rolled a bracelet from her wrist.  She placed
it into my palm, closing her hand over mine.

"I want you to wear this tonight."

"Thanks." I said uncertainly, not knowing any significance and not sure
whether I wanted to wear a ladies bracelet.

She uncovered my upturned hand and, nestling within the cushions of warm,
pink flesh, lay a string of dazzlingly clear diamonds with platinum
settings, composed in a row of criss-crosses.  I slid my fingers into its
centre and stretched them, revealing the true, astounding beauty of the
formation.  I couldn't speak for a moment, amazed with its absolute
filtration and reflection of the light, as these were the first diamonds I
had held.

"Britney, I..." I trailed off, still enthralled by the piece of jewellery,
"I can't wear this."

"Oh, I know it's a girl's..." She said casually,

"No, I meant that it's way too precious!" I nearly choked.

"But it's important that you wear it."  She unclasped it and then fixed it
around my slim wrist.  "There you go, perfect fit."

I turned my arm, so as to reveal the truly astounding quality, absorbed in
the way that the gems cut the light into its component colours within their
centres, almost as if there was some different world within each.

"This is just for tonight, though."  Britney dropped her hand onto my wrist
to let her fingers brush lightly across the perfect surfaces, "This is kind
of special to me, so I'd be grateful if you look after it."

"Oh, I won't let it out of my sight." I smiled broadly into her beaming
reflection, "I don't really know why you've lent this to me, but thanks so
much.  I feel honoured to wear it."

She gave me a brief hug, then putting a finger to each of her eyes, said,

"Oh, shit!  I mustn't cry.  I'd better go off complete the look an' all."

She left me, still obsessed with the metal around my wrist, in front of the
tall mirror.

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

The borrowed item on my wrist soon allowed my attention to extend to the
world surrounding me, although every ten minutes the diamonds would catch
the light and draw my eye to it.  I talked excitedly in the limousine with
Britney all the way to the venue, looking out of the tinted windows every
so often in my anticipation of arriving.  She had a remarkable ability to
calm me down every time that I became anxious about stepping out of the
limo in front of the inevitable camera flashes, or when I started stressing
myself about reconciling Justin and me.  When the time came, I looked back
at Britney, who wore an unsurpassable smile on her face that I could tell
was actually felt, took a deep breath and exited the car in the most
graceful way I could manage.  Seeing me emerge didn't cause any change in
the burbling of the journalists flanking the entrance, but as my "date"
slid out from the dark confines of the vehicle, the air seemed to split
open with shouts from the reporters and explosions of camera flashes.
Britney whispered encouragement in my ear and linked arms with me.

Despite my reservations and insecurities, I couldn't help but feel
intensely proud as I walked along the stretch of red carpet.  The situation
I found kind of humorous, being that all the shouts from the photographers
were for "Britney and her boyfriend", but the stirrings of pride, of
desire, if only for our attention, were overwhelming.  Britney had
instructed me as to which newspapers we would talk to, and I let her take
me to those reporters and steer me away from the rest.  I wasn't asked much
thankfully, though I hadn't expected any questions in my direction, but
smiled warmly in the background as Britney threw out a few answers.  Once
we had reached the reassuring, if restricted, confines of the auditorium, I
let out a huge sigh of relief, flavoured with adrenaline filled excitement.

"Whoa!"  Britney screamed at me, "That wasn't too bad, was it?"

"No, I suppose not." I laughed, "Although you were suggestive as to the
state of our, um, friendship."

"Oh, I like to give them some red herrings."  She chuckled.

"Are they here yet?" I asked with desperation.

"Who?  Oh, the boys?  Hmm, doesn't seem so."

I suddenly realised, if only by the stench of ego, I was surrounded by
celebrities.  I had imagined that I would not recognise all of them, as I
didn't watch many American TV programmes, but I certainly recognised some
musicians and film actors.  For a moment, I felt very, very nervous, but
considering that I was here by invitation of Britney Spears, and an
acquaintance of N Sync, the shock was dispersed, although I felt very, very
un-famous.

"Hey!  Cate!" Britney called to a tall, thin looking lady with light blonde
hair, wearing an effervescent dress.  She turned around, and I realised
that it was Cate Blanchett.  She smiled and began to approach us.

"What do I say?"  I hissed at Britney.

"Whatever you like." She replied.  "Hi, how are you?  How is your baby?"
She turned to the actor.

"Oh, I'm fine, and the baby's even finer."  Cate answered in a delicate,
Australian accent.  "I don't think we've met."

"This is Chris Barrett, my date."  Britney said brightly, "He's English."

"Yeah, sorry about that." I joked.

"Oh, don't worry about it.  So, are you an actor or something?"

"No, I'm an architect."  I said, blushing lightly.

"Britney!  You've got someone with a real job!" Cate laughed.

"Oh, he's not mine, unfortunately."  Britney responded.  I resented being
talked about slightly, but remained smiling.  Cate said her goodbyes and
wandered off.

"God, that was nerve wracking!" I said quietly to Britney and we walked off
into the depths of the crowd.

After I had been completely saturated with most of the celebrities that I
either had great respect for, found distractingly attractive or both,
Britney tugged at my arm.

"Look, your real date is here."

My gaze followed the direction of hers and I could see the various figures
of N Sync and their respective dates.  Justin was the only one who lacked
company.  He looked so fine though.  He wore a black suit, which seemed to
shimmer slightly, with a ripped, faded tee under the jacket.  As I looked
closer, I could see a line of safety pins running like railway sleepers
across his chest diagonally.  I made an audible sigh of approval, smilingly
broadly.  Britney jabbed my side,

"You like his outfit?  I helped him choose it."

The reality dawned on me that we were dressed to coordinate.  Although, at
first, I reasoned that this maybe a product of Britney's taste, her
sparkling eyes told me that this was no coincidence.  Justin's eyes
wandered over to us, then seeing me, quickly looked away.

"You're gonna have to go speak with him."

"Uh-huh." I uttered, "I still don't know what to say."

"Hey, Justin!" Britney shouted, waving her arm, and then whispered in my
ear, "You're gonna have to think up something."

He turned and began to make his way towards us through the forest of
people.
  I found it difficult to look at him without staring or nervously shifting
my gaze.  He reached us all too soon it seemed.  I cracked a smile on my
lips.  Britney pulled him into a hug.

"Hi honey!  You look great!"  She waxed.

"Thanks to you."  He said humbly as they broke apart, his eyes flickered
across at me.  "So, you came?"

"Yeah.  You look really good." I said quietly.  "How did you find the press
outside?"

"Oh, they were no problem.  I can deal with their kind of manipulation." He
said icily.

I looked down, sensing my stomach beginning to putrefy slowly at his words.

"Will you be sitting with us?"  Britney asked cheerfully.

"Sure will."  Justin responded with guarded enthusiasm, adding, "Well, I
don't have a date."

I tried to talk again,

"What about the rest of the guys?"  I wished that I wasn't being so
conversational.

"Dunno.  I reckon they will; we don't really like anyone enough here."

"Great." I replied banally.

"Okay, see you later then, Just."  Britney said forcefully.  When he had
gone out of hearing distance, Britney took my hand and squeezed it hard,
"What's the problem, Chris?  You were so cold back there."

"I find it really difficult to be... expressive when it's being shared, if
you get what I mean."

"Oh, Honey!"  Britney said sympathetically, "Don't worry, I'll think of
something."

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For trying so much when you needn't."

"Oh, phooey needn't.  This is my best friend and my new best friend's
happiness we're talking about."  She grinned at me.

"You know, I'm so pleased we met." I said affectionately, "And I only hope
that I can make up for all this."

Taking my arm hostage again, Britney marched me off for more socialising.

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

Eventually, the masses were asked to file into the theatre to see the
movie.
  We kept a look out for Justin and the rest of the guys over the heads of
the bustling crowd.  Catching his eye, Britney and I chose a row once
secure in the knowledge that he would seek us out.  I settled nervously in
my seat, sighing heavily and playing with my hair.  Our company arrived and
they found their seats, Justin sitting next to Britney, beginning to chat
to her.  I kept quiet, preferring to say nothing and have no effect, than
say something stupid and making things worse.  I waited patiently for the
movie to start.

The film was quite good really, although it still carried those tiresome,
obvious morals that seemed to accompany all Hollywood products and the
awful stench of "the beautiful people".  I was too preoccupied to
completely lose myself in the storyline even though it was easy to pick up
on the action when I applied myself.  After half an hour or so, Britney
stood up, apologising that she needed to use the bathroom.  Once she had
gone, Justin and I looked across at one another now that the barrier
separating us had been removed, smiled shortly at one another, returning
our gaze to the screen.

A hushed disturbance signalled Britney's return as she fought her way back
to her seat.  As she approached Justin, he stood to let her pass, but she
put her hand on his arm, saying,

"Oh, don't worry.  Why don't you just move along?  I've been wanting to
annoy Joey all night."  She suggested casually, although that glimmer of
intent and even deviousness danced in her eyes.  She gave him a little
nudge, encouraging him to move.

Shrugging, but looking hesitant, Justin occupied the seat beside me.
Giving me a "thumbs up" out of his sight, Britney threw herself into the
vacated seat.  Pulling at his jacket sleeve, Justin threw me a polite
smile: his eyes shifting nervously, as did mine.  We sat in silence for a
while, though unable to resist glancing at one another from time to time.
I curved by arm back to rub the back of my neck, exposing the bracelet
hanging rigidly from my wrist.  Justin quickly turned to me upon noticing
the item.

"Where did you get that?"  He interrogated me.

"Oh, this.  Britney lent it to me."  I said with a touch of pride.  "She
came up to me and told me to wear it just before we left."

"Hmm, do you know anything about it?"  Justin asked carefully.

"No." I said slowly, "But it's very beautiful."

There was a flurry of hushes at our conversation so we abruptly stopped,
resuming watching the movie.

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

I had begun to feel drowsy at the end of the movie and, as the steady
stream of credits signalled the finish, I was shocked to find my hand being
grasped.  Firstly thinking it was Britney, I began to stand, waiting for
the inevitable squeals of insistence, but Justin's voice found my ears,
"Come on.  We can use my ride to get home."  Looking back at me, he added,
"I want to talk to you."  I was put off balance by the force he was using
to drag me to the exit and into the limousine.  I had started muttering
some protest, but was completely thrown by his actions.  He rapidly boarded
the limo, sitting close beside me and grabbed my wrist, rolling up my
sleeve to see the bracelet again.

"My God, it is!" He hissed.

"What?" I said, my voice breaking slightly with the wetness of tears in my
eyes as his grip tightened.  "Justin you are hurting me."

He softened his hold and broke his gaze from the jewellery.

"Britney gave you this?"

"For tonight, yes."  I inhaled deeply, trying to calm down, "Why is it so
important to you?"

He let go of my hand and shifted himself away from me, to prop himself in
the corner.

"I gave it to her.  It was a present."

"A very expensive present." I said in awe.

"Yeah, well, she's important to me."

"But why does it affect you so that she has lent me this?"  I pleaded,
"Please, Justin.  I don't like seeing you so hurt."

"Ha!"  He choked, "You don't like seeing me so hurt!  What was the other
day about?  You know; the one where you tell me that I'm a mistake."  His
eyes shone.

"That was a misunderstanding.  I was so disappointed with myself."  I
explained.

"Why?  Because you'd spent the night with me?"  He laughed bitterly, "Well,
you don't have much to worry about; we didn't even kiss.  Then, I suppose
you'd have wanted something out of it, so I'm sorry."

"No, Justin."  I couldn't stop crying out, "I was disappointed that I'd
broken the agreement that we had made."  I took his hand, "You know; the
one which said we shouldn't get intimate or anything, until you had sorted
your head out."

"But I have."  Justin shouted, "You didn't even ask me that in the
morning."

"Justin, we were drunk.  I didn't know what you wanted from me."  I curled
my fingers around his, "But I do now.  Britney told me."

"Oh great!  Now my best friend's telling everyone stuff said in
confidence!"

"But it was important that I knew."  I paused, saying quietly, "Like it's
important that I feel the same.  I'm really falling for you, Justin."

A lengthy silence filled the air between us as Justin thought over my
admission and as I recovered from the effort I had needed to put a voice to
my feelings.  Only the drones of the machinery of the car around us
infringed on the calm, forming a consistent tune to which we could sort
through our own, personal confusion.  Justin breathed deeply,

"Wow."  He took a few more deep breaths and I felt as if I wanted to hide
my face.

What if he didn't really want me?  What if Britney had got it wrong?  What
if he had changed his mind?

"Wow."  He repeated, turning to smile shyly at me.

"Are you okay?" I stuttered, "You aren't angry, are you?  Oh, don't tell me
that I've got it wrong again!"

"I'm good."  He reassured me, squeezing my hand.  "Okay," He giggled, "Now
I feel embarrassed."

"Why?  I'm the one who feels embarrassed.  I can't believe I said that."

"Why am I embarrassed?"  He clarified, "It's not everyday that the guy
you've thought about every minute since meeting him tells you that he's
falling for you."

It was my turn to smile shyly.  I could feel my cheeks burning red and I
found it difficult to look him in the eye.

"This is kind of scary."  Justin said slowly, still smiling, his other hand
finding mine.

"Yeah." I uttered.  I could feel my chest rising and falling heavily to
match my breathing.

"I guess this is the part where we kiss."  Justin suggested.

"We've done that before." I murmured.

"But we're not drunk this time."  Justin said, worried, "So, it's like our
first."

"Yeah," I agreed, conveniently forgetting our real first kiss, although
that didn't last long enough to qualify in my eyes.  I closed my eyes as
Justin's face approached mine.

I felt his lips press against mine ever so gently, almost as if it was
merely a breath of wind stroking my skin, although this was warm.  We
pressed harder together, our bodies shifting closer to make it easier.  I
parted my lips more, obliging his smooth, wet tongue to enter my mouth,
searching my warmth and meeting my own tongue.  His machinations within me
sent a jolt down to my groin and I could feel myself become aroused.  I
carefully sucked his tongue as he moved yet closer to me, his hands freeing
themselves of mine and moving to my head and side.  I felt as if all my
body was lost to his control, but I felt perfectly secure being under his
spell.  Finally we separated

I paused before opening my eyes, afraid that the buzzing in my ears, the
feathers in my head and the fizzing residue on my lips were merely the
product of a cruel dream or vivid imagination.  The image before me
dispelled the doubts, planting my experience firmly in the realms of
reality.  Justin was grinning at me, the corners of his mouth curved up
slightly, but his smile blown into insignificance by the dancing light in
his eyes.  He moulded his arms to my sides and pulled me so close to him
that it seemed we had to breathe alternately to allow our chests to expand
and compress against one another.  He hooked his head over my shoulder and
I mimicked the action.

"Was that okay?" He whispered into my ear.  "For a first kiss?"

"That was the best ever." I said. "Was it for you too?"

"Yeah, the best ever."  He affirmed, kissing my ear lobe, which made me
chuckle.  "So, where do we go from here?"

"I don't know."  I said softly, "I still don't want to rush into anything."

"Me neither."  He giggled, "Although I don't know if I can restrain myself.
Right now, I just want to touch you all over."

"Oh God." I said to myself, biting my lip with determination, "You don't
know how tempting that sounds."

"I do." He groaned.  "But, you're right; we should do this slowly."  He
broke the embrace to a combined feeling of disappointment.

"You okay back there?" A strict, loud voice demanded from a speaker near
us.

"Yeah, sure.  We're okay."  Justin called back to his chauffeur, and then
lowered his voice, "He can get real nosy sometimes."

I chuckled.

"We are almost at the airport."  The hard voice informed us.

"Great."  Justin replied, and then turned to me, "Hey, did you want to go
back to your hotel, cause I can get you home if you want."  Then, becoming
shy, suggested, "Or, you could come and stay at mine.  I've got a spare
room, if you want.  We can talk and stuff.  If you want to, that is."

"That'd be great.  I'd really like that." I said, beaming at him, and then
frowning, "Oh, but I don't have anything with me."

"That's okay.  You can use my stuff; I've worn enough of your clothes
already."

I laughed and found myself leaning onto his shoulder as I sat back.  He
smiled down at me, bringing his arm around me.

I fell asleep on Justin once we were on the aeroplane, dribbling slightly
onto his shoulder which I was mortified about when I had woken, but he just
laughed it off, telling me that it was okay because it was my drool.  I
felt better after he said that, even though I was careful to remain awake
on the car journey to his house.  I was relieved when we finally entered
Justin's home as I had been shaking myself awake throughout the previous
half hour, desperate to stay conscious.  At Justin's insistence, I fell
onto the sofa as he went to make us hot chocolate.  I could hear him
busying himself in the kitchen, but soon drifted off to sleep.

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

Chapter Thirteen

I woke suddenly, releasing an audible grunt when I rubbed at my eyes and
looked at the room through slits.  I could feel that I had been sleeping on
something breathing and I twisted my body to see that I had been laying my
head in Justin's lap.  I managed a smile once I realised that he was awake
and looking down at me.  I yawned and tried clearing my eyes more
efficiently; turning so that I lay on my back, but still rested my head in
his lap.  He brought a hand to stroke my hair.

"Morning."  He croaked.

"Sorry I fell asleep on you." I apologised.

"Um, you didn't really." He flushed red, "I came with the drinks last night
and I saw you asleep.  I was going to leave you, but I wanted to be with
you, so I slipped under your head and watched some TV before I fell
asleep."  He smiled sheepishly, "Sorry."

"Don't be," I smirked, "You make a good pillow."  I dragged myself to sit
up.  "Do I get a good morning kiss?"

His mouth found mine and we kissed briefly.  We didn't need to say much to
each other with this kiss, unlike last night, so we just needed to remind
each other of the new rules we were playing by.  I stood and began to
wander to the kitchen, with Justin in hot pursuit.  As I reached the
counter, he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind me.

"What shall we have then?"  I asked.  "I'll cook for you."

"Ooh.  Are you trying to earn points?"  Justin asked.

"Yep." I said childishly, leaning back into his body.  "Let's have
omelettes.  Do you have eggs?"

Justin showed me around the kitchen: watching me intently as I cooked and
making small talk about work.  I presented him with breakfast and we took
it into the lounge.  I sat on the sofa in a lazy lotus position, balancing
my plate on the triangle created by my legs.  Justin sat on the floor and
switched on the television.  He flicked the channel to cartoons and began
to eat, resembling a zombie as he stared into the TV set for as long as
possible between mouthfuls.  I smiled at him and settled to watch the TV in
silence.  The phone rang and Justin turned to look at me pleadingly.  I
picked up the cordless and walked into the kitchen, putting it to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Justin?"  I recognised the voice as Britney's.

"No, it's Chris.  Hey, Britney."

"You knew it was me?  Great!  Anyway, what are you doing there?"  She
insinuated, "Did the plan work then?"

"I'm not sure what the plan was, but Justin and I are definitely
reconciled."  I laughed.

"My little Justin!  Now a man!" She exclaimed tearfully.

"No!" I protested, chuckling, "We talked and kissed."

"Are you guys ever going to do anything else?" Britney asked with
irritation.  "Whatever.  So are you dating then?"

"I guess."  I verbally shrugged, "We haven't said that, but we know how
each other feels."

Justin came into the kitchen,

"Who is it?"  He asked.  I covered the mouthpiece.

"Britney."  Speaking into the phone again, I said, "He's here now.  Do you
want to speak to him?"

I handed the receiver over, retreating back to the lounge as I heard Justin
chatting away enthusiastically.  I made my home the sofa once more and
snuggled into its warmth, remembering the way that my skin became all warm
and highly sensitive when Justin touched me or kissed me.  I closed my eyes
and constructed those feelings once again, feeling the heat racing through
my body again, making me breathe slower and deeper as my mind seemed to
become detached from reality.  I opened my eyes and, in my hazy vision,
imagined a light blue light fringing my hand as I held it in front of my
face.  The hallucination receded and I opened my eyes fully, smiling smugly
to myself as I sat up.  Justin returned noisily.

"What do you want to do today?"  He asked.

"Don't you have work to do?" I inquired.

"No, not really.  I mean, I could do some song writing I suppose, but I
want to do something with you."

"Go and do some writing." I urged, "I don't want to stop you working."

"I guess I should." He considered, "The way I feel now, I could write
thousands of love songs."  I laughed lightly and smiled contentedly.

"See, now's the best time to write."

"I've got my inspiration all here."  Justin said, stroking my hair again.
"Will you be okay on your own?  Will you go back to the hotel?"

"I need to really.  All of my materials are there." I reasoned, "As much as
I could stay here forever, I have to work too."  I stood up abruptly,
knowing that was the only way I'd leave the comfort of Justin's home.

"Why don't you get your stuff and bring it here?" Justin offered
cautiously.

"Sure, there's more room to work here, and it's very generous of you, but
it's a long way to come to work each day." I said, oblivious to what he was
actually proposing.

"No, I mean all your things."  He raised his eyebrows hopefully at me.

"You mean move in?"  The fear leaked from my lips.

"I know things have changed, but we did talk about it before."

"You were serious?" I felt a pain in my side when I saw the hurt on his
features, "Sorry, I don't mean I don't want to.  I just wasn't sure you
meant it.  I'd really like to, but are you sure it'd be okay?"

"Yeah, of course.  You'd have your own room; I'll make you pay rent if that
will persuade you to live with me." He smiled and made eyes at me, "We'd be
flatmates, but flatmates who date."  He smiled at the phrase.  I
communicated my response my hugging him.

"Thanks so much, Just!" I cried out, "It's so impersonal in that hotel.
It'll be nice to have more than two rooms as well."  I tightly hugged him
again.  "I'm so lucky!" I wriggled.

He laughed at me, and then pushed me off to go and get my things.  He gave
me a house key and instructions for how to arrange getting back after I had
collected my suitcases.  Somehow, I was able to remember all of it, even
though I kept jumping up and down in excitement.

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

The dusty roads brought a small tear to my eye as I looked down the streets
that I had been an inhabitant of for the past few weeks.  When the thought
of my stay entered my head, I realised that I hadn't been here very long
despite all that I seemed to remember.  I had managed to pack the items I
had brought with me as well as those I had acquired since being in the
states into two suitcases and a holdall.  The small amount of possessions
reminded me that this still wasn't a country I could call home and, even
though I would be living with someone I had a great, consuming affection
for, my heart was still back in England.

I stood in the foyer of my hotel, waiting for the taxi that would take me
to the airport, with my bags at my feet.  I hummed impatiently, restraining
the urge to try running to the airport instead of waiting.  A lady in a
sharp suit walked towards me, giving me a stiff smile as she approached.
She had a very tidy atmosphere about her, and as she passed the large area
of glazing at the front of the hotel, through which the strong sunlight
poured, a hazy, fuchsia pink light seemed to surround her.  Dismissing it
as refraction of the sunlight, I returned her smile.

"Are you leaving?" She asked me nicely, taking me by surprise.

"Err yes." I answered politely, "Are you staying here then?"

"No, I'm not." She said calmly.  "Do you mind if I ask where you are
going?"

"Oh, no, I suppose not." I smiled.  "Orlando."

"You have a nice accent." She complimented me, "What part of England do you
come from?"

"Originally from the East."

"Oh, so are you here on business?" She smiled.

"Uh, yes." I was becoming more and more uncomfortable with her questions,
even though I could not see how the answers would endanger me.  I decided
to further the conversation myself, "I'm an architect."

"Oh!" She said, mildly surprised.  Then, the possible danger struck me.

"Are you a journalist?" I asked cautiously.

"No.  Whatever made you think that?" She laughed.

"Nothing.  I'm just a bit confused as to why you want to talk to me." I
explained.

"I just thought maybe you'd like to pass the time whilst you waited for
your taxi."

"Oh, thanks, then."  I offered her a hand, "I'm Chris."

"Gwyneth." She took my hand firmly.  "Looks like your carriage awaits you."
She said, nodding towards the glazed entrance, "Maybe I'll see you in
Orlando sometime; my work sends me all over the country."

"That'd be nice."  I picked up my cases after throwing my holdall over my
shoulder.

"Goodbye Chris."

"Yeah, goodbye, Gwyneth, wasn't it?"

She nodded and turned to the hotel welcome desk.  Shaking my head in
confusion, I walked down the steps to my taxi.

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

Surviving the plane trip and the consequent taxi to Justin's house, I fell
in through the front door.  The house was silent as Justin had travelled to
studios to write and I felt comfortably alone in my new home, if that's
what I could call it.  I took my suitcases upstairs and threw them inside a
bedroom.  I caught my reflection in the mirror and I suddenly realised that
I hadn't changed since last night.  Even though I had discarded my jacket,
I looked slightly insane, wearing my net like shirt and crazy tweed
trousers.  I chuckled at myself and remembered all the looks thrown at me
by passers-by as I waited in the hotel lobby for my taxi; they must have
thought I was a celebrity as I was dressed for the job.  At that moment, I
remembered the lady who had talked to me.  She hadn't mistaken me to be a
celebrity; she had talked to me like you would a regular person.  The
memory snagged in my brain as I discovered the ensuite and prepared to
shower.

Who was she?  Well, I remembered that her name was Gwyneth, but that didn't
tell me anything.  Her excuse for talking to me seemed slightly absurd.  I
had only been in LA for two weeks, but never in that whole time had anyone
just come up and talked to me because I was alone, even though there were
many times that I had been out in the city on my own, sketching or not.  I
undressed and climbed into the warm shower, savouring the tickles of the
water upon my skin.  I stretched away the thoughts circling my mind and
scolded myself for being so suspicious when I was currently in a very good
position.  Drying myself I was almost unhappy that I had washed, realising
that I had removed Justin's scent from me.  I pulled some clean clothes
from my suitcases and began to sort out my work equipment.

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

Justin returned to find me on the lounge floor with a slim paintbrush
clenched in my teeth.  I made unintelligible noises at him, jumping up from
the floor and stepping over my spread out materials and removing the
paintbrush from my mouth.

"Hello!" I said brightly, reaching his side, slightly breathless.

"Hi." He said, his eyes wandering over my mess.

"I'll clean it up soon." I reassured him, smiling stupidly.

"That's okay." He shrugged and returned my smile.

"So, how was song writing?" I asked eagerly, wiping the paintbrush on my
trousers.  "Productive?"

"Yeah, very.  We got down lots of ideas." He affirmed, taking off his
jacket and retreating to an armchair.

"So, do all of you write songs together then?" I asked, "Because I know
that you co-wrote some on your last album, but not with everyone else."

"Right.  I co-wrote with Wade, our choreographer, on our last album, as
well as JC."

"Chris did one too, didn't he?"

"Yeah.  We're all involved in the writing now." He explained, "Although we
may not use all the songs that we're coming up with."

"Would you like a drink?" I asked softly, "You look tired."

"That would be great.  How about a coffee?"

"I'll go put some on." I rubbed his shoulder as I walked past.

"You know, I could get used to having somebody looking after me when I get
home everyday." Justin called out to me.

Fetching the coffee pot and trying my best to make real coffee (something I
rarely do, as I'm impatient and don't mind instant), I couldn't help but
feel that something was wrong with Justin.  He seemed so indifferent.
Finding two mugs and milk, I placed the components on a tray and carried
them into the lounge.  I set the tray onto the coffee table and sat on the
sofa.

"Is everything alright?" I asked Justin with care.

"Yeah.  No, not really." He said moodily.

"What is it?"

"The guys don't know that we're dating and I can't think how to tell them."

"Maybe you don't have to." I suggested.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you don't have to tell them, they have to ask you." I said, "If they
ask about me, then you can tell them."

"But, that'll surprise them."

"Don't make it an issue.  If you sit them down and say the whole "it
doesn't change me as a person" rubbish, then they'll think that you don't
trust them to respect your feelings.  If you just say that," I smiled
shyly, "that we are dating as you would have done about anyone else, then
they'll know that you trust them.  If they want to ask you about it, I'm
sure they will, and then you can explain how you feel."

"I'm so worried about how they'll take it."  Justin said tearfully.

"Well, they aren't homophobic, are they?  They knew that I was gay the
other night and I felt no animosity."

"But I feel as if I've lied to them."

"They'll understand though.  It might even seem right to them."

"What are you saying?  Of course it's right."

"I mean that they may have always had a feeling that you were." I placated
him, "I don't mean that you act gay, just that maybe they got the
impression that you ultimately didn't like girls.  My friends weren't
surprised and I understand now how they had felt about me before I told
them."

"It will still feel weird.  Can you imagine it; 'So, how's Chris doing?'
'Oh.  Great.  Me and him are dating.'  I don't think they'll just say
'Cool'."

I smiled sympathetically at him and patted the sofa beside me.  He obeyed
and moved himself to sit next to me.  I put an arm around his shoulders and
took his hand in mine.

"If it'll make it any easier, we can go hang out with them one day soon,
and I'm sure they'll get the message if we act naturally, as we are now."
I squeezed his hand.

"You're willing to do that?  They might ask some difficult questions."

"I'm ready for that.  I know that you're their friend and they may accuse
me of some things, but if you are with me, then we can assure they know the
truth."

"My God, Chris, I hope this will turn out okay.  I don't want to lose my
friends and my group, but I don't want to lie or lose you."

I kissed his cheek.

"It won't come to that." I said levelly, hoping that my tone would convince
him.  "I think it's getting cold."

"I don't know about you, but I'm getting pretty hot." Justin giggled,
leaning in to kiss my neck.

"Hey!  We said we would take it slow!  And I was talking about the coffee."
I escaped his advances and poured out coffee for us.

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

The evening dragged on pleasantly as I spent it in Justin's company.  We
watched some TV, as we were both too tired to do much else.  I forced
myself to sit away from Justin, resisting the urge to cuddle up to him, or
lay in his tempting lap.  I couldn't take advantage of the fact that we
lived together.  If I was going to date him, I had to restrict the time I
spent intimately with him.  I lay on the floor at his feet on my front, my
legs bent at the knee and my feet dangling over my backside.  I turned my
head to look back at Justin and caught him checking me out.  His eyes
caught mine and I smiled, turning my attention back to the TV.  Justin
cleared his throat noisily,

"Joey rang earlier."

"Really?  Did he have much to say?"

"Well, the guys want to do something tomorrow."

"Right.  Did you say we'd go?"

"I said that I'd ask if you wanted to come along."

"What will you be doing?" I asked, flipping my body over so I now lay on my
back, staring up at him, "Not that it really matters."

"Umm, I think we'll be hanging out at the courts."  Justin replied, his
eyes skimming over my body.

"Basketball?  I could come and cheer you on!" I laughed, "Like, err,
J-U-S-T-I-N, he's got another basket again, JUSTIN!"  I waved my arms over
my head frantically.

"Maybe.  Maybe not!" Justin laughed.  "So you'll come?  I think Stella and
Simon will come too."

Stella.  The name lighted a fire in my memory.  She had warned me off
Justin.  If our little plan about 'fessing up to the guys was going to be
put into motion, she was going to get a big surprise.  I chuckled, although
not maliciously, as I liked Stella.  It would be funny to see her face
though.

"You okay?"  Justin asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine.  I was just remembering when Stella warned me off you."

Justin slid off the sofa and laid on the floor beside me, twisting his body
up and resting his head in his hand so he could look down at me.  I spied
his shirt ruffling up and focused on his shadowy navel.

"Shit, yeah.  She's gonna get quite a surprise."  He traced a hand down my
tee and, reaching the hem, began to lazily drag it up my body, mumbling,
"Hey, why don't we just make out."

His intent was drugging me and I lay passively as his lips covered mine.  I
could feel his hand stroking my flesh.  He rubbed the flat area just below
my navel, alternating between hard and soft strokes.  I was quickly
becoming aroused.  I pulled him onto me.  I felt so good as his weight
pressed down onto my front, and then it receded as he lifted himself onto
his arms.  I breathed deeply between his kisses, my hungry fingers crawling
up his sides and sliding under the material of his shirt as I caressed his
back.  He let his legs fall between mine so our crotches pressed against
each other and he lowered his mouth to mine again.  As we parted I let my
hands fall onto his buttocks and looked seriously at him, slowing my
breathing to calm myself down.

"I don't think we should do this, Justin.  Not yet."  I reasoned.

"Okay.  But can we just stay like this for a minute."  He told me his wish.
I smiled and hugged him down to me.  He snuck his head over my shoulder.

"You're so hot J." I whispered in his ear, "But I think we should wait
until we've been official for a while before we try anything more."

"I've wanted to kiss you and hold you for so long." Justin whined softly,
"It feels like we've been doing this for ages, but not often enough."

I giggled and kissed his ear, raising a hand to rub his prickly hair.  I
thought I saw the blue light fade around my hand again and shook my head
slightly and blinked.

"What's wrong?" Justin asked with concern, lifting himself so that he could
look at my face.

"Nothing.  I- I've been seeing things, that's all."  I slid myself out from
under him and sat up, countering his worried face, with a relaxed, "I don't
think there's anything to worry about."

"What have you been seeing?"

"Well, this morning, after I had given the phone to you, I thought I saw a
kind of blue aura, I guess, around my hand.  I saw that again, just now.
And earlier, when I was waiting in my hotel for the taxi, I thought I saw a
pink aura around this woman who came up and talked to me."

"Just those times?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe you can see people's auras.  I've read some shit about that kind of
stuff before."

"But, I'd be able to see yours now.  And I don't."  I shrugged, "It's
probably just something to do with the light."

"I hope so." Justin urged.

"Yeah.  I don't want to go blind before I get to see you all naked and
horny." I laughed.

"Don't joke about that kind of shit." Justin said sharply, and then
smiling, "All the more reason to see me like that now."

"No!" I protested, giggling.  "So, are you going to phone back Joey and
tell him that I'll come tomorrow?" I demanded.

"Yes, Sir!" Justin saluted and skipped off to find the cordless.

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

Chapter Fourteen

My first night in my new home passed peacefully.  Justin and I did a
first-date style hanging about outside his door chatting aimlessly, then
kissing goodnight, as we both waited up until we were both ready to sleep.
When I woke in the morning I was surprised to see Justin awake and fixing
breakfast.  He poured the cereal and milk perfectly.  He confessed that he
had set an alarm so that he could get up and get ready for my first morning
as his official housemate.  We got dressed quickly as the game with the
rest of the guys was happening quite early for a Sunday.  We arrived at the
courts at about 11am.  Justin had the pleasure of showing me his driving
skills for once.  And of course his expensive looking car.

"Hey!" Lance greeted us joyfully, "Chris!  I didn't have the chance to talk
to you the other night at the premiere."

"Oh, well, I had to leave quickly."

"I'll say." He raised his eyebrows, looking at Justin who was now walking
over to the others.  Lance began to walk with me back to the group, waiting
within the confines of the chicken wire courts.  "So you've had the
pleasure of Justin's driving?"

"Yeah.  I was beginning to think we'd come here in a limousine."

Lance laughed.

"You'd be surprised at the stuff we can do for ourselves."

"Well, Justin made me breakfast this morning." I nodded my head in
approval.

"Justin cooked?"

"Yep.  He poured that cereal into a bowl and everything." I laughed.

We reached the others and we exchanged hellos etc.  Stella smiled broadly
at me.

"It's a long way to come for a basketball game." Chris impressed at me,
"And the traffic in LA must be goddamn awful."

It seemed that not everyone knew about my current living conditions.  Joey
saved me.

"Didn't you know?  Chris has moved into Curly's."  Most of the eyes
swivelled from me to Justin and back.

"I figured it would be easier for work and stuff like that." Justin
defended his decisions.

"Yeah," I backed him up, "I can work better with more room.  Oh, and I'm
hoping to save Justin before he dies of his cooking."  I added with mock
seriousness.

Everyone chuckled, throwing in a few abusive comments regarding Justin's
previous attempts at cooking, and it seemed that they were over the
original shock.  Looking around the group, I realised that I was the only
one who didn't play ball, which made my heart sink a bit, as I didn't want
to be left on the sidelines alone.

"Why you looking so down?" Lance asked me.

"Oh, I was just thinking, I'm kind of the anti-basketball element here."

"The sideline is looking mighty lonely?" Lance asked.

"Yep." I smiled, "But I'm sure I can think of some killer cheerleading
phrases."

Lance chuckled.

"I'll sit out the first game." Chris said, approaching us, " We've got
eight people anyway; if we play three on three, me and Chris can sit out
and then rotate."

"Thanks." I said to him.

The rest of the group jumped about excitedly as JC produced a basketball
from thin air and they began to play.  Chris and I settled at the side of
the court.  When I had first met the guys in LA, I didn't really warm to
Chris on first impressions, but now, I was quite pleased that he had
offered to sit out.  He grinned at me.

"You don't really play, do you?"

"No, I never really got into sports at school, so I never tried once I
left." I explained.

"Can I ask you something, that might sound a bit, um, prejudiced?"

"Sure."

"Was that because you are gay?"  He looked seriously at me, "I meant, why
you didn't get into sports."

"Yeah, in some long winded way.  I always felt nervous around the other
boys, because I didn't want them to know my feelings, so I never let myself
go and enjoy the game, I guess."

"Oh, right."

"But that doesn't mean that all gay men are bad at sports.  Some people
mature emotionally earlier than others and I suppose I understood my deeper
feelings early, so I didn't have that time when I should have been
unconcerned with getting so close to other guys."

"You could have been a great sports star instead of a great architect."

"I think I'd prefer being an architect.  The career lasts longer."

"I guess so.  Didn't you ever have those kinds of wild dreams as a kid
though?"

"Yep.  I really wanted to be in a band.  Preferably a singer."

"Really?  You know we could always shoot Justin and you could join us."
Chris offered.

"No!  Don't do that." I laughed, "Anyway, you don't know if I can sing."

"It'd be an improvement even if you were tone deaf!" Chris chuckled.

"Hey!  Stop that." I threatened with a smile on my face, "Justin is a very
good singer.  And he writes great songs too."

"Hey, I write songs too." Chris protested, "But I don't see you making eyes
at me."

I gasped.

"Huh!  Well, you're not my type honey, so I think you should just quit
right now."

"What will you do, hit me?" He laughed.

"No, I'll get my boyfriend to beat you up." I smiled mischievously at him.

Chris laughed, returning his gaze to the game, as did I.  Justin smiled at
me when he caught my eye and I smiled back, stretching my mouth as wide as
possible.  I was so engrossed in the game that I nearly didn't hear Chris
speak to me.

"So have you seen him naked yet?"

"Huh?  Sorry?" I said, shocked.

"I said have you seen Justin naked yet?  If you live together you're going
to catch him changing clothes or something one day."  Chris explained.

"Oh," I said, half-relieved, "No, I haven't.  Not completely."

"We all have our goals."  Chris muttered to himself jokingly.

"Hey!  You are getting so close to a bitch fight." I laughed, "Anyway, it's
not my goal to see Justin naked.  You really think I live my life on base
animal instincts?"

"Oh, come on." He laughed, "I bet it's even Stella's goal to see Justin
naked!  Well, I've already seen so there."

"Really?" I blurted out.

"Hah!  Knew you'd be interested!" Chris laughed.

"Oh, shut up." I smiled back at him.  A brief silence passed as we both sat
watching the game with residual amusement.  Then Chris mused,

"If you're here on work, you won't be living with Justin permanently."

"No, I guess not." I said sadly.

"He knows that, doesn't he?  He has a tendency to get all attached."

"Yeah, he knows, although we did toy with the idea of getting my dog over
here."

"You have a dog?"

"Yeah, Perry.  I told Justin that I missed him and he said that we could
probably get him through quarantine quicker and stuff because of his
influence."

"But would that mean you moving over here permanently?"

"Well, it would definitely be long term." I murmured, "Although, I can't
think of home without thinking of my real home, back in England, if you can
understand that."

"Yeah, I hear you."  Chris smiled across at me, "But it'd be great if you
did come to stay.  You're like one of the guys now."

I smiled.

"There is a lot that makes me want to stay." I admitted as the game
finished and we began to stand to get involved in the next game.

"One of those things being Curly." Chris said with a smile.

I looked at him with questioning eyes, but we had caught up with the others
and the new teams were being sorted.

With some nervousness, I was placed on a team with Chris and Lance.  JC,
Justin and Stella were on the other team and I pulled off my shirt in
preparation to wolf whistles from my company, which died as they noticed I
wore a wife beater under my shirt.  I smiled theatrically at them and
started jumping up and down, trying to get excited about the game and
dispel my nervousness.
  The game started and at first I was really quiet and never called for the
ball or anything, with Lance and Chris seeming to be coping fine on their
own.  Then, at one time, Justin caught the ball and he was near, so I
walked cockily up to him and said sweetly,

"Justin, give me the ball, please." I pouted at him.

He laughed and slowed his dribbling so I could flick the ball out of his
hands.  I chucked it randomly at Lance and Justin laughed again at me.  He
got real close to me and whispered in my ear,

"You're real cute, you know that?"

I nodded innocently and he giggled.

"Hey, Justin!" JC said angrily as he passed the ball.  I caught it and
attempted to dribble it away from Justin although he moved quickly around
me and deftly removed it.

"Good try." Chris encouraged me as he got near, "Maybe you shouldn't be
marking Justin."

"Why aren't I good enough?" I asked hotly.

"No." Chris rolled his eyes, "I just think, maybe, you're being too soft on
him.  He's real determined and you can't give him much slack."

"I remember now why I never liked sports." I said.

"Why?  Because you can't flirt with the opposite team?" Chris laughed.

I couldn't help laughing and we returned our full attention to the game.  I
changed my approach and began to play hard against Justin, turning it more
into a serious game.  I took him by surprise a few times and I actually
made a basket.  It felt so good to achieve that, and receive the
congratulations from Lance and Chris, as well as the whoops from Joey and
Simon at the sidelines.
  Justin changed his treatment of me too, and became much rougher, knocking
into me hardly from time to time.  I got a pass from Lance and began to
dribble it down the court, which I had become good at through the practice
I had received in the past minutes, when Justin flew into my side, knocking
me like a rhino and I fell onto the ground.

"Shit!" I said as I hit the floor.  Justin appeared over me.

"You okay?" He asked urgently, his voice thick with affection and worry.

"Yeah," I said quietly, "But I could do with some attention here." I said
huskily, brushing my fingers over my lips.  Smiling at me, Justin pressed
his lips softly against mine, and then drew back again.  He pulled me up
and I dusted myself off.  I noticed the rest of the court staring at us.

"Come on, the game isn't over yet!" I shouted cheerfully.  Justin threw the
ball at Stella, who just stood with her jaw gaping wide.  Suddenly,
everyone seemed to wake from his or her trance and we recommenced play.

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

The game was finished, although the others seemed to be slightly
preoccupied.  JC suggested we all go get something to eat for lunch and we
picked up our belongings from the court edge and walked en masse to the
nearest restaurant.  We ordered sandwiches and rolls, as no one was
particularly hungry and settled around a table outside the restaurant.  I
sat next to Justin, finding his hand under the table and squeezing it as he
looked uncertainly at me and everyone else.  Nobody really spoke for a
while.  I decided to try pushing the conversation,

"So!  How did I do for a basketball virgin?"

"Err, you did fine." JC commented.

"Real good." Joey affirmed.

"You play well, for a beginner." Stella said, eyeing me suspiciously.

"You got a few moves that I've never seen before." Chris joked, raising his
eyebrows, "What did you think Curly?"

"He did great." Justin said, giving me a smile.  I smiled back and he
ruffled my hair affectionately.

"Hey!" I protested.  "Oh look.  Food."  I announced as a waitress
approached with our orders.

We began to eat in silence, and then Stella said pointedly,

"How's Britney doing Justin?"

"Oh, she's good."  He said dryly.

"Didn't you go to the premiere with her?"  Stella asked certainly.

"No, I did." I replied for Justin.

"You did?" Stella repeated with shock.

"Yeah, I met her the other week and she thought I was straight." I laughed,
"She thought Justin had been matchmaking.  She wanted to go with me anyway
when I told her I like guys, then she became the matchmaker." I chuckled
and Justin looked fearfully at me.  I found his hand again and gave it a
squeeze.

"Oh." Said Stella quietly.

The silence passed again as everyone ate.  Justin grew more and more
frustrated, despite the reassuring smiles I gave him, until he finally
cried out,

"God!  I can't stand this!  Will someone please say something?"

"Okay."  Began JC, "How long have you two been an item, Justin?"

Justin lowered his eyes and said quietly,

"Ever since the premiere."

"God!" Stella gasped.

"Hah!  Knew it!" Chris laughed victoriously.  I couldn't help but smile at
him.

"What?"  Joey said, crinkling his brow, "So are you gay then Curly?"

"Um, I guess." Justin mumbled.

"You guess?" Simon choked, "What's the problem?"

"You alright?" I whispered into Justin's ear, rubbing his back.

"Yeah," He grinned, but I could detect the anxiety in his face.

"Just tell them what you feel."

Justin cleared his throat.

"I understand that this might be unexpected.  I didn't really expect it
myself.  But when I met Chris I was instantly attracted to him."

"Aw, thanks Just!" Chris joked.  Justin laughed at his friend then
continued.

"I was real scared to begin with.  I thought maybe it was just because I
was so into his work and shit, but as I got to know him, and got to know
him as a normal person, when I'd forget that he was the architect, the
feelings stayed."

I blushed.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Lance asked.

"I was worried how you'd take it.  I didn't really know what I felt anyway,
so it would have been difficult to explain this to you, even if I had
tried."

"But Chris was there to help you, wasn't he." Stella said flatly.

"Yes, he was."

"Oh, how convenient."

"Stella?" Justin questioned her.

"Chris, I don't believe you'd be so, so devious!"

"Come on Stella." Joey said sternly.

"I bet you couldn't believe your luck, having him all vulnerable and at
your pleasure."  She stood and pointed her finger at me, "You give fags a
bad name, Chris.  What do you think he'll do when you've had enough of him
and fuck off back to England?  Huh?"

"Stella." JC stood and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Justin, I hope you realise what he's trying to do to you.  He's taking
advantage of your doubts Justin, that's all."  She nearly spat out the
words, "I hope you have your fun with him Chris, but we'll be the ones who
have to clear up your shit and get Justin over this."  She shrugged JC's
restraining hands from her, "Fuck off!  I'm going."  She turned and stormed
away from the table.

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

Ooh!! More 2 cum

Kris