Westlife Romance -- Chapter 59
After dinner, everyone went back to their respective rooms to get some rest.
Nicky took a quick shower before joining Bryan, who was watching television on the bed. Nicky gently took Bryan's hand and kissed it.
"I'm sorry..." they both said simultaneously.
After a bit of hesitation, Nicky continued. "I'm sorry I ran out on you last night..." he said softly, his head down. It was almost like he was ashamed of his behaviour. "I don't know what came over me...the next thing I knew..."
Nicky was beginning to babble, so Bryan knew it was time that he stepped in. "Look at me, Nicky Byrne," he ordered gently. Nicky had no choice but to do as he was told. "You have nothing to be sorry about," Bryan reassured his boyfriend. "If there's anyone to blame, it would be me."
Nicky opened his mouth to speak, but Bryan stopped him. "It hurts me when you keep putting yourself down. I know you always look at people in a positive light, and that's one of the reasons why I love you so much. But you have to stop putting yourself down. It's wrong. It's so damn wrong..." Bryan looked at Nicky, his eyes glistening with tears. He hated what Nicky was doing to himself. He just absolutely hated it.
"I'm sorry..." Nicky whispered.
Bryan sighed. This was going to be harder than he thought. "I don't want you to apologize, Nix. Don't you get it? You didn't do anything wrong!! You don't have to apologize!!!"
"If you say so," Nicky said softly, reluctantly obeying his boyfriend. "This was the best thing to do," Nicky thought to himself, "just do as you're told..."
Bryan pulled Nicky close and hugged him. He couldn't understand why Nicky was being so hard on himself, or why he kept belittling himself. Bryan closed his eyes and held his tears back. "Oh God, what has he done to you?" he asked himself.
It was a few minutes before the two boys pulled apart from each other. An atmosphere of silence covered the room before Bryan decided to speak. "Nix?"
"Yeah?"
"What am I to you?"
Nicky had a confused look on his face, not understanding what Bryan was asking. "Uh...my boyfriend?" Nicky answered timidly.
"Do you really think that?" Bryan asked, his eyes unsure of himself.
"Of course!" Nicky answered with confidence this time. Then the look of insecurity returned, followed by a look of panic. "Oh God...did I do something wrong?"
Realizing that he was upsetting Nicky, Bryan knew he had to clarify. "No...you didn't do anything wrong. You never do anything wrong," Bryan answered. And he was not lying. In his mind, Nicky was perfect. "Do you ever regret having me as your boyfriend?"
"Never. Never did and never will."
Bryan smiled at the answer. "What about Annette?"
"What about her?"
"What is she to you?"
"A friend?"
"Anything more?"
"What are you trying to say, Bryan?" Nicky asked with the slightest hint of annoyance. "Why all these questions all of a sudden?"
"You two looked awfully close this afternoon." The instant he said those words, he regretted it.
Nicky's body tensed at those words and the colour drained from his face. "What do you take me for?" he asked calmly, yet forcefully.
"I'm sorry, Nix," Bryan answered, trying to repair the damage. "I wasn't thinking..."
"You didn't answer my question, Bryan. Isn't my word good enough for you?" Nicky avoided Bryan's eyes. He just couldn't look at them. It hurt him too much to do so. He couldn't believe that Bryan didn't trust him, or that he spied on him.
That night, neither boy slept well. Each had many thoughts preventing from getting any fitful rest.
The next morning, breakfast was a quiet affair. Kian was still half asleep as was Mark. Shane was nowhere to be found and both Nicky and Bryan were unusually quiet. The silence was shattered when Shane came running into the room, newspaper in hand.
"Oh my god!!!" he yelled, causing Mark to nearly spill his juice.
"Must you be so loud so early in the morning?" Kian asked.
"I can't believe this!!" Shane yelled again, totally ignoring Kian's request.
"What is it?" Mark asked, hoping that Shane would calm down after sharing his great discovery.
"Take a look at this!!" Shane continued, offering the newspaper to Mark.
"Oh my god!!!" Mark stammered, causing Kian to give him a dirty look. Neither Nicky nor Bryan seemed to notice the commotion.
"Just what the hell is the big news?" Kian finally asked.
"There was a gangland style murder yesterday outside of a Las Vegas casino," Shane answered.
Kian rolled his eyes. "And the big news would be??"
"The victim...do you know who the victim was?"
"Who?" Kian asked without much interest.
"Derek!!" Shane and Mark said together.
Kian spilled his orange juice all over the table upon hearing that name. "What did you just say?" he asked again, his voice trembling and his face white as a ghost.
Realizing that Kian might still have feelings for Derek, Shane and Mark tempered their excitement. "I'm sorry, Ki," Shane said. "I totally forgot..."
"Derek is dead?" Kian asked again, to no one in particular.
Shane and Mark's revelation also startled Bryan, snapping him out of his funk. He hated Derek with a vengeance, and secretly he was glad that he was gone. But to be killed in a gangland style murder? That was a little extreme. "Who did it?" he finally asked.
"They don't know yet. The police are still investigating."
Only Nicky did not seem surprised by the revelation. Shane was about to ask if Nicky was okay when the sound of a mobile ringing interrupted his thoughts. Nicky took his mobile, glanced at the display and walked to the corner of a room to answer the call. "I thought I told you not to call me at this time!!" Nicky hissed into the phone.
"I'm sorry...I needed to talk to you."
"About what? I thought you had everything under control!!"
The other boys looked at Nicky as he talked into the phone. Nicky seemed to be very agitated, although they had no idea who he was talking to.
"I thought I told you to be careful!! What if they find out?"
"They won't...I'll fix this up right away."
"You better fix this up. You're not getting the rest of the payment if you don't clean up this mess!" Nicky shut off his mobile, his usually pale face flushed with fury. He took a deep breath to calm himself down before walking back to rejoin the lads. As he sat down, he found four pairs of eyes staring at him.
...to be continued...