Date: Sat, 07 Aug 1999 03:45:05 PDT From: Richard Hamilton Subject: Nick's Florida This Story is partly based on a dream I had not so long ago. I have naturally edited it around my daily life to make more sense - you know what dreams can be like LOL! Well anyway, it's about my idol - Nick Carter from the Backstreet Boys. What can I say in mere words? LOL! :0) We often have dreams, hopes and fantasies and I believe dreams are nature's way of relieving the `pressure' of the feelings we have inside, that many people would never even imagine! Then there are the very lucky few, in amongst the millions of us, who actually find that dream becomes true. One day, not so long ago, I had that dream come true, only to have it snatched away when the one I loved was killed in a car crash. He was called Kevin, and he was my very own blond haired, blue-eyed `Backstreet Boy'. I miss you so much dude. I would like to thank Rob, Paul, Julie (at the pub!) and my family - I love you all! Thank you Rob, for all your support, too! I love ya! However, this story has to be dedicated to the memory of Kevin. His spirit will always live in my heart until the day I die. On a brighter note though! I hope you like the story - like I said, it's based on a dream and some of it is a complete impossibility, but dang, it's worth a read! LOL :0) The story will be in installments so be patient - I need to judge reaction before I go on! You'll have to wait for the, erm, `interesting bits' - they will come - these things have to develop and build `energy' - if ya catch my drift *grin* Any comments and encouragement that you have about it are always appreciated, so drop me an e-mail. It helps a lot! Now for the Legal Stuff.... If you are under 18, then you shouldn't be reading this - get NetNanny, SurfPatrol or stricter parents. There's a cool site about the LooneyTunes - go look at that :0) I am in no way implying as to Nick or Aaron Carter's sexual orientations or anyone else's in the story for that matter. But if they are, I can understand how it feels :0( However, if you are over 18, welcome and I hope you enjoy what I have written... Oh, and if Nick happens to be reading this, then e-mail me and tell me what kind of car you drive!!! LOL! Enjoy, Yours, Rick. Clio_16v15@hotmail.com or: floppyblond@budweiser.com (don't you think the frog ads are sooooooo kewl???? ribbit!!!!) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Boy Next Door I was really happy with the news my dad had come home from work with. Here we were, living in a village on the Wirral, life running it's usual day-to-day routines, the same boring people, the same English way of life. I loved Chester, so much going on! But the weather - the stupidity of the English climate. Why did it always rain? Grrrrrr, it drove me mad! It was always the same - cold, wet winters, fading into mild, damp summers.... Dad had got home from work a bit later than usual and I was upstairs on my PC working away on my website. I was listening to the new BSB album `Millenium' which was cool. The Boys have such a skill in the way they can do accapella - but anything that Nick did had my attention firmly grabbed! Nick was my idol, and the only thing that I dared have of him on display in my room (I hadn't yet told my parents how I felt) was his face on the `3D Flying Object' on my Win95 screensaver. Everytime the little flag waved across the screen, I saw his cute smile, those deep soulful eyes, and that gorgeous blond hair. My parents didn't know that I was gay. I had known for a while. I remember seeing this lad in my class at school when I was younger and me not being able to take my eyes off him - he too was blond. I didn't really know why then, but now I realised that it was because I found him attractive. Then as time went on, I found myself taking second glances at other lads in my school, in the street - everywhere! And it was invariable the ones with blond hair in particular that always made my heart skip a beat - I still don't know why, but it was this deep feeling inside me that made me tingle, and made me feel soo good. The only people who knew about me was my best friend Paul, and also Julie, a girl who had always been a close friend at school too. The first time I had seen the Backstreet Boys was on `Live And Kicking' on ITV one Saturday morning, and ever since, I have been under Nick's spell! I dreamed about him, I worshiped the ground he walked on - stupid, I know, but that's what, well, love, can do.... Something made me turn my head and I watched out my window as dad's Renault Laguna pulled onto the drive in the heavy rain. The lights went off and the wipers stopped halfway up the screen. He had to jump out and run to the front door before he got soaked. Dad worked for a software company in Liverpool, and he was very good at his job - he was a whizz with computers. The front door slammed. "Anyone about?" He yelled. He sounded happy. "Yep, I'm up here dad" I replied "Where's your mum? I have some news for you both" "She's just nipped round to Gloria's house" "Oh aye, they'll be talking the dead to sleep again" He laughed - he had a sharp sense of humour - something that I had inherited from him which I was always proud of! I had also inherited his blue eyes, and I am as tall as he is - 6'3". I have mum's hair - it's brown, but it's straighter than hers, and I have it fairly short and centre-parted. Dad is blond like Nick and I always held that against my parents - hell - why didn't I get that chromosone too?! Dad and I were close friends and as I had no brothers or sisters, he always spent time with me, kind of like a brother would. Recently, he had started taking me to his gym. He said that someone with my slim figure would really benefit from decent workouts - it would also help me basketball playing. I played for my highschool and I also had become keen on cycling. I got up and hung down over the bannister at the top of the stairs and looked at him. "Have a good day at work then?" I asked "Yeah - superb. Rich, I have some great news for you. Well, for you me and your mum" "What! What is it?" "Well, I'd rather tell you when your mum gets back. How long has she been gone?" "Oooh, erm I'd say about an hour or so. I've been working on my site while she's been gone" "Brilliant - how is that new FTP software I got you?" "It's great dad. Much easier to use" "I had better get a quick shower - I'm soaked!" "Yeah, you look a bit wet behind the ears - it's not a good idea to have a bath in your clothes you know!" I laughed and he stuck his tongue out at me. "Awwww - do I HAVE to wait to hear what you've got to tell us?" "Yes!" "You know what you are, don't ya?" "What?" "You're a pest, that's what!" He just laughed as he came up the stairs. He went into the bathroom and started the shower. I was stood in my bedroom doorway giving him my evil `Passport' look but I couldn't help but grin. Dad had something big planned - he was always secretive and LOVED to keep us waiting if it was good, so I decided to just wait. I went back into my room and sat down. It was still raining. I carried on with my site - I was trying to scan pics of the new Renault Clios for my website, and it was taking ages for the scanner to scan them in High-Res. Dad was singing in the shower - he wasn't too bad at singing, but it was too loud! At that moment, the front door slammed and mum was home. "Richard! I'm back!" She yelled up the stairs "Hi! What were you and Gloria talking about for so long? Recipes again?" "Don't be cheeky" she said mockingly. "Where's your dad?" At that moment, he started to sing again... "Ah, I hear he's showering" she laughed. "Yep" I walked to the bathroom door. "DAD! Hurry up and come and tell us what your news!" "What news?" asked mum "Ah, dad's got some good news for us!" I replied. "He came home full of mischief - he's got his `I've got something fun for ya' mood on again!" I laughed "So, it must be good!" I went downstairs and made me and mum a cup of coffee, as dad came thumping down the stairs and walked into the kitchen with a huge grin on his face. We were sat at the table in the kitchen. Dad looked so excited. "Bob Davies wanted to see me this morning at the office and I thought he was going to finalise those plans for the Hoylake project. However, that wasn't the case. Do you remember when the company had that deal with Motorola in the States back in July? "Yes" I replied. Mum nodded "Well, we had a call from Tony at their Texas offices. He has asked Bob if I would be intertested in a new project they have started" "You're joking?" exclaimed mum. "Nice one dad!" "It turns out that this project is bigger than they thought. It's tied in with that last one at Motorola. They need someone to sort out their systems. It's big. Very big!" he said. "You've been headhunted!" I jumped up off my chair "See mum, I told you they would - he's brilliant at his job. Didn't I tell you dad, huh?" "So where is this leading us Alex?" said mum - she had that slightly worried look that apprehensive mothers adopt when you are telling them you're borrowing her car or something like that. "Well" dad continued "It seems that they need me to help them on a regular basis and it would be difficult to do it from here in the UK" Mum and I looked at each other. Dad grinned. My heart was jumping - was he going to say what I though he was? There was a brief silence. Dad looked a bit hesitant. Mum spoke first. "Are we going to have to move?" She looked quite hopeful - I was surprised. "Yes" replied dad. "To Texas?" said mum. He looked at me thoughfully and then said "Rich, how does Florida sound?" "FLORIDA? Are you serious? YES!!!" "But Alex - what about everything here?" said mum "Well, I have talked it all over with Bob. I will in effect, become an employee of Motorola - a sort of transfer. They have already offered me a contract, which is indefinate, and they will take care of our housing, everything. It's a chance of a lifetime love! We call sell up here - that's not too much of a problem. I mean the family live down south anyway, and Joe and Betty are already over in Louisiana, aren't they?. See how well their move went - they're really enjoying it out there" Mum looked out the window for a few minutes. I was biting on my lip in anticipation. We had been to Florida a few times for holidays in past summers - we usually stayed around Kisseemee or Orlando, and we'd spent one summer in Destin, up on the Gulf Coast. I had fallen inlove with the place since the moment I landed that first time. There was just something so `homely' about the atmosphere there - it felt so American. I loved it! The houses, the cars, the people, the way of life. It just felt so good. I couldn't believe how cool the idea of going to actually live there was! This was a bit like a dream! I broke out of my daydream to hear mum and dad talking animatedly. I knew they both also loved Florida. I once took a picture of them kissing on the deck outside a fish restaurant in Key West one summers night - they were celebrating their anniversary, and I remember laughing so hard I couldn't hold the camera properly while I took the pic, and they gave up trying to kiss as I was causing them to laugh too! We often had a good laugh as we were always fooling around. I was a lucky kid. Mum had suddenly caught onto what my dad had said and she was really excited. They were holding hands and staring at each other. They both looked at me, and I was stood there with my head on one side, grinning. " You are winding us up, right? You can't seriously be planning on moving there?" I was trying to figure it out. "Rich! This is like a dream for me too. We all love it there. This is THE job opportunity of a lifetime for me!" "Well, you know what I've always said, don't you?" said mum "You've got to make the most of each chance that comes up" "Actually, I was meant to be going to Texas. But Bob told me the division of Motorola have got offices in Tampa, and when I told him I'd prefer to go there instead - I knew you two would be happier there, it was a gamble - he suggested the company moved us there." I just stood there shaking my head. I was shivering with excitement, the thought of moving was pretty daunting. We had onlymoved twice since I had been born. It was all too much to take in! Dad was really animated now. I knew that he had been waiting for a chance like this for so long - he had talked about it in the past. His skills with IT were being recognised at last, in a way he wanted. I felt really proud of him. One thing struck me. What about Uni? I had just finished high-school and had applied to quite a few Uni's around the UK. "But dad, what about Uni?" Mum paused and looked worried again. "Oh yes, I hadn't thought of that" Dad smiled and ruffled my hair with his hand. "Well, how does the idea of going to Uni over there strike you?" I thought about it. Yes, I had seen soaps based around Univeristy life on TV - I know in reality it's not the same at all, it's just like most other Unis , but it all seemed very exotic and really exciting. It was that `Americanism' thing again! "Whoa - I suppose it'd be a bit more exotic than Bath or Hereford!" I laughed "And a bit warmer too! I can become a beach bum and hang out at the beach in proper sunshine- not exactly the thing that Hoylake is noted for!" Mum and dad liked that and laughed. "Just think of the fun we can have, setting up a new home!" said dad. "Bob said that he's already had words with an estate agent that he knows through the company and he's preparing some houses to send details to us about in the post" "Well, what do we do now?" asked mum "Get the house sold and get everything packed, basically! They are more or less waiting for me to start as soon as is viably possible. If all goes well, we could be there in a months time" "A MONTH!" Mum was startled "Yep, don't worry, we'll sort it" Dad was always calm about these things. We had learned to trust him so we knew he was more or less right about most things. We decided to have a drink and sit down and take in all that what was planned. We had dinner and sat up until the early hours talking, planning, and deciding what to do. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (A few weeks later) The letter box clanged shut on the front door as the postman shoved letters through. I ran down the stairs and picked them up.One was addressed to mum and it had a W, S & W stamp on it - it was from the solicitors who were dealing with the sale of our house. I ran into the kitchen. Mum was reading the paper and drinking a cup of tea. "Mum! This may be that letter!" She looked up. "Ooh! let's have a look!" I handed her the envelope, which she opened straight away, and read it silently at first then read the last bit out loud to me. " ..and therefore we are pleased to say that the sale is complete. We would like you to arrange a suitable time to pop in to our office and finalise the signing of the contracts to the sale of your house." She looked at me and smiled. "Well, Rich, this looks like the start of a new chapter in our lives" "Hey mum, it'll be great - we'll have a good time" I was upset that morning as I had been round to Paul's house the night before and told him we'd be moving. I had never actually seen him cry before and we had sat in his room when I had told him. At first he was ok about it, then he just lost his cool and sobbed his eyes out. I had to put my arm around him to comfort him. He hadn't said much. I didn't know what to say. It was terrible - we just sat there looking at each other. We were staring into each other's eyes. After a while, we still hadn't said anything. "Rich, I never felt that I'd have to say this, but I don't know what I will do when you've gone. Who will be my best mate now? We were both shaking. He looked so forlorn, I felt like running home and just telling mum and dad I wasn't going with them. I felt so guilty. We had been close friends for years. But when I told him I was gay, he had been great about it. But nothing ever happened. Which is why I was surprised next. He leaned forward before I realised and kissed me on the lips. I was stunned. "Wha...." I just about to speak. He put a finger on my lips and he grinned at me. I stayed silent. With his other hand, he pushed his bedroom door shut, keeping his finger on my lips. His blue eyes were staring right into my mine. " I love you" he whispered, ever so softly. He moved his fingers and planted his lips back onto mine before I could say anything speak. It felt so good. I could taste his lips - they felt so soft and it tickled a little. He ran his arms under my T-shirt and around me and hugged me so tight - I could feel his warm hands on my back. I felt like I couldn't breathe - my head was spinning - but it felt wonderful. He was pressing against me and all I could do, and wanted to do was just respond and kiss him back. He gently pushed his tongue into my mouth. I groaned and we explored each others mouths. We were making quiet slurping noises and we both giggled momentarily. At the same time I ran my fingers through his hair. My body tingled. It dawned on me that he was actually really cute and it was amazing just to feel his warm body close to mine, that feeling of just being together in such an intimate situation. He made the move when I least expected it....