Hi! I'm loving this summer! I hope everybody feels the same!
Disclaimer:I do not know the BSB nor do I know their orientation. The following is a work of fiction and contains content of an adult nature. All under 18 are advised not to continue reading.
Seth rolled quite a few times, flailing his arms in bed expecting to feel a warm body next to his. But to his dismay, he could not feel anything but the cold mattress which hadn't been slept on for possibly quite a few hours. Within seconds, Seth was up and awake, scanning the room for Nick.
The room was empty save for the light under the bathroom door. Seth sighed. Nick was proving to be rather difficult. He quickly lay back down, pretending to sleep, waiting to see what Nick would do. He heard the click of the light switch and then the slight creak of the door as Nick stepped out of the bathroom.
Seth waited and waited, but Nick didn't approach the bed . . . not until a few minutes later, when Seth felt some warm hands gently nudging him into the bed and straightening the blankets so that he could be warmer. His heart swelled at the gesture, the love feeding his soul.
He waited until Nick took a few steps away to say something. "Mornin'" all the while peaking at Nick to see the other boy's reaction.
Nick smiled. "I have a press conference today at 9:00."
Seth's eyes widened as he looked at the clock. 8:40. Damn! He didn't know! Or he wouldn't have forced Nick to go out last night. His eyes looked worried, until Nick smiled and said, "I'll catch up on my sleep tonight. Don't worry."
Nick took out his wallet. "You probably don't have much money. Here's some. Once you're awake and want to do something, just use this. Ummm, I probably won't be done until noon. You can call me and maybe we can have some lunch together."
This was too much for Seth, whose eyes were slightly moist. "You don't have to, Nick. I mean . . . "
Nick simply shook his head. "You're my guest . . . and AJ's friend. If I don't treat you right, he'll kill me!" With that, Nick bent down with uncertainty and pecked Seth on the cheek. "Uh, take care."
"Yeah," Seth whispered to himself, barely able to breathe from the surreal nature of the interaction. "Sure." He touched the place on his cheek where Nick kissed him and looked dreamily at the wall. Aj! He had to talk to AJ! But wait. Wasn't AJ also going to be at the press conference?
His best friend would do! Yeah! He'll talk to Matt, tell him about his story. But Matt was also his ex-lover! He didn't want to have the whole complication that Brian had. No. Not Matt. Then who? His mom! That was right! He'll talk to his mom!
"Bye!" Seth suddenly heard Nick say.
"Uhhhh . . . have a great time!" Seth stuttered.
To hell with telling someone. Seth looked at himself. He had a little over three hours to get ready! He needed a sexy look. No, he needed a 'cute' look. Rats. He knew he should have taken that fashion class! He looked around miserably until he could finally see that his suitcase was nowhere in sight. Rats! He would have to go out and buy some clothes. He saw Nick's money, but decided against it. Besides, he worked. He had a credit card, even though he didn't know how much money he had left in it. But only if he desperately needed it would he spend Nick's money.
Seth quickly showered and skipped breakfast before heading out to the nearest mall.
"So Nick, how did it go last night?" AJ asked curiously, wrapping his arms protectively around Nick.
Nick instantly smiled. "Not too bad. We had a nice talk."
"Did you? I knew it! Now remember, Seth is an extremely cool guy! I mean no drugs, no hair dyeing, nothing wild. He's just perfect for you!"
Nick laughed. "You're starting to sound like my parents."
AJ cringed. "Naw. Kid, you're getting too old for that stuff."
Nick rolled his eyes amusedly. "Thanks."
AJ smiled. "You're not angry at me anymore, are you?"
Nick shook his head. "I was never angry at you for anything you tried to hide in the past. I know you were trying to protect Brian and help him sort things out. I won't use that against you."
AJ sighed. "Brian was going through a lot, too. He was having a hard time making all the decisions between you and Greg. I'm pretty sure that it's hard for him since everything is so recent."
Nick nodded. "He's a nice and cool guy. He deserves whatever he wants. I'm in no position to judge him. In time, the pain will go away, I guess."
"Just don't let Greg get to you. I know he's been pretty mean to you behind Brian's back, but if you just ignore him, he'll stop pestering you."
"I know!" Nick smiled gratefully before he turned around and began changing.
At that moment, Brian and Greg stepped into the dressing room. Greg immediately saw Nick and beamed. "How's it going? How was your date?"
Nick looked at Greg and nodded. "He was . . . nice."
"Cool!" With that, Greg turned around to Brian and they started a conversation of their own, keeping Nick out.
Nick sighed and turned around to finish dressing.
The press conference lasted forever for Nick, but when it was all done, he was grateful and sped out of the place. It was 12:10, and still, Seth had not called him. He tried calling his room, but no one answered. Did Seth forget? He was about to walk by himself to Denny's, when he heard his cell phone ring.
Without waiting, Nick quickly grabbed it. "Hey Seth?"
"Ummmm, no. This is Kevin."
Sigh. "What's up?"
"We were wondering where you are? You're not supposed to disappear like that. Remember the concert tonight. Testing starts at 6:00 p.m. Be prompt."
"Okay," Nick answered disappointedly. "I'll be there."
"Oh," Kevin added. "Seth is here. You told him to call you, but never gave him your cell phone number."
Nick's eyes widened. "Seriously?"
"Duh! Yeah." The guy was frantic, running around. Everyone refuses to give him your number until he finally got a hold of me and AJ. So we set you up in that little Korean restaurant on Main Street. Heard it's awesome. He'll just meet you there. And Nick?"
"Yes?" Nick asked softly.
"He's deserves a chance."
"Doesn't everyone?" Nick replied before he could think through his answer.
"You deserve another chance."
"Bye," Nick said before hanging up.
Nick stepped into the Korean restaurant, awed by it's beautiful atmosphere. It was rather dim so he couldn't see whether Seth was there yet, until he heard a familiar voice.
"There you are!"
Nick looked up in amusement. "I don't think I'm late."
Seth chuckled. "I was afraid you would run away."
Nick frowned amusedly. "Do I look like the type?"
Seth laughed even harder. "With that charm of yours, I wouldn't doubt it."
Nick had to chuckle at that. "What charm are you talking about. Hey, I'm pretty hungry. Mind if we start ordering?"
Seth nodded proudly. "Well, I've already ordered some of my faves so you don't have to worry."
With that, Nick followed Seth back to the table. Seth quickly jumped behind a seat and pulled it out for Nick.
"Thanks!" Nick said gratefully before sitting down.
Seth quickly took a seat next to his. "So what do you want?"
"What did you order?" Nick asked.
"Just some barbecue stuff. It's awesome here!"
Nick nodded. "I've never really had the chance to go to these places."
Seth widened his eyes. "You mean you and Brian never . . . "
Nick shook his head. "We were always so busy. He'd rather stay in the hotel and order pizza."
"Understandably."
Nick didn't make a comment, making Seth wonder.
Seth looked at Nick carefully and saw the shame there. "Did anything else happen?" Seth asked softly.
Nick shook his head. "Not really."
"You seem down whenever we talk about Brian."
Nick looked up slowly. "He never felt happy with me."
"Why is that?" Seth asked worriedly, and then added, "Was it because those times that you spent in the hotel, you refused his advances?"
Nick shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know." His voice was quiet, almost melancholic. "Am I too conservative?"
Seth didn't want to lie, but how could he tell Nick. "Well . . . whenever I see you on the music videos . . . I mean stars these days wear next to nothing on t.v. And sometimes . . . when I see you in the videos, you always have an extra layer of clothing on you. Like Quit Playing Games? You were the only one with a T-shirt on while everyone else were showing their abs. In All I Have To Give, you were the only one with a T-shirt under your shirt. I don't want to deceive you, but in a way, you're very . . . in line with old-thinking. Oh, I don't know how to put it."
Nick stared at the table. "I . . . I always felt so conservative. But I'm too uncomfortable otherwise. I'm not used to it. I . . . if you also think so, then maybe it's time for me to change. I mean . . . "
Seth mentally kicked himself. "No! I don't think you need to change. It's . . . kinda cute, actually."
Nick shook his head. "It's okay. I've heard it many times. Management . . . Kevin . . . Howie . . . AJ . . . Brian. I guess my skull is kind of thick sometimes. Maybe it takes a break up like this to knock some sense into me."
"No, Nick! Listen, you don't need to pretend to be someone you're not. You don't have to change for others."
Nick smiled sadly. "But if I don't change, people will start being angry. They'll start wondering whether I'm crazy or whether I have some psychological problem . . . which I think I probably do have."
Seth shook his head. "You don't have a psych problem. You're just very modest. It's okay to be like that. In fact, I like it like that!"
Just then, the waitress brought the food to the table and both guys quieted down. When the waitress finally left, Seth looked shyly at Nick. "Have some food." He quickly drew out some utensils and began filling Nick's plate with food.
Nick tried to stop him and accidentally brushed his hands against the other's bare flesh and blushed wildly.
Seth smiled at Nick's innocent nature. "You're cute when you blush."
Nick blushed even harder, trying to hide his face. "Oh, I'm a disaster."
"No you're not. You're just a super sensitive guy who has other guys at your feet, begging for mercy and for your love."
Nick simply glanced up at Seth quickly before starting to consume his lunch slowly.
"Really." Seth didn't know how to get it into Nick's head. Nick was damn attractive, despite his eccentric qualities.
"Let's talk about you." Nick tried to change the discussion, but Seth saw right through that.
"Naw. I'm interested in you," Seth countered.
"But there's not that much to say about me," Nick persisted.
"Please?" Seth asked.
"Am I really that interesting a subject of discussion?" Nick asked sullenly.
Seth looked flustered. "I'm worried about you."
Nick looked at Seth with almost tears in his eyes. Before Seth knew what happened, Nick stood up abrubtly and stumbled to the men's room. Seth quickly followed him, realizing that Nick was more affected by the breakup with Brian than many people had thought. Seth began to worry as he quickly followed Nick into the men's room.
"Nick?" Seth called out, and as he stepped into the men's room, his arms trembled and his eyes widened in shock . . .
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