Jack couldn’t remember feeling so carefree in weeks.  >From its inception, the relationship with Alan seemed to weigh him down.  The guilt of lying to his friends and his family coupled with the extreme measures he took to avoid further contact with the senior Matthews closed in on him at times.  The fear of getting caught, of the disappointed looks on Eric and Shawn’s faces haunted during his waking hours and plagued him in his dreams.  The fact that the son of his lover was slow dancing with him, nuzzling his neck and holding him so close he wasn’t sure where he ended and Eric began should have been frightening, but it wasn’t.

 Would you dance
if I asked you to dance?
Would you run
and never look back?
Would you cry
if you saw me cry?
And would you save my soul, tonight?

Jack looked into Eric’s big brown eyes, the same eyes that always smiled at him.  Eric cupped his face in his hand and brought his lips to Jack’s.

Would you tremble

if I touched your lips?
Would you laugh

Oh please tell me this.

Now would you die

for the one you loved?

Hold me in your arms, tonight.


Jack parted his lips inviting the kiss to deepen.  The two swayed slowly back and forth on the dance floor lost in each other’s arms, surrendering to the passionate kiss between them.  The sound of cheers and catcalls transported the two back to the dance floor where judging by the appreciative whistles and applauds the two had put on quite a show.  Eric beamed with pride while Jack blushed.

“You’re not into PDA’s are you?” Eric asked, leading Jack away from the dance floor.

“PDA’s?” Jack asked confused.

“Public displays of affection,” Eric explained with a wink.

“Er…no.  I’m usually the guy screaming out ‘Get a room’,” Jack answered.

“Would you like to?”

“Like to what?” Jack asked.

“Get a room.” Eric smiled slyly.

Jack heard his mouth say yes before his mind could mull it over.

I can be your hero, baby.
I can kiss away the pain.
I will stand by you forever.
You can take my breath away.


Jack followed Eric out into the crisp night. They both got into their cars and Eric led the way.  The way he was driving brought home the earlier conversation about Eric being familiar with the area.  Eric led them away from the busy streets to a long stretch of quiet road.  A good forty-five minutes later, they were pulling into the parking lot of a non descript motel.  Eric spent much of the drive watching Jack’s car through the rearview mirror, fearful he would veer off at any moment in a sudden change of heart.

Jack pulled up next to Eric who was already out of his car.

“Wait here,” he ordered and disappeared into the motel’s main office.

A quiet panic suddenly befell Jack. “You’re digging yourself in deeper,” he whispered into the cool night air.  The sudden urge to hop in his car and flee was all consuming.  Eric approached whistling but stopped abruptly when he read the myriad of expressions passing over his would be lover’s face.

“They’ve got cable,” he said cheerfully, “and a place that delivers pizza all night.  We could just hang out.”

“Was I that obvious?” Jack asked.

“Mmm hmm.”

Eric and Jack held hands as they walked the brief distance to the room.

“It’s not as bad as I expected,” Eric said looking around warily.

“It’s not as good as I had hoped either,” Jack replied.

Securing the door behind him, Eric sat on the full sized bed and studied the pizza menu the night clerk had given him.

“Pepperoni or plain,” he asked without looking up.

“Depends,” Jack smiled waiting to get his friend’s full attention.

“On what?” Eric finally asked.

“Are we kissing or not.”

Jack stepped between Eric’s legs and watched in amusement as his sandy haired friend tossed the menu aside and reached up for him.  Grasping both of Jack’s hands in his own he pulled him down on top of him and kissed him deeply before rolling them both over so that he could be on top.  Jack’s smile faltered as he recalled the boy’s father doing the same exact move the night they made love.

“Nothing has to happen Jack,” Eric stated observing the change in his friend’s expression.

“I’m sorry Eric.  I don’t mean to send off mixed signals.”

“I know,” Eric reassured, kissing the teen lightly on the bridge of his nose. “So how about that pizza?” Eric said cheerily, disguising his disappointment.

“Sounds great,” Jack replied, attempting to keep the mood light himself.

Eric rolled off his friend and grabbed the phone on the nightstand.  “Find something on the TV,” he ordered as he waited for someone to take his order. “Preferably porn.”

Jack smiled and flicked through the stations.  He found an old horror flick and settled for that.

“Hi, I’d like to order a pie.  Half pepperoni and half plain.”

Eric winked at Jack as he continued the order.  As Jack kicked off his shoes and joined his friend on the bed, he considered how wise Eric’s order was.  If he got his nerve up, there’d be four slices of cold pepperoni pizza left for breakfast tomorrow.