Boy Meets BSB, Chapter 19

The following story is entirely a work of fiction, and is not intended to imply anything about any real people. All of the characters in the story are fictional, and must not be confused with any real people. The characters in this story may have the same names as some real people, but the characters are in no way supposed to actually represent any real people.

Permission is hereby granted for this story to be distributed solely by the Nifty Archive: http://www.nifty.org/. You may of course keep a copy for your own use, but you may not redistribute it.

Before this chapter starts, I'd like to take a moment to thank those of you who have taken the time to express their appreciation of the story to me. Your comments have been kind, and have made writing this much easier. I'd also like to thank an ever-expanding circle of special friends for their help and encouragement. Please feel free to send me any comments you may have.

Matt slowly straightened up and stretched. He sure would be happier when all this packing and unpacking was finished. Well, this was the last box. Everything else was done.

He bent over and opened the box up. Finally. Here was his alarm clock, and the stuff from his night table. And, what was this? Oh, right--it was that present from Brian. It had been what, almost two weeks since Brian had given it to him, and he still hadn't opened it. Well, that sounded like more fun than unpacking.

He picked up the package, and sat on the bed. He sat there for a moment, just enjoying the feeling of finally sitting down. He was more tired than he'd thought.

He turned the package over and searched for the tape that was holding the paper on. Suddenly he remembered Nick's reaction when he'd done that last time. He smiled as he pictured Nick telling him to just rip the paper off. Nick had been so anxious to see him open the watch.

Matt smiled, and then ripped the paper off. Nick would like that. He swiftly uncovered the book. He turned it over, and looked at the cover. What's this? That looks like two guys, and...oh. He opened it, and started flipping through the pages. Wow. Look at that--how did they...?

He closed the book when he realized how excited he'd gotten looking at the pictures. Why would Brian and AJ give him this? How did they ever find something like this? What would Nick think?

He thought for a moment, then carefully opened the book again, and found the table of contents. Oh. This wasn't just full of dirty pictures. This was a sex manual--sort of a "how to" book. Cool. This would answer some of his questions.

That must be why Brian and AJ had given it to him. He had told AJ he didn't have much experience, and Nick certainly knew he'd been struggling. It was so nice of them to think about doing this for them!

Matt put the book down, and went over to find his phone. He returned to the bed, and called Nick. It was still pretty early. It rang a few times before Nick picked it up.

"Hello" Nick said.

"Hi sexy." Matt said.

Nick giggled. When Matt said that, with his wonderful voice, it just never failed to send a thrill through him. He just couldn't help himself. He had to giggle. "Just a minute Matt, while I find some privacy."

"Hang on for a minute Nick. Is Brian there? Or AJ? I'd like to talk to one of them if they're around."

"Brian is here. Just a minute." Nick passed his phone to Brian. "It's Matt. He wants to talk to you."

Brian took the phone and said, "Hi Matt"

"Hi Brian. I just wanted to say thanks for the book. I'm sure it'll come in handy."

"Uh, you're welcome Matt." Brian could feel his face start to grow warm.

"How did you ever find something like this? It must have been hard to get."

"Yeah, it wasn't easy. Listen, I'm glad you like it. I'll tell AJ too. I'll give the phone back to Nick now." Brian quickly handed the phone to Nick, then he swiftly left.

Nick smiled as he watched Brian leave. His face was so red--he hadn't seen him like that in a while now. "Matt? What did you say to Brian? He was blushing so hard..."

Matt giggled. "I was just thanking him for the present."

Nick laughed. "I should have known. He was so embarrassed when he told us about how they'd bought that book. So, you finally unwrapped it?"

"Yeah. It was in the last box. I'm so tired of all of this stuff Nick. Between contract negotiations, taping the season finale, and taking control of my finances from Dad, it's been just too busy."

"Well, it'll settle down now. You're all moved in with Joey now. The show is over for this season anyway. You've finished the stuff with the lawyers, and you've got control of your money now. You've got a lot done in the last a week and a half."

"I guess. It seems like it's taking forever sometimes. Of course, there's still finals." Yeah, finals. One thing after another seemed to keep them apart.

"How's Andy doing?" Nick asked.

"As good as can be expected I guess." Matt thought for a moment. "I swear, I thought I'd never get tired of him, but he just stuck to me like glue until I moved out. I feel sorry for the poor guy. It won't be much fun for him being alone with Mom and Dad. They care and all, but they just don't talk to him."

"Well, I'm sure he'll adjust. He's still got you guys around."

"Yeah. We've talked every night. And Joey is being really good with him. How's Aaron doing?"

"Oh, he's okay. I talked to him yesterday. You know, I'm really glad you suggested that I phone him. He's always so excited when I call, and we're talking a couple of times a week now. It is really nice. I feel like I'm part of his life again."

"That's great Nick. Have you talked to Abby yet?"

"Yeah, I did. She really seems nice. I had quite a bit of fun talking with her actually."

"Maitland is really lucky. Abby is really nice. Joey and I had lots of fun when we all had dinner together. I was hoping you'd hit it off with Abby."

"I think we have. I'm sure we'll all have a great time when I finally get to meet everyone. In the meantime, I think Kevin has started a few rumors about me and Abby."

Matt laughed. "Good. I knew he'd know how to handle it all. That'll certainly make things easier for us."

"How's Joey? Are you getting along with him?"

"He's fine. Actually, I think he's really excited to have me here. We're still adjusting to sharing the apartment, but we seem to be getting along well. But, you know, it really would be nice if he had a boyfriend. I feel awkward talking about you sometimes. He gets this really sad look on his face sometimes, like he wished he had someone."

"I'm sure he does."

"I don't know how he's ever going to find the right guy though. He just stays home most nights."

"I thought you said he had dated some before you moved in." Nick said.

"Yeah, that's what he told me." Matt sighed. "He used to go out to a bar or something. But, with me here, he's just stayed home."

"Isn't it dangerous to go out to a bar? I mean, someone could have seen him, and..."

"I asked Joey about that. He says there are places where the celebrities go, where it's pretty safe. The press just looks the other way."

"Maybe you should take him out then. Make him show you the bars he likes. Maybe you can get him a date."

"I don't know about that Nick. I'm not sure I want to go out to a gay bar."

Nick laughed. "You'll be okay. Just remember that you're already taken. No picking up cute guys."

Matt giggled. "As if they'd be cuter than you."

"Well, then you can help Joey find someone. I'll bet he'd like the moral support."

"He probably would. Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Well, if it's safe like you say, I'd like to come too. But I think you should take Joey out. Find him someone nice. He deserves that."

"Okay, I'll talk to him about it."

"How are your parents doing? Have they cooled off yet?"

Matt sighed. "Yeah, mostly anyway. They all helped me move on the weekend. I've talked with Mom quite a bit, and she's okay. She says that Dad is still bugged that I won't tell him why I went off to Toronto. But, he's calming down about it all now. I think the distance is making it work a bit better."

"That's good. Joey was right to get you out of there."

"Yeah. It really bothers me that Dad didn't trust me to do the right thing. I don't know why he can't do that."

"Maybe you should tell them the truth. Tell them that you're gay, and that you flew to Toronto to save me."

"I've been thinking about that. I've talked to Joey about it a couple of times too. I think maybe it's time to tell them. Joey thinks it is probably time too. He never wanted to tell them before, but with me being gay too, he thinks they'll accept it. I'm hoping that once I tell Dad why I went to Toronto, things will get back to normal. It's hard when he's so cold all the time. I know it's been hard on Mom."

"Yeah, it'll be nice when they know."

"It will be." Matt heard Joey come into the apartment. "Nick? Joey has just come home. I'll call you later, okay? I'm going to see if he wants to go out tonight. Maybe I can find him a nice guy."

Nick giggled. "That sounds like a good idea. Call me when you get back."

"Okay. I love you Nick."

"I love you too Matt."
 

"I hope you saved the best for last" Matt said. They were approaching the third bar of the night. The first had been really loud. Most of the crowd had been guys, but the music was just too much for Matt. It reminded him of that club they'd gone to in Toronto. Nick probably would have loved it, but it didn't strike Matt as the sort of place you'd be able to have a meaningful conversation with someone.

The second bar had been quieter, but it was filled with smoke. They hadn't spent more than about fifteen minutes there, but Matt didn't think he'd ever get the smell out. If there'd been any cute guys there, they were hidden under the smoke. Why wasn't the place better ventilated?

The guy on the door of this bar let them in after a quick glance. There was a small line of people waiting to get in, however the Lawrence brothers were famous enough to get let in immediately.

Once inside, Matt relaxed. This looked like a nice place. The noise level was pretty low. The music could be heard, but it was low enough that you could easily talk. There were TV monitors scattered around the room, showing music videos. The area toward the front was filled with small tables, and the bar. The back area had a number of booths and larger tables. And a couple of pool tables. The lighting was dark, but not so dark you couldn't find your way around.

Joey led the way to a table up front, fairly close to the bar. Matt took the other seat at the table, and turned to look around a bit. It was a nice crowd.

Matt turned back to Joey and smiled. "Why the heck did you ever go to those other places?"

"What? Oh." Joey laughed. "That first club is full of cute guys. I've met a lot of my dates there."

"But how did you ever talk to them?"

"Talk? Certainly not there."

"You just picked up cute guys, and didn't talk to them? How'd you know whether they were nice or not?"

"I didn't I guess. We'd just go home, or to their place, and have sex. A couple of them were nice. I remember one who was really cute, but boy was he dumb. We had fun, but..."

"No wonder you've never met the right guy. There is more to it than just finding a pretty face you know, or great sex."

"Look who's talking. The first pretty face that catches his eye, and he turns his life around."

Matt laughed. "Okay, you've got me there. But I knew Nick before we got together. We were friends for months."

Joey smiled. "But you've got to admit he's good looking."

Matt gave Joey a playful whack. "Hey, that's my boyfriend you're talking about. He's taken."

Joey laughed. "Okay, okay. I'm going to get a drink. You want something?"

"Sure. Get me a Coke please."

Matt watched as Joey made his way over to the bar. He turned his attention to the rest of the guys in the place. There were a few that looked nice. There were a few familiar faces in the room as well. Of course, that wasn't that big a surprise. Hollywood was full of famous people. This bar apparently was a mixed bar--there were plenty of gay couples, but there were also some straight couples. Maybe Maitland and Abby would like to come here sometime.

Joey returned with a couple of Cokes, and they sat back and chatted while they watched the room. They attracted looks from a number of guys and girls in the place.

Matt suddenly sat up. A very good looking guy had just entered. He had fairly short blond hair--shorter than Nick's, but that same wonderful golden color. He was certainly well built. He looked like a professional athlete or something. The muscles weren't bodybuilder size, but they were certainly impressive. And his face was vaguely familiar. Where had he seen this guy before?

"Hey Matt, isn't that Alex?" Joey said.

Matt glanced at Joey and he could see he meant the guy he'd been looking at. "Alex who?"

"He just calls himself Alex. He was in the Olympics a few years ago."

"Oh. I thought he looked familiar."

As they watched, Alex slowly looked the room over. Matt watched him, trying to see whether Alex was checking out the guys or the girls in the room. This was certainly someone he'd be interested in dating. If he didn't have Nick of course.

As Alex's gaze fell on him, Matt found himself meeting his eyes, and smiling. Alex looked surprised to see them here, but he slowly smiled back.

Joey leaned over and said, "What are you doing?"

Matt was surprised. He turned to look at Joey. "Don't you like him? He looks hot."

"Sure I do, but...oh no. He's coming over."

Matt grinned and turned back to watch Alex make his way over to the table. When he got close enough, Matt stood up and offered his hand. "Hi Alex. I'm Matt Lawrence. And this is my brother Joey."

Alex looked surprised. He quickly took Matt's hand, and said "Oh, I know who you are. I've always dreamed of meeting you actually." Alex looked down, as if he wasn't sure what to do.

Joey spoke up. "It's nice to meet you Alex." He offered his hand as well. "I remember watching you in the Olympics. And reading about you in some magazine articles."

Matt was surprised. Alex looked really uncomfortable. What was the problem?

"Uh, thanks. Can I buy you guys a drink? If that's not too..." Alex's voice sort of trailed off.

"Sure Alex" Joey smiled, and drank the rest of his Coke. "Just a Coke if you don't mind."

"Nothing for me thanks" Matt said. He still had most of his Coke left.

"Okay. I'll be back in a minute." Alex said. He almost ran away from them.

Matt giggled. "I think he's a bit intimidated."

Joey smiled. "But, he is cute. That's for sure. He seems nice too."

"So, ask him out then."

"Oh, I don't know. He's probably not interested in someone like me. He's really rich, and famous. He's not really in my league."

"He likes you Joey. Even I can see that. Ask him out to dinner tomorrow night. I'll set it all up. You just ask him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Just ask him. Here he comes. I'll leave you two alone for a bit. Just ask him, okay?"

"Uh, okay."

As Alex approached the table, Matt stood up. "Here Alex, take my seat. I've got to find the bathroom."

Alex smiled. Matt moved past him, and started making his room through the bar, toward the bathrooms in the back.

The trip to the bathroom was a strange one. Matt could feel people watching him. A number of the people in the bar tried to catch his eye as he went past. It was unnerving in many ways. He smiled to himself, thinking of how Nick would tease him when he told him about this later tonight. Nick would find it all very funny.

Thankfully, the bathroom itself was empty when he got there. He wasted a few minutes looking at himself in the mirror, and playing with his hair. He needed to give Joey time to ask Alex. Then a couple of guys came into the washroom. He could see them looking at him in the mirror, so he finished up, and left. When he got back into the bar, he noticed that 'Quit Playing Games' was playing. Damn it. He'd missed most of it. He watched the last bit, then started back to the table. He took his time getting back to Joey and Alex. As he got to the table, Joey stood up.

"Thanks for the drink Alex. We really should get going." Joey offered his hand to Alex.

Matt watched them shake hands, then offered his hand to Alex. "It was nice to meet you Alex."

"It was nice to meet both of you" Alex said.

Matt followed Joey out of the bar. Matt waited until they were out and out of earshot of the people near the door before he asked Joey what had happened.

"What? Oh, we've got a date for dinner tomorrow night." Joey said.

"That's great" Matt said.
 

Joey looked at himself in the mirror. Did he look okay? He'd done a bit of research on Alex, and he wanted to make sure he looked good for him. He hadn't realized just how wealthy he was. He remembered watching him during the Olympics--how could he forget that body. But he'd never realized just who Alex really was.

Well, that's about as good as it gets. Joey turned and left his bedroom. Matt's bedroom door was open, so he poked his head inside. "How do I look?"

Matt looked up from the book he was reading. "You look pretty good. All ready for the big date?"

"Yeah, I guess. I don't know about this Matt."

"You'll be fine. Try to get to know Alex. Any lasting relationship needs to be built on friendship, not just sex."

"I know. I guess I better get going. I don't want to be late."

"Have a good time."

Joey made his way down to his truck. When he started it up, the preview copy of the Millennium CD started playing. Joey smiled, and sang along to the music as he drove to Alex's hotel. When he pulled up to the hotel, he removed the CD before he parked the truck. He didn't want it to be playing when Alex was here.

He got out of the truck, and made his way into the lobby. He looked around and spotted Alex just as Alex spotted him. They smiled at each other, and met at the lobby's door. Joey shook Alex's hand, and followed him outside. It was a bit chilly tonight--it was April after all. Not too bad, but a bit on the cold side. Joey led Alex to his truck, making a bit of small talk along the way. They were swiftly back out onto the road, and heading to the restaurant.

The drive was a bit awkward. After they'd gotten past the usual talk about how chilly it was for this time of year, neither seemed to know what to talk about next. Fortunately they arrived at 'Tony's Place' before the silence got really bad.

Joey held the door for Alex as they entered the restaurant. When Tony saw Joey, he smiled and greeted him like an old friend.

"Ah, Mr. Lawrence. It's good to see you again" Tony said.

Joey smiled. "Tony, I've told you before. Mr. Lawrence is my father. I'm just plain Joey."

Tony bowed a little. "As you wish Joey. Your table is waiting. Right this way."

They followed Tony to a table in the back of the restaurant. Joey was sure this was the same table Matt had shared with Nick on that night they'd first met. Matt had made all the arrangements for dinner tonight, and Joey was certain Matt would ask for the same table.

It was much as Matt had described it. It was a quiet little table for two. Plants shielded the table from the view of much of the restaurant. It was a nice, private table.

"Can I bring you something to drink?" Tony asked once they'd been seated. Tony turned away momentarily and motioned to someone.

Joey glanced at Alex. Alex said, "Perhaps some water?"

"That would be good Tony" Joey said. "Maybe we'll have something a bit later."

"Very good sirs." Tony said.

They were joined by a young man who seemed to be a waiter. Maybe this was the person Tony had motioned to before?

"This is my nephew Antonio." Tony said. "He has just come to America from Italy, and is getting started working here at the restaurant. He will be looking after you tonight." Tony rested his hand on Antonio's shoulder, and said something to him in some language. It was probably Italian.

Tony smiled, made another small bow, and left. After a moment, Antonio also smiled, and left them alone.

Joey glanced at Alex again, then quickly looked at his menu. He did look good. He certainly hadn't lost his muscles since the Olympics. Joey could still picture how Alex had looked on TV.

Joey had hoped his nervousness would go away once they got here. He tried to make sense of the menu. What was he going to order? Oh, why did he bother? He knew what was on the menu, and he knew what he'd order. The same thing he always ordered here. They made a great steak here.

Joey took a moment to glance at Alex again. He was startled to see Alex was watching him. Alex quickly looked away when he saw that Joey had seen him. Was Alex as nervous as he was? He'd dated before--why did Alex make him so nervous?

"The steak is really good here" Joey said. Maybe a bit of conversation would help.

Alex looked startled to hear Joey's voice. He looked up, and their eyes met. Joey hadn't noticed how blue Alex's eyes were before. They were really amazing.

"Oh? Well, maybe I'll have that then" Alex said.

Just then, Antonio appeared with a small tray. He put a glass and a bottle of water down in front of both Alex and Joey. Then he placed a basket of buns in the center of the table. He smiled at them both and said in a thickly accented voice, "Are you ready to order?"

Joey looked at Alex. "Shall I order a couple of steaks then?"

"Yeah, sure. That sounds good." Alex said.

Joey turned to Antonio, and tried his best to order the steaks. It quickly became quite apparent that Antonio's English wasn't very good. Joey found himself getting frustrated with the whole situation. He was about to see if he could find Tony to help, when Alex suddenly spoke up.

"Joey, let me give it a try." Alex said.

Joey watched amazed as Alex and Antonio suddenly started talking rapidly. Clearly, Alex spoke Italian. They seemed to be quite friendly actually. First Alex put his hand on Antonio's arm, then Antonio put his hand over Alex's. Joey wasn't sure whether he should be jealous or not. Alex certainly didn't have any trouble charming the waiter. What was wrong with him?

By the time Antonio had left, Joey wasn't sure what to do now. Alex looked like he'd rather talk to Antonio. He certainly said more to Antonio than he had to Joey all night. What was wrong?

"Well, that's sorted out." Alex said. "I gave him both our orders."

"That's handy." Joey said. "You speak Italian? Where did you pick it up?"

"Bits and pieces here and there. My mother was very good with languages and I guess I inherited some of the talent. It does come in handy, though. I use it in business a lot."

Oh great. Alex is clearly enjoying this. Like learning a language is something anyone can do. Joey remembered trying to learn Spanish at one point. That was a disaster. Now, Alex is sitting here telling me he just picked up a language with no effort at all.

"Yeah, I guess it would come in handy." Joey said. "What did you say to him?"

"Just tried to give him a little encouragement. It must be hard for him, starting out in a new country and all. He seems like a nice guy, I hope it works out for him."

Joey nodded. Great, just great. He reached for a piece of bread, and put a bit of butter on it. He slowly ate the bread. Where to start? What should he say? Somehow, Joey just didn't know where to start with Alex. He'd never really tried to talk with his dates before. They'd always just talked about the music or something, before they'd gone off to someone's apartment. It wasn't like he'd slept around a lot or anything. It was just, well, he had needs.

What was he supposed to say? He didn't know how to romance another guy. It wasn't like he could imitate a movie or anything.

Well, Matt had said he should try to become friends with Alex first. As much as he'd like to get his hands on that body, well, he'd give Matt's idea a try.

"So, what brings you to LA Alex?" Joey said. That was a dumb question. He must be here on business. He was always traveling apparently, from what he'd read. He was the head of a huge corporation after all.

"Oh, it was a business trip I'm afraid. I got this sudden call to come out and meet with a bunch of potential corporate contacts. I'd have normally just set up a conference call, but I was told that these people wouldn't think I wasn't taking them seriously enough if I did that. So, I flew out last night, so I could attend the meeting today."

Joey felt completely out of his league. What the hell were 'potential corporate contacts'? Who used words like that? Joey knew a bit about business, but the business world was mostly foreign to him. He knew about the entertainment industry, or the music industry, but this flying around just for a meeting with some mysterious people wasn't in his experience. What was he supposed to say to all of this?

"Will you be here long?" Joey asked. Shit--that was stupid. That almost sounded like he wanted to know how long he had before Alex left. He should have commented on that long speech Alex had made about business, but he wasn't sure he understood it.

"Oh, I haven't really decided yet. It could be a few more days."

Depending on what? How things went tonight? Why did Joey feel like he was being appraised, as if he were something that needed to be measured for it's value. Maybe he just didn't know what Alex wanted. Why would he be interested in an aged child actor like him? Alex certainly had more wealth than he did--Joey had enough that he'd never have to worry about money, but it wasn't anywhere close to what Alex had. Joey might have more fame than Alex, but if Alex wanted fame, Joey was certain he could have it in a moment. That body, those looks would be all over the newsstands with just a bit of publicity. That Joey knew. Any publicist worth anything could have Alex's picture on the front of every magazine.

What to say? There must be something they had in common. Joey risked another look at Alex's face, only to catch him staring again. Why was he doing that again? Did he have something on his face? Joey suddenly felt another pang of nerves. He had to get out of here for a moment. Maybe he'd be able to clear his head.

"Er, would you excuse me for a moment Alex? I'll be right back." Joey said as he stood up, and walked away from the table. He quickly made his way into the washroom.

Fortunately, it was empty. Joey ran the water, and put his hands into the cold water. That felt better for a moment. He looked at himself in the mirror. He didn't see anything wrong. He was a bit flushed maybe. He splashed a bit of cold water on his face. That felt better. He stood there for a moment, gradually allowing the tension to leave. Why was he like this? Why was he so nervous?

Okay, when was the last time he'd made friends with someone new? It wasn't something that happened all that often. When was the last time? Oh, it was Kevin. Back a few months ago, when he'd gone with Matt to see the concert. He'd spent a lot of time that day talking to Kevin.

Well, he hadn't been nervous like this with Kevin. Why was he nervous with Alex? He'd slept with guys almost as good looking as Alex before. It couldn't be his looks. Sure, Alex was good looking, but that hadn't ever slowed him down before. Was it something about Alex that made him feel like this?

Maybe it was Alex. His power, his money. He just didn't know how to relate to that. What did he have in common with Alex? With Kevin, they could talk about all sorts of things. They both liked to lift weights, and work out. They both liked to look after their friends. Kevin looked after the guys, and Joey looked after Matt and Andy. And they both had the music business in common. They'd both done some song writing, they both played keyboards, and they both were in the business.

Well, he couldn't hide out here the whole evening. Sooner or later, he'd have to go back and try and find something to talk to Alex about. There must be something.

Joey took another look in the mirror, and turned the water off. He dried his hands and face, then checked again. He still looked a bit flushed, but that wouldn't last. At least, he hoped not.

He took a deep breath. Okay, calm down. You can't stay here all night. Alex must be wondering by now.

After another deep breath, Joey opened the door, and returned to the restaurant. As he got close to the table, he found Alex was talking rapidly. Was he nuts or something? Who was he talking to? Oh, he had a headset on. He must be talking on the phone. What language was that? It certainly didn't sound Italian, if that was what he'd used with Antonio. This sounded, well, different. Chinese maybe? It had that sort of sing song quality to it.

Joey took his seat, and looked at the steak. Well, at least he'd get a good meal out of this tonight. Not that Matt and he couldn't cook, but, well, the steak here really was good. He cut off a small piece and started in on his steak. Alex suddenly switched languages, and said something about a call coming in a bit later.

"Sorry about that." Alex said. "I had to take that call. This thing just rings off the hook sometimes."

"Yeah, sure." Joey said. "No problem."

Sure. Business is so important, you can't even turn the damn phone off while you're on a date. Obviously, Alex wasn't very interested in him, if he couldn't spare a few hours for him. And then he scheduled another call in an hour even!

Joey fumed for another minute. He cut off a bigger piece of the steak, and popped it into his mouth. It wasn't as if Alex couldn't be charming when he wanted to be. Just look at how he'd acted with Antonio. It had only taken a moment before the waiter was laughing and touching Alex. They looked like they were old friends or something. Certainly there wasn't this awkwardness, this tension that seemed to be here tonight.

Why had he listened to Matt? Alex was Matt's choice, not his. Alex was clearly out of his league. He wasn't interested in him. That was clear. Why had he gone along with this?
 

Joey breathed a sigh of relief as he pulled out of the hotel's parking lot. Well, that was over at last. That had probably been the most uncomfortable dinner he'd ever had. Even dinner with the family a couple of Sundays ago hadn't been this bad. There he'd at least had Matt and Andy to talk to. Somehow, he just couldn't find any common ground with Alex at all.

It wasn't as if he hadn't tried. Alex was certainly attractive enough. Joey was actually sort of sad he'd followed Matt's advice. If he'd done things his usual way, at least he'd have gotten a night of sex out of it before he discovered how much he didn't have in common with Alex. There was no way that sex was going to happen now. He'd have loved to get his hands on that body though.

Matt would certainly have a lot of questions. Dinner had been at eight, and here it was just nine thirty. That was an awfully short date. Well, he'd just have to tell Matt about it. These things didn't always work out as they would like.

Joey suddenly noticed the relative silence in the truck. He fumbled for a moment, then found the Millennium CD again. That would make him feel better. He wondered once again which cut they'd release first. There were a number of them that had the potential to be a hit single. He'd have to remember to ask Kevin next time he called.

 
To be continued....

I'd like to take a moment to thank CoryJ for the use of his character Alex. I hope I didn't abuse him too much. For those who don't know, Alex is from Cory's story Bring Your Own BSB.

For those readers who are wondering, please assume the two stories are in different universes or something. In Cory's story, Nick and Brian are a couple. In mine, Nick and Matt are of course a couple. We wanted to do a bit of a crossover, which means that you'll just have to assume that Alex isn't quite the same in both stories. So, please, just allow us a bit of artistic license here.