All the usual disclaimers apply: Please stop reading if you are underage or homophobic.
This is a work of fiction - nothing is being implied about the sexuality of any of the people portrayed below.
Many thanks to those people who emailed me with their comments and encouragements. I truly appreciate it.
So, here we go with another chapter of 'Kevin & Justin'.
Kevin & Justin - Chapter 2
Kevin smiled fondly at the memory of Justin offering to share the room with him. It seemed that Justin's generosity knew no bounds. He was genuinely impressed at Justin's attempts to make him feel comfortable around the 'N Sync guys. He was also surprised at himself. It had seemed so natural and easy to accept Justin as a roommate. He hadn't even blinked twice at the thought, though he was normally a very private person.
The elevator pinged and stopped on their floor. He started to walk to his suite when he heard voices coming from A.J.'s room. He could make out quite a few voices, so he guessed that the two groups had already arranged to meet. Knocking on the door, he waited patiently for it to be opened.
Howie opened the door and motioned him to come in before heading back into the lounge room. Kevin closed the door and followed him in.
"Hi guys. Getting to know each other?"
A variety of gestures and voices greeted his question. Most of them being of the 'affirmative' nature, and somewhat distracted. He noticed that no-one actually looked up at him, and felt his unease return.
While he sat down and took note of the conversations going on around him, he recalled how he had been 'saved' by Justin in the limo. How he wished he could be saved again... especially now that he could see how much of an outsider the others considered him to be. Not a single person was paying him any attention, or bothering to take the time to engage him in small talk. Not even Lance had given him a second look...
There had only been one person who had spent the time or effort to talk to him... Justin!
He took some time to look for Justin, but couldn't see him anywhere in the room. In fact, Justin seemed to be the only one missing. Turning to Joey, who was sitting next to him on the leather couch, he asked, "Excuse me, Joey, do you know where Justin is? I don't see him here."
"He's probably still in his room. He's either fallen asleep, or he's on the phone to his mother."
Although Joey appeared to be civil, his full attention was elsewhere, making Kevin feel even more uncomfortable. There was also some quality to Joey's tone which made Kevin think that Joey was not too thrilled to be talking with him.
He sighed softly. He had hoped, at least with 'N Sync, that he'd have a chance to get involved with them socially. But the dislike he could sense from Joey and Chris, as well as the indifference from JC was not a good sign.
"Okay. Thanks, Joey. I'll go check on him, and bring him back if he's still awake."
Joey ignored Kevin's last comment; his attention was fully riveted on the joke A.J. was concluding. He didn't want to miss the punchline!
Kevin left the room, and immediately felt a sense of relief. Though he wanted to get to know the 'N Sync guys better, they just didn't seem to want to make the effort. Justin had been the only one who had shown any interest in getting to know him and forming a friendship. Even Lance, whom he had talked with for several weeks now, wasn't rushing to become his friend...
He walked the few metres to his suite with a heavy heart. Automatically reaching for his key, he realised that he couldn't just barge in, as he was now sharing the room with another person. He knocked on the door instead, and hoped he wasn't about to wake Justin up.
"Hey Kev," Justin said, smiling broadly when he saw who was at the door. "Why did you knock? Have you lost your key?"
Kevin walked into the suite, happy to see that Justin had not been disturbed. "No Justin, I just wasn't sure about disturbing you."
"Kev!" Justin said in a disappointed tone, as he sat down on the couch. "This is your room as well. I'm not about to have you feel like a stranger in your own room. Otherwise I might as well just move out and bunk in with JC or Lance. Besides, what could be the worst thing that could happen? You might catch me in my underwear - no big deal." Justin laughed.
Kevin felt some relief at Justin's reassurance, but he also felt uncomfortable at the mention of underwear. He knew that he had to tell Justin that he slept in the nude, or else it could lead to problems later on... but he didn't know how to bring up the subject.
Well, hopefully he'd be able to think of a way to tell him before bedtime...
"Umm, why aren't you over at A.J.'s?" Kevin asked, as he joined Justin on the couch. "Everyone seems to have gathered over there."
"I just got off the phone. I had to call and reassure my mom that we arrived safely. Besides, I was waiting for you to get back. It felt too rude to just dump my stuff and leave the room before you got back." He smiled up at Kevin.
"Oh, you didn't need to wait. I wouldn't have been offended," Kevin replied, turning in his seat to face Justin directly.
"Yeah, I did have to wait," insisted Justin. "I've been brought up well mannered!" Though he said it in a joking tone, he was serious. Besides, deep down, he had wanted to wait so that he might have the chance of being alone with Kevin, if even for a short time. He didn't know how or why, but he knew that he was starting to become seriously attracted to Kevin...
Kevin smiled. "How was your mom? Was she happy to hear from you?"
"Yeah, but Mom worries too much. If she doesn't hear from me after two days straight, or after each flight she goes into hysterics!" Justin's grin reassured Kevin that Justin was exaggerating. "I guess she's like anyone else's mother. Just a natural born worrier!"
Kevin chuckled in sympathy with Justin.
Then, he abruptly made up his mind: he wouldn't go back to A.J.'s. If Justin ended up being monopolised by the others, then Kevin would feel left out again - and he didn't feel up to being rejected a third time tonight.
All he wanted was to be accepted; at least until they officially started their tour with rehearsals tomorrow afternoon. Then when 'Daddy' Kevin came into the fore, the other guys would at least need to talk to him about work-related matters. It wouldn't feel as bad then... he wouldn't feel like such an outcast.
"Well, you'd better get going, the gang will be dying to meet you!" Kevin said, with a hint of a sigh in his voice.
"What? You're not coming?" Justin asked in surprise.
At Kevin's shake of his head, Justin asked, "Why not?" He had a sneaking suspicion about why Kevin would not want to attend and felt his anger grow. He would personally kill the guys if they hurt this sensitive, kind and caring soul any more than they had already done. It still bothered him to recall the look in Kevin's eyes during their limo ride to the hotel...
He didn't understand why, but somehow he had almost felt Kevin's sadness and hurt as if they were a part of himself. And that scared him greatly - especially with the feelings he was starting to have for this sensitive man.
"I don't really feel up to it Justin. Some other time perhaps. I'll just either grab a shower and go to bed, or head off for a workout." Kevin got up and started walking to their bedroom, but not before Justin saw the pain that had re-appeared in his eyes.
Once again, Justin could almost feel how much Kevin was bothered about meeting up with the 'N Sync guys again. He felt so angry with his colleagues in that instant! He wanted nothing more than to march over to A.J.'s and give them a piece of his mind!
But in the meantime, he had to do something to help Kevin. The rejection and hurt he could see in Kevin's eyes was starting to cause him discomfort.
"Wait up Kev, I'll join you," he said, getting up from the couch. "That's if you're still considering going for a workout?"
His so-called friends could just suffer! Kevin needed his company much more than they did.
"Huh?" Kevin said, stopping in his tracks and turning around to face Justin. "No Justin. Thanks for the offer, but you really need to sit down and get to know the rest of my guys better. We'll be touring together for several months, so it's best that you make friends with them before we really start feeling the stress and pressure of the tour."
"I can do that some other time!" insisted Justin, heading towards him. "Right now, I think I'd like to get to know you better, so I'll keep you company during your workout."
Kevin smiled at Justin's decision, and knew that Justin had understood the real reason why he didn't want to see the guys again. Though it was scary that Justin seemed to know exactly what he was feeling, Kevin couldn't help but feel happy that he didn't need to prevaricate in front of Justin.
However, as much as he would've liked to enjoy Justin's exclusive company tonight, he also knew that Justin would need to interact with the BSB guys - and soon. He sighed and changed his mind for the second time that night.
"Okay, we'll do this: we'll BOTH go to A.J.'s room and hang out for a while, and if we still feel up to it later, then we can have a quick workout." He smiled at Justin's change of expression, and reached out to squeeze Justin's shoulder. "But the workout is optional. You really don't have to accompany me."
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," advised Justin, happy that he had convinced Kevin to hang out with the others. Now, if there was only some way he could sort out his friends' attitudes...
They walked back to A.J.'s room and entered it. Kevin had made sure that the door was left unlocked when he had left to collect Justin.
He walked into the lounge and waited for Justin to catch up with him. Turning around to face Justin, he said. "Justin, I'd like you to meet my fellow bandmates. This is A.J., Howie, Nick and Brian." He pointed to each one as he named them.
As each person was pointed out, they gave Justin a nod and a smile. Justin smiled back at each in turn.
When he was introduced to Brian, he found himself caught completely off-guard.
He tried not to stare at Brian, but it was very hard not to. Brian was absolutely stunning! As good looking as Kevin, in a way, but with a larger dose of innocence and purity in his features.
Brian returned his gaze in equal measure...
Though he suspected that Brian had that effect on a lot of guys as well as the girls, Justin felt warning bells going off in his head. If he wasn't careful, he'd give away that he was gay! And no-one, not even JC, knew that!
Brian's staring was beginning to worry him... it was as if Brian was weighing thoughts in his head, and was coming to a conclusion... A conclusion that Justin didn't want him to reach, with every fibre of his being!
Turning his attention to Nick, who was closer to his own age, Justin engaged him in conversation, hoping to derail Brian's suspicious. He sat down in a vacant chair between the two roommates.
As he suspected, Nick was a big console fan! They discussed their favourite games and even discussed some tactics in a game that he was having trouble with. On occasion, he made sure that he talked to the others as well, including Brian, as it would appear odd if he didn't.
Justin couldn't deny the instant attraction that he had felt for Brian, but he knew it was purely physical. In fact, Brian's looks were the only thing about Brian that attracted him in any way. >From the few words they had exchanged in the past half hour, Justin knew that nothing else about Brian held any attraction for him.
In looks, Kevin almost matched Brian, losing out only by the smallest of margins. But in personality and character, Kevin was streets ahead! At least in Justin's opinion.
Justin knew that even if he hadn't met Kevin first, he would still have ended up feeling the same way about him. He knew that he was 'falling' heavily for Kevin, even though he suspected that Kev was straight. His attraction to Kev was more subtle than any he had experienced in the past, and what he felt for Kevin was more tender and surprisingly deeper than past infatuations.
But the thought that Kevin might be straight was enough to bother him greatly...
--*
For his part, Brian tried to make sense of what his brain was telling him about the signals Justin was giving out. He could have sworn initially that Justin was gay. Now he wasn't as certain. Not that he had any problems if Justin turned out to be gay... It really wasn't any of his business, in any case.
He laughed inwardly at himself. He always found it amusing that his 'gaydar' seemed to be so highly developed. And the funniest thing was that he was as straight as an arrow. Still, it had been of use in the past... for someone else in the band.
'Speaking of which,' thought Brian, 'he doesn't seem to be really happy at the moment... if anything, he looks more hurt than usual!'
--*
Kevin was starting to feel distressed. His worst fear had come true: Justin had turned his attention to the other members of the group, and Kevin was left sitting there, next to Lance. None of the 'N Sync guys seemed to be paying him any attention - any more than his own bandmates were - except for Lance. However, Lance also managed to keep half his attention firmly on A.J. and the latest story he was recounting.
After almost an hour of this torture, Kevin decided that he had had enough. The evening was a total loss, at least for himself. Justin and the others seemed to be getting along really well, and the logical part of his brain told him that that was a good thing. However, the emotional part of his brain was unhappy that he had decided to come back and subject himself to all this, even if it was with the best of intentions...
There was only so much rejection you could take before you started feeling dejected!
He couldn't stand the atmosphere any longer!
"Lance, give my apologies to the guys. I'm going to head off. I'm feeling a bit tired, and it's going to be a long day tomorrow." That wasn't quite true, and he hated himself for lying to Lance.
"Sure Kev," replied Lance, transferring his attention back to Kevin. He could see that Kevin was having a hard time feeling at ease amongst the guys and could see the rejection Kevin was feeling in his eyes. He could also hear the slight tone of anguish in Kevin's voice.
He felt terrible about the attitude of his friends. Like Justin, he had noticed how shabbily the others had treated Kevin, especially when compared to how easily they had interacted with Howie, A.J., Nick and Brian.
Kevin smiled weakly at Lance and walked out, trying not to draw anyone's attention... especially Justin's.
However, he wasn't too successful.
Justin saw him leave and could guess what had happened. His expression became stony so fast that Brian, who was surreptitiously studying him, was taken aback at the suddenness of the change.
Apologising to Nick, who was in mid-sentence, Justin excused himself and walked over to Lance.
"Scoop, can we talk?" He glanced around angrily. Brian was the only one who caught his angry look, the others were busily exchanging stories or jokes. "Privately?"
"Sure Curly." Lance got up and they walked across to the kitchen. He had a bad feeling about what was going to happen next.
"What happened? Why did Kevin leave?" Justin rounded on Lance, his anger apparent in his voice, even though he kept it low.
Lance grimaced and replied, "He said that he was feeling tired and wanted to get some rest so that he could deal with the long day we've got planned tomorrow."
"But?" asked Justin, sensing that Lance had a different opinion on the matter.
"But," sighed Lance, knowing that Justin would not give up, "I think he just wanted to get out of here." He didn't try to elaborate - he knew that Justin was fully aware of what was happening. "He was probably just being polite when he said that he was tired. I don't know; maybe he really was tired?" Lance shrugged his shoulders at that possibility, and looked away from Justin's darkening gaze.
"But somehow I got the impression that it was just an excuse to get away from us." He paused, before looking back up into Justin's clouded eyes. "In his place, I'd have been tempted to vent a bit of steam. I also would've told everyone to go screw themselves, rather than just leaving politely." Lance's expression showed the disgust he felt at his bandmates' attitudes.
Justin nodded, knowing that Kevin was not the type of person who would say a mean word to even his worst enemy. All the same, he was extremely pissed off with his bandmates!
Chris should have known better, as he was often cast in the role of the outcast whenever they met new people - it generally took people a lot of time to get used to him. He could probably be excused just this once, as A.J. and he had taken to each other immediately. It was a novel experience for Chris to be accepted so quickly, so he may not have paid full attention to what he was doing. Or not doing, in this case...
Even so, Chris had been snubbing Kevin even before he met A.J.
However, Josh and Joey were another matter.
Especially Josh, who was supposedly his best friend! He could still recall the anger he felt for JC's attitude at the airport and in the car.
Lance could see the anger building up in his friend and felt truly worried. He briefly considered trying to calm Justin down, but then thought better of it. Maybe it was best to let him explode and deal with the consequences afterwards. He privately hoped that one of the outcomes would be a re-focussing of the guys' attitudes when it came to dealing with people like Kevin. After all, Kevin couldn't help it that he had become the patriarch of the BSB group. He certainly shouldn't be treated badly for making that choice.
Justin's anger finally reached boiling point. He rushed out to the lounge and shouted with pure venom, "How could you? You heartless bastards!"
All activity ceased in the lounge. Seven stunned faces looked up at him.
"What has he done to make you dislike him so? He's tried his hardest to make sure that we all get along, and you guys snub him!" Justin felt tears start to flow down his face.
No-one said anything. They all knew who Justin was referring to, though Justin hadn't mentioned Kevin's name at all.
"Why?" he asked, sobbing, as he looked at JC, Joey and Chris. "Especially you Chris! You know how hard it is for people to accept you. You hypocrite! Why didn't you make the effort to get to know him better?"
Chris's mouth had dropped open is surprise. He couldn't think of anything to say. He knew Justin was right. He felt his face becoming flushed with his guilt, but couldn't stand to look into Justin's pain-filled eyes anymore. He hung his head in shame and just shook it.
"And Josh," Justin continued, "I expected a lot more from you! I thought I knew you fairly well. Obviously not!"
He took one last blurry look at the faces still staring up at him, and turned and ran. He pushed past Lance, who had feebly reached out his hand in an aborted attempt to console him.
Lance took one last look at the distraught figure of Justin as he rushed into A.J.'s bedroom and locked the door, and decided that enough was enough.
Turning back to the guys, most of whom still looked shocked and amazed, he softly said, "I think we need to talk. All of us." His gaze swept over the BSB guys as well.
A.J., still getting over the shock of the outburst, was initially reluctant to get involved in this discussion, as he felt it was an internal matter for the 'N Sync guys to sort out. One stone-cold look from Brian was all it took for him to subside.
Lance sat down next to Chris and reached over to hug him. Chris was still dealing with Justin's accusations. "Chris, he was just a bit angry. He didn't really mean what he said."
"Scoop," mumbled Chris, still with his head bent low, "he meant every word. And I can't say that I blame him. If anything, I wouldn't have stopped at 'hypocrite' if I was him."
"That's as may be, but he still spoke out of anger. He knows how hard it is for people to accept you. He's been around when people have snubbed you. He's just as unhappy as the rest of us when that happens," Lance continued. "I guess he just thought that of all people, you'd be the one who could identify with Kevin's situation the most."
"It still doesn't excuse my behaviour. It's precisely because of the way that others treat me, that I should have made the effort to treat Kevin better."
"Maybe..." Lance conceded. "But, it wasn't solely because of you that Justin blew up."
Lance turned his gaze to the other members of his group, who had respectfully remained silent. "All of us," and he stressed 'us' to indicate that he felt responsible as well, "have to carry the blame."
Joey and JC, with bleak expressions on their faces, conceded to his point and nodded their heads. JC particularly felt bad. He had no excuses. He remembered how Justin had tried to get him to talk to Kevin in the limo. He looked away from Lance's steely gaze, and stared at the bedroom door, his mind whirling with guilt and anger at himself for hurting his friend so much, and for also causing Kevin to be hurt as well.
Joey, though Justin hadn't singled him out, felt as much guilt as the rest of his bandmates. He knew that he hadn't given Kevin the chance he had deserved. His expression became determined and Lance knew that he had resolved to get to know Kevin better, all prejudices aside.
Lance changed his gaze to cover the four BSB guys. He could see A.J. immediately start to get defensive again. He didn't care. They needed to hear what he had to say.
"You guys also have to take some of the blame. Especially for the way you've treated Kevin."
"Why us?" asked A.J., his voice indicating 'who the hell do you think you are to lecture us?'
"Can it A.J., and just listen," ordered Brian. He, more than anyone else, knew what Kevin had suffered at the hands of his own bandmates. He had tried repeatedly in the past to educate them, but they had fobbed off his concerns as nonsense. Now that a third party was about to let them have it, Brian felt that the point would finally be driven home.
He didn't want to see Kevin in such distress any more - anything that Lance could say which could get them to readjust their attitudes would be welcome.
A.J., sensing Brian's anger at themselves and momentarily stunned at the sharp edge to his voice, dropped his attitude and turned to face Lance again.
"You don't know what you've done wrong, do you?" Lance asked in wonder, as he looked from face to face. He suspected that Brian knew, but didn't feel like cutting him any slack.
"No. At least, I don't know. What have we done wrong?" Nick asked in concern. He loved Kevin as dearly as he loved his parents, and could not believe that either he or the others had caused him any suffering. To be told that he was responsible for hurting Kevin sent shivers of fear and shame down his spine.
"You've ostracised him, that's all!" Lance shouted at them. "Kevin feels so much like a third wheel that he thinks it's normal to let you guys have your fun while he ends up all alone, hurting inside, and feeling rejected."
He shook his head in anger. "Normal? Is that normal? Would you guys like to imagine what it feels like to let the others go off and have fun while you stayed behind, feeling hurt, rejected and all alone? You probably wouldn't do it unless your were FORCED to do it, and even then you would fight it with all your might! Well, no-one is forcing Kevin to do that, do you understand? He's doing it of his own free will, and all because he feels so apart from the rest of you!"
Lance could feel his composure starting to crack, and could feel the beginnings of tears in his eyes.
"Can you imagine how lonely he must be feeling? How hurt he must be that his friends don't take any notice of him? How rejected he must feel whenever you guys do something that doesn't include him? Did any of you actually notice the hurt and rejection in his eyes tonight? Or how upset he was when he left?" Lance's voice oozed the disgust he felt with all of them. A tiny part of the disgust he felt was directed at himself. He should have known better, even if the BSB guys didn't.
Nick stared at Lance for a moment before dissolving into tears and sobbing. He hid his head in his hands and slowly rocked back and forth, taking large gulps of air, which just turned into further sobs. He was so upset with himself that he didn't even notice Brian's hand squeezing his shoulder in comfort and understanding.
A.J. and Howie were speechless. They could only stare at Nick while he sobbed, while their minds were working through the unpleasant truth that Lance had forced them to see.
A.J. in particular had a hard time dealing with this. He had taken Kevin for granted for so long, that he was no longer able to notice when something was bothering his friend. He had the utmost respect and love for Kevin; after all Kevin had helped him out so many times that he had lost count. He just hadn't realised that Kevin was deserving of the same sort of attention from him. Well, that was about to change...
He glanced over at Brian and noticed that Brian was looking back at him. A.J. silently communicated to Brian that he finally understood what Brian had been trying to tell them all this time.
Howie was also disturbed about Lance's revelation. He felt so rotten! He knew, deep down, that Kevin was not happy, but had chosen to ignore it. Kevin was just as capable as the rest of them of being hurt, or having a problem that he couldn't deal with, but they had just ignored him. Sure, he was like a father to the guys, but even dads require support and understanding from time to time. They were human beings too. He wondered to himself when he had started thinking of Kev as a father, instead of a brother?
"Lance, I think the guys and I want to have a quick group meeting. We'll just head off to the kitchen for a short while," Brian said softly.
Lance nodded his head in understanding, and acknowledged Brian's silent 'Thank you'.
The guys stood up and followed Brian, who was supporting a somewhat calmer Nick, into the kitchen.
"Sit down," he ordered them.
A.J. and Howie gave him a strange look before they sat; this was a side of Brian that they had not seen before. Nick was too upset to care about what tone Brian took with them - he just slumped into a chair and tried to dry his eyes.
"I feel like saying 'I told you so', but it's too late for that," Brian said hotly. He paused, as he got his emotions under control. "Why is it always easier for people to believe a total stranger than one of their own friends?" he enquired rhetorically.
"Brian, I don't know what I, or any of us, can say!" A.J. said. He received an agreeing nod from both Nick and Howie.
"I know Alex, I know..." replied Brian with a sigh. "But I've seen Kevin slowly become more and more resigned to the fact that he is somehow apart from the rest of us, and it hurts to know that we aren't doing anything to prevent that. In fact, it hurts to just see him in so much pain!" He couldn't get Kevin's distressed look out his mind and could feel his eyes getting watery. He had to swallow to get his emotions back under control again.
"Frick, I'll do anything to help," Nick responded fiercely. "You know I will. Anything! Just tell me what I can do to help?" pleaded Nick, struggling to keep his tears at bay.
"We all would like to help, B, not just Nick," Howie said.
Brian nodded his head in understanding. "Okay, well first, we have to reassess our attitudes. For the next week or so I'd like us all to be extremely aware of how we treat and interact with Kevin. If we find anything negative, then we have to stop doing it.
"A good example of that is all our arguments Nick," Brian said, looking over at Nick. "If we have another argument, then we'll go to one of the other guys to get the problem sorted out, okay?" Nick's nod was immediate and resolute. "And speaking of problems, don't just automatically run to Kevin at the first sign of a problem. Try to resolve it yourself, and if necessary talk to the others. I think Kevin would still be happy to help, it's just part of his nature, but don't drown him with all your worries."
He paused to see how they were taking it so far. Encouragingly, they were seriously taking his points to heart. Nick's forlorn expression had disappeared, thankfully, as he considered ways to help his 'big brother'.
"And the most important thing of all," Brian continued, "is that he has to feel included in all of our activities. And I'm not going to budge on this point. If we want to go out clubbing, he has to go along too. If he feels like he'd be a burden to us, then we won't go. Simple as that! Soon enough he'll get the message that we want him to be involved." He could see them mulling it over. "This is really important guys," he stressed.
A.J. responded, "Yes B, I'd have to agree with you on this one. We have to get him involved in our activities. Sure, there'll be times when he doesn't want to do something with the rest of us, but he would have to be comfortable enough to make that decision because he wants to, not because he thinks that we don't want him along!" He was hoping he had stressed the distinction well enough so that Howie and Nick understood what he meant.
Nick and Howie nodded, indicating that they had understood. Brian, though concurring one hundred percent with A.J.'s sentiments, still felt shocked at A.J.'s understanding. He was so sure that A.J. would need a lot of convincing on this particular point...
"Anything else?" asked Howie.
They sat and thought for several minutes before Brian cleared his throat.
"Yeah, I have another idea, but I don't know how he'll react to it," he stated nervously.
"What is it?" asked Nick.
"I think he needs to have breaks from being the responsible one all the time. If you guys agree, I'd like for one of us take care of all the scheduling and work tomorrow, while Kevin just enjoys being himself. This shouldn't be a one-off thing either; we should do it every time we think he's starting to get overwhelmed with the burden of looking after everything for us."
The others were a bit surprised at the suggestion, but saw the merit in it.
"Okay, so who wants to be 'Kevin' tomorrow?" A.J. asked.
"I'll do it, unless one of you wants to give it a shot?" Brian said after a few moments of silence. No-one felt quite prepared to take him up on his offer, so they remained quiet.
"Okay, looks like you're it, B. But guys, next time we do this, someone other than Brian should take on the responsibility. Even I'll do it when it's my turn," Howie stated.
"Okay, it's decided. Now all we have to do is convince him," Nick pointed out.
"I'll take care of it," Brian replied. "I'll just make it look like he doesn't have a choice in the matter."
The others grinned at Brian's semi-determined tone.
"Oh, before I forget... one of the reasons I'd like to give Kevin a rest from working tomorrow is so that he has enough free time to talk to the 'N Sync guys. Maybe away from the grind of work, he'll be able to spend enough time with them so that they can get to know him better. On a social level that it."
The others looked at Brian as they assessed his comments. They knew it would be a good idea, but it would require both parties to agree to it. Even if 'N Sync were okay with the idea, Kevin may not be willing to give them a second chance.
Brian had the same thoughts and concerns. "I'll work on that with Kev as well. It's just too good an opportunity to pass up. Provided the 'N Sync guys are willing to go along..."
The others shrugged their shoulders, indicating that they knew it was the best they could do for the moment. They couldn't force either Kevin or the 'N Sync guys to become friends against their wills.
"Oh yeah," Brian said, "the other reason I want to give him time off tomorrow is so that WE can spend some time with him as well. That's just as important as him getting to know the 'N Sync guys better."
The other three nodded their heads in complete understanding. It would take a fair bit of work on their part to get their relationship with Kevin back to the way it used to be, but they were all willing to put in the required effort to make it happen.
"Okay, we should get back into the lounge and see if we can salvage the pieces of our new friendships," Brian advised. "Unless anyone has anything further to say?"
They each thought for another minute or so before finally deciding that they had nothing further to add.
They stood up and headed out to the lounge in a moderately better mood.
--*
The 'N Sync guys had all congregated around Chris, who was still feeling upset with himself and the way he had treated Kevin and inadvertently hurt Justin.
After much back rubbing and coaxing they had managed to get him to smile and feel somewhat better.
"I know Justin was a bit harsh with what he said, but I think we all know that it's the truth, don't we?" Lance asked his bandmates.
The other three nodded their heads in confirmation.
"So what are we going to do about it?" he continued.
"We give Curly all of our support for starters," JC said.
"That's a start Josh, but Curly isn't the problem," Lance reminded them.
"Yeah," Chris agreed. "It's the way we've treated Kevin that's the problem. Justin may be overly sensitive, and he has taken Kevin to his heart, but I couldn't agree more with him: we've treated Kevin badly. In my case, from the time I met him at the airport right until Curly blew his top."
"Yeah, me too," concurred Joey.
Lance saw the flicker of uncertainty that crossed JC's face when Chris had mentioned that Justin had taken Kevin to his heart, and hoped that it wouldn't be the cause of any further problems. He also didn't appreciate that the guys seemed to be stuck in a rut, just rehashing the problem, rather than trying to come to a resolution. He knew that he'd have to jump in and direct the conversation, yet again!
"Okay, so we've all treated Kevin badly, with the exception of Justin. Will it be enough to just apologise, or should we apologise and try our hardest to make sure we treat Kevin better?"
Though he had led them to this decision, he was nonetheless happy to see them agree to treat Kevin better. Even JC.
"Okay, so when we next see Kevin, we are going to apologise. Each one of us! I'm not going to do it on behalf of the group or on behalf of any of you."
Again, he got assurances that they would each apologise.
"So, we've apologised to Kevin... then what?" he continued.
"We'll have to make sure we include him in our conversations," responded Chris, knowing how much he had monopolised A.J.'s time tonight, and how he had neglected to say much to any of the others. Of course, even before that, he had deliberately ignored Kevin...
"That's a good start Chris. Are you two able to handle that?" Lance asked, knowing full well that the guys would make an effort to do so.
"Yeah," replied Joey and JC.
"Anything else?" Lance prompted.
"We could also make sure that he's invited to anything we do with the other guys. For example, if we invite them to dinner or to go out clubbing, the offer should be extended to include Kevin."
"That goes without saying, but I take your point Joey. We'll have to make sure we insist he comes along," Lance agreed.
"And we should make sure that we spend some quality time with him. In fact, we should make sure that at all times in the next few days, that one of us is close by and talking with him," JC added.
Lance bit his lip and frowned slightly. He could understand the value of Josh's suggestion, but he wasn't sure if JC was suggesting it in all fairness, or because he saw it as a way of keeping Kevin away from Justin? He didn't think that either of his friends were gay... Which probably meant that JC was just trying to protect his friendship and was feeling jealous of Kevin, or maybe threatened by him. Even so, it could cause problems later on...
"That's a good idea JC," Joey responded. "I'm happy to do that. What about you guys?" he asked, turning to look at Chris and Lance.
Chris simply nodded. Lance hastily cleared his expression and smiled his affirmation.
"Okay, anything else to discuss?" asked Chris.
"Yes there is. And it's pretty heavy, so I hope none of you take offence," Lance said. He was taking a big chance on bringing this up, but he had to. For his own sake, as well as Kevin's.
"What is it Scoop?" Chris asked in concern.
"This is not the first time this has happened," Lance began tentatively. "I can recall several occasions when we've done something similar to other people, and all because they're either in management or some sort of authority figure."
He looked at the blank stares of his friends and continued, "I'm just relieved that I'm part of the group so that I don't get treated the same way you... we... treat others. I think that you guys, and I guess this applies to me as well, I think we should try to not prejudge anyone, or make snap judgements. That's pretty much what happened at the airport this evening. We all jumped to the conclusion that Kevin wasn't worthy of our understanding, attention or friendship, based on the fact that he was taking charge of things."
He lowered his voice as he added, "I know I'd have been devastated if you guys had prejudged me that way and hadn't given me your friendship."
The distressed expressions on his friends' faces were enough to bring him out of his gloom. "I think this is important guys. Not just because it isn't fair to people like Kevin and I, who are stuck somewhere between you and management, but also because it isn't fair to some managers. I know a lot of them are cold and heartless, but we treat even the good ones badly! We should make sure that we give everyone enough of our time and attention so that we can discover whether they're worthy of our friendship or not."
Chris nodded his head in agreement. Joey and JC took a bit longer to digest Lance's speech, but in the end, they also nodded their agreement.
"Sorry Lance. I didn't know that our attitude was also affecting you this way. Please forgive us?" Chris asked.
"It's okay Chris. There's nothing to forgive. I know none of you think of me in that way, and you've all treated me wonderfully - right from the first day I joined the group." He felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Even though the guys had always been friendly with him, knowing that he could have been treated the same way as Kevin had been, was a worry that had clouded his relationship with the guys for a long time.
"Still, I think Chris has a point. Regardless of the way we've treated you, the way we've treated people like Kevin and management is bound to have been hurtful," Joey said. "So, I'd also like to extend my apologies to you as well Lance. And I promise that I'll do all in my power to give everyone a fair go from now on."
"Me too," JC hurriedly said. "I also want to say I'm sorry Lance. Please forgive us?"
"Guys," Lance began smiling broadly, "apology accepted already! Happy now?"
"Yeah," they chorused, before breaking into fits of laughter.
"Can we join this merry little party?" enquired A.J.
They all looked up at the smiling faces of the Backstreet Boys, and smiled back.
Lance quickly asked, "Is everything alright with you guys?"
"Yeah, we've sorted some things out," replied Howie.
"Oh? Can I ask what you came up with?" Lance enquired. He was deeply interested in knowing what they had planned.
"Well, several things really. The most important of which is that we want to give Kevin a break from acting like 'Daddy'. So, instead of Kevin, Brian will be doing all the running around and organising of things tomorrow," A.J. responded.
"Sounds like a good idea," observed Lance, though he couldn't immediately see how it would help Kevin.
"Yeah, we certainly think so," Brian replied. "However, there's an ulterior motive for us doing this. We'd like to free up his time so that he has a chance to spend some time with you guys." He hoped and prayed that they'd also be willing to do the same.
"Oh man, we must have been thinking on the same level," Joey stated. "Our plans were for each of us to spend some quality time with Kevin over the next few days."
Brian and A.J. smiled in relief, while Nick and Howie let out silent sighs of thanks.
"It sounds like a really good plan. I'm rather envious of Kevin, you know," Lance said. "He's going to have a chance to get to know all of us better, but I won't have the same chance to get to know you guys better."
"Of course you can," replied Joey excitedly. "We'll do the same!"
"What?" asked Lance in astonishment.
"I'll take over the organising for our group, and you can be just plain Lansten tomorrow. How's that sound guys?" Joey asked, looking at JC and Chris.
"Sounds okay I guess. Provided we don't live to regret it," Chris said, grinning.
"Yeah, sounds okay to me too," JC added.
"I-" Lance started to say.
"You're out-voted Scoop. I'm the new 'Daddy' of our little group!" Joey exclaimed.
"Oh my God! We've created a monster!" Chris cried out, dissolving into laughter. Everyone soon joined him.
After they had a chance to settle, JC started thinking of his friend again. "Guys, we should really try to do something about Justin. We can't just let him be miserable all night."
"Yeah Josh, I agree. Let me see if he's willing to come out," suggested Lance, getting up and walking towards the bedroom door.
"Justin?" he called, knocking softly on the door. He waited for a few seconds in case Justin had to get himself together. "Justin, can you please open the door? We really need to talk to you."
No answer was forthcoming. He worriedly looked back at the guys. Their faces were all turned toward him, their expressions expectant.
"Come on Curly. We're sorry." He continued to knock, with slightly more force. "We want to make it up to you." He briefly paused once more, though he continued to knock.
"Curly, can you hear me?" he asked in growing alarm, as his knocking was going unanswered. When he still got no response, he started banging on the bedroom door. "Justin? Justin please open this door!" he called out in a louder tone.
The 'N Sync guys all got to their feet in an instant and ran towards Lance.
Chris stopped briefly and sought out A.J. "A.J., please call down to Reception and see if they can find a key to the bedroom. Please hurry."
A.J. nodded and bolted toward the phone.
Meanwhile, Lance was almost in tears as he kept banging on the door. "Justin? Please!" He instinctively reached for the door handle to rattle it, and felt it give. "Wha-?" he gasped in surprise.
The door was unlocked!
Lance pushed the handle all the way down and opened the door as quickly as he could. "Justin?" he called as he raced into the room.
A.J. saw that the door was open and quickly hung up the phone, thankfully before he had to explain what he wanted. He raced over to the bedroom along with Brian, Nick and Howie.
There, they saw the 'N Sync guys standing around in the deserted room, looking totally lost.
"He's gone!" whispered JC, falling to his knees on the carpet and starting to cry. Lance dropped down in front of him and gathered him into a hug.
Looking up at Chris and Joey, he asked in a pained voice, "What are we going to do now?"
End - Chapter 2
I hope you enjoyed this part! :) Happy holidays to those celebrating Christmas and the New Year.