HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DREW! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DREW! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR DREW! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! That's right, my man Drew Lachey is now 25 years old... aww, I'm so proud of him! Oh, and it's JC's birthday too... Happy Birthday to him too.
So, the rumour ain't no rumour, Jessica and Nick are no longer together. So, that gives me the chance to get with either Jessica, or Nick. Ain't I lucky... cause you know they both want my sexy ass. It's only a matter of time.
I truly recommend that y'all buy *NSYNC's new album Celebrity, it's got some pretty damn sweet tracks. Besides, y'all better support my Poofu and JuJu. And if y'all haven't yet, go out and buy Jessica Simpson's Irresistible. It's an incredible album and y'all just gotta trust me on that one. And if any of y'all STILL haven't bought Revelation, you're lost!
I gotta say THANK YOU to MH, cause if it weren't for him, you wouldn't be reading this story in a legible format. I owe him a lot, and I can never express all my gratitude towards him. You're the bestest! (And you know I mean it!)
I just wanna say thank you to two special people: Jordan and Marie. Both of y'all helped me through this trying time by listening and offering me good advice. Thanks. J, I love ya sis!
Just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to two of my best friends in the world. Yeah, the sickeningly sweet and incredibly amazing couple: DLS and Matt. You're both old biddies, but I wouldn't wanna have it any other way. I love y'all.
I gotta give mention to a story, Kevin & Justin, written by Pete. I fell upon it by having the same editor (go figure), and can't get enough of it. C'mon Boo, it's been FOREVER, when's the next chapter coming out?
Another story I gotta give mention to is My Everything. Y'all should know ANY story that has to do with 98 Degrees, usually gets seen by my eyes. Slpwriter deserves props for all his hard word, and y'all should check it out.
So this is fake, I don't know the guys or their sexual preferences. Any similarities are purely coincidental, and I'd love to hear about them.
In case I don't get to post again before the month of August is finished, which we all know will most likely happen, I have to say a few Happy Birthdays to a couple of special people. So, Happy Birthday to Karen on the 3, Drew and JC on the 8, DLS on the 20, Kyle on the 23, and last but certainly not least My little Jeff and even myself on the 29. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL OF US! Enjoy and write me: bigdaddycool_0813@hotmail.com
Much love y'all, Drew
THIS GIFT -- Last Time******** In the bathroom, I stripped Drew of his blood-soaked clothes, revealing his beaten body. He had several lacerations but nothing too serious; nothing that wouldn't heal without stitches. His ribs appeared to be bruised and his flinches when I went to touch them only proved my hypothesis correct. I began to wipe the blood up with a warm cloth while Drew stood there wobbling back and forth.
"Drew, how could you be so stupid. You could've been killed... I could've lost you!" I screamed somewhat silently at him.
"I wanted to hurt you... like you hurt me." He whispered.
"I think you've done more than that..." I trailed off.
The rest of the cleaning was done in silence, nothing said between the two of us. We were safe in our own thoughts and we both knew a decision about something had to be made, and made soon.
"Drew,"
"Andrew," we both said in unison.
"You go first," I suggested.
He didn't argue. "Andrew, I love you, and I know you made a mistake, but you still hurt me so much that words don't do justice. I think...
THIS GIFT -- Chapter 12*******
"You think we should what?"
"I think we should take a break. I mean, in light of what's happened these past couple of days, I think we should honestly just take a break and see where we stand." Drew offered.
"What do you mean 'in light of what's happened'?" I agitatedly asked.
"Well, you kissed my brother for Christ's sakes. That's what!"
"And because of one little thing like that, you're ready to give up on the best thing that will ever happen to you?"
"One little thing? One little thing! Andrew, you kissed my fucking brother. I don't know about you, but that's a pretty fucking big thing to me!" Drew was livid now, pulling out the cuss words.
"You got married... to a girl. You never once told me you were going to get married. How the fuck do you think I felt then, eh? How would you feel if you heard over the news that your boyfriend got married? I felt like shit. Do you even know the thoughts that were going through my mind when I heard that? Of course not, and why's that? Because you never even bothered to give me a simple phone call."
"We've already talked about this. That wasn't my fault." Drew grabbed the cloth from my hand and began to tend to his wounds himself.
"Oh, we've talked about this?" sarcasm clearly dripping from my tone. "I must've missed it; when was this? YOU COULD'VE SAID NO! You didn't have to marry her!"
"And I hear that you kissed Jeff, too. How was that? Satisfying enough for you, or are you gonna go and try Justin, too?"
I froze. 'How the fuck does he know about Jeff?'
"Yeah, Jeff. You thought I wouldn't find out? Jeff told me, himself. See, unlike you, Jeff's a respectable man who came forth and told me he kissed you. But you don't kiss and tell... ain't that right? Cause I'm sure I wouldn't have found out about you and Nick had I not walked in on you. You're nothing but a slut. Kissing up on whoever you want." Drew was just getting plain mean now and like fuck if I was going to let him get it all.
"So, what's Lance kiss like? I always thought he'd be one of those gentle ones. You know, the kind who likes to take it slow; savour the flavour of your tongue so they can remember it long after you've finished kissing. Mind you I thought you were the greatest guy on earth, and I've been proven wrong there, so maybe I could be mistaken. How exactly does Lance kiss? Slow and sensual, or is it fast and furious?"
Drew didn't say anything.
"At a loss for words? Tsk tsk tsk. You'd think for someone who screams so much when he gets head, he'd be quite the talker. Was I wrong about that one, too? Fuck.... I'm just losing it all here, aren't I? Calling me a slut... the nerve of you. You're such a fucking hypocrite! You want a break? That's fine... I'll be in Canada. Look me up whenever you're in the area."
Turning about, I opened the door and slammed it shut behind me as I headed for my room. Grabbing whatever little I had with me there, I walked out the front door with no one to stop me. I was glad, actually. That meant no one would prevent me from walking away from this when I truly had to. See, it wasn't the hectic schedules that kept me from having a loving relationship with a celebrity — it was just the celebrity himself.
I knew where I was going — how to get there from here was another story. I decided my best bet would be to start walking down the street -- it had to lead somewhere, right? Trying desperately to recall which way I ran to the other night, which lead me nowhere, I headed in the opposite direction. I didn't want to end up in the same place again.
Sure enough, I took the right direction; I found a strip mall with a pay phone. Walking up to the phone, I grabbed the phone book, and quickly thumbed through it until I found what I needed: City Line Taxis Inc. After dialling the number, explaining my whereabouts and waiting for the cab to arrive, I was finally standing in front of a ticket counter in LAX.
After explaining that I needed to get to Canada as soon as they could possibly get me there, the ticket lady — Allison — pulled some strings and found me a flight that was scheduled to leave in the next ten minutes. With no baggage to check, there was no way I could miss it. After profusely thanking Allison while paying for my ticket, I proceeded to make my way to the gate the plane was leaving from.
While sitting in my seat waiting for the plane to take off, I couldn't help but remember a time when I wouldn't step foot on a plane. Not only am I afraid of heights, but the amount of horror stories I've heard about planes would be enough to make the pilot nervous.
'Great, I really don't need to think about that now... breathe in, breathe out... it's alright. It's gonna be alright.' I had to give myself a mental pep talk — flying definitely wasn't for me.
The stewardess began her introduction to our flight as the engines started up. The vibrations were enough to startle me. 'And I'm all alone this time.' I thought, 'God, Nick, I need you!'
"Where the fuck did that thought come from?" I asked myself quietly.
The gentleman beside me glanced over as I gripped the armrests for dear life. "You alright, son?"
"I'm... fine. I'll be fine. Thanks." My head was clouded over with new thoughts. I hadn't said goodbye to Nick. I didn't get to tell him I was leaving, I didn't get to tell anyone for that matter... Even though I know Drew would pass along the message, I'd much rather they had heard it from me since... well Drew and I didn't leave on good terms.
'You just have to wait until the plane takes off, then you can make a phone call. I just hope you get a hold of Nick before Drew does.' It kinda freaked me out how my mind talked to me, but I was getting used to it.
With a quick check to make sure my seatbelt was indeed fastened, I leaned back in my seat exhaling a breath I never knew I was holding. The plane backed away from the ramp, heading for the runway. In a short time we'd be airborne and I'd be making a beeline for the phones. I've never wanted a plane to get in the air as bad as I had at that moment.
After what seemed like years, the plane was safely in the air with the seatbelt light shut off. Like I had promised myself, I unbuckled my seatbelt and quickly made my way towards the phones. Pulling a credit card out of my wallet, I swiped it through the machine giving me access to the phone.
'What's Nick's number? Ahh! What's the number!?' I mentally chastised myself for not writing it down when he had told me. 'Ah, fuck it.' I finally decided to just call the house instead. I knew the number, and Nick would probably be home, and if not I'd leave a message for him to call me.
After dialling the number, it rang a couple of times before it was answered. "Hello?" Sweet! It was Jeff.
"Jeff!" I exclaimed with obvious relief. "My man, can I speak with Nick?"
"Sure." I heard Jeff scream for Nick. "So, where ya at?"
"Flight 6258 en route to Canada."
"You're what!?" Jeff screamed into the phone. "How? Fuck how, why?"
"Oh, so Drew didn't tell you yet?" I was clearly shocked. "I thought he would've loved to rush and tell you the news."
"What news would that be?"
"We're no longer together. He decided it wasn't worth his time and broke it off." I explained.
"Oh, D. I'm sorry."
"Sorry 'bout what?" I heard Nick ask in the background.
"Oh, here's Nick, fresh out of the shower." I could here some shuffling around and Nick asking Jeff what was wrong. "Ask him." I heard Jeff say.
"Baby? What's wrong?" Holy mother of fuck! Nick sounded so hot.
'Did he just call me baby? He did! He called you baby! You're his baby!' my mind was doing flips.
"Baby? D? Ya there?" My silence wasn't helping his worries.
"Y-yeah, I'm here... sorry. Just thinking." I offered.
"'Bout what? And where are you?"
"I'm on my way home, Nick. I just wanted to tell you myself." Why was this so hard for me?
"What? Why?" Nick was having the same reaction as Jeff.
"Drew and I broke up. He thinks that we need to take a break and see where we stand on things. So, I'm breaking away."
"But... what about me?" The pain in Nick's voice was almost enough to make me parachute off the plane and run back to L.A.
"We're still going to talk. We're still friends. I just need to get away from Drew for now, that's all."
"What can I say that'll make you come back?" I didn't expect this from Nick, it was totally shocking me.
"Nick... please. Just understand that I need this. I'll come back and visit."
"Visit... yeah." Nick was suddenly very mysterious.
"Nick? What's up?"
"Oh, nothing. I gotta go, I'll talk with you real soon, k?" Now I was really curious. One minute he's trying to get me to come back, and the next he's rushing me off the phone. Weird?
"Nick?" I asked only to be met by the dial tone.
Replacing the phone, I leaned against the wall as tears fell down my cheeks. "Why's this so hard?!" I demanded.
"I can help you with that..." A beautiful blonde sitting in a near-by seat offered. Apparently I shouldn't have said that being so close to the restrooms.
"No... really... I wasn't talking about that..." I was blushing hard. She just kept looking me up and down checking me out.
"It's alright you know. She doesn't have to know." Great, someone was trying to get with me on a plane. Just my luck.
"Um, he, he doesn't have to know. Honey, you ain't got what it takes to make me happy." I was as flamey as I could get, and possibly stand. Hopefully my gayness would be enough to change her mind.
"Oh. Alright then." Simple as that.
With a sigh I left the wall heading back for my seat. The best way to spend a flight is sleeping, and that's exactly what I planned on doing.
After finally touching down in Ottawa, I couldn't have been more relieved to actually be home. The wait for a taxi was short and within half an hour, I was on the front stoop to my house.
Unlocking the door, I walked in heading straight for the shower. I wasn't dirty or anything, I just don't like the feeling I have after getting off a plane and somehow a shower seemed like the only way to rid myself of that feeling.
With my shower complete, and my stomach grumbling, I scrounged around in the fridge for some munchies. 'Gotta go shopping,' I noted mentally. 'Get me some of those green apples... orange juice... mmm, some chicken.' My thoughts suddenly had me hungrier than I had been originally and decided that I would call for some pizza.
Taking a seat on the couch, I picked up the cordless phone and began to dial the number noticing it beep a couple of times beforehand letting me know that I had voice messages. After placing my order, and being told "Forty minutes or it's free," I pressed the link button and dialled for my call answer service.
"You have 13 new voice messages. To check unheard messages press 1-1." I hated that automated voice message thing. I mean it sounded so impersonal — which it was — but at least sound more... human. I pressed 1-1 like I was asked, and listened to all the messages. Two of them were from my mother, four from work, and the rest were several old friends.
With that done, I had nothing else to do but watch TV. 'Was it always this boring and lonely?' I began to wonder. With music being such an important part of my life, I tuned into Much Music (Canada's music station) to catch a few videos while waiting for the pizza to arrive.
After the first two videos, the doorbell rang. 'Quick this time. I'm impressed.' I grabbed the pizza, tipped the delivery boy, and then chowed down in front of the tube. The pizza wasn't the best I've had, but it hit the spot for the time being. Blink 182, Sugar Ray, Snow, Sugar Jones, Pink... oh! "Is that my men?" Again, I was talking to myself — a regular occurrence these days. "Why, yes, I believe it is!" I was all smiles as Nick, Drew, Jeff, and Justin flashed on my screen. It was a video that I hadn't seen yet, one for their new album. Just a sneak peak, the VJ Rick had said, so I was glued to my screen.
The rest of the night was uneventful. Nothing at all that special highlighted by me catching a sneak peek at my man's latest work. With a catchy beat like that, it was part of what promised to be a great album.
Come nightfall, I was exhausted. I hadn't exactly had the greatest day, and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep and forget about the whole thing. As I lay in bed, I began to sing myself to sleep. "Give me just one night. Una Noche..."
DING DONG.
"What the fuck?" I turned onto my right side and glanced at the alarm clock on my nightstand. "3:51. Who the fuck is at my door this late at night? Who the fuck knows I'm home, for that matter?"
Either way, I slipped out of bed and into some boxers. I had begun making my way down the stairs when the door bell rang again. "I'm coming!" I said rather harshly as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "I'm coming," I repeated to myself.
When I finally made it to the door, I unlocked it and swung it open unceremoniously. "What!" I exclaimed, pissed that I was disturbed during a — for once — peaceful sleep.
On the other side of the door Nick stood, eyes wide with shock at my harsh welcome. "Um... hey, D?" He offered.
"Nick? What are you doing here?"
He shrugged. "I came to visit?" It was more of a question than a reason, like he was unsure of whether or not he was welcome.
"Come in," I moved enough to give him room to pass me and enter the house. Flicking on the light, I grabbed his duffel bag allowing him to remove his shoes. "Ok, I can see that you're here to visit... but... um, why?" I didn't really comprehend why he was here, especially so soon after I'd left.
"You left so soon... we didn't even get to talk about... um... us." It was so adorable how nervous he was.
"Oh, Nick." I sympathised. "I figured by your reaction that there was no need to talk... that, well... um..." I stammered.
"That it was a mistake?" Nick offered.
"Yeah, I guess you could call it that... was it?"
"Can we talk about this later? Cause honestly, I'm damn tired. I had to take the red eye to get here." Nick looked tired, too — I'm such a bad host.
"Sure, I'll grab you a towel so you can take a shower or whatever you need to do, k?" I said, getting up to fetch him the towel. Nick was two steps behind me following me up the stairs.
I made my way into the bathroom, opening the towel closet to retrieve a washcloth and towel for Nick. As I closed the door and turned towards Nick, I couldn't help but notice his beautifully sculpted body. Nick was standing before me clad only in his boxers and the image wasn't going to let me fall asleep anytime soon.
"Um..." I began, "damn." I whispered as I continued to gawk.
"Like what you see?" Nick joked.
As a response, I blushed a deep crimson and walked past him, pushing the towels into his chest. "Clean yourself up."
While Nick showered, I lay in my bed thinking about what I had seen — hoping the tent in my boxers wasn't too obvious. Lying there, I faintly heard Nick's beautiful voice as he sung in the shower. Straining to hear the words, I finally placed the song. "It's raining, it's pouring, and the old man is snoring." I couldn't help but suppress a giggle — it was adorable.
The shower clicked off, signalling the end of Nick's shower. For some reason I suddenly became nervous, yet I couldn't quite place why. It was only Nick — my best friend. 'Only you've kissed him... and liked it.' My mind supplied.
Nick chose that moment to poke his head in my door. "So, where'm I sleeping? My bed?" He was referring the guest room that he always used to sleep in when he was here.
"Yup, yup." I suddenly remembered that I had to dress the bed, so I reluctantly got up off my lazy ass to retrieve the bedclothes from the linen closet. "Just lemme dress your bed and you'll be all set."
Nick watched from the sidelines as I tucked the sheets around the bed. It wasn't until I looked in the mirror on the dresser that I noticed he was checking out my ass. "Take a picture, it'll last longer." I laughed.
He snapped out of his little reverie, "Uh, what?"
I had to laugh at his cluelessness. "Never mind, it's ready." I tapped the bed for emphasis.
Nick pulled back the covers and climbed in. "G'night," I said reaching for the light switch on my way out the door.
Just as I had clicked the light off and walked out into the hall, Nick whined "D!"
"Yeah?" I sighed, returning to his room and flicking the light back on.
"I'm lonely." Of course he just had to give me the puppy eyes. I hated when they did that — they both knew I couldn't resist it.
'Damn Lacheys' I cursed to myself as I turned the light off and made my way into the bed alongside him. "Goodnight, Nick."
"Mmm. Goodnight, D." Nick sighed placing his right arm over my abdomen as he snuggled closer placing a gentle kiss to my left shoulder. It wasn't long before I had crashed again.
The sunshine coming through the open curtains and shining down on my face was enough to rouse me from my slumber. Opening my eyes, it took me a couple of minutes to place my surroundings. After realising I was in my guest room, it didn't take me long to remember falling asleep in Nick's arms... only Nick wasn't in bed with me.
Getting out of bed, I left the covers at the foot of the bed and walked downstairs to find my night time visitor. Sure enough, I heard his voice flowing from the kitchen. As I neared the kitchen his conversation became more clear, and it was then that I could hear him talking... with his mother?
Listening a little longer, I was sure it was his mom. Perhaps it was the "Yeah mom, I'm in Canada. No, Drew's not with me" part. Damn, talk about feeling guilty. Now he's talking to his mom about being with me when his brother's not. That's gonna start some talk. But hey, Drew's the one that didn't want to continue on, right? It was his loss, not mine.
Walking into the kitchen, I headed straight for the fridge so I could grab myself a glass of OJ. Nick, still on the phone glanced in my direction with a smile on his face. "Yes mom, I'll be careful." He rolled his eyes while I chuckled silently. Raising the orange juice with my hand, I silently asked if he wanted a glass as well. He did. Grabbing a glass, I poured it and set it in front of him just as he finished up with his mom.
He exhaled a big breath, "You know how mothers are... always protective and shit." I just nodded the affirmative. "So, how'd you sleep?"
"Surprisingly good." I admitted. "For the day I had yesterday, I wasn't thinking that it'd be as good a sleep as it was."
"That's cause the big, buff, and sexy Nicholas Scott Lachey kept you company all night." He tried to make himself look bigger by holding in his breath and puffing up his chest.
"Don't," I said, pushing on his chest as I grabbed a seat next to him. "You're buff enough, no need to fake it. And... thanks."
"It ain't no problem. You know it ain't like I wanted to sleep alone... besides, you make a great pillow."
I had to smile at that, remembering how it felt to have his head on my shoulder. It had been a while since I've felt that close to someone. Thinking back, it was evident that my relationship with Drew was on a downward spiral. We hadn't had intimate moments like that much these days.
"So. Can we talk about why you're here now?" I asked.
"I came to bring you back. D..."
Nick was cut off by the ring of the telephone. Since he had just been on it, he still had it in his lap. As much as I'd love to, I wasn't about to grab it from there. "Hello?" Nick asked as he picked it up. "Drew? Yeah, he's here... just a second." Nick's face contorted in confusion.
Passing the phone to me, he shrugged not knowing who it was on the phone. "Hello? Oh, hi Amanda. How's it going? Wh-what do you mean? But it's not like... but..." I sighed. "I understand. I'll be by to pick my things up. I'm sorry, too."
I pressed the 'talk' button, ending my call and slowly placed the phone on the table. Shaking my head, I ran my hands through my hair and let out a frustrated groan. "I can't believe this!"
"Believe what?" Nick was worried.
"I just lost my job. It appears that Amanda had left on vacation, and while she was gone, the higher ups had replaced my position not knowing my reasons for my absence. Even after she told them, they said there was nothing they could do... I lost my job." I explained.
"That fuckin' sucks ass. Are they even allowed to do that?" He asked.
"I'm sure they can't, but I really don't care. I was tired of working there anyways. I'll just find another job." I said simply, knowing how hard it would be. I hadn't had to look for a job in years... boy this was gonna be interesting. 'You don't even know where your resume is!' my mind supplied. Oh yeah, this was definitely going to be interesting.
"I'm sorry D..." Nick was truly sorry, I could see it in the way his facial features softened. "Well... I guess now there's nothing keeping you here, right?"
I glared at him. "You're incredible you know that?"
Again Nick was confused, apparently he's not so bright in the morning. "Why?"
"Because I just lost my fucking job, and you're worried about getting me back with you so you could probably get in my pants. You amaze me each day. FUCK!" I screamed exasperated. I stood up angrily from the table, "I'm taking a shower."
"Uh... ok?" I continued to find it incredibly cute how Nick always said things like a question when he was afraid or nervous. It was enough to almost make me turn around and just plant a big wet one on his lips... almost.
After my shower, I dressed to pick up my belongings left at my workplace. I knocked on the door to Nick's room. "Come in."
I pushed the door open and my breath caught. Nick was topless, getting dressed after just coming out of the shower. I could still see the droplets of water run down his pecs and move pass his navel into the waistband of his boxers. "Just getting dressed." He explained as if I couldn't tell.
"Um, I was just going to go pick up my belongings and shit from work... did you... did you wanna come?" I asked, trying to focus on the question at hand.
"Sure." He smiled and I almost melted. "Just let me get dressed, k?"
"I'll wait for you in the living room." With that said, I entered the living room and turned on the radio. Grabbing a seat on the couch, I reached for the remote on the coffee table to switch my stereo to CD mode. After pressing some buttons, my desired CD started to play and *NSYNC started blaring out of my speakers — so I was in an *NSYNC mood, sue me.
Knowing all the words to the song, I belted along with the fellas. I didn't sound anywhere near as good as them, hell I was fucking horrible but I was having fun and that's all that mattered. As I was in the middle of 'Just Got Paid' Nick stood in the doorframe smiling. His smile was amazing, Not just a smile, but a truly happy smile that caused his luscious lips to spread completely across his face and expose his pearly whites. He shook his head gently, silently laughing at me and my little show.
"What?" I asked with mock hurt.
"You're such a kid." He laughed.
"Jealous?" I asked.
"Fuck no! I'm all man, you're just a boy."
I frowned.
"But you're such a pretty boy." He said while pinching my cheeks and placing a quick peck on my lips.
That was enough to shut me up and bring a lopsided grin to my face. I was completely in shock; that was the last thing I expected... to be kissed by him on his own accord. The last kiss I initiated. Nick just didn't spark me as the kind to make a move.
"You driving, or you want me to?" He asked as I turned my back to him to lock my door.
"You can if you wanna."
"Sweet." He had rented an Explorer from one of the car places at the airport, and coincidentally it was my favourite colour: red. Since I had worked at the airport, and Nick had to have come from the airport I felt there was no need to give him directions.
"I don't mean to press or anything, D," Nick began, and I knew where he was taking this.
"Yes! I'll come back with you, alright? Can we just drop it?" I really didn't want to talk about it. I was really stressed at the moment. I was going to be saying goodbye to a big part of my life. Hell, I worked at the airport since before Maria, and that seemed so long ago.
At the thought of Maria, I felt like shit. I hadn't been to visit her in a while, and I really did need to talk to her. "Nick. Can we go visit Maria after this?" I asked, sounding like a little lost boy.
"Sure," was all he said as he placed his hand on top of mine on my knee. Somewhat subconsciously, I turned my hand over, intertwining our fingers. Glancing over, I noticed Nick smile causing me to smile too.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Nick said as we came to a stoplight. "There's a bag in the backseat. It's yours. And no, it's not from me." I passed him a frightened look. "Oh, no... it's not from Drew either."
"Then who's it from?" Suddenly my curiosity was getting the most of me. "What is it?"
"Just check it out."
Leaning in between the seats, I grabbed the bag and opened it. Seeing a box inside, I pulled it out; a cell phone box. Opening it up, I pulled out the cell phone, powering it on. 'Telus Mobility' flashed across the screen. I was still curious as to who it was from. Looking through the box all I found was the booklet for the phone, and a phone number scribbled on a piece of paper.
Being quite the detective that I am, I figured I was meant to call the number. So, dialling the number, I pushed the 'talk' button and placed the phone to my ear listening to it ring.
"Hello?" I asked as the ringing stopped.
"Hey! Guys, he's got it!" It was Justin Timberlake. "Yo, D, sup man?"
"Not much... you?"
"Aww, nuttin' man, jus' chillin' like Bob Dylan." I had to laugh at that. He had his ghetto times, and I had to admit, I liked it... It brought the ghettoness out in me.
"So what up wit' da phone?" I asked.
"Jus' a present. We wanted ya to have it. 'Sides, we wanted to ask ya if you'd peep our next single. See if it be cheese or not."
"Sweet." What else could I say? It was simple enough, yet it displayed how anxious I was to hear it.
"A-ight, I'ma gonna put ya on speaka'." I waited for him to put the phone on speaker and could tell he had done it when I could hear the others guys clearly.
"Sup guys?" I asked, earning a round of replies similar to "not bad".
"Here we go, a-ight." It was just before they began to sing that I couldn't help but feel special. I mean I was going to be the first person outside of the five of them who would hear this song.
"I'm sick and tired of hearing all these people talk about What's the deal with this pop life And when's it gonna fade out The thing you've got to realise What we're doin' is not a trend We got the gift of melody We're gonna bring it to the end..."
I continued to listen right down to the last "Pop" holding a breath and not missing a beat. It was a truly unique song... almost not like a song at all. It was different, and I loved it. "Yo, J, dat's gonna be cheese a-ight!"
"Sweet. Thanks D."
"It ain't no problem."
"Well, D, we've gotta jet, we have an interview we gotta do in like, what? Ten minutes? We'll talk to you later." This time it was Lance. Damn how deep did his voice get?
"Sure Lance, catch y'all later..." I said adding "And Chris, make 'em laugh for me."
"Will do." He assured me before the call ended.
Placing the phone in my lap, I couldn't help but smile. I was the first person to ever hear that song. Damn did I feel special! "What did they want?" Nick asked, waking me from my thoughts.
"They wanted me to hear their new single, see if I liked it or not." I explained.
"Ooh, do I wanna know?" Nick winced. "They are competition after all."
"It's gonna put the money in the bank. If that's just a sample of the rest of the album... damn!"
Nick pulled into the parking lot, and surprise, surprise, he just had to get one that was kilometres away from the freakin' airport. "Do you always do this?" I just had to ask.
"Always do what?"
"Park so far from the place you're going to? I mean it's like a gazillion degrees outside and now I have to do a fuckin' marathon to get to the building." I joked.
"I'm sorry. Yeah, I always park far away; it's easier to be inconspicuous." He explained.
"I see," I rolled my eyes, "Because it doesn't matter if you're far from the airport or not. It just makes the distance to the get-away car farther. You do know that, right?"
"Why, D, are we out of shape?" He asked playfully.
"Not all of us are as buff as you, bitch!" I retaliated.
"Ooh, that stung." He laughed. Just as our trek was nearing an end, he glanced over at me. "You know, I like to see you work up a sweat." He wiped his finger along my forehead, bringing it to his mouth and licking my sweat off his finger. "Kinda turns me on."
"Oh, please!" I offered, entering the airport and into the air conditioning.
"Sweet mother of Jesus it's hot out there!" He exclaimed, as the air conditioning swept over him.
"Well duh! Ain't that fuckin' smart is he?" Some woman who was walking behind us offered. The voice sounded familiar... a little too familiar, I just had to turn around. "JEN!"
"Drew! How're you doing?" We had to embrace each other, it had been a while since I had seen her... damn, exactly how long have I been off work? No wonder they were firing my ass.
"Not bad, could be better. I'm just coming to pick up my things and go on my way." I explained.
"Oh... and I was joking." Jen said, while grabbing Nick's arm, meaning her comment about him earlier.
"It's no problem," Nick dismissed, "It's actually the truth."
"WAIT! You're... um... what's his name!?! From that band... Drew! Help me out!" Jen was just a little in awe of this Adonis standing before her.
Leaning over a little, I whispered in her ear "Nick, from 98 Degrees."
"NICK!" She exclaimed. After noticing more than a couple of glances turning to our direction, she pulled him into a tight embrace, burying his face in the crook of her neck to hide him from the wandering eyes. "It's been so damn long!"
I had to admire her quick thinking. I wasn't exactly in any mood for Nick to be recognised since I was just fired and all, so it was much appreciated. "So, why don't you come with us... get Drew his things." Jen offered, pulling Nick with her and still trying her best to keep him covered.
Once we were behind that legendary 'Employees Only' door, she finally let up on Nick. "Um... thanks." Nick was suddenly blushing and I couldn't help but wonder why. Sure Jen was attractive and all, but to be blushing... damn he's not a ladies man at all.
"No problem, Nick. But you know now you owe me a favour... I'll let you know when I'm gonna cash it in." She joked.
"Anytime," he replied. Yup, he was flirting... trying to at least. Jen wasn't biting, she had a man, and a very controlling man at that. Nick's attempts were not going to get him anywhere.
"Well some of us do have to work unfortunately, so I'll be seeing y'all later. Drew... good luck, eh?" She gave both of us a kiss on the cheek, from which I noticed Nick blush a little redder.
As soon as Jen was out of earshot, and around a corner so Nick could stop staring, I couldn't help but laugh. "Easy tiger!" Nick looked at his feet. "Stop blushin' man... and I thought you wanted me." His head shot up, eyes locking with mine. I just shook my head with mock seriousness. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but she's got a man."
"I wasn't into her..." our eyes met again as I looked at him with a 'Mmmm- hmmm' smile. "Okay, I wasn't into her much, is that better?"
"We can work on it." With that said, we headed down the hallway and down the stairs to the locker room. I never really kept that much stuff in it all at once, but I hadn't cleaned it out in over two or three months so there was a shit load of things in there.
As I unlocked and opened the door, my belongings began to tumble out of the locker. "You always this messy?" Nick asked.
"No, usually I swallow... I don't like the mess." I was so serious when I said that Nick froze. It was as if he was in awe of a masterpiece. His lips were slightly parted... oh damn those lips... 'Stop looking at them, Drew, stop looking at them. Oh fuck, he just licked them... Drew... look away, look away, look away' I was mentally chastising myself. Stupidly, my eyes were locked on those pretty, delicious, luscious, cocksucker lips of his. Slowly we moved closer, my eyes still on his lips until they touched mine and we began a fiery kiss.
His tongue begged entrance to my mouth, licking my lips and teeth, hoping for a taste of my tongue. Finally, opening my mouth, a new sensation occurred as his tongue battled mine. It was survival of the fittest and me with my new tongue-ring didn't quite know how to work my tongue. Nick wasn't complaining, instead he was moaning into the kiss, as our tongues made love. His hands came up and felt their way up my spine, walking their way into my hair where they pushed me harder into his mouth. Damn this boy was not only strong, but fucking sexy while he was doing it... Jen, eat your heart out.
His hand soon roamed back down my spine, reaching my ass. As he grabbed a cheek with each hand, he slowly began to grind his hardness into mine. Why did I wear jeans again? It fucking hurt! The heat between us escalated as he slipped his hands down the back of my pants grabbing my bare ass. Oh shit this was hot! Suddenly the door opened and we jumped apart, scrambling to gather my shit off the floor and out of my locker doing anything so it would look like we weren't doing anything suspicious.
An employee walked in reading a newspaper, not even looking up, going straight for the john. With a sigh of relief, we both grabbed all the important stuff I had, leaving the rest for whoever wanted it, and headed to the office — I had to sign release papers.
As I approached the door, a dreadful feeling came over me. I hated this office now; I didn't work here. It was like the first day all over again. I knocked on the door somewhat timidly. I waited for the door to open like a little lost child. Finally, the door opened, and there was Amanda looking back at me with a sympathetic expression. I knew she didn't want this, but it was out of her hands now.
"Come in," she gestured opening the door further. "I don't think we've met... are you by any chance... um... Drew?" she asked Nick, shaking his hand.
Nick laughed nervously, "No, that'd be my little brother. I'm Nick."
Amanda turned away from Nick to look at me mouthing "He's a hot motherfucker!" I couldn't help but smile.
"Yes, Amanda, Nick's one hot motherfucker... you should see him without the shirt." She immediately turned several shades redder. I couldn't help but laugh.
"Asshole," she mumbled. "So, let's get these papers signed, alright?" She asked with a sigh.
I sat down across from her desk, Nick sitting beside me. She opened a thick folder that was sitting on her desk — my folder — and searched around for the papers she needed. "You know, Drew." She began. "You've got the thickest folder. I don't think anyone's ever put this company through so much shit and stayed here." I had to laugh at that cause it was a miracle I was there as long as I was. "Despite all of that, it's a shame to see you go, you're the best worker that we have here..." She left it off for my own interpretation, though I knew she was just trying to tell me she'd miss me.
"I fought for you, I got you a nice settlement." She added. "I wasn't going to settle for anything they wanted to give. I couldn't express how valuable a worker you were to the company, and after showing them your file, along with many other people speaking up in your honour... they couldn't really argue. But, even then I bitched them out until they raised it more. As nice a settlement as it is, you still deserve more. I'm sorry I couldn't get it any better than it is. Just know I tried."
I was touched that she went through all the trouble for me. I couldn't have asked for a better manager, really. I was truly going to miss this place.
After signing the papers and going through the details, Nick and I got up and left. As we were walking back up the stairs, a thought suddenly came to me. "Nick, can we go back, like, right now?"
"You sure?" Aww, there he was with the cuteness again.
"Yeah, I'm sure... let's go return the rental, and catch the next flight available." Nick shrugged obviously not wanting to argue.
After returning the rental we went to the ticket booth to ask for the next available flight to Los Angeles. Fortunately, it was a friend of mine working the counter so she didn't mess around and got us on the first flight leaving. "Alright, the flight leaves in about twenty minutes, so if you've got baggage, check it in like, now. Other than that, you're good to go."
"Thanks Avery, you know I love you, girl!" I gave her a big hug, a kiss on the cheek and quickly made our way to gate 24A. Sure, the flight didn't leave for another twenty minutes, but I wasn't about to miss this flight.
Back in LA, I have to say that that flight was the worst I've ever been on. The turbulence was nauseating and I just didn't like the way we were treated. Basically neglected. Had I paid full price for my ticket, I would've complained.
Finally back at the dream house, I walked in, kicked off my shoes and made my way to the bathroom. I had to piss something fierce. I did my business, washed up, and walked out. Walking down the hall, I passed Drew's room. The door was slightly ajar, so I peered in to see that it was empty. Gathering courage, I opened the door, and quietly slid onto his bed, grabbing up a pillow and smelling the faint odour that was Drew. I missed that smell.
I zoned myself out, just smelling Drew and thinking back on old times when, "What the fuck are you doing?" Uh-oh... busted.
TBC...
ONCE AGAIN, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DREW AND JC!