Date: Thu, 04 Apr 2002 18:51:02 +0000 From: Christopher Barrett Subject: Building Dreams chapters 11-14 Here it is...another wad of text to infuse through your brains. This is kind of an action to get me motivated to update my other story (sorry to everyone who has been waiting for an update on SLJ). Enjoy Disclaimer: don't know 'em, don't own 'em, and certainly don't mean to imply anything about anyone. I think I actually own the fictional characters I have created though, so I can claim summat!! ****************************************************** ****************************************************** Chapter Eleven Strong sunlight streamed through the wide windows, devoid of any barrier with the parted curtains flanking them limply. The gentle reality of the room presented itself to the silent and ignorant World beyond the four walls; two forms, breathing in time with one another, intricately tangled in each other's limbs under the protection of heavy blankets and such, perfectly at ease. Slumber filled eyelids split apart, exposing my eyes to the reality of my stage. Justin laid so close to me. I could feel the warmth spilling from his body all over me, the touch of his skin threaded over my tired limbs like some reassuring veil and the calming caress of his breathing on my neck. I didn't know what to do first. My gut was telling me to strengthen those bonds that already seemed shared between us, if not by words but by touch; to kiss him to waking and indulge in the expected exchanges to follow. My head was filled with my pessimism; with theories of drunkenness, of confusion, of mistakes and regrets and influenced actions... "Morning." The softness of the words took me by surprise. I couldn't speak. "Why are you upset?" Justin asked cautiously. "I can leave if you want." His hold on me loosened. I had to think quickly, but my desperation was consuming my rationality. "This isn't a mistake?" I asked seriously. "What? No." He began to lift himself onto his elbow. "Not for me." He looked upset. "You don't regret this? Can you remember anything?" I began panicking, barely hearing his responses. "What are you saying? Why are you being like this?" His face became a mixture of angry and sad. "I've really messed up." I muttered to myself, holding my head in my hands, "Damn. Damn. I'm so sorry Justin." "No. It's fine!" Justin shouted angrily, rushing out of bed, "I'm the one who's sorry, Chris!" He slammed the door as he exited the room. The silence of the room took on a new, menacing atmosphere, so different to the quiet hush of morning that had been. Its replacement threw accusing looks at me from every direction. What have you done? I quickly got out of bed, picking up my clothes and hastily dressing. Every piece of furniture seemed to scream at me; "We are his. You aren't! What are you doing! Sharing his bed! He doesn't know who he is anymore. And it's your fault". I held back any tears of frustration, of confusion, pricking at my eyes and ran from the room. I retrieved my bag from the hall downstairs, seeing Britney on the way. "Morning." She greeted me, taking a large gulp of her hot coffee, looking less than star like in her oversized pyjamas with her hair all messy, "Hey, did you see Justin? He looked well pissed off when I saw him upstairs. Ran into the bathroom. Said he wanted to be alone. I expect he's going to reacquaint himself with all those tequilas." "Pissed off? Shit." I ranted, countering her puzzled look with a light and unconvincing laugh. "So, are you getting a shower now?" She motioned to my overnight bag. "Oh, no. Err... I have to go now. Could you tell Justin that I'm sorry for last night?" "Okay, but he was worse than you." Britney laughed. "Oh, right." I performed my transparent laugh again "Just tell him that not everything we do matters. No, I mean that his life doesn't have to be determined by a single thing. And it's okay because everyone makes mistakes." "Okay..." She humoured me, "And that I'm not going to see him any differently because of it. Like, I won't want anything from him." "Did something happen last night that I don't know about?" She quizzed. "You'll have to ask Justin." I laughed, not wanting to explain something to her that I wasn't sure Justin would want to remember. "How are you getting home?" Britney asked lightly. "Can I get a coach or something?" "There's a coach station in town. It's about fifteen minutes walking. If you waited a little while, I could get Frances, the chauffeur, to drive you there, although he wasn't impressed with you last night!" She laughed. "No, that's fine. I really need to go now. Thanks for the information." I called back as I raced out of the house. ******************************************************** The coach journey back to LA was tedious, stopping every so often, making me more and more frustrated, so I ended up sleeping most of the way. Once I had returned to my hotel, I fell into a chair and sighed heavily. I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. I couldn't remove the image of Justin's angry face and the slamming of the door from my mind. I had really mucked everything up. We could never stay friends now. I couldn't imagine how confused he must be. The drone of the telephone roused me from my thoughts. "Mr Barrett, I was just wondering how everything's going." The expectant, singsong of the near forgotten Mr Fuller sounded in my ear. "Oh. It's going fine, I guess." I said dully. "Good." He replied with doubt, "I was thinking maybe you'd want another meeting with your client as it's been a considerable amount of time since the last." "Oh?" I sounded surprised, "I saw him yesterday." "You did?" His voice became stiff, "You must remember that all contact with Mr Timberlake and Miss Spears must be done with the proper preparation and security." He softened his tone, "You must remember that they are very highly wanted by the media and we mustn't make any... mistakes." His words jabbed at my lungs. "Of course." I sighed, "I don't think you'll have to worry about that anymore." I sat up in my chair, "I'm very sorry to tell you this Mr Fuller, but I have decided to resign from this project." "Huh?" The PR façade was dropped momentarily, but quickly regained, "Why have you made this very unexpected decision?" "My involvement in the project isn't beneficial to the clients and that is where my interest lay." "Have you been offered another project?" He demanded, "We shall meet the offer, if not exceed it." "No, I haven't." He sounded desperate, attempting to regain some authority, "You know, you are breaching the contract." He cleared his throat, "Mr Timberlake and Miss Spears must agree to let you go. If you don't want us to take legal action." "Whatever." I said, disinterested. "I'll contact Mr Timberlake and Miss Spears for a consultation. Keep working in the meantime, won't you? I don't want to be paying you to take a vacation." "Goodbye Mr Fuller." I dropped the phone down. To keep my mind away from thoughts of Justin, I attempted to throw myself back into my work, even if it would ultimately be fruitless. The time moved to the swirls and scars of my steely pen on the paper, my thoughts bleeding to nothing with the plumes of watercolour on the monotone pages, bringing some lightness and joy to my mood as I strived for perfect drawings. Tired from working, I began to distract myself with TV, writing and reading later in the day, although my worries began reasserting the pressure on my temples and behind my eyes. The anxiety made my stomach feel clogged and diseased. Happily I lay down on my bed, my eyes open, almost willing the phone to ring. I speedily reached for the receiver, "Jus-" I started, then stopped myself, "Hello?" "Hi." "Britney?" I gasped. "Thanks for the warm welcome." "Sorry, I just didn't expect you to call." I realised why, "How did you get my number?" "Ah!" She laughed shortly, "I stole it from Justin." I couldn't say anything for a moment. "Chris? You still there?" "Yeah," I said calmly, "Why did you call?" "There's the little matter of the movie premiere." "Shit! I'd forgotten." "Hmm, are you still coming?" "You want me to?" I questioned. "Sure. Look, I realise that something has happened between you and Justin but-" "What? You know?" "Well, I don't know exactly. I just know that he wasn't too happy with you when I spoke to him this morning." "Oh," I said sadly, "Is he okay, though?" "He's switching between highly depressed and really angry. He'll tell me what's wrong when he's ready." "Britney?" "Uh-huh." "I've asked Mr Fuller if I can be dropped from the project." "Why?" She demanded, "I mean, you've been doing okay, haven't you?" "Well, it's all this involvement with you and Justin. Now that I've messed up with Justin, I don't think it's wise to stay." "You're still coming to the premiere, aren't you?" "Yeah, but I thought after that I should leave." "What has happened to make you so miserable and him so, um, miserable?" Britney cried out, "No, wait! I don't want to think about this. Do you want to go shopping for your premiere rags tomorrow?" "Yeah, I do need something good to wear." "Maybe by then I'll have got the story from Justin and we can have a good talk about this and sort you two out." "Thanks for being so understanding." "Oh, I don't understand anything!" She protested, "Yet." "I'll see you tomorrow." "Yeah, I'll call round about two o'clock." "Okay, bye!" "See ya!" *************************************************************** Britney Saves the Day Tomorrow arrived quickly as I slept for a long time, the questions buzzing in my brain combining to become a fast acting sedative. I woke after midday and motivated myself to get ready to meet Britney and her knowledge of the other day. I almost felt like ignoring the knock on the door when it came but, with great trepidation, I allowed her in. "Oh Chris!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around me, "I don't know what to think!" "I guess you heard then?" "Oh yeah, I wore him down." She drew back to look me in the eye, "I kinda guessed anyway. After you asking me about Justin, then him telling me how he didn't know what he was feeling." "Sorry I messed him around." "Hmm, that's the part I don't get." "What? You should be angry with me." I said carefully. "Not all sympathetic." "Let's just hit the stores, then I'll talk about this afterwards, okay?" She said, grabbing my hand. "There's a cab waiting." Silently, and slightly dumbfounded, I let her take me away for a heavy dose of retail relaxation. Britney had an incredible knowledge of the shops in the area and I seemed to be shoved from shop to shop with amazing speed. Her enthusiasm was uncontrollable and I acted merely to catch the various garments she threw at me to try on. It was fun none the less and I ended up with something that was maybe slightly pricey for my personal tastes, but with the Britney Spears seal of approval, I was safe in the knowledge that I wouldn't look out of place at the premiere. After what seemed like ages, we paused at a coffee house for a well-deserved rest, and the inevitable talk. We ordered and I nervously awaited my fate. "So." Britney began brightly, "Last night." "Last night." I repeated warily. "What you two did, I'm not too concerned about. Let's just say that it was intimate." She clasped her hands together. I nodded and she continued, "You wake up together and you tell Justin that it was a mistake." "Yeah." I said guiltily. "And he rushes off all angry." "Yeah." Our coffees arrived and Britney paid, thanking the waiter and taking a deep gulp of her drink. I blew off the steam from mine and stirred it. "Why did you tell him that it was a mistake?" "Because I didn't want that to happen." I explained, "Justin and I agreed..." I trailed off. "It has happened before then?" "Once. We got drunk and kissed." "Only once?" Britney raised her eyebrows, and then elaborated, "I mean, you kissed once then stopped." "No." I looked down, partly ashamed of my actions, partly embarrassed that I was telling this to Britney, "We kissed until we slept." I couldn't help but smile at the memory. "I take it that you're not against the idea of you and Just kissing some more?" She asked me with innuendo, "Sorry. I just meant that it's a happy memory." "Yeah, it is." "So what was your problem with it happening again?" "I didn't want me and Justin to, you know, do anything until he was certain about how he felt." I explained, "We kissed ages ago, when I was at his house, and he freaked out." "You thought that he might regret it happening?" "Well, he does, doesn't he? He was so angry the other day, I thought it was like I'd failed him." "Hold on!" She put up a hand to stop me, "You think he's disappointed with you?" "Well, yes." "Whoa!" She chuckled into her coffee, "You don't know how wrong you are." "How do you mean?" I frowned. "Justin is into you." She smiled. "He's into me?" I queried. "Yeah." She took my hand, "Like really. He totally knows what he feels." She noticed the black ink on my hand, now fading, "He wants you, Chris." I couldn't say anything. "Why couldn't he tell me?" "I don't know. Maybe because you kept on at him that he should be sure, and he kept on listening!" She laughed lightly. "And now, he thinks that you're rejecting him. Like you used him or something." "Oh fuck!" I said loudly, lowering my head. Some people from the other tables bent their heads to see what the noise was about. "I'm so happy!" I couldn't contain myself. "I can make it right, then?" "Well, he's real pissed." Britney reasoned, "Maybe when you come to the premiere..." "When is that? I just realised that I still don't know." "Must've slipped everyone's mind to tell you." "So how long have I got to lose a few pounds, get a facelift and trade in my old personality?" I laughed. "Err," Britney began, rolling up her sleeve and looking at her watch, "Will two hours do?" "Today? It's today?" I gasped, "How will I get ready in time. I mean I've got to go back to my hotel and shower and everything!" "Hey, don't worry. You can come get ready with me." Britney said excitedly, "It'll be great. I can do your hair!" She laughed. "Oh, God, thanks. I think." "Let's get going!" Leaving my untouched coffee still wafting its clouds of steam into the air and smiling stupidly, I left with Britney. ******************************************************************* Chapter Twelve The remainder of my afternoon dissolved quickly as I felt an army butterflies hatching in my stomach, waiting to cause a wave of apprehension later. Getting ready with Britney was something of an experience. In my excited state I had forgotten that she would have some help in her preparation; two people, a man and a woman, were waiting for us when we arrived at her apartment. The man was a very expensive hair stylist and the woman was a similarly priced beauty technician (if I can remember her title properly). Britney ordered them, using a suitably bossy tone, to "care" for me too. I managed to avoid most of the lady's advances, persuading her that I'd rather look oily than wear foundation, although I enthusiastically took up the man's offer of some hair treatment. My secret passion for colouring my hair was released and I ended up having some blonde high lights with my hair waxed up into a messy Mohican. Even though I was feeling nervous about what was to come once we arrived at the premiere, the act of getting myself together was exhilarating. I was feeling better than ever once I had put on the clothes that I had bought earlier in the day. I wore a suit, although it was quite a unique suit. The shirt was made from layers of net with silver thread running through in a tartan pattern and I left the first few buttons open so it fell into a, quite flattering V. The suit material was a kind of tweed and looked slightly rough and worn, with some metal clips running down the discreetly open seam of my right leg to make it sexier, according to Britney. When I was pulling at the sleeves of my jacket in front of a mirror and checking for any loose threads or dust, Britney, in a near coordinating outfit, keeping the net and ripped theme, walked up behind me, carrying her heels in one hand. Smiling at my reflection, she put her arm around my shoulders and said, "If he doesn't have you when you look like this, then I'll happily take you off his hands." She leant in and kissed me on the cheek. She stood, hanging onto my shoulder for a second longer, just looking at our reflection, before her eyes brightened again, "Oh, I nearly forgot." "What?" She released my shoulder and rolled a bracelet from her wrist. She placed it into my palm, closing her hand over mine. "I want you to wear this tonight." "Thanks." I said uncertainly, not knowing any significance and not sure whether I wanted to wear a ladies bracelet. She uncovered my upturned hand and, nestling within the cushions of warm, pink flesh, lay a string of dazzlingly clear diamonds with platinum settings, composed in a row of criss-crosses. I slid my fingers into its centre and stretched them, revealing the true, astounding beauty of the formation. I couldn't speak for a moment, amazed with its absolute filtration and reflection of the light, as these were the first diamonds I had held. "Britney, I..." I trailed off, still enthralled by the piece of jewellery, "I can't wear this." "Oh, I know it's a girl's..." She said casually, "No, I meant that it's way too precious!" I nearly choked. "But it's important that you wear it." She unclasped it and then fixed it around my slim wrist. "There you go, perfect fit." I turned my arm, so as to reveal the truly astounding quality, absorbed in the way that the gems cut the light into its component colours within their centres, almost as if there was some different world within each. "This is just for tonight, though." Britney dropped her hand onto my wrist to let her fingers brush lightly across the perfect surfaces, "This is kind of special to me, so I'd be grateful if you look after it." "Oh, I won't let it out of my sight." I smiled broadly into her beaming reflection, "I don't really know why you've lent this to me, but thanks so much. I feel honoured to wear it." She gave me a brief hug, then putting a finger to each of her eyes, said, "Oh, shit! I mustn't cry. I'd better go off complete the look an' all." She left me, still obsessed with the metal around my wrist, in front of the tall mirror. ************************************************************** The borrowed item on my wrist soon allowed my attention to extend to the world surrounding me, although every ten minutes the diamonds would catch the light and draw my eye to it. I talked excitedly in the limousine with Britney all the way to the venue, looking out of the tinted windows every so often in my anticipation of arriving. She had a remarkable ability to calm me down every time that I became anxious about stepping out of the limo in front of the inevitable camera flashes, or when I started stressing myself about reconciling Justin and me. When the time came, I looked back at Britney, who wore an unsurpassable smile on her face that I could tell was actually felt, took a deep breath and exited the car in the most graceful way I could manage. Seeing me emerge didn't cause any change in the burbling of the journalists flanking the entrance, but as my "date" slid out from the dark confines of the vehicle, the air seemed to split open with shouts from the reporters and explosions of camera flashes. Britney whispered encouragement in my ear and linked arms with me. Despite my reservations and insecurities, I couldn't help but feel intensely proud as I walked along the stretch of red carpet. The situation I found kind of humorous, being that all the shouts from the photographers were for "Britney and her boyfriend", but the stirrings of pride, of desire, if only for our attention, were overwhelming. Britney had instructed me as to which newspapers we would talk to, and I let her take me to those reporters and steer me away from the rest. I wasn't asked much thankfully, though I hadn't expected any questions in my direction, but smiled warmly in the background as Britney threw out a few answers. Once we had reached the reassuring, if restricted, confines of the auditorium, I let out a huge sigh of relief, flavoured with adrenaline filled excitement. "Whoa!" Britney screamed at me, "That wasn't too bad, was it?" "No, I suppose not." I laughed, "Although you were suggestive as to the state of our, um, friendship." "Oh, I like to give them some red herrings." She chuckled. "Are they here yet?" I asked with desperation. "Who? Oh, the boys? Hmm, doesn't seem so." I suddenly realised, if only by the stench of ego, I was surrounded by celebrities. I had imagined that I would not recognise all of them, as I didn't watch many American TV programmes, but I certainly recognised some musicians and film actors. For a moment, I felt very, very nervous, but considering that I was here by invitation of Britney Spears, and an acquaintance of N Sync, the shock was dispersed, although I felt very, very un-famous. "Hey! Cate!" Britney called to a tall, thin looking lady with light blonde hair, wearing an effervescent dress. She turned around, and I realised that it was Cate Blanchett. She smiled and began to approach us. "What do I say?" I hissed at Britney. "Whatever you like." She replied. "Hi, how are you? How is your baby?" She turned to the actor. "Oh, I'm fine, and the baby's even finer." Cate answered in a delicate, Australian accent. "I don't think we've met." "This is Chris Barrett, my date." Britney said brightly, "He's English." "Yeah, sorry about that." I joked. "Oh, don't worry about it. So, are you an actor or something?" "No, I'm an architect." I said, blushing lightly. "Britney! You've got someone with a real job!" Cate laughed. "Oh, he's not mine, unfortunately." Britney responded. I resented being talked about slightly, but remained smiling. Cate said her goodbyes and wandered off. "God, that was nerve wracking!" I said quietly to Britney and we walked off into the depths of the crowd. After I had been completely saturated with most of the celebrities that I either had great respect for, found distractingly attractive or both, Britney tugged at my arm. "Look, your real date is here." My gaze followed the direction of hers and I could see the various figures of N Sync and their respective dates. Justin was the only one who lacked company. He looked so fine though. He wore a black suit, which seemed to shimmer slightly, with a ripped, faded tee under the jacket. As I looked closer, I could see a line of safety pins running like railway sleepers across his chest diagonally. I made an audible sigh of approval, smilingly broadly. Britney jabbed my side, "You like his outfit? I helped him choose it." The reality dawned on me that we were dressed to coordinate. Although, at first, I reasoned that this maybe a product of Britney's taste, her sparkling eyes told me that this was no coincidence. Justin's eyes wandered over to us, then seeing me, quickly looked away. "You're gonna have to go speak with him." "Uh-huh." I uttered, "I still don't know what to say." "Hey, Justin!" Britney shouted, waving her arm, and then whispered in my ear, "You're gonna have to think up something." He turned and began to make his way towards us through the forest of people. I found it difficult to look at him without staring or nervously shifting my gaze. He reached us all too soon it seemed. I cracked a smile on my lips. Britney pulled him into a hug. "Hi honey! You look great!" She waxed. "Thanks to you." He said humbly as they broke apart, his eyes flickered across at me. "So, you came?" "Yeah. You look really good." I said quietly. "How did you find the press outside?" "Oh, they were no problem. I can deal with their kind of manipulation." He said icily. I looked down, sensing my stomach beginning to putrefy slowly at his words. "Will you be sitting with us?" Britney asked cheerfully. "Sure will." Justin responded with guarded enthusiasm, adding, "Well, I don't have a date." I tried to talk again, "What about the rest of the guys?" I wished that I wasn't being so conversational. "Dunno. I reckon they will; we don't really like anyone enough here." "Great." I replied banally. "Okay, see you later then, Just." Britney said forcefully. When he had gone out of hearing distance, Britney took my hand and squeezed it hard, "What's the problem, Chris? You were so cold back there." "I find it really difficult to be... expressive when it's being shared, if you get what I mean." "Oh, Honey!" Britney said sympathetically, "Don't worry, I'll think of something." "Thanks." "For what?" "For trying so much when you needn't." "Oh, phooey needn't. This is my best friend and my new best friend's happiness we're talking about." She grinned at me. "You know, I'm so pleased we met." I said affectionately, "And I only hope that I can make up for all this." Taking my arm hostage again, Britney marched me off for more socialising. *************************************************************** Eventually, the masses were asked to file into the theatre to see the movie. We kept a look out for Justin and the rest of the guys over the heads of the bustling crowd. Catching his eye, Britney and I chose a row once secure in the knowledge that he would seek us out. I settled nervously in my seat, sighing heavily and playing with my hair. Our company arrived and they found their seats, Justin sitting next to Britney, beginning to chat to her. I kept quiet, preferring to say nothing and have no effect, than say something stupid and making things worse. I waited patiently for the movie to start. The film was quite good really, although it still carried those tiresome, obvious morals that seemed to accompany all Hollywood products and the awful stench of "the beautiful people". I was too preoccupied to completely lose myself in the storyline even though it was easy to pick up on the action when I applied myself. After half an hour or so, Britney stood up, apologising that she needed to use the bathroom. Once she had gone, Justin and I looked across at one another now that the barrier separating us had been removed, smiled shortly at one another, returning our gaze to the screen. A hushed disturbance signalled Britney's return as she fought her way back to her seat. As she approached Justin, he stood to let her pass, but she put her hand on his arm, saying, "Oh, don't worry. Why don't you just move along? I've been wanting to annoy Joey all night." She suggested casually, although that glimmer of intent and even deviousness danced in her eyes. She gave him a little nudge, encouraging him to move. Shrugging, but looking hesitant, Justin occupied the seat beside me. Giving me a "thumbs up" out of his sight, Britney threw herself into the vacated seat. Pulling at his jacket sleeve, Justin threw me a polite smile: his eyes shifting nervously, as did mine. We sat in silence for a while, though unable to resist glancing at one another from time to time. I curved by arm back to rub the back of my neck, exposing the bracelet hanging rigidly from my wrist. Justin quickly turned to me upon noticing the item. "Where did you get that?" He interrogated me. "Oh, this. Britney lent it to me." I said with a touch of pride. "She came up to me and told me to wear it just before we left." "Hmm, do you know anything about it?" Justin asked carefully. "No." I said slowly, "But it's very beautiful." There was a flurry of hushes at our conversation so we abruptly stopped, resuming watching the movie. ******************************************************** I had begun to feel drowsy at the end of the movie and, as the steady stream of credits signalled the finish, I was shocked to find my hand being grasped. Firstly thinking it was Britney, I began to stand, waiting for the inevitable squeals of insistence, but Justin's voice found my ears, "Come on. We can use my ride to get home." Looking back at me, he added, "I want to talk to you." I was put off balance by the force he was using to drag me to the exit and into the limousine. I had started muttering some protest, but was completely thrown by his actions. He rapidly boarded the limo, sitting close beside me and grabbed my wrist, rolling up my sleeve to see the bracelet again. "My God, it is!" He hissed. "What?" I said, my voice breaking slightly with the wetness of tears in my eyes as his grip tightened. "Justin you are hurting me." He softened his hold and broke his gaze from the jewellery. "Britney gave you this?" "For tonight, yes." I inhaled deeply, trying to calm down, "Why is it so important to you?" He let go of my hand and shifted himself away from me, to prop himself in the corner. "I gave it to her. It was a present." "A very expensive present." I said in awe. "Yeah, well, she's important to me." "But why does it affect you so that she has lent me this?" I pleaded, "Please, Justin. I don't like seeing you so hurt." "Ha!" He choked, "You don't like seeing me so hurt! What was the other day about? You know; the one where you tell me that I'm a mistake." His eyes shone. "That was a misunderstanding. I was so disappointed with myself." I explained. "Why? Because you'd spent the night with me?" He laughed bitterly, "Well, you don't have much to worry about; we didn't even kiss. Then, I suppose you'd have wanted something out of it, so I'm sorry." "No, Justin." I couldn't stop crying out, "I was disappointed that I'd broken the agreement that we had made." I took his hand, "You know; the one which said we shouldn't get intimate or anything, until you had sorted your head out." "But I have." Justin shouted, "You didn't even ask me that in the morning." "Justin, we were drunk. I didn't know what you wanted from me." I curled my fingers around his, "But I do now. Britney told me." "Oh great! Now my best friend's telling everyone stuff said in confidence!" "But it was important that I knew." I paused, saying quietly, "Like it's important that I feel the same. I'm really falling for you, Justin." A lengthy silence filled the air between us as Justin thought over my admission and as I recovered from the effort I had needed to put a voice to my feelings. Only the drones of the machinery of the car around us infringed on the calm, forming a consistent tune to which we could sort through our own, personal confusion. Justin breathed deeply, "Wow." He took a few more deep breaths and I felt as if I wanted to hide my face. What if he didn't really want me? What if Britney had got it wrong? What if he had changed his mind? "Wow." He repeated, turning to smile shyly at me. "Are you okay?" I stuttered, "You aren't angry, are you? Oh, don't tell me that I've got it wrong again!" "I'm good." He reassured me, squeezing my hand. "Okay," He giggled, "Now I feel embarrassed." "Why? I'm the one who feels embarrassed. I can't believe I said that." "Why am I embarrassed?" He clarified, "It's not everyday that the guy you've thought about every minute since meeting him tells you that he's falling for you." It was my turn to smile shyly. I could feel my cheeks burning red and I found it difficult to look him in the eye. "This is kind of scary." Justin said slowly, still smiling, his other hand finding mine. "Yeah." I uttered. I could feel my chest rising and falling heavily to match my breathing. "I guess this is the part where we kiss." Justin suggested. "We've done that before." I murmured. "But we're not drunk this time." Justin said, worried, "So, it's like our first." "Yeah," I agreed, conveniently forgetting our real first kiss, although that didn't last long enough to qualify in my eyes. I closed my eyes as Justin's face approached mine. I felt his lips press against mine ever so gently, almost as if it was merely a breath of wind stroking my skin, although this was warm. We pressed harder together, our bodies shifting closer to make it easier. I parted my lips more, obliging his smooth, wet tongue to enter my mouth, searching my warmth and meeting my own tongue. His machinations within me sent a jolt down to my groin and I could feel myself become aroused. I carefully sucked his tongue as he moved yet closer to me, his hands freeing themselves of mine and moving to my head and side. I felt as if all my body was lost to his control, but I felt perfectly secure being under his spell. Finally we separated I paused before opening my eyes, afraid that the buzzing in my ears, the feathers in my head and the fizzing residue on my lips were merely the product of a cruel dream or vivid imagination. The image before me dispelled the doubts, planting my experience firmly in the realms of reality. Justin was grinning at me, the corners of his mouth curved up slightly, but his smile blown into insignificance by the dancing light in his eyes. He moulded his arms to my sides and pulled me so close to him that it seemed we had to breathe alternately to allow our chests to expand and compress against one another. He hooked his head over my shoulder and I mimicked the action. "Was that okay?" He whispered into my ear. "For a first kiss?" "That was the best ever." I said. "Was it for you too?" "Yeah, the best ever." He affirmed, kissing my ear lobe, which made me chuckle. "So, where do we go from here?" "I don't know." I said softly, "I still don't want to rush into anything." "Me neither." He giggled, "Although I don't know if I can restrain myself. Right now, I just want to touch you all over." "Oh God." I said to myself, biting my lip with determination, "You don't know how tempting that sounds." "I do." He groaned. "But, you're right; we should do this slowly." He broke the embrace to a combined feeling of disappointment. "You okay back there?" A strict, loud voice demanded from a speaker near us. "Yeah, sure. We're okay." Justin called back to his chauffeur, and then lowered his voice, "He can get real nosy sometimes." I chuckled. "We are almost at the airport." The hard voice informed us. "Great." Justin replied, and then turned to me, "Hey, did you want to go back to your hotel, cause I can get you home if you want." Then, becoming shy, suggested, "Or, you could come and stay at mine. I've got a spare room, if you want. We can talk and stuff. If you want to, that is." "That'd be great. I'd really like that." I said, beaming at him, and then frowning, "Oh, but I don't have anything with me." "That's okay. You can use my stuff; I've worn enough of your clothes already." I laughed and found myself leaning onto his shoulder as I sat back. He smiled down at me, bringing his arm around me. I fell asleep on Justin once we were on the aeroplane, dribbling slightly onto his shoulder which I was mortified about when I had woken, but he just laughed it off, telling me that it was okay because it was my drool. I felt better after he said that, even though I was careful to remain awake on the car journey to his house. I was relieved when we finally entered Justin's home as I had been shaking myself awake throughout the previous half hour, desperate to stay conscious. At Justin's insistence, I fell onto the sofa as he went to make us hot chocolate. I could hear him busying himself in the kitchen, but soon drifted off to sleep. ************************************************************** Chapter Thirteen I woke suddenly, releasing an audible grunt when I rubbed at my eyes and looked at the room through slits. I could feel that I had been sleeping on something breathing and I twisted my body to see that I had been laying my head in Justin's lap. I managed a smile once I realised that he was awake and looking down at me. I yawned and tried clearing my eyes more efficiently; turning so that I lay on my back, but still rested my head in his lap. He brought a hand to stroke my hair. "Morning." He croaked. "Sorry I fell asleep on you." I apologised. "Um, you didn't really." He flushed red, "I came with the drinks last night and I saw you asleep. I was going to leave you, but I wanted to be with you, so I slipped under your head and watched some TV before I fell asleep." He smiled sheepishly, "Sorry." "Don't be," I smirked, "You make a good pillow." I dragged myself to sit up. "Do I get a good morning kiss?" His mouth found mine and we kissed briefly. We didn't need to say much to each other with this kiss, unlike last night, so we just needed to remind each other of the new rules we were playing by. I stood and began to wander to the kitchen, with Justin in hot pursuit. As I reached the counter, he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind me. "What shall we have then?" I asked. "I'll cook for you." "Ooh. Are you trying to earn points?" Justin asked. "Yep." I said childishly, leaning back into his body. "Let's have omelettes. Do you have eggs?" Justin showed me around the kitchen: watching me intently as I cooked and making small talk about work. I presented him with breakfast and we took it into the lounge. I sat on the sofa in a lazy lotus position, balancing my plate on the triangle created by my legs. Justin sat on the floor and switched on the television. He flicked the channel to cartoons and began to eat, resembling a zombie as he stared into the TV set for as long as possible between mouthfuls. I smiled at him and settled to watch the TV in silence. The phone rang and Justin turned to look at me pleadingly. I picked up the cordless and walked into the kitchen, putting it to my ear. "Hello?" "Hi, Justin?" I recognised the voice as Britney's. "No, it's Chris. Hey, Britney." "You knew it was me? Great! Anyway, what are you doing there?" She insinuated, "Did the plan work then?" "I'm not sure what the plan was, but Justin and I are definitely reconciled." I laughed. "My little Justin! Now a man!" She exclaimed tearfully. "No!" I protested, chuckling, "We talked and kissed." "Are you guys ever going to do anything else?" Britney asked with irritation. "Whatever. So are you dating then?" "I guess." I verbally shrugged, "We haven't said that, but we know how each other feels." Justin came into the kitchen, "Who is it?" He asked. I covered the mouthpiece. "Britney." Speaking into the phone again, I said, "He's here now. Do you want to speak to him?" I handed the receiver over, retreating back to the lounge as I heard Justin chatting away enthusiastically. I made my home the sofa once more and snuggled into its warmth, remembering the way that my skin became all warm and highly sensitive when Justin touched me or kissed me. I closed my eyes and constructed those feelings once again, feeling the heat racing through my body again, making me breathe slower and deeper as my mind seemed to become detached from reality. I opened my eyes and, in my hazy vision, imagined a light blue light fringing my hand as I held it in front of my face. The hallucination receded and I opened my eyes fully, smiling smugly to myself as I sat up. Justin returned noisily. "What do you want to do today?" He asked. "Don't you have work to do?" I inquired. "No, not really. I mean, I could do some song writing I suppose, but I want to do something with you." "Go and do some writing." I urged, "I don't want to stop you working." "I guess I should." He considered, "The way I feel now, I could write thousands of love songs." I laughed lightly and smiled contentedly. "See, now's the best time to write." "I've got my inspiration all here." Justin said, stroking my hair again. "Will you be okay on your own? Will you go back to the hotel?" "I need to really. All of my materials are there." I reasoned, "As much as I could stay here forever, I have to work too." I stood up abruptly, knowing that was the only way I'd leave the comfort of Justin's home. "Why don't you get your stuff and bring it here?" Justin offered cautiously. "Sure, there's more room to work here, and it's very generous of you, but it's a long way to come to work each day." I said, oblivious to what he was actually proposing. "No, I mean all your things." He raised his eyebrows hopefully at me. "You mean move in?" The fear leaked from my lips. "I know things have changed, but we did talk about it before." "You were serious?" I felt a pain in my side when I saw the hurt on his features, "Sorry, I don't mean I don't want to. I just wasn't sure you meant it. I'd really like to, but are you sure it'd be okay?" "Yeah, of course. You'd have your own room; I'll make you pay rent if that will persuade you to live with me." He smiled and made eyes at me, "We'd be flatmates, but flatmates who date." He smiled at the phrase. I communicated my response my hugging him. "Thanks so much, Just!" I cried out, "It's so impersonal in that hotel. It'll be nice to have more than two rooms as well." I tightly hugged him again. "I'm so lucky!" I wriggled. He laughed at me, and then pushed me off to go and get my things. He gave me a house key and instructions for how to arrange getting back after I had collected my suitcases. Somehow, I was able to remember all of it, even though I kept jumping up and down in excitement. ****************************************************************** The dusty roads brought a small tear to my eye as I looked down the streets that I had been an inhabitant of for the past few weeks. When the thought of my stay entered my head, I realised that I hadn't been here very long despite all that I seemed to remember. I had managed to pack the items I had brought with me as well as those I had acquired since being in the states into two suitcases and a holdall. The small amount of possessions reminded me that this still wasn't a country I could call home and, even though I would be living with someone I had a great, consuming affection for, my heart was still back in England. I stood in the foyer of my hotel, waiting for the taxi that would take me to the airport, with my bags at my feet. I hummed impatiently, restraining the urge to try running to the airport instead of waiting. A lady in a sharp suit walked towards me, giving me a stiff smile as she approached. She had a very tidy atmosphere about her, and as she passed the large area of glazing at the front of the hotel, through which the strong sunlight poured, a hazy, fuchsia pink light seemed to surround her. Dismissing it as refraction of the sunlight, I returned her smile. "Are you leaving?" She asked me nicely, taking me by surprise. "Err yes." I answered politely, "Are you staying here then?" "No, I'm not." She said calmly. "Do you mind if I ask where you are going?" "Oh, no, I suppose not." I smiled. "Orlando." "You have a nice accent." She complimented me, "What part of England do you come from?" "Originally from the East." "Oh, so are you here on business?" She smiled. "Uh, yes." I was becoming more and more uncomfortable with her questions, even though I could not see how the answers would endanger me. I decided to further the conversation myself, "I'm an architect." "Oh!" She said, mildly surprised. Then, the possible danger struck me. "Are you a journalist?" I asked cautiously. "No. Whatever made you think that?" She laughed. "Nothing. I'm just a bit confused as to why you want to talk to me." I explained. "I just thought maybe you'd like to pass the time whilst you waited for your taxi." "Oh, thanks, then." I offered her a hand, "I'm Chris." "Gwyneth." She took my hand firmly. "Looks like your carriage awaits you." She said, nodding towards the glazed entrance, "Maybe I'll see you in Orlando sometime; my work sends me all over the country." "That'd be nice." I picked up my cases after throwing my holdall over my shoulder. "Goodbye Chris." "Yeah, goodbye, Gwyneth, wasn't it?" She nodded and turned to the hotel welcome desk. Shaking my head in confusion, I walked down the steps to my taxi. **************************************************** Surviving the plane trip and the consequent taxi to Justin's house, I fell in through the front door. The house was silent as Justin had travelled to studios to write and I felt comfortably alone in my new home, if that's what I could call it. I took my suitcases upstairs and threw them inside a bedroom. I caught my reflection in the mirror and I suddenly realised that I hadn't changed since last night. Even though I had discarded my jacket, I looked slightly insane, wearing my net like shirt and crazy tweed trousers. I chuckled at myself and remembered all the looks thrown at me by passers-by as I waited in the hotel lobby for my taxi; they must have thought I was a celebrity as I was dressed for the job. At that moment, I remembered the lady who had talked to me. She hadn't mistaken me to be a celebrity; she had talked to me like you would a regular person. The memory snagged in my brain as I discovered the ensuite and prepared to shower. Who was she? Well, I remembered that her name was Gwyneth, but that didn't tell me anything. Her excuse for talking to me seemed slightly absurd. I had only been in LA for two weeks, but never in that whole time had anyone just come up and talked to me because I was alone, even though there were many times that I had been out in the city on my own, sketching or not. I undressed and climbed into the warm shower, savouring the tickles of the water upon my skin. I stretched away the thoughts circling my mind and scolded myself for being so suspicious when I was currently in a very good position. Drying myself I was almost unhappy that I had washed, realising that I had removed Justin's scent from me. I pulled some clean clothes from my suitcases and began to sort out my work equipment. ************************************************* Justin returned to find me on the lounge floor with a slim paintbrush clenched in my teeth. I made unintelligible noises at him, jumping up from the floor and stepping over my spread out materials and removing the paintbrush from my mouth. "Hello!" I said brightly, reaching his side, slightly breathless. "Hi." He said, his eyes wandering over my mess. "I'll clean it up soon." I reassured him, smiling stupidly. "That's okay." He shrugged and returned my smile. "So, how was song writing?" I asked eagerly, wiping the paintbrush on my trousers. "Productive?" "Yeah, very. We got down lots of ideas." He affirmed, taking off his jacket and retreating to an armchair. "So, do all of you write songs together then?" I asked, "Because I know that you co-wrote some on your last album, but not with everyone else." "Right. I co-wrote with Wade, our choreographer, on our last album, as well as JC." "Chris did one too, didn't he?" "Yeah. We're all involved in the writing now." He explained, "Although we may not use all the songs that we're coming up with." "Would you like a drink?" I asked softly, "You look tired." "That would be great. How about a coffee?" "I'll go put some on." I rubbed his shoulder as I walked past. "You know, I could get used to having somebody looking after me when I get home everyday." Justin called out to me. Fetching the coffee pot and trying my best to make real coffee (something I rarely do, as I'm impatient and don't mind instant), I couldn't help but feel that something was wrong with Justin. He seemed so indifferent. Finding two mugs and milk, I placed the components on a tray and carried them into the lounge. I set the tray onto the coffee table and sat on the sofa. "Is everything alright?" I asked Justin with care. "Yeah. No, not really." He said moodily. "What is it?" "The guys don't know that we're dating and I can't think how to tell them." "Maybe you don't have to." I suggested. "What do you mean?" "Well, you don't have to tell them, they have to ask you." I said, "If they ask about me, then you can tell them." "But, that'll surprise them." "Don't make it an issue. If you sit them down and say the whole "it doesn't change me as a person" rubbish, then they'll think that you don't trust them to respect your feelings. If you just say that," I smiled shyly, "that we are dating as you would have done about anyone else, then they'll know that you trust them. If they want to ask you about it, I'm sure they will, and then you can explain how you feel." "I'm so worried about how they'll take it." Justin said tearfully. "Well, they aren't homophobic, are they? They knew that I was gay the other night and I felt no animosity." "But I feel as if I've lied to them." "They'll understand though. It might even seem right to them." "What are you saying? Of course it's right." "I mean that they may have always had a feeling that you were." I placated him, "I don't mean that you act gay, just that maybe they got the impression that you ultimately didn't like girls. My friends weren't surprised and I understand now how they had felt about me before I told them." "It will still feel weird. Can you imagine it; 'So, how's Chris doing?' 'Oh. Great. Me and him are dating.' I don't think they'll just say 'Cool'." I smiled sympathetically at him and patted the sofa beside me. He obeyed and moved himself to sit next to me. I put an arm around his shoulders and took his hand in mine. "If it'll make it any easier, we can go hang out with them one day soon, and I'm sure they'll get the message if we act naturally, as we are now." I squeezed his hand. "You're willing to do that? They might ask some difficult questions." "I'm ready for that. I know that you're their friend and they may accuse me of some things, but if you are with me, then we can assure they know the truth." "My God, Chris, I hope this will turn out okay. I don't want to lose my friends and my group, but I don't want to lie or lose you." I kissed his cheek. "It won't come to that." I said levelly, hoping that my tone would convince him. "I think it's getting cold." "I don't know about you, but I'm getting pretty hot." Justin giggled, leaning in to kiss my neck. "Hey! We said we would take it slow! And I was talking about the coffee." I escaped his advances and poured out coffee for us. *********************************************************** The evening dragged on pleasantly as I spent it in Justin's company. We watched some TV, as we were both too tired to do much else. I forced myself to sit away from Justin, resisting the urge to cuddle up to him, or lay in his tempting lap. I couldn't take advantage of the fact that we lived together. If I was going to date him, I had to restrict the time I spent intimately with him. I lay on the floor at his feet on my front, my legs bent at the knee and my feet dangling over my backside. I turned my head to look back at Justin and caught him checking me out. His eyes caught mine and I smiled, turning my attention back to the TV. Justin cleared his throat noisily, "Joey rang earlier." "Really? Did he have much to say?" "Well, the guys want to do something tomorrow." "Right. Did you say we'd go?" "I said that I'd ask if you wanted to come along." "What will you be doing?" I asked, flipping my body over so I now lay on my back, staring up at him, "Not that it really matters." "Umm, I think we'll be hanging out at the courts." Justin replied, his eyes skimming over my body. "Basketball? I could come and cheer you on!" I laughed, "Like, err, J-U-S-T-I-N, he's got another basket again, JUSTIN!" I waved my arms over my head frantically. "Maybe. Maybe not!" Justin laughed. "So you'll come? I think Stella and Simon will come too." Stella. The name lighted a fire in my memory. She had warned me off Justin. If our little plan about 'fessing up to the guys was going to be put into motion, she was going to get a big surprise. I chuckled, although not maliciously, as I liked Stella. It would be funny to see her face though. "You okay?" Justin asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just remembering when Stella warned me off you." Justin slid off the sofa and laid on the floor beside me, twisting his body up and resting his head in his hand so he could look down at me. I spied his shirt ruffling up and focused on his shadowy navel. "Shit, yeah. She's gonna get quite a surprise." He traced a hand down my tee and, reaching the hem, began to lazily drag it up my body, mumbling, "Hey, why don't we just make out." His intent was drugging me and I lay passively as his lips covered mine. I could feel his hand stroking my flesh. He rubbed the flat area just below my navel, alternating between hard and soft strokes. I was quickly becoming aroused. I pulled him onto me. I felt so good as his weight pressed down onto my front, and then it receded as he lifted himself onto his arms. I breathed deeply between his kisses, my hungry fingers crawling up his sides and sliding under the material of his shirt as I caressed his back. He let his legs fall between mine so our crotches pressed against each other and he lowered his mouth to mine again. As we parted I let my hands fall onto his buttocks and looked seriously at him, slowing my breathing to calm myself down. "I don't think we should do this, Justin. Not yet." I reasoned. "Okay. But can we just stay like this for a minute." He told me his wish. I smiled and hugged him down to me. He snuck his head over my shoulder. "You're so hot J." I whispered in his ear, "But I think we should wait until we've been official for a while before we try anything more." "I've wanted to kiss you and hold you for so long." Justin whined softly, "It feels like we've been doing this for ages, but not often enough." I giggled and kissed his ear, raising a hand to rub his prickly hair. I thought I saw the blue light fade around my hand again and shook my head slightly and blinked. "What's wrong?" Justin asked with concern, lifting himself so that he could look at my face. "Nothing. I- I've been seeing things, that's all." I slid myself out from under him and sat up, countering his worried face, with a relaxed, "I don't think there's anything to worry about." "What have you been seeing?" "Well, this morning, after I had given the phone to you, I thought I saw a kind of blue aura, I guess, around my hand. I saw that again, just now. And earlier, when I was waiting in my hotel for the taxi, I thought I saw a pink aura around this woman who came up and talked to me." "Just those times?" "Yeah." "Maybe you can see people's auras. I've read some shit about that kind of stuff before." "But, I'd be able to see yours now. And I don't." I shrugged, "It's probably just something to do with the light." "I hope so." Justin urged. "Yeah. I don't want to go blind before I get to see you all naked and horny." I laughed. "Don't joke about that kind of shit." Justin said sharply, and then smiling, "All the more reason to see me like that now." "No!" I protested, giggling. "So, are you going to phone back Joey and tell him that I'll come tomorrow?" I demanded. "Yes, Sir!" Justin saluted and skipped off to find the cordless. ************************************************************* Chapter Fourteen My first night in my new home passed peacefully. Justin and I did a first-date style hanging about outside his door chatting aimlessly, then kissing goodnight, as we both waited up until we were both ready to sleep. When I woke in the morning I was surprised to see Justin awake and fixing breakfast. He poured the cereal and milk perfectly. He confessed that he had set an alarm so that he could get up and get ready for my first morning as his official housemate. We got dressed quickly as the game with the rest of the guys was happening quite early for a Sunday. We arrived at the courts at about 11am. Justin had the pleasure of showing me his driving skills for once. And of course his expensive looking car. "Hey!" Lance greeted us joyfully, "Chris! I didn't have the chance to talk to you the other night at the premiere." "Oh, well, I had to leave quickly." "I'll say." He raised his eyebrows, looking at Justin who was now walking over to the others. Lance began to walk with me back to the group, waiting within the confines of the chicken wire courts. "So you've had the pleasure of Justin's driving?" "Yeah. I was beginning to think we'd come here in a limousine." Lance laughed. "You'd be surprised at the stuff we can do for ourselves." "Well, Justin made me breakfast this morning." I nodded my head in approval. "Justin cooked?" "Yep. He poured that cereal into a bowl and everything." I laughed. We reached the others and we exchanged hellos etc. Stella smiled broadly at me. "It's a long way to come for a basketball game." Chris impressed at me, "And the traffic in LA must be goddamn awful." It seemed that not everyone knew about my current living conditions. Joey saved me. "Didn't you know? Chris has moved into Curly's." Most of the eyes swivelled from me to Justin and back. "I figured it would be easier for work and stuff like that." Justin defended his decisions. "Yeah," I backed him up, "I can work better with more room. Oh, and I'm hoping to save Justin before he dies of his cooking." I added with mock seriousness. Everyone chuckled, throwing in a few abusive comments regarding Justin's previous attempts at cooking, and it seemed that they were over the original shock. Looking around the group, I realised that I was the only one who didn't play ball, which made my heart sink a bit, as I didn't want to be left on the sidelines alone. "Why you looking so down?" Lance asked me. "Oh, I was just thinking, I'm kind of the anti-basketball element here." "The sideline is looking mighty lonely?" Lance asked. "Yep." I smiled, "But I'm sure I can think of some killer cheerleading phrases." Lance chuckled. "I'll sit out the first game." Chris said, approaching us, " We've got eight people anyway; if we play three on three, me and Chris can sit out and then rotate." "Thanks." I said to him. The rest of the group jumped about excitedly as JC produced a basketball from thin air and they began to play. Chris and I settled at the side of the court. When I had first met the guys in LA, I didn't really warm to Chris on first impressions, but now, I was quite pleased that he had offered to sit out. He grinned at me. "You don't really play, do you?" "No, I never really got into sports at school, so I never tried once I left." I explained. "Can I ask you something, that might sound a bit, um, prejudiced?" "Sure." "Was that because you are gay?" He looked seriously at me, "I meant, why you didn't get into sports." "Yeah, in some long winded way. I always felt nervous around the other boys, because I didn't want them to know my feelings, so I never let myself go and enjoy the game, I guess." "Oh, right." "But that doesn't mean that all gay men are bad at sports. Some people mature emotionally earlier than others and I suppose I understood my deeper feelings early, so I didn't have that time when I should have been unconcerned with getting so close to other guys." "You could have been a great sports star instead of a great architect." "I think I'd prefer being an architect. The career lasts longer." "I guess so. Didn't you ever have those kinds of wild dreams as a kid though?" "Yep. I really wanted to be in a band. Preferably a singer." "Really? You know we could always shoot Justin and you could join us." Chris offered. "No! Don't do that." I laughed, "Anyway, you don't know if I can sing." "It'd be an improvement even if you were tone deaf!" Chris chuckled. "Hey! Stop that." I threatened with a smile on my face, "Justin is a very good singer. And he writes great songs too." "Hey, I write songs too." Chris protested, "But I don't see you making eyes at me." I gasped. "Huh! Well, you're not my type honey, so I think you should just quit right now." "What will you do, hit me?" He laughed. "No, I'll get my boyfriend to beat you up." I smiled mischievously at him. Chris laughed, returning his gaze to the game, as did I. Justin smiled at me when he caught my eye and I smiled back, stretching my mouth as wide as possible. I was so engrossed in the game that I nearly didn't hear Chris speak to me. "So have you seen him naked yet?" "Huh? Sorry?" I said, shocked. "I said have you seen Justin naked yet? If you live together you're going to catch him changing clothes or something one day." Chris explained. "Oh," I said, half-relieved, "No, I haven't. Not completely." "We all have our goals." Chris muttered to himself jokingly. "Hey! You are getting so close to a bitch fight." I laughed, "Anyway, it's not my goal to see Justin naked. You really think I live my life on base animal instincts?" "Oh, come on." He laughed, "I bet it's even Stella's goal to see Justin naked! Well, I've already seen so there." "Really?" I blurted out. "Hah! Knew you'd be interested!" Chris laughed. "Oh, shut up." I smiled back at him. A brief silence passed as we both sat watching the game with residual amusement. Then Chris mused, "If you're here on work, you won't be living with Justin permanently." "No, I guess not." I said sadly. "He knows that, doesn't he? He has a tendency to get all attached." "Yeah, he knows, although we did toy with the idea of getting my dog over here." "You have a dog?" "Yeah, Perry. I told Justin that I missed him and he said that we could probably get him through quarantine quicker and stuff because of his influence." "But would that mean you moving over here permanently?" "Well, it would definitely be long term." I murmured, "Although, I can't think of home without thinking of my real home, back in England, if you can understand that." "Yeah, I hear you." Chris smiled across at me, "But it'd be great if you did come to stay. You're like one of the guys now." I smiled. "There is a lot that makes me want to stay." I admitted as the game finished and we began to stand to get involved in the next game. "One of those things being Curly." Chris said with a smile. I looked at him with questioning eyes, but we had caught up with the others and the new teams were being sorted. With some nervousness, I was placed on a team with Chris and Lance. JC, Justin and Stella were on the other team and I pulled off my shirt in preparation to wolf whistles from my company, which died as they noticed I wore a wife beater under my shirt. I smiled theatrically at them and started jumping up and down, trying to get excited about the game and dispel my nervousness. The game started and at first I was really quiet and never called for the ball or anything, with Lance and Chris seeming to be coping fine on their own. Then, at one time, Justin caught the ball and he was near, so I walked cockily up to him and said sweetly, "Justin, give me the ball, please." I pouted at him. He laughed and slowed his dribbling so I could flick the ball out of his hands. I chucked it randomly at Lance and Justin laughed again at me. He got real close to me and whispered in my ear, "You're real cute, you know that?" I nodded innocently and he giggled. "Hey, Justin!" JC said angrily as he passed the ball. I caught it and attempted to dribble it away from Justin although he moved quickly around me and deftly removed it. "Good try." Chris encouraged me as he got near, "Maybe you shouldn't be marking Justin." "Why aren't I good enough?" I asked hotly. "No." Chris rolled his eyes, "I just think, maybe, you're being too soft on him. He's real determined and you can't give him much slack." "I remember now why I never liked sports." I said. "Why? Because you can't flirt with the opposite team?" Chris laughed. I couldn't help laughing and we returned our full attention to the game. I changed my approach and began to play hard against Justin, turning it more into a serious game. I took him by surprise a few times and I actually made a basket. It felt so good to achieve that, and receive the congratulations from Lance and Chris, as well as the whoops from Joey and Simon at the sidelines. Justin changed his treatment of me too, and became much rougher, knocking into me hardly from time to time. I got a pass from Lance and began to dribble it down the court, which I had become good at through the practice I had received in the past minutes, when Justin flew into my side, knocking me like a rhino and I fell onto the ground. "Shit!" I said as I hit the floor. Justin appeared over me. "You okay?" He asked urgently, his voice thick with affection and worry. "Yeah," I said quietly, "But I could do with some attention here." I said huskily, brushing my fingers over my lips. Smiling at me, Justin pressed his lips softly against mine, and then drew back again. He pulled me up and I dusted myself off. I noticed the rest of the court staring at us. "Come on, the game isn't over yet!" I shouted cheerfully. Justin threw the ball at Stella, who just stood with her jaw gaping wide. Suddenly, everyone seemed to wake from his or her trance and we recommenced play. *********************************************************** The game was finished, although the others seemed to be slightly preoccupied. JC suggested we all go get something to eat for lunch and we picked up our belongings from the court edge and walked en masse to the nearest restaurant. We ordered sandwiches and rolls, as no one was particularly hungry and settled around a table outside the restaurant. I sat next to Justin, finding his hand under the table and squeezing it as he looked uncertainly at me and everyone else. Nobody really spoke for a while. I decided to try pushing the conversation, "So! How did I do for a basketball virgin?" "Err, you did fine." JC commented. "Real good." Joey affirmed. "You play well, for a beginner." Stella said, eyeing me suspiciously. "You got a few moves that I've never seen before." Chris joked, raising his eyebrows, "What did you think Curly?" "He did great." Justin said, giving me a smile. I smiled back and he ruffled my hair affectionately. "Hey!" I protested. "Oh look. Food." I announced as a waitress approached with our orders. We began to eat in silence, and then Stella said pointedly, "How's Britney doing Justin?" "Oh, she's good." He said dryly. "Didn't you go to the premiere with her?" Stella asked certainly. "No, I did." I replied for Justin. "You did?" Stella repeated with shock. "Yeah, I met her the other week and she thought I was straight." I laughed, "She thought Justin had been matchmaking. She wanted to go with me anyway when I told her I like guys, then she became the matchmaker." I chuckled and Justin looked fearfully at me. I found his hand again and gave it a squeeze. "Oh." Said Stella quietly. The silence passed again as everyone ate. Justin grew more and more frustrated, despite the reassuring smiles I gave him, until he finally cried out, "God! I can't stand this! Will someone please say something?" "Okay." Began JC, "How long have you two been an item, Justin?" Justin lowered his eyes and said quietly, "Ever since the premiere." "God!" Stella gasped. "Hah! Knew it!" Chris laughed victoriously. I couldn't help but smile at him. "What?" Joey said, crinkling his brow, "So are you gay then Curly?" "Um, I guess." Justin mumbled. "You guess?" Simon choked, "What's the problem?" "You alright?" I whispered into Justin's ear, rubbing his back. "Yeah," He grinned, but I could detect the anxiety in his face. "Just tell them what you feel." Justin cleared his throat. "I understand that this might be unexpected. I didn't really expect it myself. But when I met Chris I was instantly attracted to him." "Aw, thanks Just!" Chris joked. Justin laughed at his friend then continued. "I was real scared to begin with. I thought maybe it was just because I was so into his work and shit, but as I got to know him, and got to know him as a normal person, when I'd forget that he was the architect, the feelings stayed." I blushed. "Why didn't you tell us?" Lance asked. "I was worried how you'd take it. I didn't really know what I felt anyway, so it would have been difficult to explain this to you, even if I had tried." "But Chris was there to help you, wasn't he." Stella said flatly. "Yes, he was." "Oh, how convenient." "Stella?" Justin questioned her. "Chris, I don't believe you'd be so, so devious!" "Come on Stella." Joey said sternly. "I bet you couldn't believe your luck, having him all vulnerable and at your pleasure." She stood and pointed her finger at me, "You give fags a bad name, Chris. What do you think he'll do when you've had enough of him and fuck off back to England? Huh?" "Stella." JC stood and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Justin, I hope you realise what he's trying to do to you. He's taking advantage of your doubts Justin, that's all." She nearly spat out the words, "I hope you have your fun with him Chris, but we'll be the ones who have to clear up your shit and get Justin over this." She shrugged JC's restraining hands from her, "Fuck off! I'm going." She turned and stormed away from the table. ************************************************* Ooh!! More 2 cum Kris