Disclaimer:
The following story is the twelfth installment in an on going series about Stephen Gately from Boyzone and what I imagine to be the story behind the beginning of his relationship with Eloy de Jong from Caught in the Act. I have no contact with either person, nor know any of the members of either group.
Stephen drifted into consciousness, the vague stirrings of a dream fading as he did so. He lay with his eyes closed, enjoying the aftermath of the dream, which left him feeling relaxed. He smiled. Slowly, he stroked his hand down his chest, hair rising in response. It was then that he realized that he had an erection that was tenting the bedcovers. Becoming more awake, he looked to the other side of the room. Tony's bed was empty.
With a sigh of relief he let his head fall back down again and let his fingers walk down his stomach to circle his penis. Slowly stroking up and down, he tried to think back on what he had been dreaming about, but the details were too vague for him to remember. So he kept his eyes closed and imagined other hands working instead of his own. He ran his fingertips over the sensitive head and caught his breath as his penis jumped in reaction. He wasn't normally in the habit of masturbating, but this felt so good that he found he couldn't stop. Keeping his eyes closed, it was easy to imagine someone else doing this to him, and the more he pictured someone, the more the amorphous person took on the form of Eloy. Pumping faster, he bit his lip to stifle a moan. The last thing he wanted was someone walking in on him. The uncertainty of whether he might be discovered by a member of his family served as fuel for his fire. He spread his legs and let his other hand cup his ! balls, squeezing a bit to push the pressure upwards. This time a low moan did escape his lips.
He stopped himself after a moment because he knew that if he kept it up any longer, he was going to make a mess. He reached behind him to the headboard and pulled down the box of tissues. Rolling over onto his side away from the door, he curled up and covered himself with a wad of tissues. Closing his eyes again, he continued to pump, feeling release was near. It was. With a gasp, he felt himself shooting into the tissues. Slowly he came back to reality and lay quietly, drained for the moment.
The house was silent. It seemed that everyone had gone for the day, which for him was a good thing. He didn't have to be at the airport for his flight to London until afternoon. He glanced at the clock. 9 o'clock. He had plenty of time. He ruefully cleaned himself up, smiling slightly as he threw the tissues in the trash. He had just stood up when the sound of his mobile going off had him hunting around on the floor through his discarded clothes until he found it under a shirt.
"Hello?" He said while he absently separated clothes for the wash and cleaned up his side of the room.
"Hey Steve."
Stephen blushed even as he smiled. The last person he expected to hear from was the object of his recent fantasy.
"Hey. How are you?" He asked as he busied himself by sorting the laundry. He had found only one sock, so he got on he knees and peered under the bed, looking for the errant member.
"All right." Eloy paused for a bit and Stephen nearly whacked his head on the edge of the bed frame.
"E, are you okay?" He was a little concerned. It wasn't so much what he said as the way he had said it.
"What? Ja, Ja... of course I am. Just haven't been sleeping well lately." Eloy said with a sigh.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Eloy. You do sound a bit knackered. Sure you want to talk, or maybe just head back to bed?" He nabbed the last sock that had gotten stuck in between the end of the bed and the footboard and added it to the pile he had made. Grabbing a pair of shorts, he pulled them on, and wrapping his laundry up in one of his shirts, picked up the bundle and headed downstairs to do the laundry.
"Nah, I'm fine. Listen, Steve.... I've been thinking. A lot."
"Yeah, about what?" Stephen was a little distracted as he navigated his way down the stairs, juggling phone and clothes.
"Us. Disney. What happened." Eloy said each of the things in a staccato voice, punctuating each point. "In fact, I can't stop thinking about what happened."
Stephen stifled a sigh. He was afraid that this was going to come back to haunt him. Even though he tried to emphasize to Eloy that it meant nothing (though really it did to him,) he didn't want to add any pressure on his friend. As much as he would have liked to repeat their encounter, he wasn't about to suggest it until he knew that Eloy was ready for it. He had noticed a lot more than his friend had thought in France, and had felt him pulling away partway through their weekend. That is why he had tried so hard to keep things light. Well, as much as he could.
"And?" He asked softly, stopping to rest his forehead against the kitchen door.
"And I've come to a conclusion." Eloy replied.
Stephen raised his eyes upwards. He felt like he was pulling teeth to get answers out of Eloy, but knew he had to continue. "And what conclusion is that, E?"
There was a long pause. The only reason why Stephen knew the call hadn't been dropped was because he could hear Eloy breathing on the other end. He pushed through the kitchen door, wincing as the sun hit him in the face through the window. "E?"
"I've come to the conclusion that I need to see you again, if I may." This last was said almost tentatively. Stephen dropped the bundle of laundry. This was the last thing he had expected from the way Eloy had been acting over the phone.
"Yeah?" He asked in surprise.
"Ja." Eloy said. They both lapsed into silence for a few moments.
"Stephen? What are you thinking right now?"
"Shite, Eloy. I have to admit I'm a bit surprised. But... yes! I'd love to get together with you again. The only question is when and where." Stephen nearly kicked himself for being so honest, but he really didn't know how else to respond to what Eloy had to say.
"Ja, that's the only question. Well, part of the problem is solved in that we're done with our album. So they don't need us around while they do the mixing. We're free from jail," Eloy said with a tired sigh. "Which leaves your schedule. Any time coming up?"
"Damn, E, things are mad right now. We're just getting into the recording studio. I'm flying out to London this afternoon and we start tomorrow morning on recording tracks for the album." Stephen paused and bent over to pick up the bundle and put it on the counter. He opened up the washer and started the water running. Reaching under the sink, he pulled out the last of the laundry detergent and poured it in. He then tossed his clothes in and closed the lid. "I don't know what the schedule will be for that right now. But if you want, you can come to London once I do know and we can get together. I hate to say I can't be more definite, but you know what the schedule can be like. But Eloy, I would like to get together with you again. Don't think for a moment I don't." He held his breath, waiting to see what the reaction to that last was going to be.
"You'll be in London tonight? What about getting together tonight?"
Stephen was a bit surprised as the urgency in his friend's voice. "Ermm, well, sure. I get in about 3pm and will be checked into the hotel by 4, I imagine. No plans until the morning. I'm staying at the Whitehall Regency." He could hear scribbling in the background as he talked. "Are you okay, Eloy?"
"Ja. Just that if your schedule is that wacky, why not tonight? That is, if you don't mind," Eloy said, his voice growing more hesitant. "Tell me now Stephen if you'd rather I not."
"No, no, it's fine," Stephen assured him. He wasn't about to say no. Not with Eloy acting the way he was. Besides, it might be the only time they had at the moment. "In fact, I can just pop over earlier on another shuttle if I can get a ride over to the airport. Would that help with things?"
"Hmm, might." Stephen could hear tapping over the phone. "I'm checking the travel site right now to see if I can even get on a flight. No need to have you expecting me if I can't get there. Hmm, shouldn't be a problem. One good thing about this time of year, the tourists haven't started up yet. I can be there... hmmm, probably about the same time as you get in anyhow, so no need to rush things. Why don't we plan that I'll give you a call once I get checked in? Is that okay?"
"Sure. Let me know if you have any problem getting a room there because I can ring Barrie and see if he can arrange something."
"All right. I don't see it as a problem, though. If not there, someplace nearby," Eloy said as he tapped away at the keyboard of his computer, confirming his reservation. "That's all set then. I'll see you later today, okay?"
Stephen felt a stir of anticipation. "Yeah, sounds great. You have a good flight and I'll talk to you then?"
"Ja. You too."
"And call if you can't find a place to stay, okay?" Stephen said.
"I will. Okay, let me get things together on this end and I'll talk to you later. Bye!"
"Seeya later!" Stephen said as Eloy rang off. He stared out the window at the small yard. It wasn't much of a yard, but someplace to put things and hang the laundry when needed. Eloy certainly had sounded a lot more upbeat at the end of the call, which was a good thing. Still, he couldn't help wondering what was going through Eloy's head right now. He sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to figure it out until they met.
His phone rang, jarring him from his thoughts.
"Hello?" He half expected it to be Eloy again. It wasn't. It was Louis' assistant, Fran. She had worked in his office for as long as Stephen had known Louis. Sometimes Stephen was positive that she possessed the patience of a saint to put up with all of Louis' antics.
"Hullo, Stephen. Glad I caught you. There's been a bit of a mix up at the studio, and it looks like you're not going to get in tomorrow like they thought. Louis wanted me to ring everyone so you weren't all hopping over to London."
"Oh?" Stephen was a bit surprised. "What happened?"
"Nothing major, just had to do a bit of rescheduling because whomever is in there hasn't finished up yet and the audio engineer that Louis wanted isn't available. So we're going to hold off until Thursday now. So you're now free for two days, dear. I'm just about to ring up and cancel the hotel since it won't be needed now."
"Why thank you for calling Fran. And would it be too much of a bother to keep my reservations? I had planned on doing a bit of shopping, so this will give me an extra day or two to poke around. That is, if that's okay with you," Stephen said.
"Oh, not at all, dear. I'll let them know that it's just the rest of the lads who won't be over. Will you be all right by yourself? Shall I get George to pick you up at the airport, still?" She asked. Stephen grinned. How she kept all these details of who was where and doing what and what they needed was beyond him.
"If possible, that would be grand, Fran. Thank you again for seeing to all these details."
"Not trouble at all, dear. I'll just ring them now. You have fun shopping!" She said cheerfully.
"I will!"
"Right then. Must be off. Take care!"
Stephen disconnected the call and shook his head. Should he call Eloy back and tell him? No, he thought. He'd hold it off as a surprise. With a smile he put the phone down on the counter and went over to the fridge to rummage about for something to eat. Though the flutter of anticipation he felt was making it difficult to concentrate on food at the moment.
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Eloy closed the door to his apartment and locked it. Slinging his overnight bag over his shoulder, he ran down the stairs and out the door. The couple from the first floor were outside sweeping the sidewalk. With a jaunty wave, he passed them and crossed the street to his car. Opening the door, he tossed the bag onto the passenger seat and got in. Whistling, he started the car and headed off to the airport......