Date: Sun, 17 Mar 2002 08:37:55 -0500
From: Writer Boy <writerboy69@hotmail.com>
Subject: jc's hitchhiker - part 76

Obligatory warnings and disclaimers:

1) If reading this is in any way illegal where you are or at your age, or
you don't want to read about male/male relationships, go away. You
shouldn't be here.

2) I don't know any of the celebrities in this story, and this story in no
way is meant to imply anything about their sexualities, personalities, or
anything else.  This is a work of pure fiction.

Questions and commentary can be sent to "writerboy69@hotmail.com". I enjoy
constructive criticism, praise, and rational discussion. I do not enjoy
flames, and will not tolerate them.

Back to the story in progress.

***Jack***

I leaned on the edge of the boat, wondering again why we'd agreed to this,
and then remembering. Josh and I were trying to spend time with Lance and
Howie, to get a better feeling for what, if anything, was going on with
them, so Josh had chartered this fishing boat, and Lance, an avid hunter,
had enthusiastically agreed to come even though he had never been. Howie
had never gone, either, but was willing to at least give it a try. So far,
though, it wasn't working out so well. Howie was having a good time, but
the water was a little choppy, and Lance had spent most of the trip inside,
hunched over the toilet in the head, violently seasick. Josh was still down
from the talk he'd had at lunchtime yesterday with Justin, which he'd told
me about over our rather quiet dinner alone. I knew why Justin was pushing
Josh away, but it was hurting Josh a lot, and I wondered again how I could
find a way to make them both happy.

I wasn't really enjoying the trip, either, but it was for entirely
different reasons. I just found the whole idea of fishing rather barbaric,
and couldn't believe we hadn't been able to think of a single other thing
to do as couples. Mini golf? Shopping and a movie? Glass bottomed boat
tour? No, we had to go out and inflict pain on something. I wondered if
there might be a metaphor in there as Josh came up behind me at the back of
the boat, wrapping his arms around me and nuzzling the back of my neck.

"You ok?" he asked, holding me as the warm wind whipped around us. Over on
the side Howie grinned in his shorts, taking another sip of his Corona.

"Yeah, I just can't believe we're doing this," I sighed.

"We've been all over this," Josh said, nibbling at my ear. I wondered if
the captain was watching, and what he must think of this. Then again, it
didn't matter.  Howie and Lance weren't publicly demonstrative, and Josh
and I were out, so we could put our hands all over each other if we wanted
to. Then again, we'd done enough of that this morning to keep me happy
until we were back on land again, or at least satiated.

I'd been awakened by the feeling of something warm and wet on my nipple.
Blinking, I looked down to see Josh kissing it and running his tongue
around it. His eyes were closed, and he was lapping at it like a kid with a
lollipop, sending shivers across my chest. He stuck his tongue out,
pointing the end, and drew a wet stripe across my chest as his head drifted
over to the other nipple, and he began licking and nibbling at that one as
well, working diligently until it was as hard and pointedly sensitive as
the first. He caught the nub in his teeth, tugging on it a little, and I
let out a soft sigh of pleasure. His eyes, blue lakes that I could drown
in, popped open as he released the tip of my nipple and grinned at me.

"Good morning, sleepy," he sighed, staring up at me. The breath from his
sigh seemed to caress my wet chest, and I shivered with pleasure. His hand
slid down my body, tracing over my abs beneath the sheet, and then Josh
discovered that my nipples weren't the only thing that was hard. He wrapped
his fingers around my cock and gave it a good, firm squeeze in his silken
glove of a hand. "I was waiting for you to get up."

"Were you?" I asked, grinning. I sighed again, almost squealing a little,
as I felt his gently stroking hand squeeze again. He watched my face change
and smiled, his arched brows sliding up, his cheeks wrinkling in easy
lines. "And you thought you'd just molest me awake?"

Josh laughed, his hand working a little faster now. His fingers slid up and
down my cock, dancing over it like Josh did onstage, darting and touching
down before quickly moving on to another part. I felt his palm slide over
my cockhead, catching the wetness at the slit and spreading it around,
smoothing over the spongy pink top and then sliding down the shaft, easing
the passage of his hand as it continued to slide up and down with
increasing urgency. My breath caught as I yelped again, feeling a wave of
pleasure wash through me again. Josh blew me a kiss, and then his head
disappeared beneath the sheets, his hair brushing over my stomach as I felt
his nose tickle past my navel. He paused, and I could feel his breath on my
cock as it lay flat and hard against me.

"So, Jack," Josh began, his words fluttering across my sensitive
cock. "What was that you were saying about me molesting you?"

"Fuck what I was saying," I whined, pulling the sheet back so that I could
see his eyes, and he could see how urgently in need I was. "Please, Josh?"

He giggled, grinning at me as his head hovered just above my crotch.

"Since you asked so nicely," he sighed, his tongue stretching out like a
wet finger to slide up my shaft, tracing the thick tube running up the
underside.

I yelped, wincing with lust, my hips pushing up toward him as my head
dropped back.  That one touch, so light and wet, was like fire. He pressed
the tip of his tongue to the spot just below my slit, where all of the
nerves seemed to come together at once, and then, when he heard me sigh
again, he began to run his tongue lightly around the edge of my head. He
began to lick at the head, washing over it, leaning in every few seconds to
kiss it and suck just the head into his mouth for a moment. I watched his
lips fold down over and over, stretched wide open, as his blue eyes blazed
up at my green ones, glistening and shining. His face was flushed with lust
and desire, but his eyes stared up at me with love.

"Oh, Josh," I sighed, pushing up with my hips as he finally brought the
whole thing into his mouth.

He began to hum, his head bobbing in my crotch as his tongue washed over
and around me. The vibration coursed through me, adding to the sensations
of his warm, wet mouth sucking at me. I buried my hands in his hair as he
slid his up and down my legs, caressing my thighs absently, idly, as he
concentrated on what he was doing. I had an urge to laugh when I realized
he was humming "Bye Bye Bye", but somehow, instead of being amusing, it was
oddly erotic, and I wondered if next time he was singing it on stage he'd
be thinking of me in his mouth, thrusting softly as he folded his cheeks
and tongue around my cock.

"Josh," I whined, panting.

Josh grinning up at me, his lips stretched around my wet shaft, which slid
through them as he pulled off of me, holding the head in his mouth again,
washing his tongue across it again before letting it pop out of his mouth
with a soft kissing noise.

"Enjoying your alarm clock?" he asked, smiling. A streamer of spit trailed
from his lips and down his chin. I wondered if it was just spit, or if some
of my juice was mixed in.

"Oh, God, Josh, I love you," I sighed as his tongue flicked out again to
wash over my balls, rolling them around in my sack as he softly mouthed
them.

"I love you, too," he said, and then opened his mouth and slid it over my
cock again.

He been slow before, just sort of gently sucking and bobbing, but now he
was urgently working at me, flicking his tongue across the head almost
roughly, pursing his lips around the shaft. He began to tug at my balls a
little with one hand as he slid the other up my chest, palm down, pushing
and pressing at me before it caught one of my nipples, pinching and pulling
at it. Josh was still humming now, not singing, but moaning, in time with
mine, and suddenly I couldn't breath, couldn't think. My arms locked,
pressing Josh's head down, as stars burst behind my closed lids. My whole
body locked, like one muscle clenching, and my hips jerked up toward Josh's
face as I felt myself shooting cum into his mouth.

Josh slid up the bed, laying on his side and propping his head up with his
arm, smiling at me as he watched me pant and catch my breath. He trailed
his other hand up and down my chest, playing with my abs, brushing a
nipple, resting it on my pec to feel my heartbeat. I looked over and saw a
smooth, completely peaceful expression on his face, but felt a little
uncomfortable under his stare.

"What?" I asked, blushing.

"You're just so beautiful," he said, stroking his hand over my torso. He
slid it up my neck to stroke the side of my face, smoothing my hair off of
my forehead. I'd kept it in the longer style Vlada had trimmed it into,
although Joey claimed jokingly that I was just trying to look more like
Josh. "I love you so much."

Josh leaned over, rolling, his naked body falling lightly across mine as he
kissed me. His little beard scraped my chin, as it always did, and I
wondered what Joey would say if I grew one, too. Josh's lips pressed
against mine, soft and smooth, and his tongue pushed its way into my mouth,
dipping in lightly, darting around to press against mine. I caught the
slightest little tang of my cum, but only a taste. Josh pulled back, coming
up for air, but then leaned in and resumed kissing me softly, the only
sounds in the room our breathing as he held the side of my face with his
hand. I trailed my hands up and down his smooth, firm back, feeling the
muscles gliding beneath his warm, tanned skin, and I grabbed his shoulders
and rolled him over, pressing him into the mattress as I lay atop him.

"Hey," he said, watching me. "What are you doing?"

"Who says you get to have all the fun?" I asked, dropping one hand down to
his cock, which was hard and throbbing. He gasped as I began to slowly jerk
him off.  "I thought maybe I'd take care of you, and, you know, repay you
for the wake up call, and then we could hop in the shower and get on with
our day."

"Wow, that's romantic," he sighed, struggling to keep his voice level. He
was making these little gasping sounds that I found so sexy as I nuzzled
the side of his neck, inhaling his fresh sent and kissing the corded
muscles as my other hand continued to slowly jerk him off. "Just take care
of me and get on with our day? What am I, the next thing on your to-do
list?"

He was grinning as he said it, and I looked up and kissed him on the mouth.

"Everything on my to-do list doesn't get this kind of extra attention," I
whispered.

I kissed him again, a deep, wet kiss this time, pressing my tongue into his
mouth, watching his eyes slide closed as he moaned contentedly. My hand was
going a little faster now, sliding up and down the velvet hardness of his
cock, squeezing lightly, and his hips started rolling up toward my hand,
just a little, but a definite movement. Josh had a hand on my head now,
kissing me with equal fervor, pulling my head down to his as his tongue
fought with mine. His eyes were still closed, and he was purring softly
into my mouth, so he didn't notice my free hand darting into the top drawer
of the nightstand as my other hand continued to slide up and down his now
dropping cock.

Sliding a little, I let go of Josh's cock and pressed my entire body to
his, feeling his cock grind into my abs as I lay on him, still kissing him,
feeling him push his smooth body against mine. Our chests pressed together,
nipples brushing each other, and I felt Josh's hands on my ass, squeezing,
pulling it toward him as our cocks ground together, trapped between our
bodies. We were both moaning and panting now, starting to work up a little
bit of a sweat, and our slick torsos slid over each other easily. My hands,
free for the moment, tore the condom open and unscrewed the lube, and then
I lifted myself up a little so that I could reach Josh's cock again. His
eyes slid open as I rolled the condom down over him, and he tried to break
our kiss as I began to smear him with lube.  Pulling back, I held his lower
lip in my teeth, finally letting it go as he blinked at me, his face still
contracting in little gasping waves as my hand stroked him.

"Jack, what?" he gasped.

"Going for a ride," I whispered, kissing him again as I straddled him,
sliding my legs open.

I felt Josh's cock pressing against my ass, and I relaxed a little, pushing
down. He gasped as the head popped in, and then I shifted, rearing up, so
that his entire cock slid into me as I sat down on it. I'm not sure which
of us gasped louder, but when I looked down at Josh, prone on the bed as I
sat on my folded legs above him, I could see that he was definitely
enjoying himself. His whole body was tensed up, urgent and straining, even
though neither of us had moved yet, and his face had the mix of lust and
quiet reverence that he always wore when we were together. Josh stared up
at me, his mouth hanging open, his breath already coming in urgent pants,
and his eyes squeezed closed as I flexed around his cock, contracting. I
began to bounce a little, flexing my legs carefully, feeling him slide in
and out of me.

"Oh, Jack," he sighed, sprawled beneath me.

I looked down, and realized this was just the way I liked to see him. He
was slick with sweat, his hair pushed back off of his forehead, his eyes
wide and warm.  Josh's mouth hung open a little, his tongue flicking out
every few seconds to wet his lips, and his neck flexed in time with the
rest of his body, not tightly, the cords suggesting themselves subtly as he
pushed up into me. His abs were flexing from smooth flatness to rippled
crunch, and his pecs shifted like wings as he brought his hands to my hips,
guiding me a little, his strong arms flexing. I couldn't see his legs, but
felt them shifting as he folded them a little, using them to lift himself
up into me on each thrust. I ran my hands up and down his chest, playing
with his nipples, or just scratching his pecs lightly, and was rewarded
with urgent yelps each time I did. He stared up at me, his face smooth and
flushed, his eyes narrowing each time he thrust into me.

"You are so beautiful," I sighed, my own breath panting and urgent as well.

"I love you," he panted, starting to speed up a little.

I ran my hands down over his arms, caressing them as they kept their hold
on me, running my fingers through the soft brown hair on his forearms,
tracing the veins, feeling the muscles dance beneath his skin. His hands
climbed up off of my hips to slide over my abs, and caress my chest. He
began to play with my nipples as well, tracing his fingers around them,
flicking his thumbs over the nubs, and then he slid his hands up my neck to
caress the sides of my face. One of his fingers brushed over my wet bottom
lip, and I flicked my tongue out, licking over his fingertip. He pushed his
finger inside, and I began to suck it, working my tongue over it like I had
worked over his cock. Josh began to thrust harder, his pants turning into
sharp intakes of breath, yelps of pleasure, and I knew he was close. His
finger slid from my mouth with a wet pop, and his hands dropped back down
to my hips sliding around to grip my flexing asscheeks forcefully.

Josh began to thrust up harder now, faster, and his body began to tense up
again, the muscles standing out, flexing longer and harder each time he
pushed himself into me. His eyes closed, and he pressed his head back into
the pillows, groaning in little high pitched screams. I tossed my own head
back as well, riding him harder, slamming down onto him as I clenched
tightly around him. Finally he let out a little scream, and his whole body
locked as his hands squeezed my hips convulsively, the fingers pressing in
almost painfully. I felt his hips jerk beneath me as he fought to catch his
breath, and then, when I thought he was done, I felt him jerk
again. Leaving him inside me, I stayed on top of him, caressing his chest
as he caught his breath and stared up at me.

"I love you," he sighed, wincing as he slid out of me and I reached for the
tissues.

"I love you, too," I answered, leaning down to kiss him as I pulled the
condom off and cleaned him up. "Let's hit the showers."

The boat hit another swell, startling me out of my recollection of the
morning. Josh's arms tightened around me as I stepped back, leaning into
him to keep my footing.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, staring with me out at the
horizon, blue on blue.

"This morning," I answered, smiling, and felt him laugh against me.

"Figures," he said. "I love you, Jack, so much."

"I know," I answered. "I love you, too, but we're neglecting our guests."

We turned to see Howie checking one of the rigs. The fishing pole was all
set, sitting in its holder as the line trailed out behind the boat. If one
of them caught something, some poor fish, the rig would lock, and whoever
wanted to try landing it would have to go over and take the pole. Josh and
Howie seemed very into it, but I was vaguely disgusted by the whole
thing. I ate fish, and was well aware of where it came from, but the idea
of fishing for sport, and deliberately inflicting pain on another creature
for fun, held no attraction for me. Lance and I had several similar
discussions about hunting, and no matter how many times he explained about
population control and venerable family traditions from his Mississippi
hunting camp I still couldn't help but consider the whole thing vaguely
cruel.

"Any hits?" Josh asked, standing by Howie.

"No, not for a while," Howie answered, shrugging. "The captain said maybe
it's too choppy, and that no one's really getting anything today."

"Good," I said, and they both looked at me. Josh had this expression of
total exasperation on his face, as if he couldn't believe I was bringing
this up again, but I just couldn't seem to let it go.

"Again?" Howie asked, smiling. "Jack, it's not that bad, and we're throwing
them back."

"That doesn't matter," I said, fishing a wine cooler out of the cooler. Now
that my heart was considered stabilized and I was off the medicine, I was
allowed to drink and have caffeine again. "This is just mean."

"Oh, God," Josh sighed, shaking his head, but smiling. "Jack for the
ethical treatment of animals. Babe, please, let it go and just have some
fun."

"I am having fun," I said, watching the two of them stand almost
identically, arms crossed, in their shorts and t-shirts. "I'm enjoying a
nice day on the water with my boyfriend and our friends, but I'm not
hurting anyone to make it possible."

"Jack, we're not hurting the fish," Howie protested.

"Really?" I asked sarcastically. "Picture this, then, Howie. You're at the
brunch buffet back there at the resort, minding your own business, loading
up your plate, drifting along pretty hungry. You bite into your pancake,
thinking 'Mmmmm, this is good,' and then something sharp inside your
pancake stabs through your lip and starts pulling on you really hard."

Josh shook his head, but Howie winced. I remembered that he was squeamish
around blood, and figured my words might be having some effect.

"Then, no matter how much you struggle, you are pulled against your will by
the mouth into an atmosphere where you can't even breathe," I continued,
hoping that Howie was seeing all of this. Josh shook his head, rolling his
eyes at the sky. "As you flop spastically, your fight for life making you
completely forget the pain of being impaled through the lip, some alien
creature jams his fingers into your lungs so he can hold you up and have a
picture taken. Then he rips the hook out of your lip and throws you back
into the buffet line, where you are too exhausted and in too much pain to
do much else with your day."

"Wow," Howie sighed, looking thoughtful.

"Yeah, Jack," Josh began, smirking. "You've really given us a lot to think
about. It's a good thing the cow your belt is made from died peacefully of
natural causes."

Before I could make a witty retort one of the lines popped loudly, and Josh
and Howie both raced over to the pole, screaming, "It's mine!" I shook my
head, seeing that I'd had no effect at all.

"Why do I even bother speaking?" I asked rhetorically. "I'm going to the
head to check on Lance."

"OK," Josh said, smiling at me.

The captain came down to help Howie into the deck chair so that he could
try to land whatever poor creature had been hungry enough to bite our
hook. For deep sea fishing there was a whole apparatus you had to climb
into, because the fish were so big and could pull you off of the boat. The
whole thing looked like something from a medieval torture chamber, or a big
city S&M club, and I shook my head again, wondering if our boat would be
able to survive an attack by Jaws, or if I'd be able to convince the killer
shark that I hadn't been in favor of this to begin with. I walked down the
short hallway to the closed door of the head, and knocked softly.

"Lance?" I asked, tapping. "It's Jack. Can I come in?"

"Yeah," he answered weakly.

When I opened the door Lance was sitting on the floor, his knees drawn up
to his chest as he sat with his eyes closed and his head back. He was pale,
and covered with a thin sheen of sweat, looking sickly under the lights. I
sat across from him, making sure I wasn't blocking his access to the toilet
or in the path of any streams of vomit that might miss the bowl.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, watching him press a wet washcloth to his
forehead.

"I can't believe I'm still throwing up," he said, not opening his eyes. "I
don't usually get seasick, but it's just, you know, the water's really
choppy today."

"Maybe if you were up on the deck, in the air?" I suggested. "I've always
been told that it helps if you can see the horizon."

Lance shook his head violently.

"No," he whispered. "Every time the boat lurches I feel like I'm going to
fall off. Is everyone else ok?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "Howie and Josh are busy torturing something in the name
of sport right now."

Lance smiled weakly, his green eyes fluttering open.

"Not this again, Jack," he said, chuckling.

"Since you're not at full strength I'll spare you the debate," I
said. "Have you had anything to drink?"

"No," he answered, closing his eyes again. "I don't want to, you know, toss
it up again."

The boat lurched to starboard and one of Lance's hands whipped out,
gripping the edge of the sink in a white-knuckled grip as he loudly inhaled
and exhaled, breathing deeply and trying to keep himself under control. I
didn't talk to him until the boat steadied again, and it appeared that he
was ok.

"I'm just worried that you might, I don't know, dehydrate or something," I
said, shrugging. "Will you be ok once we get back on land?"

"Yeah, I think so," he answered, still not opening his eyes, breathing in
and out with all the deliberate concentration of a woman in labor.

"Maybe we should take the boat back in?" I suggested. "I mean, I know Josh
and Howie are having fun, but I don't think you should have to sit in here
throwing up all day."

"No!" Lance said quickly, grabbing my arm as I started to stand.

"Lance?" I asked, sitting back down.

"I don't want to ruin everyone else's day," he said, staring at me
urgently.  He looked almost panicked. "I mean, everyone's having a good
time. I don't want to ruin that. I don't want anyone to get mad."

"Lance, no one will get mad if we go back in because you're sick," I said,
shrugging.  "Josh and I won't care, and I'm sure Howie won't mind, either."

"No, please," Lance said. "Please, if Howie's happy, please don't say
anything. He's just so upset all the time, Jack. He's not really enjoying
this vacation, Jack, not as much as I thought he would. If he's having a
good day, please, I don't want to ruin it. Not because of me."

"Lance, why is Howie so upset?" I asked, swallowing. I was starting to get
a really bad feeling about this.

"It's not his fault," Lance said quickly, looking away.

"Yeah, but he shouldn't let Justin and Nick get to him so much," I said,
shrugging. "Then again, I think the three of them just pick fights with
each other on purpose, no matter whose fault it is."

"I know whose fault it is," Lance said, looking down again sadly.

"Lance?" I asked. "Lance, are you still going to therapy?"

"No," he answered, shaking his head, not looking at me. "Howie doesn't
think I need it anymore."

"Lance, is everything ok?" I asked, feeling a little worried now.

Lance looked up at me, his eyes watering, and I thought for a second that
he was going to say something really terrible. His face was creased in
panic, and then he lunged for the toilet again and began vomiting noisily
into the bowl. I started running my hand in circles over his back, holding
the washcloth ready so that he could wipe his mouth when he was done. When
he was finished he took the washcloth and turned away, dabbing at his face
and getting himself under control, and I tried to look away to give him his
privacy. I noticed that the bottom of his t-shirt was riding up a little,
and saw a bright red mark standing out on the stark white of his lower
back.

"Lance?" I asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Lance, what happened to
your back?"

"Nothing," he said, turning quickly, tugging his shirt back down. He
reached for a bottle of water to rinse his mouth out, spitting it into the
bowl.

"Lance, I just saw a red mark on there," I said. "Please, Lance, show me
your back."

"It's nothing," he said, sliding away from me, shaking his head. He glanced
nervously toward the bathroom door. "Jack, I don't want to tell you. It's,
you know, it's kind of embarrassing."

"Lance, what's on your back?" I asked again, my heart fluttering nervously.

"It's, um, it's a belt mark," he said, staring intently at me.

"What?" I blurted. "Lance, who hit you with a belt? Tell me!"

Lance grabbed my hands, pulling me back down to the floor.

"No, Jack, please," he said, shaking his head. "You're overreacting. It's
not what you think."

"How do you know what I'm thinking?" I asked carefully.

"Jack, have you and Josh ever tried anything, you know, kinky?" Lance
asked, almost whispering.

"Well, um, we did have that kinky lovin' kit that Joey and Chris made us,"
I said, blushing. Lance grinned weakly. "And this one time, when we first
got together, Josh blindfolded me and tied me to the bed, but don't you
dare tell him I told you this."

"No, but you can't tell Howie I told you this, either," Lance said quickly.
"We were, um, you know, we were trying something a little different, and
Howie hit me a little too hard with the belt."

He looked stricken, but I burst out laughing. I didn't mean to, but I was
just so relieved.

"Oh, Jesus, Lance," I said, and he started laughing, too. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," he answered, shaking his head. "Howie and I put some lotion on it."

"Oh, my God, I can't believe you hurt yourself playing S&M games," I said,
giggling. It was almost as bad as the time Josh and I broke the dining room
table having sex on it.

"Please don't tell Howie I told you," Lance said, still holding my hands.
"He doesn't like it when I talk about, you know, bedroom stuff."

"No, Lance, I won't say anything," I said. "I just can't believe that's
what happened. For a second I thought, maybe."

"Thought what?" Lance asked, because I didn't continue.

"Never mind," I said, shaking my head. "It was stupid."

There was a knock at the door.

"Lance? Jack?" Howie asked.

I stood, pulling the door open. Howie looked past me to Lance.

"Hey, baby," he said, smiling. Lance smiled up at him, and I wondered again
how I could have thought anything was wrong between the two of them when
their eyes lit up like that. "I caught a fish. Wanna come see?"

"I don't know," Lance began, but Howie bent down and took his arm.

"Come on, the air will be good for you," Howie said, tugging a
little. Lance stood a little shakily, but at least Howie had gotten him
moving, something I hadn't been able to do.  They walked out onto the deck,
Lance gripping Howie unsteadily, and I waited until they were clear before
I rejoined Josh, who was chatting on his phone with someone.

"Hey," I said, as he wrapped an arm around me. I kissed him on the
phone-free cheek.

"Hey," he said, pulling me against him. "Chris wants to know if we want to
go out clubbing tonight."

"Sure," I answered, thinking about the talk I'd just had with Lance. I
looked over to where Howie was still tightly holding Lance's arm, brushing
his hair back carefully and asking if he was ok. The two of them looked so
much in love I felt guilty for what I'd been thinking.

"Everything ok?" Josh asked, his eyes searching my face as his brows
shifted together.

"Yeah, fine," I said, smiling. I kissed him again as he told Chris goodbye
and hung up the phone.

"Hey, you guys, you want to go out tonight?" Josh asked, as Lance and Howie
walked carefully over to us, Lance's knees shaking as the boat lurched
again.

"Sure," Howie answered, smiling.

Lance leaned forward and threw up on my shoes.

***

To be continued.