Finally, Chapter 5! Thanks to those that write to me, but I need lots of feedback and all letters will be replied to. So, please drop me a line, if nothing more than to say hello and 'you are the best author of slash fiction ever' (okay, maybe that's a bit much).
If you should not be reading this, for whatever reason, please go away. I do not know the true sexual preferences of anyone in this story and do not mean to imply it by my words. It is all made up. Sad, ain't it? Enjoy!
Chapter 5
Joey cautiously opened Chris' door after the third knock elicited no response. The room was dark, but he could make out Chris' shape curled up on the floor by the bed. The light from the living room cast an eerie glow on Chris as he pulled his knees up to his chin and turned his head away.
"I thought you would figure out by my lack of response to your knocking that I didn't want company," Chris managed to whisper. Joey heard tears in his friend's words and wasn't sure exactly what to do.
So, he decided to ignore Chris and he walked over the threshold, shutting the door behind him. He walked over to where Chris sat and plopped down on the floor next to him, his knees cracking, "Man, I'm getting old," he said as he adjusted.
Chris turned his head and Joey thought he saw his friend smile, but his eyes hadn't fully adjusted to the light difference. Still, Chris did reply jokingly, "You should wait until you're my age."
Joey sighed, "You turn the big 2-9 next week, huh?"
Chris was still quiet, "Yeah, the first day of our tour. We couldn't have waited one more day?"
Joey smiled, "Aw, you know everyone's gonna sing 'Happy Birthday' to you. Besides, I know how much you love the spotlight."
Chris wiped his eyes, "I'm being stupid, I know."
Joey put a reassuring hand on Chris' shoulder, "No, you're not. I know this is tearing you up inside, Chris."
"I picked you guys over her," Chris stated. Secretly, Joey wanted to stand up and cheer. He was glad his friend had chosen them over that shrew of a girlfriend, but he knew that would be most inappropriate. Joey didn't know why he was so anti-Dani, but she just rubbed him the wrong way. They were hardly close - she was much closer to JC and Justin it seemed - and she almost wanted it that way. Chris and Joey had been best friends since the band formed and he thought she must've somehow resented that. So, he figured there needed to be one thing that would sway him with her and this was it. Too bad it was towards the negative.
Joey said nothing, but just sat back and rubbed Chris' shoulder. Chris finally spoke, "I hope she'll come around."
Joey tried to be sympathetic, "I think if she truly loves you, she will. This whole thing is silly."
Chris stood up, "Not to her it isn't. And I don't really even know why. She's not religious or anything. I don't understand why she hates gay people."
Joey got up too, "Did you ask her?"
Chris shook his head, "I didn't think about it at the time and frankly, I don't want to talk to her right now."
Joey went up to Chris, "Man, I hate to see you so upset."
Chris smiled through his reforming tears, "Yeah, I'm supposed to be the wacky band member. JC's the soulful one."
Joey laughed, "And I'm the lazy, out-of-shape one, according to some people. So, I wouldn't worry about labels."
This got Chris to laugh a little and Joey hugged him, "It's gonna be okay, man. Don't worry."
Joey released Chris and told him he was gonna go catch a late dinner with Drew, but he should page him if he needed anything. Chris told him he needed some alone time, but he would let him know. Joey gave him another quick hug and walked out into the living room, where Drew and Jeff were staring at him. Drew had gotten fully dressed in the meantime.
Joey went up to Drew and kissed him, "I'm so glad you don't have issues like them."
Drew smirked, "Yeah, it would kinda suck if I hated gay people, huh?"
Joey pushed Drew lovingly and turned to Jeff, "We're gonna go grab dinner. Wanna come?"
Jeff looked uncertain as to what to say, but finally responded in the negative, "That's okay. I'm not really hungry and you guys need all the alone time you can get."
"Cool," Joey replied as he turned back to Drew, "I'm gonna go get dressed and we can go, okay?"
Drew nodded and kissed him. Joey sauntered off into the bedroom. Jeff and Drew sat down on the couch and Jeff turned to Drew, "So, can we talk about this whole you leaving the band thing?"
Drew smiled, "I'm not gonna leave the band. I was just speaking without thinking. I wouldn't do that to you and Justin." He shifted around in the chair, "It would serve Nick right though."
Jeff looked away, "Nick's overprotective, that's all."
Drew stood up, "He married me off, Jeff. Don't defend his actions to me."
Jeff got up and calmed Drew, "Look, I'm sorry."
Drew turned away, "I know you are. I didn't mean to lash out at you. I just don't want to think about Nick tonight. Tomorrow, we can deal with him all you want."
Jeff agreed, "Fine, but I do have to ask what are you going to do about Lea?"
Drew shrugged, "She knows the situation and she got herself into it. I'm not gonna worry about her."
Jeff sat Drew down, "Like it or not, she is your wife and she is staying in your house."
"A house I'm barely in," Drew responded, "Besides, there are three bedrooms. It's not like we'll be sleeping together. Joey is the person in my life right now and no roommate is gonna change that."
Jeff pointed to Joey's door, "Speaking of roomies, I noticed Joey didn't have problem with me staying here tonight. I take it he doesn't know about us?"
Drew didn't want to go down this path, but answered, "There never really was an us, Jeff. That whole thing was pretty one-sided."
Jeff frowned, "I do care about you, Sprout."
Drew sighed, "I know you do, but you didn't like me the way I liked you. And that's fine. But, it's in the past and it would only make Joey uncomfortable around you, so I didn't see that point."
Jeff nodded, "Joey is a great guy. You lucked out."
Drew smiled, "Yeah, I think I am falling hard for him."
Jeff looked away, a little saddened and muttered to himself, "Yeah, I can see why."
Drew didn't catch that and was about to ask Jeff to repeat himself when Joey emerged from the bedroom, dressed in a nice button-down shirt and a pair of khakis. Drew got up and went to Joey, taking him in his arms, "You look sexy."
Joey joked, "You make it sound like I'm not sexy all the time."
"Oh, you are. Definitely," Drew said as he pulled Joey into a tight hug. He let him go and they bid Jeff goodbye, heading out to the awaiting car. Joey wanted pasta tonight (what a surprise), so they went off to this little restaurant in the Village that Joey's mom had told him about. The food was great (as was the bottle of wine they polished off) and afterwards, they could barely keep their hands to themselves in the limo. Luckily, the glass partition between the front and back was tinted, so Joey and Drew were basically alone.
As they car headed uptown, Joey and Drew began kissing passionately. Joey was being forceful, much like he had been the other night and Drew was turned on quickly. Drew liked aggressiveness and Joey's take-charge attitude was literally causing him to burst out of his pants.
As Joey hungrily nibbled on his neck and began unbuttoning his shirt, Drew couldn't take it anymore and dropped down off the seat, unbuttoning Joey's pants. With lightning speed, he took Joey's cock in his mouth and began sucking. Joey let out a yell which Drew was sure the driver had heard. Drew couldn't stop and Joey began thrusting his hips along with Drew's rhythm. After a couple of minutes, Joey felt himself explode into Drew's mouth and for the second time that night, Drew swallowed Joey's come.
As he sat back on the chair, he realized he liked it even better the second time. And he told Joey so. Joey just smiled, "I'm telling you. Next time, it's my turn."
Drew smiled and took Joey's hand into his. They rode in silence for a minute. Drew noticed that Joey was becoming preoccupied with something, as he had earlier that evening and he asked him about it. Joey looked out the window, "I'm still worried about Chris."
"You don't think Dani will come around?" Drew asked.
Joey looked at Drew and squeezed his hand, "I don't know. She's about as stubborn as Justin can be. She definitely needs some prodding."
Joey gazed out of the window again and then he turned to Drew, a smile on his face. Drew knew immediately, "No! You can not be thinking about going over there and talking to her."
Joey grinned even wider, "Why not?"
Drew sat up, "I'll tell you. For one, you are one of the reason's she's so negative and two, you are slightly drunk."
Joey stood firm, "All the more reason to do this. I wouldn't normally have the balls to do this," he saw Drew's sad expression, "Don't worry. I'll be fine. I need to do this for Chris. I've never seen him so depressed. This needs to be resolved before the tour starts."
Drew pouted, "But, this is our last night together."
Joey kissed him, "I know. This won't take long, I promise." And with that, he phoned the driver to take him to Dani's hotel.
Joey's heart was pounding in his ears as he rapped on Dani's hotel room door. A quick glance at his watch showed it to be a little after eleven and he hoped that he wasn't waking her. This conversation was going to be bad enough without her being cranky too.
Drew had told Joey he would wait in the limo, and even though he wanted Drew by his side for moral support, this talk had to be just between the two of them. Otherwise, Dani might feel ganged up on and Joey really didn't want this to be confrontational.
A second later, the door cracked open and Dani stood there, in her kimono, with a blank stare on her face. She hadn't been sleeping, but she had been crying and Joey felt a little sad for her. But, he quickly put aside his sympathy as the thoughts of her recent words and action flooded his memory again. He clenched his fist as Dani stood aside and waved him in. He didn't realize just how angry he was until he heard Dani turn to him and vehemently say, "What do you want?"
Joey turned away, his face growing red with anger. He closed his eyes and counted to ten before facing the blonde again. He gave a fake smile, which may have been a bad idea, but it was either that or a scowl.
"I need to talk to you," Joey calmly let out.
Dani lowered her head and glared at Joey, "Look, Joey. This is really none of your business. This problem is between me and Chris."
Joey lost it and started pacing the room, "Are you kidding me? Like hell this is just between the two of you," he went up to her, "Besides the fact that Chris is my best friend in the whole world, this problem is destroying him and it's affecting the band."
Dani walked away, "Oh, I'm so sorry this is upsetting the fragile eco-system of NSync. God forbid your happy little family is experiencing problems."
Joey stopped, "Are you jealous?"
Dani laughed, "Of you? I don't think so."
Joey sat down, "I think you're jealous of the closeness I share with Chris.
You always have been."
"My problem is the gay thing. I know Chris loves me." Dani spat back.
Joey was confused. He had no idea what her problem was, but knew he could get it out of her, if he just tried, "First of all, I'm bi, but that's not really the issue. And Chris does love you, but issuing ultimatums is no way to keep things good between you two. And besides, I don't buy this 'anti-gay- thing. We've always had gay people on tour with us. Hell, you didn't really seem to care all that much when Josh and Lance got together." He got up and went over to her, "This attitude came around when I came out. It's me, isn't it?"
Dani said nothing, so Joey half-joked, "What, do you think I'm gonna turn him gay?"
Dani looked at Joey and he was shocked. From her expression, she really was thinking that. Joey never expected her to be so naïve and told her so, "You honestly think I could ever turn Chris that way?"
Dani sat down, "I don't know. I don't think so, but deep down I have this nagging fear. I know it's irrational, but you two are so close, I can't help but wonder."
Joey finally understood. Dani's problems were a result of her own insecurities about her relationship with Chris. She wasn't upset at him or the other guys: she was upset about possibly losing Chris.
Joey tried to soothe her, "Dani, Chris loves you so much. I saw the way he looked at you when you played nursemaid during his appendicitis scare. And, not that I had the slightest romantic inkling towards him, but there is no way I could ever make him gay. He's about as straight as they come."
Dani was quiet, "I know, Joey. It's just that I don't see him that often and now you're going back on the road again and we won't be together."
"Believe me," Joey began, "You're love is pure. And it's not going to go away."
This seemed to ease Dani, "You're right. I'm just being silly," She got up, "I should go talk to him."
Joey pointed to the door, "I think that would be a good idea. I have a limo downstairs. We can give you a lift if you want."
Dani nodded and told Joey she would be down in a minute. Joey walked down to the door and was surprised to see Drew standing there, "What are you doing here?"
Drew smiled, "I came just in case you might need me. But, I guess you didn't"
Joey hugged Drew, "Don't ever think I don't need you."
Drew ran a hand through Joey's hair, tracing his fingers down his face to his beard. He put his thumb on Joey's lips and Joey kissed it. Drew looked at Joey, "I think I'm in love with you, Joey."
Joey was taken aback, but it warmed his heart to hear it, "Really?"
Drew nodded, "Yeah. The way you treated Dani. She's the closest thing you have to a nemesis and yet you put your friendship with Chris ahead of your own feelings. How can I not help being in love with you?"
Joey leaned in and kissed Drew, "You are so sweet to me."
Drew grinned, "I know you may not be there yet, and I hope my little declaration doesn't scare you off, but,"
Joey interrupted, "Oh no, it didn't. If anything, it makes it all the easier for me to expand on my feelings for you. I am falling for you Drew. Just give it time."
Drew leaned forward and rested his head on Joey's shoulder, just taking in his warmth and musky scent. A minute later, the was a noise and Drew looked up to see Dani, standing there, "I'm ready," she eked out.
Joey escorted her to the door. As the waited for the elevator, she turned to him, "Thanks, Joe. You're a good friend. To both Chris and me."
Drew squeezed Joey's hand and the three of them headed down to the limo and back to the hotel. The ride was silent, as was the ride up to their suite.
When they walked in, Chris was on the couch, flipping through the channels. Jeff was sitting across from him. They both stood up when the three of them walked in. Chris smiled and then got serious as he stared at Dani. She went up to him and told him they needed to talk. He agreed and they wandered off to her bedroom.
"Well, aren't you the miracle worker," Jeff stated as the three guys sat down.
Joey slightly blushed. Drew rolled his eyes, "Jeff, you are cheesy sometimes, you know that?"
"I try to be," he retorted.
Joey looked around, "Are the other guys here?"
Jeff sat back, "Justin called a while ago. Britney's in town, so he's gonna hang with her tonight. And as for Lance and JC, they got in about an hour ago and made a beeline for the bedroom, where they have been going at it constantly since."
Joey laughed, "Man, those guys can't get enough of each other."
Drew turned to Joey, "When you're in love, that's true."
Joey kissed Drew. Jeff, feeling slightly uncomfortable, got up, "I think I'm gonna head to bed now that things have calmed down some. I'll talk to you in the morning."
Joey and Drew bade Jeff goodnight. They settled into the couch and Drew rested his head on Joey's shoulder as he flipped through the channels, not finding anything. A lot had happened that night, and he wasn't just thinking of Chris and Dani. Drew had declared his love for him and he knew that their relationship had just started the progression to the next level. He knew Drew's heart had been broken before and this was really important to him. Joey knew that soon he would feel the same way and then all would be perfect.
Of course, thinking about this brought back a question that had been burning in his mind ever since they had talked a few days ago. So, he turned to Drew and asked, "So, tell me about the guy you were in love with".
Drew shot up and stared at Joey, "I don't really want to go down that path, Joey. I'm so happy right now, I just want to enjoy this time and not dwell on the past."
Joey pressed on, "I'm just curious. I mean, this guy obviously hurt you and for you to regain those type of feelings - for me no less - is a big deal."
Drew got up, "Then why do you need to know. I don't love the guy anymore. I'm over him. When I see him, I don't really feel anything."
Joey also stood up and tried to shush Drew, "So, you see this guy a lot still?"
Drew said nothing, but looked away. Joey went up to him, "Is it Jeff?"
Drew stood there for a second and then nodded. Joey backed away. Drew threw his arms up in the air, "I didn't say anything, because he didn't feel the same way about me and nothing ever happened. So, I backed off, let my heart heal, and decided my friendship with him was too important to let this get in the way," Joey looked shocked, so Drew went to him and tried to caress his face. Joey backed away, "I didn't want you to feel awkward around Jeff. He's a great guy and it's not his fault he didn't feel the same way about me."
Joey sat down, "I didn't even know he was gay."
Drew sat down next to him, "He's bi, like you, actually."
"It must be hard to see him and wonder what might have been," Joey commented.
Drew put a hand on Joey's, "I used to, sure, but now, I only think about you. I love you Joe. And I don't want you to get weirded out about Jeff. Nothing is ever going to happen with him."
Joey turned to Drew and smiled. Of course nothing was going to happen. If it was, it would've by now. He patted Drew's hand, "I know. Just give me time to get used to this."
Drew smiled, "We have all the time in the world." He stood up, "I'm gonna shower before bed. Wanna join me?"
Joey got up, "Naw. I think I'll pass. But, I'll be waiting for you in bed. We haven't finished our evening yet. It's still my turn for a taste test."
Drew laughed, kissed Joey and walked into the bedroom. Joey turned off the TV and headed to their room. He noticed that Jeff's door was slightly ajar and a light was on and felt himself heading that way. As he peered through the crack, he saw Jeff on the floor doing sit-ups. Joey couldn't help but stare at Jeff, sweat glistening on his tight body. He was dressed only in a pair of shorts and Joey could only stare.
He backed up and shook it off. What was he thinking? This whole thing with Drew and Jeff was causing him to think weird thoughts. He shook his head and was about to turn away when he heard Jeff call out, "Did you need something Joey?"
Joey walked into Jeff's room. Jeff was pulling on a T-shirt. Joey stood there and Jeff stared at him. Joey finally stated, "Drew told me he was in love with you."
Jeff didn't look too surprised, but replied, "That was a couple of years ago, Joey. I don't want you to think,"
Joey held up his hand, interrupting him, "I don't think anything. I just wanted to let you know it's cool. And I'm not weirded out or anything. I'm just glad you could still be friends."
Jeff smiled, "You're a good guy to be so understanding."
Joey just nodded and walked out of the room. Jeff looked after him and caught himself looking at his butt. Jeff went to his bed and collapsed. He hated that he had feelings for Joey. It wasn't like he was in love with him or anything, but he felt something and he loathed himself for it. It was just a crush, that was all. Joey was a nice guy, cute, fun and bright. Jeff was just lonely and Joey seemed like a great guy.
He turned over on his side and reached over to the light. As he turned it off, he heard the muffled sounds of laughter coming from Drew and Joey's room. He closed his eyes, trying not to think about Joey. It was just a crush.
I know I'm really complicating things here, but I like conflict. So, please let me know your opinion on things, as that may help with the angle of the story.