Alright everyone, here we go again. This story is a complete work of fiction, and is not meant to imply anything about anyone. While some of the characters may be loosely based on real people that I know, none are meant to actually represent anyone, particularly any of the members of the Backstreet Boys. We may wish that they were gay, and maybe some of them even are, but I'm certainly not about to say that they are. :) If any of them happen to be reading this (hey, we can dream can't we?), feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you think.
As usual, if you are offended or made uncomfortable by material concerning sexual relations between consenting adult men, lighten up or go somewhere else. Also, if it is in any way illegal for you to be reading this type of thing, please don't. Or do, just don't get caught.
I've received a lot of very positive emails about the story. Everyone seems to be enjoying it, and I'm really glad. I'm trying to make it as realistic as possible, and input from readers is really helping. I realise that there hasn't been any sex yet, but I assure you that it is coming. I want to focus on beginning a relationship between Brian and Nate, rather than simply having them jump into bed together. Again, the majority of the letters I've received have been supportive about this decision. I thank everyone for their input, and encourage you to let me know what you think of the coming chapters.
Again, this is my first time writing a story like this, and it's also my first time letting other people read anything that I've written, so I appreciate any and all comments (good and bad) that any of you may have. If they're bad, please support your opinions so that I can improve.
Drop me a line at DLS_stories@hotmail.com
Enjoy!
Brian & Me
by DLS
PART VI
I stretched and took a deep breath as I walked off of the plane. After the dry, recirculated air of the cabin, the smog of L.A. was almost a welcome change.
I quickly made my way to the baggage area of the airport and grabbed my luggage. As I was turning around, dreading facing the crowds of people trying to get cabs outside, I was surprised to see a small white card with my name on it. While I was still trying to figure out what was going on, I heard a familiar laugh.
"Come on, Nate! Don't just stand there looking dumb! Get your ass in gear!" Andrea laughed, grabbing one of my bags and tossing the card in the trash can.
"You're something else, you know that? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the office or something?" I asked, still taken aback by her being there.
"I haven't seen you in months, and you really expect me to just go to work instead of hanging out with you? You've been away too long," she grinned, pulling me toward the doors. "Come on, the van's this way."
The ride home was a short one, but it gave us some time to catch up a little bit.
"So," Andrea asked as she pulled out into traffic. "How was Toronto? Did you see any of the old gang?"
"Actually, I did. I hung out a bit with Jeff and Cindy. The baby is really growing. They wanted to know when you were coming up to visit them. Oh, and I had dinner a couple of times with Arron. He says hi, by the way."
"Man, I haven't seen them in ages. I guess I'll have to take a trip up next time I get a break at work," she said with a sigh.
"Well, you've got a place to stay," I said, smiling over at her.
We spent the rest of the trip back to the condo just chatting about old times in university, and what our group of friends had been up to since. Before I knew it, we were pulling into the driveway.
"Ah, home sweet home," I said, wiping a pretend tear from my eye with a smile.
"You're such a dumbass," Andrea laughed. "But it really isn't the same around here with you gone. Just feels like something's missing."
I was touched by that. I really missed living with Andrea too, but I belonged in Toronto. "Well, you could get a new roommate, you know."
"Well I COULD, but where would I find one so pretty?" she joked. "Besides, it's our place. You still own half of it."
"You could get a dog or something," I suggested.
"Are you kidding? Just look how long it took me to housebreak you!" she laughed.
Andrea unlocked the front door and threw my bag down on the floor of the living room. Everything was exactly as I remembered it. She hadn't changed a thing. I grabbed the bag that she had dropped and made my way down the hall to my room.
After setting everything down, my eye caught a set of pictures that were tacked to my wall. I walked over to them with a sigh. They were the autographed pictures that the guys had given me after their concert. I laughed a little at the one of Brian. There was a small hole right between his eyes where Andrea had thrown a dart at it one night months ago. I felt bad about it now, but it had been damned funny at the time.
"Are you still thinking about that night?" I heard Andrea ask from the doorway.
I turned to face her. "Actually, I was thinking of the night you put that hole between his eyes," I laughed. "Now I'm going to have to ask for a new picture."
"What?"
"That's one of the things we have to talk about," I said, turning her around and leading her back to the kitchen.
"I hear you had a bit of trouble with the Backstreet Boys after I moved," I said as I set about making us some coffee.
"How did you find out about that? I never told you about that."
"Well, I'm going to tell you, if you give me a chance," I laughed. "But first I have to tell you about what happened after I was on The Rosie O'Donnell show."
"Thank god! I've been wondering what happened, but I didn't want to upset you by asking. And when you never mentioned it, I just figured it wasn't good."
"I figured as much when you didn't ask. I didn't really want to talk about it over the phone."
"So what happened? I just about died when I saw that they were the mystery guests that day." I nodded to let her know that I had felt about the same. "Remind me later to kick your ass for that stunt with Rosie and the phone call too, by the way," she said, opening the fridge and pulling out some food for lunch.
I laughed. "Hey you deserved it, but that's a bit off-topic. After my interview, I headed back to the green room to grab my stuff..."
I filled Andrea in on what had happened between me and Brian in the green room. She smiled and nodded her agreement when I told her about how I had treated him that afternoon, and cheered when she found out I had made him cry.
When I told her about how Nick had shown up at my hotel and had dinner, she interrupted me by whistling.
"Ooooh. Dinner with Nick," she said with a smile.
"Calm down, you hornball," I laughed. "It was just dinner. Besides, he came to talk about Brian." That drew a frown from Andrea.
I explained to her what Nick had told me, and why Brian had reacted to me the way that he had. By the time I had finished, there was no longer any trace of a smile on Andrea's face. I could tell that she felt really bad.
"So, I went down to the lobby, got Brian, and brought him up to my room. We talked everything out, and I made sure that he knew that I forgave him, and we settled it all. Then we agreed not to talk about it anymore, and just hung out and rented a movie. Brian wound up falling asleep on the couch, so Nick and I decided to let him stay there for the night." At this point, Andrea started whistling again.
"Oh please!" I cried. "He slept on the couch! Anyway, in the morning, we had breakfast and he saw me off at the airport. And now I'm going to have to ask him for another picture," I finished with a smile.
"Shit. If I hadn't been such a bitch to him, you two could have cleared all of this up months ago," Andrea said. "I'm so sorry Nate."
"For what? Being a friend? I didn't want to see him, and you knew that. Even if he had been able to call me, I wouldn't have spoken to him. You don't have anything to be apologising to me for," I said as I got up and gave her a hug. "Besides, you should save your apologies for Brian."
"Brian? What are you talking about?"
"He and the guys are supposed to be here in L.A. this week. They're shooting a video or something. We're all supposed to get together. I gave him this number. He said he'd call when they got in."
We both sat down at the table and started eating our lunches. Finally, Andrea just couldn't resist.
"So? Are you gonna put the moves on Brian?" she said with a devious smile.
I almost choked on my sandwich. When I had managed to swallow, I answered her. "Do you really expect me to go from hating him to dating him in just a couple of weeks?"
"Well, you said things were worked out, and there must be something there for him to feel so bad about hurting you in the first place," She argued.
I thought about that for a moment, and then shrugged. "I still think it's a bit early to be thinking that way," I said, taking another bite. As I chewed a slow smile spread across my face. "He does look damn fine in a towel, though." We both laughed.
PART VII
After I grabbed a nap and a quick shower, I had shaken off most of the grogginess of the plane trip. As I was getting dressed, I heard voices coming from the living room and headed that way.
As soon as I entered the room, I was swept up into a hug.
"Oh honey, it's so good to see you!"
"Hey mom!" I laughed, returning the hug. When Andrea's mother finally released me, I turned to her father and offered him my hand. "Hey dad! Good to see you again."
He ignored my hand and gave me a hug instead. "It's about time you came for a visit, son," he said. "I was beginning to think that you were never coming back."
"What, and miss all these hugs?" I laughed. I motioned for everyone to sit down so that we could catch up.
I told everyone everything that had been happening since the last time I had seen them. It was obvious that they were very proud of what I had managed to accomplish in the last year.
"I got your book the day it came out. I loved it!" Mrs. Cameron said, kissing me on the cheek.
"Oh! That reminds me," I said, jumping up off of the couch and running to my room. A few minutes later, I returned to the living room with three bundles, and handed one to each person in the room.
They each unwrapped an autographed copy of my book with a smile. I knew that they had probably each read it already, but they were the only family I had, and the publishers had given me several copies to distribute to my family and friends. I had written a personal note on each.
"Thanks son," Mr. Cameron said, looking at what I had written on his copy.
"No problem. I wanted you guys to get the first copies off the presses," I said with a smile. Just then my cell phone rang. I excused myself and walked into the kitchen.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Nate? It's Brian."
"Hey Brian! You guys in town?" I asked.
"Actually, we're about twenty minutes from landing. I'm calling from the plane."
"Wow, I don't think I've ever been called from an airplane before," I laughed.
"Listen, Nate. I was wondering if you would mind picking us up at the airport? I thought we could all have dinner or something. Andrea could come too, if she's not busy."
"Yeah, sounds like fun. Andrea's parents are here right now. I'll see if they want to come along."
"Sure," he said. "So I'll see you at the airport?"
"Yep, I'll just grab Andrea's keys and head out. It'll take me about half an hour to get there."
"Alright, then, I'll see you then. Bye Nate."
"Bye Brian," I said as I ended the call and walked back into the living room. Andrea asked who had been on the phone.
"That was Brian. He wants me to pick him and the guys up at the airport. He wanted to know if we all wanted to go and grab some dinner with them," I said.
"Sounds good, I guess," Andrea responded, throwing me her keys.
"Brian? Brian who?" Mrs. Cameron asked. I froze. I hadn't told them about what had happened between Brian and I in New York. As far as they knew, I was still mad at him.
"Well..." I started, but Andrea interrupted me.
"You go and get them. I'll fill them in on what's going on while you're gone."
"Okay. Thanks Andrea. I'll see you in about an hour or so," I said, heading out the door.
Even if I hadn't known where to go at the airport, I could have found the guys. I just needed to follow the screaming. When I rounded the corner and saw what was going on, I had to stop and laugh. They were surrounded on all sides by screaming girls, all of whom seemed to be shoving pieces of paper at them for autographs.
AJ looked up from his pen for a moment and spotted me laughing. A smile spread across his face as I waved. He waved back and nudged the rest of the guys, nodding his head in my direction. They all looked up and waved, before Kevin raised his hands, asking the mob for quiet.
When he had finally quieted them down enough to be heard, he announced that their ride was here, and that they had to be going. The girls didn't seem to like the news, but they did back off a little, allowing the boys to push a path through to me.
"Wow! Aren't you the Backstreet Boys? Can I have an autograph?" I asked in my best fawning fan voice.
"Shut up, you asshole!" AJ laughed, shaking my hand.
I shook hands all around the group, except for Brian. Instead of shaking my hand, he gave me a hug. "It's good to see you again," he said in my ear.
"You too," I replied, hugging him back.
"Break it up you two, we've got to get out of here!" Nick called, picking up his luggage.
Brian blushed and pulled away. He grabbed his own bags and they followed me out to Andrea's van. Everyone threw their bags in the back and piled in.
"SHOTGUN!" Nick yelled, jumping in the passenger side.
I laughed and started the van, pulling out and heading in the direction of the condo.
"So Nate, I hear you decided to forgive our friend here," AJ said, leaning over and messing up Brian's hair. Brian frowned at the memory of what had passed between us.
"Yeah. How could anyone stay mad at a face like that?" I laughed, looking in the rear view mirror at the guys.
Brian smiled at my comment. He leaned forward in his seat to that he could talk to me. "So did you talk to Andrea?" he asked.
"Yep. Everything's fine. She's really sorry for the way she treated you."
"No reason to be. She was mad. I understand."
"That reminds me," I said with a smile. "I'm gonna need a new autographed picture of you."
"Why?" he asked, looking up at me with a curious smile.
"You'll see when we get back to the house," I said, turning my attention back to the road.
Part VIII
I pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine, pausing to pop the back door open.
"Nice place," Kevin said, getting out and walking around to the back of the van.
"Thanks," I replied, getting out as well. "I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it."
The rest of the group got out of the van and grabbed their bags, and I led them to the front door. Opening it, I motioned them inside. "We've only got one guest room, but you can throw your stuff in there for now if you want."
I led them to the guest room and they all put their luggage on the bed. As we walked back out into the living room, Andrea came in from the kitchen.
"Everyone, this is Andrea. Andrea, this is Kevin, Nick, AJ, Howie, and I believe you've met Brian."
Andrea blushed and shook everyone's hands. "I'm really sorry about before, Brian. If I had known what was really going on, I wouldn't have been such a bitch," she said when she got to Brian.
"Don't worry about it," he said, giving her a smile to let her know that everything was okay.
I managed to direct everyone into the living room and got them all seated. "What happened to mom and dad?" I asked Andrea. "I was hoping that they would join us for dinner."
"Oh, they will. I filled them in on what was happening, and they're really looking forward to meeting everyone. They wanted to head home and change for dinner. We're supposed to give them a call when we decide where and when we're going."
"Great," I said. "Are any of you guys tired or hungry or anything?" I asked, turning to face the boys. None of them were hungry, as they had eaten on the plane, but they all decided that they could use a nap.
"Alright," I said, taking charge of the situation. "We've got three beds, including Andrea's and mine, so that takes care of three of you. The other two can stay on the two couches here. While you're resting, Andrea and I are going to do a little shopping."
"We are?" she asked, looking up at me.
"Yep. I haven't hit the mall in a long time, and I've got money just burning a hole in my pocket," I said with a smile.
"I call dibs on a bed!" Nick yelled, standing up. Kevin and AJ did the same.
"I'm good right here," Howie said, lying down on the newly vacated couch.
"Me too," Brian said, claiming the other one.
"Okay then. AJ, you're in my room, Kevin you can take the guest room, and Nick, you're in Andrea's room," I said, showing them to each room. "We'll be back in a while. Make yourselves at home if you wake up before we get back."
The guys all thanked Andrea and I and headed to their respective rooms. I grabbed Andrea's keys and pulled her out the door.
We got back a little over two hours later, and all of the guys were still asleep. I pulled into the driveway in the car I had rented, and Andrea pulled in behind me. I figured that since Andrea had to work, I was going to need some other form of transportation for the week. I grabbed my bags from the back seat and headed for the door, Andrea right behind me.
Seeing that no one was awake yet, Andrea and I made our way quietly into the kitchen and sat down, going over everything we had bought. Not long after, Brian entered the room, wiping at his eyes like a child.
"Hey," he whispered, coming and sitting down. "I don't suppose a guy could get a cup of coffee around here, could he?" he asked with a smile.
"Sure," I said. I got up and started a pot, guessing that the rest of the boys would want some too. Remembering that Nick preferred tea, I searched for the tea bags and started the kettle boiling as well.
"Sleep well?" Andrea asked Brian, who still looked like he was half-asleep.
"Yeah. I hate flying, so I can never get a good sleep on a plane. I just sort of tossed and turned all the way here," he said. "At least I usually have Nick to talk to."
"He doesn't like to fly either?" I asked, sitting back down.
"Nope, I hate it," Nick said from the doorway. He too came into the room and took a seat at the table. "That's one comfortable bed you got there, Andrea."
"You're not the first guy to say that!" I laughed.
"Nate!" Andrea said, slapping me in the shoulder and trying not to smile.
"Kidding, kidding," I said. "Most of the guys don't even get to sleep." I jumped up off of my chair before she could hit me again. Brian and Nick were still laughing.
I grabbed the pot of coffee and poured Brian and I a cup. Andrea didn't drink coffee or tea, so I grabbed her a bottle of water out of the fridge. Then I went back to the stove and took the kettle off the burner, pouring the water into the tea pot and adding the tea bag. I grabbed an empty mug and set it and the pot in front of Nick.
"Thanks man," he said, waiting for it to steep.
The smell of coffee seemed to do the trick on the rest of the guys. Kevin and Howie joined us in the kitchen a few minutes later, and AJ wasn't far behind them. He came into the kitchen with a yawn and a huge grin on his face.
"What are you smiling about?" Kevin asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee.
"Well, I just found out why Nate needs a new picture of Brian," he said, turning his smile on me. I felt a blush rise on my face.
"Why?" Brian asked, noticing my embarrassment.
"Go look for yourself, B," AJ said, grabbing a mug. "On the wall in Nate's room.
All of the guys were curious, so everyone moved towards my bedroom.
"Nice shot Nate!" Kevin laughed when he saw the hole in the picture. Howie and Nick started to laugh too. Brian just looked down at his feet.
"Actually, I didn't do it. Andrea did," I said, walking over to Brian. I leaned over and whispered in his ear. "Don't worry about it. Everything is fine now. That happened months ago."
"I'm just so sorry," he said quietly, still looking at the floor.
"I know you are, but please try and forget it." I pulled Brian to me and gave him a hug, trying to show him that it really was fine. I looked up and caught Howie looking at us. He didn't look happy.
I released Brian and patted him on the back. "So now you see why I need a new picture?" I asked the room. Everyone nodded except Nick. He was still laughing. He collapsed on my bed, holding his sides. After his laughter subsided, he made himself more comfortable. He rolled onto his side, and seemed like he was about to fall asleep again.
"Mmmm...you've got a comfortable bed too, Nate," he said, closing his eyes.
"And you're not the first guy to say THAT," Andrea chimed in, starting Nick laughing again. "Come on, sleepy-head. We've got dinner plans to make," she said, leaning over and grabbing Nick's ear, dragging him out of the bed.
We all moved back into the living room. As we did, I noticed that Howie's frown had turned into a scowl.
PART IX
Andrea's parents were meeting us at the restaurant. The guys all fidgeted in their seats on the ride over. They were all a little nervous about meeting my 'adoptive' parents, especially Brian. He knew that Andrea had explained things to them, but he was still unsure about what they would say.
As it turned out, his worrying was for nothing. Andrea's parents had stood by me when I came out, and understood (as much as anyone who has never had to come out can, I suppose) how hard it was to do. Because of this, they had understood why Brian had acted the way he had.
No one mentioned the incident in the diner, but I noticed mom and dad both going out of their way to make Brian and the guys feel at ease, and my heart thanked them for it.
Dinner lasted a little over an hour, as there was a lot to talk about. Andrea and her parents wanted to hear all about the Backstreet Boys, everything from how they had formed the group to what they were up to in L.A., and the boys wanted to talk about what the Cameron clan did for a living, and how they had come to meet me, and everything else they could think of to ask.
By the time dessert was served, everyone was pretty much caught up. "So you guys sort of adopted Nate, right?" Nick asked before sampling his dessert.
"I guess you could say that. He became like a son to us while he and Andrea were still in university. He used to come with her to visit us at the holidays and everything. It took him a little longer to adopt us, though," Mrs. Cameron said, turning her smile in my direction.
"I wanted to, but for a long time it seemed like I would be betraying my parents, you know? I was the only child, and it seemed disrespectful to replace them. Finally I realised that I couldn't replace them and that they would want me to be happy, so it seemed right somehow," I said. I knew that the Camerons understood.
"Hey! What about Robbie? How's he doing?" AJ asked.
Andrea and her parents stopped smiling and looked at me. Already, the tears were starting.
"Hell man, sorry. What did I say wrong?" AJ looked concerned, as did Brian and Nick and Kevin.
"Nothing, AJ. It's okay. I just haven't seen Robbie since the book was bought," I said, trying to keep from crying.
"Why not? What happened?" Brian asked, leaning across the table towards me. I couldn't answer him. Mrs. Cameron leaned over and took my hand.
"After the book was picked up by the publishers, the local newspaper did a story about Nate," she said sadly. "They had managed to get a copy of the essay that Nate wrote to win the tickets to your show, and asked him about it. Basically, they outed him. When Robbie's mom read the article, she called the Big Brothers offices and told them that she didn't want her son anywhere near Nate anymore, and refused to let him see Robbie."
"Oh hell, Nate. I'm sorry, that's horrible."
I had managed to calm down a little bit, so I nodded to let AJ know that it was alright.
Sensing my discomfort, Kevin tried to change the subject. "So what are you doing now, Nate?" he asked. "Are you working on a new book?"
I wiped my eyes and smiled up at him. "Well, not exactly. I know what the next one is going to be about, and I have a rough plan, but right now I'm taking some time to work out a few ideas before I actually sit down to write anything. I'm on vacation for the rest of this week, and then I'm planning to knuckle down and start working."
"Cool. What's it going to be about?" he asked.
"Well..."
"He doesn't like to talk about works in progress, Kev," Brian said, coming to my aid.
"Oh, okay. I didn't know," Kevin apologised.
"No problem, Kevin. I just don't want to jinx anything before I really get started. I'm told Brian is the same way with songwriting."
Brian just grinned at me and finished eating.
"So are you going to be staying in L.A. to write it, or are you going to be heading back to Toronto?"
"Actually, I'm not really sure about that. With my laptop, I can pretty much work anywhere. I can get my writing done, and email my publisher the pages and everything. I essentially carry my office with me," I said. "I was planning on hanging around here for a while, and then probably heading back. Wouldn't want to miss winter in Canada," I smiled.
"No, wouldn't want to miss that," Kevin said sarcastically.
After everyone was finished with their dessert, the guys announced that they were going to head back to their hotel. They had a photo shoot in the morning, and wanted to get to bed. Mom and dad said their goodbyes to everyone, giving Andrea and I each a hug, and then left.
We piled back into the van and headed back to the house so the guys could get their things.
After dropping Andrea off, we headed to the hotel. I drove around to the back entrance so that no one would see them get out of the van, and pulled up to the service door. Kevin, Nick and AJ all said goodnight and ran to the entrance, pulling it open and dashing inside with a wave. Brian, who had called shotgun before Nick could, told me that he would give me a call later in the week, then he too got out of the van and ran for the hotel.
Howie didn't say anything as he got out. I turned my head to look at him. "See you later Howie," I said, offering him a smile.
Nothing. He didn't saw a word. He just pulled the side door shut and made his way to the door, which Brian was holding for him.
'What the hell is his problem?' I wondered as I pulled away and headed for home.
To Be Continued...
Okay, that's it for this part. Please let me know what you think. Everyone's opinion is welcome and wanted.
Email me at DLS_stories@hotmail.com
Thanks for reading! :)