Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 08:48:47
From: musicfan@indabox.com
Subject: Where Do We Go #30

Disclaimer:

   The following story is the next installment in an on going
series about Stephen Gately from Boyzone and what I imagine to be the
story behind the beginning of his relationship with Eloy de Jong from
Caught in the Act. I have no contact with either person, nor know any
of the members of either group.


    Cheers!

    Musicfan


####


     Stephen was woken up by a light touch on his lips.  He kept his eyes
closed and waited.  Another feather kiss touched him lightly. Then he felt
Eloy trace his lips with the tip of his tongue.  He smiled as it caused a
small shiver to run down his back.  When he opened his eyes, he saw Eloy
propped on an elbow and looking down at him.  Stephen smiled up into Eloy's
eyes.

     "Hi," he said.  Eloy was looking a lot better than he had the previous
night. "How's the neck?"

     "Better," Eloy said. "I want to say I'm sorry."  He reached out and
stroked Stephen's face.

     Stephen gave him a confused look. "For what?" He leaned into Eloy's
hand and brushed his lips against the palm.

     "Well, for a number of things. But mainly for this." He turned
Stephen's face back towards him and leaned down for another kiss. "I
neglected to do that last night."

     "Hmmm, so you did.  You'll have to make up for that one," Stephen said
with a grin. He reached up and pulled Eloy down on top of him for another
kiss.  "Mmmmm." Eloy rested his cheek on Stephen's chest and trailed kisses
down his chin. "That's nice. But what else do you need to apologise for?"

     "That this didn't start off the way we had hoped," Eloy said, his
voice muffled against Stephen's neck. Stephen's fingers crept up through
Eloy's hair of their own accord.

     "It's fine," Stephen was quick to assure him.  "We knew this wasn't
going to be easy."

     "Ja, but still." Eloy said.  He raised himself back up. "I wanted this
to be special."

     Stephen rolled over so he was facing Eloy. "E, I count just getting
here a minor miracle. It's special enough." He reached out to tilt Eloy's
face towards him. "Please don't feel bad. Look, we're here and we're
together.  What more could we want?"

     Eloy looked down before giving him a rather shy smile that he found
adorable. "For it to be permanent." Stephen's breath caught in his throat
at the idea.  There was nothing he wanted more than to spend every moment
he could with Eloy.  To know that Eloy felt the same sent a thrill through
him. He wrapped his arms around Eloy and hugged him tight.

    "God, how I wish!" He said fervently. "Maybe some day..." He
sighed. "If wishes were horses. Some day.  But for now, I'll take what we
can get."  He pulled back and tilted Eloy's face back up towards him. "And
right now, I have you. That's all I can ask for."

    "Danke, zusje." Eloy said. "How do you know just the right thing to
say?"  He smiled in wonderment up at Stephen, who broke into laughter.

    "Me?  Hardly," he said dryly. "I'm usually the one who's tripping over
myself." He scooted down the bed so that they were level with each other
and gave Eloy another kiss.  "Okay, now that I'm here, and we're both awake
at the same time, what did you have in mind for today?"

     Eloy smiled, acknowledging the change in the conversation.  Stephen
wasn't the best with compliments as he well knew and could always be
counted to change the topic when he got uncomfortable.

     "Well, Mama promised breakfast whenever we woke up," he said. "Think
you're up to meeting her?"

     Stephen pretended to consider the question. "I don't know. She might
not approve of me, and then where will I be?" His blue eyes sparkled with
amusement.  "I just think of those stories of what she does to Lucienne's
suitors and I shudder to think how she'd deal with me!"

     "Oh, she's not that bad.  Have I led you to believe she was?" Eloy
asked curiously.  Stephen shook his head and winked. That got Eloy going
and he grabbed Stephen and started tickling him.

     "Oh Christ, not that again!" Stephen struggled to free himself.  It
was a losing battle. He twisted around and tried to give as good as he got,
but Eloy wasn't at all the ticklish type.  Soon he was curled up in a ball
trying to protect himself from Eloy's relentless fingers. "Stop!" He
begged.

     Eloy wrapped himself around Stephen. "Anything, for you, babe." He
squeezed him into a tight hug before loosening his hold. "All you have to
do is ask."

    "Oh great," Stephen grumbled, panting. "Now he tells me." Eloy's
chuckle rumbled against his back as he let Stephen get this breath back.
They lay there quietly for a minute before Eloy started trailing kisses
down the back of Stephen's neck.  Stephen buried his face into Eloy's
pillow and inhaled the smell of his cologne. He felt like he was in heaven
at the moment.

    "Liefste?" Eloy's breath tickled his ear. "Stuivertje terwijl uw
gedachte."

    "Hmmm?" Stephen murmured, caught in the sensations that Eloy was
creating.  He rolled over in Eloy's arms and rubbed his head against Eloy's
chin before tilting his head back to look up at Eloy.  He thought sometimes
that he could never get enough of looking into Eloy's beautiful eyes.  They
stared at one another for a long moment before Stephen realized he had been
asked a question. "What did you say?"

    Eloy blinked, mesmerized by the way the light caught facets in
Stephen's eyes. They were like sparkling sapphires and he totally lost the
thread of what Stephen was saying to him. "Huh?"

    "You whispered something, but I didn't understand," he said smiling
slightly.

    "I did?" Eloy said. "If so, I don't remember what it was." He
shrugged. "Mustn't have been too important."  He brushed the hair out of
Stephen's eyes. "That's much better."

     "Is it?" he asked, amused.  "I didn't realise I was in disarray."

     "Oh, never that," Eloy replied. "But I can't let anything block my
view."  Stephen's face crinkled up in merriment and he started laughing at
Eloy's serious tone.

     "Get out of here," he said, pushing at Eloy.  He still felt
uncomfortable with the way Eloy admired him at times.  He never thought he
was the looker that Ronan was, or had the easy way with women that Keith
did.  Mikey turned gals on because he was the strong, silent type. Shane
attracted interest because he acted reckless.  Gals couldn't resist that at
times. He knew he only got the cute moniker because he was the little one
and girls saw him as non-threatening.

     Eloy decided he wasn't backing off this time.  "No, I won't. Stephen,
you are too sexy for your own good." He leaned across Stephen's chest until
they were nose to nose. "And I won't hear you say otherwise."

     "Oh really?" Stephen said, a bit hotly as he tried to deny it.

     "Ja, really." Eloy asserted.  He pulled back a bit before tilting his
head to one side so he could give Stephen a passionate kiss.
Involuntarily, Stephen closed his eyes to savor it.  Eloy's tongue plunged
into his mouth and he acquiesced to the sensation.  His hands crept up to
hold Eloy close as he tangled his fingers in the other man's hair. He
opened his mouth wider to allow Eloy to dip further inside.  Eloy's hand
was cupping the back of his head as he hungrily explored the depths of the
younger man before him.  It was with great difficulty that he came up for
air.

    Stephen's face was flushed, his fair skin showing two bright spots on
his cheeks.  His mouth was still open as if waiting for Eloy to continue
and he moaned softly as Eloy paused.  He lashes fluttered against his
cheeks as he panted.  He had an expectant look on his face and Eloy
couldn't resist kissing him again. They were lost in a world all their own
for some time before finally breaking apart again. Stephen watched him
through heavy-lidded eyes as he pulled back for a second time.  He was
stroking Eloy's neck, his fingers threaded through the hair at the base of
his head.  He held Eloy like that and just stared up into his eyes for a
long moment.  With a sigh, Eloy leaned forward and rested his forehead
against Stephen's shoulder with a sigh.

    "Wow," Stephen whispered softly.  Eloy sighed softly in
response. Stephen lay there quietly, his fingers still stroking their way
through Eloy's hair.  As their breathing slowed, he rubbed his cheek
against Eloy's, enjoying the feel of Eloy's stubble against his face.

    Eventually, Eloy propped himself up on one arm again and looked down at
Stephen.  "Was it good for you?"

    That brought a delighted laugh out of Stephen. "Oh, God yes," he said
fervently. "You know something? I never thought that something as simple as
a kiss can make me lose my mind like this."

    "That wasn't a simple kiss," Eloy said as he reached out to stroke
Stephen's face.  "Not by any stretch of the imagination."

    "Mmmm, I suppose you're right." Stephen said, still smiling. "But you
know what I mean."

    Eloy nodded. "Ja, I do. And it's funny, but I think I could lay here
with you all day and just kiss.  Does that sound odd?"

    Stephen gave him a sweet smile. "No, not at all.  I feel the same way.
However, as nice as that is, it probably wouldn't do to keep your mother
waiting."

    Eloy smiled lazily.  "Ah, she'll be all right.  We have plenty of
time."  He leaned down and kissed Stephen again.  They broke apart after a
long moment and Stephen rolled over so that he was tucked under Eloy's
chin. He peered through the gap between Eloy's shoulder and arm over at the
nightstand.

   "Eloy, what time is it?" He asked idly as he glanced at the clock. He
could feel Eloy shrug.

   "Not all that late.  When I woke you up it was just after nine." He
said, not bothering to look over his shoulder.

   "You did say breakfast, right?" He asked as he rolled over and looked up
at Eloy.  Eloy smiled down at him and nodded.  "Well, somewhere along the
way we lost a couple of hours because it's almost noon."

   "Welke?" Eloy said, startled.  He rolled over and groaned as he saw the
clock. " Op welke manier... how... did that happen?" He ran his hand
through his hair as Stephen laughed.

   "Well, we have been a bit distracted," he said with a grin.  Eloy smiled
ruefully down at him.

   "It would seem so.  Come, we're wasting the day away." He sat up and
tugged on Stephen's hand to pull him upright.  "Let's get in the shower so
we can get going." He hauled Stephen out of bed. "There's so much I want to
do while you're here." Stephen stumbled after him, his hand caught by
Eloy's.

    "Hey, take it easy!" Stephen protested with a laugh. "We've got time."
He pulled back, urging Eloy to slow down.  Eloy turned back with a frown
furrowing his brow.

    "But you're only here a short time." He said plaintively, still pulling
on Stephen's hand with his own. "We shouldn't waste any of it."

    Stephen smiled, the look on Eloy's face pulling at his
heartstrings. "Honey, I'm coming back. We don't have to do everything right
away you know." He reached up and stroked Eloy's face with the back of his
hand.  "And I certainly don't view any of our time spent as a waste."

    Eloy took a deep breath in an effort to calm down. "I'm sorry," he said
softly as he caressed the back of the hand he still held in his own.  "I've
just been looking forward to this so much and now it seems like we've lost
the day." He looked up from their clasped hands to see Stephen smiling at
him still.

    "Eloy, my love," Stephen said, reaching up to cradle Eloy's face. "No
time spent with you is ever lost. I cherish each and every moment."

    Eloy felt his breath catch in his throat at Stephen's comment. God, but
he loved him so, he thought to himself. "Thank you," he said simply.
Stephen gave him a curious look and he continued. "For putting things in
perspective."  He leaned down to kiss him.  "Thank you."

    "Thank you, darling," Stephen said softly. "For letting me love you."
They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment before he broke their trance
by looking down. "We better not start that again if we're going to go visit
your Mam."

    Eloy grinned.  "Ja, you're right. Come," he said as he tugged more
gently on Stephen's hand. "Let's get washed up."  He led Stephen out of the
bedroom and into the bathroom.  It was a good sized room with a big clawed
tub. Eloy pulled the curtain around the tub and started the shower. "It'd
be faster if we take a shower together." He smiled down at Stephen.

    "Okay, just as long as we don't let ourselves get distracted," Stephen
warned and Eloy laughed as he shook his finger at him.

    "Ja, ja.  You first," he offered, pulling the curtain back so that
Stephen could step in.  Stephen bent down and shucked himself out of his
briefs and climbed over the high wall of the tub. The warm water cascaded
down his back and he gave a satisfied sigh.  Eloy joined him and stood
behind him as he dipped his head under the showerhead.  "I have soap and
shampoo here." He handed the soap to Stephen and let him wash before
trading places and ducking his head down to wet it.

    Stephen made use of the shampoo and worked it into his hair, sighing
blissfully.  Eloy bit back a chuckle as he watched him from under the spray
of the water.  They didn't say much as they washed up, but it was an easy
silence as they washed together. Occasionally they would bump arms or
elbows and they would smile at each other as they did so.  Stephen asked
for Eloy to get his razor out of the kit on the toilet and he snaked a long
arm out to grab it for him.

    Stephen used the soap to lather his face and shave while Eloy rinsed
out his hair and finished his shower.  He didn't bother shaving, feeling as
if he deserved a holiday from the task.  He lightly stroked Stephen's back
as he stepped out of the shower. He had just finished toweling off when the
water shut off and Stephen pulled the curtain back.  Eloy handed him a
towel and let him dry himself off before giving him a hand to climb out of
the tub. Stephen pulled him down for a quick kiss as a thank you as he
tossed the towel over the shower curtain.

    "Hmm, not so bad," he said as he stroked his chin. "Considering I
wasn't watching what I was doing."

    "You look fine," Eloy assured him.  He reached over Stephen's shoulder
for his hair gel and ran some through his hair.  He then ran his fingers
through Stephen's hair as they finished and Stephen grinned up at him.

     "Ugh!" he protested. "I don't want me hair sticking up all over the
place!"

     "And why not? I think it looks good," Eloy said as he twirled the ends
of Stephen's curtains around his finger. "You can start a new fashion."

     "I don't think so," Stephen said, pulling away.  "I wouldn't want to
be cursed by someone's mother.  It might look good on you, but it certainly
doesn't look good on me!" He pulled a face, trying to finger comb his hair.
He reached into his kit and took out some moisturiser to clean his face.
Eloy leaned against the wall and laughingly shook his head.

     "What?" Stephen asked, looking at his reflection in the mirror.

     "You." Eloy said. "You just cleaned up in the shower and now you're
washing your face."

     "Yeah, of course." Stephen said, bending over to rinse off in the
sink.  "Because if I don't, I'd break out all over the place." He saw
Eloy's reflection shrug as he looked up into the mirror. "Unlike you,
darling, I have to work at looking passable."  Eloy rolled his eyes in
response to that statement.  "Seriously, I do."

      Eloy pulled him away from the sink and turned him around.  "I don't
know who fed you that load of stront, Stephen, but it just isn't true. No,"
he emphasized as Stephen looked down. He tilted his chin back up to face
him. "Don't look away from me. Believe me when I tell you that." He could
feel Stephen shrug negligently beneath the hand he had on Stephen's
shoulder.

     "Well, that's nice of you to say so, but it's not the way I feel."
Stephen said diffidently.  Eloy let out an exasperated sigh. "I've never
felt that way."

     Eloy pulled him into a fierce hug. "Well, I wish you would stop
thinking that way. It bothers me when you put yourself down like that,
Stephen."

     "Sorry," came the muffled reply from Stephen from against his chest.
He pulled back to look down at Stephen.

     "Will you promise me something, honing?" Eloy asked softly, looking
serious.  Stephen looked at him warily. "Please?"

     "What?" Stephen asked reluctantly, a bit against his will as he pulled
back away from Eloy.  He had a feeling it wasn't something that he wanted
to promise.

     "That each morning, when you look in the mirror, you say that you like
something about yourself?" Eloy asked, as he searched Stephen's eyes. "Just
one small thing each morning. Can you do that for me?"

     "Awww, Eloy," Stephen said. He thought he'd feel pretty stupid doing
that.

     "Stephen, please.  Just try." Eloy urged him. "For me?" He looked
imploringly down at Stephen.  Stephen looked down and sighed.

     "I'd feel stupid doing that," he protested.

     "What?  Just saying one thing?" Eloy questioned. "If you want, I'll do
it too. We'll do it together."  Stephen glanced at their reflection in the
mirror and it made him stop and think about Eloy's request. He hadn't even
realized that he had been acting defensive until he saw the way he was
standing. His arms were protectively crossed over his chest and he had
hunched his shoulders at Eloy's suggestion.  It definitely gave him a
pause.

      "All right," he said a bit defiantly. "Just what do you need to work
on?"

      "Plenty," Eloy asserted.  "You think I don't get insecure about
myself?"  Silently, Stephen shook his head.  "Well, I do. All the time.
But I try not to show it or let it get to me."

      "Have you done this mirror thing?" Stephen asked him, curious. Eloy
nodded. "You have?"

      "Ja," Eloy acknowledged.  "I still do."

      "For what?" Stephen queried.

      "For being scared to go out in public sometimes. For thinking that
it's not me that the fans are there to see.  That sometimes I think I'm not
good enough.  For plenty of things."  He said that Stephen was slowly
shaking his head in disbelief.  "What? You think I can't be insecure
sometimes?"

      "What do you have to be insecure about?" Stephen asked him.  "Eloy,
you're gorgeous.  You're in a group that has had hit singles, you've made
money at it. You obviously have fans who adore you, based on that pile of
mail I saw on your kitchen table!" Eloy looked down at him and smiled.
"What?"

      "Stephen, I could say the same thing right back at you, you know." He
said with a laugh.  "It's all in your own viewpoint."

      Stephen laughed ruefully. "All right, I see your point. But I never
figured you'd ever be insecure about anything."

      "Everyone has insecurities," Eloy said.  "But the key thing is to not
let them get to you. Which is why I look in the mirror each day and tell
myself something good."

      Stephen considered his argument and shrugged.  "Has it helped?" He
asked, looking up at Eloy.

      "Not always, but it's better than having a negative attitude about
myself all the time." Eloy replied. "So, will you try to be more positive
about yourself?  For me?" He urged.

     Stephen found himself unable to deny him. "I can try," he said. "I
can't guarantee it will do any good, though." Eloy smiled at him
encouragingly and turned him so that they both faced the mirror. "Now?"

     "Why not?" Eloy shrugged.  "Now is as good a time as ever."

     He looked at his reflection in the mirror and tried to stop himself
from pulling a face in response.  He stared for several minutes, trying to
wrack his brain for something positive to say.  Eloy stood behind him,
hands resting on his shoulders with an expectant look on his face. He
smiled in response to Eloy's look.  When he didn't say anything for a bit
Eloy leaned down and rested his chin on his shoulder.

     "Well?" he asked, his breath tickling Stephen's ear. "Have you thought
of something to say?"

     "I guess I have a nice smile," he said thoughtfully, looking at his
reflection again.

      "Uh uh," Eloy said as he shook his head. "Be positive."

      "I am being positive!" Stephen protested.

      "No, you were being tentative," Eloy chided him.  He wrapped his arms
around Stephen's waist. "Say it with some conviction."

      Stephen repeated the thought in his head. "All right.  I have a nice
smile." Eloy squeezed his arms around him in a hug.

      "See, zusje, that wasn't so bad, was it?" He asked.  Stephen had to
admit it wasn't and Eloy rewarded him with a kiss. "Okay, enough therapy
for today.  We're still running late," he said.  He tugged on Stephen's
hand and led him back into the bedroom.  "Let me call Mama and get
dressed."

       Stephen followed him into the room and picking up his overnight bag,
dropped it on the bed.  Eloy picked up the phone and dialed a number.

      "Hallo Mama. Op welke manier zich situeren u?" Eloy said into the
phone.  "Beetje vermoeid." He walked around the bedroom with the cordless
phone in his hand while he opened drawers and pulled clothes out to wear.
Stephen shook his shirt to get the wrinkles out of it and regarded it
critically.  "Jawoord, hij arriveren laatste nacht." He watched Eloy
surreptitiously, trying to hold back his curiousity about Eloy's
conversation with his mother. The Dutch language was meaningless to him. It
didn't seem like there were many common words with English and he marveled
at Eloy's ability to switch between them effortlessly. He finally decided
on a green polo shirt that seemed to have survived the flight over and a
pair of dark jeans.  He hesitated as he wondered if he should be more
dressed up, but then he realized he had left his dress shoes back in his
suitcase and really didn't have anything appropriate to wear.  He relaxed a
bit as he saw Eloy pull on a Tigger t-shirt and a pair of ratty jeans with
holes in the knees.

     "Noorwegen watertje oké, hoewel somwijlen ik geraken ziek van idem
bejaard kwesties aldoor." Eloy said absently as he bent over to slip his
loafers on. "Doe wij stilstaand hebben tempo?  Ja? Hij wordt beetje
zenuwachtig, ik vinden."  He could see Stephen pacing nervously in the
reflection from the windowpanes next to him. "Ja. Ja. Wij zal zien u
welhaast." He hung up the phone and turned around to where Stephen was
trying to brush his hair.

      "Sorry, that took a bit longer than I thought," he apologised as he
took the brush out of Stephen's hand and ran it once through Stephen's hair
before applying the brush to his own head.

      "No problem," Stephen said, his hand held out for his brush again.
"But I wasn't finished yet."

      "You look fine," Eloy assured him.  "Come on, let's go." He pulled on
Stephen's hand and led him out of the bedroom.

      "Eloy!" Stephen protested. "I look a wreck!"

      "You look great, trust me, honing." Eloy said, tossing a quick grin
over his shoulder. "Why ruin perfection?"  He heard Stephen snort behind
him as they entered the living room.

       Stephen knew he was in for a losing battle and just shrugged.  In a
way, he knew he was delaying going over to Eloy's mam's house. He let
himself be tugged along.  Eloy grabbed his keys off the coffee table as
they made their way to the door.  Opening it, he let Stephen lead the way
out before closing the door and locking it behind them.  It was quiet in
the building, and they met no one on their way down the stairs.  At the
foyer, Eloy held onto Stephen's arm to prevent him from just walking out
the door.

       "Wait a minute, while I look around outside." He said.  Stephen
blushed as he realized he had been about to step out onto the stoop where
possible fans might be waiting.  He almost had a panic attack at the
thought at what they would do if there were people out there and he forced
himself to calm himself.

       "Is there anyone there?" He asked nervously as Eloy peered out
through the curtain onto the street.

       "No, I don't think so," Eloy said, not noticing his reaction.
"We're fine, I think.  Come, let's go.  The car is right out on the
street."  He opened the door and headed out onto the stoop.  With a quick
glance around, he saw no one on the street and so he turned and motioned
Stephen forward.

     Reluctantly, Stephen left the sanctuary of the vestibule and ventured
out onto the steps. He quickly followed Eloy down to the sidewalk and all
but leapt into the comforting closeness of the inside of Eloy's car.  He
closed the door behind him as Eloy went to the driver's side and got in.
He smiled reassuringly at Stephen as he put the key in the ignition and
started the engine. They made their way down the street and Stephen relaxed
a bit.  But he was still fidgeting in his seat when Eloy placed his hand
over Stephen's.

     "Don't worry, she's harmless." He said with a smile as he negotiated
the narrow streets through town.  Stephen snorted in response and he
laughed.  "No, really, she is."

     "She's your mother and I'm meeting her for the first time.  How could
I not be nervous?"  Stephen asked. He made an effort to not appear so
obvious though.  He sought to distract himself by looking out the window as
they passed through the streets of Amsterdam.  When Lucienne had brought
him in the night before, it had been too dark to see much.  He was
captivated as they past small cafes and shops.  He saw couples walking the
streets hand in hand.  At one point, he was so startled that he had to look
back over his shoulder.

      "What?" Eloy asked absently as he turned around to look out the rear
window briefly.  Traffic was busy and he was concentrating on that and
hadn't seen what had grabbed Stephen's attention.

     "Eloy, that couple walking down the street there," Stephen pointed.
Eloy glanced in his rear view mirror, but couldn't see whom Stephen was
pointing out.

     "Which?" He asked.  He took a right and followed the canal for a
while.

     "Eloy, there were two men holding hands in front of that shop!"
Stephen exclaimed. He twisted about to see if he could still see them, but
they had turned the corner and the couple was out of sight.

     "Ja, so?" Eloy replied.  His matter of fact tone made Stephen pause as
he realised that apparently this wasn't an out of place occurrence in
Amsterdam. "What about it?"

     "Erm, well, I just thought..." Stephen trailed off, not wanting to
look really naive. "That they were really cute." He said firmly.  He didn't
notice the small smile that played around Eloy's mouth.

     "Oh?" He asked mildly.  He knew exactly was Stephen was getting at. "I
hadn't noticed."  He continued along the canal until they left the city.
The sight of the boats along the canal soon distracted Stephen and he
pointed out one or two that he liked.  "You like sailing?"

     "Oh yes, love it!" Stephen exclaimed, pronouncing the word so that it
sounded more like lurve. Eloy smiled as he negotiated an exit and pulled
onto a street that led to his mother's house.  "Ro promised me a boat for
my birthday.  I hope he gets me one I like."

     Eloy chuckled.  "And what would that be?"

     "A sailboat.  Ro's into motorboats but they really don't present much
of a challenge," Stephen explained matter of factly.

     "Well, I hope you get the one you want," Eloy said.  He made yet
another turn and they made their way through a small town.  Stephen kept on
turning this way and that, eager to see the different sights as they drove
by.  "Almost there now."

     "Yeah?" Stephen said, a bit anxious that they were almost there.
"Eloy?"

     "Ja?" Eloy replied.

     "Do you really think that she'll like me?" He asked, a bit shyly. He
turned in his seat to look at Eloy and tried to judge what his answer was
going to be.

     "Ja, of course!" Eloy said firmly.  "How could she not, once she's met
you?" He asked reasonably.

     "Oh, I don't know," Stephen said softly. "Maybe she'll think that I'm
wrong for her son."  His comment was met with a bark of laughter from Eloy.
Startled, he looked at Eloy. "What, you don't think that's possible?"

      "Not in the least," Eloy said as he shook his head.  "She knows I
adore you.  Therefore, she's probably prepared to accept you. No matter
what."

      Stephen sighed, biting his lip slightly.  He had a feeling Eloy was
going to say something like that.  He fervently wished that everything
would go well.  He knew how close Eloy was to his mother and wanted
everything to work out.  He didn't have much time to worry about it though,
because he saw that Eloy was slowing down in front of a small town house
and pulling over to the side of the road.  "We're here already?"

     "Ja," Eloy nodded as he released his safety belt. "This is it."  He
placed a reassuring hand over Stephen's as they twisted the seat belt on
his lap. "Relax," he said.  "She'll love you."

     "God, I hope so!" Stephen said, sending a fervent prayer upwards that
everything would work out all right.  "Let's go, then."  He released the
buckle and let the seatbelt retract.  Eloy had already opened his door and
had bounded around the car to let Stephen out on his side.

      Tentatively, Stephen got out of the car and stood up.  In front of
him was a modest house.  Flower boxes were placed in front of every window
and a large wildflower garden bordered the front walk.  Tulips were
scattered here and there amongst the wildflowers and Stephen found himself
smiling.  It seemed like a friendly place for Eloy's mother to live.  Eloy
indicated the front walk with one hand, silently asking Stephen to proceed
him.

      With one last look back towards the safety of the car, Stephen turned
and walked along the cobblestone walkway.  Bees buzzed about them from
flower to flower.  Eloy followed him, trying to hide a smile as he watched
Stephen's face.

      When they got to the end of the walk, the door opened in front of
them and Eloy looked past Stephen expectantly.

      "Mama!" he exclaimed, moving forward to meet his mother on the step.

       A blonde woman had opened the door as they approached and Stephen
was startled to hear Eloy call out to her and rush forward to envelop her
in a big bear hug.  Though she wasn't a short woman, her son towered over
her as he wrapped his arms around her.  Stephen hung back, a bit shy at
meeting Eloy's mother for the first time.  After a moment, Eloy pulled back
and smiled down at his mother.

     "Mama, dit verkeert Stephen." He announced proudly.