Date: Tue, 25 Jun 2002 00:45:39
From: musicfan@indabox.com
Subject: Where Do We Go 55

Disclaimer:

   Here is chapter 55, 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.

    I have no contact with either of the gentlemen in question and such
literature is the product of the author's imagination.  That being
stated, I also wish to say that there is explicit sex in this chapter.
If you are not of an age to be reading this, please stop reading.

   Cheers,

   Musicfan

PS -  This chapter is for the long suffering readers, who have been
waiting patiently for our two gentlemen to, pardon the pun, come
together again.


###




      The next morning, the band met for breakfast before heading out
to the studio.  Ronan had given the lads the high sign, so they knew
that the plans were underway.  The whole time through breakfast to the
studio, he impatiently waited for a call from Eloy without any luck.

     Ronan and Shane were able to get the mobile back to Stephen by
saying he had lost it in the hall and Ronan had noticed it when he had
gone up to his room the night before.  Stephen thanked them for saving
him another bout of replacing his mobile again and made sure that this
time he pocketed it securely.  They reached the studio without much ado
and headed inside, where they met Jorgen Elofsson.  He met them in the
lounge and sat down to listen to some of their ideas.  He also had a
few songs he had on hand that they listened to the demo tracks on.

    Stephen really liked the song "Will Be Yours," and thought it would
be a good idea for the group to do that one.  Jorgen brought his
writing partners, Per Magnusson and David Kreuger in for a conference.
Together, they worked on separating the vocals for the harmonies that
Boyzone liked to do.  While they were working on that, the boys took a
break.  It was while they were waiting that Ronan got a chance to check
his messages.  Sure enough, there was a message from Eloy with his
travel plans.  Ronan went outside to give him a quick ring, giving
their hotel information and arranging to have one of them meet him at
the hotel.  He came back into the studio with a bounce in his step and
gave a nod to Keith. Quietly, Keith passed the word to the others,
making sure that Stephen was kept busy while they put their heads
together.

    They spent the day in the studio, working on the breakdown of the
vocals.  Originally Ronan had the lion share of the song, but then
David suggested that Ronan and Stephen break up each line, with Stephen
singing the high octave as a counterpart to Ronan's low voice.  They
had a lot of fun working out the chorus with the rest of the lads, and
by the end of the day, they had a good basis for how the song would
sound.

    On their way back to the hotel, Stephen told them about a call he
had gotten the day before from Andrew Lloyd Webber.  Apparently Capital
FM was playing No Matter What and was calling for it to be released as
a single.  They had originally done the song as a one off for Andrew's
album of songs from his musicals, but the news that people wanted it
released as a single was welcome news to the group.   Keith grinned,
watching Stephen bounce off the walls of their van as he described the
news.  That kept them occupied well into dinner, as they talked about
working with Per and Jorgen and the team at Cheiron.  They had a unique
sound that the group really liked and wanted on the album.

    They had a quiet evening, having dinner together as a group before
calling it an early night and heading to bed.  The next morning saw
them up early and back in the studio.  They layered several more tracks
of vocals, playing with the music that the local session musicians
recorded until they got a mix they liked. It was a tiring day, and they
all dragged their way back to the hotel to collapse for the night.
Ronan was a little nervous, because Eloy was flying in the next day and
he wanted to make sure that Stephen would have an easy day so he
wouldn't be too knackered in the evening.

     The next morning the rest of the lads met up for breakfast a
little early so they could put their plans in motion.  When Stephen
came down they were all set to put things in motion.  Eloy's flight was
due in mid day.  In the early afternoon Shane told the rest of them he
wasn't feeling too good and he left to go back to the hotel.  They were
just dealing with remixes that day, so it wasn't too much of a problem.
It was a relaxing day for the group and they were really happy with
what they heard of the final mix.  Jorgen and Per worked quickly,
playing with their suggestions until they had a mix that everyone
liked.  With a final nod, they locked off the track and mastered it for
the record company to listen to.

     They had an early day, leaving the studio and heading back to the
hotel.  Now it was time to put the rest of their plan into motion.
Keith and Ronan decided to stop and go shopping, dragging Stephen along
with them. Mikey demurred, heading back to the hotel on his own.

     That night they decided to have a party.  With all of the work
they had been doing on this album, they felt like it was well deserved.
They had food delivered to the suite and just relaxed, telling jokes
and watching tv.  It was in the middle of this that Ronan decided that
the time was right.

     "Stephen, we've got a surprise for you." He announced, raising his
glass in a toast towards his friend, who was sitting in a chair with
his legs over one arm.

     "For me?" Stephen blinked, surprised by the announcement.  "What
sort of surprise?"

     "One you have to stand up for," Ronan said, reaching over and
tugging on Stephen's hand.  Stephen groaned as he had to leave his
comfortable perch but he willingly got up at Ronan's urging.  "You see,
Steo, we've been thinking a lot here.  For the whole time we've been
working on this album, it seems like we've all had a chance to have a
break but you."

     "What?" Stephen asked, confused. "I've had the same breaks you
have."

     "Yeah, that's true.  But we've had a chance to be with our wives
and partners, and you haven't."  Ronan pushed on as he saw Stephen look
about the room, completely puzzled. "And it isn't right that you should
have to sacrifice your personal life."

     "Ronan, what are you going on about?" Stephen asked, still trying
to see where he was going with this.  He saw Keith grinning and even
Shane and Mikey were smiling.

     "C'mon, Stephen, we know you've hadn't had a chance to spend much
time with your fella.  So we decided to take matters into our own
hands."  Ronan nodded with satisfaction and Shane opened the door
behind Stephen to let Eloy in from the next room.  "Stephen, turn
around."

     "Huh?" Stephen asked, completely confused by Ronan's speech.

     "Just turn around," Ronan urged, silently holding his breath that
this would work out well.

     Mystified, Stephen slowly turned around.  Upon seeing Eloy
standing before him, his jaw dropped.  "E?"

     "Ja," Eloy said, smiling tentatively in the face of Stephen's
shock.  He got the impression from Ronan's speech that Stephen didn't
know that they knew about what had happened in Dublin.  He was hoping
that Stephen wouldn't be upset that he had agreed to go along with
their plan.

    "But... Eloy, what are you doing here?" Stephen asked in total
surprise.  Emotions conflicted, each flitting across his face between
joy, despair and fear at their meeting in a somewhat public place.

     "I was invited to come and spend some time with you.  My schedule
finally lightened up and it seemed like a good idea to me." Eloy
silently prayed that Stephen wouldn't be angry that he had agreed to
come and he smiled tentatively, waiting for a response.

     "But..." Stephen whispered softly, at a loss at what to say. He
looked around at the rest of the group, who all looked pleased with
their surprise. He turned back to Eloy, standing there in front of him,
a look of pleading on his face.  After a moment of indecision, he gave
into the inevitable and crossed the few short steps across the room to
where Eloy was standing.  Opening his arms, he engulfed the older man
in a hug, resting his cheek against Eloy's chest.

     Eloy let out the breath he was holding and wrapped his arms around
Stephen, burying his face in Stephen's hair.  They stood still for a
long moment, each just enjoying the feeling of holding each other
again.  The room was silent as they embraced, the emotion of what they
were witnessing affecting Stephen's friends.

     "I'm sorry," Eloy whispered softly so that only Stephen could
hear. "When they asked, I couldn't say no.  I had to see you, zusje.
Had to come. Please don't be mad at me. Please..." he drifted off when
Stephen pulled back to look up at him.  Reaching his arms up to
encircle Eloy's neck, he pulled his head down for a kiss.

      Eloy closed his eyes as Stephen's lips touched his own. It
brought him back to the first time that they were together in London
when Stephen had been so overcome with emotion that he couldn't speak.
It was like that again, with Stephen communicating with touch what he
couldn't put into words.  Eloy held Stephen close as they pulled back
from the kiss, Stephen resting his cheek back against Eloy's chest
again.

      After a few moments, Eloy was aware of the others in the room,
none of them having said a thing.  Ronan was smiling, happy that the
plan had gone off without a hitch.  Keith looked ready to cry, seeing
how emotional Stephen had become as he had watched their embrace. Mikey
was smiling, but looking down, giving them some privacy.  Shane had a
big grin on his face at his friend's reaction. Eloy held Stephen close
and silently mouthed a thank you at them all.  When Stephen had gotten
his own emotions under control, he pulled back and faced his friends.

      "Thank you," he said simply, not being able to get any other
words out.  "You don't know how much this means to me.  It's lovely.
Thank you all."

      "Steo," Ronan said, stepping forward so he got Stephen's
attention.  "We only want you to be happy. Please, Stephen. Don't be
mad at us, or at Eloy for just wanting to make you happy."

     "No, of course not." Stephen smiled and they all couldn't help but
grin back at him.  It made them realise how long it had been since they
had seen him smile like that.  He had turned around to face Ronan, but
still kept an arm around Eloy's waist.  "Thank you, too, for thinking
of it," he looked up and Eloy could see tears forming in his eyes.  "It
means the world to me that they did this."  Eloy pulled him back into
his arms, holding him tightly.

      After a few moments, he pulled back again with a sigh. "I suppose
we shouldn't just stand here, should we?  C'mon," he said and pulled
Eloy by the hand after him back over to the only chair available, which
was the one he had just vacated. Eloy perched on the arm as he sat
down, accepting a drink from Mikey.  He took another one for Stephen
and passed it down.  Stephen looked into the glass for a moment before
wiping his eyes and taking a long sip from the glass.

      "Stephen, you don't have to stay here with us, you know," Keith
said with a twinkle in his eye.  When Stephen looked up with a startled
look on his face.  "We understand if you'd rather spend some time alone
with Eloy.  After all, you were pretty good about it when I ran off
with Lisa."  Stephen laughed, ruefully acknowledging Keith's
suggestion. He looked around the room, but all he saw was encouragement
from his friends.  He downed his drink and rose, holding a hand out to
Eloy.

      "Grand idea, Keith.  I think I'll take you up on it.  Gentlemen,
good night."  With a tug on Eloy's hand, he pulled the other man up and
took the half finished glass out of his hand.  "C'mon, you."

      Eloy looked bemused as Stephen led him out of the room, pausing
to look at the others as he walked out of the room.  Ronan gave him a
thumb up as he passed through the door.  He shook his head, smiling
slightly as he followed Stephen into the main room of the suite they
shared.  Stephen led him down the short hall to another room, closing
it behind them.  Turning the lock, he dropped Eloy's hand and turned to
stare at him, still surprised that Eloy was here in front of him.

     "Wow," was all he said, still shocked at what had just happened.
Eloy smiled down at Stephen, understanding his surprise.  He stood,
waiting for Stephen to make the next move.  He still wasn't sure if
Stephen was angry with him and he was hesitant to do anything.  He
drank in the sight of Stephen's face, looking for changes since the
last time they had seen each other months before.

     Stephen couldn't believe what his friends had done.  They didn't
know that he and Eloy had made the decision to cool things down and so
had engineered this meeting for them.  He found himself smiling at the
thought of the trouble they had gone through.  He also couldn't really
fault Eloy, either, for giving in to their wishes.  He knew how
persuasive they could be when they wanted to be.  And he felt a thrill
at knowing that Eloy hadn't wanted to fight the temptation, even
knowing that he might be mad at the subterfuge.

   They stood in a tableau, each waiting for the other to make the
first move.  Finally Stephen couldn't wait anymore and moved so that he
was up against Eloy. He reached up and pulled the other man's head down
for a kiss, taking his time as he drank in the sweetness of that act.

    Eloy was lost from the moment their lips touched. He silently
submitted to Stephen's demands, open his mouth for a French kiss.  He
could feel his breathing growing ragged in response to Stephen's hands
wandering over his body.  Stephen's touch felt like electricity as he
reached through the gap he had opened in Eloy's shirt and stroked the
skin underneath the sheer fabric.  The touch of Stephen's hands against
his chest opened a floodgate and he reacted by doing the same, pulling
at Stephen's shirt to get to the skin underneath.  He felt Stephen
pulling on his waist until they fell across the bed, with Eloy lying on
top of him.

     The next few moments were a blur as they worked to get each
other's clothes off, neither one saying a word in their haste to make
love.   Eloy didn't question it at all, trusting Stephen to lead the
way.  His action of pulling them back onto the bed said it all.  Soon
they had divested themselves of their clothing and Stephen aggressively
rolled them over so that he was on top of Eloy and pressing himself
against the other man, making his need quite clear.  Eloy reached up to
brush the hair out of Stephen's face and got a finger bitten for his
trouble.  A chuckle erupted at Stephen's action and the sound made them
both pause, though Stephen's hands were still wandering all over Eloy's
body.

     "Damn, I've missed you," Stephen finally said, looking down at the
older man while panting slightly.  He had totally surprised himself
with his own actions, practically ripping Eloy's clothes off at the
need to touch him and to make love. "Forget anything I've said in the
past.  I want you right now.  I need you, dammit."

      "Ja, fine, just let's make love." Eloy grunted, arching his body
against Stephen's erection and spreading his legs to let Stephen slide
down in between his own. "It's been too long."

     "Yeah, it has." Stephen agreed, leaning down to give Eloy a soul
searching kiss.  He rubbed himself against Eloy, feeling an equal
response from his lover. They both reached at the same time, their
hands touching as they started to stroke each other.  Stephen looked up
with a startled glance, relaxing as he saw Eloy's smile.  They didn't
waste any further words, using their hands and bodies to convey what
they needed to say one another.

      Their lovemaking turned from a frenzied effort to a more
leisurely perusal of each other's bodies as they took their time
enjoying the touch of one another's skin. Eloy chuckled as he watched
Stephen's expression, amused that Stephen had been so intent on getting
him to the bed that he hadn't bothered to turn off the lamp in the
room.  Personally, he found being able to watch his lover much more
satisfying, but he knew how reticent Stephen could be about those
things.  Or at least he had been in the past.

     He was distracted from his thoughts as Stephen descended on his
erection, sucking on him aggressively.   A gasp escaped him and he
reveled in the sensations that Stephen was causing.  It had been so
long since they had been together that he felt like he wasn't going to
be able to make it last long enough to satisfy either of them.  There
was this frantic need in both of them to mould themselves together,
becoming one again.

     Stephen didn't hesitate at all.  From the moment he had dragged
Eloy into his room, he knew exactly what he wanted.  And that was to
make up for all the months of anxiety that they had spent while
separated.  It wasn't until he saw Eloy's face that he realised that he
couldn't keep his resolution to stay away from the other man.  It was
easy to say it on the phone, but when face to face, the sight of the
other man, the smell of his cologne, the look he received – all told
him how hard this separation had been for Eloy.   He knew that had he
had to do that over again and they were face to face, he never would
have been able to go through with it.  It had been his panic speaking
back then, and although the threat was just as real now as when it was
first revealed to him by Louis, he found that he didn't care anymore.
That he couldn't look this man in the face and deny him anymore. And he
had no desire to do that, either.

     It didn't take long for Eloy to react to his motions, the older
man shining with sweat as he writhed on the bed under Stephen's weight.
Stephen could feel from his gyrations that Eloy could come any moment,
so he pulled back with his lips just hovering over Eloy's penis,
waiting for Eloy to settle down a little.  His hands were still drawing
small circles on Eloy's skin, lovingly stroking him.  He leaned down,
inhaling Eloy's scent deeply before resting his cheek on a thigh and
waiting for Eloy's breathing to slow down a bit before continuing.

    Of its own accord, his hand moved down between Eloy's legs and
stroked gently, unable to stop completely.  He felt Eloy's hand stroke
through his hair, and when he felt like enough time had passed he
started licking Eloy again, nibbling along his length as he made his
way back up to the top before descending on him again.  Eloy let out an
explosive sigh as he did this and pressed him down so he couldn't pull
back again.   Giving in to the demands of Eloy's hands, he increased
his pace, knowing that neither of them could draw this out for very
long.

    Sure enough, Eloy ejaculated with a gasp, his hands holding Stephen
firmly in place.  When he was done, he let go of Stephen only to pull
on his arm to move him so that he could kiss the younger man.  Stephen
slid his body against Eloy's as he moved up for another searching kiss,
moaning as Eloy reached to stroke his anus.  Eloy rolled them over so
that Stephen would now be the recipient of their lovemaking.  He
pressed himself against Stephen and pulled back, a huge smile on his
face at Stephen's reaction.

    "My turn, zusje," he said with a kiss to the other man's nose
before working his way past those luscious lips as he trailed his own
way down Stephen's body.  Stephen moaned in reaction, his hands
encouraging Eloy's southern progression.  Eloy spread Stephen's legs,
briefly sucking his penis before dipping down to lick him the way
Stephen had done for him.  He heard a muffled gasp and knew that his
actions were appreciated.  He slid a long finger inside Stephen,
stroking at his prostate as he allowed his lips and tongue to travel up
to engulf Stephen again.  Stephen arched his back involuntarily in
reaction to Eloy's movements before wrapping his legs around Eloy's
chest, holding him in place.  The act of lifting his legs in that
fashion gave Eloy a lot more leeway and he inserted another finger
inside Stephen, moving in counterpoint to his lips and tongue.   It
wasn't long before Stephen submitted in a rush and Eloy enjoyed the
reaction he had achieved, still stroking long after Stephen had any
ability to react.

    Finally, a whimper distracted him and he looked up to see Stephen
shaking his head as he tried to bat Eloy's hand away.  "What?"

    "Enough, I can't take it anymore," Stephen said with a slight
giggle.  Eloy smiled, knowing that it was sensory overload talking.
Stephen tended to get silly in the aftermath of making love and he knew
from previous times if he tried to extend it that Stephen would start
giggling in reaction.  He withdrew his hand and with one last kiss on
Stephen's now limp penis, he kissed his way back up the other man's
body, leaving red marks where he bit him along the way.

    "Goed, ja?" Eloy asked softly as he rested his sweaty body against
Stephen's before leaning down to kiss him.

    "Christ, yeah!" Came Stephen's explosive response as he let out a
sigh of contentment and pulled Eloy's head against his shoulder.
"Let's never let it go that long again, okay?"

    "Ja, honing," Eloy said with a chuckle which turned into a rumble
of laughter as Stephen swatted his butt.

     "Brat," Stephen accused affectionately while still stroking Eloy's
rear end appreciatively.  Eloy wiggled it at him, which caused Stephen
to giggle again before reaching up and pulling Eloy down for a long
drawn out kiss.   After they separated, Stephen buried his head against
Eloy's neck and wrapped his arms around his chest, holding him close.
Eloy rolled over so that they were both on their sides and so that he
could wrap his arms around Stephen.

     Neither of them said a word for a long while, each overcome with
the emotion of finally being together again after so long.  Eloy
sniffed appreciatively at the scent in Stephen's hair, the smell
bringing back memories of earlier encounters.  He started nibbling
kisses along Stephen's neck, pausing to suck on an earlobe.  Stephen
sighed in reaction, arching his neck to give Eloy better access. After
a few moments, Eloy made his way across Stephen's jaw to his lips,
pausing to give him a sweet kiss before pulling back to look at the
other man intently.

     Clear blue eyes looked up at him solemnly, waiting for his next
move.  They had a lot to say to one another, but neither one wanted to
be the first to start. Stephen reached up with a trembling hand,
tracing Eloy's lips silently. Eloy sucked his finger into his mouth,
welcoming his touch.  When he withdrew his finger, he cradled Eloy's
face, stroking the stubbled chin.  Not a word was spoken during this
time as they quietly reintroduced themselves to each other.  Eloy was
overcome with emotion at their reunion, unable to voice what he wanted
to say.

    Stephen gave a heartfelt sigh, ducking his head under Eloy's chin
and resting his face against his chest.  Eloy's chest was damp from
their exertions and he closed his eyes for a moment to rest.  He didn't
even know how to begin to talk. So much had happened over the last few
months. They had been apart so long that he found himself reluctant to
say anything. He just wanted to hold his lover and be held by him.
Eloy was happy to oblige him, sensing his need to just reacquaint
themselves to one another. Eloy stroked his back, holding him close and
waiting for him to make the next move.

     The last thing Eloy expected, however, was to feel Stephen's
shoulders shaking with laughter.  Surprised, he pulled back so he could
look down and see what was the cause of the amusement.  Blue eyes
crinkled up at him and he made an enquiring noise, asking for an
explanation.

     "I'm sorry," Stephen said softly, still laughing softly. "But I
just had this mental image of the lads with their ears pressed up
against the door just now."  Eloy grinned, picturing Stephen's friends
eagerly awaiting some sign that they weren't going to get into trouble
for their surprise.

     "I don't know if we have to worry about that," Eloy said.
"Usually you use a glass to hear through walls, and I think theirs were
still full."

     "Hmmm, good point." Stephen said, smiling as he pressed his lips
to Eloy's chest. "I would like to think they'd give me a little
privacy."  Eloy cocked his head to one side and listened intently for a
moment.  There didn't seem to be any sound coming from the hallway, so
he assumed they had been left to their own devices.

     "Let's forget about your friends, ja?" Eloy said, not wanting to
spend any more time talking at the moment.

     "Mmmmm," Stephen murmured softly, his lips still against Eloy's
chest.  His attentions were a suitable distraction from the
conversation and they took their time as they made love the second time
around, knowing they had the rest of the night to do with as they
wanted.

     Stephen lay in Eloy's embrace in the aftermath of their
lovemaking, listening to the slowing beat of Eloy's heart as they both
relaxed.  He didn't really want to have anything mar their reunion, and
was loath to say anything at all.  Once, Eloy opened his mouth and
started to say something, and Stephen stopped him with an ardent kiss
that lead to another round of tangled limbs and lips on skin. He got
the message that tonight wasn't the time to talk, and acquiesced to
Stephen's silent demand.


* * *

   It was with a bit of amusement that the others watched Stephen pull
Eloy out of the room, tugging on his hand as they passed through the
door.   Shane saw Ronan give Eloy a thumb up in encouragement as they
made their way out and he smiled at Stephen's impatient look as he
dragged Eloy away.  Their leave-taking left a moment of silence as the
others digested the events of the night.

    "That seemed to go off all right then," Keith said tentatively,
looking around the room at the other's reactions.  Ronan nodded
enthusiastically while Mikey looked thoughtful.

    "Yeah, it would seem so.  But if what you found out is true, Mick,
we'll need to talk to him about it," Shane said, still smoldering with
anger for what their manager did to Stephen.  "It isn't right, and we
can't let that continue."

    "No, absolutely not," Ronan agreed, shaking his head. "And if we
don't say anything, that one never will.  But let him have time alone
with his fella for a bit."

    The rest nodded at his suggestion and they made plans to go out for
the rest of the evening, giving Stephen some much needed time alone
with his lover.


* * *


     It was some time later into the evening that Stephen heard the
others come back, giggling as they tried very hard to be quiet.
Stephen was lying on his back with Eloy asleep beside him, Eloy's head
resting on his chest.  The weight of the other man's body against him
brought a smile to his lips as he thought back to what his friends had
done.  Being truthful to himself, he knew he couldn't be angry with any
of them, and was glad that they cared enough to go through the trouble
of getting Eloy over for a visit.  Eloy's presence beside him brought
home the fact that he wouldn't be able to make that decision for them
to keep away from each other again.  It had been so hard, and with so
much heartache.  He went through how he would try and work it out in
his mind, but his thoughts kept on spinning in circles until he started
to get a headache.  His sigh of frustration woke his lover who lay on
the bed beside him.

      Eloy opened his eyes, feeling Stephen shifting restlessly beneath
him.  Silently he smoothed his hand down Stephen's chest, attempting to
quiet him.

     "I'm sorry," Stephen whispered softly when he realised he had
woken Eloy up.  "Go back to sleep, sweetheart."

     "What is it?" Eloy asked quietly as he brushed his lips against
Stephen's skin and tilted his head to look up at the younger man.
"What's wrong?"

     "Ah, nothing, love. I was just thinking," Stephen replied. He
reached down with the arm encircling Eloy's shoulders and stroked his
fingers across the other man's skin.  "It's late."

     "Ja, I know," Eloy said, rolling himself over and on top of his
lover. Stephen automatically helped him, and they redistributed their
limbs so that they were more comfortable.  Stephen wrapped his arms
around Eloy and pulled him down for a kiss.  "So what are you thinking
about?"

     "Nothing," Stephen said.  He smiled at the face Eloy made.
"Everything.  Ah, I don't know.  I'm just trying to figure out where
we're going and how we're going to deal with all this."

     "Then don't think," Eloy said, looking down into Stephen's eyes.
"Let tomorrow take care of itself. All we have to worry about is right
now, tonight. I think that's enough, don't you?"

     Stephen's chest heaved under him in a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I
suppose.  But E, there's so much we have to talk about.  Nothing has
really changed, other than the fact that we're together right now.
Tomorrow, next week, a month from now, we'll both have the same
problems that we have right now."  He felt Eloy shift as he rested his
weight on his elbow and peered down at him.  "And..." he stopped, unable
to go on.

     "And what?" Eloy asked, looking down in the dim light at Stephen.
It didn't really show him much, but he could feel that Stephen was
uncomfortable with something.  "Go on."

     "And... I need to tell you what happened in Florida." Stephen said
with another heavy sigh.  Eloy looked at him for a moment, wondering
what had happened on his holiday in America.

      "What happened in Florida?" He asked quietly, waiting for Stephen
to tell him.  Stephen closed his eyes at the question, a stricken look
on his face.  As the silence lengthened, Eloy got more curious as he
started thinking of all the possible things.  From the uncomfortable
way that Stephen was acting, he was starting to get a suspicion about
it, though.  "Stephen, please.  What happened?"

      "I..." Stephen started and stopped, unable to figure out how to
continue.  Especially with Eloy lying on top of him, their bodies still
pressed together and a curious look on his face. "I met someone in
Orlando. I... nothing happened, E, but I'm afraid, because something
could have." Eloy could see that he was mentally thrashing himself over
the thought that he might have been unfaithful, even though their break
had been a mutual agreement, albeit reluctantly on Eloy's part. "I'm
sorry, Eloy.  I feel so awful about it."

     Eloy slipped off of Stephen and onto his side, his motion also
pulling Stephen over so that they were lying down face to face on the
bed.  "But you said nothing happened, ja?"

     "We got drunk, and kissed... and that's about it." Stephen looked up
miserably and was surprised to see his lover smiling.  "What?"

     "Stephen, do you honestly think of that as cheating?" Eloy asked,
wondering at Stephen's naivete.  When Stephen nodded, Eloy smiled and
shook his head in wonderment.  "So you met a beautiful boy and kissed.
There's nothing wrong with that."

      "Eloy, are you mad?" Stephen said in his normal voice and then
tried to speak in a more quiet voice, equally aware of the lateness of
the hour and his band mates sleeping in rooms nearby. "I shouldn't even
be looking at anyone else."

     "Zusje, looking at someone isn't a crime. And it's been months
since we were last together.  Stephen, it's normal."  He reached over
and tilted Stephen's chin up so that he could look into the younger
man's eyes. "It's not like you had sex together."

     "Just about!" Stephen said in a fierce whisper, amazed that Eloy
would seem so cavalier about his transgression. "It very easily could
have."

     "But it didn't, and why's that?" Eloy asked in a soft voice.  His
tone made Stephen pause as he thought back about that night with Chris
in his hotel room.

     "Because," Stephen said slowly, working it out in his mind.
"Because he knew about you."   Eloy chuckled softly at his response.

     "Stephen, if you really wanted someone, you wouldn't be telling
them about me, would you now?" Eloy kept on chuckling as Stephen looked
up in surprise.  "Honing, it's understandable.  You were by yourself,
lonely, you've been with your friends for weeks who were all over each
other and you wanted someone for you, too.  I couldn't be there, and
this friend of yours was.  It's all right."

     "It is?" Stephen asked.  The longer Eloy went on, the more sense
he made.  "But I shouldn't have been interested at all!"

     "Stephen, when was the last time that you had anyone with you?"
Eloy asked reasonably.  "And I don't mean in bed, because I know that
answer already."  His body was showing the signs of Stephen's long
deprived attentions.  "When was the last time you just had someone to
cuddle?"

     "When I saw you last," Stephen admitted, not sure where Eloy was
going with what he was saying.

     "That was a while ago.  And after the last few months you've had,
you were lonely and wanted someone to hold you.  I can't begrudge your
friend wanting to do that."  Eloy went on.  "So you kissed.  Stephen,
that isn't cheating."

     "It feels like it to me," Stephen said sulkily.  In actuality, he
had a hard time seeing Eloy's point of view, since he knew that if this
situation were reversed, he would have been consumed with jealousy.
The fact that Eloy wasn't upset brought him up short since he didn't
know how to react to him.

     "That's because of the way you were raised, Stephen. I've had a
bit more open education myself.  And honestly, Stephen, given
everything that had happened, had you really strayed and made love with
someone over the last few months, I wouldn't begrudge you that.  You've
had a rough time with all that you've been doing.  Its only natural."
Eloy went on, trying to reassure him.

     "Eloy, I don't think I would ever be that generous," Stephen
admitted.  He wanted to ask if Eloy had been with anyone else during
the time that they had been parted, but couldn't bring himself to ask.
"I wouldn't want to know."  Eloy smiled in sympathy at his admission.

     "Stephen, come here," Eloy said, opening his arms and pulling
Stephen into an embrace.  Stephen wrapped his arms around Eloy's chest
and clung to him.  "Now is not the time to talk about these things when
we've only just gotten back together again.  I can think of better ways
to spend our time than talking."

     "But..." Stephen protested.  He pulled back to argue his point only
to have Eloy's mouth descend on his in a kiss.  It effectively stopped
his argument as he got distracted by Eloy's tongue touching his own. A
moment later when Eloy pulled back from the kiss, Stephen lay
breathless on the bed in reaction.

      "Did you kiss like that?" Eloy asked, a smile on his face.
Dazed, Stephen shook his head, unable to speak. "Then there's no
problem."

      "I guess," Stephen said, groaning as Eloy started touching him
intimately, stroking his penis.

      "Did you touch like this?" Eloy asked.  Stephen tossed his head
back and forth and gasped out a negative. "No? Then there's definitely
no problem."

      "No, he definitely did not do that." Stephen said with a moan as
Eloy spread his legs before shimmying down to a place where he could
enjoy himself. "Or that!"  Eloy buried his face in between Stephen's
legs, causing him to gasp again at what Eloy was doing with his mouth
and hands.

      "Shhhh, you don't want to wake the others, do you?" Eloy said in
a low voice, laughter tingeing his comment.  He went back to what he
was doing, which was licking as much of Stephen that he could reach.
Stephen moaned again softly and closed his eyes.  What Eloy was doing
was incredible, and all thoughts of their prior conversation went right
out of his head in that moment.  He didn't notice when Eloy paused long
enough to move himself up so that he was hovering over him again until
he felt Eloy spreading his legs and raising him up.

       He opened his eyes to see Eloy getting positioned to enter and
he helped by lifting his hips up off the bed.  The feeling of Eloy
entering him slowly was exquisite and he bit his lip to stop himself
from crying out in reaction.

     "Stephen," Eloy said softly, reaching forward to stroke the
beautiful face before him. "I've been wanting to do this from the
moment I first saw you today."  He grasped Stephen's hands and pulled
him upright so that he was sitting in his lap and levered Stephen up
and down, enjoying the feeling of the younger man sliding around him.

     Stephen closed his eyes and relaxed as they got into the rhythm of
making love.  He reached out to stroke Eloy's chest as they came
together, moving to circle his arms around Eloy's neck and lean down
for a kiss.

    "Don't stop," he whispered, trailing kisses down to Eloy's ear.
"This feels so good right now, please don't stop."  Eloy nodded, not
saying a word.  He hissed as he felt Eloy's lips encircle his nipple
and suck on it.

     Stephen was having a hard time keeping quiet as Eloy led the
assault on his senses.  The feel of him stroking inside, touching
outside, his lips trailing across his skin all combined to bring home
to him what he had been missing. He was gasping as he moved up and
down, his body slick with sweat. He had to muffle his cries against
Eloy's neck, not wanting his friends to hear what was going on.

     Eloy had his eyes closed as he lifted Stephen's hips up, letting
Stephen's weight push him back down inside as he settled back down.
Stephen was stifling whimpers against his shoulder and Eloy smiled in
satisfaction at his response to their lovemaking.  He slowed their
motions down when he felt the urge to come and just held Stephen
lightly in place as he fought down the desire to ejaculate.

     "Sloom omlaag zusje, Ik komende!" Eloy said in a low voice as he
tried to hold back. Stephen paused, not knowing what he had said, but
responding to Eloy's hands pushing down on his shoulders.  He stopped
his motion and raised his head to look at his lover.  Eloy was panting,
trying to slow his breathing down.  He was gasping out words one at a
time and Stephen rested his head back down on Eloy's shoulder.  He
could feel Eloy trembling beneath him, and he put his arms around the
other man and rubbed his back.

      "Shhh, baby.  Take it easy.  It's all right.  We have time.
Shhhh," Stephen said softly, trying to soothe Eloy.  He moved so that
he could look Eloy in the face and brushed his hair back with one hand.
"Hush, baby."  Moisture beaded Eloy's brow as he looked up at Stephen
with half-closed eyes.

     "I'm sorry," he whispered, making an effort to speak English. "I
can't wait much longer."

     "Don't stop, E. Just go. I want to feel you. Come on, baby,"
Stephen cajoled him softly. He whispered in Eloy's ear as he started
moving again, squeezing Eloy with his muscles.  A groan escaped Eloy's
lips as he did that and he knew it wasn't going to be much longer. He
felt a rush as Eloy came, moving his lips around to Eloy's mouth to
stifle his cry.

     Eloy clung to him, pushing inside as far as he could as he
ejaculated, feeling boneless in the aftermath.  Stephen held him to his
chest, whispering encouragement as he shuddered in his arms.  When he
was finished, he looked up and smiled tiredly at Stephen.

     "Good?" Stephen asked, grinning down at the expression on Eloy's
face.  Eloy nodded before picking Stephen up off of his lap and placing
him down on the bed.  Stephen groaned softly as he felt his legs cramp
up from being in one position for so long and Eloy gave him a rub down,
massaging the sore muscles gently.  He also leaned down to kiss Stephen
before moving down his body and bringing him back to a full erection.
Stephen moaned as Eloy encircled him and he opened his eyes and reached
out to brush the hair off of Eloy's face so he could see better in the
dim light.

    When he came, he wasn't able to stifle his shout of exclamation and
Eloy chuckled as Stephen put a hand to his mouth in embarrassment.  He
worked his way back up Stephen's body with his lips until he was
stretched over on top of him.  He pulled Stephen's hand away and gave
his lips a kiss, chuckling tiredly.

    "Oh shite, I hope no one heard that," Stephen murmured as Eloy
dropped his head down onto Stephen's shoulder and rested his weight on
the younger man.

     "I'm sure they didn't.  It wasn't all that loud," Eloy said
helpfully, trying to reassure him. Stephen was still doubtful, but as
they settled down, entangled in each other's arms, Eloy's kisses
distracted him from his indiscretion.

     They spent the rest of the night that way, alternately kissing and
dozing until morning. Eloy stayed up most of the night just watching
Stephen sleep, memorising his expressions as he dreamt. He drifted off
into slumber himself just around dawn, his eyes closing as he rested
his head in the hollow of Stephen's shoulder.