This story is a work of fiction, and although it involves real people, their personalities, idiosyncrasies and sexual orientation are purely in the imagination of the author-namely moi. This is not to sound arrogant, because there are many other stories on the archive, and a great many of them are better than mine. Still, I will stand by this piece with the good ole copyright, blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda.
***The room is small and round, with a high domed roof. The stone walls have been patiently set, squared and smoothed. An elaborate fireplace nurtures a crackling fire, which emanates a warm glow, and soft light permeates the place entire. Polished cherry bookshelves-covered in large, leather-bound books-limn the walls, save that above the fireplace itself, which bears instead a large tapestry of a turquoise sea overflown by a young man (bearing a resemblance to myself at around 16) apparently out for a joyride on the back of a bright silver-and-gold dragon; the whole picture outlined with a border of red and gold.
On the cherry mantle below the tapestry, trophies, photos and momentos hold their place of honor, the warmth of their memories encompassing me.
Having selected once before a much larger volume, we settled for a smaller one and slumped back onto the large, plush, comfortable chair near the fireplace. Beside that maroon seat, a small cherry table bears a large steaming mug of mulled wine, the aroma of which fills the entire room, and a small oil lamp that has been placed so that the reader may do so unhindered in the soft light of the room. Our arms and souls entwined together, we both enjoy the closeness as we spoon into each other. On the floor, our wolflike akita, Buck, lounges lazily, watching us with golden eyes. Together, we read and revel in the relaxation we so seldom get. My left hand holds the book aloft, and with his right hand, he turns the pages. Outside the closed, curtained window guarded by two statues of black panthers (affectionately called Guenhwyvaar and Bagheera), the silent snow falls gently and the hours pass blissfully by.***
I awoke to the sound of the phone ringing. Strange, I didn't remember it jerking me awake, but more like a call. To quote one of my favorite books, "A Man Rides Through" by Stephen R. Donaldson, I felt as though I were "hearing horns." (I'm not gonna explain the whole thing. Read the book if you want to know more.) I answered the phone on the third ring that I heard. "Hello?"
"Ryan? You up," Justin's voice asked.
"Of course I am, you goof," I answered. "I'm speaking to you on the phone."
"Hardy har har har," he responded. Hmmm.. "I meant are you out of bed and able to meet us downstairs?"
I looked at my clock. 9:30! Shit! My flight was at 10:40, and I wasn't even packed yet. "Uh, not quite. I still gotta pack."
"What? What's you problem, man," he kidded.
"Look," I answered testily, "you want me to go faster, you get your ass up here and help!"
"Sure. I'll be up in a few minutes." He hung up, and I stared at the phone, disbelieving what just happened. -Nah-I told myself-he's just kidding, as usual.- But five minutes later, as I was just getting out of bed, sure enough a knock at the door pulled at me. I opened it, and Justin was waiting. Without my asking him to come in-I guess I already had-he burst in saying, "Let's go, man! Sheesh, I still don't unders-" he froze, looking at me.
I stared at him curiously, when I suddenly realized in shock what I was wearing: a small pair of boxers that barely restrained my morning hardon, which tented them out perpendicular to my chest. I flushed and ran into the bathroom saying, "I need a quick shower. Be right out!"
He chortled. "Better make it a quick one then, you horny punk!"
The door to the bathroom opened only enough for my hand-with only the center finger extended-to appear and then withdraw quickly. I turned on the water and once it was the right temperature, I hopped in. I washed my hair quickly and the rest of me, as well, and dried off. I grabbed the towel, wrapped it around my waist, and hurried out to the room to grab some underwear and pants. Justin was already piling clothes from my dresser drawers into my single bag (I didn't really bring all that much, but I can pack a lot into a small bag) and I snagged a pair of baby blue boxers from his hand as he was putting it into the bag. "Thanks," I quipped.
"No problem," he answered, snagging the corner of my towel and pulling quickly. I swore and pulled the boxers in front of me. "What the hell?!" He was laughing and said, "Fair trade!"
I backed up to the bathroom and put on the boxers before stepping back out. "Can I just get some clothes, please," I asked.
He shook his head.
"I can't exactly fly home like this, now can I?"
He nodded, an enormous grin on his face. I started to get a little ticked. I mean, I appreciate a good joke, and I guarantee in Justin's place, I would've done the same thing, but I was gonna be late! "Dammit, Justin," I began before another knock shut me up. I opened the door, and a bright flash of light stunned me. There were the rest of the gang, doubling over. Lance was holding a camera.
Justin walked over to the group. "Told you it'd be easy," he said casually, nudging me playfully on the shoulder.
I glared at him. "That's not fair! You, you." I didn't know what to say.
He snickered. "You should've gotten the shot when I just got in," he informed them. I lunged at him quickly, trying to cover his mouth before he blurted out the rest of it. I had my almost nude body pressed against him, with my face very close to his and one hand on his mouth when suddenly another flash from the side caught me off guard.
"Woo hoo," Lance yelled. "Justin's mom is gonna LOVE this one!"
Now Justin lunged for Lance, who dodged out of the way and hauled ass down the hall, laughing. Justin chased him, and I looked after them, feeling kinda confused. I turned to the other three. "Well," I awkwardly started, "come on in, if you like."
They shrugged and I stepped back to let them in. "Sorry I'm not exactly dressed for company," I punned, "but I'm sure you all knew that. I'll finish getting dressed. Make yourselves comfortable, if you can." I started rifling through my bag until I found a pair of shorts to wear.
JC spoke first. "It was fun to have you around, man. I hope we can get together again."
"Yeah," Chris piped in. "So we got our phone numbers and stuff so we can keep track of each other, and if you ever need stuff like tickets or just to find when we're off and can hang, or whatever."
I smiled, pulling on a t-shirt. "Thanks guys! That's really nice! Here, lemme give you my number and e-mail, and it can be both ways."
"E-mail," groaned Joey. "I KNEW I forgot somethin'!"
"No worries, pal," I consoled him. "I got paper and a pen in here. Just write them down and we'll trade."
They agreed, and we exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses. I looked at Lance's in surprise. I'd chatted with him before! What the hell?!
"What is it, Ryan," JC asked, not reading my expression.
It's just that I've seen this e-mail address before, is all. I think I've chatted with Lance before and not known who it was.
"Oh yeah," Joey said. "We all do that. It's kinda fun, you know?"
"I guess it would be," I answered. "So where are you all off to now?"
Chris responded, "We've got our next stop up in Seattle, then we go through the Midwest and head back East."
"Cool. Have fun."
They all moaned.
"What?"
"You've never been on tour, have you," asked Chris in a piteous voice, already knowing the answer.
"It's hell on earth," JC moaned in agreement. "We love our fans, really, but it just NEVER ENDS!" He started rolling his head in circles to indicate the cycle.
I laughed and finished getting dressed. I brushed my hair and teeth, pulled my toiletries together and hurled them into the bag. I made a cursory check of the room, and it looked like I hadn't left anything, so I grabbed the bag, my wallet, phone, sunglasses, and my keys. "Let's go!"
We hauled it downstairs, I checked out, and we waited for Lance and Justin. They showed up a few minutes later looking a little winded, and I snorted. "About damn time. If I miss my plane, you all have to deal with me until Seattle!"
"Really?" Justin asked.
"Yep."
"Let's haul ass," Joey cried as Justin yelled "Hit the brakes!"
We laughed and before long I was at the airport. "Later guys," I said at the gate. "Thanks again for letting me hang out with you. Keep in touch, all right?"
I got a few halfhearted "sure"s, so I decided to up the ante a little. "You'll keep in touch or I'll post these phone numbers and e-mail addresses on the internet!"
"OK!" they all yelled. I grinned, grabbed my bag, and flew home. School would be starting in another month or two, and I needed to save up some cash. Time to get back to work.