by Jeremy

~Part 1~

   Ricky jogged along the beach, just as he did every morning, with his t-shirt tucked into the waistband of his running shorts. The sweat that beaded off of his well-defined body glistened in the light of the rising sun. He could see his beach house come into view as he jogged the last half-mile of his five mile run, a ritual that for the last few years had made up his early mornings, and given him the energy that he needed every day.

   Looking upward, Ricky watched the incredibly blue sky as he ran the rest of the way to his house, not paying any attention to anything. WHAM! He made contact with someone and fell to the ground. "Son of a..." he stopped as he looked into the most amazing pair of blue eyes he'd ever seen. "I... I'm so sorry," he stammered, "I should have been watching where I was going."

   "It's all right," the other man assured him, "I wasn't watching where I was going either." Ricky stood, offering his hand to help him up as he dusted the sand off of his clothes and out of his curly, dark blond hair. "Oh! You're bleeding," Ricky said, pointing to his arm. "Come with me," he continued, "My place is right up here. Let's get that cleaned up."

   "It's okay," the man replied with hesitation, "I can take care of it when I get back to my place."

   Ricky just shook his head. "I won't hear of it. I just want to lend a helping hand. Don't worry about a thing." He paused for a moment before he continued. "If you're concerned about me finding out who you are, it's too late... Justin." Ricky laughed and continued talking. "Besides... you have to be blind or dead to not know who you are. I'm quite a fan, actually."

   "Okay, so you figured me out," Justin smiled and then continued, "Can we possibly keep my presence here quiet?"

   "Absolutely," Ricky replied. "So... what're you running the beaches of Oxnard for?"

   "Actually," Justin explained, "the guys and I just bought a big house here for vacation times when we're not spending them at our homes. We're here in our off time now, just checking the place out for a few weeks."

   Ricky smiled. "Big house, eh? Where at?"

   "Over on Windward," Justin replied.

   "You're kidding me! That's so cool. I used to live over in that area. One street over, in fact."

   "We heard the beaches around here were awesome," Justin said, "and that's why we picked the place that we did, because it was closest to the beach. We also like Oxnard because it's not as populated as some of the places around here. Lets us have our quiet time, you know?"

   Ricky nodded and smiled at him. "I understand completely. Quiet is good. C'mon, let's get that cut cleaned up before it gets infected."

   "Hold on a second," Justin stopped him. "You obviously know all about me, but I know nothing about you."

   "Oh yeah..." Ricky laughed, "How rude of me. Well, my name is Rick Bailey, my friends call me Ricky. I'm 26 years old. I'm originally from Oregon. I moved down here to be near my best friend, and now, I own a chain of internet cafes here in Ventura County."

   Meanwhile, they had arrived at Ricky's house. "Wow," Justin said, "sounds like life's been good to you." "Yeah," Ricky replied, "I'm really glad that I made the decision to move down here. I really love the area."

   Ricky reached up as they approached the front door, placing his hand on a clear glass plate to the left of the door. A quiet computerized voice was heard. "Identity verified. Security system disarmed. Welcome home, Ricky." Ricky heard the dead bolt click and he turned the knob, opening the door. "Great security system," Justin commented with a smile. "Yeah," Ricky replied, "It's one of the perks of owning the internet cafes. I get all kinds of cool techy stuff."

   Justin smiled again, following Ricky into the house. The short entryway opened into a spacious living room. "Have a seat," Ricky said, motioning toward the large, white leather sectional sofa. "I'll get something to clean that cut." With that, he disappeared up the stairs.

   Ricky walked across his bedroom into his bathroom. Opening the medicine cabinet, he pulled out a first aid kit, and closed the cabinet door. Catching sight of himself in the mirror, he smiled. He was far from being a vain man, but he was proud of his looks. His short cropped blond hair, his sea blue eyes, his very muscular body. Right down to the small titanium hoop in his left ear. The fact, plain and simple, was that he looked good. As he stood there, he caught the musky, sweaty scent of himself. Without a moment's hesitation, he shed his clothes, and started what would be a very quick shower.

   Meanwhile downstairs, Justin wandered around the living room, looking at the pictures and trinkets that decorated the room. He smiled, coming across a picture of a shirtless Ricky, striking a pose with a football in his hands. "Wow," he said quietly to himself, "he's really cute." Eventually, after lingering at the picture, studying every outline of Ricky's form, Justin returned to the sofa, waiting for him to return, looking forward to spending a bit more time with a man he'd known all of fifteen minutes.

   After a few minutes, Ricky descended the staircase, dressed in a pair of black denim shorts and a baby blue tank top. he carried with him the first aid kit and a damp washcloth. "Sorry it took me so long," Ricky said, smiling, "I got upstairs and realized that I REALLY needed a shower."

   Justin let out a small chuckle. "It was no problem at all."

   "Now... let's get that arm cleaned up," Ricky said, motioning for Justin to follow him into the kitchen. Justin nodded, following him into the impressive kitchen. "This is really a great place you've got," Justin noted. "Thanks," Ricky replied, pointing toward the stools on one side of the counter. "Have a seat."

   Justin pulled out a stool, sitting down as Ricky did the same. Gently, Ricky grabbed Justin's arm, turning it so he could see the cut. Carefully, he wiped away the blood that had dried with the wet washcloth. Justin winced, causing Ricky to look up at him and chuckle. "Oh, come on now. It's not that bad."

   Pulling out a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide, Ricky carefully poured a bit onto the cut. Justin's face contorted as the peroxide bubbled in his injury. Without a word, Ricky pursed his lips and blew gently on Justin's arm, cooling the burning sensation of the peroxide, causing chills to race up and down Justin's spine. When the bubbling stopped, Ricky gently dabbed the peroxide away. After which, he put some ointment and a bandage on it. "There we go," Ricky said with a smile, "All fixed up."

   Justin chuckled at him. "Sounds like something my mom would say."

   "That's not a bad thing, is it?" Ricky questioned, eying him.

   "Not at all," Justin said, grinning.

   "Ricky grabbed his car keys off of the kitchen counter and looked at Justin. "C'mon," he said smiling, "I'll give you a ride home."

   Justin smiled and shook his head. "Not necessary."

   "Oh," Ricky replied, a little disappointed, "Do you have a car parked nearby?"

   "No," Justin said, shaking his head again, "JC dropped me off. I'm supposed to call him when I'm ready for him to pick me up."

   Ricky smiled, relieved. "Don't worry about calling him. I'll give you a ride. I have to head over to work anyway."

   "You sure?" Justin asked, smiling.

   "Absolutely," Ricky replied. "Besides, it's on my way."

   Justin nodded, still smiling at him. "Alright then."

   Ricky smiled, leading him out of the kitchen door into the garage, where they climbed into Ricky's Wrangler and drove away.

   The short ride to the 'N Sync house was spent in silence. As they pulled into the driveway, Justin smiled and said, "Well, thanks for the ride and all."

   Ricky nodded and smiled. "It was no problem at all." He reached into his glove compartment and pulled out a business card. "Here," he said, "take my card. If you guys want someone to show you around town, look no further. My home, work, cell and pager numbers are on there."

   "Thanks," Justin replied, taking the card, "I'll talk to the guys." He slipped the card into his pocket and got out of Ricky's Jeep. "Thanks again," he said, extending his hand to shake Ricky's.

   "You're welcome," Ricky replied. As Ricky accepted his hand, it was like electricity passing through both of them, though neither one acknowledged it at the time. Both knew though, that they'd like to get to know one another much better. With that, Justin closed the door, and disappeared into the house. A moment later, Ricky drove away.

To Be Continued....