Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 21:27:09
From: musicfan@indabox.com
Subject: Where Do We Go #53

Disclaimer:

   Here is chapter 53, the next chapter in an ongoing story about
Stephen Gately from Boyzone and Eloy de Jong, formerly of Caught in the
Act.  I do hope you like this one, and please write and tell
me what you think.

    For the obligatory disclaimer, I must say I have no contact with
either gentleman or group, so these chapters exist within the
imagination of the author's mind, combined with public events that
happened during this time.

   Cheers,

   Musicfan


###



     Once the group decided to leave Las Vegas, they didn't waste any
time in making plans to move eastwards towards Florida.  Stephen found
himself really looking forward to the trip.  While he had been there in
the past, they hadn't had a lot of free time and it was with a lot of
regret that he had to put off seeing Disneyworld.  He found himself
excited to the point of bouncing in his seat on the airplane, and the
rest of his friends tolerated his antics with humour.

      The trip from the airport to the hotel on the grounds of the park
was uneventful and they were able to check into their rooms in the
early evening after their flight from Las Vegas to Orlando.  Once
again, Stephen and Alex were rooming together, not that either had a
problem with that.  Alex had admitted that he really wasn't interested
in entertaining anyone he happened to meet, having done most of his
playing in San Francisco and Las Vegas.  Privately, Stephen was
relieved to hear the news, as there were several nights that Alex
hadn't returned to their suite and Stephen had found himself worrying
about what Alex was up to on his own.  He thought that Alex took way
too many chances with his liaisons and should be much more careful.
Alex, of course, wasn't in the mood to listen to his gentle
admonishments, so it was a great relief to both of them that they moved
to Orlando for the next leg of their trip.

     They had a delightful dinner together before retreating to their
rooms for the night, each of them feeling the results of their jet lag.
Despite the lateness of the hour in Ireland, Stephen rang his sister
and chatted for a while, catching her up to date on Keith's marriage to
Lisa. She was thrilled for them, and delighted in hearing the stories
that Stephen had to share.   By the time he rang off for the night, he
found himself more than ready for bed, and he turned in for the night.

     The next morning brought all but Alex to the breakfast table down
in the hotel restaurant.  Ronan was teasing Keith about his disheveled
look after a deep kiss from his wife as he came back from the breakfast
buffet.  Stephen watched them all with amusement, enjoying the
happiness of the two couples.  The conversation did turn to teasing
Stephen about settling down himself, and he ducked his head in
embarrassment at their teasing.  The two women were particularly
insistent at pointing out potential young men that might entice him
from the wait staff in the restaurant, even going so far as to suggest
providing introductions.  Stephen was mortified, and hoped that they
weren't serious in their threats.

     "By the way, what happened to Alex?" Ronan asked, sitting back
with a grin after Yvonne had pointed out a tall blond man that might be
a possible match for Stephen.

     "Alex announced that he was staying in bed and sleeping, like a
normal person should," Stephen said with a laugh, grateful for the
change in conversation.  "He said that it was much too indecent an hour
to be up and about and ordered me out of the room so he could have some
peace."   He decided that was a good point to get up and get some more
food of his own, so he left them to their banter while he got another
plate of food.  Normally he wasn't much of a breakfast person, but he
found that he had a good appetite for it this morning.

     When he got back to their table, Keith and Lisa had their heads
together while Ronan was trying to look through the newspaper for any
news about home.  Yvonne was doing her best at trying to distract him
from what he was doing, nibbling on his ear as he tried to read.

     "Hey Stephen, we should take advantage of Alex not being up yet,"
Keith said with a grin, wanting to distract Stephen from his earlier
embarrassment.  He was such a good friend, always taking their joking
with good humour that Keith felt bad when it felt like that was all
Stephen was getting was wound up about stuff.  And he knew how
merciless Alex could be about things. "How about a treat, Steo?"

     "What kind of a treat," Stephen asked, looking up at his friend
with a smile.  He couldn't help it, Keith was so good to him, always
making sure he wasn't feeling lonely when they were on the road.  Over
the years, the two of them had become quite close, and there had been
many a night when Keith had offered the shoulder of a big brother when
he had needed it.  He saw that Lisa was smiling at him, too, and he
wondered what the two of them had up their sleeves.

     "Perhaps a stroll around the park," Keith said, gesturing out the
window.  Off in the distance, they could see the Epcot Center and
Stephen brightened perceptibly as he looked out the window.  Usually
his friends didn't have a lot of tolerance for his fondness for things
like that, and he knew that Keith was making a generous offer by
suggesting they go.

     "Are you sure," he asked, looking from Keith to Lisa's faces.
They both nodded, smiling at his boyish delight.  It had been Keith's
idea that they go to Orlando and treat Stephen to a nice vacation,
since he couldn't have his fella with him.  Ronan and Yvonne had agreed
readily enough, knowing he had had a hard time over the last few months
without any time off.

     "Yeah, we're sure.  We want to," Keith said. Then he leaned over
so he could whisper to Stephen. "Besides, that way we can give the
lovebirds some time to themselves, yeah?" Stephen grinned as Keith
waggled his eyebrows, being fairly obvious as to his intentions.  Ronan
and Yvonne were cuddled together in the curve of the booth, whispering
to one another and laughing.  Stephen could see that they were already
in their own little world.

     "I see what you mean," Stephen said, chuckling softly.  "Alright
then. Let's go if you really want to."

     "We do," Lisa said with a smile, covering Stephen's hand with her
own.  "I think it will be brilliant."

     Stephen was suitably distracted for the rest of the day, having a
grand old time with Keith and Lisa in the park.  Lisa expressed regret
at not having Jordan along to enjoy it and Keith promised her that they
could come again as a family, just themselves.  She lit up over his
comment of their traveling as a family and Stephen smiled as he watched
them together.

     He leaned on a railing as they waited in line for some ride that
they wanted to go on.  He had always thought that Lisa was a perfect
match for Keith.  She kept him grounded when at times he would have
flown out of control, and Stephen adored her for it.  He thought they
were the perfect couple and well matched.  While Ronan and Yvonne
looked good together, they had yet to establish the longevity of a
relationship like Keith and Lisa had. He hoped that it would prove as
strong as the couple he was with, because he truly wanted Ronan to be
happy.

     They spent the day happily together and Stephen felt quite
comfortable with the two of them.  They were very good at making him
feel like he just wasn't an extra appendage, and that they wanted him
there with them.  At present, Keith was trying to get Lisa to pose with
him in front of some old town saloon characters, and she reluctantly
agreed as he pulled on an old Western hat, picked up a bottle as a prop
and pulled her onto his lap for the picture.  Stephen brought over a
wide brimmed lady's hat and set it on her head, to which she laughed.
She also grabbed his hand and wouldn't let him go, telling him he now
had to join them in the picture.  Keith tossed him another hat, which
he put over his baseball cap.  He stood behind them, smiling at their
antics.  The photographer told them to come back in a half hour, so
they wandered around the food stalls, looking for something to nibble
on.  Lisa kept them both to a small snack so that they couldn't spoil
their appetites for the evening meal.

     "Really, are you children or are you men?" She asked, exasperated
as they giggled, still trying to get past her to the food booth.  An
older woman resting on a nearby bench smiled as she playfully batted
their hands away before grabbing both men and steering them firmly away
from the stall.

     "I don't ever want to grow up," Stephen said, pouting as she led
him away. "And I'm hungry."

     "Me, too!" Keith complained, trying to dig his heels in so she
couldn't budge him.  She wasn't having any of that and swatted his bum
so that he would behave.

     "Stop that right now, or I'm going to turn this park around and go
right back home!" She said, shaking her finger and trying to stifle a
giggle of her own.   They both cracked up at her comment and she used
it as a diversion to bring them back to the photo booth so they could
pick up their photos.

     It was getting late by the time they finally made their way back
to the hotel, getting out of the trolley that brought them back from
the park.   Lisa was disgusted with the grime she was feeling from the
heat and declared she was going up to take a shower.  Keith's look of
intense interest showed Stephen which way that one was thinking and he
pushed him after her, telling his friend that he needed to make sure
she got to the room safely.

     That night they all got together, going to a local restaurant that
also had a show as part of the entertainment. They were all guests of a
king who presided over the evening's entertainment. Keith got himself
into trouble as there was audience participation with the servers, and
his cheeky comment to one of the wenches brought the ire of the king to
their table.  He was made to go up to the dais and act as the king's
jester, which Keith was all too happy to do.  The rest of them laughed,
though Stephen could see that Lisa was red-cheeked with embarrassment
at his antics. She definitely tried to make him behave once he was
allowed to come back to the table.

    After dinner, the two other couples wouldn't allow Stephen or Alex
to go back to the hotel by themselves and made them come out to a club
with them.  Stephen wasn't much for clubs, being more of the type who
just wanted to sit at a quiet table in the pub and relax, but he went
with them willingly enough.   He was surprised with how much he
actually enjoyed himself. Both Yvonne and Lisa dragged him and Alex out
onto the dance floor a few times.  Keith went off to talk to one of the
barmen and came back with a grin on his face.  Stephen was sitting with
his back to the wall, feeling a pleasant haze from the champagne he had
been drinking throughout the night.

    "How about we move this party to another place?" Keith asked,
trying to suppress the grin on his face.  Ronan shrugged, happy where
he was until Keith leaned over and whispered something that also made
him grin.  Nodding, he agreed, and encouraged the rest of them to get
up so they could move on.  Stephen was happy enough to follow them, and
he trailed behind the rest of the group out to the street where they
got a cab.  He didn't catch the name of the club as Keith gave it to
the driver as he sat back squashed in the seat next to Ronan and
Yvonne.  They crossed town to another area that seemed to be lined with
clubs and young people partying in the streets.  He also missed the
knowing grin of the driver as Keith paid him the fare before leading
them up to the entrance to the club.

    Alex perked up right away as he surveyed the people as they entered
the dim interior.  He followed behind Stephen, bringing up the rear as
they made their way to an available table.  It wasn't until they sat
down that Stephen realised that they were in a mixed club.  There were
couples of all sorts out on the dance floor and he saw some very erotic
dancing as men danced together to the heavy dance beat as well as
women, dressed to the nines and wrapped around each other as they
swayed to the music.

    "Keith, where are we?"  Stephen asked, looking around at the wild
decor with its southwestern theme.

    "The Cactus Club," Keith said, enormously pleased with himself.
"Mixed club, so you can dance with whomever you want."

    Ronan was looking about with interest at the crowd, noting quite a
few straight couples mixing in with the gay ones on the dance floor.
"Good idea, Keet.  They also have a pool room, if anyone's up to a
game."

    "Not me!" Alex said, looking around and licking his lips.  "I think
I'm going to go find me a sexy boy in spandex.  Don't wait up for me if
I disappear."  He got up from the table and started making his way over
to the bar, keeping an eye out for an interesting prospect.  The rest
of them laughed, amused at his single mindedness.

    "Let's go play some pool.  Steo?" Ronan asked, tugging on Yvonne's
hand and headed for the room in the back that was separated by cacti
strung with Christmas lights.  Keith was already dragging Lisa out onto
the dance floor, and Stephen thought it safest to stay with Ronan and
Yvonne.  He shrugged and followed them over to an empty table.  Ronan
grinned, seeing that Stephen was oblivious to the appraising looks he
got as he made his way with them.  He had loved Keith's idea and had
immediately suggested they leave for the club so that Stephen could
have some fun, also.  The beauty of being in the States was that no one
knew them here and they could enjoy themselves as they wanted.

     Stephen was a little nervous about being left alone with Yvonne as
Ronan went to get them some drinks, but she leaned against the pool
table next to him and chatted with him until Ronan came back with the
rack from the barman, along with their drinks.  He set up the table as
Stephen gratefully took a sip from his glass, trying to look around the
room nonchalantly.  There were all types in the club, from the pierced
leather-wearing crowd to what looked like college lads out for the
night.  He relaxed marginally once Ronan started their game.  What he
knew about pool could be fit on the head of a pin, but it served to
keep him distracted from watching the crowd.

     None of them were very good, though Stephen surprised himself with
how well he did.  They were laughing a lot when they finally noticed a
man standing near them.  He gave Stephen a frank, appraising look and
smiled.

    "Looks like fun, care for doubles?" He asked them.  Ronan grinned
and nodded, introducing himself and Yvonne.

    "This is Stephen," Ronan said with a wink towards his friend.
"Steo, up to another game?"

     "Why not?" Stephen asked, feeling a bit reckless. The other man's
name turned out to be Chris, and he shook hands with him as they set up
for another game of pool.  Chris was a little taller than himself and a
lot broader across the shoulders.  He had longish auburn hair and
twinkling brown eyes that Stephen couldn't help but smile back into
when he looked up at the other man.  The appearance of Chris at the
table made a few other men who had been lingering step back as they
ceded the conquest for the moment.  Stephen was oblivious to it all
however, as they chatted while they played.

     Chris, a college student, was quite adept at playing pool, and he
and Stephen easily won against Ronan and Yvonne.  Ronan laughed good-
naturedly and admitted defeat.  Hearing a new song starting on the
dance floor, he looked over at Stephen and asked if it would be okay if
he and Yvonne went dancing.  Stephen waved them off, sitting down at a
table off to the side.  Chris sat down beside him, keeping him company
while the others were dancing.

     "How long are you in town for?" Chris asked, leaning back against
the wall next to Stephen.

     "Not sure, actually.  We only just got here yesterday," Stephen
said, watching his friends dancing with a smile on his lips.  Chris
found that he could watch Stephen as much as he liked when his friends
distracted him. When the group had first walked into the club, he had
been immediately drawn to Stephen's good looks, but had thought he was
with the blond guy who had come in with the group.  Once he had seen
that one walk off, he had made his way over to where he could see if
they were attached or not.  From Stephen's apparent lack of interest at
the other's actions, he concluded that they weren't a couple.  That was
when he had worked his way into the pool game.  He was captivated by
Stephen's accent once he heard it.  It was also obvious that Stephen
was totally unaware of his allure to the rest of the men in the club.
Chris found that unaffected aspect of the other man charming.  Most
often, people in the club tended to play games, which he himself found
tiresome.  He had come to the club at the request of his long suffering
friends, only to find himself off by himself once they had found
potential partners for the evening.

    "Oh, is this your first time to Orlando?" Chris asked, interested
in anything that would keep Stephen talking. Stephen explained that
they had just made their way from Las Vegas, where his friend Keith had
gotten married.  Chris asked him about Vegas, and whether he had gone
to any of the clubs there.  Stephen shook his head.

    "Actually, I usually don't go to clubs, but the others were all up
for a night out, so I thought I'd give it a go for a change," he said
with a rueful grin.

    "Really?" Chris asked in surprise.  "I'm normally the same way.  I
can't say when the last time was that I was in club before tonight. But
my friends think I study too much, so they were determined to see that
I got out and saw something of the city tonight."

    "That sounds familiar," amusement laced Stephen's tone as he gave
Chris a sideways glance through his lashes.  "What do you study when
you're not getting out with your friends?"

    "Medicine," Chris said, leaning back against Stephen with an
apologetic grin when one of the players who had taken over their pool
table moved up against him to take a shot.  Stephen didn't seem to mind
and Chris got an appreciative whiff of his cologne. "I'm almost done
with my studies, and hopefully this spring, if I pass the finals, I get
posted for a year as an intern at a hospital."

    "Wow, that must be hard work." Stephen said, impressed. "Are you
studying to be any particular type of doctor?"

    "Right now I'm concentrating on internal medicine.  But I think I
would like to work in an ER somewhere." Chris said, warming to his
favorite subject.  Usually his friends just rolled their eyes when he
talked about his ambition, but Stephen seemed genuinely interested in
what he had to say.  He did see a blank look on Stephen's face, so he
amended what he was saying as he realised he was probably using terms
that the Irishman didn't know. "Emergency Room, that is."

    "Ah, right," Stephen said with a nod.  "That must be tough, though,
isn't it?"

    "Yeah, it can be rough, I know from experience as a volunteer when
I was in high school.  But to actually get the chance to make a
difference – to save someone's life... that means a lot." Chris abruptly
stopped as he became aware of his own zeal for his work.  "Sorry, I'll
stop now.  My buds tell me I tend to overdo it sometimes.  And I
promised them I wouldn't talk shop tonight."

    "It's okay.  It's good to be passionate about what you want to do
in life," Stephen said with a grin.  "Too many people just seem unhappy
in what they do, and what's the point going through life like that?"
He looked up as a waitress came around to take another drink order.  He
found that his glass was empty and ordered another glass of wine.
Chris asked for one too, discarding the empty beer bottle he had been
holding onto.

    "And are you passionate about what you want to do in life?" Chris
asked boldly.  Stephen laughed and Chris found himself captivated by
the other man.  Normally he went out of his way to avoid meeting
someone in a club because it seemed like someone was always on the
take, looking for a quickie, or just rang false once they started
talking.  Stephen came across as none of those things. He felt genuine
to Chris, and not someone who frequented clubs without the urging of
his friends.

    "Absolutely," Stephen replied.  At that point, the waitress came
back with their drinks and they sat back, Stephen still watching his
friends occasionally as they kept to the dance floor.  He half
suspected them of deliberately leaving him alone, just so he could have
a night out with someone.

    "And what is it that you are so passionate about?" Chris asked,
wanting to draw the information out of the man by his side.

    "Music," Stephen said looking down briefly, before looking up again
into Chris' gaze.  "And performing."

    "Really?" Chris asked, interested.  He saw how Stephen's eyes lit
up as he mentioned the subject.  "And do you perform?"

    "Yeah, here and there," Stephen said, waving his wineglass. "With
me friends."

    "And are you any good?" Chris was amused by Stephen's reaction.

    "Not half bad, actually.  I've made a few bob off of it," Stephen
admitted, not wanting to go into detail about it.  Chris seemed to
sense his reticence and backed off on his questioning.  Instead, he
changed the subject by holding up his glass for a toast.

    "Well then, shall we drink to having passion about we do?" He asked
with a laugh.  Stephen nodded readily enough and touched his glass to
Chris' before drinking it down. "Feel up to dancing?"

     Stephen glanced over to the dance floor, letting out a chuckle as
he watched Ronan making a spectacle of himself on the dance floor.
"Oh, I don't know.  Do you think we can compete with Ronan, there?"

     Chris looked over and burst into laughter as he saw Stephen's
friend on the dance floor. "Oh, definitely not.  But if you'd like, we
can have fun on our own."

     Stephen grinned.  He was relaxed by the wine and thought it would
be fun.  No one knew him here, so there was no chance of word getting
back home of this night.  He got up, putting his glass down on the
table in front of them and held his hand out to his newfound friend.
"Alright then, let's go."  He hauled Chris up and led him out to the
floor.  The music changed to a slow tune and he turned expectantly with
a smile.  Chris took advantage of the change in pace and wrapped his
arms around Stephen's waist, pulling him in a close embrace as they
danced to the sultry southern beat.

    Stephen was definitely noticing the effects of the alcohol he had
been drinking throughout the evening.  He enjoyed the feeling of Chris'
arms around him and he swayed to the rhythmic beat as they danced.  He
even found himself leaning in and pressing his hips against the other
man as they smiled at one another, neither one taking advantage of
their position.  The song ended and another one started, also slow and
Stephen found himself leaning against Chris' chest.  Stephen's arms
crept up Chris' back, luxuriating in the muscles he could feel under
the other man's shirt.  He smiled lazily up into the twinkling brown
eyes as he explored his dancing partner's broad shoulders.  He liked
everything he saw about Chris, from the way his hair curled at the
collar to his shirt, to the enticing view he got of pectorals through
the gap in his button down shirt as Chris danced against him.  Just
because Chris was someone who was studious didn't mean he didn't keep
himself in good shape.  Stephen found himself very appreciative of
that.    He also reveled in the feeling of being desired by someone
without feeling pressured.  One song moved into the next and he had no
memory of Chris leading him off to a darker area of the dance floor.
The feeling of Chris' lips against his own sent a shiver through his
body and he leaned into the kiss, his mind in a haze of feeling.
Fingers stroked the hair out of his face before trailing down his neck,
tickling the sensitive area under his ear.  He snuggled closer, caught
up in the feeling of the hard body against his own, the strong arms
rubbing his back as they kissed.   But it wasn't until he found himself
responding to Chris' tongue teasing its way passed his lips that the
shock awoke him from his reverie and he instinctively pulled back from
the other man.

    "Am I going too fast?" Chris asked in a husky voice, feeling
Stephen recoil from the kiss.  He was a little confused, feeling
befuddled by the alcohol himself and he had thought that he had read
the signals from Stephen correctly.  But when the other man pulled
away, he wondered if he had rushed things too fast.

    "Shite," Stephen swore softly, looking up with pain in his eyes.
"No, yes... oh feck, yes.  I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lead you on." He
started babbling, torn by the stricken look on the other man's face.
"I'm so sorry."

     "What is it, then?" Chris asked, concerned. He wasn't the type for
one night stands, but he found himself irresistibly drawn to the other
man and was puzzled by the sudden rejection.  "Was it something I did?"

     "No, it's not you.  It's me. I'm... I'm sorry.  There's someone..."
Stephen broke off, a pained look on his face as if he had come to a
realisation.

      "There's someone else," Chris said, resigned.  He knew it was too
good to be true that this man would be unattached. But he had been able
to convince himself that perhaps this time he was wrong.

      Stephen glanced down, unable to meet the other man's gaze. "Yes."
He forced himself to look up, knowing he owed Chris that much.  "I'm
sorry.  It's just that we haven't been together for so long, and the
wine..."

      "It's okay," Chris said softly, seeing the stricken look in
Stephen's blue eyes. "Doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves as friends,
right?"  Stephen looked a bit sceptical at his comment, but he kept his
hold around Stephen's shoulders, not wanting him to break away and run.
"Right?"

     "You sure?" Stephen asked, still upset that he had inadvertently
led Chris on.  He found that they got on well, and hadn't had any
intention of hurting him.

     "Yeah, why not?" Chris said with a laugh.  Stephen smiled up at
him, wanting to believe that he wasn't hurt by the rejection. "Who
knows, maybe you'll change your mind at some point and remember there's
a cute doctor in Orlando waiting for you."

     "Oh Jaysus, anything but that! You shouldn't be just sitting there
waiting for someone you just met to come back. You're much too good for
that." Stephen protested with a laugh. "I'm sure you'll find yourself
someone grand to be with, Chris. Really."

     "Maybe," Chris said doubtfully.  Stephen responded to the wistful
look on his face by leaning in and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

    "I'm sure you will.  You're too good of a person not to find
someone that will be good to you." Stephen assured him.  "Is being a
friend okay?"

    "Yeah, it's more than okay." Chris assured him. He smiled down at
Stephen, unable to resist stroking the other man's cheek.  "Thank you
for being so understanding."

    "What?" Stephen said, startled.  "Thank you, Chris, for being so
understanding yourself.  I feel like I've led you on a bit tonight..."

    "No," Chris said, shaking his head. "No you didn't. You were
yourself.  And in this place, I find that refreshing.  I wish you luck
with that man who has stolen your heart, and hope that he treats you
well."

     An incredible smile crossed Stephen's face at Chris' comment and
the young man felt a pang of regret at the knowledge that someone could
make Stephen smile like that.

    "Thank you, Chris.  That's very sweet." He reached up and gave
Chris a rather chaste kiss. "And I wish the same for you.  You'll make
someone a rather nice catch as a doctor, you know."

    "Maybe someday," Chris said with a laugh.  "To be honest, at the
moment I think I'm too single minded to be in a relationship." They
continued dancing under the dim lights of the dance floor, talking as
they swayed to the beat.  They found themselves startled by last call
and broke off to find Stephen's friends, who had long since abandoned
the dance floor for their table.  There was no sign of Alex, not that
any of them expected him to join them.  Stephen introduced Chris to the
rest of the group, who welcomed him warmly.  When it was finally time
for them to go back to their hotel, Chris escorted them to the door and
handed a number to Stephen in case he felt like socialising while he
was in town.  Stephen gave him a kiss and promised to ring him in the
next day or so.  The others were a bit bemused by his actions as they
all got into the waiting taxi.

     "You sure you want to come back with us?" Keith asked, watching as
Chris solicitously closed the door behind them and waved as the taxi
pulled away from the curb.

     Stephen nodded, giving Keith a grin.  "Yes. And no, I'm not taking
him home with me."

     "I don't know, Stephen.  That one's a looker," Ronan teased,
ignoring the swat his wife gave him.

     "Yeah, he is, isn't he?" Stephen said with a laugh.  "But not for
me."

     "Awwww," Lisa murmured softly.  She had been watching him
throughout the night and had thought that there was a mutual attraction
there.  "Ah you sure?"

     "Yeah, sure.  He's sweet, and Lord, is he gorgeous, but someone
else has my heart." Stephen turned to look out the window, not saying
any more.  Keith and Ronan exchanged a look, surprised that he was
being so forthcoming with that information.

     "Don't you think you should go be with that someone, if he has
your heart?" Yvonne asked softly, watching his face intently.  She
noticed the wistful look as he kept his face averted.

     "God, I wish. But it's not exactly like he's free to meet me, even
if I could be with him right now."  Stephen closed his eyes, feeling
his emotions were way too close to the surface for comfort.  Ronan
tactfully changed the subject about talking about some of the other
people he had noticed in the club, thereby diverting everyone's
attention away from Stephen.  He knew that there was more to it than
just their diverging schedules, but he also didn't think it was fair
for all of them to pressure Stephen like that.

     Stephen gratefully latched onto the change of subject, mentioning
some of the more interesting characters he had noticed himself.  By the
time their taxi had reached the hotel, none of the others remembered
what had gotten them started on the conversation to begin with.

     He was also happy to be in a room by himself, knowing that chances
were that Alex wouldn't come back to the hotel that night.  He needed
some time to himself, and he went into the tub for a long soak, quietly
sipping a glass of wine to relax.  A smile crept over his face as he
thought back to his dances with Chris, and he was happy that Chris
hadn't felt rebuffed by his reaction.  The kiss had been good, he mused
to himself, still smiling.  When he had soaked long enough, he got up
and wrapped a towel around himself, picking up his discarded clothing
as he went.   The crackle of a piece of paper in his pocket distracted
him, and when he pulled it out of his pant's pocket, he found Chris'
number scrawled across the corner of a napkin from the club.

     Putting the paper on his nightstand, he draped the clothes over
the arm of a nearby chair and crawled into bed.  It had been a fun
evening, and he was surprised that he had enjoyed himself as much as he
had.  He lay back in bed, his arms behind his head and eventually
drifted off with the sound of the southern music in his head.