Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 16:51:20 EST From: Cameron J Subject: Mile High Meeting-Chapter 9 Well, here's chapter 9 of MHM. I got some great e-mail after the last chapter, and they are greatly appreciated. Please keep them coming! (glenwoodbronco@hotmail.com) This story is not meant to imply anything about the sexuality of any person, place, or thing. If you are too young to be reading this, then don't. I would hate to be responsible for anyone who shouldn't be here. I have enough problems as it is :) Mile High Meeting-Chapter 9 I woke up a couple hours later, but it appeared that I would be the only one. Nick didn't move a muscle as I moved his arm and got out of bed. I walked downstairs slowly, not wanting to make any noise. Apparently, Brian wasn't awake either, so I tried to be as quiet as possible. I went into the kitchen, searching for some food, but there wasn't much there to pick from. I was planning on making dinner, but I didn't have enough to work with. I was going to order some food, but I didn't really know what the guys liked, so I decided against that as well. Instead, I walked out on the deck, and sat down to spend some time by myself. It had been a couple days since I came to this place, and a lot had happened. I wasn't really sure what to make of it all, but it was nice to have a little time to myself while Nick and Brian were sleeping. I had absolutely no idea how we were going to be able to maintain a relationship when we were going to be in different places all the time. I remembered a girlfriend I had in high school, and the troubles we had when I moved across the state to go to college. Perhaps the relationship didn't work because I wasn't really interested in making it work, but I think the main reason it failed was because of the distance between us. I was a lot more mature now, and I thought I would be far more capable of being in a long-distance relationship, but I still worried about our future. I didn't know if I would be capable of sustaining the relationship, but I was quickly reminded of why I was going to give it everything I had when I felt two hands on my shoulders. "Hey there," Nick said to me, pushing his hands down my chest as he kissed me on the top of my head. "How long have you been out here?" "Not all that long. I didn't want to wake you, but I didn't feel like sleeping anymore. I was going to make something for dinner, but..." "But you couldn't find anything in the kitchen?" Nick asked, causing me to nod. "We haven't really had a chance to do any shopping." "Nick, can we talk for a bit?" I asked, changing the subject. "Sure we can, Cam. What's bothering you?" Nick asked as he sat down next to me. "I know that we talked about this briefly, but I want to know where you see this relationship going. What is going to happen when we are several time zones apart? How are we going to keep this together?" Nick thought about it for a moment, before speaking. "I really don't know, Cam. I have to admit that I haven't really thought about it much. I just know that I have to be with you. It isn't really a matter of me wanting to be with you. I need it. I can't imagine being apart from you now that we are a couple." "I can't imagine it either. At times I wish that I could just abandon my life, and go with you wherever you go, but I know I can't do that. After all, who's going to support you when your popularity finally wears off?" I asked, chuckling. "I wouldn't ask you to give up your life, Cam, because you have such a bright future ahead of you. I know that you are going to accomplish everything you have talked about, and I don't want to stop you from doing that. I just know that we will figure something out. We were meant to be together, Cam. I just know that." With that, I turned to Nick, kissing him. It wasn't the most passionate kiss we had shared, but it was one of the most meaningful. It was a kiss that reassured both of us that things were going to be okay. I touched his face with my hand as we continued to kiss, and I was soon running my fingers through his hair. After a few moments, we ended the kiss, and Nick moved over to sit on my lap. It was a large chair, so there was plenty of room for both of us. I put my arms around Nick, and we stayed in that position until Brian, who was still half asleep when he caught my attention, interrupted us. "Nick, I don't think we are alone," I whispered. "So? Let him watch." "I don't think that is a good idea, dear. We should go in to see how he is doing. We will have plenty of time to ourselves later." I said, as Nick stood up. We walked back inside, to see Brian looking around the kitchen for something to eat. "B, I think you have to actually buy something before it will appear in the kitchen," I commented. "That's a good point. What are we going to do for dinner?" "I was going to fix a meal, but I couldn't find anything. Perhaps we should order in, or we need to go shopping," I responded, joining Brian in the kitchen. "Well, do you like Chinese, Cam?" Brian asked. "Sounds really good to me. I'll look to see if there is a Chinese restaurant around here," I said, looking for a phone book. A few minutes later, I found a place, and soon I was calling in the order. When the person on the phone asked for a name, I froze for a second. You never know who may recognize their names, so I used mine instead. "The last name for the order is Walker," I said, causing both Brian and Nick to look up. I had completely forgotten that neither of them knew my last name. I smiled at them as I gave the order taker the room number, thanking him, and then hanging up the phone. "Walker? I guess I forgot to ask," Nick said, sounding almost embarrassed. "I hadn't thought about it either, so don't feel too bad," I said. "I guess we just had other things on our mind." Brian looked uncomfortable after hearing that, so I reassured him that it wasn't what it sounded like. He just shrugged his shoulders, trying to appear as if it didn't matter to him. The food arrived a short while later, and I insisted on paying for the meal. "Cam, you can let us pay for something once in a while," Nick commented as I placed the food on the dining room table. "I know that, but it just wouldn't feel right. I feel like it is something I should do." "We feel the same way, Cameron, so you'll just have to get over it," Brian insisted. "We aren't exactly broke, so we like to pay on occasion as well." "I will take that into consideration, guys. It just may take some getting used to." Dinner went well, and Brian seemed to be much more comfortable around us than he was earlier. I could tell that he was still holding back a bit about something, but I didn't want to pry, and ruin what had otherwise been a good day. We sat talking for a while before Nick suggested we pay a visit to the pool. It sounded like a good idea to me, but I didn't have any swimwear with me. Nick solved the problem by telling me that he had an extra pair of trunks that I could wear. I couldn't resist that, so I agreed. We went upstairs, and Nick pulled out two pair of shorts, and told me to pick the ones I wanted. I chose the black ones, and went to the bathroom upstairs to change. It only took a few minutes, and when I returned, I saw Nick pulling up his trunks. 'If only I had been a few seconds earlier' I thought to myself, causing me to smile. "Why are you smiling?" Nick asked. "Oh, no reason," I answered. "Uh-huh. I know what you were thinking, boy. Maybe I waited until I heard the door open to finish dressing just to tease you," Nick suggested. Damn! The boy knew me too well. Apparently, our minds worked in similar ways. "Oh, please. You haven't got anything that I want to see," I said, joking. "I will remember that," Nick threatened. "You may regret making that comment." "I already do," I admitted. Nick just grinned, and bounded down the stairs. I was close behind, and we got to the bottom of the steps just as Brian walked down the hallway, and we discovered that two bodies couldn't occupy the same place at the same time. I ran into Brian, knocking him down. I reached down to help pull him up. "We really have to stop meeting like this," I joked. "Are you okay?" "I'm fine," he said, smiling. "You?" "It's all good. Sorry about that, but it is hard to keep up with Nick." "I know what you mean," Brian responded, looking over at Nick. "You two always find a way to blame me, don't you?" Nick said. "Well, we certainly wouldn't blame ourselves. That would be silly," I declared. Nick just shook his head. He then went over to the closet to grab three towels, then handing Brian and I one. He then went out the front door, and turned around to see if we were going to follow. I went first, and gave Nick a quick kiss as I walked up to him. I took his hand, and led him down the stairs. I quickly let go as we met someone in the stairwell, but as soon as she passed, I took hold again. I hated doing that, but didn't want to risk anything by tipping her off. Nick inserted the keycard into the door when we arrived at the pool house, and lucky for us, there were no other people there. I noticed on a sign that the pool closed in twenty minutes, but I had a feeling that we would be allowed to stay in a bit longer once it was discovered that world-famous singers were making use of the facility. I was the first to shed my shirt and dive in, with Nick and Brian following suit. I swam around in the deep end for a moment before Nick joined me out there. "We're getting wet a lot lately," Nick observed. "Are you complaining?" "Certainly not," Nick responded. "You look fantastic when you are wet. Even your hair looks cute when it is standing on end," He said, laughing. "My hair is not standing on end," I said, defending myself. I had fairly short hair, and didn't think it could be that bad. Nick then proceeded to mess up my hair. "It is now," he said as he swam off. I took off in the same direction, and caught up to him about halfway across the pool. "Are you saying something about my hair? At least I try to keep it neat. And by the way, what was up with that ponytail? I didn't like that at all." "Have you been stalking me?" Nick asked. "No, but I have seen the pictures. I do have to say that I like your hair short. It is quite sexy. Of course, the tattoos are pretty nice too. I would never get one, but I do like yours." "Why thank you Cameron. I got them just for you," he said, lying. "Gee, thanks I didn't know that you could see into the future, but thank you." Apparently, Nick had decided that we had spoken enough, and it was time to enjoy himself. The first item on the itinerary was to make sure that I knew what the bottom of the pool looked like. He used his leg to knock mine out from underneath me, then pushing me down. I broke his grip, but remained underwater long enough to swim between his legs. As my head passed through, I quickly stood up, raising him out of the water on my shoulders, surprising him. "What was that all about?" I asked as I tried to catch my breath. "Well, lets see. I think it may have had something to do with you pushing me into the freezing cold water of the Colorado River, risking my life," he said, about half serious. "Oh, that. Well, I guess we are even then." "Not quite, Cam-o," Nick informed me. "This wasn't even close to the same thing. Paybacks really are a bitch." "Oh, goodie," was all I could say. "However, I must say that the view from up here is quite good. I can almost see to Denver," Nick commented, still on my shoulders. At that moment, I looked over at Brian, who was sitting in the corner of the pool on the steps, watching us. I immediately felt bad, as we were completely ignoring him. I then went down in the water to have Nick climb down off me, then turning to him. "We have been ignoring Brian this whole time. We need to go over there and spend some time with him." "You're right. He does look pretty down," Nick said, looking past me to see Brian staring down at the water. "Nick, is he seeing anyone?" I inquired. "Not really. You've no doubt heard about his girlfriend, but they really aren't all that close. I think Brian just doesn't want to be bothered by the press, so he just plays along," Nick answered, looking at Brian again. "Well, let's go over there and talk to him," I suggested. We swam over to Brian, who looked up at us briefly as we came toward him, looking back down again. "Hey, Bri, what's wrong?" Nick asked. "Oh, nothing. Don't worry about it," Brian responded. "I think you know better than that. What's up?" "I just have a lot on my mind, Nick. I just don't want to talk about it right now." "Brian, you know we are both here for you," I added. "I can talk to you more objectively than Nick can, if you want to." "Actually, you can't." "What do you mean?" "Never mind. I appreciate your concern, and I may ask to talk to you later, but not right now, okay?" "Okay," I said. "So, are you just going to sit there, or are you going to try to have a good time?" "I don't know. You guys go on, and I may join you in a minute," Brian said, motioning to the other end of the pool. Nick started in that direction when Brian put his hand on my shoulder. "I would like to talk with you, if that's okay," Brian said quietly. "I just don't want Nick to know about it." I just nodded slightly, and then took off in Nick's direction. A short while later, an older man came in telling us that it was time for the pool to close. I was tired, so I wasn't going to argue, and the other two didn't complain either. We all got out of the pool, and headed back to their condo. The temperature had dropped considerably, so the walk back was quite cold. We all were shivering when we got inside, and I suggested that we took a dip in the hot tub in their condo. Surprisingly, Nick declined, but Brian agreed to it. Nick said that he wanted to dry off, but told us that we could go ahead if we wanted to. Brian and I headed out onto the deck where the hot tub was, and we stepped in. I patiently waited for Brian to speak, and it only took a minute or so for it to happen. "I've known that Nick was gay for over a year now, and it wasn't the easiest thing to handle. Of course, my beliefs dictate that homosexuality is wrong, but I just couldn't condemn Nick for the way he felt. I then did a lot of soul searching, and I discovered something about myself that shocked me. "I guess I had just been burying my feelings as far down as I could, but...I think I might be attracted to guys too. I know that I am still attracted to women, don't get me wrong, but I have had 'feelings' for men before." Brian admitted. I sat there for a moment, as a realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I suddenly had the feeling that I was one of those guys that he was attracted to. "Brian, what you're telling me isn't all that uncommon. I am sure that almost everyone has had feelings for members of the same sex. It doesn't necessarily mean anything." "That's not all," Brian said. Here we go. "I don't know quite how to say this, but one of the guys I have been attracted to is you." I closed my eyes for a moment, opening them to discover that Brian was looking away, with his eyes watering. "I don't really know what to say, Bri." "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you this," Brian apologized, feeling really bad about bringing it up. "No, I am glad that you are honest about it. I don't like it when people hold things back. I am just a bit surprised. You know that I am involved with Nick, and I care very deeply for him." "I know that, and I know that nothing is going to happen between us, but I just didn't want to hold this in anymore. I don't plan on doing anything to jeopardize your relationship. I just wanted you to know why I am acting this way." I moved closer to Brian as I spoke. "Bri, I am here for you...not in that way, but I am here to talk to you. I am no expert, but I don't think you are really attracted to me personally. I think this is just your body's way of letting out all the feelings you have been suppressing for all this time." Brian thought that that might be a reasonable explanation, and we talked about it for a while longer. Brian was quite confused, and I had my doubts that he was gay, but I was going to be there for him, just like I was there for Nick. We agreed that we were going to keep this conversation between us for now, but that didn't mean much, as Nick had overheard parts of the conversation. The screen door was open, and apparently we weren't speaking all that quietly. When we got out of the hot tub, and went inside, Nick was there waiting for us. "What the hell is going on?" Nick asked, demanding an answer. 'Damn,' I thought to myself. Neither one of them was ready for this, and I had a feeling that it was about to get ugly. "So, Brian, now you are trying to take Cam away from me?" Nick yelled. "Whoa, Nick. It isn't anything like that. You only heard about half the conversation," I said, pleading with Nick. "I heard enough. I finally found someone that I love, and now I find out that he wants you too? I can't compete with Brian. He always gets what he wants." Brian was quite upset by now, and it showed as he spoke. "Nick, I have no intention of taking Cameron from you. I was just telling him the way I felt, and it just slipped out that I was attracted to him. I am not even sure if I really am attracted to him, but I am dealing with a lot right now and I thought he would be the best one to talk to," Brian said, crying. "I know that it sounded really bad, but I am really confused right now, and you of all people should understand that!" Nick just stared at Brian for a minute, then looking at me. He didn't know whether to be pissed off, or sympathetic to the way Brian was feeling. After all, Brian was very supportive of Nick when he came out. "I just don't want to talk about this right now. I think we all need to get some sleep, and talk about this in the morning," Nick said, taking charge of the situation. I thought that sounded like a good idea, and I nodded my head. Brian also agreed, and Nick spoke to Brian briefly before he went to bed. "Brian, you know that we have been friends for a long time, and nothing will change that. I am just really upset right now, so let's just get through this later." With that, Nick hugged Brian. Brian then headed to his room, and we were left standing there. I felt really uncomfortable, and didn't know quite what to do. Nick started for the stairs, and noticed I wasn't following him. He returned to me, and took my hand. "Are you coming up?" Nick asked. "Yeah. Man, I wish it hadn't happened this way. Nick, it just that..." I started, but then I was interrupted. "Not now, Cam. I don't want to talk about it right now. Let's just go to bed." I followed him up the stairs, and I got undressed and got into bed. Nick went into the bathroom and returned a moment later, ready for bed. He got into bed, but kept his distance as he turned his back to me. I was hurt that he didn't want to be next to me, but I could understand. He was really upset, and just wanted some time to think. I knew that our relationship was very young, and I just prayed that it would be able to survive this turn of events. I shed a single tear as looked up at the ceiling. This never would have happened if I hadn't been here, and I hoped that I hadn't damaged their relationship. I looked over at Nick one more time, and then turned over, hoping that I would be able to sleep soon. That's it for Chapter 9...I know it's a bit different than the last few chapters, and I am not sure if I like the way it turned out, so let me know what you think! BTW...Cam's last name in the story is not my last name. Just thought I would share that with you... Thanks for reading!