Date: Tue, 25 Jun 2002 00:45:39 From: musicfan@indabox.com Subject: Where Do We Go 55 Disclaimer: Here is chapter 55, the next chapter in an ongoing story about Stephen Gately from Boyzone and Eloy de Jong, formerly of Caught in the Act. I do hope you like this one, and please write and tell me what you think. I have no contact with either of the gentlemen in question and such literature is the product of the author's imagination. That being stated, I also wish to say that there is explicit sex in this chapter. If you are not of an age to be reading this, please stop reading. Cheers, Musicfan PS - This chapter is for the long suffering readers, who have been waiting patiently for our two gentlemen to, pardon the pun, come together again. ### The next morning, the band met for breakfast before heading out to the studio. Ronan had given the lads the high sign, so they knew that the plans were underway. The whole time through breakfast to the studio, he impatiently waited for a call from Eloy without any luck. Ronan and Shane were able to get the mobile back to Stephen by saying he had lost it in the hall and Ronan had noticed it when he had gone up to his room the night before. Stephen thanked them for saving him another bout of replacing his mobile again and made sure that this time he pocketed it securely. They reached the studio without much ado and headed inside, where they met Jorgen Elofsson. He met them in the lounge and sat down to listen to some of their ideas. He also had a few songs he had on hand that they listened to the demo tracks on. Stephen really liked the song "Will Be Yours," and thought it would be a good idea for the group to do that one. Jorgen brought his writing partners, Per Magnusson and David Kreuger in for a conference. Together, they worked on separating the vocals for the harmonies that Boyzone liked to do. While they were working on that, the boys took a break. It was while they were waiting that Ronan got a chance to check his messages. Sure enough, there was a message from Eloy with his travel plans. Ronan went outside to give him a quick ring, giving their hotel information and arranging to have one of them meet him at the hotel. He came back into the studio with a bounce in his step and gave a nod to Keith. Quietly, Keith passed the word to the others, making sure that Stephen was kept busy while they put their heads together. They spent the day in the studio, working on the breakdown of the vocals. Originally Ronan had the lion share of the song, but then David suggested that Ronan and Stephen break up each line, with Stephen singing the high octave as a counterpart to Ronan's low voice. They had a lot of fun working out the chorus with the rest of the lads, and by the end of the day, they had a good basis for how the song would sound. On their way back to the hotel, Stephen told them about a call he had gotten the day before from Andrew Lloyd Webber. Apparently Capital FM was playing No Matter What and was calling for it to be released as a single. They had originally done the song as a one off for Andrew's album of songs from his musicals, but the news that people wanted it released as a single was welcome news to the group. Keith grinned, watching Stephen bounce off the walls of their van as he described the news. That kept them occupied well into dinner, as they talked about working with Per and Jorgen and the team at Cheiron. They had a unique sound that the group really liked and wanted on the album. They had a quiet evening, having dinner together as a group before calling it an early night and heading to bed. The next morning saw them up early and back in the studio. They layered several more tracks of vocals, playing with the music that the local session musicians recorded until they got a mix they liked. It was a tiring day, and they all dragged their way back to the hotel to collapse for the night. Ronan was a little nervous, because Eloy was flying in the next day and he wanted to make sure that Stephen would have an easy day so he wouldn't be too knackered in the evening. The next morning the rest of the lads met up for breakfast a little early so they could put their plans in motion. When Stephen came down they were all set to put things in motion. Eloy's flight was due in mid day. In the early afternoon Shane told the rest of them he wasn't feeling too good and he left to go back to the hotel. They were just dealing with remixes that day, so it wasn't too much of a problem. It was a relaxing day for the group and they were really happy with what they heard of the final mix. Jorgen and Per worked quickly, playing with their suggestions until they had a mix that everyone liked. With a final nod, they locked off the track and mastered it for the record company to listen to. They had an early day, leaving the studio and heading back to the hotel. Now it was time to put the rest of their plan into motion. Keith and Ronan decided to stop and go shopping, dragging Stephen along with them. Mikey demurred, heading back to the hotel on his own. That night they decided to have a party. With all of the work they had been doing on this album, they felt like it was well deserved. They had food delivered to the suite and just relaxed, telling jokes and watching tv. It was in the middle of this that Ronan decided that the time was right. "Stephen, we've got a surprise for you." He announced, raising his glass in a toast towards his friend, who was sitting in a chair with his legs over one arm. "For me?" Stephen blinked, surprised by the announcement. "What sort of surprise?" "One you have to stand up for," Ronan said, reaching over and tugging on Stephen's hand. Stephen groaned as he had to leave his comfortable perch but he willingly got up at Ronan's urging. "You see, Steo, we've been thinking a lot here. For the whole time we've been working on this album, it seems like we've all had a chance to have a break but you." "What?" Stephen asked, confused. "I've had the same breaks you have." "Yeah, that's true. But we've had a chance to be with our wives and partners, and you haven't." Ronan pushed on as he saw Stephen look about the room, completely puzzled. "And it isn't right that you should have to sacrifice your personal life." "Ronan, what are you going on about?" Stephen asked, still trying to see where he was going with this. He saw Keith grinning and even Shane and Mikey were smiling. "C'mon, Stephen, we know you've hadn't had a chance to spend much time with your fella. So we decided to take matters into our own hands." Ronan nodded with satisfaction and Shane opened the door behind Stephen to let Eloy in from the next room. "Stephen, turn around." "Huh?" Stephen asked, completely confused by Ronan's speech. "Just turn around," Ronan urged, silently holding his breath that this would work out well. Mystified, Stephen slowly turned around. Upon seeing Eloy standing before him, his jaw dropped. "E?" "Ja," Eloy said, smiling tentatively in the face of Stephen's shock. He got the impression from Ronan's speech that Stephen didn't know that they knew about what had happened in Dublin. He was hoping that Stephen wouldn't be upset that he had agreed to go along with their plan. "But... Eloy, what are you doing here?" Stephen asked in total surprise. Emotions conflicted, each flitting across his face between joy, despair and fear at their meeting in a somewhat public place. "I was invited to come and spend some time with you. My schedule finally lightened up and it seemed like a good idea to me." Eloy silently prayed that Stephen wouldn't be angry that he had agreed to come and he smiled tentatively, waiting for a response. "But..." Stephen whispered softly, at a loss at what to say. He looked around at the rest of the group, who all looked pleased with their surprise. He turned back to Eloy, standing there in front of him, a look of pleading on his face. After a moment of indecision, he gave into the inevitable and crossed the few short steps across the room to where Eloy was standing. Opening his arms, he engulfed the older man in a hug, resting his cheek against Eloy's chest. Eloy let out the breath he was holding and wrapped his arms around Stephen, burying his face in Stephen's hair. They stood still for a long moment, each just enjoying the feeling of holding each other again. The room was silent as they embraced, the emotion of what they were witnessing affecting Stephen's friends. "I'm sorry," Eloy whispered softly so that only Stephen could hear. "When they asked, I couldn't say no. I had to see you, zusje. Had to come. Please don't be mad at me. Please..." he drifted off when Stephen pulled back to look up at him. Reaching his arms up to encircle Eloy's neck, he pulled his head down for a kiss. Eloy closed his eyes as Stephen's lips touched his own. It brought him back to the first time that they were together in London when Stephen had been so overcome with emotion that he couldn't speak. It was like that again, with Stephen communicating with touch what he couldn't put into words. Eloy held Stephen close as they pulled back from the kiss, Stephen resting his cheek back against Eloy's chest again. After a few moments, Eloy was aware of the others in the room, none of them having said a thing. Ronan was smiling, happy that the plan had gone off without a hitch. Keith looked ready to cry, seeing how emotional Stephen had become as he had watched their embrace. Mikey was smiling, but looking down, giving them some privacy. Shane had a big grin on his face at his friend's reaction. Eloy held Stephen close and silently mouthed a thank you at them all. When Stephen had gotten his own emotions under control, he pulled back and faced his friends. "Thank you," he said simply, not being able to get any other words out. "You don't know how much this means to me. It's lovely. Thank you all." "Steo," Ronan said, stepping forward so he got Stephen's attention. "We only want you to be happy. Please, Stephen. Don't be mad at us, or at Eloy for just wanting to make you happy." "No, of course not." Stephen smiled and they all couldn't help but grin back at him. It made them realise how long it had been since they had seen him smile like that. He had turned around to face Ronan, but still kept an arm around Eloy's waist. "Thank you, too, for thinking of it," he looked up and Eloy could see tears forming in his eyes. "It means the world to me that they did this." Eloy pulled him back into his arms, holding him tightly. After a few moments, he pulled back again with a sigh. "I suppose we shouldn't just stand here, should we? C'mon," he said and pulled Eloy by the hand after him back over to the only chair available, which was the one he had just vacated. Eloy perched on the arm as he sat down, accepting a drink from Mikey. He took another one for Stephen and passed it down. Stephen looked into the glass for a moment before wiping his eyes and taking a long sip from the glass. "Stephen, you don't have to stay here with us, you know," Keith said with a twinkle in his eye. When Stephen looked up with a startled look on his face. "We understand if you'd rather spend some time alone with Eloy. After all, you were pretty good about it when I ran off with Lisa." Stephen laughed, ruefully acknowledging Keith's suggestion. He looked around the room, but all he saw was encouragement from his friends. He downed his drink and rose, holding a hand out to Eloy. "Grand idea, Keith. I think I'll take you up on it. Gentlemen, good night." With a tug on Eloy's hand, he pulled the other man up and took the half finished glass out of his hand. "C'mon, you." Eloy looked bemused as Stephen led him out of the room, pausing to look at the others as he walked out of the room. Ronan gave him a thumb up as he passed through the door. He shook his head, smiling slightly as he followed Stephen into the main room of the suite they shared. Stephen led him down the short hall to another room, closing it behind them. Turning the lock, he dropped Eloy's hand and turned to stare at him, still surprised that Eloy was here in front of him. "Wow," was all he said, still shocked at what had just happened. Eloy smiled down at Stephen, understanding his surprise. He stood, waiting for Stephen to make the next move. He still wasn't sure if Stephen was angry with him and he was hesitant to do anything. He drank in the sight of Stephen's face, looking for changes since the last time they had seen each other months before. Stephen couldn't believe what his friends had done. They didn't know that he and Eloy had made the decision to cool things down and so had engineered this meeting for them. He found himself smiling at the thought of the trouble they had gone through. He also couldn't really fault Eloy, either, for giving in to their wishes. He knew how persuasive they could be when they wanted to be. And he felt a thrill at knowing that Eloy hadn't wanted to fight the temptation, even knowing that he might be mad at the subterfuge. They stood in a tableau, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally Stephen couldn't wait anymore and moved so that he was up against Eloy. He reached up and pulled the other man's head down for a kiss, taking his time as he drank in the sweetness of that act. Eloy was lost from the moment their lips touched. He silently submitted to Stephen's demands, open his mouth for a French kiss. He could feel his breathing growing ragged in response to Stephen's hands wandering over his body. Stephen's touch felt like electricity as he reached through the gap he had opened in Eloy's shirt and stroked the skin underneath the sheer fabric. The touch of Stephen's hands against his chest opened a floodgate and he reacted by doing the same, pulling at Stephen's shirt to get to the skin underneath. He felt Stephen pulling on his waist until they fell across the bed, with Eloy lying on top of him. The next few moments were a blur as they worked to get each other's clothes off, neither one saying a word in their haste to make love. Eloy didn't question it at all, trusting Stephen to lead the way. His action of pulling them back onto the bed said it all. Soon they had divested themselves of their clothing and Stephen aggressively rolled them over so that he was on top of Eloy and pressing himself against the other man, making his need quite clear. Eloy reached up to brush the hair out of Stephen's face and got a finger bitten for his trouble. A chuckle erupted at Stephen's action and the sound made them both pause, though Stephen's hands were still wandering all over Eloy's body. "Damn, I've missed you," Stephen finally said, looking down at the older man while panting slightly. He had totally surprised himself with his own actions, practically ripping Eloy's clothes off at the need to touch him and to make love. "Forget anything I've said in the past. I want you right now. I need you, dammit." "Ja, fine, just let's make love." Eloy grunted, arching his body against Stephen's erection and spreading his legs to let Stephen slide down in between his own. "It's been too long." "Yeah, it has." Stephen agreed, leaning down to give Eloy a soul searching kiss. He rubbed himself against Eloy, feeling an equal response from his lover. They both reached at the same time, their hands touching as they started to stroke each other. Stephen looked up with a startled glance, relaxing as he saw Eloy's smile. They didn't waste any further words, using their hands and bodies to convey what they needed to say one another. Their lovemaking turned from a frenzied effort to a more leisurely perusal of each other's bodies as they took their time enjoying the touch of one another's skin. Eloy chuckled as he watched Stephen's expression, amused that Stephen had been so intent on getting him to the bed that he hadn't bothered to turn off the lamp in the room. Personally, he found being able to watch his lover much more satisfying, but he knew how reticent Stephen could be about those things. Or at least he had been in the past. He was distracted from his thoughts as Stephen descended on his erection, sucking on him aggressively. A gasp escaped him and he reveled in the sensations that Stephen was causing. It had been so long since they had been together that he felt like he wasn't going to be able to make it last long enough to satisfy either of them. There was this frantic need in both of them to mould themselves together, becoming one again. Stephen didn't hesitate at all. From the moment he had dragged Eloy into his room, he knew exactly what he wanted. And that was to make up for all the months of anxiety that they had spent while separated. It wasn't until he saw Eloy's face that he realised that he couldn't keep his resolution to stay away from the other man. It was easy to say it on the phone, but when face to face, the sight of the other man, the smell of his cologne, the look he received – all told him how hard this separation had been for Eloy. He knew that had he had to do that over again and they were face to face, he never would have been able to go through with it. It had been his panic speaking back then, and although the threat was just as real now as when it was first revealed to him by Louis, he found that he didn't care anymore. That he couldn't look this man in the face and deny him anymore. And he had no desire to do that, either. It didn't take long for Eloy to react to his motions, the older man shining with sweat as he writhed on the bed under Stephen's weight. Stephen could feel from his gyrations that Eloy could come any moment, so he pulled back with his lips just hovering over Eloy's penis, waiting for Eloy to settle down a little. His hands were still drawing small circles on Eloy's skin, lovingly stroking him. He leaned down, inhaling Eloy's scent deeply before resting his cheek on a thigh and waiting for Eloy's breathing to slow down a bit before continuing. Of its own accord, his hand moved down between Eloy's legs and stroked gently, unable to stop completely. He felt Eloy's hand stroke through his hair, and when he felt like enough time had passed he started licking Eloy again, nibbling along his length as he made his way back up to the top before descending on him again. Eloy let out an explosive sigh as he did this and pressed him down so he couldn't pull back again. Giving in to the demands of Eloy's hands, he increased his pace, knowing that neither of them could draw this out for very long. Sure enough, Eloy ejaculated with a gasp, his hands holding Stephen firmly in place. When he was done, he let go of Stephen only to pull on his arm to move him so that he could kiss the younger man. Stephen slid his body against Eloy's as he moved up for another searching kiss, moaning as Eloy reached to stroke his anus. Eloy rolled them over so that Stephen would now be the recipient of their lovemaking. He pressed himself against Stephen and pulled back, a huge smile on his face at Stephen's reaction. "My turn, zusje," he said with a kiss to the other man's nose before working his way past those luscious lips as he trailed his own way down Stephen's body. Stephen moaned in reaction, his hands encouraging Eloy's southern progression. Eloy spread Stephen's legs, briefly sucking his penis before dipping down to lick him the way Stephen had done for him. He heard a muffled gasp and knew that his actions were appreciated. He slid a long finger inside Stephen, stroking at his prostate as he allowed his lips and tongue to travel up to engulf Stephen again. Stephen arched his back involuntarily in reaction to Eloy's movements before wrapping his legs around Eloy's chest, holding him in place. The act of lifting his legs in that fashion gave Eloy a lot more leeway and he inserted another finger inside Stephen, moving in counterpoint to his lips and tongue. It wasn't long before Stephen submitted in a rush and Eloy enjoyed the reaction he had achieved, still stroking long after Stephen had any ability to react. Finally, a whimper distracted him and he looked up to see Stephen shaking his head as he tried to bat Eloy's hand away. "What?" "Enough, I can't take it anymore," Stephen said with a slight giggle. Eloy smiled, knowing that it was sensory overload talking. Stephen tended to get silly in the aftermath of making love and he knew from previous times if he tried to extend it that Stephen would start giggling in reaction. He withdrew his hand and with one last kiss on Stephen's now limp penis, he kissed his way back up the other man's body, leaving red marks where he bit him along the way. "Goed, ja?" Eloy asked softly as he rested his sweaty body against Stephen's before leaning down to kiss him. "Christ, yeah!" Came Stephen's explosive response as he let out a sigh of contentment and pulled Eloy's head against his shoulder. "Let's never let it go that long again, okay?" "Ja, honing," Eloy said with a chuckle which turned into a rumble of laughter as Stephen swatted his butt. "Brat," Stephen accused affectionately while still stroking Eloy's rear end appreciatively. Eloy wiggled it at him, which caused Stephen to giggle again before reaching up and pulling Eloy down for a long drawn out kiss. After they separated, Stephen buried his head against Eloy's neck and wrapped his arms around his chest, holding him close. Eloy rolled over so that they were both on their sides and so that he could wrap his arms around Stephen. Neither of them said a word for a long while, each overcome with the emotion of finally being together again after so long. Eloy sniffed appreciatively at the scent in Stephen's hair, the smell bringing back memories of earlier encounters. He started nibbling kisses along Stephen's neck, pausing to suck on an earlobe. Stephen sighed in reaction, arching his neck to give Eloy better access. After a few moments, Eloy made his way across Stephen's jaw to his lips, pausing to give him a sweet kiss before pulling back to look at the other man intently. Clear blue eyes looked up at him solemnly, waiting for his next move. They had a lot to say to one another, but neither one wanted to be the first to start. Stephen reached up with a trembling hand, tracing Eloy's lips silently. Eloy sucked his finger into his mouth, welcoming his touch. When he withdrew his finger, he cradled Eloy's face, stroking the stubbled chin. Not a word was spoken during this time as they quietly reintroduced themselves to each other. Eloy was overcome with emotion at their reunion, unable to voice what he wanted to say. Stephen gave a heartfelt sigh, ducking his head under Eloy's chin and resting his face against his chest. Eloy's chest was damp from their exertions and he closed his eyes for a moment to rest. He didn't even know how to begin to talk. So much had happened over the last few months. They had been apart so long that he found himself reluctant to say anything. He just wanted to hold his lover and be held by him. Eloy was happy to oblige him, sensing his need to just reacquaint themselves to one another. Eloy stroked his back, holding him close and waiting for him to make the next move. The last thing Eloy expected, however, was to feel Stephen's shoulders shaking with laughter. Surprised, he pulled back so he could look down and see what was the cause of the amusement. Blue eyes crinkled up at him and he made an enquiring noise, asking for an explanation. "I'm sorry," Stephen said softly, still laughing softly. "But I just had this mental image of the lads with their ears pressed up against the door just now." Eloy grinned, picturing Stephen's friends eagerly awaiting some sign that they weren't going to get into trouble for their surprise. "I don't know if we have to worry about that," Eloy said. "Usually you use a glass to hear through walls, and I think theirs were still full." "Hmmm, good point." Stephen said, smiling as he pressed his lips to Eloy's chest. "I would like to think they'd give me a little privacy." Eloy cocked his head to one side and listened intently for a moment. There didn't seem to be any sound coming from the hallway, so he assumed they had been left to their own devices. "Let's forget about your friends, ja?" Eloy said, not wanting to spend any more time talking at the moment. "Mmmmm," Stephen murmured softly, his lips still against Eloy's chest. His attentions were a suitable distraction from the conversation and they took their time as they made love the second time around, knowing they had the rest of the night to do with as they wanted. Stephen lay in Eloy's embrace in the aftermath of their lovemaking, listening to the slowing beat of Eloy's heart as they both relaxed. He didn't really want to have anything mar their reunion, and was loath to say anything at all. Once, Eloy opened his mouth and started to say something, and Stephen stopped him with an ardent kiss that lead to another round of tangled limbs and lips on skin. He got the message that tonight wasn't the time to talk, and acquiesced to Stephen's silent demand. * * * It was with a bit of amusement that the others watched Stephen pull Eloy out of the room, tugging on his hand as they passed through the door. Shane saw Ronan give Eloy a thumb up in encouragement as they made their way out and he smiled at Stephen's impatient look as he dragged Eloy away. Their leave-taking left a moment of silence as the others digested the events of the night. "That seemed to go off all right then," Keith said tentatively, looking around the room at the other's reactions. Ronan nodded enthusiastically while Mikey looked thoughtful. "Yeah, it would seem so. But if what you found out is true, Mick, we'll need to talk to him about it," Shane said, still smoldering with anger for what their manager did to Stephen. "It isn't right, and we can't let that continue." "No, absolutely not," Ronan agreed, shaking his head. "And if we don't say anything, that one never will. But let him have time alone with his fella for a bit." The rest nodded at his suggestion and they made plans to go out for the rest of the evening, giving Stephen some much needed time alone with his lover. * * * It was some time later into the evening that Stephen heard the others come back, giggling as they tried very hard to be quiet. Stephen was lying on his back with Eloy asleep beside him, Eloy's head resting on his chest. The weight of the other man's body against him brought a smile to his lips as he thought back to what his friends had done. Being truthful to himself, he knew he couldn't be angry with any of them, and was glad that they cared enough to go through the trouble of getting Eloy over for a visit. Eloy's presence beside him brought home the fact that he wouldn't be able to make that decision for them to keep away from each other again. It had been so hard, and with so much heartache. He went through how he would try and work it out in his mind, but his thoughts kept on spinning in circles until he started to get a headache. His sigh of frustration woke his lover who lay on the bed beside him. Eloy opened his eyes, feeling Stephen shifting restlessly beneath him. Silently he smoothed his hand down Stephen's chest, attempting to quiet him. "I'm sorry," Stephen whispered softly when he realised he had woken Eloy up. "Go back to sleep, sweetheart." "What is it?" Eloy asked quietly as he brushed his lips against Stephen's skin and tilted his head to look up at the younger man. "What's wrong?" "Ah, nothing, love. I was just thinking," Stephen replied. He reached down with the arm encircling Eloy's shoulders and stroked his fingers across the other man's skin. "It's late." "Ja, I know," Eloy said, rolling himself over and on top of his lover. Stephen automatically helped him, and they redistributed their limbs so that they were more comfortable. Stephen wrapped his arms around Eloy and pulled him down for a kiss. "So what are you thinking about?" "Nothing," Stephen said. He smiled at the face Eloy made. "Everything. Ah, I don't know. I'm just trying to figure out where we're going and how we're going to deal with all this." "Then don't think," Eloy said, looking down into Stephen's eyes. "Let tomorrow take care of itself. All we have to worry about is right now, tonight. I think that's enough, don't you?" Stephen's chest heaved under him in a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I suppose. But E, there's so much we have to talk about. Nothing has really changed, other than the fact that we're together right now. Tomorrow, next week, a month from now, we'll both have the same problems that we have right now." He felt Eloy shift as he rested his weight on his elbow and peered down at him. "And..." he stopped, unable to go on. "And what?" Eloy asked, looking down in the dim light at Stephen. It didn't really show him much, but he could feel that Stephen was uncomfortable with something. "Go on." "And... I need to tell you what happened in Florida." Stephen said with another heavy sigh. Eloy looked at him for a moment, wondering what had happened on his holiday in America. "What happened in Florida?" He asked quietly, waiting for Stephen to tell him. Stephen closed his eyes at the question, a stricken look on his face. As the silence lengthened, Eloy got more curious as he started thinking of all the possible things. From the uncomfortable way that Stephen was acting, he was starting to get a suspicion about it, though. "Stephen, please. What happened?" "I..." Stephen started and stopped, unable to figure out how to continue. Especially with Eloy lying on top of him, their bodies still pressed together and a curious look on his face. "I met someone in Orlando. I... nothing happened, E, but I'm afraid, because something could have." Eloy could see that he was mentally thrashing himself over the thought that he might have been unfaithful, even though their break had been a mutual agreement, albeit reluctantly on Eloy's part. "I'm sorry, Eloy. I feel so awful about it." Eloy slipped off of Stephen and onto his side, his motion also pulling Stephen over so that they were lying down face to face on the bed. "But you said nothing happened, ja?" "We got drunk, and kissed... and that's about it." Stephen looked up miserably and was surprised to see his lover smiling. "What?" "Stephen, do you honestly think of that as cheating?" Eloy asked, wondering at Stephen's naivete. When Stephen nodded, Eloy smiled and shook his head in wonderment. "So you met a beautiful boy and kissed. There's nothing wrong with that." "Eloy, are you mad?" Stephen said in his normal voice and then tried to speak in a more quiet voice, equally aware of the lateness of the hour and his band mates sleeping in rooms nearby. "I shouldn't even be looking at anyone else." "Zusje, looking at someone isn't a crime. And it's been months since we were last together. Stephen, it's normal." He reached over and tilted Stephen's chin up so that he could look into the younger man's eyes. "It's not like you had sex together." "Just about!" Stephen said in a fierce whisper, amazed that Eloy would seem so cavalier about his transgression. "It very easily could have." "But it didn't, and why's that?" Eloy asked in a soft voice. His tone made Stephen pause as he thought back about that night with Chris in his hotel room. "Because," Stephen said slowly, working it out in his mind. "Because he knew about you." Eloy chuckled softly at his response. "Stephen, if you really wanted someone, you wouldn't be telling them about me, would you now?" Eloy kept on chuckling as Stephen looked up in surprise. "Honing, it's understandable. You were by yourself, lonely, you've been with your friends for weeks who were all over each other and you wanted someone for you, too. I couldn't be there, and this friend of yours was. It's all right." "It is?" Stephen asked. The longer Eloy went on, the more sense he made. "But I shouldn't have been interested at all!" "Stephen, when was the last time that you had anyone with you?" Eloy asked reasonably. "And I don't mean in bed, because I know that answer already." His body was showing the signs of Stephen's long deprived attentions. "When was the last time you just had someone to cuddle?" "When I saw you last," Stephen admitted, not sure where Eloy was going with what he was saying. "That was a while ago. And after the last few months you've had, you were lonely and wanted someone to hold you. I can't begrudge your friend wanting to do that." Eloy went on. "So you kissed. Stephen, that isn't cheating." "It feels like it to me," Stephen said sulkily. In actuality, he had a hard time seeing Eloy's point of view, since he knew that if this situation were reversed, he would have been consumed with jealousy. The fact that Eloy wasn't upset brought him up short since he didn't know how to react to him. "That's because of the way you were raised, Stephen. I've had a bit more open education myself. And honestly, Stephen, given everything that had happened, had you really strayed and made love with someone over the last few months, I wouldn't begrudge you that. You've had a rough time with all that you've been doing. Its only natural." Eloy went on, trying to reassure him. "Eloy, I don't think I would ever be that generous," Stephen admitted. He wanted to ask if Eloy had been with anyone else during the time that they had been parted, but couldn't bring himself to ask. "I wouldn't want to know." Eloy smiled in sympathy at his admission. "Stephen, come here," Eloy said, opening his arms and pulling Stephen into an embrace. Stephen wrapped his arms around Eloy's chest and clung to him. "Now is not the time to talk about these things when we've only just gotten back together again. I can think of better ways to spend our time than talking." "But..." Stephen protested. He pulled back to argue his point only to have Eloy's mouth descend on his in a kiss. It effectively stopped his argument as he got distracted by Eloy's tongue touching his own. A moment later when Eloy pulled back from the kiss, Stephen lay breathless on the bed in reaction. "Did you kiss like that?" Eloy asked, a smile on his face. Dazed, Stephen shook his head, unable to speak. "Then there's no problem." "I guess," Stephen said, groaning as Eloy started touching him intimately, stroking his penis. "Did you touch like this?" Eloy asked. Stephen tossed his head back and forth and gasped out a negative. "No? Then there's definitely no problem." "No, he definitely did not do that." Stephen said with a moan as Eloy spread his legs before shimmying down to a place where he could enjoy himself. "Or that!" Eloy buried his face in between Stephen's legs, causing him to gasp again at what Eloy was doing with his mouth and hands. "Shhhh, you don't want to wake the others, do you?" Eloy said in a low voice, laughter tingeing his comment. He went back to what he was doing, which was licking as much of Stephen that he could reach. Stephen moaned again softly and closed his eyes. What Eloy was doing was incredible, and all thoughts of their prior conversation went right out of his head in that moment. He didn't notice when Eloy paused long enough to move himself up so that he was hovering over him again until he felt Eloy spreading his legs and raising him up. He opened his eyes to see Eloy getting positioned to enter and he helped by lifting his hips up off the bed. The feeling of Eloy entering him slowly was exquisite and he bit his lip to stop himself from crying out in reaction. "Stephen," Eloy said softly, reaching forward to stroke the beautiful face before him. "I've been wanting to do this from the moment I first saw you today." He grasped Stephen's hands and pulled him upright so that he was sitting in his lap and levered Stephen up and down, enjoying the feeling of the younger man sliding around him. Stephen closed his eyes and relaxed as they got into the rhythm of making love. He reached out to stroke Eloy's chest as they came together, moving to circle his arms around Eloy's neck and lean down for a kiss. "Don't stop," he whispered, trailing kisses down to Eloy's ear. "This feels so good right now, please don't stop." Eloy nodded, not saying a word. He hissed as he felt Eloy's lips encircle his nipple and suck on it. Stephen was having a hard time keeping quiet as Eloy led the assault on his senses. The feel of him stroking inside, touching outside, his lips trailing across his skin all combined to bring home to him what he had been missing. He was gasping as he moved up and down, his body slick with sweat. He had to muffle his cries against Eloy's neck, not wanting his friends to hear what was going on. Eloy had his eyes closed as he lifted Stephen's hips up, letting Stephen's weight push him back down inside as he settled back down. Stephen was stifling whimpers against his shoulder and Eloy smiled in satisfaction at his response to their lovemaking. He slowed their motions down when he felt the urge to come and just held Stephen lightly in place as he fought down the desire to ejaculate. "Sloom omlaag zusje, Ik komende!" Eloy said in a low voice as he tried to hold back. Stephen paused, not knowing what he had said, but responding to Eloy's hands pushing down on his shoulders. He stopped his motion and raised his head to look at his lover. Eloy was panting, trying to slow his breathing down. He was gasping out words one at a time and Stephen rested his head back down on Eloy's shoulder. He could feel Eloy trembling beneath him, and he put his arms around the other man and rubbed his back. "Shhh, baby. Take it easy. It's all right. We have time. Shhhh," Stephen said softly, trying to soothe Eloy. He moved so that he could look Eloy in the face and brushed his hair back with one hand. "Hush, baby." Moisture beaded Eloy's brow as he looked up at Stephen with half-closed eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered, making an effort to speak English. "I can't wait much longer." "Don't stop, E. Just go. I want to feel you. Come on, baby," Stephen cajoled him softly. He whispered in Eloy's ear as he started moving again, squeezing Eloy with his muscles. A groan escaped Eloy's lips as he did that and he knew it wasn't going to be much longer. He felt a rush as Eloy came, moving his lips around to Eloy's mouth to stifle his cry. Eloy clung to him, pushing inside as far as he could as he ejaculated, feeling boneless in the aftermath. Stephen held him to his chest, whispering encouragement as he shuddered in his arms. When he was finished, he looked up and smiled tiredly at Stephen. "Good?" Stephen asked, grinning down at the expression on Eloy's face. Eloy nodded before picking Stephen up off of his lap and placing him down on the bed. Stephen groaned softly as he felt his legs cramp up from being in one position for so long and Eloy gave him a rub down, massaging the sore muscles gently. He also leaned down to kiss Stephen before moving down his body and bringing him back to a full erection. Stephen moaned as Eloy encircled him and he opened his eyes and reached out to brush the hair off of Eloy's face so he could see better in the dim light. When he came, he wasn't able to stifle his shout of exclamation and Eloy chuckled as Stephen put a hand to his mouth in embarrassment. He worked his way back up Stephen's body with his lips until he was stretched over on top of him. He pulled Stephen's hand away and gave his lips a kiss, chuckling tiredly. "Oh shite, I hope no one heard that," Stephen murmured as Eloy dropped his head down onto Stephen's shoulder and rested his weight on the younger man. "I'm sure they didn't. It wasn't all that loud," Eloy said helpfully, trying to reassure him. Stephen was still doubtful, but as they settled down, entangled in each other's arms, Eloy's kisses distracted him from his indiscretion. They spent the rest of the night that way, alternately kissing and dozing until morning. Eloy stayed up most of the night just watching Stephen sleep, memorising his expressions as he dreamt. He drifted off into slumber himself just around dawn, his eyes closing as he rested his head in the hollow of Stephen's shoulder.