Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2001 01:44:49 From: Jeff Langdon Subject: Westlife Romance - Part 8 This story is pure fiction and involves the members of Westlife. I am in no way implying anything about the sexuality of any of their members. This is purely a fictional story. Enjoy! I would really, really appreciate some feedback on the story...so please send any comments and/or suggestions to jeff_langdon@hotmail.com. I would love to hear from you!! * * * * * * * * * Westlife Romance - Part 8 Kian began to panic as he tried to find a believable response to Mark's question. "Uh...I forgot something downstairs...I was just heading back to my room, actually." "Anyways, just wanted to let you know that we're gonna head out to dinner in about 30 minutes. You gonna join us?" Mark asked, appearing satisfied with Kian's answer. "Uh, sure, why not," Kian replied. "I could use some fresh air." "Ok, meet use in the lobby in 30, k?" "Gotcha." Kian turned off his phone and turned his attention back to Derek. "You gotta go, right?" Derek asked. "Yeah, the guys want to go out for dinner." Kian could see the disappointed look on Derek's face, but now was not the time to arouse the guys' suspicions. "Okay, you need to get out of the hotel for a bit anyways." Derek leaned in and gave Kian a kiss. "Now you better go and get ready." * * * * * * * * * Bryan checked himself in the mirror for what must have been the tenth time, making sure that he was presentable. Checking the watch, he still had 20 minutes. Satisfied that everything was perfect, he sat down and turned on the television. Hearing a knock on the door, he walked over to see who it was. It was Nicky, dressed in a gray sweater. He had always admired Nicky's taste in clothes. This was why they were best shopping buddies. "What's up, Nix?" "Can I come in for a bit? I didn't realize I still had 20 minutes and I thought maybe I could chill in here till dinner time," Nicky asked with a grin. "Sure, sure, make yourself at home," Bryan replied in a jokingly dramatic tone. Without further encouragement, Nicky did just that, planting himself on Bryan's bed. "Hey, you didn't have to take it literally!!" Bryan said with mock annoyance. Laughing, Nicky answered, "Too bad, Bry..." The two friends sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's company. Finally, Nicky decided to break the silence. "So, Bry, you still angry at Shane?" Bryan was caught off guard with the question. When Nicky got no response, he continued, "You guys were pretty loud earlier." "Oh, so you heard," Bryan said softly. "Don't be so hard on him, Bry. He does care about you." "Does he really?" he questioned. Nicky moved closer to Bryan. "Look, everyone of us cares for each other. We just show it in different ways. Sometimes Shane just shows it in ways that we might not expect. But deep down he cares for you. He's really torn up over this fight with you." "So what are you saying? That it's my fault?" Bryan asked, suddenly getting defensive. "Hey, I didn't say that," Nicky answered quickly to keep the conversation under control. "It's nobody's fault. It was a misunderstanding, that's all." "That's only because he never tried to understand other people." "Come on, Bryan. Tell me that you don't miss your friendship with Shane?" Nicky knew this would do the trick. There was no response from Bryan. "If you can look me in the eye and say that don't miss Shane, I'll leave both of you alone." When there was still no response from Bryan, Nicky knew he had a breakthrough and decided to follow through on it. "Why don't you guys sit down for a bit and talk this through after dinner tonight?" "But..." "You do want to repair your relationship with Shane, don't you?" "I guess so..." "Then it's settled then. And promise me, no screaming matches. I do want to get some sleep next door, you know." That comment drew a quiet laugh from Bryan and the tension was broken. "Okay, okay, I promise. I can't speak for Shane though." "That's good enough for me," Nicky answered with a grin. "Thanks Bryan." "I think I should be the one thanking you." Dinner was relaxing. Shane and Bryan refrained from saying anything that might annoy the other. As they headed back to the hotel, both Shane and Bryan were getting increasingly nervous. Mark and Kian went back to their respective rooms while Shane followed Bryan to his room. Before going in, they both looked to Nicky seemingly for moral support. Nicky gave each of them a reassuring hug. "I'm sure you lads can handle this on your own, but just in case, I'll be next door if you need me, ok?" "Thanks, Nix," Shane answered appreciatively. He looked nervous, like a child about to perform on stage for the first time. Bryan also looked uneasy, though he covered up his fear more successfully. Nicky watched the two boys disappear into the room before retreating into his own. Deep down, he prayed that things would work out, because not only would a conflict like this tear Westlife apart, but more importantly, seeing his friends like this tore him apart. Once inside the room, Bryan and Shane took a seat across from each other. No words were spoken until Shane finally mustered up enough courage to speak. "I know I said it earlier, but I know I need to say it again. I'm sorry, Bryan. I'm so sorry. You were right...I've been selfish and self-centred. But please know that I do cherish your friendship and I would never want to give that up." He looked at Bryan hopefully, looking for any signs of a softening of Bryan's stance. At first Bryan didn't say anything, and this caused Shane's heart to sink. "I'm sorry, Shane..." These weren't the words that Shane wanted to hear, his eyes began to well up in tears. "I'm sorry about the way I treated you. I was way out of line." Shane met Bryan's gaze as he heard those words. Seeing Shane's glassy eyes threatened to bring tears to Bryan's eyes as well. "No, Bry, you were right. You told me what was on your mind and it opened my eyes. I just hope that it's not too late." "Don't be so hard on yourself, Shane. It's not your fault. I was just so upset that I wasn't even thinking of what I was saying. Only afterwards did I realize what an ass I've been. I should be the one apologizing." "Let's just say that we both have our share of apologizing to do. But I hope that we won't just stop there...I hope that we can be friends again. And I promise this time I won't mess up." Bryan smiled at Shane's suggestion. "Yeah, I'd like that a lot, Shane." With that, Bryan moved to give Shane a big hug. "I know this sounds so cheesy, but I've missed you," Bryan said, struggling to keep his emotions in check. "Yeah, me too, Bry. I'm just glad that it wasn't too late to turn back. Nix said that I have to learn to loosen up a bit. I hope you know that it's not easy for me..." Bryan nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean. But no one expects you to change overnight. It's the same with me. I've been spoiled ever since I was born. And I guess in a way, I began to take it for granted that everything had to go my way or else. It's a big adjustment for me too, but in a good way." "Well, you're certainly right about being spoiled. Just look at how Nix spoils you." Bryan laughed at Shane's comment. "Actually, you're right. Nix does spoil me. Poor Nix, I sometimes wonder how he can stand me all the time." "Or me, for that matter." For the next few hours, the two band mates laughed with each other and talked well into the night, revealing to each other their innermost secrets. Bryan came out to Shane, who showed nothing but absolute support. Their friendship rekindled, they were determine not to repeat their past mistakes again. Early next morning... "You're so bad, Bryan," Shane whispered. "Yeah...as if you're not enjoying this..." Bryan answered softly. "Well, I must say this is a new experience for me..." "Yeah, I bet you never did anything so illegal before. You were probably a teacher's pet in school." "I wouldn't go that far...but I've certainly never picked a lock into someone else's room before." "This is going to be fun," Bryan assured. "The expression on his face will be priceless, I tell you..." Within a few minutes, Bryan had successfully picked the lock to the door. He quietly opened the door and they snuck into the room. The room was still dark. They could make out a figure sleeping on the bed. Slowly and quietly they walked towards the bed. Sure that their "victim" was still fast asleep, they went into the washroom and prepared a tub of ice cold water, closing the door to keep out the noise. Once the water was ready, they snuck back into the room and approached their target. Shane watched as Bryan gave the signal and they threw off the bed covers. Bryan grabbed Nicky's feet and Shane grabbed his arms. The sudden movement woke Nicky from his sleep, but he had no clue what was happening. By the time he shook the cobwebs from his mind, Bryan and Shane had carried him to the washroom. Within seconds, they had dumped him into the pool of ice cold water. The sudden change in temperature immediately woke Nicky up, only to find himself drenched with two very amused lads laughing at the sight. Crawling out of the tub, Nicky approached the two laughing band mates. "Well good morning to you too!! What the hell was that for??" "Just thought we'd have some fun!" Shane answered, still struggling to control his laughter. Bryan was right. The look on Nicky's face was priceless. "Fun?? You call this fun??" Nicky exclaimed. "First of all, it is six in the morning. Secondly, you call throwing a helpless Irish lad into a pool of cold water fun?" The mock anger was not too convincing as a smile was quite evident on Nicky's face. Walking over to Bryan, he said, "I would expect this type of prank from you, McFadden, but Shane, I would never have guessed. What did this guy do to you?" "Well, actually, I have you to thank for this, Nix." "Oh really..." "Yeah, you told me to loosen up a bit, right...well I took your advice and Bry here just showed me how to put your advice into action," Shane replied, again beginning to laugh. Rolling his eyes in mock annoyance, Nicky said, "So this is what you get when you try to help your friends out...they gang up on you..." By now, Nicky was laughing as he spoke. "So it's safe to say that things worked out?" "Absolutely," Bryan answered enthusiastically. "Things are better than ever, right, Shane?" "That's right," Shane agreed. "And we both have you to thank for it." "You know you don't have to thank me for anything," Nicky answered. "In the end, it was you two who had to work things out." "True, but you opened both of our eyes to how stupid we were being." "Well, as long as things worked out, I'm happy. I'm happy for both of you." "I'm just curious about one thing though," Bryan mused. "What's that?" Nicky asked. "Remember when I accidentally outed myself to you yesterday? How come you were totally not surprised at all? You didn't even flinch or anything..." ...to be continued.... * * * * * * * * * Hope you enjoyed this segment. Let me know what you think!! I'd love to hear any comments/ideas/questions. Please e-mail me at jeff_langdon@hotmail.com.