Disclaimer: The following story is the sixth 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.
As the chocolate cooled down, they went back to their playing. Stephen started it by dipping a strawberry into the pot and letting it drip along Eloy's chest. With a saucy grin, he placed the strawberry on Eloy's stomach and began licking off the drops of chocolate. He worked his way down and licked a circle around the strawberry. Then, picking it up by the stem with his teeth, he brought it back to Eloy's mouth and they shared a strawberry kiss.
Eloy moaned, extremely aroused by what Stephen was doing. He had a feeling that Stephen would be receptive to their evening meal, but he was a bit surprised by the enthusiasm that Stephen was putting into the whole thing. A small part of him worried that if they weren't careful, one or both of them could end up hurt by this encounter, but he couldn't find the will to stop what they had started.
With a kiss on the nose, Stephen winked down at Eloy and leaned on his elbows to either side of Eloy's head. "How was that?"
"Well, I think you got the general idea," Eloy said with a soft chuckle.
Eloy did his own part by grabbing another piece of fruit, and after dipping it liberally into the pot, painting chocolate along Stephen's chest and tracing his tongue along the trail. Stephen shivered and sighed, enjoying Eloy's attentions with his eyes closed. They continued along this vein for a time until finally Stephen grabbed one last strawberry and nibbled his way along Eloy, sending shoots of fire along his body in the process.
"Wow," Eloy said, a bit breathless from Stephen's actions.
"I'm glad you liked that. But unfortunately, that was the last of the chocolate. And look at the mess we've made!" Stephen was almost appalled at the litter around them. Eloy blinked, a bit taken aback by the change in the conversation, but when he looked around, he could see what Stephen meant. There was litter all over the bed and coffee table, with bits of food and fruit scattered about. Stephen wrinkled his nose and scrambled off Eloy to start picking stuff up.
For a moment, Eloy just lay back, watching Stephen clean up. Then he shook his head and started to pick stuff off the bed and put it onto the tray. They had been a bit over enthusiastic. He turned to toss some more stuff on the tray and stopped. Stephen had knelt down on the footrest for the chair and was bent over the edge picking up stuff, his cute butt in the air. All thoughts of cleaning up went out of Eloy's head at the sight before him and he moved without knowing it until he was standing behind Stephen. He knelt down behind Stephen and wound his arms around Stephen's waist, pumping lightly against Stephen with his hips.
"Damn, but I can't resist this sight!" He said as Stephen gasped, totally surprised by the feeling of Eloy rubbing against his legs.
"Mmmm, so I feel, baby," Stephen said and leaned his head back so that he was resting his head against Eloy's shoulder. "But we're not going to get much done with you doing that." He gasped as Eloy encircled him with his hands and started stroking. "Honey, we shouldn't. I'm all sticky."
"Ja, I noticed," Eloy said as he nibbled on Stephen's neck, working his way up and down from shoulder to ear and back again. He moved one hand up Stephen's stomach and chest until he was teasing a nipple with his fingers. Stephen moaned softly and arched his back, pressing his butt against Eloy. "Hey, want to get cleaned up?"
"Huh?" Stephen was too distracted to follow what Eloy was saying.
"I said," he growled softly into Stephen's ear. "Want to get cleaned up? There's this incredible shower in the next room that's just waiting to be turned on."
Stephen shivered at both the suggestion and the feel of Eloy's breath on his neck. "Yeah... Oh!" He exclaimed as Eloy got up and lifted him too. Eloy carried him into the bathroom and turned on the water, then stepped into the stall. The two of them got hit with the force of the jet and Eloy gently put Stephen down before him. Turning around, his hair plastered to his head by the force of the water streaming down, Stephen laughed. "Why is it that we're always getting wet, one way or another?"
Eloy shrugged and smiled down at Stephen. "I don't know. Is it because it's fun?" He wrapped his arms around Stephen and hugged him tight. "Now let's see about this sticky problem of yours." He reached out of the stall and grabbed one of the face cloths from where it was over the toilet. "Ah, here we go. A little soap, a little scrubbing and you'll be all cleaned up."
"Hey!" Stephen protested. "Eloy, we have to talk about this attitude of yours!"
"What attitude?" He asked, laughing as he grabbed some shampoo from the vanity and poured it over Stephen's head, working it up to a lather.
Stephen had the most odd expression on his face and he burst into laughter as Eloy continued to soap him down.
"The one where you treat me like a pet that needs to be dried off or cleaned!" Stephen said, laughing at the ridiculousness of it all.
Eloy stopped in mid-motion. "Am I really doing that? I certainly don't mean to. But dammit, Stephen, sometimes you're just so damn cuddly that I like to pick you up and carry you around." He smiled and whatever thoughts Stephen had been thinking just went clean out of his head when presented with that sexy smile.
"Awww, forget about it, E." he said, placing his arms around Eloy's waist and hugging him. The water poured down and he closed his eyes as the soap started to get into them. "Well, this is one way to get cleaned up, anyway. Let me get this stuff off, and we can get ourselves cleaned up properly." He pushed Eloy back a bit so he could get fully under the spray and tilted his head back, letting the water rinse the shampoo out.
Eloy stood and watched, mesmerized by the sight. Stephen was rather unconscious of the picture he presented with the soap streaming down his body, following the line of hair growing on his chest and trailing down in a line to his stomach. From there, it worked its way down his legs and Eloy followed the path with his eyes. He could feel himself getting aroused and in a way it worried him. He took a step back and leaned against the wall of the shower, eyes half closed while he thought about what had been happening over the past few hours. It was moving pretty quickly, and the constant attraction was a bit scary once he had time to think. He felt like he was drowning in a sea of sensation at times. But every time he thought of pulling back for a bit, the mood would change and the tension lessen.
Stephen was totally unaware of his inner turmoil as he stretched in the warm water and rinsed off the last of the shampoo. "Now then, where were we?" He asked, opening his eyes. Eloy was leaning against the wall with an odd expression. Stephen's smile slowly left his face and he got a bit worried. "Everything okay?"
Eloy mentally shook himself and smiled back. "Ja, everything is fine.
I was just enjoying the view," he said with a wink. Stephen blushed, which made Eloy laugh. "And what are you blushing for?"
"Well," Stephen said, looking down in embarrassment. "Its not like I'm used to jumping into showers with other men all the time."
"No? I thought you did it all the time," Eloy teased. He reached forward and stroked a bit of soap off Stephen's cheek. "You missed some."
"Ah, did I? Sheesh, maybe I should let you wash me. I certainly don't seem capable of doing it myself, it seems!" Stephen exclaimed in disgust, rubbing his fingers over his face to see if there was anything else he had missed. He looked around to see where the cloth that Eloy had been using had gone and bent over to pick it up.
Eloy stifled a groan as he watched Stephen bend over and resolutely stuck his head under the showerhead. The spray helped distract him a little while Stephen continued to soap and wash up. The distraction didn't last long when he felt the cloth pass over his chest and down to his stomach. Startled, he opened his eyes to see Stephen grinning up at him.
"Sorry, I seemed to be hogging all the soap here, so I figured I'd help get you washed up." He said with a wink. He ducked down to run the soapy cloth over Eloy's long legs, working his way down one and up the other. Eloy was rather bemused by the turn of events and complacently moved where Stephen put him. "Hey," he said softly, reaching up and putting his hands on Eloy's shoulders. "Get yourself down here where I can get to you." Eloy obediently bent down and Stephen poured the rest of the shampoo out of the little bottle onto his head. Soaping him up, Stephen scrubbed and pulled on his hair, spiking it up in odd angles. Stopping for a moment, he started to laugh at the image that Eloy presented, hair going in all directions and covered with foam.
"What?" Eloy asked, a bit confused at what Stephen found funny. It made the younger man laugh all the harder, until all he could do was open the curtain so Eloy could look at himself in the mirror. At that point, Eloy saw what he meant and laughed along with him. Once again, it broke the tension he was feeling inside himself and they finished their combined shower by rinsing off. Turning off the water, Stephen grabbed one of the last remaining towels saying "I'll dry myself off this time, thanks!" He stepped out of the tub and handed Eloy the last of the towels. He quickly rubbed down and wrapped the towel around his waist, moving to one side so that Eloy could do the same. He then rummaged in his kit bag for his razor and shaving cream and lathered up so he could get his afternoon growth off. Eloy quietly wiped himself down, watching Stephen shave. There was something very comfortable about the moment and he closed his eyes, picturing the two of them together as a couple. It almost scared him with how right it felt. Disturbed by the surge of feeling he felt, he left the bathroom while Stephen was busy and leaned against the wall. He knew he had to get control of what was going on, because he was feeling so confused right now that he had to take control before he lost it all and hurt Stephen in the process. And that was the last thing that he wanted to do. He started cleaning up the room, knowing that when Stephen came out of the bathroom, they were going to have to sit down and have a talk before anything else happened.
A few moments later, he heard the water turn off. By this time he had had everything cleaned up and left outside the hotel room door. He also had on comfortable pants and was lounging on the couch with the tv on and a carafe of coffee and a couple of mugs sitting on the table in front of him. Stephen was still drying his hair as he came out. Seeing Eloy at the couch, he rummaged through his bag for something to wear and pulled on his sweatpants. He moved over to the couch and sat down.
"Ooooh, coffee!" he said as he poured himself a cup. Steam wafted and he took a deep breath, inhaling the scent. Sitting back with a sigh he took a sip. "Thanks for the thought. This just hits the spot."
Eloy smiled, feeling like he was back in control of himself again. Stephen curled up on the couch, crossing his legs indian-style and drinking his coffee. They watched tv for a bit, Stephen content to follow Eloy's lead. He was getting a sense that Eloy was feeling overwhelmed about what had happened, which was why he took his time in the bathroom. He wanted Eloy to sort himself out. Finally, while flipping around the dial, they came upon an episode of Friends and Stephen sat back, engrossed in the show. It was so seldom that he got to watch with any regularity that he always looked forward to seeing it.
Finally, it was late enough that they were both yawning. Stephen was a little uncertain of how to proceed, so he leaned his head back and looked over at Eloy. "God, I love that show. Can't get enough of it."
"Ja, it's very funny," Eloy said as he turned off the tv. "Stephen, I don't know if now is the right time, but I think we need to talk. " He turned on the couch so that one leg was tucked underneath as he rested his arm along the back. "What happened today... tonight.... kind of caught me by surprise...."
Stephen nodded, a tiny smile on his face. "I think we can safely say that was the case for both of us. Eloy," he plunged on before the other man could speak. "Please don't think I want to pressure you with any of this. Because I really don't. What happened today was fantastic. I won't deny it. But the last thing I want is to spoil our friendship. I treasure that too much to lose it all to something like this." He wrapped his hands around the empty coffee cup to stop their trembling. He didn't know how to go about this, but felt he had to get it said before Eloy stopped him. "I know that you're just coming out of a not so great relationship. And I hardly expect you to jump back into another without having some time and space to yourself first. I wouldn't want that for you. Hell, I wouldn't want it for me, either. And even if both of us were free to start something, there's too many things to think about. Our careers for one thing. The fact that we're in different parts of the world for another.... Oh, I don't think I'm saying this right," he said, frustrated.
Eloy leaned forward and put his hand on Stephen's arm. "Yes, you are.
And you're right. There are too many things to think about. But I just wanted to be clear with you about what happened. And that I also value what we have as friends, too. Stephen, please look at me," he asked reaching out with his hand and tilting Stephen's face towards him. Stephen still continued to look down at his mug, his long lashes shielding his eyes. "Stephen," Eloy asked again.
Stephen tried to concentrate on making his hands as still as possible.
He always had this awful habit of wringing them when he was nervous, and it was a habit he was trying hard to break, without much success at the moment. Slowly he raised his eyes to look at Eloy. His friend was remarkably relaxed in comparison, his head tilted to one side. "Yeah?" He asked softly.
"I love you as a friend. I always have. We share too much in common for me not to. What happened tonight --- ah, well, it is great. Fantastic! But I don't think I could do it again anytime soon. Not until I've worked out a few things. But I also want to make sure that this is going to be all right with you, too." He stroked his thumb along Stephen's cheek. "Is this all right?"
"Yeah," Stephen said softly. "I'm all right. And yes, this was fantastic. Its something I'll always cherish. But first and foremost, you are a dear friend. And I never want to lose that, E." He cursed softly as tears began to well up and tried to pull out of Eloy's grip. "Damn."
"Hey, hey.... Don't pull away, Stephen!" Eloy exclaimed and pulled the younger man into a hug. "Please never do that to me," he whispered in his ear as Stephen cried on his shoulder. "You're not going to lose anything. If anything, this has made us a lot closer, right?"
When he didn't get a response other than a few sniffles, he gathered Stephen in his arms and walked them both over to the bed. Putting Stephen down, he turned off the lights and got into the bed with him as he held him tight. Murmuring reassurances, he kept his arms wrapped around him and pulled Stephen's head onto his shoulder. After a short while, Stephen stopped, and softly apologized for losing control the way he did.
"Hush," Eloy said softly. "It's been a bit of a day for both of us. Just stay here where I can hold you, okay?" Stephen nodded his head, rubbing his hair against Eloy's cheek as he agreed. "Now close your eyes and let's get some sleep, okay? We still have more of this park to see in the morning if the weather feels like cooperating." That brought a chuckle out of Stephen and they lapsed into a companionable silence, each lost in their own thoughts until sleep came.
The sun rose in the morning, streaming light into the room and shining onto Stephen's face, waking him. Blinking and a little disoriented, he started to stretch but stopped when he realized that Eloy was snuggled up behind him, spooned around him. He had one arm draped over Stephen's waist and tucked underneath, his leg thrown over Stephen's thigh. Careful not to wake the other man, Stephen turned his head so he could watch Eloy sleep. Yesterday had been a crazy day, he reflected to himself. And he hoped that they could keep the easy camaraderie they always had after what had happened. But for the moment, he was content to wait, wrapped in Eloy's arms.
There was something that felt so right about waking up like this, and he knew at that moment that he had fallen in love with Eloy. Or at least, this was when he was ready to admit it to himself. He had always been attracted to his friend, from the first time they had met. Eloy was a lot of things that he felt he himself was not. But knowing that Eloy was in a relationship allowed him to keep it to just a friendship where he didn't let him know how attracted he was. Now they didn't have that anymore, and Eloy knew he was interested. He blushed, remembering some of the things they had done the day before. And he made a promise to himself that, God willing things should work out, he'd be as patient as he had to be while Eloy straightened things out. Hopefully by then he'd be ready to turn to him, and Stephen planned to be there, waiting. It was like he had found another piece of his soul when he first made love with Eloy. It was something very special that he knew he'd have to have again to be whole.
He hadn't had a lot of experience in the love department himself, with only one close relationship with a childhood friend growing up. It was in that exploration with a friend that he had realized he was different from most of the other kids in the neighborhood. But other than that, and short-term flings with people he felt he could trust within the Boyzone organization, he had never had a real relationship as an adult. For a few years he had felt completely empty as he had watched his friends fall for their respective girlfriends. He wished that things had been so easy for himself. In fact, at one time, he had even dated one of the female choreographers for the group in the hopes that perhaps he could have someone for himself. And while they were great friends, he finally had to admit to himself that there was no way he was going to force himself to change. That he wouldn't be happy living a lie like that. Or hurting what had become a very dear friend. The other lads were really great with supporting him through things and were often trying to fix him up with backup dancers or people they through he would fancy. It sometimes turned into a bit of a joke, since he realized that they had no clue what his tastes were. Often they would try to put themselves in his shoes, but inevitably picked a male version of their female ideal. Which wasn't what he was looking for at all. Heck, he thought with a wry grin. Most of the time he didn't know what he was looking for himself! How could they guess when he didn't know?
His quiet chuckling woke Eloy up. With a stretch, Eloy yawned and opened his eyes to the morning light. "Good morning," he said, leaning forward and giving Stephen a kiss on the cheek. "What's so funny?"
"Morning, E." Stephen said, smiling to himself. "Ah, just me own thoughts rattling about in my head. Not much at all, actually." He stretched himself and pulled out of Eloy's embrace. "I gotta go to the loo. Be right back."
Eloy stretched again as Stephen padded off to the bathroom. He was surprised with himself that he had gotten to sleep as fast as he had. He had felt last night that his thoughts would keep him up half the night while he tried to break them out of the jumble they were in. But in actuality, he had fallen asleep immediately. He heard the shower start and lay back, content to wait his turn. Today, with the sun shining, the confusion of yesterday seemed to take a back seat. Things seem to be back on an even keel with Stephen, and he was grateful for that.
He got out of bed and started organizing what he was going to wear for the day. Turning on the hotel channel on the tv, he got the weather report and was glad to see that it was warming back up again. He pulled out some shorts and a t-shirt and gathered his stuff as he heard the shower go off. Shortly afterwards, Stephen came out with a towel wrapped around his waist and he was rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Probably considering whether he had to shave again. Eloy grinned. Poor Stephen was always complaining about having to shave so much. He himself found it rather sexy, but resolutely steered his thoughts away from that direction.
"Hey, it's going to be warm today. And no rain, believe it or not! I think we'll have a great last day here," Eloy said as he made his way to the bathroom. "If you want to eat in, call in breakfast for us. If not, we can go eat down in the restaurant downstairs before heading out into the park."
"Sounds good to me. I don't want to have to clean up again!" Stephen joked and swatted at Eloy as he walked passed. "So get, you!" As Eloy went in to take his shower, Stephen packed up all of his purchases and got what he needed for the day out. He had a pair of jean shorts and a shirt, and left out a change for the flight back to Edinburgh in the morning.
Eloy came out of the bathroom after a short while and they headed down to the restaurant. It was not very busy, it being a quiet Sunday morning, and soon they were seated off to the side with menus. The waitress recognized Stephen immediately and flirted with him outrageously. He had a good time with it, signing a card that she wanted to bring back to her little sister. He saw no harm in it, and she was quite attentive at making sure their coffee cups were kept full and that they didn't want for anything. But it also emphasized to him the fact that no time was really private when he traveled, and he was sure that this trip would get mentioned and could come back to him at some point. That's the way it usually happened. It was like his life wasn't truly his own anymore. He suppressed a little sigh. It was one of the things he had to trade off on, and for the most part it didn't bother him. Except at times like these when he wished he could stay anonymous.
"So, what's on the agenda for today?" He asked, sipping at the last of his coffee. Eloy dropped some money onto the table. Far more than what the bill amounted to. Stephen smiled as they got up and walked to the entrance, waving to their waitress on the way out. They were barely out the door when he caught a glimpse of her huddled amongst the other waitresses, showing her card with the autograph. He shook his head ruefully and turned to where Eloy was standing in front of a map of the park. They looked over their choices and planned out the day. First was off to some of the rides they hadn't been able to get on the day before because of the rain. Then some more exhibits.
The rest of the day flew by, with Stephen and Eloy enjoying themselves immensely. They went on several of the rides and walked the park a few times. Finally, exhausted, they walked back to their hotel room to call it a night. Neither was very hungry since they had been picking at stalls in the international village that was a replica of the one in Orlando. They had also stayed out long enough to watch the nightly fireworks display, so when they got back to their room, they made an early night of it. Once again they curled up in the bed together and fell asleep.
In the morning, Eloy woke Stephen with a gentle shake. "Hey, sleepyhead. Time to get up," he said softly. "You've got an early flight, and I want you to have something to eat first. That airline food stinks." He chuckled.
"Mmmm," Stephen replied, blearily looking up at Eloy in the morning light. "I can do without the food. Sleep is more important." He dropped his head back onto the pillow, but didn't get to stay that way for long. Eloy was pulling the covers off him and he whimpered. He hated mornings.
"Come on, you. Trust me, this will be good for you," Eloy said with a chuckle, watching Stephen knuckle the sleep out of his eyes. "I have everything waiting. Don't let it get cold." He handed a mug of coffee to Stephen.
"Ah, bless you!" Stephen said, taking a gulp. "For this, I forgive you for waking me up." He saw that the table off to the side was set up with two covered plates and sat up. "Do I have time for a quick shower first?"
"Ja, of course you do, kindje. It will keep." Eloy shooed him into the bathroom and while he was in there, packed his own things. Then he used the electronic display on the hotel tv to check out of the room so all they would have to do is leave and not go down to the front desk. Stephen finished in a short time and they sat down to their breakfast. With one last look around the room, he checked to see if everything was packed for the flight back. He had bought a lot of gifts for people and wanted to make sure that he brought them back with him.
"Wow, what a weekend," he said with a smile, looking up at Eloy. "Thank you for agreeing to meet me and for picking such a fantastic place. I had a lot of fun."
"So did I, Stephen. It's so great to come to a place like this with another fan. Most of my other friends think I'm nuts about Disney, but with you feeling the same way, I felt like I had a partner in crime this weekend." Eloy grinned, his arms crossed over his chest. "We have to do this kind of thing more often."
"Yeah, whenever we get the time! I'm just glad it all worked out so well. Thanks, E." Stephen said. He grabbed his bag and moved it over to the door. "We'd best be going, right?"
"Ja, I suppose so," Eloy said and walked over to join him. As Stephen reached for the doorknob, Eloy put his hand over Stephen's. "But wait a minute, first."
"Yeah, what's that?" Stephen said, surprised. Eloy tugged on his hand and pulled him around so that they were facing each other.
"I just wanted to give you a hug while we still had some private time together," Eloy said, and opening his arms, wrapped them around Stephen.
Stephen closed his eyes as Eloy pulled him into the embrace, sternly telling himself not to ask for anything more. He tentatively wrapped his arms around Eloy's waist and held them there lightly.
Eloy rested his cheek against the top of Stephen's head. "Thank you, also for being so patient and understanding with me," he said softly. Almost too softly for Stephen to hear, muffled as it was against his hair.
"Eloy, thank you. I'll always cherish this weekend." Stephen quietly replied. He tilted his head back so that they looked each other in the eye and reached higher to wrap his arms around Eloy's neck. He gave him a kiss on the cheek and squeezed him before pulling back. "I had a grand time."
Eloy smiled down and stroked the back of his hand against Stephen's cheek. "So did I, Stephen. Which is why I wanted to give you this hug."
He held him close a minute, resting his cheek against Stephen's and taking in his scent, which was a mixture of cologne and that unique smell that meant Stephen to him. Pulling back, he lightly kissed Stephen on the lips. Stephen's eyes were closed, his long lashes making half moon circles on his cheeks. With a sigh, he opened them again and stepped back out of Eloy's embrace. With one last squeeze of their clasped hands, he dropped his own to pick up his bag and heft it on his shoulder.
"We'd best be going if I'm going to make my flight on time, right? Wouldn't want to have the lads yelling because I stood them up!" He joked. He was determined to keep this as light as possible, and he knew that if he had stayed in Eloy's arms one moment longer that he would have lost the resolve he had made the day before to be patient.
Eloy followed Stephen's cue and picked up his own bag. "No, couldn't have that. Or the fans getting mad at me for keeping you back!" He opened the door and motioned for Stephen to leave before him. Closing the door tightly, he lead the way out of the hotel and out to the carpark. Finding his car, he opened the trunk and put both of their bags inside before opening the door for Stephen to get in. Walking around the car, he looked back at the Disney buildings with a smile. It had been a memorable weekend. And it also gave him a lot to think about in terms of the future. With a small sigh, he got into the car, started it and headed back towards the airport......