Star Encounter

Title: Star Encounter Author: Jezebel Feedback: eh_oh_po@yahoo.com

Disclaimers: I do not know any of the celebrities mentioned herein, this has no element of truth to it. This is no reflection on their true sexualities or personalities of any people mentioned. Brandon Taylor is a fictional character and does not represent anyone other than a creation of the author. If you are underage for your area or if it is illegal for you to look at this why not go somewhere else, if you don't like the thought of two men together in a loving, sexual way this isn't for you either.

Over the next fortnight Justin did not find any easy answers to his dilemma. His schedule was packed tighter than an athlete's running shorts and he had little time to worry about if and when he would see Brandon again.

Johnny had stepped up security and in order to stop Justin seeing Maya he had banned all outside visitors from joining the tour. Josh seemed pleased that whatever undue influence he thought Maya was placing on Justin was removed but he was the only one. With no visitors allowed Joey was having to go without seeing Kelly and Brianna and it left him in a foul mood. Lance was of course concerned for Justin but was not letting anything get in the way of business and actually supported Johnny's idea of no guests. It made the workforce much more productive after all. Chris was the only person left speaking to Justin and that was because he was so laidback in his normal life that Justin didn't think anything would bother him.

Of course Justin was not completely isolated. He spoke with Brandon every night, no matter where the other may be, and despite the fact that they both had busy touring schedules to meet neither one of them ever missed that call.

Justin was not the only one that was getting impatient about meeting up again. Their last meeting had held such promise and Brandon did not want to wait another few months before he saw Justin. He respected Justin's need to keep their relationship a secret because he was not out with the other boys yet but he also wanted to see his lover more than a few times a year.

When Brandon heard that Justin was going to be off for a day the following week he was ecstatic, at least until he heard that Justin was virtually under house arrest.

"What about if I flew out to meet you somewhere?" Brandon asked, trying not to sound too desperate but wanting Justin to know that he was wanted. "I can book into another hotel, or we can just go out for a drink or a meal." It wasn't really the perfect solution but any contact would be better than nothing.

"If I went out then I would have to take security." Justin replied. "I'm sure that Johnny has thought of every eventuality."

"God, there has to be a way that we can see each other." Brandon said. "I miss you..."

"I know." Justin replied, feeling the pain just as keenly as Brandon did. "I've thought about how we can be together but short of telling the guys..." Justin trailed off because he wasn't sure he should discuss this with Brandon. "Maybe I should tell them..."

"Not if you aren't ready." Brandon replied. It killed him to say it but the last thing he wanted was Justin to be unhappy with the decision he had made. Brandon was the last person to force someone out of the closet because it had been a long and hard road for him and he did not want to wish that on anyone else. Justin's initial experiences had been easier but he hadn't come all of the way and Brandon knew this was something that everyone had to do at their own pace and in their own time.

"This sucks." Justin said as he let out a sigh.

Brandon snorted with laughter as he realised just how young Justin sounded sometimes. He supposed that spending the majority of his day performing to an audience of teenage girls it would work into his vocabulary.

"You sounded like Maya then." Brandon says. "She thinks that the situation sucks too. Mostly because she wanted to come and hang out with you when she was bored. Now she actually has to do some work towards her own career rather than meddling in someone else's."

Justin knew that Brandon was joking. He would have supported Maya for as long as she wanted and had hoped that once she grew a little that she would let him pay for college for her and all of the other things that she should have gone through. Brandon had missed out on a lot of that with his own touring and young marriage and he did not want the same for his sister. It was nice to think about someone else for a change, but it only made Justin realise that he missed Maya almost as much as he missed Brandon.

"How is she?" Justin asked. "She hasn't called me in a while."

"She's working on a few modelling assignments in New York this week and then she's thinking about taking some time in Chicago." Brandon said. He didn't want to mention that his sister was trying to cut back the time that she spent with Justin to make it easier for him with JC and Johnny. Brandon didn't agree with her tactics but was not about to tell her what to do.

"Tell her I said hi." Justin said. "And that we'll sort something out. I told Johnny that he wasn't going to force me to cut her out of my life completely and I meant it."

"Take care of yourself." Brandon said. He sensed that Justin had somewhere else to be by the tone of his last comments and didn't want to keep him from it, despite the fact that he wanted nothing more than to hang up the phone and to fly out to be with him. "I'll speak to you tomorrow."

"Count on it." Justin said, before hanging up.

It was only after he heard the dial tone that he added his final comment.

"I love you."

Justin wasn't exactly sure how he had gotten roped into doing a celebrity appearance on his day off. He had meant to try and see Brandon but the walls that Johnny had erected around the Nsync camp were too tight for Brandon to break through or for Justin to break out. Instead he was out playing golf on his day off. Justin had let Chris talk him into it because he wanted to spend some time with Chris and he still felt guilty about not spending as much time as he had promised out on the green with his best friend when they had been in Vegas.

The celebrity golf tournament was being held in Florida and the boys were flying home for 12 hours so that they could spend some time with their families and also appear at the event. It was in aid of the Make-a-Wish foundation which was a charity Justin supported and he knew that there would be a lot of other people there to play as well.

He hoped that it would take his mind off of his current situation and it was nice to see Chris excited about the fact that he had a new club which he was convinced was going to help him win.

They were chilling out in the clubhouse, waiting for their names to be drawn and see who they would be playing against when Justin spotted a familiar face in the background. He tried to draw Chris' attention to him but it was not working. Chris could spot a good looking woman from a mile off and he saw Maya as soon as she entered.

"What is she doing here?" Chris asked, not sounding too angry but obviously a little uncomfortable by it. "You know that Johnny will have a hissy fit if he finds out."

"I wasn't expecting her." Justin replied honestly. "I thought she was in Chicago on business."

"Her business must have brought her down here for a reason." Chris said, saying business as if she were into something illegal or immoral. "Maybe she is down here with another friend."

"Chris, I don't know what you think of Maya but..." Justin began.

"Shhh." Chris said. "She's coming over. Make nice and then get rid of her. I don't care if she is the love of your life. Johnny will have my hide and yours if he knows that she was here."

Justin wanted to say that he was not scared of Johnny but he knew it was wrong to go behind his back and he certainly didn't want Chris to take any blame for Maya's appearance. Chris was the only member of the band that treated him with anything other than aloof civility at the moment and he didn't want to lose that.

"Fancy meeting you here." Maya said with a small smile. "I didn't know that you were playing."

"It's on the programme." Chris pointed to the small leaflet that she was grasping in her hand. Maya looked at it and shrugged. It was clear that she had not read it, merely purchasing it for the cause they were there to support.

"I hadn't really expected to come today." Maya said. "I'm here with my family and..."

"Family?" Chris asked. He had heard the report that Johnny had received there had been no mention of a family. In fact there was very little information about her at all and he wondered if this was a chance to redeem himself and find out a little more about the mystery woman that everyone else was so concerned about.

"Chris, could you give us a minute?" Justin asked, sounding more shaken than Chris had seen him in a while. The pale complexion and shaking hands were enough to tell him that Justin was worried about something. "Maya and I need to talk alone. I'll come and find you in a minute."

"Sure thing." Chris said. "Keep an eye out for Lonnie. I'll be at the bar when you're done."

Justin waved slightly and then pulled Maya off to one side.

"What do you mean, you're here with family?" He asked as soon as Chris was out of earshot. "Brandon is here?"

"He doesn't know that you are here either." Maya said.

"You set this up, didn't you?" Justin accused. Maya batted her eyelids innocently but Justin knew better than to believe the act. She was used to lying and manipulating people. It was how Maya had survived for so long without anyone realising that she was Brandon Taylor's sister. "You had no right."

"Someone needed to get you together." Maya replied.

"Did it occur to you that we were staying apart for a reason?" Justin asked. "That we haven't thought about trying to get together like this? What if someone sees us together or if we get caught?"

Maya didn't answer. She had thought it through and made a decision based on what she thought was right but she didn't think that Justin would appreciate her answer so she kept quiet. To Maya it made sense for them to be open. It would be a good thing if they got caught. She didn't think Justin was ready to hear that truth.

Brandon sighed as he was offered yet another complimentary drink. He shook his head and indicated the orange juice in his hand. He was bored out of his mind and wondered why Maya had arranged for him to do this. She had harped on about raising his charity profile and that causes were in this season but really he didn't think that he needed to raise his profile anymore. It was hard enough to keep his private life private, without having to court the media now that his album was out and his new tour dates were coming up.

Golf wasn't really his thing and the fact that he had to fly all the way down to Florida for one appearance seemed a little extravagant to him. Especially when Justin wasn't even in the state to see him. Brandon felt almost as if he could reach out and touch Justin in the sunshine state and yet he was being denied that because Justin had been on tour.

Celebrity parties were usually the last place that Brandon hung out. He donated a lot to charity but didn't see the need for some extravagant party or competition to do it. He would rather just write a cheque than attend something like this but the fans liked their idols to be linked to some good causes and it heightened awareness of the charities if they were in the papers.

Brandon knew that by supporting this cause he would guarantee it coverage, just his presence there would bring more attention than anything else because he was known as a recluse. It didn't help the fact that he didn't want to be there and that even his sister had felt a need to abandon him to his fate.

Through sheer boredom Brandon found himself flicking through the pamphlet which described the events of the day, with lists of the B-List celebrities that were expected and those that were playing.

He was on the fifth page when he saw a familiar name listed next to those playing in the amateur games.

His first thought was why Justin had not told him he would be there, his second thought was that he was going to kill his little sister as soon as he got his hands on her, that was if Justin didn't get there first.

Brandon was about to find the organiser and make his excuses when he spied Justin across the room, he also saw one of Justin's bandmates at his side. He ran through the mental list of names and came up with the right one. Of all the members to accompany Justin it had to be the one that was a huge fan. Brandon knew this meant he would not be able to get a message to Justin to warn him, but it also meant that he couldn't casually bump into him. He would be within touching distance and not be able to lay a hand on his dream. He thought that was the greatest torment of all.

Brandon sighed.

He didn't think the day could get any worse.

Justin could pinpoint the exact moment that Chris spotted Brandon. Unfortunately it was the same moment that Brandon was looking over at them and Chris appeared to shy away from the glance. It reminded Justin of the difference in their statuses and that he was not supposed to know Brandon and he too should be shy.

"Oh my... I can't believe that Brandon Taylor is here." Chris said, almost hyperventilating at the prospect. "It didn't have his name on the list, Johnny would have told us when he booked us on. The other guys would have wanted to be here. I wonder what he is doing here."

Usually Justin thought it was funny when Chris went into his nervous babbling state but today it annoyed him. He didn't want to hear about how amazing it was that Brandon was there because it was too much extra torment for him.

"He's probably here to give out prizes." Justin supplied. He knew that Brandon didn't play golf and he wasn't particularly interested in watching it either. He tended to change the subject when Justin began talking about it in their conversations.

"That would be so cool." Chris said. "I mean, winning the competition and then getting to meet Brandon Taylor as well."

"Chris, I hate to break it to you, but I don't think we are going to win." Justin replied.

"We have to now." Chris answered, his eyes glazing over as he settled into some daydream where he won the title of "Best Celebrity Golfer" and made friends with Brandon all in one day.

Justin took a moment to decide what to do. He knew this could be a make or break moment for him and that he had to make the right decision.

"I'm not playing." He said without thought.

"Justin, I..." Chris began, but stopped when he saw the look on Justin's face. For a moment he had thought that his younger friend was just starstruck by the fact that one of his idols was in the room but when Chris saw that look he knew that there was something much deeper going on here.

"What did Maya say to you?" Chris asked. When he thought about it Justin hadn't been as enthusiastic about the game since he had known that she was there. "If she is trying to blackmail you or something..."

"Chris, stop. It's not Maya." Justin said, sick and tired of hearing about how she was a bad influence on him. He kept coming back to the fact that it would be different if they knew the truth. He couldn't get past that. "It's Brandon." Justin blurted out without really thinking about it. As soon as the words were out he knew that he would have to give Chris a better explanation. "I can't play because Brandon is here."

"Justin, I'm sure that he won't even be watching us, I mean, it's a sad reflection of our popularity but I doubt he has even heard of Nsync."

Justin sighed. He wanted to tell Chris so many things but this was hardly the time or the place.

"Sorry to interrupt you but..."

The voice stopped when he had Chris and Justin's attention. Justin recognised the other man immediately but Chris did not.

"You're drawing a crowd." He said. "Might I suggest we find a more secluded venue for this discussion."

Justin nodded and followed the man, Chris was concerned and followed too.

"Where are we going?" Chris asked as they walked along a corridor which lead away from the party and into the complex where they were holding the gathering.

"There is a more private suite of rooms along here for the VIPs." The larger man said.

"Is he expecting us, tank?" Justin asked, confusing Chris because he knew the other man.

"He wasn't." Tank replied. "But I bet he'll be glad to see you." He added with a smile.

"Who?" Chris had to ask, as they turned the corner into the room.

"Chris, I'd like you to meet Brandon Taylor. Brandon this is Chris." Justin said as he stepped into the room closely followed by Chris and Tank.

"What? I mean...?" Chris started, not sure what he was supposed to say next. In his mind he had played this scenario out a hundred times. What he would do if he met his idol, but he never thought for a moment that he would get that chance, or that his best friend would be the one introducing them.

"I know it is a lot to take in right now," Justin started "but I wanted to be honest with you."

"Justin, you don't have to..." Brandon began only to be interrupted by Justin.

"I don't have to tell you, but I want to." He continued, holding up a hand to stop Brandon's protest. "Chris, I've known Brandon for a while now - we've been seeing each other."

"You are friends with Brandon Taylor?" Chris asked as he tried to comprehend Justin's words.

Justin hesitated. Chris was giving him an out and if he took it he would still be able to get away with the façade that he was straight while still having the freedom to see Brandon. He could have his cake and eat it too. Something told him that it wasn't what he should do though and that he would be cheating both Chris and Brandon if he didn't get it all out in the open when he had the chance.

"We are friends, but more than that too." Justin said. "Brandon and I... we're lovers."

Chris frowned. He ran the words through his head a few times as if looking for some hidden meaning or explanation in them that made more sense than what Justin had said. When he couldn't find any he finally had to look at Brandon to see if he thought that Justin was a crack pot. What he saw was not incredulity but awe and respect, as if he had not expected Justin to say that but more than that there was an underlying look of adoration and love.

Chris knew from the look on Brandon's face that Justin spoke the truth. A million thoughts passed through his mind at that moment but he knew there was only one thing to say.

"You're a lucky man." Chris said, a wide smile as he held his hand out. At first Justin thought he was talking to him but then he saw the hand was extended to Brandon. Brandon took the hand and felt Chris' strong grip. "But if you hurt him, I'll hunt you down and kill you like the dog that you are."

Brandon laughed and gave Chris a look that said he would not run if that were to occur.

The pair of them had an understanding now and for a moment Chris forgot that he was shaking hands with his idol. Instead this was Brandon, Justin's new boyfriend, and he wanted to get to know him. Unfortunately there was also the matter of a game that they had to play.

"Now that we've had this touching Oprah moment, can we get down to some golfing?" Chris asked. "I may have met Brandon Taylor but that doesn't mean I don't still want to win this thing."

Justin was slightly surprised at how well Chris was taking his coming out, so he just nodded and followed his friend back towards the fairway. He didn't want to think about how differently that could have gone.

They played a good game, but Justin wasn't surprised that they didn't win. In the world of Pop they may be King but out on the green they were mere amateurs. Oh well, everyone had their strengths and weaknesses and he supposed Golf was not one of his strengths.

The party afterwards was supposed to go on until dawn but Justin had other plans. They had stayed for the prize giving but he didn't want to stay any longer. The problem was how he told Chris that he wanted to get out of there so that he could spend some time with Brandon before they flew back to the tour.

"Don't worry." Chris said. "I've got it covered, although you owe me big for this. I already called and told Johnny that I wanted to see more of Dani while we were here and got him to change our flights to tomorrow morning. He wasn't happy about it but you know Johnny, anything to keep his boys happy. Well, anything within reason!"

"We're staying?" Justin asked, not sure if he could believe what he was hearing.

"Only overnight." Chris said. "And I expect to see some serious thanks when we get back on tour. That means no sulking, no moping and a bit more of an effort with the other boys. Johnny's not the only one that would do anything to keep his boys happy, but like him I expect some hard work in return."

Justin nodded. In all honesty he thought it would be a lot easier to be around the others now that one of them knew the secret. He wasn't sure that he was ready to come out to them just yet but he had a co-conspirator and he was sure that Chris would help him break the news.

"I also expect to get to spend some real time with Brandon once the others know." Chris said. For a moment Justin wondered if this was Chris the fan talking, until his friend continued. "Sure, it will be great to get to know THE Brandon Taylor, but I also want to know how you two met and get to know the man that you fell for. Now get out of here before I change my mind and come with you."

"Thanks." Justin said.

He made his way back to the VIP area where he had met with Brandon and waited for the other man to get off stage. He hoped that Brandon would be able to stay because there were plans he had, ones that had been put off in Vegas, and now they had a whole night Justin planned on following through this time.

Brandon was not looking forward to going back to his lonely hotel room and was surprised to see Justin waiting for him when he returned to the VIP area. He had thought that the other man would be straight back to the tour. His first thought was that Justin was here to say goodbye. There was so much more that he wanted to say, but time was money and he knew there would be a limit on how much of that the record company were willing for Justin to waste.

"How long do we have?" Brandon asked, not wanting it to sound as desperate as it did.

"I'm staying the night." Justin said, a small smile on his face. It was a bittersweet moment because although they had the night together it would be overshadowed by Justin's early departure.

"I'm at the Harlequin." Brandon said, naming a high priced hotel complex in the upmarket Orlando suburbs. "I've got a private cabin with a beach."

Justin smiled, of course a star like Brandon would have such luxury. They would expect nothing less.

Justin moved closer to Brandon and kissed him, because to be so close to him and not to touch him seemed criminal.

The pair shared a close embrace before a knock at the door startled them. It was Tank. Like everything else in their life, the kiss was interrupted by a schedule they had to follow. Brandon had to leave at a certain time to avoid the press and fans. With Justin with him security became an even greater concern and the pair of them were whisked away, through a private exit and into a waiting car.

They sat a discreet distance apart in the back of the car, hands loosely knitted together. Both with thoughts in their mind of the beach, the cabin and most importantly the bed where they would finally be alone.

It was only one night but it would be enough. They would make it enough.

The cabin was a large sized, 2 bedroom beach house that would only be called a "cabin" by a tourist brochure that was trying to sound quaint. It was more of a holiday home with a large enough kitchen, lounge area and bathroom to house a small family.

Justin didn't take in many of the sights though because he was more worried about kissing Brandon with the abandon that months of separation would lead to. He wanted to find the bedroom, and quickly. They had a limited time together and he had no qualms over what that time would be spent doing. They had talked for months about what they would do the next time that they were together and now that they were Justin didn't want to waste any more of it talking.

Justin was led by Brandon into a large, airy bedroom with wide double doors that looked out onto the sea. He caught a glimpse of the beautiful view of the water between kissing Brandon. At any other time he would have stopped to admire the view, but Brandon was in the room with him and it was hard to think about anything else.

Justin wondered if this was how their fans felt when they finally got close to the star, but this was more than hero worship that he was feeling, it was also the emotions of lust and love.

Justin pulled his shirt off, shucking his pants and then turned to Brandon, glad that the other man was doing the same. He wanted this moment to be romantic, but there was time for romance afterwards, the first time in so long was going to be fast because neither of them would last very long.

Once Brandon had stripped himself he turned back to Justin again, kissing and touching him like a man denied for too long. That was how he felt. It had been a long time since anyone had been in his life. He had told Justin as much the last time that they were together, but now it all seemed worth the wait. No one ever would have been able to live up to what he felt for Justin and now he realised how true that was.

Justin's smooth skin was warm to the touch, his passion burning just below the skin and as Brandon's hand moved down the curve of his effortless back to the arch of his buttocks it was easy to imagine what more that night held.

Justin found the edge of the bed and manoeuvred them onto it. Brandon was over him now, only his boxer-briefs shielding Justin from the full view he desired. He allowed his hands to move to the top of Brandon's underwear and looked up, gaining permission before sliding them down. They were both naked now and Justin pulled Brandon down on top of him so that they were together.

Justin had grown a lot since their first time together, he had filled out in all of the right places and as Brandon let his hands explore the expanses of Justin's young body he became aware of the inadequacies of his own. It didn't matter to Justin though, he loved him as he was, and he allowed his own exploring hands and lips to show Brandon that.

The pair of them were close. Brandon knew that this would not last long and he reached a hand between them, finding their erect members and began to stroke them both to climax.

Justin came with a shudder and Brandon was only a moment behind him, then they lay together, wrapped in each other's arms and panting as they fought to regain their breathes.

"Wow." Justin said after a moment.

"Definitely." Brandon agreed.

"I wanted it to be so special." Justin lamented. "I had so many plans."

Brandon turned so he was facing Justin, propping himself up on one arm and using the fingers of his other hand to idly draw patterns in the sweat that covered Justin's body.

"It was special." He said. "It will always be special with you."

And he meant it.

It didn't matter how fast or fleeting their love making was, nor how little time they had together because what they did have was worth it. Sure, he would love to make slow, glorious love to Justin each and every morning but neither of their careers would allow for that, at least not at present.

Justin chuckled as Brandon's finger dipped into his bellybutton, then took a sharp intake of breath when the hand trailed lower and gently rubbed against his still sensitive cock.

"And we can make love again before morning." Brandon added.

Justin leaned over and kissed him again, slowly this time and with clear intent. He wanted to make love again and again that night. He was going to carry out every one of the plans that he had and every one of them would be special.

Justin woke later that night and was startled when he wasn't in a familiar bed. He had barely had time to take in his surroundings when they entered the room and was now surprised by them.

"Shhh..." Brandon said, placing a calming hand on Justin's shoulder. "It's okay. You're in the cabin with me."

"How did you know what I was feeling?" Justin asked when he found his breath.

"We've all woken up in a strange room and wondered where we are. It's part of life on the road. Even though I stay in better hotel rooms it doesn't mean that I don't miss home just as much as you do."

"I know." Justin replied. He turned to look at Brandon and realised that he hadn't woken the other man. "What were you doing up?"

Brandon paused for a moment, he didn't like to say 'watching you sleep' because it sounded corny, even if it were true.

"Just thinking." He replied.

"Good things, I hope."

Brandon leaned over and kissed him.

"I always think good things when I'm thinking of you." Brandon replied.

There was no more talking that night as the pair of them continued to think, and do, the good things that Brandon had been dreaming about.

Justin had heard about waking up and feeling that everything was right with the world, but today was the first day that he could claim it had happened to him. He should be worried about going back to the tour, to lying to his best friends about where he had been and about when he would see Brandon again but for a few moments as he was still in that place between sleeping and waking he didn't worry about any of that and instead lay, feeling Brandon's arms wrapped around him and sighed contentedly.

The rest of the world was outside the cabin but in here he was free to be happy.

He was about to fall asleep again and dream of breakfast on the beach with Brandon when a loud knock woke him from his dream state.

Brandon grumbled and snuffled. Waking up and rolling out of bed.

Justin knew that the dream would not last forever but he wished he had been able to hold it for just a moment longer.

Brandon grabbed his gown from the end of the bed and threw it on before answering the door.

"Good Morning." Maya called chirpily.

Justin rolled over, buried his head in the pillow and groaned. He had wanted a quiet morning with Brandon and instead he was going to get another episode of "Happy Families". As much as he liked Maya, her underhanded dealings to bring he and Brandon together had angered Justin and he was still annoyed with her. It had all worked out with Chris but it could have so easily gone the other way.

"What do you want?" Brandon asked. "I would have thought that you were halfway back to Chicago by now."

"I wanted to see Justin."

"Now is not a good time." Brandon replied. "Neither of us is particularly happy with you at the moment."

"I'm sorry." Maya replied, but her tone belied the apology. Ever the master manipulator she was trying to wheedle her way back into Brandon's good graces.

"It's not going to work this time, Munchkin." Brandon said with a sigh.

"B?"

"I just don't want to see you at the moment." Brandon said. "I think it would be best if you go home for a little while."

Justin heard the door close slowly and Maya protesting but Brandon didn't respond. He sat on the bed, his shoulders slumped and Justin could see that this was one of the hardest things that he had done. Brandon had wanted to give his sister a better life, but he had never meant for her to become a spoiled princess and he realised now that she was on the path to becoming one. She had not thought through her actions and that had put Justin and Brandon's realtionship in jeopardy.

"She'll be okay." Justin replied as he crawled to sit behind Brandon and wrapped his arm around his waist. His greater height meant that he could lean his chin on Brandon's shoulder and hug him.

"I don't want to talk about Maya." Brandon said, his voice rough. "I'm sick and tired of there being three people in this relationship."

"Do you want me to stop seeing her?" Justin asked.

Brandon sighed. He really didn't want to talk about this now but it was his fault and he had brought it up. He knew that it was stupid to be jealous of his little sister but she had regaled him with stories about being on tour with Justin and it only made Brandon realise that this was something that they would never share. The lack of parity in their careers meant that they would never tour together without questions being raised and they would be questions that neither of them were prepared to answer. It was almost ironic that Brandon had fought to give Maya everything that he had not had when he was growing up and that now he was jealous that she had the one thing that he did not.

"I'll do it." Justin said. "You have to know that you mean more to me than Maya, and while I would miss her, I love you and I'd do anything to keep you."

"Just..." Brandon began, but he was not sure what he wanted to say. "Just promise me that when we both get some time off, you'll think about spending it with me first."

"You're always first." Justin replied.

Brandon turned around and kissed him. He didn't want to talk about Maya anymore. He didn't want to talk at all anymore. He had much more important things on his mind. And as they kissed and caressed, Justin realised that waking up happy was overrated, it was the staying happy through the waking hours that meant the most.

Justin walked up to the front of his house and was surprised to see that Lonnie was there waiting for him. A dozen thoughts ran through his mind as he wondered why he was there. Had Johnny found out about Maya? Or worse had Chris told him about Brandon?

"Hey, kid." Lonnie said. "You look as if you're about to have a heart attack. Don't worry, I'm only here to make sure that you get back to the tour safely. Johnny didn't want you to get any strange ideas about walking away from your commitments for some girl."

"I don't think I'll be seeing Maya for a while." Justin replied.

"Oh, shit. Did she break up with you?"

"No, more like I saw her for who she really was." Justin replied. He didn't want the boys, especially Josh, to say 'I told you so' but Maya was selfish and while she had not been after his money he could see that she didn't always have his best interests at heart.

"I won't tell, if you don't." Lonnie said as he opened the door. "I assumed that you were with her last night when I got here and you weren't home."

"No." Justin replied with a small smile. "I was with someone else."

"Well, damn, kid. That was fast. Still, I suppose they say if you're thrown from the horse you should get back on straight away." Lonnie said. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah." Justin said with a sigh as he gave his beautiful home a longing glance. All he really wanted was to call Brandon, invite him over and forget that either of them had anything else in their lives but reality always set in and Justin knew that he had to go and finish the tour. He might want to give it up today but it would be a decision that he would ultimately regret and he knew that Brandon too would do the same if he threw away his own commitments for Justin.

The truth was that while they loved each other there was another love in both their lives. Music would always be a kept mistress that they both loved, she would not come between their love for each other, if anything she was the one that had brought them together and strengthened their love by giving meaning to the songs that they sang but they had to give her their time too and that meant less time to spend with each other.

Justin got into the car with Lonnie and they headed to the airport. He didn't look back. He would be here again, that was what made it home.

To Be Continued