Date: Sun, 02 Apr 2006 00:39:28 +0200
From: marc p <citizentoo@hotmail.com>
Subject: on our way to fame chapter 13b

The story below involves sex between young adult males.  If that offends
you, please don't read. All the usual rules apply, if it's illegal for you
to read this, don't.

wow, It's been almost a year since I last posted here. I could not find any
time to write and the desire was just completely gone. But, I had started
writing this chapter and I really wanted to finish it. It was nice getting
back into the story. I hope you remember where I left off as what follows is
actually the end of chapter 13. The boys were about to come out in the Sun.
Thanks to Frank for editing this chapter!

I created a yahoo group for the story with a special section where you can
read UNI message board. Check it out

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/getunitedtoo/

Chapter 13b


"May I come in?" Rob's mother softly asked, as she slowly opened Lucas'
bedroom door.

"Sure, come on in," I replied.  I was sitting down on the floor, playing
with my son and enjoying the time I could spend with him.  We were so busy
with the album promotion and the rehearsal for the tour, that it was hard to
spend much quality time with him.

"How is Rob?" I asked her.

"Oh, I'm not sure," she told me, as she stepped into the room and closed the
door again behind her.  "He won't really talk to me.  I think he needs to be
alone for a little while.  What about you?" she asked, as she sat down as
well.

"Oh, you know, I'm ok.  There are worst things that could be happening.  I'm
just a bit apprehensive right now."

She nodded slightly.  "It sort of makes it official."

"Yeah," I smiled, "next thing you know, Rob's gonna ask me to marry him," I
joked.

"Wouldn't that be a lovely wedding!"

"I was so totally kidding."

"Maybe one day you won't be."  She smiled, and then asked in a serious tone
of voice, "How do you feel about everyone knowing about you two?"

I looked at her with uncertainty, trying to find a right word for it.
"Relief," I sighed.

"That's good.  It means you were ready to tell," she said.

"Yeah, well ready or not, there's no going back now."

I was silent for a moment.  "It's just something we have to do.  We'll have
more freedom, and that can only be a good thing, right?"

She nodded.  "Let's hope so."

I could sense a bit of apprehension in her voice and in her attitude.
"You think we should have waited, don't you?"

"No, no," she assured me.  "I think you did what you thought was right, and
I'm sure everything will be fine.  It's a big step, that's all."

She looked at Lucas playing, smiled, and then looked at me with a motherly
expression on her face.

"What?" I asked, chuckling.

She shook her head.  "You're all getting so big. You have changed so much in
the past few years, so fast.  Sometimes, I wish you were still 12 years
old."

"Oh no, you don't really want that," I told her, remembering our childhood.
"We were so out of control at that age, we were driving you crazy."

"Oh yes, you were," she remembered, "but I was loving it," she said with a
smile. "You know, in my mind, you just ran off without giving me enough time
to realize you were not little boys anymore."

Oh, don't worry, Jane, we may be 21, but I assure you, we're still kids."

She laughed slightly, "I wish you were, but I'm afraid there's not much I
can do now to protect you from the outside world.  But then again, you don't
seem to need it.  I'm very proud of you," she smiled, "for everything you
have achieved already. I'm amazed every day at what you're doing, and how
well you're handling everything."

I smiled.  "We have come pretty far, haven't we?  I can hardly believe it
sometimes."

"Yes, you have.  It's pretty amazing."

"I know, it really is.  I love it so much, everything we do.  It's so great
to be able to play music all the time, you know. And God, having a crowd of
people in front of you just going off, is the most amazing feeling ever.
And you know what the best part is?

"What is that?" she asked.

"No one ever asks us to turn it down!"  I exclaimed as I remembered how she
always used to tell Rob and me to turn the music down in the evening.

"Ah, if I had known, I would have let you."

"Yeah, sure!"

"I'm glad you are all living your dreams.  You should be proud of yourself,
you know, because it has a lot to do with you, if you are all so
successful."

This was a nice compliment, but of course it was bound to make me a bit
uncomfortable. "Aw, don't," I begged.

"No Mark, really," she told me. "You know, Robbie has always been pretty
special as a kid, and now, he still is, but you, I think you were even more
special.  There's always been something more to you.  Something I think your
parents could never quite understand.  There was more to you than any other
kid.  You're a jewel, Mark. I can see why Robbie loves you so much."

I could feel my cheeks reddening here.  I had never been really at ease with
people saying nice things about me.

I looked down, suddenly fascinated by my feet, and I guess the expression on
my face was betraying me.

"Just because your parents didn't make you feel special," she said, "doesn't
mean that you're not.  You're gonna have to start believing in yourself."

I looked up at her and looked down again, "I'm trying."

"Maybe you should try a little harder," she said in a whisper.  "Listen to
what Robbie tells you."

"Oh I listen, but I'm not sure I can really trust his judgment."

"Why can't you?"

"Because, I don't know, he's hardly objective.  He seems to think that
everything I do is perfect."

"Maybe it is," she said.

I looked at her and chuckled.  "You know, he's hardly objective, and you're
hardly neutral."

She smiled at me.  "So, do you think that love just makes him blind?"

I shrugged my shoulders as if to say that it was a possible explanation.

"I don't think he's blind at all," she said.

We grew silent for a moment and I watched Lucas, thinking about the fact he
was here because I had cheated on Rob.

"But you know," I started saying, "sometimes I wish he wouldn't put me on a
pedestal like this.  I can't help but feel like, maybe this is a little too
perfect.  It feels like we have the kind of relationship some people spend
their lives trying to find, but somehow, it seems like I keep trying to find
ways to fuck that up."

"What do you mean, you find ways to 'fuck that up' ... and I don't really like
that language by the way."

"Sorry" I said.  "Well, Lucas would be a pretty good example."  I sighed.
"I know he has forgiven me, but I can't help but think that I've let him
down."

"No, sweetie, don't ever think that.  You were 18.  You can't do everything
the right way at that age.  Sure, it has hurt him that you had this thing
with Rachel, but it both made you grow, and it tested your love.  It's
something you had to go through. You know, it's true love you've found here.
  Because no matter what, you know he will always stick with you, through
your needs, through your pain, through your mistakes."

I smiled, hoping that was true.

"The only advice I can give is to never take each other for granted," she
said.

"I agree.  But the thing is ...we've always been there for each other, so I
guess, we tend to think it will always be that way."

"It could be, as long as you communicate with each other, and don't let the
little things get in your way."

"Yeah, well, I guess we're still learning how to do that.  You know what's
funny?" I said.  "Somehow, it's easier to just write about how we feel and
put it into a song than to actually talk about stuff."

"Ah, I wouldn't know that.  That's the artist in you."

We smiled and she asked, "What have you not discussed?"

I thought about it for a moment and replied, "Well, you know, when we first
started dating, we didn't really talk much about our feelings, or our
doubts, or where it was going.... we just, we just dated.  We fell in love and
sort of let it happen.  It felt so right.  It was only when Rachel got
pregnant that we seriously started talking about our relationship."

She nodded.  "He probably didn't want to mention anything for fear that it
would make you wonder whether or not you wanted to stay with him," she said.
  "Back then, he really thought it could not last."

"Did he tell you this?"

"He told me a lot of things."

"He did?  Like what?" I asked with curiosity.  I had never really had a
conversation like this with her.  We didn't have that many opportunities to
talk.  We couldn't see her much now that we weren't living in Ireland.  I
had had talks with her before, but never really deep talks about my
relationship with Rob.

But Rob was really close to her and he called her often.  She was a bit of a
confidant, I think.  I guess, if he needed to talk to someone about me, he
would talk to her.  I would most likely go to Rachel, or maybe Jordan,
depending on what the problem was.

"Just things," she answered.  "Look, sweetie, this is in the past.  Robbie
has forgiven you and you have to forgive yourself too.  You know he loves
Lucas.  He loves him as if he were his own son, just as much as I consider
you as my son.  And as hard as it has been for all of you to adjust to this
situation, you seem to have found some kind of balance.  You have to put all
this behind you now.  You know, everything you go through in life happens
for a reason, it makes you stronger."

"Well, it definitely did just that."

"Yes," she said, "and it's the same with your coming out.  Whatever will
happen tomorrow and in the next few weeks, it will make you stronger.  Try
to be there for Robbie" she added, "because he will need your support more
than ever.  It may look like he can handle the pressure and the critics, but
he cares a great deal about what people think of him."

"I know.  He doesn't fool me.  Don't worry.  The thing is that he feels like
he needs to protect me, and be the stronger one like he's always been."

"Oh, he's insecure too, you know.  He leans on you as hard as you lean on
him."

"You know, since we were kids, with my parents and all, he's always...been
there.  He's always given me more than I've given him."

"I don't see it that way.  You did give him something.  You gave him your
friendship.  So he wasn't sneaking to your house to escape.  He had no
obvious reason why he needed you, but he did need you, so much, Mark. I
think back then, he already needed you to show him he wasn't different," she
told me. I smiled and she continued, "You know, he's always loved you, not
like he does now, but he's always wanted to be there for you.  He's always
tried to help you.  I've always seen it, you know.  I didn't think it would
turn out this way.  I didn't think you would become lovers, but I've always
seen the special love he had for you."

Well, it sure felt good to hear that.

"He made everything a lot easier. You all did," I said.

We grew silent for a moment, but I think we both knew where the conversation
was headed.  I was the first one to bring it up.

"How do you think my parents are going to react?"

She sighed and shook her head.  "I wish I could know.  We live next door but
I haven't talked to your parents in months," she admitted.

"That's sad."

"Yes, it is," she agreed.  "I expected more from your mother.  We used to be
such close friends.  It really is a shame that she won't even try to
understand.  It's one thing that she doesn't approve, but..." she did not
finish her sentence.

"I wouldn't get my hopes up, Mark, she will most likely resent you for this.
  I think she would like to keep it a secret from as many people as
possible."

"Well, too bad for her," I said, and chuckled quietly.  "Christ, she's gonna
curse me for this, isn't she?  Coming out in a national newspaper, isn't
that like the worst thing I could have done?"

"I suppose it couldn't get much worse for her.  It is not some kind of
revenge, is it?"

"What?  No, I'm way past this.  I'm not coming out to get back at anyone.
I'm doing it for myself.  You know, I don't have any false hopes.  I know
coming out won't change anything, and if it does, it'd probably be for the
worst when it comes to them."

"I wish I could tell you differently, but unfortunately, I agree."

I sighed, and we continued talking for a few minutes until Jane said that it
was getting a bit late for Lucas.

"I'll put him to bed," she said.  "I want to spend as much time as I can
with my grand child."  I liked the fact that she felt that way towards him
since I could not count on my mother to play the nice grandma.

"Go talk to Robbie.  I think he needs you right now."

I left Lucas with her and headed toward my bedroom.  When I walked in, Rob
was sitting on the sofa.  The room was large, and it badly needed furniture,
so we had bought a sofa and put it in front of the large TV screen.  It
didn't prevent us from watching it in bed too.  It was pretty neat.  He was
playing video games. I closed the door behind me and walked over to him. I
sat down next to him and watched him play for a few minutes.

"My mum is not mad, is she? he asked, as he continued playing.

"No," I told him.  "Why would she be mad?"

He shrugged.  "I kind of shut her out."

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," he repeated.  "Look, I don't really want to talk about it.  It just
stresses me out."

"Ok, I understand."

I moved closer to him and kept watching him play for a while, until he asked
me if I wanted to play a game with him.

"Oh, I don't really want to," I sighed.

"Aw, you're no fun," he complained, jokingly.

He looked at me and smiled slightly before leaning forward to kiss me
gently.  There was no need to say anything; we knew how the other was
feeling.  I was constantly amazed at how one look between us could just
replace so many words.  I loved feeling this connected to him.

He moved closer to me so that our legs were entwined and pressed his body
against mine, making me sink into the sofa, him on top of me and his kiss
became more aggressive.  Before I knew it, we were making out.  I was not
sure it was what his mother had meant when she had said that he needed me,
but it was fine by me.

I reached around his back and pulled him into me as his hand slid under my
t-shirt, his thumb tracing soft patterns on my skin.  Our tongues slowly
massaged each other for a moment, and then his lips moved to the side of my
face.  He gave me small, passionate kisses, telling me how much he loved me
at the same time.  It just could not feel more right.

He had just started unbuttoning my pants when Jordan interrupted us, opening
our bedroom door and walking in uninvited as he usually did.

"Oh..." he exclaimed, as he saw us making out.  Rob moved his hand away from
my crotch and broke away from me.

"And I thought you guys were depressed!" Jordan smirked.

"What do you want?" Rob asked him, faking annoyance.

"What do I want?" he said, as if he was offended.  "Well, what about wanting
to make sure you're ok."

"Well, we're fine.  Thanks for caring!  You can go now!"

"Ok yeah, I would, but I'm also here to drag you downstairs so we can enjoy
a nice evening all together, play some games, listen to some good music,
just have some fun."

"Yeah, well we appreciate it, but we were having plenty of fun before you
came in."

He smiled, "Alright, I get it, I'm out of here, go nuts!"

He started walking away but this little interruption had totally killed the
mood.

"Alright, forget it," I said re-buttoning my pants.  "I'm not in the mood
anymore."

"What!" Rob exclaimed.  "I am!"

I stood up.  "Come on, we'll finish this later."

"I don't want to finish this later.  I wanna finish this now!"

"Man," Jordan told me, "you sure know how to keep your boyfriend satisfied."

"Hey, it's your fault.  You killed the mood."

He looked at Rob and laughed a little.  "You're not gonna kick my ass, are
you?"

"Don't tempt me!" Rob threatened, jokingly.

Jordan and I started walking out of the room, but Rob did not move from the
sofa.

"Are you coming?" Jordan asked him.

"No, I'm not.  I'm not even hard anymore."

We laughed, and Rob stood up and followed us.

****


"Finally!" Damon exclaimed, as he saw us walking down the stairs.

"They were busy, if you know what I mean," Jordan told him.

"What, you walked in on them?  What did you see?"

"Not much, thank God," Jordan kidded.

"Do you mind," Rob said, to shut them up.

"What is that?" I asked, as I noticed that the table had been cleared, and
that there were 2 bottles of champagne, as well as 10 glasses, on the table.

"Oh, that," Dylan said, "well, we have decided that we ought to celebrate
your coming-out!"

I looked at him skeptically.

"Oh, that's a brilliant idea," Rob announced, sarcastically, "and while
we're at it, why don't we raise our glasses to the wonderful paper, that is
the Sun, and thank them for all that they've done for us!"

"Jesus Christ, baby," I told him, as I took his hand in mine, "you're in a
stinking mood tonight."

"No, I'm not."  He leaned closer to me, wrapped his arm around my waist and
whispered in my ear. "I just didn't get a chance to relieve the pressure
yet."

"Is that what's bothering you?" I smiled.  "Don't worry; I'll make it up to
you later."

"You'd better."

I placed my hands on either side of his face, and kissed him softly.  We
embraced and he returned my kiss, holding me tight against him.  We made out
for a few seconds until Jordan ruined the mood again, on purpose.

"Are you practicing the art of making out in public?" he asked.

Rob broke the kiss and glared at Jordan.  "You really do want me to kick you
ass tonight, don't you?" he joked.

Jordan smirked, and I turned to Dylan, "You seriously wanna celebrate?" I
asked him.

"Yeah, why not!" he told us.  "We have plenty of reasons to celebrate!
You're coming out... our album is number one in the charts.  I know we've
already celebrated that by breaking your bed, but hey, there can never be
enough celebration!"

Oh, that had been absolutely amazing.  The album reached Number One, two
weeks after it was released.  Our second album had never done that well.  We
had had a few Number One singles, but a Number One album was totally
unexpected.  The release was getting a lot of press coverage, and we knew it
would probably sell well, but man, Number One!  It was a huge surprise.

Tom had tried to call us early in the morning as soon as he had heard the
news.  No one but Jordan answered his phone.  He got so excited that he woke
everybody up, and they all came bursting into our bedroom at 7 in the
morning, screaming, "We're number one, we're number one, we're number one."

I don't think I had ever woken up this fast before. Fifteen seconds later we
were all jumping up and down the bed, and we broke it.  I guess that this,
plus all the sex had gotten the better of it!  This was truly a memorable
moment!

Celebrating our coming out was not nearly as exciting unfortunately.

"Come one guys, cheer up!  This is a happy time," Damon said.

"A wonderful time," Rob sighed, as he sank into the couch.

"Oh, come on!" Elaine said, as she took his hand and pulled him up.  "Enough
already with all this negativity!  Snap out of it!  Right now!  Come on,
let's get you drunk!  I'll go get everyone else."

Minutes later, we were all gathered together in the living room.

"Oh, now I'm worried," Rob's mother said, as she saw the alcohol, (there was
more than just champagne), "Is this what you boys do when I'm not here?"

"Oh no, no, no, Jane, don't worry," Jordan said in a reassuring tone.
"We're being good boys, we only get hammered when you're here so you can
supervise," he joked.

Rob laughed and Damon picked up a bottle of champagne and proceeded to open
it.  He was kneeling beside the small table and we were almost all sitting
around it.

Damon removed the foil wrap, placed one hand on the neck of the bottle and
maintained pressure with his thumb. Then he removed the wire cage, but he
didn't hold the cork firmly. Instead he pushed on it a little, on purpose
I'd say.  The bottle's pressure popped the cork, and the funniest thing
happened.  It hit Jordan right on the forehead.  If he had wanted to do it
on purpose, it wouldn't have succeeded.

"Fuck!!!" Jordan yelled, getting up and putting his hand on his forehead.

Damon poured champagne into the glasses as it was quickly coming out of the
bottle.

"Are you ok?" he asked with a laugh.

"No, I'm not.  What do you all have against me tonight?  Are you trying to
kill me?"

"Let me see" I asked Jordan as I got up.  He removed his hand.  There was a
small red spot on his forehead, but it was nothing to worry about.

"You're fine, it's just a little red," I told him, and rubbed the spot.  We
were all concerned for a second but we quickly cracked up laughing at the
unlikeliness of the situation.

"It wasn't supposed to hit you," Damon laughed.

"It's a bottle of champagne, what did you expect?" Jordan complained.  He
was the only one not laughing.

"It doesn't always pop open like that."

"Oh, wanna bet?" Jordan threatened jokingly.  That was him, he just could
not stop there, and he had to take his revenge.  He took the other bottle
and started shaking it hard.  We understood immediately what he had in mind,
and we all stood up and quickly moved away from them.  Rob's mum tried
warning them that this was a very bad idea but I don't think she knew how
stubborn Jordan could be when he had his mind set on something, especially
something fun and stupid.  Damon froze for a second but as he saw Jordan
removing the foil wrapper, he started to take a few steps backwards.

"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't do it on purpose, don't be ridiculous," he said,
as he continued moving backwards, trying to find something to say that would
convince Jordan to stop.

"Do you have any idea how much a bottle like this one costs? You're gonna
ruin it."

Of course, Jordan didn't listen, so all Damon could do was to run away as
fast and as far as he could.  Jordan ran after him and they both entered the
kitchen. We were all still laughing as we heard Damon scream and beg Jordan
to stop, which was even funnier.

A couple of minutes later, Jordan came back and sat back down, still rubbing
his forehead.  He placed the bottle on the table.  It was almost half empty.

When Damon appeared, the least we could say was that he was a bit wet.

He was laughing as he said, "you just can't stop.  It always has to go too
far with you.  You couldn't just pretend that you were gonna do it, no, you
had to do it!" he complained.

"Now this was really stupid, Jordan," Rachel commented, "because now we're
not gonna have enough champagne for everyone."

"It's ok, we'll have enough.  Lucy, you don't like it, do you?" he asked his
'current' girlfriend, or anyway, I think she was his girlfriend.

"No, I don't.  I was gonna drink something else."

"See, and Damon just wasted half a bottle, so he doesn't need any."

"Bastard," Damon laughed.

"Hey, if you want a drink so bad, just squeeze your shirt."

We managed to make enough champagne for everyone and clinked glasses.  They
all said "Congratulations" and we all took a sip.

"Hey, what about a speech guys?" Jordan suggested.

"Oh, no," Rob said.

"Yeah, come on, we want a speech," Jordan said, and they all insisted.

"Ok, ok," Rob agreed.

"Uh, well, I guess I don't need to say that I'm a bit stressed out tonight,
I think you've all noticed that."

"You think?" Jordan joked.

"Hey, I'm working on it!  Um, well, I'd like to thank you all for being so
supportive.  You all know how much it means to us.  I realize that this will
have an impact on all of you, not just Mark and I, so really, thank you for
being so great.  I don't know what we did to deserve friends like you, but
I'm glad that you're here to help us go through this.  It really means the
world to us."

"Amen!" Damon said.

They looked at me, waiting for me to say something too.  "You know what, Rob
has said it perfectly.  I don't have anything else to add."

"Well, I do," Jordan announced.

"It's nice of you to thank us for being supportive and all," he started,
"but seriously, how could we not be?  Because, for me, as far as our
friendship goes, there's nothing I wouldn't do for you.  And I'm not even
drunk yet, so rest assured, I'm totally honest! I think I speak for all of
us when I say that we love you and that we're very proud of you.  You're our
best friends, God dammit, and we just want you to be happy... Actually, what I
think is that we -need- you to be happy."

"Why is that?" I asked him with a smirk.

"Because, you know, when everyone says that we have chemistry in our band;
well I really think that a lot of that chemistry comes from you and what you
have together."

We smiled. I think he was right about that.

"Look, what I'm trying to say is that you guys are just so totally meant for
each other, never ever doubt that.  I know it's difficult and scary for you
right now but I'm sure than in a few weeks, you won't even remember what it
was like to not be out.  I'm sure everyone will support you, but even if
they don't, it's ok, because we don't need everyone to be on our side.  A
little bit of controversy never killed anyone.  Plus I bet you'll have a lot
of fun with that, won't you, Rob?"

We all laughed.

"I think I will," he chuckled.

"I know you didn't want to shout it to everyone by making a bit
announcement, but at least now, you got it out of the way.  And don't worry,
we'll get back at the Sun for this!" he laughed.

"Yeah," Rachel said, "and can I just say, while we're doing this, I'm so
proud of you too because, well, you're not afraid to let the world see who
you are, and I admire you so much for that.  And I know I won't be the only
one, because the more honest and open you are with people, the more they
respect you.  I'm sure you're gonna be an example to a lot of guys."

"Absolutely!" Jordan agreed.  "Hey, if I were gay, I'd be in love with you!"

We cracked up, "Oh man, don't ever turn gay then, there's no room for you in
this relationship," Rob told him.

"Yeah, I know, that's why I'm straight."

"I think there's a lot of straight guys who'd love to be in your shoes, and
have your looks and your talent," Rachel said, "so maybe that will force
some of them to be a bit more open minded."

"Oh yeah, that's true..." Damon started saying, as he seemed to remember an
anecdote. "Look at me here, for instance.  I tried to look like you guys
once, remember, Rach?  And then you had to ground me because I was taking
clothes from your wardrobe," he joked!

We all laughed.
"See, what did I tell you!" she said.

"What is that supposed to mean?  That we dress like girls?"  Rob said,
pretending to be mad.

"Well I don't own half as many tight t-shirts as you do."

Rob grabbed a pillow and threw it at Damon.

`Ah, watch out, I still have champagne all over me."

"Yeah, why don't you go change?" Jordan told him.

"I will."

"Alright," Dylan announced, "let's drink to Mark and Rob then."

"To you," they all said, as we clinked glasses again and drank to a bright
future.

We hung out together all evening, playing some tunes on the guitar, singing
a little, laughing a lot.  It was fun, familiar and comfortable.

*******
Around midnight, Lucy announced that she had to leave.  Jane was tired and
wanted to go to sleep, and David and Rachel decided to go to bed as well.

The rest of us didn't really feel like going to bed yet, so we kept talking
for a while.

"By the way," Dylan announced, "I forgot to tell you that the interview we
were supposed to give to NME tomorrow has been rescheduled to Monday.  Tom
told me before we left rehearsals."

"Oh yeah, I knew that," I said.  "He said he'd make sure we wouldn't have
anything scheduled tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know, but he wasn't sure he could cancel this one."

"Can we not talk about work?" Jordan asked.

"Fine, it was just a detail," Dylan replied.

"Hey Jordan, I have a question for you.  Lucy, who is she with?  You?"

"Yes," he replied.  "Why?"

"Just wondering, I wasn't sure."

Damon chuckled, "Like he was gonna let me have her anyway."

"Aw, he just won't even give you a chance!" I joked.

Jordan smirked, "Oh please, consider yourself lucky," he told Damon.
"You've only got me to compete with.  Imagine what he would be like if Mark
and Rob were straight.  You would never get laid."

I laughed, "When did you meet her?"

"Last night.  We went out for a quick drink to the pub that just opened last
week down on Holland Road."

"Did you?  God, I don't know where you found the energy, I was so tired last
night."

"So was I," Jordan said.  "I just fall asleep better after getting off."

I shook my head.  "Do you ever plan on staying with the same girl for more
than one night?"

"Maybe someday," he joked.  "No, I quite like her, she's really nice, she's
not, like, in awe or anything.  Most of the girls last night were acting as
if we were freaking gods."

"Seriously," I laughed.  Not that I was ultimately surprised by what he was
saying, but we usually had to deal with this kind of behavior from people
when we were working, and when we met our fans.  They had just gone out to a
random pub here, so it was a bit strange.

"Maybe they were having a special UNI night," I kidded.

He laughed, "Maybe they were!  It sure seemed like it!  I swear it was a bit
scary... Wasn't it?" he said to Damon.

"Yeah, it was ok at first, but once a few girls started recognizing us, they
all started coming up to us, you know," he said.  "Plus the place just
opened, so it was really busy.  You would have been hassled," he told Rob.
"We had to sign autographs."

"Oh, you poor little rock stars," I said.

Damon laughed, "No, but, it was seriously scary.  At some point, one girl
actually groped me," he told us, "and pretended she wasn't doing it, so that
no one would notice, and then, she started playing with my cock, through my
pants!"

"Oh my God," Elaine said, "you're serious?" she laughed.

"Yeah!  We had barely exchanged two words.  Come on, have some decency
people."

We all cracked up.  The way he was describing this was just hilarious.

"It wouldn't have bothered me."

"Well, of course it wouldn't have bothered you, nothing ever bothers you,
you just want to get laid."

"And you don't?"

"Well, I would prefer not to be treated like a piece of meat," he
laughed,"...-or- like a 'VIP pass' to meet you," he told Rob.

Rob laughed,  "I am so sorry."

"You should be!  I swear to you, I think that's the only reason why so many
girls were talking to me," he told Rob with a laugh.  "You have no idea how
many times I've heard, 'Is Robbie here? Is he coming?'," he said, in a high
pitched girly voice.

"We're not gonna feel bad for you if that's what you want," Jordan told him.

"No, it's not what I want.  I was just illustrating my point."

"We got it," Rob said, in a way that meant he did not want to hear about
girls wanting him.

"At least now, they'll know you're gay."

I smirked.

"Pfff, they'll still want to meet him. I bet they'll all try to turn you
straight," Jordan told Rob with a smirk.

"Oh man!" he whined.

Elaine giggled, "No, they'll think it's hot!" she smiled wickedly.
"Especially since they'll actually know who you're sleeping with."

"You think?!" Dylan asked her.

"Of course!  We totally dig that... most girls do anyway.  It's the same as
you guys always fantasizing about lesbians!"

"Seriously?"

"Well, yeah!  Why?  Does that surprise you?"

"No, I don't know, do -you- think it's hot?" he asked her.

"She nodded positively, "Sort of."

"Since when?"

"Since puberty," she laughed.

"You never told me."

"Well, you never asked.  And, anyway, you don't tell me about everything you
fantasize about either, now do you?"

"Oh God, Dylan, don't even go there!" Jordan advised him.

"I don't care," Elaine said, "it's only natural...  You'll see, I'm sure most
girls will think it's sweet, they already did, knowing you were best
friends, and now they'll see how much you two love each other and how
connected you are.  They can only be turned on by this, trust me!" she
smiled.

"Hey what do you say we go back to that pub tomorrow," Jordan suggested.
"It's a really great place, very modern.  That way, you'll get to know
peoples' reactions," he smirked.

"Oh yeah, you're all full of brilliant ideas tonight.  I can't wait to go
there so that girls can play with my cock and see if they can get me hard."

"Ah,  don't worry Rob, not that I checked them out or anything, but there
were quite a few hot guys, too," Jordan told him.

I gave him a questioning look, "If you think they were hot, then you did
check them out."

"I did not," he assured me.  "I just looked at the competition."

"Yeah, right," I kidded, rolling my eyes.

"I did not," he repeated, and looked at me snickering.. "Oh shut up...  I
think Damon's right though!  You can't stay in forever.  You should just go
out and face the public!"

"Yeah, well, we will, but I'm not sure that going out to a crowded pub
tomorrow night would be the best idea!" Rob said.

"I sort of agree," Dylan added.

"Oh please, you would stay in with Elaine every night if you could," Jordan
complained.

"Oh, excuse me if I'm not party-addicted like you are.  I guess it's because
I don't need to go out to get laid," he smirked.  "We party enough as it
is."

"We're 21, we ought to be out every day."

"That's your opinion, not everybody's.  When we can spend some time together
at home, we should enjoy it," Dylan said.

"I agree," I said.

"What is it, Jordan?  Are you really that bored with us?" Rob kidded.

"Oh yeah, that's what it is!  You know, you guys would be desperately boring
without me," he joked.

"We'll get plenty of opportunities to party when the tour starts," I assured
him.

"Oh man," Jordan sighed and smiled.  "It just can't start soon enough!  The
parties, the girls, the screaming fans, the sex, the nice hotels, bring it
on!"

"Yeah," Dylan giggled sarcastically, "and living out of a suitcase, spending
our time in planes and buses, a different hotel and city every day, the
hours waiting backstage, the crazy fans, the lack of sleep, the endless
interviews and signings..."

"Why do you have to take the fun out of it?" Jordan interrupted him.

Dylan laughed, "Just putting things into perspective."

"Well, I only wanna see the glamorous part right now, don't spoil it."

"Hey, I'm getting my own room this time," Damon told Jordan.

Jordan laughed, "So am I."

"We're not!" I said, kissing Rob on the cheek.

"How surprising!" Jordan said.

"I don't know about you," Damon said, "but I have a weird feeling, though.
Like, I'm so excited about it, but I'm also so scared, that I'm not sure I
ever want to set foot on a stage again."

"I know exactly what you mean," Rob agreed.  "Earl's court is freaking me
out so bad!  All the journalists who will be there, 18000 fans, oh man, we'd
better not screw up.  People are gonna have high expectations!"

"Why would we screw up?" Dylan said.  "We're prepared.  And even if we make
a few mistakes, big deal.  I bet they won't even be noticed.  The fans come
to enjoy themselves and have fun so let's just give them that!"

"Yeah, and you know Rob," Elaine said, "you perform best when you're relaxed
and when you just enjoy yourself and give everything you have, I've noticed
that, so you really shouldn't over think it!"

"The crowd will carry you anyway.  I am absolutely sure that we'll have the
time of our lives."

"Oh my God!" Jordan yelled, "18,000 people!!!  It's wicked!  How mad is
that!"

We all laughed.

"Scott must be freaking out even more than you are," I told Rob.

"I'll bet he is!"

Scott was the lead singer of our support band.  I couldn't help but think,
that just the fact that we were now big enough to have a support band, was
like the coolest thing ever!  In the past, we had played our own gigs.  We
had played festivals, we had played before other bigger bands, but now we
had a band following us during the whole tour to play before us.  That was
brilliant.

They were three English guys from the North of London, Chris, Dave and
Scott.  They were all 22, I think, and their band was called, "Clash."  We
had first met them at a party, in a club in London, where they were
performing and had really liked their style and their music.  They had asked
us if we could give them a little push by talking to our record company
about them.  Well, we had done more than that.  We informed EMI that we
wanted them to come on tour with us.  Our tour manager was a little
reluctant, as he already had a few bands in mind, and because they had never
performed in front of a huge crowd of people, but we put our foot down.  We
really liked these guys and we knew they would be great for the job.  They
hadn't believed their ears when we had asked them if they were interested.
They agreed immediately. Well, they still had to pass some kind of an
audition, because our tour manager couldn't hire them without knowing what
he was getting into, and they had to rehearse like crazy to be ready, but
they were dead motivated, so we didn't worry.  We hoped our fans would
appreciate them.

****
It was two AM when we finally decided to go to bed.

"Do you think we need to turn off our cell phones?" Rob asked me when we
entered our bedroom.

"If we want to sleep in a little, I guess so.  We don't have anywhere to be
tomorrow morning, we should enjoy it.  Although I don't know about you, but
I probably won't sleep much."

We turned them off, got undressed and climbed under the covers. I moved
closer to him and quickly laid my head against his chest.  He ran his
fingers through my hair and caressed my arm gently for a while.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, as he saw that I had not closed my
eyes yet.

I hesitated before saying something.  "I probably shouldn't tell you."

"Why not?  You're thinking about another guy?"

I shook my head, no.

"Girl?"

I smiled, "No.  Just thinking about a conversation I had with your mum."

"Oh... about what?"

"Us"

"Do you care to elaborate?"

"Seems like you told her quite a lot of things," I teased.

"What the hell did she tell you?" he asked, worriedly.

I smiled, "Nothing we haven't talked about before," I said, getting more
comfortable against him.

"Ok," he said, and held me tighter against him.  "Oh man, I don't know if I
can sleep, my mind is racing."

"I know.  Try not to think about it."  I kissed his cheek and closed my
eyes, enjoying the warmth and softness of his body.  Sleep rapidly overcame
us both.  But when I awoke again, I realized that only half an hour had
passed and it was only 2.30.  Not much had changed since I had fallen asleep
and we were still in the same position.

I knew it was worth trying to get some more sleep, but I didn't feel tired
anymore, and I knew I would not fall asleep again.  I didn't want to lay
there in bed and ponder over everything that was going on, so I quietly got
up, put something warm and comfortable on and headed downstairs, towards the
room where we worked and kept all of our instruments.  There was only one
thing I wanted to do, and it was to play.

I turned on a small light in the room, picked up a pad and an acoustic
guitar and settled comfortably on an arm chair.  I started playing random
chords quietly so as not to wake everybody up, especially not Rob.  I knew
that just like me, he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep if he woke up.

I was feeling inspired. I began playing a melody I was working on.  The
magic quickly started to happen and lyrics just came pouring out of me.
Everything felt so easy, as if it was someone else writing.  I loved this
feeling.  It was so thrilling.  I worked for over an hour, until I got stuck
in the middle of the second verse.  I couldn't find the right words that
would fit with the melody, and express what I wanted to say.  I yawned and
rested my head against the chair.  I closed my eyes for a few seconds and
realized that I was getting very tired, so I decided to go back to bed
before falling asleep where I was.

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

I entered the bedroom to find Rob walking out of the bathroom.

"Are you alright?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I woke up and had to pee.  Where were you?"

"Downstairs.  I couldn't sleep.  I was working on a song but I started to
doze off."

He took a deep breath and sighed, "Gee, I'm freaking out, I can't help it.
Aren't you freaking out?"

"Well, I guess I must be, otherwise I'd be sleeping right now.  Come on
let's try to get some sleep."

"I'm not tired anymore," he said and walked nervously around the room.

I stripped to my boxer briefs and slid under the covers, lying down on my
stomach and burying my face into the comfortable pillow.

"Jeez, I just don't know what to do with myself," he said, and I heard his
body fall onto the sofa.  "I think the last time I felt that much stress was
the first time we played Glastonbury."

"Oh, so you're gonna throw up again?" I mumbled into the pillow

He chuckled, "Maybe I should just take a sleeping pill or something.  You
know, sleep it off."

"We don't have any," I said, rolling over onto my back.

"Oh crap!  Well, why don't we just have sex then," he suggested.  "That will
pass the time."

"Yeah, considering the state you're in, I'm not sure it's such a good idea,
you might just take it out on my ass," I joked.

He laughed a little, "How many hours left?"

I propped myself up on my elbows, "A couple, but look, it's gonna take
longer than that before we actually get feedback."

"I know, but I can't help it.  I need to do something," he said, and got up.
  "I'm gonna go work out," he announced.

I laughed, "Rob, it's 4 o'clock in the morning, just come to bed."

"I can't lie down in bed, how the fuck do you do it?"

"Ok, you wanna work out?  Come here, I'll give you a good work out."

"Oh, now you wanna have sex?"

"Well, of course, what else are we gonna do?"

He came over to me and I kneeled on the edge of the bed.  I hugged him
against me and he nuzzled his face in the crook of my neck.  I slowly slid
my hand under the t-shirt he was wearing and softly caressed his back.

"What do you want to do?" I whispered.

"I," he sighed, "I don't know, I just need to move," he whined.

"Oh, you're gonna move, alright," I said with a laugh.  "Do you wanna fuck
me?" I asked seductively.

He grinned, and lightly pressed his lips against mine, "that would be nice."

I softly kissed his nose and slowly started to lift off his t-shirt.  He
pulled it off over his head as I marveled at his defined chest.  His body
was lean and hard from the time spent working out.  I looked up into his
bright green eyes and smiled, as I felt a familiar feeling of lust, knowing
exactly what was so enticing about him.

For a second, I thought about the fact that all his fans were going to know
he was my boyfriend, and I kind of liked that.

As I watched him, I could see what they saw in him, why they were so drawn
to him.  There was something that set him apart, that made him stand out.
The way he moved, the way he smiled, spoke and sang, softly and gently but
with power, too.  The way he could hit people right in the heart when he
sang, bringing out strong emotions in them.  He was so talented, attractive
and special, and I was damn proud to be with him.

I stared at him for a moment, looking at all the curves his body made, and
then pressed my lips against his.  We kissed for a moment, and he leaned
into me, resting his head on my shoulder.  He hugged me tight against him,
his breath was slow, he was growing more and more relaxed.  His mouth moved
closer to my ear and he whispered that he loved me.  I took his face between
my hands and looked him in the eye.

"I know you do," I said, as I started wondering why he was saying it again.

He didn't say anything, just kept gazing at me, with an unsettling
expression on his face.

"What's wrong, is something bothering you?"

"I don't want anything to change," he sighed, and ran his fingers over my
cheek.

"What do you mean?"

"It's gonna be different when -everybody- knows."

"Well, sure, but isn't that what we wanted, not having to hide anymore."

"Yeah.  Look, don't get me wrong, I'm glad that we're doing this, but you
know, I kind of liked the fact that this part of our life was private, that
no one knew about it."

I smiled, "I was actually thinking the opposite."

"You were?"

"Yeah.  I want them to know that you're mine.  Damn, I wanna show you off,"
I smiled.  "What, would you like to keep it a secret? To keep me all to
yourself?" I teased, as I knew he hated seeing anyone flirt with me.

"Maybe."

"Look, I think I know what you're thinking.  But, just because we're out
doesn't mean that we're gonna start cheating on each other."

"No, it's not what I'm... actually it kind of is," he admitted.  "We're
probably going to meet a lot of guys who'll want more than just an
autograph, if you know what I mean?"

"I do, and well, they'll just have to settle for an autograph, won't they!"

"If you think that will work.  I don't want us to hurt each other, that's
all?"

"So what are you suggesting?"

"I'm not suggesting anything... except that just because an attractive guy
flirts with us doesn't mean we should take it further.  I mean a threesome
can be fun once in a while, but I don't want it to ever become more than
that."

"Of course not, Rob.  I think we both know how horny we can get, but as far
as I'm concerned, it's you who drives me crazy," I said, as I looked into
his eyes.  "As fun as it can be to do it with someone else, it can never be
as good as it is with you.  I have no intention of cheating on you.  You
don't think that I would do that, do you?"

"No, I don't.  I was just thinking, you know, well, yeah, having a three
some is fun, because you're here too, but I would never sleep with somebody
I don't know just because I think they're hot.  I guess I just wanted you to
know that."

"I know that," I confirmed, and gave him a kiss.

"So, I drive you crazy, huh?"  He smiled as he kissed my chin.

"Like you didn't know," I laughed.

"Maybe I don't, explain it to me," he smiled.

"Explain what?  That I can't even look at you without getting hard?" I told
him sensually.

He smiled brightly and kissed me.  "Ah, I really do wish I could keep you to
myself though," he said.

"Come on, what did I just tell you?  You don't have to share me with
anyone."

"Maybe not physically," he sighed.  "But everyone is gonna want a piece of
you, aren't they?  They'll want to know everything."

"Ah, I see what this is, you're just worried that I might try to steal your
thunder," I joked, and he laughed.

"Come on, you know it's up to us to decide how much we want to share.  And
I'm a private guy, so they're gonna have to dig very deep if they want to
know everything," I said, and kissed his cheek.

"Oh they'll dig.  They don't have a problem with that."

We laughed.  "I don't think it will last long anyway.  We're gonna be
stalked down by reporters and under fire every fucking second in the next
few days, but then it'll die away.  We'll be the hit story of the month, and
then it'll be on to someone else," I reassured him.

"Yeah, but our fans you know," he commented.  "They're gonna talk about us,
fantasize about us," he said.  "I can't wait to read the board tomorrow and
see what they'll say about you, to be honest."

"See, you do want them to know.  And I know what they'll say!  They'll say,
you're one lucky bastard," I playfully said.

"Nah, they'll say, you're one lucky bastard."

He pushed me down on the bed and I just let my body fall.  He climbed over
me and immediately attacked my neck.  I run my fingers through his hair, and
tilted my head back to enjoy his mouth on me.  Our lips met and we made out,
lovingly and playfully, rolling around the bed, kissing, nibbling, and
caressing each other for a long time.

When I slid my hand down his back and caressed his ass through his
underwear, he sat up and started removing them.  As soon as his cock
appeared, I leaned forward and took him in my mouth.  I bobbed up and down
on his erection, squeezing it with my lips and tongue.

"Oohh," he moaned, and laid on his back.  He rocked his cock into my mouth
and I enjoyed taking as much of him as I could.  When I started licking his
balls, he sat up and grabbed my face to kiss me.  We both kneeled on the bed
and kissed, running our fingers through each other's hair.

He placed his hands behind my thighs, grabbed them and made me fall onto my
back.  He removed my underwear and lay down beside me.  I moved my arm
around his shoulders and his hand slid over my side, sending shivers through
my body.  He started caressing my stomach, and his lips found my nipple, and
he gently sucked, making me squirm.  As he drew small circles over my abs,
he placed a kiss on my nose, "You're so sexy, baby," he murmured.

We kissed, and I groaned as his hand slid lower and grabbed my erection,
jerking it softly, sending pulses of excitement through me.

"Oh, Rob," I purred, slipping my tongue into his mouth.  His hands slid down
and grasped my ass.  I opened my legs and he squeezed my cheeks softly,
running his fingers into the crack of my ass.  I was feeling very horny and
already wanted him to take me.

"Rob..." I moaned.

"Mmm," he groaned, as he licked his way up to my shoulder.  "You want it in
already?" he teased, rubbing his thumb against my hole, all the while
teasing my neck and shoulder with his mouth and tongue.

"What do you think?"

"I think you do," he smiled as he kissed my earlobe, "but I wanna suck on
this first," he said, as he grasped my erection and started massaging it.

He slid down the bed and kissed my stomach before wiping his tongue over the
head of my cock.  He took the head in his mouth and started sucking and
licking gently.  I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the feeling.

His hands reached up above him and grabbed onto my pecs, and he started to
firmly and energetically bob his head up and down.  He was applying a lot of
pressure and I was very horny.  Just as I was thinking that I would not last
long if he kept this up, he stopped, and started playing with my balls, and
licking up and down my cock.  A couple of minutes later, he closed his mouth
again over the head and applied pressure with his lips.

"Oh, Rob, it feels great," I muttered, playing with his hair.  "I think I'm
gonna cum, don't stop."

I heard a groan coming from him and he replaced his mouth with his hand.  He
slid back up a little to suck on my nipple as he started stroking me faster.

"Squirt it, baby," he urged, as he felt my body starting to tense.  I felt
his teeth pinch my nipple and I began to shoot all over my stomach, moaning
and losing myself in the feeling.  When I started to come down from my
orgasm, Rob placed a kiss on my lips and told me sensuously that he couldn't
wait to fuck me.  He cleaned my chest and reached for the lube.  I didn't
move and just tried to recover and get ready for what was to come.

He lay down next to me and hooked a hand under my knee.  We lay on our side
a little and his hand ran down my thigh.  I held my leg up and his fingers
slid down to my hole, slowly rubbing and teasing.  He wet a finger in his
mouth and pressed it against my hole, gently applying pressure.  I slowly
pushed back on it and it popped into me, making me feel like I needed a lot
more than just a finger.

"Oh, God, I want you, give it to me baby," I urged, as I reached back and
grasped his hair, pulling him toward me for a kiss.  I wanted him so badly,
I could hardly wait.

He removed his finger and pressed his hard, lubed dick against my hole,
teasing me with the head, and pushing forward a little, while we continued
kissing.

"Ah, yeah, let me in...you turn me on so bad, baby," he groaned in my mouth,
as he started entering me slowly.  He already had half his cock inside me
when he started withdrawing it a little before pushing back in.

"Deeper," I urged, "I want all of you."  He took his cue, and I moaned hard
as he pulled my hips to meet him, and impaled himself inside me.

"Rob," I moaned, "you feel so good."  I pulled his face closer against my
neck and he groaned as he pulled out again, and started to pump in me,
deliciously.

He nibbled at my neck and grabbed my cock, "You're still hard," he
whispered, as his hand moved up and down my semi-erection.  "You like that?"

I uttered an ecstatic groan, letting him know that I did, as I felt myself
getting harder, and more and more turned on, despite the fact that I had
just come.

"Do you want it faster?"

"Yes.  No, it's good like that.  I don't know, whatever you want," I
mumbled, and he giggled at my inability to answer his question. He raised my
leg higher and penetrated me as much as he could, quickening his pace and
fucking me a little harder.  He rubbed my stomach and pecs a lot as he
thrust inside me, sometimes giving my cock a few squeezes to make sure I was
still excited.  I was lost in the sensation he was sending through my body
and was just enjoying every second of it.

"Oh, God," I moaned.  "I fucking love it, you have the best dick."

"You feel really great too, baby," he groaned, filling me with his manhood.
He had his whole cock buried into me and was barely withdrawing it before
sliding back in.  I squeezed my eyes shut and kept my mouth open, letting
out small and stifled cries of pleasure.  He was all over me, kissing,
nibbling, twisting, licking, jerking, and I could not get enough of it.

After a few minutes, he started to slow down, until he completely stopped,
and slid out of me.

"Oh, don't stop," I moaned.

"Sorry," he panted, "but if you keep squeezing me like that, I'm gonna cum,
give a sec."

He climbed on top of me and we kissed passionately.  "Turn around," he
asked.

I rolled onto my stomach and raised my leg to the side.  He placed his hand
on me, caressed my lower back softly and spread my ass cheeks.  I quickly
felt the head of his cock pushing into me again, and I reached for a pillow
and buried my face into it.  He started massaging my shoulders for a second,
before grabbing them to level himself, as he continued fucking me.  He then
grabbed my hips, and I raised myself on all fours.  I wanted to do some of
the work, so I began moving my ass forward and backward.  Rob understood
what I wanted, and stop moving, and I started fucking myself on his cock,
making sure to give special attention to my prostate.

"Oh, yeah," I whimpered.

He tried to match my speed and soon he was taking control again.  He placed
his hand on my shoulders and pushed me down a little so that I would lie
down on my stomach, again.

I did, and he leaned forward and pressed his chest against my back, sliding
his arm under my shoulders.  I took his hand in mine, and laced my fingers
through his.  His breathing and his thrusts became more irregular and I
could tell he was getting close.

"Mark, I'm about to come," he moaned in my ear, and grabbed my hand tighter.

"I know, cum baby," I panted.  It felt amazing to be so connected to each
other, physically and emotionally.

"Arghh, fuck, yes," he groaned, as he took one last stroke, and erupted
inside me, finally releasing the pressure.

He continued sliding his cock in and out slowly for a few seconds and pulled
out gently.  I was completely satisfied and did not really need to cum, so
we slid under the covers and I spooned myself against him.

"You are wonderful, you know that?" he said, as he placed a kiss on my neck.

I caressed his arm and closed my eyes.  "I love you, too," I said.

We quickly drifted off to sleep for the second time that night, and slept
rather peacefully until 9AM.  When I opened my eyes, the room was very calm,
the sun was shining through the window.  It looked like a beautiful morning.
  I listened carefully to see if I could hear any movement outside the door
or downstairs, but there was none.  Rob had his back to me, and he was lying
close to the edge of the bed.  I stirred and slid my body closer to him.  I
felt him move a little.  He seemed to be still sleeping or maybe on the
verge of waking up, so I pressed my chest against his back and kissed his
ear.

"Baby..."

He groaned.

"Wake up."

"No... I don't want to," he said, clearly awake.

I giggled, "how long have you been awake?"

"A while."

"You don't want to get up?"

He shook his head, no.  I kissed his cheek and moved away from him.  I could
already feel a small adrenaline rush, and I had to get out of bed to check
my cell and my emails.

I sat on a chair in front of the desk in the room and started up the
computer, knowing that our fans had probably started reacting on the
official message board.  It seemed like the computer was taking forever to
start up. It had never taken that long.

Rob got out of bed, put something on and walked over to me.

"God, I cannot look at this," he said.  "Do you want some breakfast?  I'm
starving."

"Of course you're starving, you didn't eat anything last night."

"So?"

"Yeah, sure," I told him.

"Coffee, tea, orange juice?

"Coffee," I told him, as I apprehensively waited for the message board to
appear.

A few fans had already started reacting and they seemed to be supportive.
Surprised... but supportive.  It was a huge relief.  Of course the first ones
to react on the official board were like our biggest fans, so they were
bound to be, but it felt good to know that, at least, we hadn't lost them.

Rob came back with two mugs of coffee and a pack of biscuits.

"Look what I found in the kitchen," he said, as he threw The Sun on the
desk.

"Is anyone here?" I asked him.  It was awfully quiet.

"Yeah, my mum's downstairs with Lucas.  Apparently everyone else is still
sleeping."

"So, what are they saying?" he asked, as he saw that I was reading the board
and smiling.

"It's pretty positive, and quite funny, have a look," I told him, as I got
up, picked up the Sun and started reading the article.  The least I could
say is that it felt weird to read about something as personal as your
sexuality in a tabloid.  Talking about it, and actually seeing it printed in
black and white were two different things.

"We should have it framed," I joked.

"Yeah, and hang it in the toilets," he laughed.  "You know, tabloid garbage,
let's give it the respect it deserves."

We stayed at home all day, answered the many messages on our cells,
confirmed on our website that the story was true, and thanked our fans for
their support.

There were journalists and fans outside the building all day but we stayed
in because we wanted to wait before talking to the media and the fans.  We
didn't really feel ready yet, and we wanted to think about what we would say
to them after taking their reactions into account.

We had decided to organize an internet chat with our fans to answer their
questions, and to only give interviews to a couple of magazines.  We didn't
want our coming out to be blown out of proportion.

The day flew by really quickly and all I could think about when I woke up
the next morning was that we had done it...and it was liberating...

There is a yahoo group that you can join where I created the message board.
You can read the fans reactions to the boys' coming out, as well as
discussions about other topics such as fans meeting the band, Mark chatting
with the fans etc... it was fun for me to write that and helped me create a
clearer picture of the band. I hope you'll like it!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/getunitedtoo/