Collaboration

Collaboration 28

*NOTE* I do not claim to know the celebrities mentioned below or their sexual preferences. This fictional story was written solely for entertainment purposes only and does NOT imply the sexual preferences of said celebrities or anything about their personal lives. Enjoy!

Nelly opened his eyes to find himself on a deserted street, the rain pouring down and crashing onto his umbrella unmercifully. He wondered where he was and what he was doing here. He walked, the rain creating large puddles in the street, down the dark street looking for someone, anyone that could tell him what was going on. While walking he felt a slight brush against his shoulder but when he looked around him, he saw nothing. He was confused because he knew he felt something against him but there was no one. A few sparks of lightening cracked the sky, casting a mild light over the dark, obviously deserted city. He then realized what he was wearing. He was in a three piece suit, from the looks of it Armani, with a long overcoat. He looked smooth and sensual but he wondered why he was dressed the way he was and where he was going. This time he was sure he felt it when two hands gently caressed his strong shoulders. He turned around to see who the hands were attached to and just stood there and stared in disbelief. Was this really happening? Why did it feel so real? T.I. was under the large umbrella with him, his hands still massaging his now tense shoulder muscles. He couldn't speak so T.I. took the initiative.

"That feel good?"

"Yea," Nelly managed to say in a weak voice.

"You miss this don't you?"

"Yea." He couldn't believe this was happening.

"Me too baby. I miss you," T.I. said as he stopped massaging his shoulders and hugged him tightly. "Don't ever let me go."

Nelly was more confused than ever. What was going on here? Was his mind playing games on him? Was he going crazy? When he noticed that T.I. wasn't letting go of him one arm slowly wrapped around his waist as the other held on to the umbrella that was protecting them both from the rain. It felt so good for them to be connected like this again. T.I. just felt so right in his arms. He too was dressed in a nice suit with a long overcoat. Nelly didn't know what was happening here but he gave up on trying to figure it out because this was what he wanted. After T.I. finally let of his man they stared at each other for the longest while, neither really know what to say. When he saw T.I. move in for a kiss, he turned away. As much as he didn't want to question it, he had to.

"What does this all mean?"

"What are you talking about?"

"This can't be real. You can't be real."

"Why question it baby? Just go with the flow."

"I have to question it. If this is not real then I don't think I can handle it."

"You want me to prove that it's real?"

"How?"

"Here," he said as he took Nelly's free hand and placed it on his chest. "This is what my heart does every time you get close to me. It skips beats like crazy and I'm obsessed with that feeling and you."

Nelly stood there and felt T.I.'s strong heart beat against his palm. "I still don't understand how we got here and why we're dressed up like this."

"Who cares? All I know is that you look really good in that suit baby. Relax and let's just be together."

"But what about everything that has happened? One minute we're not together anymore and the next we're here with each other. It makes no sense. I don't know what to think anymore."

"Just tell me that you want me Cornell. Tell me that you still love me."

"Of course I do! I want you so bad that my body physically hurts for you."

"Well then nothing else needs to be said."

"Yes. What about Melanie and what I did? Why are you being so vague with me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Do you forgive me for hurting you the way I did?"

T.I. looked away for a while then directly looked up into the eyes of the man he loved. "Yes."

Nelly was shocked by his answer because while looking into his eyes he saw that he was still wounded. He just lied. "I don't believe you. I see it in your eyes."

"What do you want me to tell you?"

"The truth."

"Yes. It still hurts and even though I've tried my hardest to forgive you, I still can't."

"So why are you doing this?"

"Just because I haven't forgiven you doesn't mean that I don't miss you. I'm going crazy here without you. I never thought us going our separate ways would feel like this."

"I know but I don't know what you want here."

"I want to forgive you. I was us to be together again."

"So what's stopping you?"

"My vulnerability to you. Why did you do it Cornell? Weren't you satisfied with me?"

"I don't know why things happened the way they did but it took me losing you to realize that you're who I want. This is what I want."

T.I. hugged him once again, resting his head on his chest. "I'd almost forgotten how good my body feels next to yours."

Nelly felt that although this was what he wanted, it was wrong somehow. The rain got worse with lightening more frequently lighting up the sky as well. His mind was in conflict with his heart. On the one side, his mind couldn't help but think of what was going on here and why. His heart became more and more full with every passing second he spent with T.I., who was still hugging him tightly and softly rubbing his back. It felt so good to have T.I. hold on to him the way he was but Nelly couldn't enjoy it as much as he wanted to. He came to the hurtful realization that this wasn't happening. Well it was happening, but only in his mind.

"How could I have been so stupid?" he asked out loud, a bit angry.

"Huh?" T.I. asked, letting go and looking at him. "What did you say?"

"This isn't happening. You're not here. My mind is playing tricks on me."

"Not it's not. We're here because we belong with each other."

"No. This isn't reality. It's just some fantasy my mind made up because I'm hurting over losing you."

"I see I'm going to have to prove it to you."

"How?"

Nelly saw T.I. moving in for another kiss as he felt himself being pulled towards his lips as well. Just when it was about to happen, he heard someone calling out his name. He ignored the first call but turned around to see who was there, but saw only shadows. Once he turned back around, T.I. was gone. He was standing under the umbrella, in the rain, in a dark alley all by himself. The voice in his head grew stronger and stronger calling his name.

"Cornell? Are you okay baby boy?" his mother asked in a very worried voice.

"Huh? Yea mom I'm okay."

"What happened?"

"Just having a daydream. Don't worry, I'm okay."

"Are you sure son?"

"Yea. I guess I just got a little too relaxed."

He and his mom talked a little while longer with him mainly trying to convince her that he was alright and to not worry. Once they said good night, Nelly headed straight for the shower. He felt weak, vulnerable, and helpless about what just happened. He wanted to scream or punch something because of his frustration and hurt. The shower did nothing to relax him as he got out and dried himself off. He put on a pair of boxers and crawled into bed.

The daydream he experienced earlier on was the most intense and realistic he ever had. For the most part of it, he didn't know if it was reality or not. The separation from T.I. was taking its mental toll on him. He stared up at the ceiling like a lost child and didn't know what to do as the events replayed over and over in his head. He tried to interpret what the heavy rain, the large umbrella, or even the dark alleyway meant but came up with nothing. He was exhausted and drained as he laid on his bed. It wasn't long after that sleep conquered his body.

After breakfast the next morning, he could tell that his mother was watching him suspiciously. She, of course, was worried about him and after what happened last night, she became even more so. They talked very little over breakfast with Nelly sensing her feelings. He wanted to tell her that everything was okay with him to put her mind at ease but he wasn't so sure of that anymore. What happened in the pool the night before was way too realistic, even for him. It felt too real for it just to be a dream. His love and lust for T.I. was to the point of being obsessive. He was fixated, driven, and focused on the younger rapper and getting him back that it was made clear at that point how deep his love for this man ran. He walked into the great room and saw the TV on but his mom was not looking at it. She was thinking to herself so he sat down next to her and stared at the TV.

"When are we going to talk about what happened last night Cornell?" he heard her ask.

"Mom it's nothing. You're worrying too much about it."

"Of course I have to worry about it. You are my son and I worry about you always."

"Why? I'm a big boy now. I can take care of myself."

"Don't you talk to me like that young man."

"I'm sorry. I just don't know what to do anymore."

"It's alright son. I just want you to be happy and obviously getting this relationship back meant more to you than I first thought."

"Yea. I'm scared that it won't happen though. That I won't get it back."

"Don't say that baby. If it's that important to you then it will happen. You have to believe that."

"I don't know what to believe anymore. All this shouldn't even be happening."

"We all make mistakes Cornell. Now what you have to do is admit to those mistakes and fix them."

"I know but that's easier said than done you know."

"Yea but no one said life would be easy baby boy. Just don't give up."

"It's kinda hard at times."

"Well during those times just remember all the good memories you two shared together and you'll pull through it."

"I guess but giving up seems so easy right about now."

"I know but I also know you Cornell. You'd never give up on something you want."

"I'm not though sometimes I get so tempted."

"Just don't worry about it right now. Enjoy your last day of relaxing here and you'll come up with a plan when your mind becomes focused again."

"Thanks mom. So what are we doing today?"

"Nothing at all. We'll just relax. It'll get you ready for going back into the real world tomorrow."

"That sounds great."

"Have you booked your flight yet?"

"Yea. I did it last night before I went swimming."

"What time?"

"Ten."

"Why so early?"

"I gotta get back to work."

"I know. I just miss having you here baby boy."

"Yea. You know if I could stay longer I would."

"Of course. It's okay Cornell. I understand."

The course of the day of the day went just as Nelly wanted it to. He relaxed, cleared his mind of T.I., and even got inspired to write lyrics. It felt good and not as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. His mom made him a sandwich for lunch and after, he went and sat out by the pool. He deeply stared at the steps where his body was last night when he got lost in his mind. It felt so real, or at least he wanted it to be. He couldn't do this. He didn't want to get caught up in another daydream so he closed his mind off to anything that was remotely related to T.I.

He was relaxing in the pool when he saw his mother making her way outside to him. The evening had cooled off when he agreed to Chinese for dinner. His mom sat on a lounge chair and relaxed herself as he swam laps around the pool. He figured it was one of the easier ways to keep his body fit and tight. After his mom disappeared and went upstairs to take a shower, Nelly stared at the setting sun from the pool. The night was upon them. He got out of the pool and was drying his body when he heard the doorbell echo through the house. Throwing the towel around his neck, he walked through the house to the front door, grabbing the money his mom left on the table on the way. He looked up at the surveillance monitors installed in the foyer, just to be sure, before he opened the door.

"Hi," the young delivery man said, looking up and down Nelly's ripped body.

"Sup shawty? What's the total?"

"Twenty-four dollars."

"Aight," he said handing him a fifty dollar bill. "The rest is your tip."

"Thank you!" he said kindly. "I don't mean to be forward but aren't you Nelly?"

"Yes. I am."

"Cool! Love your music man!"

"Thanks durrty. Always appreciate a fan"

"Can I have your autograph?"

"Sure," he said, looking around for a piece of paper.

He ripped the receipt from his food and signed the back of it. He noticed the boy looking him up and down but he didn't mind. He knew the kid was checking him out. After giving the signed receipt back, he smiled faintly and went back into the house. The rest on the evening came to a close rather quickly. At around twelve Nelly made his was upstairs, his mother going to bed only a few minutes before him. About four in the morning Nelly was awoken by the ringing and vibration of his phone on his bed. He felt around for it and clicked it open, his eyes squinting trying to adjust to the glare, and looked at the number, not recognizing it.

"Hello?" he asked into the darkness of his room.

There was no answer.

"Hello?" he asked once again.

The line went dead and he heard the dial tone. He retrieved the number from the phone and studied it. It was unfamiliar and he didn't even recognize the area code. After clicking his phone back to charge, he went back to sleep, though the strange phone call was on his mind. He awoke the next morning to his final home cooked breakfast in what he imagined would be a while. He left many things from the tour at home and only packed the essentials he heeded. The phone call from last night cut through his thoughts from time to time. He wondered who it was and why they didn't say anything when he answered. He was finally ready to get back to work although he wasn't as excited as he thought he would be. Though his passion and commitment was and would always be music and entertaining people, getting away from "Nelly" and just being known as Cornell Hayes Jr. did him a world of good. He reevaluated himself and his actions over the past months, especially when it came to T.I., at his mother's house. He realized some things about himself that he hoped would help him in getting T.I. back.

The house became quiet as he was in the foyer, a cap and shades on, standing directly across from his mother. This was the part that he was dreading. How could he say good bye to his mother? He took off his shades and rested them on his cap and looked at his mom. She was the one who made him feel better when he thought all the pressure would drive him crazy. Talking to her felt so good to him. He would miss it so much. He instantly hugged her.

"I'm gonna miss you mom."

"I'm going to miss you like crazy baby boy."

They broke apart. "Thank you for everything. You're the best!"

"You're welcome my son. You're very welcome."

"I should get going. Oh and don't forget about the chain okay."

"Okay. Just remember to stay strong and focused on what you want sweetheart. Fight for what you know belongs to you."

"I'll try my best."

"You'll make it. You're a very resourceful young man and I believe in you my son."

"Thank you mom. I love you."

"I love you more honey. Have a safe flight."

She sweetly kissed her son on his cheek and watched as the limo pulled away from her house. While in the car Nelly pulled out his phone and examined the strange number that woke him up the night before. After thinking about it for a short while, he called it back. It rang a few times before he started to get impatient. After the fifth ring he hung up. The limo driver informed him that the airport was less than five minutes away as he got prepared to step back into "Nelly's" world. He already missed being Cornell the son and normal guy. His mom and her words were on his mind as well and though they stayed with him, he still didn't have any plan on what he was going to do in terms of T.I.

If you have any questions of comments you can e-mail me at jc71883@hotmail.com or hit me up on AIM ~ Dragon93085.