Encounter In The Sand - Part 6
I'm so very sorry that it's taken so long to get this out! I work for a nationwide flowers-by-phone company, and the Mother's Day holiday was hell. Completely consumed my life for two weeks straight with A LOT of overtime. LOL. Anyway, hopefully y'all are still with me.
This isn't a "jump right in the sack" type story, it'll build to that over time, so be patient. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.
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Copyright © 2002 - jeremy@superjer.net
Disclaimer:
This story is complete fiction, and is not meant to imply in any way the true sexual orientation of any of the members of 'N Sync (no matter how hopeful we may be).
If you are under age, or if it is illegal to view such material where you are, please leave.
Now, without further adieu...
Encounter In The Sand
by Jeremy
~Part 5~
Last Time:
_"Hey Joey! How long does it take to comb hair?" Ricky called up the stairs.
_
"Be right down!"
"Yeah, that's what you said fifteen minutes ago," Ricky said, just shaking his head and taking a seat. Justin sat next to him and they snuggled together while they waited. Eventually, Joey made his way down the stairs.
"Nice of you to join us," Chris said.
"Oh, shut it. You can't rush perfection." Everyone just rolled their eyes.
"So are we ready to go?" Ricky asked.
"Yes," Joey answered.
_"Let's go then!"
_
At that, they all headed out for an exploratory tour of Ventura County.
And now, the continuation:
Later that night, the group returned to the condo. As they pulled up, JC spoke up from the back seat. "We had a really great time tonight, Ricky."
"Yeah," Chris added, "who'd have thought that public things could be so fun? I don't think we were recognized all night."
Ricky smiled. "You just have to know where to go. Pick places where the lighting is lower - like Lazerstar. Laser tag is a nice, dark activity where your face is easier to hide. You can interact with the public, and they won't even know that it was you."
As the guys piled out of the van, Justin looked back at JC from the front seat. "I'm going with Ricky," he said. "I'll be back later." JC nodded and then reached up and squeezed Ricky's shoulder before sliding out of the van. The rear door shut and Justin and Ricky drove away.
"What was that about?" Justin asked.
Ricky shook his head. "He was just reminding me that he and the guys would do anything to protect their brother. I know he trusts me, but I think it makes him feel better, knowing that he's reminded me."
Justin smiled. "I'm glad the guys like you so much."
"Me too."
Justin glanced out the window as they drove past Ricky's house. "Where are we going?"
"I want to show you something," Ricky replied. After driving a few miles, they pulled into a beach parking lot. Getting out of the van, Ricky fed a couple dollars into the parking stub machine, taking the stub back to the van and placing it in the windshield.
Meanwhile, Justin stood in front of a sign which read Port Hueneme Beach. He stared at the sign for a long moment, before looking at Ricky and attempting to pronounce the name. "Port Hyoonemeh?"
"It's pronounced why-nee-mee," Ricky corrected, chuckling. Reaching out, he took Justin's hand. Quickly Justin pulled his hand back, and Ricky just smiled at him. "Relax," he assured him, "this beach rarely has any traffic on Sunday evenings. The parking lot is empty, so we should be okay."
Justin relaxed visibly and held his hand out to Ricky. Ricky smiled, taking Justin's hand. They walked through the sand for a while in silence, just staring out at the waves crashing against the shore. Soon, they were climbing some stairs up onto the pier, releasing hands momentarily as an elderly couple approached and passed them. As soon as the couple was out of sight, they rejoined hands. Shortly thereafter, they reached the end of the pier. Without a word, Ricky stepped behind Justin, sliding his arms around his waist. Justin smiled and leaned back against him, watching the sun disappear into the ocean. "I come here a lot to think," Ricky said, nuzzling against Justin's neck. His mood changed, though, as a recent memory came to him and his body stiffened.
Justin turned and looked at him with a concerned expression. "What is it?" he asked, sliding his arms around Ricky's waist. A tear slid down Ricky's cheek and he pulled away from Justin, moving over and leaning against the railing to look down at the water.
After a few minutes of silence, Ricky finally said something. "Last time I was here, I almost didn't go home." Justin moved closer and ran his hand gently along Ricky's arm as he continued. Tears ran freely down Ricky's cheek as he spoke again. "It was about two weeks ago. I was having a bad day. I have so many friends, yet I felt so alone and isolated. I came down here to just cry and think, but when I got here to the end of the pier and looked down into the water, I got even worse."
Ricky paused a moment when sobs racked his body. When he finally regained his composure, he continued. "I was so alone, Justin. The water looked so inviting to me from up here. A big part of my mind was telling me that things would be so much better off for everyone if I just jumped. So I climbed up on the railing and just sat there, with my feet dangling over the edge as I stared at the water and psyched myself up for the big plunge. I'd almost got the nerve up when people were walking down toward me, and I chickened out. I ran to my car and drove home. I didn't come out of my house for five days. I just couldn't get up the energy."
Ricky buried his face in his hands and cried harder. Justin wrapped his arms around him tightly and just held him. "Know what scares me the most, Justin?" he asked between sobs.
Justin kissed the back of Ricky's neck gently. "What?"
"If I'd jumped, I wouldn't have met you," he said, breaking down again, his whole body shaking with the sobs.
Justin just held tight to Ricky for a few minutes. "C'mon," he said quietly, grabbing the lanyard that dangled out of Ricky's pocket, pulling his keys out. "Let's go home."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Welcome home, Justin," the security system said as the door opened. Ricky, who was completely out of it, just followed silently as he was led up the stairs and into the bedroom. Slowly, Justin undressed Ricky, leaving him in his boxers as he put him to bed. Leaning forward, Justin kissed Ricky's forehead and ran his hand through his hair. "I'll be right downstairs if you need me." Standing, he headed for the door.
"Justin?" Ricky finally spoke for the first time since the pier.
"Yes?"
"Stay with me?" Ricky requested.
"I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right downstairs."
"No," Ricky said, "I mean stay here. Come and lay down with me?"
Justin nodded and moved around to the other side of the bed, hesitating a second before stripping to his boxers and sliding in next to Ricky, wrapping his arms around him. Ricky let out a sigh and scooted closer to Justin. "Thank you." Justin smiled and kissed the back of Ricky's head as they snuggled. Before long, they were both sound asleep.
Around midnight, Ricky awakened and glanced at the clock. Rolling over, he shook Justin lightly. "Justin? Sweetie, c'mon... we should probably get you home before the guys start to worry."
"But I'm comfortable," Justin replied sleepily, pulling Ricky closer to him, nuzzling his neck.
"What about the guys?" Ricky asked.
"What about them?" Justin said, sighing as he reached down to the floor and pulled his cell phone out of his pants pocket. Pressing one of the speed dial buttons, he held the phone to his ear. "Hey Josh," he said as someone answered. "Just wanted to let you know that I'm just staying here tonight. Okay, cool. Love you, too." Justin hung up the phone and tossed it back on the floor. Rolling back over, he snaked his arms around Ricky again, pulling him close. "Problem solved."
Ricky just smiled, turning to face Justin, sliding his arms around him. Gently, he leaned in, kissing Justin tenderly. Justin wasn't shy about returning the kiss, and soon it became quiet heated. Getting caught up in the moment, Ricky let his hands move down Justin's chest and over his stomach, his fingers sliding under the waistband of Justin's boxers.
Justin broke the kiss momentarily and gently moved Ricky's hands back up. "Ricky," Justin panted, "It's too soon. I'm not ready for this. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Ricky replied, "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have gotten so caught up in things." Ricky started to pull away.
Justin reached out and grabbed Ricky gently. "You have nothing to apologize for. I'm just not ready for that step yet. However, I'm all for staying right here and cuddling close with you."
Ricky smiled as Justin pulled him close again. Leaning forward, his lips brushed against Justin's and he spoke softly. "I've fallen so absolutely head-over-heels for you, Justin. I've known you just a few short days and already I can't imagine my life without you there."
Silence ensued for a moment as Ricky paused, then he began to babble, "I don't know what I'm going to do when you go back on tour. Maybe this is a bad idea. Long distance relationshi..." Before Ricky could finish, Justin silenced him with a long, deep kiss.
"Shhh," Justin said as he gently broke the kiss. "I intend on spending as much of my off time as I can with you. If that means racking up an insane amount of frequent flyer miles, so be it. Plus, we'll have the phone, the internet, and more to communicate. But for now, I don't even want to think about it. I just want to spend as much time with you as possible."
To Be Continued....