Disclaimer: This story is fiction. It makes no claims to the true personality and sexuality of anyone involved. You already know if you shouldn't be reading this.
------------------ Just Together by jm_stories@yahoo.com ------------------
Chapter VI Original post 2 Oct 2000 Revised 7 Feb 2002
The first day of rehearsals and I'm nervous as hell. Maybe anxious more than nervous. After all the preparations, it's finally starting. Despite being exhausted, I woke up a couple times throughout the night. When I woke again at 7AM, I decided to go ahead a get up since I couldn't sleep anyway. I went to make some coffee.
"Mornin', Lance. You're up early," I said as I entered the kitchen.
"Mornin'. I'm always up at this time. You're the one up early," he smiled.
"That's true. I couldn't sleep."
"Nervous?"
"Anxious. I just want to get started. A bit nervous as well, I guess."
"Yea, I always get that way before a new performance. You work so hard to get things right, and then you're just ready to get on with it."
"Absolutely, but I'm not performing, thankfully."
"Yea you are."
"What do you mean?"
"You're performing your role as a director. The rehearsals are your performance. The cast is your audience," Lance smiled.
"Thanks, Lance. Now I am nervous," I said sarcastically.
He laughed. "I'm sure you'll do fine."
"A vote of confidence from someone who's never seen me work isn't very comforting," I smirked.
"Well, the people who have seen you work obviously have some confidence in you or you wouldn't have this opportunity."
"I know. That just adds more pressure to be perfect."
"Just do your best and to hell with what other people will think. You can't please everyone."
"I know, and I'm not trying to please other people. I'm just hoping my first show doesn't bomb. So what are you working on?"
"Free Lance stuff. Do you have any ideas on something I could do for Danny? I really want to do something special for him."
"I think that you being here is special for him."
"Yea, but I want to do something else."
"Why don't you kidnap him and take him someplace for a romantic weekend -- just the two of you?"
"That's a great idea. Maybe a week, even. You think he'd like Paris?"
"How could he not?" I laughed. "But won't this be a bad time? I mean, it's summer so all the tourists will be there."
"Oh yea. It also tends not to smell as nice there in the summer. Where could we go where we could just disappear and be together?" Lance thought aloud.
"He's always wanted to go to Iceland," I offered.
"Really? Why?"
"I don't know. He's just mentioned it a few times and says he thinks it's beautiful. I'm sure you could disappear there."
"That's perfect. Thanks for the idea, Jonah."
"You're welcome. I'm gonna take a shower and head to the theater early."
"Rehearsal doesn't start 'till noon, right?"
"Yep. Noon 'till at least five."
"Okay. I'll probably be there around ten with Justin."
I took a long shower and woke Michael before I headed out. He teased me about being anxious.
I got to the theater around 9:30. Lisa and Rebecca were already there taping out the floor plan. I set up some tables and chairs. Lance and Justin arrived as we were finishing up.
"Where is everybody?" Justin asked as they walked in.
"What do you mean? Rehearsal doesn't start 'till noon," I answered.
Justin turned a deadly look to Lance. "You said we had to be here at ten. I could have slept another two hours."
"We do. You need to see the set and get ready to see what you have to work with for the dancing," Lance said casually.
"What set? There's no set."
"Taped on the floor," I answered and pointed to it.
"If you needed some money for a real set, all you had to do was ask," Justin smirked.
"You don't like the tape? You hear him dis'in' your set like that, Rebecca?" I teased.
"He's just confused 'cause there's no projection screen of his every movement over the stage," Rebecca shot back.
"Yea, whatever. So do you have a model or some drawings?"
"Yea. They're up in the production office. I'm gonna head out now," Rebecca said.
"Alright. Thanks, Rebecca. See you later. Come on, Justin. Let's get the model and drawings," I said and started upstairs.
"Could I get a piano?" Lance called out before I got out the door.
"Lisa?" I asked, since I had no idea if there was a piano or not.
"Sure. If you'll give me a hand, we can wheel one in. All we have are uprights. I hope that's okay," Lisa said.
"As long as it's remotely in tune," Lance answered and followed her.
"Excited to get started?" Justin asked as we climbed the stairs.
"Yep."
I let Justin look at the model a few minutes and ask some questions before we brought it and some renderings down to the theater so the cast could see it as well. Lance was playing the piano. I made sure I had everything ready, got a cup of coffee from across the street and relaxed until everyone got there.
The designers and E were there by a quarter after eleven, and the actors started trickling in around 11:30. Everyone was there by noon and I started.
"Welcome to the first rehearsal of 'Jack Shine.' I won't bore you with a long speech about how excited I am about this, so suffice it to say just that. Today we're going to have a read through, as well as start the dance and music. Before you leave, be sure to see Tina, the costume designer, and get measured. I'll let the designers introduce themselves and tell you about what they have in mind, and then the actors. Rebecca, the set designer, had to leave, so I'll explain the set. We should have this wrapped up by five today, but there won't be many more days that end that early after today," I said, and then showed off the model and drawings of the set.
Each designer went through their spiel. Lance spoke, but Justin didn't. He just gave a nervous wave and smile when Lance introduced him. It was funny that he was actually intimidated -- or so it seemed. Each member of the cast then stood up and introduced him/herself and what character (s)he was playing. That lasted for the first hour and I gave everyone a short break before we started the read through. Half-way though the read through I realized that I'd gotten a great cast. I mostly watched Justin's face for reactions as he hadn't read it yet.
After the read through, Charlie and the four other guys in the show's boy-band went through Lance's vocal range tests, and then Justin's choreography tests. They were going to have to work hard to pull off the dancing, from what I saw. We were finished by six and went out to dinner with most of the cast.
The actors left the restaurant around eight to go bond somewhere. Lance, Justin, E, Lisa, Alex -- who'd joined us for dinner -- and I stayed there and talked about the rehearsal.
"So now that you can speak freely, how do you think the read through went?" Alex asked.
"I think it went really well. There wasn't anything that stood out as needing to be fixed and the actors did great," I said.
"Eddie?"
"It's a little different than what I thought it would be, but it worked. I'm happy."
"What's the assessment on music and dance?" I asked.
"I can work with the music. None are really a low bass or high tenor, but I may be able to stretch ranges a bit if they keep practicing," Lance said.
"Dance is going to take a lot of work," Justin said.
"Yea, that's what I thought," I agreed.
"I want at least four hours a day for the rest of the week to work with them."
"Okay. Would you prefer mornings or nights?" I asked.
Justin looked at me like I had two heads.
"Oh right. Nights," I smiled.
"I'll video tape the choreography so they have some reference after I go. If I can, I'll be back later to clean things up before you open."
We talked for another half-hour before parting. Justin and I went home. Lance went to MTV to wait for Danny to get off work since he was already in town.
"Hey, Justin. Can we talk?" I asked as we walked into the apartment. No one else was home yet.
"I think we already are," he smirked. "Sure. What about?"
"I'm trying to understand some things you've done."
"Okay. What have I done?"
"Kissing Charlie, and then giving each other a blow job."
"Oh, that," he sighed.
"Yea. I'm not accusing you of anything, I'm just intrigued. You've been really cool with Lance and everyone. More so that I would normally expect from a straight guy, and yet I don't doubt that you are straight -- even if you have been playing with some not-so-straight things."
"Nice way of putting it. I'm just a cool guy."
"Most of the time, but that doesn't answer the question. I'm being serious."
"Okay. I'm not sure, really. I mean, I'm always open to trying new things at least twice -- just to make sure the first time wasn't a fluke," Justin smiled.
"It's more than that or you would have done it before or with someone other than some guy you just met."
Justin paused. "I don't know. I'm the first person Lance came out to. Well, he came out to Josh and Kevin first, but he didn't have anything on the line there 'cause he hardly knew them and they were gay as well. Anyway, he came out to me first because he was most comfortable telling me. I kidded him about it at the time, but it really meant a lot that he'd have that much trust in me. Since I was the only one who knew for about a month, he'd only talk with me about it. He also showed me these gay stories on the 'net about me, him and the rest of the guys. I knew there were probably fan fiction stories about 'NSYNC, but I never expected there to be a whole gay genre dedicated to boy-bands, and a lot of them were about me."
"Did you read any of them?"
"Yea, I did. I wanted to try to understand where Lance was coming from, and the stories were a good way to see myself in that position if I were gay. I usually skipped over the sex scenes, though. Some of them were good stories, but most just sucked -- no pun intended."
"How did they characterize you?"
"Depends on the story. In a lot of them I was some whiney, melodramatic, co-dependent slut, or an Ebonics talking half-wit. In a few though, I was just a regular person."
I laughed. "Did you read every single one that had you in it?"
"No. I scanned through some and read the ones Lance said were good. Despite the fact that their characterizations of me were completely off base, I guess I got comfortable with the idea of guys being with guys. Maybe it just desensitized me to it, but honestly, I don't even notice it being odd anymore when I see you and Michael all over each other, or Lance and Danny. It doesn't seem any different than seeing Josh and some girl."
"So what you've done with Charlie is part of this trying to understand Lance thing?"
"Probably. I hadn't really even thought about being with a guy that way before Lance came out to me."
"And now?"
"I have. I don't think I'm bi or anything. Just curious right now."
"You've heard of the Kinsey scale, right?"
"Sounds familiar. What is it?"
"Basically it's a scale of sexuality with strictly homosexual on one end and strictly heterosexual on the other. It's like 1 to 6 or 1 to 7, I don't remember which or which end was which. Anyway, Kinsey's studies lead him to the theory that very few people are strictly homosexual or strictly heterosexual by nature. He believed most people fall somewhere in-between."
"Yea, I've heard that 'everyone is bisexual' crap."
"I don't think it's crap, just misunderstood. It's not saying that everyone should have sex with both genders, just that the potential for attraction or more is there. I can honestly say that I'm gay, but I still find myself looking at a beautiful woman. Does that make me bi? I don't think so because my feelings towards men are much stronger and I identify as being gay -- even if I don't identify with the gay community. Charlie, on the other hand, says he likes women much more than men, but obviously likes men enough to do something about it rather openly. Just guessing, I'd say you are close to an end, but not 100%. You like women, but are at least open to trying it with a man."
"Maybe. I don't see myself doing it with a guy again, though."
"I'll bet you never saw yourself doing it with a guy to begin with, and look where you are now. You also said you tried everything twice."
"True."
"So why Charlie?"
"Timing, I guess. I don't think he'll fall in love with me, or I hope not. I'll rarely, if ever, see him after this week. I trust that he's not going to go to some tabloid 'cause it would hurt his career as much as mine. A number of things. He's also got a great body," Justin added the last bit with a laugh.
"Yea, he does."
"You shouldn't be looking. You've got a boyfriend," Justin teased.
"I love Michael completely, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a nice body."
"And do you think I have a nice body," Justin said seductively.
"Yea, you know you do, and no, I'm not going to be your next conquest in your experiment," I laughed.
"You're absolutely correct on both counts," Justin smirked. "That answer all your questions?"
"No. But the questions concerning you, yes. Thanks."
"No prob. It was good to talk it out and helped sort some things out in my head. I obviously couldn't talk with Lance or the guys about this."
"Yea. I think Lance would feel guilty if you told him you and Charlie did what you did. Like he'd influenced you to do gay stuff."
"He did, actually, but not in the way he would think. It's all totally been my choice and my doing."
"I didn't think there was much coercion going on from the sound of you two the other night," I teased.
"It was just a blow job. Admittedly the best blow job I've ever gotten, but still, just a blow job."
"Yea. We heard. I'm surprised you didn't hear us laughing. Charlie did."
"Maybe I'm going deaf from years of loud music," Justin smirked. "Besides, you and Michael do the same thing, so I don't know why you found it so funny."
"Not even close. Michael and I make love, not give each other 'just a blow job.' Anyway, what was really funny, at least from our vantage point, was when Charlie said, 'Damn, Justin. You didn't have to swallow.' And then you said, 'Oops,'" I laughed.
"Yea, whatever," Justin said. "I'm glad you two found it so entertaining."
"That we did."
"So what do you and Michael do that makes it 'making love' instead of 'just a blow job?' And yes, I know about the being in love as opposed to just sex."
"You want to know what we do in bed?"
"Yea, sure. I want to compare what real people do to what the stories had guys doing. I'd ask Lance, but...well, you know how easily he gets embarrassed about this stuff."
"Why don't you just do it with Charlie?"
"'Cause I'm not in love with him and won't ever be in love with him. If I asked him about it, he'd probably want to show me instead of just tell me."
"Have you ever been truly in love with someone? Other than yourself, of course."
"Fuck you. No. I thought I was a few times, but I haven't met my soul mate yet."
"Then I don't know how I'd explain it. I mean, yes, we have incredible sex, but that's not what it's all about."
"Yea, I've heard how incredible your sex it," Justin teased. "So what exactly is 'fucking fantastic?'"
"I shouldn't tell you," I teased.
"Why not?"
"'Cause you'll never get to experience it, being mostly straight and all."
"So?"
"So once you know about it, but know you'll never feel that good, the rest of your life will be living in frustration."
"It's a chance I'm willing to take. So what is it? Come on. I'm dying to know."
"If I tell you, you can't tell anyone. No one."
"Promise."
"Okay. We started out with Michael lying on his back. I made him put his hands behind his head as I kissed all over his body until he was really excited, but I didn't let him touch me or himself."
"Teasing him."
"Basically. Anyway, after that, and here's the thing you'll never experience, we got into this great position," I said and paused for effect.
"Go on."
"Well, in this position, I'm underneath Michael. He's sitting on my dick, but I'm leaning forward and can get some of his dick into my mouth. God, this sounds so dirty talking about it with you."
"It is. Go on."
"So that's basically it. He thrusts his hips and it's like dual action or something. He fucks my mouth in one direction and fucks himself in the other direction."
"Wow. You can do that? Suck and fuck at the same time?"
"Can and have. It's not the most comfortable position for the person on the bottom 'cause you have to lean up so far, but it's not too bad, and it's total heaven for the person on top."
"That sounds like it would be great -- if you were into having a dick up your ass."
"Don't knock it 'till you try it."
"No thanks. I just don't understand anal sex. I mean, don't you get shit on your dick? And besides that, it's gotta hurt."
"You wear a condom, and you don't do it if you have to take a dump. That would be really uncomfortable and gross. As for hurting, it does the first time, but it doesn't last long. It's really intimate for both people, and feels incredible."
"So what else do you do?"
"What am I? Justin's Personal Encyclopedia of Gay Sex?" I laughed.
"Sure. So you fuck and suck. Is that it?"
"What do you do with a girl? So you fuck and eat her out. Is that it?"
"No need to get bitchy. I'm just trying to understand."
"I'm not getting bitchy. I just think you're asking the wrong questions. You assume it's all about sex. It's not. Just because your relationship with Brittany was like that doesn't mean all relationships are like that."
"Well excuse me if I haven't experienced true love yet," Justin said bitterly.
"It doesn't sound like you're interested in true love as much as a fuck partner."
"That's not true at all. I'd love to find my soul mate, but I also realize that I'm not going to find her at one of my shows, or at a club."
"I do hope that you find your soul mate, Justin. I hope everyone finds their soul mate. I don't understand, though, how you think sucking a dick will make you understand the gay experience."
"I don't expect to understand everything," Justin sighed.
"I'm not trying to piss you off, Justin. I just don't understand what you're trying to do."
"Maybe I don't either. Okay?"
"Yea. That's fine. That's all you had to say. I'm not try to get a particular answer out of you or accuse you of anything. I was just curious about your motivations."
"I hardly even know you. You don't have the right to even ask about my motivations."
"I don't have the right?! What constitutes the right to ask someone a question? And as far as knowing me: you're right. You don't know me very well. I guess you thought I'd just be happy that you've given me a little time in the presence of the wonderful Justin Timberlake. Oh, thank you. Thank you," I said sarcastically.
"Fuck off. I don't think that at all."
"Then what do you think? I'm just some fag friend of Lance?"
"No. Right now you're a demanding super bitch," Justin said with a disarming smile.
"I can be when I get worked up."
"Listen. I'm sorry if I offended you. You've been really cool to me and Lance and we could probably be good friends. I'm just tired and confused and you asked at the wrong time. I'm gonna go to bed," he said and went straight to his room before I could say anything else.
That didn't go as I'd expected. I was tired too, so I cleaned up and went to bed. I couldn't fall asleep, though, and kept thinking about what Justin was saying, and what he was really saying.
Michael got home some time later and quietly crawled into bed.
"I'm still awake," I said softly. "Have fun?"
"Yep. Just go to bed?"
I looked at the clock. "No. I've been lying here for about an hour."
"What are you thinking about that's keeping you awake?" Michael asked as he gently rubbed my chest.
"I had a talk with Justin earlier that kinda turned into an argument."
"What about?"
"I asked him if he could explain why he's been doing stuff with Charlie. What his motivations are."
"He get pissed off 'cause he thought you were calling him a fag?"
"No. I don't think that was it. I was careful not to accuse him of anything. He gave a story about how he's just trying to understand where Lance is coming from, then asked me about our sex life so he could compare it to what he's read."
"That's an odd question. What has he read?"
"Gay stories about him on the net that Lance showed him. Anyway, I told him a little bit, and then explained that it's more than sex that makes someone gay. I asked him if he's ever been in love. That's where he started getting defensive. He says he's never truly been in love, and then started yelling that I had no right to ask him anything."
"You bitch slap him," Michael smiled.
"Almost," I chuckled. "I did go off on him a little. He apologized and went to bed. I have no idea what is going on."
"You think he might really be bi and trying to deal with it?"
"I don't know. I don't think he knows. The impression I got was that he really enjoyed the sex, but doesn't want to even imagine getting emotionally involved with a guy."
"That's too bad, 'cause kissing, cuddling and being emotionally involved are the best parts," Michael whispered and snuggled closer for emphasis.
"Absolutely," I smiled and gave his hand a kiss.
"Night. Love you," Michael mumbled into the back of my neck.
"Love you," I said softly and soon drifted off to sleep.
"Jonah!" Someone whispered and shook my arm. "Jonah! Wake up!" He whispered again. I was just coherent enough to realize it was Charlie and he was sitting on the side of the bed.
"What," I groaned.
"What did you say to Justin?"
"Huh?"
"What did you say to Justin? He's all weird. He was in my bed crying when we got back and asked me to hold him. What did you say to him?" Charlie whispered.
"We just talked about why he's done the stuff with you he's done. I didn't accuse him of anything. What did he say?"
"He wouldn't talk about it. Just said to hold him. He finally just went to sleep. What did he say about what we've done?"
"Basically that he was experimenting. You should talk with him about it, though."
"God, I hope he's not in love with me," Charlie sighed.
I had to chuckle. "You're cute, Charlie, but you're not that cute. I still think he's straighter than you."
"I like to think of myself as versatile," Charlie smirked.
"Well get back to your boy, Mr. Versatile, so I can get back to sleep."
"Okay. See you in the morning," Charlie said and gave me a light punch on the arm before going back to his room. I was back asleep before the door shut.
"Morning, Jonah," Lance said from behind his laptop as I stumbled into the kitchen.
I just grunted.
"Late night?" He said with a wink-wink-nudge-nudge.
"Something like that," I said as I poured my coffee and sat down.
"I've got it all worked out. Don't tell him, but we'll be gone all next week," Lance said.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.
"Danny. We're gonna spend a week in Reykjavik. Remember?"
"Oh yea. How can you not tell him? He does need to get time off work."
"Taken care of," Lance smiled. "Of course Justin and I have to do a 'surprise visit' to TRL, but that's no big deal."
"So how do you want to set it up? I mean, he'll have some idea when you tell him to pack his bags and we drop you off at the airport."
"I'll pack his bags. I think once we get to the airport he's gonna know anyway. I can't blindfold him and make him not notice we're on a plane for four hours."
"When do you have to do TRL?"
"We'll do it today before rehearsals get too deep. We'll be back in time for the dance and music rehearsal."
"Okay."
"What did you and Justin talk about last night? He was in bed when I got home, and he never goes to bed before midnight unless he's upset."
"Why does everyone keep asking me about Justin?" I said a bit edgy.
"Chill. Who else has asked you?"
"Nevermind," I sighed.
"Well, to answer your question; people ask you because you probably know. You have this habit of getting someone alone and making them spill their guts," Lance smiled.
"No I don't."
"Yea, you do. Maybe you don't realize you're doing it, but you do. You just ask questions 'cause you notice something and really want to know the answer. You're genuinely interested and understanding. That's so disarming that everyone ends up spilling their guts."
"Well, Justin kept his guts to himself. I don't know what is up."
"Does it have anything to do with what he's been doing with Charlie?"
I choked on my coffee and stared at Lance. Did he know, or was he trying to fish information out of me?
"Yea, I guessed that something had happened after I saw them in bed together the first time. They're sleeping together again now," Lance said with a smile.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I tried.
"Come on," Lance laughed. "You practically had a heart attack when I said I knew."
"I can't say anything, Lance. I hope you understand. You should talk to Justin directly."
"I understand. I can't talk with Justin about it unless he brings it up. He'd be really upset if he knew I knew."
"Thanks. How do you know they're sleeping together now?"
"I went in to wake Justin and tell him he had to be up earlier so we could go to MTV for TRL."
"What did he say when you woke him?"
"I didn't. I figured if he wants to keep that part of him secret for now, then I'm not going to bust him. He'll talk with me when he's ready."
"So you want me to wake him for you?"
"If you would. That way he'll be none the wiser."
I went to Justin and Charlie's room and knocked on the door. I didn't get an answer so I walked in. They were spooned together and sound asleep. I sat down on the edge of the bed and shook Justin's arm -- trying not to wake Charlie in the process.
"Justin. Wake up," I said softly.
"Go away," he mumbled.
"Come on. Get up......Justin!"
"What?"
"You need to get up."
"Why? Dance rehearsal doesn't start 'till seven," he grumbled.
"You're doing TRL today."
"No I'm not."
"Yea you are. Talk with Lance."
"I don't feel like kissing Carson's ass today."
"Ratings would probably go up if you did," I smirked.
"Oh fuck," Justin sighed as he finally opened his eyes and woke up a bit.
"What?"
"This isn't what you think," Justin said and separated himself from Charlie.
"I didn't think it was anything other than sleeping together."
"Did Lance come in earlier and see us?"
"You'll have to talk to him about that."
"He did. Fuck. Is he freaking out?" Justin asked as he sat up next to me on the side of the bed and adjusted his morning piss hard-on.
"Not that I noticed. I think he's more understanding than you give him credit for."
"Maybe. I just don't want him to get the wrong idea."
"Then talk to him so he has the right idea."
"I don't even know what that is, yet."
"That's valid as well."
"I hate you," Justin said with a half smile.
"Why's that?"
"Because you're so damn understanding," he said and nudged me.
"I guess I can handle being hated for that."
"I'm sorry for getting upset last night."
"That's alright..." I started.
"Yes, I know. You understand," Justin said and rolled his eyes.
"If it'll make you feel better, I could kick your ass and call you a fag," I smirked.
"No. That's alright," he said and stood up to stretch. "Thanks for the offer, though."
"No prob," I said and went back to the kitchen while Justin went to the bathroom.
"So?" Lance asked as I walked in.
"He's in the bathroom."
"What did he say?"
"Just that he didn't feel like kissing Carson's ass today."
"That not what I was referring to."
"I know."
"You're not gonna tell me, are you?"
"Nope."
Lance sighed and Justin walked into the kitchen.
"Why are we doing TRL today, Scoop?" Justin asked as he went to get a cup of coffee.
"It's a deal I made to get Danny off work next week. I'm taking him to Iceland," Lance whispered and watched the door for Danny.
"Aren't there better places for a romantic week away from it all?"
"Danny's always wanted to go to Iceland. It's also not that far away, as opposed to Paris or some island in the Mediterranean or Caribbean."
"Okay," Justin said and nursed his coffee.
"I'm gonna take a shower," I said and stood up.
"Oh. Is it okay to mention the play when asked why we're in the city?" Lance asked.
"I suppose. It's probably not going to appeal to teenage girls, but you can mention it as long as you don't say where it's at. We don't want to have trouble with fans showing up at the theater and disrupting rehearsals. And please don't mention where you're staying."
"Understood. We don't want fans breaking in here anymore than you do."
"Good," I said and went to wake Michael up.
"What time is it?" Michael groaned as I rubbed his back to wake him up.
"Just about 10:30."
Michael yawned and stretched. "How long have you been up?"
"About an hour."
"Good. At least you're relaxing enough to get some sleep."
"Minus interruptions, yea."
"Oh yea. That was Charlie who came in last night, right?"
"Yea."
"I wasn't awake enough to listen. What did he want?"
"Justin was in Charlie's bed crying. He wanted to know what we talked about."
"Really? I wonder what is up with that?"
"Who knows. I'm tired of thinking about it. Come on and take a shower with me," I said.
"Okay," Michael said and reached his hand out for me to help him out of bed. I pulled him up and we went to the bathroom.
We woke Charlie up and waited for him to take a shower and eat breakfast before heading to the theater.
The first four hours of today were just Michael and Charlie. Kris, the props mistress had rehearsal props and furniture ready. We started working right away and had the basic blocking done by two, and then took a break before starting rehearsing the scenes. The rest of the cast started showing up around 3:30. We set their basic blocking 'till six. We had dinner, and returned at seven with the five guys in the boy-band. Michael went home to work on his lines. Lance and Justin were waiting for us.
"Okay. We're gonna do some vocal work, and then Justin will tire you out with dance," Lance announced.
He started going through vocal warm-ups with them while I watched. Justin changed into some sweats and started warming up.
"Do you need a hand, Lance?" I asked as I could see he was having to hop back and forth between the piano and working with each singer.
"Do you play?"
"Well enough for this."
"Okay. Yea. Thanks," he said and I sat down at the piano.
Things went a bit smoother after that and he gave them a break after an hour of warm-up, harmonizing exercises, and teaching them the first song. After the break, everyone changed and Justin started his bit. He basically just went through exercises to warm everyone up, and then basic sequences to build a vocabulary since none of them were trained dancers. He worked them until 11:30, and then let them go. They were all exhausted.
"Little out of shape?" Justin teased Charlie as we rode the train back home.
"I didn't think so. I'm just not used to dancing so much, you slave driver," Charlie said.
"Oh, stop your moaning. Tonight was nothing. Tomorrow you learn the choreography for the songs. You need to keep working on it or you won't be able to sing and do the choreography at the same time without sounding out of breath or passing out."
"Harder than it looks," Charlie smirked.
"Yep. I'm just so good I make it look easy," Justin said and then laughed.
Charlie rolled his eyes. "Just for that, you owe me a massage when we get home."
"How do you figure that?" Justin asked.
"Because if you don't you're going to have to listen to me moan all night long."
"I guess so, as long as I get one back. Who knows what people will think if they hear moaning coming from our room all night long."
"I've got some massage oil you can use if you want," I offered.
"It's not gonna be that kinda massage," Justin said.
"It's massage oil, not sex lube, Dick-for-brains," I shot back. "It makes it easier to do a deep massage without pulling the skin."
"Maybe," Justin said.
"Thanks, Jonah. We'll use it," Charlie said.
We got to our stop and walked home. Danny and Lance were in the shower and Michael was on the sofa reading. I gave Charlie the bottle of massage oil and they went to their room. I joined Michael with my PowerBook to check email.
"They gonna rub each other down?" Michael smirked.
"Yea. Justin really worked them hard. Charlie said he wanted a massage or he was gonna moan all night long."
"I'm so glad I don't have to dance. How'd it go?"
"Good. I'm sure they're all gonna be sore tomorrow. So what'd you do all night?"
"Worked on my lines and then started reading. Maybe I should go to the dance rehearsals -- just for the exercise."
"But you hate exercise."
"Yea, but that doesn't mean I don't know when I need it. I need more physical activity."
"How about we start taking walks every night when we get home?"
"Yea. That sounds good. Much better than dancing for four hours," Michael smiled.
"I think so, too. Wanna go now?"
"Sure," Michael said and stood up.
We went out and walked to the East River and back. Everyone was in bed when we got back. We took a shower and went to bed.
The rest of the week of rehearsals went well and the show was progressing. They had learned the songs and the choreography and, though it needed work, were doing well with it. Charlie and Justin gave each other a massage every night after the dance rehearsal. If they did anything other than that, though, they kept it quiet and I didn't ask.
Danny and Lance's plane to Iceland left early Saturday morning. Danny still had no idea. Lance woke me up at 7AM to drive them to the airport.
"Why are we up this early?" Danny groaned over coffee.
"We're going someplace," Lance said cryptically.
"Where?"
"You'll see."
"Jonah?" Danny asked, hoping I'd answer.
"You'll see," I echoed.
They showered and got dressed. Lance produced two suitcases from the closet and Danny's interest was piqued, but Lance wouldn't tell him anything.
I dropped them off at the airport and then came home and got back in bed.
I woke again at eleven to the feeling of Michael rubbing my chest.
"Mornin'," Michael smiled.
"Mornin'," I said and stretched. I grabbed Michael as my arms went down and pulled him on top of me. I gave him a quick kiss and smiled.
"Feelin' frisky?" Michael smiled and ground his erection against mine.
"Does this answer your question?" I said and squeezed his butt as I pulled him into me more.
"Good. We haven't done anything all week and I'm feeling the same way."
"Don't I know it. I need to go to the bathroom first."
"So do I," Michael said and rolled out of bed, pulling me with him.
We did our business in the bathroom and brushed our teeth before going back to our room. We made love for the next hour-and-a-half, and then took a shower before making lunch. Justin and Charlie were lounging at opposite ends of the sofa watching TV.
"It's about time you two got up, or should I say, went down," Justin laughed.
"Whatever, Speedy Gonzales," Michael said.
"You wouldn't know, and you're not gonna know."
"Thank God!" Michael said.
"Ditto. So what's the plan today?"
"Relax," Charlie said.
"I'm all for that," I agreed.
"Oh, come on. You guys act like you're old."
"Some of us had more to do all week than dance four hours and then sit on our ass the rest of the time," Charlie said.
"How about we get some movies, some munchies and sloth all day?" Michael offered.
"Brilliant," Charlie said.
"That's so boring," Justin whined.
"Nothing is stopping you from going out and doing something by yourself, Justin," I said.
"Except that I'd have to do it by myself. Let's go shopping."
"You're right. We'll go shopping for munchies and you two can go get the movies," Charlie said.
"That's not what I meant," Justin said sarcastically. "How about we go to Coney Island?"
"It's raining. That also eliminates the beach and anything outside," I said.
"Fine. But if it's nice out tomorrow, we're gonna get out and do something."
"Absolutely. You guys have lunch yet?" I asked.
"Yea," Charlie answered.
Michael and I left them and had a quick lunch of soup and garlic bread. Charlie announced they were going to get munchies as we were finishing. We cleaned up and then went to get the movies.
"Shall we do a theme?" Michael asked as we walked through the video store.
"Such as?"
"'Get Real.' 'Beautiful Thing.' 'Wild Reeds.' Oh, man. They've got 'Queer as Folk.'"
"I don't want to see it yet, and Charlie would kill us."
"Probably. I really don't like watching myself, either. Okay, how about 'Trick?'"
"All sound good to me. I've only seen 'Trick.'"
"Good. Maybe we'll make Justin a bit uncomfortable," Michael said with a grin.
"Or horny," I smirked.
"That too. Do you think they've been doing more than just giving each other massages?"
"I don't know, and I kinda don't want to know."
"You aren't just a bit curious about which way Justin is swinging now?"
"Yea, but if I know then I have to be conscious about not saying anything. If I don't know, then I don't have to worry about it."
"I guess. It's funny that he hasn't done any of this before. I mean, he's 20 and has worked in the entertainment biz for most of his life."
"Maybe he's just been too career focused and hasn't had the opportunity to be on his own yet."
"Could be, but it's not like you just wake up one day and decide you're gay or bi or whatever. It's usually something you know and just have to admit to yourself."
"Maybe he has. It's only the past year or so that he's had someone close to him come out, though. I think it's a timing thing, and Charlie hitting on him that first night."
"Yea. They'd make a cute couple if they got together."
"I don't think that will happen. Sex is probably all it is."
"If that's the case, then why have they been sleeping together every night? If it was just sex, then they would fuck and then go back to their own bed."
"Good point. Either way, it won't last long. Justin is going back to Orlando on Monday."
"Maybe we should give them some time alone to get in a much sex as possible before he leaves," Michael laughed.
"Whatever," I shot back.
We walked back home and got soaked from the almost horizontal rain and wind. Our umbrella was useless. We tossed the bag with the movies to Charlie and went to put on some dry clothes.
"So what's first?" I asked as Michael and I walked back into the living room. There were a couple bags of chips and cookies spread across the coffee table.
"'Wild Reeds,'" Charlie answered. "I also made you guys some drinks."
"What is it?" Michael asked.
"Tequila and Ginger Ale," Justin smiled from his chair and raised his glass before taking a drink.
"Odd combination," I said.
"Try it. It's good," Charlie smiled.
We both took a drink. Not bad. You could hardly taste the tequila.
"So?" Charlie asked.
"It's good," Michael answered and pushed me back onto the sofa so he could snuggle back against me.
"We got plenty of junk food for now," Justin said.
"And we can order a pizza later for real food," Charlie continued.
Charlie hit play and sat down on the other end of the sofa. It was a nice, comfortable afternoon. Outside, the rain poured all day. Inside, I held Michael in my arms and watched some good movies. The drink had more of a kick than it seemed and I was feeling a comfortable buzz after the second glass. After "Wild Reeds," Justin put in "Beautiful Thing" and sat down next to Charlie, instead of the chair he was in before. They kinda leaned on each other, but that was about it.
We decided to order the pizza after "Beautiful Thing." Everyone stretched and made the rounds to the bathroom. I ordered the pizzas. We waited to start "Trick" until the pizza got here, and then watched it while eating. By the time we started "Get Real," we were all full, and drunk. Michael and I had changed positions so he was holding me, and Charlie was lying back against Justin. About a half-hour into the movie, I noticed Justin was asleep and the rest of us were not far behind him.
I awoke as the tape was rewinding itself. Everyone else was still asleep. Michael was right: Charlie and Justin do make a cute couple. Justin's head was drooping on Charlie's shoulder with their faces next to each other. His arms were wrapped around Charlie and his hands just under the waistband of Charlie's shorts on the sides. Charlie was holding Justin's arms around him. I nudged Michael to wake him up, and then pointed to Charlie and Justin.
"Awww. They look so cute," he smiled.
"I wish we had a camera," I whispered.
"Danny has that digital one if you know how to work it."
"That's right. Do you think he took it with him?"
"Not unless Lance packed it."
"Perfect," I said and carefully got up and went to Danny's room. The camera was sitting on his dresser. I grabbed it and went back out to take the picture. They stirred at the flash, but I already had my picture. Michael and I went back into Danny's room and I hooked the camera up to the photo printer to print two copies, and then erased the picture from the camera.
"Why'd you erase it? We could have sent it out on the 'net," Michael teased.
"Exactly. I just wanted them each to have a picture of it, not blackmail them or anything."
"That's right. You don't need the money."
"Neither do you."
"Not anymore."
"How should we give it to them? Hide Justin's in his suitcase and give Charlie his after Justin's gone?"
"No. Justin may not be alone when he unpacks, or may not unpack himself and that wouldn't be cool. We'll just leave them on the table in front of them so they see them when they wake up."
"Okay, but if Justin starts yelling, you have to do the explaining."
"Agreed."
We went back out and put the pictures on the coffee table in front of them.
"It's stopped raining. Wanna take our walk?" Michael asked.
"Yea. That'd be nice."
We took a long walk on our usual route and got back around midnight. Charlie and Justin were still sleeping on the sofa. They hadn't really moved, but Justin's right hand was now on Charlie's chest and his left hand totally down the front of Charlie's shorts. Charlie had an obvious hard-on.
"Now's when we should take the picture," Michael whispered.
"A bit too porny. Did you see all of the last movie?"
"Nope. I fell asleep. Wanna watch it now?"
"Yea."
We sat back in our place on the sofa and restarted the movie. Our eyes kept getting pulled to Charlie and Justin, however, as Justin's hand would rub him and Charlie would squirm a bit. Finally, we turned the sound up louder to wake them so they'd stop and we wouldn't be tempted to watch. Justin slowly pulled his hands off Charlie and raised them over his head as he stretched and yawned. Charlie sat forward and shot Justin an annoyed look before going to the bathroom.
"Didn't we already watch this?" Justin said as he pulled his shirt back down over his obvious erection and turned to sit.
"We fell asleep and didn't see past the first half-hour," I said.
"Yea. I fell asleep too."
"No kidding."
"I'm gonna get another drink. You guys want one?" Justin said and stood up.
"Please," Michael answered.
Justin went to the kitchen and Charlie came back from the bathroom. He saw the pictures and sighed as he flipped them over.
"Those are the only two," I said.
"Doesn't matter. We're not having sex, if that's what you've been thinking," Charlie said.
"Really?" Michael asked.
"Really. He wants to cuddle and..." Charlie started and then stopped as Justin walked back in. Justin dropped off the drinks and went to the bathroom. "He want to cuddle, but we haven't had sex since those blow jobs. I find him playing with me, though, when we sleep, but he doesn't want to do more, and he doesn't want to talk about it. It's frustrating as hell," Charlie sighed.
"Confront him with it," I said.
"I just may tonight."
Justin walked back into the room and sat down next to Charlie. Charlie got up and sat down in a chair. Justin shot him a hurt look, but Charlie ignored him and watched the movie. It was obvious that Justin didn't know what was up and he kept looking at Charlie. I was almost ready to shut the movie off and make them talk to each other, when Charlie did it.
"What is up with you, Justin?" Charlie demanded.
"What do you mean? You're the one who went to sit by yourself," Justin countered.
"Because you can't keep you damn hands out of my pants."
Justin shot a look of horror towards Michael and I.
"They already saw you molesting me earlier. Stop worrying about your fuckin' image and tell me what the hell is going on. You say you're straight, and then you're in my bed asking me to hold you. I though, 'Okay, he's a nice guy and cute. It's just a comfort thing.' But it wasn't. Each night you'd ask to do the same thing, but nothing more. Well, nothing more for me. I'd wake up in the middle of the night and find your hands down my pants. Believe it or not, I don't just let anyone in my bed and I didn't think you did either. But I don't understand what the fuck is going on and I want to know before you leave," Charlie ranted.
"Sorry. I didn't realize I was..." Justin started.
"Bullshit! You knew exactly what you were doing."
"So what do you want?" Justin asked in a soft voice.
"I want to know where we stand."
"I don't know. I like you, Charlie. A lot. I really do," Justin said with tears in his eyes.
"I like you a lot, too, but where does that leave us?"
"You want me to say I'm bisexual? Maybe we can have sex right here in front of the TV so everyone can watch!" Justin yelled through his tears.
"That's not what I want and you know it. I'm talking about us personally, not what the outside world or our friends know," Charlie said with a softer voice.
"Then I don't know, Charlie. I've never been attracted to another man before I met you. I never expected to feel this way and it's kinda scary," Justin said in a small voice.
"I'm just a sexy bitch," Charlie smiled.
Justin cracked a small smile. "Yea, you are, but not as sexy as me."
Michael leaned forward, picked up one of the pictures, and handed it to Justin.
Justin looked at it and smiled. "Can we talk in our room? Privately."
They went to their room and shut the door. I turned the movie back on and the sound up so we couldn't hear them.
"Were we ever that bad?" Michael asked.
"God, I hope not," I laughed.
"I'll have to ask Michelle about it."
"She'll say we were a thousand times worse."
"Probably."
We finished watching the movie, and then cleaned up before going to bed. No sooner had we closed the door when someone knocked on it. I opened it and there stood Charlie.
"You have some extra condoms?" He asked with a sheepish grin.
"He's gonna let you..." I started with a bit of shock in my voice.
"Sure. You'll need this too," Michael interrupted and handed him two condoms and a bottle of Astroglide.
"Thanks," Charlie said and quickly went back to their room.
"Can you believe they're gonna..." I started.
"Yep. Someone's gonna be walkin' funny tomorrow," Michael laughed.
"I think it's gonna be you," I smiled and pushed Michael onto the bed.
"Promise?"
"I'm certainly going to do my best," I said and dropped my clothes.
"Maybe not your best. I mean, I do want to at least be able to walk tomorrow," Michael teased.
"That's your problem," I said and pulled his pants off him. He sat up and pulled off his t-shirt.
"Fucking Fantastic?"
"Probably not. Someone gave away our lube," I smiled and licked my way up his body. When I got to his lips we made out forever.
"Oh my god! You feel incredible!" We heard Justin yell, and busted up laughing.
"Damn, he's a vocal one," Michael laughed.
"Let's see if we can rival that," I smiled and slid down Michael's body.
We lay in each other's arms as we came down after our orgasms and could hear Justin's grunts and moans and Charlie saying something through the wall. We took a quick shower and went to bed. Thankfully, it had quieted down next door.
Michael and I woke up at ten. It was a beautiful day outside, so we decided to take a walk. We stopped at a bakery and bought some croissants. Charlie and Justin were just getting up when we got back.
"We've got croissants," Michael announced as we walked through the door.
Justin just grunted and stumbled to the kitchen.
"Unless you'd rather have your english muffin," I teased.
Charlie shot me a grin and Justin ignored me. I put on some coffee while Michael dumped the bag of croissants on the table.
"So'd you have fun last night?" Michael nudged Justin with a grin.
"Fuck you," Justin said under his breath and turned bright red.
"Oh my god, you made him blush. You actually made him blush," I laughed.
"Okay. I admit it. It was great. Now get over it," Justin said.
"You've got to let us get a little teasing in. You know we wouldn't tease if we didn't love you," Michael said and gave Justin a sideways hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Love me from a distance, man," Justin laughed as he pushed him away and wiped his cheek.
"So it wasn't as bad as you thought, huh?" I asked.
"I never said I thought it was bad," Justin said.
"Okay, you said, 'I just don't understand anal sex.'"
"Oh, that. Well, now I do. You were absolutely right on both points."
"What's that?" Charlie asked.
"It feels really incredible, but hurts the first time," I answered.
"I didn't hurt you, did I, J? I said to let me know if it hurt too much," Charlie said with concern.
"No, you were very gentle. It hurt, but not so bad I couldn't take it."
"'With your legs against your chest and moaning like a bitch in heat,'" Michael quoted Charlie. Justin slugged him hard on the arm. "Ow! Quit it."
"It appears to be a nice day out, so I'm dragging all you lazy asses out to do something outside," Justin said, hoping to change the subject.
"What are you going to torture us with?" Charlie said.
"How about some b-ball?" Justin smiled.
"Sorry. Don't have a basketball, and I totally suck at it," I said.
"Me too," Michael seconded.
"I don't play basketball, but I could kick your arse at football...I mean soccer," Charlie said.
"I don't think there's enough room to play soccer around here, and if they don't have a basketball, they don't have a soccer ball," Justin said.
"I have a frisbee. We could go to Central Park and play ultimate," I offered.
"Tackle or touch?"
"Tackle, of course."
"Okay. I'm up for that," Justin said.
"I can do frisbee," Michael said.
"I can chase and tackle," Charlie laughed.
We finished breakfast, got ready and took the train into town and up to Central Park. There were a lot of people there, but we were able to find a place to play. It was Michael and me against Charlie and Justin. We decided upon the rules and started playing. A couple people asked to join the game and it was soon five against five. We called it quits a couple hours later, exhausted, and took the train home.
"That was fun," Justin said sleepily as he rocked back and forth with the movement of the train. "And no one recognized me."
"Maybe they did and they just didn't care," Michael said.
"Either way, I wasn't attacked. The guys and I can't do that anymore without tons of security around and it becoming a media event."
"Lance said that you guys hardly ever get noticed when you're not all together," I said.
"That's him, Joey and Chris. I almost always get noticed. Josh too. I guess that's what we get for being the front men."
"Poor baby," Charlie teased. "At least you can afford the security guards."
"Yea we can, but they're still expensive as hell. It's not even worth the hassle anymore."
"So what do you do when you're not working?" I asked.
"We usually hang out at someone's house, or take a couple bodyguards with us if we do go out. I love the guys and all, but it's nice to get away from them."
"Why don't you have a bodyguard with you now?"
"Living on the edge, and being very careful. Actually, Lonnie is staying at a hotel downtown, just in case."
"Lonnie?" Charlie asked.
"My bodyguard."
"He's not doing a very good job if you've been running around by yourself."
"He does a great job. If I want to blend in and am in an environment where I feel safe, then I ask him to take some time off. He doesn't listen very well, though. He's been at the theater every night. He was probably at the park, too."
"I haven't noticed anyone at the theater who shouldn't be there," I said.
"He doesn't come in. He's on the street, just making sure I'm okay from a distance. Next time we're at the theater I'll introduce you guys."
"Okay. So I guess you have some sort of signal you could give him and he'd rush to your side and kick the shit out of anyone near you?"
"Something like that."
"Make sure you introduce Charlie so he doesn't hear you moaning and bust in to kill him," Michael teased.
"I've already told him about you guys, or you wouldn't be this close to me now," Justin dismissed.
"That sounds incredibly conceited," I said.
"It's not meant to be. That's just the way it is. With the stalkers and psychotic fans we've had problems with in the past, we can't be too careful. He's paid to protect me, and that's exactly what he does."
We came to our stop and started walking home.
"You're starting to sound as burned out on your job as Lance does," I said.
"I know. I'm not burned out on the job. I'm burned out on the things that go with it. The money is great. Performing and doing music for a living are great. All the hassles of fame sometimes overshadow everything else. That's where the burn out comes from -- not being able to enjoy anything outside of work. It's like having to work 24/7. Always having to be 'on.'"
"So what are you going to do after 'NSYNC? Disappear to some small town in Montana?" Michael asked.
"Tempting, but I'd go crazy with boredom. I'm gonna go to school, actually."
"Where and for what?"
"Don't know for sure yet, but I'm thinking IU Bloomington. I think I'd like to be a music teacher."
"IU?"
"Yea. They have a great music program."
"Why not Julliard?"
"If I just wanted to perform or compose, I'd probably consider Julliard, but I want to teach. IU Bloomington is a better place for that, and not quite as high profile as Julliard."
"We've got the shower first," Charlie announced as we walked through the door.
Charlie and Justin got in the shower.
"Let's go out to eat tonight. It'll be like a double date," Michael said.
"Who'd a thunk it? Where do you want eat?"
"I don't care -- as long as they don't serve pizza."
"I second that. How about Mayura's?"
"I don't know that place. What do they have?"
"It's an Indian place on Houston."
"Fast food Indian, or sit down meal Indian?"
"Sit down meal. It's very good."
"Why haven't we gone there before?"
"I don't know. I just haven't been in the mood for Indian when we've gone out. If we go, though, we should call and make reservations right away."
"Sounds good to me. I'll ask Charlie and Justin." Michael knocked on the bathroom door and then opened it and asked if Indian food was alright with everyone. They agreed. "Let's make the reservations."
I grabbed the phone book, found the number and called to make reservations for 7:30. We got in the shower after Charlie and Justin.
It had been about a year since I'd been to Mayura's, but the food was as good as I remembered it. I was feeling daring and ordered a five hotness out of six for my curry chicken. It wasn't too hot to eat, but I was dripping with sweat. Michael and Charlie chickened out with a three on their meals. Justin got a six on his and was sweating as much as I was and his face was red.
"What time does your plane leave tomorrow?" I asked Justin as we got home.
"Uh, it doesn't."
"Huh?"
"I've decided to stay a while longer, if that's okay."
"Yea, that's fine. I just figured you had stuff to do."
"Not really. We're basically off this month. I don't have any real reason to go back to Orlando, but I do have a reason to stay here," Justin said and shot a shy grin towards Charlie. "If I went back I'd just be hanging out with the guys and relaxing."
"So you're a couple now?" Michael asked.
"Um, I guess," Justin said hesitantly.
"We're just together for now," Charlie somewhat clarified.
"Have you already told the other guys?" I asked Justin.
"Just that I'm staying in NYC."
"They weren't curious why?" Michael asked.
"Um, yea, Josh did a bit of prodding," Justin said uncomfortably.
"Okay. We'll stop prying. Night, guys," I said. Michael and I got cleaned up went to bed.
"They're a strange couple, don't you think?" Michael said softly as we laid in bed.
"Understatement. I never would have expected it from either of them," I said and then thought of something and chuckled.
"What?"
"I just remembered something they both said. When I talked with Justin the other night he said he chose Charlie because he knew or hoped he wouldn't fall in love with him. When Charlie came in and asked me that night he seemed bothered that maybe Justin was falling in love with him."
"I don't think they're in love," Michael stated.
"Why's that?"
"I don't know. They both seem like the type who will eventually get a wife and have kids. I think it's convenience and fun right now."
"Could be. You ever think about us having kids?"
"Why? You think you're pregnant?" Michael snickered and rubbed my belly.
"I meant adopt, dork."
"I know. Yea, I guess I've thought about it, but until they let gay couples adopt kids, I don't think it's gonna happen, so I haven't thought too seriously about it. You?"
"Yea. I think it would be cool to be a dad, but not anytime soon. Like maybe when we're 35 or around there and, hopefully, doing well in our careers. Maybe the law will even be changed by then."
"Maybe."
We laid there quietly for a few minutes and I started to drift off.
"You know what we should do next weekend?" Michael said.
"What?" I mumbled.
"Go camping."
"What about Danny and Lance? They're getting back Saturday and we said we'd pick them up."
"Okay. Then the weekend after that."
"That could be nice. I've only got a three man tent, though, if everyone wants to go."
"Well, do three couples qualify?"
"It may be more like one sextet."
"Oo. SEXtet," Michael giggled.
"Horny bastard," I teased.
"Always."
"I know one thing we can do next weekend..."
"What's that?"
"I don't think you'll like it..."
"I won't know unless you tell me."
"'La Traviata' is playing at the Met. I wanna see it," I smiled.
"Opera?! Say it isn't so," Michael teased.
"My musical tastes are diverse. Just because I like Pavement doesn't mean I can't like Puccini."
"I know, but opera? Fat people in bad costumes screaming in Italian?"
"You've never actually been to an opera, have you?"
"I've flipped past them on PBS."
"It's much better live. Anyway, you don't have to go if you don't want to. I can go by myself or take someone else."
"I'll think about it. How long is it?"
"Probably four hours or so."
"I'll think about it. Night," Michael said, rolled over and cuddled against me.
"Night. Love you," I said and kissed the back of his neck.
"Love you...Even if you do like opera," Michael snickered softly. I pinched his nipple hard for that and went to sleep.
The next week of rehearsals went well. Since Justin was still in town and didn't have anything else to do, he ran the dance rehearsal every night. They were getting pretty good. We also worked on the more intimate scenes this week. That was hard. I know it's just acting, but it's still hard to watch your boyfriend getting it on with another guy while you watch and comment. Well, maybe not hard or weird for some people, but hard for me. They were both more than horny after we worked on the scenes. Michael and I made love every night, and from the sounds of it, so did Charlie and Justin. By the end of the week I was relaxed with it and it almost seemed boring.
Charlie and Justin. I still think they are a weird couple. There are absolutely no PDA outside of the apartment. You'd think they were just casual friends. Inside the apartment, they are more like really close friends, with some touches, but mostly just sitting next to each other. They kept all their affections in their bedroom.
Justin was a bit on edge Saturday morning. It was obvious to everyone.
"What's up, Justin?" I asked.
"Lance gets back today."
"Yea, I know. We pick them up at three."
"He doesn't know about me and Charlie yet."
"I thought you guys talked about it when he caught you in bed with him."
"We didn't. He didn't say anything and I didn't say anything."
"So now you'll have to. You know he already suspects and he won't have a problem with it."
"I know, but he suspected when we really weren't doing anything. Now we are. I know it's stupid, but it still makes me tense."
"Want a massage?" Charlie asked and started rubbing Justin's shoulders.
"Thanks. Maybe later," Justin shrugged Charlie's hands off and pulled him down to sit next to him. "God! I feel so stupid! It's like those damn stories. Do I tell? Don't I tell? What will they think? It shouldn't be this hard," Justin ranted.
"Wait 'till you tell your parents. Now that will make this seem like a piece of cake," Michael laughed.
"Thanks, Michael. I feel so much better now," Justin said sarcastically.
"You're welcome. Just helping you put things into perspective. Lance is gay and already suspects you've been doing stuff with Charlie. It would be incredibly hypocritical for him to have a problem with you being bi," Michael explained.
"I know it's stupid for me to be nervous. I'll get over it if you stop talking about it."
"Okay. To totally change the subject, I'm going to see 'La Traviata' tonight. Anyone care to join me," I said.
"Yea, I'll go," Justin said absentmindedly.
"I'm still thinking about it," Michael said.
"I told you you don't have to go if you don't want to. I'd rather you not be sitting there for four hours with your hands over your ears and laughing."
"Then I won't go. If it was something shorter... You know, so I could get my feet wet first I'd probably try it, but four hours is a long time."
"Charlie?" I asked.
"I think I'd rather stay home and jam forks in my head," he laughed. "Sorry, but I really don't care for opera. Gives me a headache."
"Well maybe you and Michael can find a good wrestling match on TV," I smirked.
"Much better," Charlie laughed.
"Eh, it'd be a toss up for me. Opera? Wrestling? Both have the appeal of sex in the sand," Michael laughed.
"You've never wanted to have sex on the beach? I think it'd be...oh, yea. I guess it could get a bit abrasive," Justin started, and then figured it out with a laugh.
"Doing it outdoors could be fun, though," I added.
"Oh yea, we're going camping next weekend, if you want to go," Michael said.
"I haven't been camping in ages. Where are you going?" Justin said excitedly.
"Don't know yet. Someplace upstate. I'm gonna look for campgrounds today," Michael said.
"I'm up for it. Charlie?" Justin asked.
"Sure. Sounds like fun."
Justin's phone started ringing. He looked at the caller ID and sighed.
"Hey, Josh. What's up?...Just sitting around talking...Not yet. We pick them up at three...Me, Charlie, Jonah and Michael...Yea, I am...Yea, I'll have him call you...God, Josh. Are you bored or what?...Really? He did? What did she say?...Uh, huh...Uh, huh...That's so cool. He decide who the best man is going to be yet?...You can't have four best men...Well, you just can't. That's why it's called the best MAN...I guess. That way he doesn't have to choose and worry about upsetting anyone. He should have just asked Joe, though. They're closer...Um, yea, I guess. You'd have to ask Jonah. There's not anymore beds, though...Don't be stupid. I'm not trying to avoid you...Okay, well let me know what you decide. I've gotta go...Alright. Later," Justin said and hit end.
"Who's getting married?" Charlie asked.
"Chris. He's been going back and forth about it for a while, but he finally popped the question last night and she said yes."
"You know it'd probably be easier to just tell Josh instead of avoiding him and letting his imagination work on why you'd avoid him to hang around a bunch of gay guys," I said.
"Probably. I just want to get comfortable with this myself before I starting telling people. He knows me too well, though. If I start talking with him, he's gonna know something is up."
"Is that why you told him there were no more beds?"
"That's true. There aren't."
"Since when are you sleeping in your bed?" Michael smirked.
"He doesn't know that. And even if he did, we couldn't do anything with him in the top bunk."
"I don't know why not. I mean, he could hear it from the living room anyway, so if he's in the top bunk he can at least watch," Michael teased.
"That is so not funny."
"Let's go take a shower," I said and grabbed Michael before he could torture Justin anymore.
We took our time in the shower and made a late lunch while Charlie and Justin took their shower. We ate and then Michael looked for campgrounds upstate. Michael and I left to pick Danny and Lance up around 2:30. Charlie and Justin went out to do something.
Their plane was on time and we waited for them outside of Customs. They both looked relaxed and were smiling.
"Hey, guys. Enjoy you vacation?" I asked as we hugged our greetings.
"Yea. It was so nice," Danny said a bit dreamy.
"It really is beautiful, and it was daylight almost all the time. I don't think it ever really got dark," Lance added.
"Well let's get your bags and you can tell us all about it," I said.
"How were things here?" Danny asked.
"Pretty calm. Rehearsals are going well," I said.
"How's Charlie now that Justin is back in Orlando?" Lance asked.
Michael started laughing. As much as I didn't want to, I started laughing as well.
"What?" Lance said with a confused smile.
"You'll see," Michael laughed.
"Anyway, what was the best part of Iceland?" I said to change the subject.
"Making out in a hot spring," Danny smiled.
"Not the time we did it near the volcano?" Lance smiled.
"Oh yea. That was great as well, but the rocks weren't all that comfortable."
"We're going there sometime," Michael told me.
I drove home and we listened to Danny and Lance's stories of Iceland. I parked the car and we were about to walk up the steps to the apartment when Danny stopped and we almost walked into him. There was a guy sitting on the steps and he stood up and looked at Danny.
"Danny," the guy said.
"Paul?" Danny said quietly.
Comments welcome and encouraged. jm_stories@yahoo.com