Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1999 00:01:24 EDT
From: Lauren2993@aol.com
Subject: Lucky Me

Hello everyone, this is my first attempt at such a story, so keep an open
mind.  Also keep in mind, as you read, that I am in fact a female.  Just so
you know.  The material containted herein is not meant to imply anything
about the actual sexuality of those involved.  As always, if reading
material about relationships between adult men disturbs you, then what the
hell are you doing here in the first place?  I hope you like it . . .and so
without further ado . . .on with the show

Lucky Me

	I awoke with the sun shining on my face, and I knew it was going to
be a wonderful day.  I rolled onto my side to look at Jason, my lover, who
was still asleep.  He looked so beautiful when he was sleeping.  As I
looked down on him, his face glowing from the rays of sunlight that were
illuminating him, I remembered what today was.  For our one year
anniversary he had gotten me tickets to an N Sync concert, and it was
tonight.  He was so sweet sometimes.  I leaned over and kissed him on his
nose and then got up to have my shower.
	I walked into the bathroom and flipped the light on.  I squinted at
the sudden invasion of my pupils, and as soon as my eyes had adjusted, I
went over to the sink to wash up.  As I put the bristles to my teeth, I
looked at myself in the mirror and thought about how much I had changed in
the past year.  One year ago my life had been falling apart.  I had told my
mother that I'd decided not to go to college, and she flipped out.  I
remember storming up to my room and slamming the door.  It seemed a bit
childish as I looked back on it.  A little while later I heard a soft
knocking, and when I didn't answer, my mother opened the door a crack.
	"Luke, honey, can I come in?" she asked in her sweetly soft
voice.
	"Sure mom," I said as I sat up to face her.
	She walked into my room and sat on the edge of my bed.  "As you
know, darling, I'm not too thrilled with your sudden decision.  And if your
father were still alive I'm positive he wouldn't be either.  But, I thought
it over, and I decided that since you're 18 now, you can do what you want.
And even if I don't like it, I can't really stop you anymore."
	I leaned over to her and hugged her tightly.  "Thanks mom.  You
always know the best thing for me."
	"I try my best, Luke."
	As we left the embrace of our hug, my mother's eyes fell to the
bed, and she picked something up from it.  She looked quizzically at the
picture she held in her hands and asked me, "Sweety, who's this?"
	I mentally kicked myself for not putting up Jason's picture before
she had come in.  Oh well, too late now.  I tried to search for something
to tell her.  Why in the world would I have a picture of some random guy in
my bedroom.  I tried to think quickly, but I guess I took to long because
my mom asked again,
	"Luke, who is this?" this time with a little more concern in her
voice.
	"Uh, well...."I started, "uh...mom...that's Jason."
	"Who's Jason?" she asked, her sweet tone quickly becoming urgent.
	"He's...um...he's...um," I'd have to tell her, I thought.  "He's my
new boyfriend, mom.  I'm gay."  I involuntarily pulled back from her
awaiting her reaction.
	She dropped the photo from her hand like it had burned her, and she
stood up slowly.
	"Mom," I asked as she stood up.  "Mom, are you okay?"
	My mother's eyes were glued to the floor as she said, "Get out of
my house."
	"What?!?!" I asked almost in a whisper.  I couldn't believe what I
was hearing.
	"You heard me," she said in the meanest whisper I'd ever heard her
use.  "Get out of my house you fag!!"  On this last word, she looked up
from the ground with tears streaming down her face and with a look of pure
hatred in her eyes.  "Get out!!  Get out of my house!!  NOW!!"  she
screamed as she stormed from my room slamming the door behind her.
	I came back to my senses in the bathroom as I stared at my
reflection in the mirror.  I remembered how I'd packed all my things that
night, and how I'd driven through the pouring rain to Jason's house.  I
remembered how I'd gotten out of my car, gone to my trunk to get my bags
out, and had collapsed from the power of my sobs.  I smiled as I remembered
how Jason had come out not five minutes later and found me lying in his
driveway, soaking wet and too exhausted to move.  He'd scooped me up in
his arms and carried me to his bedroom.  He'd gotten me in some dry clothes
and then had tucked me into his own bed and crashed on the couch for the
night.
	I smiled to myself as I walked back into the bedroom, with my
toothbrush still hanging out of my mouth, to glance at my sleeping beauty.
As I stood there smiling at him, he stirred awake and grinned up at me.
	"Hey there," he said in his deep morning voice.  "That's a nice
look, baby," he said pointing to my toothbrush.  I grinned at him and
padded back into the bathroom to finish brushing my teeth.  As I put my
toothbrush back into its holder, Jason came up behind me and wrapped his
arms around my waist.  "Happy anniversary, sweethang."
	I turned around to face him and gave him a peck on his beautiful
lips.  Then I ducked under his arms and ran into the bedroom.
	"Aww, where are you going to so fast Luke, baby?"
	"Come and see," I sang to him from our closet.
	He came into the room just as I was emerging from the closet with a
little gift wrapped box in my hand.  I sheepishly walked over to where he
was sitting on the bed and sat down beside him.  "Happy anniversary," I
whispered as I handed him the box.  He grinned at me for a second before he
ripped off the wrapping paper.  The box he was confronted with was small
and covered in velvet.  I took it from him and got down on my knee.  I
slowly opened it to reveal a golden wedding band.  I looked up at him, and
he had tears in his eyes.  "I'd like to love you for the rest of my life,
if you'd let me.  Jason Whiteman, will you marry me?"
	He looked up at me, and I saw that the tears that had been
lingering there had escaped and were now running down his face.  I smiled
at his blatant show of happiness, but he didn't answer for a long time.  I
got up from my knee and sat next to him again.  "Jason, are you okay," I
asked with a huge amount of concern in my voice.  I knew he'd be surprised
by my proposal, but I didn't think he'd be speechless.
	He hesitated for a moment longer before he finally tore his eyes
away from the ring.  He looked deep into my eyes for a long time.  I was
getting a little worried.
	"Jason," I started, "if you don't want to . . ."
	"Of course I want to.  I love you, Luke."  He reached up and wiped
the tears from his eyes and put his left hand in mine.  I smiled up at him
as I slipped the ring onto his finger.
	"I love you, Jason."
	"I love you too, Luke."
	I leaned into him and gave him a short kiss to `seal the deal' and
then said, "Well, some of us have to work today."  I giggled as I hopped up
and ran into the bathroom to have my shower.
	"Hey!  It's not like I haven't been trying to get a job.  It's just
that no one wants to hire me.  It's their fault not mine."
	I stared at him from the doorway of the bathroom and started to
crack up.
	"Oh shut up," he said as he flopped back down onto the bed.
	"Ah, you know you love me," I said as I stripped off my boxers and
got into the shower.
	As I stepped into the shower Jason said something I didn't quite
hear.  He said, "I know I love you.  That's what makes this so hard."
	After I'd finished my shower, I wrapped a towel around my waist and
went back into the bedroom.  I looked over to the bed and found that Jason
had fallen back to sleep on top of the covers.  I chuckled to myself as I
walked over to him.  I scooped him up in my arms and gently laid him back
on the bed so his head was on the pillows.  I pulled the sheet up to his
chest and leaned down to kiss his forehead.  I let my eyes fall to his left
hand for several minutes thinking about how blissfully happy this all made
me.  And as I snapped out of my trance and prepared to get dressed, I
noticed that he had an upset look on his face but dismissed it as a dream.
	I quickly got dressed and realized that I was going to be late if I
didn't get my butt in gear.  I grabbed my keys as I ran downstairs to get
my morning cup of coffee.  As slurped down the java I glanced at the
morning paper to see what's happening in this great country of ours.
Nothing but more shootings by apparently normal people.  I quickly threw
the paper aside.  "Nothing will ruin my day.  I just got engaged, and
tonight I'm going to see N Sync."  I smiled to myself as I took my last sip
of coffee and headed out the door.
	On the drive to the office I listened to my N Sync CD, a permanent
fixture in my car.  As I pulled into the office's parking garage I glanced
at the clock.  It was 7:57.  In 4 minutes I'd be late for our morning
meeting.  I was a secretary to the president of a huge real estate agency.
I had gotten this job because I was nice and willing to work, not because I
was over qualified.  I knew that my presence here was hanging by a thread,
and I didn't want to do anything to jeopardize my position.  As I exited
what was possibly the longest elevator ride of my life, I ran to the
conference room and opened the door just as the meeting was starting.
	My boss looked up at me after my sudden entrance and said, "Thank
you for joining us Mr. Robertson."
	"I'm sorry I'm late Mr. Willingham, it won't happen again," I said
as I took my seat at the table.
	Mr. Wilingham nodded and the meeting went off without another
hitch.  That is until Mr. Willingham said, "And Luke, I'd like to see you
after the meeting."
	I nodded to him.
	"All right," he said, "if there's no other business, we're done
here."
	All my colleagues got up and started about their daily duties.
Mr. Willingham walked up to me.
	"What can I do for you, sir?" I asked him, my voice shaking.  I was
still a little intimidated by this man who towered over me.
	"As you might have heard," he began, "The company was sold a short
time ago."
	I nodded.
	"Well, it seems that the new owners are somewhat stricter than our
last ones." "I don't think I quite follow you, sir," I said.
	"Well my boy, let me put it this way.  There's a new company
policy.  And that is all their employees must have a college diploma.  And
I'm afraid that you don't meet that qualification, son.  I'm sorry.  We'll
need you to clean out your desk at the end of your day's work this
afternoon."  He patted me on the back and then left the conference room.
	"Well shit," I said to myself.  "I guess I knew that it would
happen sooner or later.  But they've got some nerve asking me to work
today.  But I'm gonna do it aren't I?  Of course I am."
	As the day went on, I found myself less and less concerned with
losing my job, and more and more excited about tonight's concert.  Jason
often made fun of me for my near obsession with the popular boy band.  He
said that it was weird enough to be a guy and like them.  But I was 19 for
Christ's sake.  I should like football, and wrestling, and manly things.
That's what he kept telling me, anyway.  But I would look at him and say,
"You are aware that I'm queer aren't you?"  But he'd just laugh.
	Jason said that he had some errands to run that afternoon, so he'd
meet me at the auditorium where the concert was being held.  I quickly
finished up my work for the day and threw all my things in a cardboard box
and walked happily out to my car.  It was now around 6:00.  The concert
started at 8:00, and the auditorium was about half an hour away.  I put the
box into my car and got out the shirt I had brought to change into.  I was
planning on wearing the khakis I currently had on.  I took off my tie, and
unbuttoned my button-through shirt.  Then I slipped on the black,
short-sleeved, ribbed one I had brought with me.  Jason had always said he
loved me in that.
	It was now 6:15, and I figured I could get to the auditorium at
6:45.  But I didn't count on the traffic in downtown Orlando on a Friday
evening.  I pulled into the parking lot at 7:20.  I went to the front of
the building and looked around for Jason.  I didn't see him, but I just
figured he was running late.  I went inside the building to pick up the
tickets he'd reserved.
	"Hi," I said to the receptionist, "I have a couple of tickets
reserved."
	"Name?"
	"Oh, uh, I guess they'd be under Whiteman.  Jason Whiteman."
	The receptionist tapped her computer keys for a second and then she
said, "All right then.  Here you go."  She handed me an envelope.
	"What's this?" I asked her.
	"That's what I have under that name, sir."
	"Uh, thanks."  I went back outside to wait for Jason, and I opened
the envelope as I sat on the curb.  Inside I found two tickets, a note to
go with them, and . . . Jason's wedding band.  My hands were shaking as I
fumbled to unfold the note.  It read:
			Luke -
				I didn't want to have to tell you like
this, but I knew that if I tried to do it in person, I'd never get through
it.  I was shocked by your proposal this morning, and now I feel I must
tell you the truth.  The truth is that I have been seeing someone else for
5 months now.  I can't marry you.  I'm sorry. -Jason
	I didn't cry at first.  I just kept reading and re-reading the note
until my hands were shaking so much that the words were no longer legible.
I let the tickets flutter from my hands and land on the pavement below.  I
couldn't breathe.  I couldn't think.  All I could do was stare at the note
that was now shaking uncontrollably in my hands.  I was surprised that my
heart didn't stop beating.  I was numb for a long time.  For an hour I sat
on that curb feeling nothing.  Feeling absolutely nothing but emptiness.
	I started crying soon after that.  I sobbed for all the times we'd
had together.  For all the times we'd made love, and for all the times I'd
watched him sleep.  I cried for all the dinners we'd eaten together, and
for every dinner we'd have apart.  I cried that way for a good two hours.
It started raining sometime.  And then suddenly I heard a voice, and soon
after felt a hand on my shoulder.

*****
	After their show, they guys ran from the stage to their dressing
room to get changed.
	"Geez that was a great audience tonight," Justin said slightly out
of breath.
	"Yeah man, I don't know if I've ever played to an audience like
that before," Joey added as he toweled himself off.
	"Sure is great to be home," JC said peeling off his sweat-ridden
shirt.
	Chris nodded his agreement as he slipped off his shoes.  Then he
noticed how Lance was slumped in a chair.  "Hey Scoop, you okay buddy?"
	Lance glanced up to Chris and smiled, "Yeah, I'm great.  Exhausted
but great.  I can't wait for these couple of weeks off the management gave
us."
	"You're tellin' me," Justin said.
	The guys finished dressing and headed out to the bus.  They had
specially asked security to clear out the fans before they got there
because they knew they'd be too tired to sign any autographs.  It had
started to rain since the concert began, and the guys were in such a hurry
to get to the bus that they didn't notice the figure sitting on the curb
outside the auditorium.  Suddenly, Lance remembered he'd left his wallet in
the dressing room, and he ran back to go get it.
	"Well hurry up, Scoop.  I wanna get home as soon as I can," JC
called after his blonde friend.
	Lance waved to let JC know he'd heard him.  As Lance was exiting
the auditorium from having retrieved his wallet, through the rain he saw a
lump that could have been a person, sitting on the curb.  As he got closer,
he realized that it was in fact a person, a man.  Lance asked, "Hey buddy,
you okay?"  When he didn't get an answer, he got even closer to the figure
that was hunched over.  It was only then that he heard the sobs and saw the
man's back shaking from the intensity of them.  Lance asked again, this
time a little louder, "Are you all right?"  When he still didn't get an
answer, he got more than a little worried.  He sat down next to the guy and
put his hand on the guy's shoulder and asked again, "Are you okay?"

*****
	The note I had been holding had long since been ruined by the heavy
downpour, and all I was left with was Jason's ring.  I held it in my hands
as I sobbed over it.  Wanting to keep it forever and never touch it again
at the same time.  My eyes had blurred from the hundreds of tears I had
shed.  When I felt someone's hand rest on my shoulder, and I heard his deep
voice ask if I was okay, I tried very hard to speak.  I tried so hard to
convey my feelings to this stranger.  I tried to tell him everything that
Jason had meant to me.  But my sobs prevented me from doing so.  All I
could do was thrust Jason's ring into the hands of this unidentified martyr
hoping he'd understand.
	When he took Jason's ring from me, I flung my arms around his neck
and sobbed into his shoulder.  He put his arms around me and held me,
hoping to provide some sort of comfort.  He kept assuring me that it would
all be okay.  I tried to tell him that it wouldn't.  I tried to tell him
that I didn't think I could live without Jason.  I wanted so desperately to
tell him how much Jason had meant to me, but all I could do was sob into
this man's ear.
	He held me there in the rain for several minutes.  Eventually the
knowledge that someone was there consoled me and I calmed down enough to
speak.  As my tears stopped I whispered, "Thanks," and I pulled back to
look into the face of this person whom I didn't even know.  What I saw
almost made me keel over right there.  Lance Bass was sitting across from
me in the rain.  I tried to hide my surprise, but I'm pretty sure I didn't
succeed for I saw a small smile spread across his beautiful lips.
	"No problem," he said as he put Jason's wedding band back into my
hand.  I gasped as the gold touched my flesh, and Lance noticed.  He said,
"Do you want to talk about it?"
	I lifted my head to look into those fantastic green eyes of his and
whispered, "I don't know if I'm strong enough."  And I lowered my eyes once
more.
	"Do you want me to give you a ride somewhere?"
	I looked up into his face again feeling a few extraneous tears
escape from my eyes, "I couldn't ask you to do that.  Besides, my car's
here and . . ."
	"You're in no condition to drive . . .uh . . .I'm sorry.  I
don't know your name." Lance's voice was very soft, as if he was
trying not to startle me.
	"Oh, my name's Luke," I whispered to him.  It seemed almost silly
to be exchanging such basic pleasantries when my life was falling apart.
	"Hi Luke, I'm Lance," he smiled at me.
	"I know," I whispered.
	He smiled at me again.  "Come on, you're coming with me," he said
as he got up and started to the bus.
	I got up and started to reluctantly follow him when I stopped in my
tracks.  "I don't have anywhere to go."  The tears lingered in my eyes as I
thought once again of Jason.
	He turned around and looked at me with so much pity and compassion
in his eyes.  We stood there for a moment communicating through a language
that was best left unspoken.  He nodded and said, "Okay, you can stay with
me."
	"I couldn't possibly . . . I mean . . ."
	"That was not a suggestion," he said.  "Now march," he pointed to
the bus, and I sheepishly obeyed.
	When we got to the door of his bus, he stopped me and said, "Now
just let me do the talking.  Okay?"
	I nodded and followed him.
	Joey looked up from the table where he was sitting as he saw Lance
enter, and he said, "Geeze Scoop, we thought you'd drowned out
there."
	Lance smiled, and it was then that I appeared next to him.
	"Lance, that sure is a funny lookin' wallet ya got there,"
Chris commented looking confused.
	Justin followed JC from the back room of the bus when they'd
heard Lance come in.  When JC saw me, he stopped in his tracks making
Justin run into him.
	"Dude, JC man, what're ya doin'?" Justin said as he
looked over JC's shoulder and saw me.
	Everything was so quiet.  I started to get the feeling that maybe I
should just turn around and go to my car.  Sensing this, Lance took me by
the arm and led me further into the bus and said, "Guys, this is Luke.
He needs a place to stay for awhile.  I told him he could stay with me."
	The bus was still silent until JC said, "Lance, can we talk,
please?" Lance motioned for me to sit at the table and looked at me as
if to say `It's going to be okay.', and he and JC walked to the
back room.  I sat at the table and looked across to Joey.
	Joey extended his hand as he said, "It's nice to meet you,
Luke.  Please don't think me a bad host, but I'm dog tired.  I'm
gonna try to take a nap till we get to Justin's."
	I nodded and shook his hand not even registering that I was shaking
Joey Fatone Jr's hand.  Joey went off to his bunk.  Chris just nodded to
me from where he was and said, "Nice to meet you, Luke." And he
slipped into his bunk too.
	Justin approached me slowly and sat across from me at the table.
"What's your story?"
	I willed the tears not to start again, but they didn't listen.
I gasped in short, quick breaths as the tears ran down my face and I tried
to speak.  I started to form a word when Justin said, "Hey, listen, you
don't have to say anything.  I just wanted to know if you were for real.
I guess you are." His tone had gotten softer than it first was, and I
looked up into his face and smiled a `thank you' as I took deep
breaths to try and calm down.  Justin got up and walked to the back room of
the bus.  I turned sideways in the booth and brought my knees to my chest,
and I got out Jason's ring to look at it again.
	"Listen Lance," JC started, "You don't even know this
guy.  How do you know he's not a stalker?  How do you know he's not
going to hurt you?  How do you can trust him?  How do you know . . ."
	"JC," Lance interrupted, "do you know where I found him?
He was sitting in the rain crying his eyes out.  He'd been there for
hours.  When I sat down next to him and asked him what was wrong, he threw
his arms around me and clung to me like his life depended on it.  Like I
was the only concrete thing in his life.  Like the only thing he knew for
sure was that I was sitting next to him.  Look at him, JC.  Look at him and
then honestly tell me that you don't want to help him.  JC, look at
him." Lance stared at him as JC slowly turned towards me.  He saw me
sitting that way in the booth, wiping away stray tears that were rolling
down my face, and looking at something in my hands with more sorrow than
he'd ever seen in one person.
	JC sighed, looked at the ground, and then up at Lance and said,
"Fine, but if you turn up dead in the morning, don't come cryin'
to me."
	Lance smiled, "Thanks JC, you're the greatest."
	"Yeah, I know," JC mumbled as he walked away.
	I straightened up in the booth as Lance walked over to me.
"What did he say," I asked.
	"I can keep you," Lance said as he chuckled to himself.
	"So what happens now?" I asked him.
	"Well, we're all going to Justin's house first because
that's where my and Joey's cars are.  Then you and I will go to my
house."
	My eyes were still glued to the table just like they had been ever
since he sat down.  A single tear rolled down my left cheek as I looked up
into his face.  "Thanks," I said, "just . . . I mean
. . .thanks," I ended in a whisper.
	He shrugged his shoulders, "The least I could do." And he
smiled.
	After another half an hour, the bus rolled to a stop and the bus
driver said, "Last stop, guys."
	Lance got up, roused Chris and Joey, and went into the back to tell
Justin and JC we'd arrived.  One by one the guys passed me and got off
the bus.  As Lance was just about to walk down the steps he turned to me,
"Well," he started, "are you coming or not?"
	I looked up at him, showing my hesitancy.
	He smiled, "They won't bite."
	I smiled back at him and stood up to follow him out, putting
Jason's ring in my pocket on the way.  When I got off the bus, the guys
were in a circle talking.  I hung on the outskirts until the circle broke
up.  Joey walked over to me and extended his hand again.  I shook it as he
said, "Nice to meet you, Luke."
	"Likewise," I managed to utter before he got into his car and
sped off.
	Chris waved to me before he went into the house, "Night,
Luke," he said.
	"Night," I called after him.
	Justin walked over to me and patted my shoulder, "I hope you get
to feelin' better, buddy."
	"Thanks,"I said as my eyes darted away from his.
	Then JC came up to me.  He said, "Just don't kill him, okay?
I mean, where are we gonna find another bass on such short notice?" he
laughed.
	I smiled, "I'm a bass." That made JC laugh even harder.
	"Don't mess with me, boy," Lance mock-threatened.
	"Night, Luke.  I'll see you tomorrow." JC smiled at me and
then walked into the house.
	"Come on, Luke," Lance said.  "My car's over here."
We walked to his car, and he put his luggage in.  I got into the passenger
seat and fastened my seatbelt.  He got in, did likewise, and we sped away.
	The car wasn't silent for very long.  Lance looked over at me
and smiled, "A little star-struck, huh?" he asked.
	I looked up at him in astonishment.  "Am I really that
obvious?" I asked him.
	He nodded.  "It's all right.  I understand.  But you gotta
loosen up around them.  They're just normal people like you and me.
They're good kids, Luke.  They'll get used to you."
	"Lance," I started, "I don't really know how to bring
this up.  It's just that, I don't have anywhere to go right now, and
. . ." I slowed down, as speaking was becoming increasingly more
difficult, " . . . and I don't know how . . .how long I'm gonna
need a place . . .I mean . . I don't know exactly how long . . .how long
I'll be . . .be needing a place to stay." I tried to take some deep
breaths to calm myself down.  I had been crying altogether too much today.
	Lance smiled as he kept his eyes on the road.  "Don't worry
about that right now okay, Luke?  We'll cross that bridge when we get
there."
	I smiled at how selfless he was being for me.  I knew he and I'd
be really good friends, given time.  "Where's your next concert,"
I asked trying to lighten the mood.
	"Management gave us a couple weeks vacation.  Sort of a chance
to get away from the constant pressures of tour-life." I nodded.
"Where do you like to go to `get away from it all'?"
	"I really like the beach," was all that I said.
	He looked at me quizzically for a second, then quickly looked back
towards the road.
	We pulled into Lance's driveway and got out.  He got his
suitcase from the back of his 4Runner and went to unlock the front door.
He was fumbling with his keys and the suitcase, so I took his case from him
and he smiled up at me.  As we got inside he asked me, "Do you want some
coffee or something?  I mean, you must be freezing.  You're soaking
wet."
	"So are you," I pointed out.
	"Well yeah, but you were out there for hours."
	I shook my head, "No, I just really want to go to bed."
	He nodded.  "I'll lend you some clothes for tonight and
tomorrow.  They should just about fit.  We'll go shopping for you
tomorrow."
	"No," I started, "I can . . .I can go get . . .some of my
. . .my clothes." I stuttered loathing the thought of having to see
Jason again.
	Lance, seeing my reluctance, changed the subject.  "Let me go
dump this in my room.  I'll get you some clothes, and you can get to
sleep." He pointed to a set of double doors, and I went over to them.
As I opened them, the largest bedroom I have ever seen was revealed.
	Lance smiled at my obvious display of approval.  "I'll be
right back," he said.
	I nodded as I entered the room.  The entire room was a cream color.
It had a king sized bed in the center, and a bigger closet than I'd ever
seen.  As I was looking around, Lance came back in with a pile of clothes
that he handed to me.  After recognizing the fact that he wasn't going
to leave, I excused myself to the adjoining bathroom to change.  In the
pile he had given me was a pair of boxers, some pajama pants, a pair of
jeans, and a t-shirt.  I slipped off my wet clothes and toweled myself off.
I put on the boxers, then the pajama pants, picked up my wet clothes, and
went back into the bedroom.
	As I came back into the bedroom I saw that Lance had taken a seat
on the bed as he'd waited.  I looked to him, to my wet clothes, and back
to him.  He smiled and said, "I'll wash those for you." And he
took them from me.
	"No," I said too loudly.  He looked startled.  "The ring
. . .the ring's in the pocket of my khakis."
	He nodded, found the ring, and handed it back to me.
	I thanked him and set the ring on the night table next to the bed.
	He slowly looked up at me and asked, "Do you want to talk about
it?"
	I shook my head.  "I just wanna get some rest."
	He nodded.  "I'll see you in the morning, then," he said
as he walked out of the room and shut the door behind him.  I climbed into
bed and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
	Lance shut the door to the guest room and walked into the kitchen
to get a drink.  "Now why on earth would he have a man's wedding
ring?" he thought to himself as he closed the fridge.  He shrugged his
shoulders as he walked into the living room and sat on the couch.  Lance
was always too excited after shows to go right to sleep.  He picked up the
book he was currently reading and opened it.  But apparently, Lance was
more tired than he thought he was, for in the next 10 minutes, he fell
asleep.
	Lance awoke with a start a few hours later.  He looked at his
watch, and it read 3:12.  "I should get to bed," he said aloud as he
got off the couch.  He thought he'd better check in on me to see if I
was all right before he turned in for good.  He walked over to the guest
room and opened the door quietly.  He saw the covers to the bed were
rumpled, but I wasn't in them.  Thinking I must be in the bathroom, he
went over and knocked on the door.  When he didn't hear me answer he got
a little worried.  He opened the bathroom door and found that I wasn't
there either.
	He practically ran through the house trying to find me.  He stopped
in the foyer to catch his breath.  "Shit,"he said to himself.
"Shit," he repeated, "he's gone."

To Be Continued . . . . .:)

Feel free to e-mail me at Lauren2993@aol.com to tell me what you think.
Since this is my first story, I'd appreciate
advice/suggestions/rants/raves/money . . .whatever your little heart
desires.  Also, as you know by now the story's set in Orlando . . .just so
none of you are startled, I moved it to another part of Florida for the
good of the story.  I plee poetic license . . .have a nice day.  -Lauren