Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2001 00:51:42 From: Jeff Langdon Subject: Westlife Romance - Chapter 25 This story is pure fiction and involves the members of Westlife. I am in no way implying anything about the sexuality of any of their members. This is purely a fictional story. Enjoy! I would really, really appreciate some feedback on the story...so please send any comments and/or suggestions to jeff_langdon@hotmail.com. I would love to hear from you!! * * * * * * * * * Westlife Romance - Part 25 Bryan looked at Nicky with such sad eyes that Nicky's heart ached. "Bryan...I'm sorry about what I said last night...I wasn't thinking...and..." "Things that you say when you're not thinking are also the truest things..." Bryan answered softly. "No," Nicky defended himself. "I had no right, Bryan. I never meant to hurt you, Bry...I would never do that..." Nicky felt horrible for what he put Bryan through, yet he knew that a simple 'sorry' rarely healed the wounds. "It's okay, Nicky," Bryan forced himself to say. He was lying through his teeth, but what else could he say? No matter what happened, he could never blame Nicky for what happened. Never. He only had himself to blame for being so impatient and blurting out his feelings before the right time. "I accept that fact that you don't love me," Bryan choked back his tears as he spoke. "At least you were honest with me and didn't lie to me..." Bryan's reassurances did little to resolve Nicky's guilt. "Bryan...you're a wonderful person...and anyone who has a boyfriend like you would be the luckiest person in the world. But you've got to understand that I can't take...or I just can't get myself into another relationship right now...I just can't..." Nicky was frustrated with himself. It seemed that there were so many things that he wanted to say but the right words just wouldn't come out. Now it was Bryan's turn to feel guilty. Why did he push Nicky? Bryan pulled Nicky into a hug and comforted his friend. "I'm sorry, Nix...I should've thought about how you were feeling...I'm sorry..." Nicky hugged his friend tightly. "It's okay. It's not your fault..." Bryan looked into Nicky's eyes with hope and longing. "So can we just forget about last night and still be best friends?" Nicky smiled and hugged Bryan once again. "Best friends always, Bryan. Always." Even though part of Bryan was crushed by Nicky's rejection of his love, another part of him was relieved that at least he didn't jeopardize his friendship. Bryan didn't know what he would do if Nicky wasn't part of his life anymore. By the time the rest of the lads woke up, breakfast was ready. The awkwardness between Bryan and Nicky was gone but in a way, the two lads were brought closer together than ever before. All this did not go unnoticed by the other lads, although no one said anything. However, Bryan was sure that he caught Kian's jealous eyes staring at him throughout breakfast. "Man, it feels good to have a nice breakfast," Mark announced happily after all the food was eaten. "Mark, at least you're an easy guy to please," Shane remarked. "All you have to do is stuff him with food, and he's happy!" Bryan and Nicky laughed at the comment, and eventually Mark joined in the laughter. "Hey, Nix, you hardly touched your food!" Mark exclaimed. "I'm not all that hungry. You want it?" Nicky answered. "Nah, I'm stuffed already!" "Nicky, how are you going to go through dance rehearsal afterwards if you don't eat some more?" Shane asked with concern. "We won't get lunch till about 2 or 3 in the afternoon." "I'll be fine. I really don't feel hungry. Don't worry, I'm okay!!" Nicky smiled. * * * * * * * * * True to Shane's word, rehearsal dragged on until 2 in the afternoon. Everyone complained and whined throughout rehearsal but still put in all their energy to finish their dance routines. When lunch time finally arrived, the lads stormed into the cafeteria like a pack of hungry wolves. Nicky and Shane were too tired to grab food, so they grabbed a seat first while the other three went to get their lunch. It took another five minutes before Mark, Kian, and Bryan showed up at the table. Bryan sat down beside Nicky and set down his tray. Nicky's eyes grew wide as he saw what Bryan bought for lunch. "You aren't seriously going to finish all that, are you??" Nicky asked incredulously. "With all that food, you'd think Bryan would whine less in dance rehearsal," Kian remarked. It wasn't an innocent remark for both Bryan and Nicky could detect a sense of sarcasm and bitterness in the tone. Nicky shot Kian a stern look while Bryan tried to hide his hurt feelings. He could feel Kian's negative attitude towards him. If only he could tell Kian that there was nothing between him and Nicky, then maybe Kian would quit singling him out. As he ate his food in silence, he felt Nicky's hand on his thigh. Looking over, he saw Nicky smile at him, and mouthing the words, "Don't mind him." Even though he knew that Nicky only wanted to comfort him and nothing more, Bryan could not help but smile knowing that Nicky actually cared about him. "Oh, I almost forgot!" Bryan suddenly exclaimed. "This pasta is for you, Nix. I know how you hate fish and chips." Again, he could feel Kian's jealous eyes bear down on him. "Thanks, Bry..." Nicky said appreciatively. By now, even Shane and Mark could feel Kian's negative feelings towards Bryan, but they didn't say a word. What surprised them more was how Nicky seemed to be totally ignoring Kian and focusing on Bryan. "I'll meet you back at the studio," Nicky said as he got up from the table. "I'm gonna take a trip to the washroom first." "But you haven't even finished your food!" Bryan said. "I'm full...I won't be able to sing afterwards if I'm too full." "Well, we'll see you in the studio then." Shane answered. Nicky walked down the hallway quickly and rushed into the washroom. Immediately, he went into a stall and locked it. He collapsed on the floor, weakened by the sharp and constant pain in his abdomen. He broke into a sweat and began to shake. After several minutes, he vomited violently. Even then, the pain didn't go away. Meanwhile, everyone was back at the studio and they saw that Nicky wasn't there. "Where is he?" Mark asked. "Let me go to the washroom and see if he's okay," Shane answered as he walked out of the studio and down the hallway towards the washroom. ...to be continued.... * * * * * * * * * Hope you enjoyed this segment. Let me know what you think!! I'd love to hear any comments/ideas/questions. Please e-mail me at jeff_langdon@hotmail.com.