Lance and Martin 1

Chapter 1

"God, Josh, you'd think you haven't eaten in a week," Lance said with a laugh. "Didn't you eat breakfast?" JC just gave Lance an exasperated look, and then looked back to the waitress who was going to seat them.

"How many Sir," she asked as she picked up some menus, never looking at the men.

"Two," JC replied.

Then the girl looked up. "OH MY GOD!" she screamed. JC and Lance winced and both began to blush. The other customers in the restaurant all turned to look at the door to see what was going on.

The girl was almost hysterical. "Hey, calm down," JC said. He noticed a man walking quickly from the back. The man looked at JC and Lance, then at the waitress.

"What is going on here?" he demanded. "Kelley, what happened?" he asked in a quieter voice. "Did these men do something?"

The girl was still in shock and tried to speak. "They're... they're..." She couldn't get the words out.

The man turned to look at JC and Lance. "Could one of you explain to me what the hell is going on?" he asked in frustration.

Lance smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I think we just surprised her." Lance turned to look at the girl who was finally calming down. "Kelley, is it? How about we give you an autograph and just forget about all this, okay?"

Kelley nodded, finally recomposing herself. "Of course Mr. Bass. I'm so sorry about this," she apologized.

The man looked from the waitress to the two young men. "Excuse me, but I'm still not sure what's going on here."

Kelley looked at him. "I'm sorry Mr. Reed. These two guys are from *Nsync, a really famous pop group," Kelley explained.

JC stepped in. "We're really sorry about causing such a scene, Mr. Reed. I used to come here quite often and just assumed the same people would be here and there wouldn't be a problem. I'm Josh Chasez and this is my friend Lance Bass," JC introduced Lance and himself.

Mr. Reed smiled as he shook their hands. "I should be apologizing to you two. You come here for some food and instead are hassled and interrogated by me. Please, allow me to show you to a table."

He led the two singers to a quiet, secluded table near a corner. Once they were seated, he handed them the menus. "Listen guys, my name is Martin Reed. I just took over this place a couple of weeks ago. Lunch is on the house and I hope we can forget about what happened and start over," he said hopefully.

JC and Lance looked at each other. JC glanced up at Martin. "Possibly. Tell me Martin, do you still have that incredible cheese soup on the menu?" he asked.

Martin grinned. "Absolutely. I had it before I bought the restaurant and insisted the recipe be included in the sale."

JC smiled back. "Okay, all is forgiven," he said, then looked at Lance. "Lance?"

Lance was lost in thought and dragged himself back to reality when JC spoke. He looked up at Martin. "Kelley's not going to get into trouble, is she?" he asked in concern.

Martin kept smiling and shook his head. "No. Your visit was unexpected, but now that we know that you may stop by anytime, I'll make sure you don't encounter a problem again. I'll talk to all my staff." Lance nodded. "I'll let you look at the menu for a few minutes, then come back for your orders. Okay?" JC and Lance both nodded.

Lance was facing into the rest of the restaurant and watched Martin walk back to the front. The man was tall, lean, and graceful. Lance blushed as he realized what he'd been thinking. JC noticed the color change and glanced over his shoulder to see Martin stop to talk to Kelley. He watched as the girl stared at the floor when Martin approached, but as she listened to Martin, she looked up and smiled. She nodded and Martin walked away. JC turned back to see that Lance had watched the encounter too.

"Good looking guy," JC commented. "If you're in to that," he added with a smirk and watched as Lance changed color again.

"Josh!" Lance exclaimed, feeling himself blush deeply.

JC laughed and Lance had to smile. "Well, its true, isn't it," JC said. "Don't you think he's cute?" he asked.

Lance looked back into the restaurant and saw Martin talking to another employee. He noticed the sand colored hair and recalled the blue-gray eyes and easy smile. Lance returned his gaze to JC. "Yeah, he's cute," Lance admitted. "But you know, all the cute ones are straight," he complained with a serious face.

JC laughed aloud and Lance joined in. The two friends looked at their menus. A few minutes later Martin returned and smiled at the two men.

"So, what can I get for you gentlemen?"

JC looked up at Martin. "I'm sure you can guess what I'm having," he said.

Martin grinned. "Okay, cheese soup. Anything else?"

"I'll have a Caesar salad and a coke too please," JC added.

Martin looked over at Lance. "And you Mr. Bass?" he asked.

Lance smiled at Martin. "The name is James actually, Martin and I'll try this soup you guys are raving about and a garden salad with a Sprite."

Martin wrote the order down. "Okay, Josh and James, I'll be right back with your drinks." Martin was back less than a minute later with the two pops.

"Hey Martin, would you like to join us for a few minutes?" JC asked before Martin could leave.

Martin paused and looked at the two men. "I don't want to interrupt you," he said hesitantly.

Lance smiled and moved over on the bench-like seat. "Please, sit. We don't get a chance to meet many new people. Particularly ones that don't know who we are."

Martin laughed and took the seat beside Lance. "I think I should feel badly about that. When I'm working I usually listen to mellow stuff like Celtic music, the rest of the time I'm stuck with the oldies," he said, grinning sheepishly.

"That's okay. That's why there's so many different kinds of music out there," JC said.

"So you just bought this place, huh?" Lance asked trying to learn more about the man.

Martin nodded. "I was down here for a holiday and started visiting the different restaurants. I found this one was for sale and looked into it. It's been doing well but the owner wanted to retire. It was exactly what I was looking for."

"Where you from?" JC asked curiously.

"I was living in Albany, New York but ...got tired of the city," Martin answered. Lance and JC both noticed the pause in Martin's response but didn't say anything.

"So how do you like Orlando?" Lance asked.

"Well, the weather is much better," Martin said with a grin. "I haven't really had a chance to see too much of the city yet. I've been too busy working around here, setting up everything the way I want it." Martin glanced at his watch and stood up. "Your food should be ready now. Be right back," he said as he walked around the corner to the kitchen.

JC glanced at Lance. "So?"

Lance groaned and shook his head. "Josh, would you stop trying to set me up with every guy we meet."

JC grinned. "Hey, I just want you to be happy James."

Lance smiled back and patted JC's hand. "I know, and I love you for that." The moment the words were out of his mouth he realized that Martin had walked back around the corner carrying two plates of food. Martin immediately noticed Lance's hand on JC's.

Lance snatched his hand back quickly and looked at Martin. Martin just smiled and set the food down in front of the two men. "I'll leave you two to eat in peace," he said and turned to leave.

"Martin, wait!" Lance pleaded. Martin turned back and cocked an eyebrow, waiting for Lance to continue. "Please, sit for a minute," Lance asked.

Martin sat back down and looked at Lance and JC. "Don't worry guys. I won't tell anyone about you," Martin promised.

JC looked at him in confusion for a minute then realized what Martin meant. JC laughed. "Oh, no, Martin, you got it all wrong. James and I aren't together. James..." JC stopped and looked at Lance, wondering if he should continue.

Lance spoke up. "JC was trying to set me up with someone and said he just wanted me to be happy. That's when you walked back and heard me saying I loved him for wanting to see me happy," he explained.

Martin smiled and nodded. "Okay, that makes sense. But just so you know, I don't have a problem with gay people."

Lance glanced at Martin trying to gauge that statement. "You don't?"

"Nope."

Lance decided to take a chance. "That's a relief," he said softly.

JC looked at Lance; surprised that he was basically admitting he was gay to a stranger. Martin looked over at Lance. "Good. Now that we've got that all straightened out...sorry, bad pun...you guys should eat before the soup cools down too much." Martin stood up again. "I'll check back with you before you leave. Enjoy the meal." Martin walked back to the front of the restaurant, then through a doorway into the adjoining bar.

Lance looked down at his food and began to eat. JC stared at Lance for a minute, then started to eat too. After a few mouthfuls of the thick, creamy soup, Lance looked up at JC and grinned. "This soup is incredible. Ya know who we should bring here?" he asked. JC nodded.

"Brian!" they both said at the same time, remembering their friend's obsession with cheese.

"Next time they're back in town we will," JC said. After another few minutes of silence while they ate, JC looked across the table at Lance. "So what did you think of Martin's reaction?" he finally asked.

Lance shrugged. "I don't know, Josh. You know I don't have much experience with meeting gay guys, and this gaydar that people talk about..." he shrugged. "Maybe mine just hasn't been used enough? I've met guys that are straight that my instincts were saying 'gay', and vice versa. I really couldn't pick up anything from Martin." Lance sighed. "But at least he didn't spit on me or call me names," he added.

JC grimaced as he remembered the reaction of a couple of crewmembers when the group announced that Lance and Chris were gay. They were gone the next day, but the negative reaction had hurt his two friends. Lance had become much more cautious about telling people, which is why JC had been surprised when Lance had told Martin.

The two men quickly finished their meal and were just sitting back enjoying their drinks when Martin returned.

"So, how was everything?" he asked with a smile. Lance couldn't help but notice what a great smile he had. 'Damn you Josh,' he thought as he smiled back at Martin.

"It was great," Lance responded enthusiastically. "That soup was amazing."

Martin's smile widened at the rave review. "Good. Could I get either of you anything else?"

JC looked at his watch and shook his head. "No. Unfortunately, we have to go, we have a meeting to get to."

"Okay. Well, like I said earlier, the meal is on me and I hope you consider coming back some time."

Lance nodded his head. "Definitely. We have a friend who is crazy about cheese and he'll go crazy for that soup. I promise we'll bring him next time he's in town. Thank you for the good food and company," he added.

Martin held out his hand and shook JC's then Lance's. "Well it was very nice meeting you both, Josh and James."

"Nice meeting you too, Martin," Lance said as he accepted Martin's hand.

Martin walked back through the restaurant and into the bar. Lance and JC finished their pops and began to walk out. Just as they were halfway out the door, Lance had an idea. "Be right back Josh," he said and dashed off to the bar.

He found Martin sitting at a table going through some papers. Lance stopped at the table and Martin glanced up in surprise. "James!"

"Hey! I was thinking, you can't possibly work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So if you like, when you have some free time, I'd be happy to show you around the city," Lance said, handing Martin a card from his wallet, with his cell number on it.

Martin accepted the card and smiled at Lance. "Thanks, James. I'd appreciate that!"

Lance turned to leave but then stopped, losing his smile. "One more thing Martin," he began, "what we were talking about earlier, it would mean a lot if you didn't tell anyone," Lance's voice trailed off.

Martin smiled at Lance. "What was it we were talking about before?" he asked, playing dumb.

Lance smiled. "Thanks Martin."

Before Lance could leave, a voice spoke from behind him. "Dad!"

TBC...

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