Looking for Love in all the Right Places - Chapter 3

Looking for Love in all the Right Places
By Dream Howler

Standard Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction and is not intended to imply anything about the true sexuality of the celebrities mentioned or with any personal knowledge about their private lives.

Author's Note: As with the last chapter, you may recognize some of this from the original version of the story.

Beta Thanks: Thanks to my editors, Dawn and Draconian, for doing the editing on this chapter. Thanks guys!

Dream Howler Contact & Story Information:

Cast Pictures: Click Here.  Link also has pictures of cast vehicles, tattoos, and eventually pictures and floor plans of houses.

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E-mail: dreamy@rqarchive.com

Chapter 2 Recap:

Drew arrived in Atlanta for the concert for his company, Wolf Sound Entertainment, and took Aidan and Kent along as well. Before the concert, Aidan logged online and chatted with his online friend CMajor while Kent and Drew were getting dressed for the concert. Josh still hasn't told Aidan who he is, and was worried about his impact on Aidan's life.

After arriving at the concert, the guys make quite an impression on both bands, and they end up talking about them a lot. They finish their concerts, and the trio goes back stage to meet the bands.

Aidan has several admirers almost instantly, and it surprises even him that so many seem to like him. In the end, Aidan starts talking to Howie, who invites him to an outing the next day.

Chapter 3

Aidan sat next to Howie, and glanced over at Justin out of the corner of his eye, suddenly feeling a knot in his stomach. Justin was making him feel very uncomfortable, and he really wanted to leave the room. It was clear that Justin was attracted to him; that much he could see. The problem was the idea suddenly made Aidan feel physically ill. Justin seemed to be entirely too fake: as if he'd never had a chance to develop his own personality. He appeared to be so used to masking certain things that he didn't quite meld his mask together correctly when transitioning to an adult. The problem was that Aidan liked Howie, and wanted to get to know him without having to watch his back.

When Aidan looked around, he noticed that all the members of both bands were back in the room, and that JC was looking at him with a tinge of sadness in his eyes. Tilting his head sideways and blinking, Aidan quickly lifted his hand to push his black hair out of his eyes, smiling for a moment at JC before returning to the conversation.

Quietly, Kevin stood up. "Well, guys, as much as I hate to say it, we're all starving and need to get back to the hotel. If we're going to go to the park tomorrow, we all need our rest. We would invite you along, but Kent has told us that you have already eaten." Most of the guys nodded and stood to leave. Both groups were getting used to Kevin being the daddy for them all, and knew that he would bug them silly until they did as he felt they should.

"We'll see you guys bright and early tomorrow: about 9 a.m. If you need anything before that, we're staying at the Four Seasons. Here's the number. When you call for me, just tell them: 'Hydra'; it's today's password. They will put you right through."

Kent, Aidan, and Drew nodded and smiled. "Okay, we'll see you tomorrow," Aidan said.

Howie stood and walked Aidan to the back stage door, as the rest of the guys followed to get into the waiting vans. The trio waved goodbye to the group as they rounded the side of the building. Slowly walking to their car, they chatted between themselves about how great the guys were.

Inside The Car

"You know... it was really odd when - what was his name? JC? - Came back from wherever he disappeared to in such a hurry. He looked really sad about something. I hope there wasn't anything really wrong," Aidan commented.

The guys all nodded.

"Yeah. I wonder what was wrong with him? He was staring at Aidan a lot. You know, it's amazing, but I think that Aidan had at least three or four of them totally hot for him; and does he notice? Nope!" Drew said, teasing Aidan.

"Hey! I did too notice! I did walk off with one of my admirers didn't I?" Aidan retorted, defending himself with a grin on his face.

"True, we have to give him props for that. Howie does have a hot little body, but I didn't think you went for hot Latinos, Wolf." Kent grinned.

"Well, as you said, he is hot! What was I supposed to do? Turn him down and not give him a chance because we have different backgrounds? I am part Italian, and Native American, and who knows what else? I could be part Latino myself." Kent and Drew nodded, though whatever made up Aidan's background, he was one good-looking guy.

"Soooooo, what did you and Howie talk about while you were gone?" Kent wiggled his eyebrows. "Anything interesting? What do you think of him?"

Aidan nodded, "Yeah, we mainly talked about tomorrow, actually. I am sure once he realizes he can trust me, he'll open up more. I think Drew should tell them who he is before they all find out and get mad. You are keeping them, aren't you? I mean it would be really cruel to go with them tomorrow and then let them go."

Drew laughed softly. "I would be absolutely stupid to let them go. I just wanted to observe their behavior in a more personal setting. It seems that their public image has been well fabricated by their old management. Many of the guys are apparently sexually repressed, probably were told to not show interest in men publicly, and the few that do show interest make sure they hide it pretty well: well, except for that Justin kid. He apparently wants Aidan in the worst way."

Aidan groaned, "Yeah, I noticed. It's somewhat scary, actually. I think he's got some kind of plan going on in that curly blonde head of his."

Kent laughed, "Yeah, I noticed that, too. I was too busy talking to Lance to really pay much attention. He's very cool, and utterly in the closet. I don't even think his group knows that he's gay. I figured I would talk to him tomorrow about it."

"Yeah, good idea. I mean the rest of his band seems to be bisexual or gay, so I don't know why he hasn't mentioned it to them. It's not like they will care," Aidan said.

Back At Kent And Aidan's House

Aidan was tired: especially since it had taken over an hour to return home after leaving the groups to return to the hotel. He was hoping that CMajor had written him, so he could tell him about the guy he had just met. Aidan had given up on getting CMajor to open up and tell him more about himself.

He logged onto his email and checked his messages, and was surprised that there was, in fact, an email from CMajor, dated less than twenty minutes ago. He clicked on the message. Confession? Aidan's heart lurched; perhaps all the wishing came true. Maybe CMajor was finally going to tell him who he was. He clicked on Confession, waited for it to load, and then read it.

From: CMajor
Date: November 25, 1999: 12:00 AM
To: AWolf78@Yahoo.com
Subject: CONFESSION

Dearest Wolf,

I have a confession to make. I know that I haven't been completely honest with you the last year, but I thought I was doing it to protect my career. These days, I never really know who is totally honest and sincere. The truth is, my name is Joshua Scott Chasez, otherwise known as JC. I am a member of *NSync.

I know that this is probably a shock, but I had no idea that we would meet each other so soon. I know you said you were coming to the concert tonight, but I had no idea that you and your friend/cousin were coming backstage. I was planning to come back to Atlanta in December when the band had a break to meet you, but it seems that I have to reveal my identity now if I want to stand a chance.

I know that you're supposed to go with us tomorrow, and I know that you and Howie have hit it off. All I am asking here is for a chance to get to know you better. I care a lot about you, and every day I look forward to your emails/chats because they brighten my days. You're not only handsome, but you have a kind and good heart. It's one of the reasons that I was planning to risk my career to let you know how I really feel.

Please don't be mad.

Josh a.k.a CMajor

Aidan was stunned. JC was CMajor? Suddenly, everything tonight made sense: the sad looks, the pain in his eyes, the strange behavior...

Aidan thought back to the glimpses of scattered information that he had been told over the last six months. It all made sense, now; and Aidan was torn. Josh had asked him for a chance, and Aidan wanted to give him that opportunity. However, how could he explain it to Howie?

Aidan held his head in his hands and groaned. The only thing he could do is to tell Howie the truth; but how do you tell someone something like that? Aidan looked over at his slightly open door, spotting Kent coming down the hall towards his bedroom.

Closing down his email, Aidan stood, and walked toward the door, calling out for him.

"Hey Kent? Can we talk about something?"

Kent nodded, "Sure, Wolf. You know we can talk any time. What's up? You look troubled."

Aidan nodded. "You remember the guy I told you about, the one I have been talking to online forever?"

Kent nodded, "Sure. I think it was one of the reasons you haven't been dating."

Aidan blinked and nodded quietly, "Kinda. Well… he just told me who he really is… and, well… We met him tonight."

Kent blinked, "You did? Who? You mean he was one of the guys in BSB or *NSync? Wow! How in the world did that happen? Drew said they always tell people in their interviews that they aren't online that much. Who knew?"

Aidan nodded, "Apparently he is one of the exceptions. I guess he found Nifty and was reading some stories about himself. He probably saw the link to one of the chat rooms on the web page. You remember how I commented on the way home that JC kept looking at me? Like he was really sad about something? It's him. It seems that he was waiting 'til next month when the tour was on holiday to come and meet me. He saw tonight that I was interested in Howie… He felt that he better tell me now, or risk losing me altogether."

Kent looked at Aidan, stunned. "I guess that explains why he left the room so fast when he saw you. Hey, didn't you tell him what you were wearing before you left?"

Aidan nodded. "Yeah, I did."

"Well, that explains a lot: the group references; the odd hours... What are you going to do? I know you like Howie, but you have been talking to JC for a while now. I don't envy the decision you're going to have to make."

Aidan nodded. "I don't know. I guess I am going to have to tell Howie, and hope that he understands. I have never had this problem before."

"I definitely am glad they are in two different bands, because this is going to be difficult as it is."

"Well, we better get to bed. It's going to be a long day, tomorrow. I just hope everything works out for you. I can't believe how lucky you are. I mean do you know how many girls and even a few guys would love to have guys from both groups liking them?" Kent said with a laugh.

Aidan nodded, "Yeah. You are right about that. Hopefully tomorrow will be fun, and not so draining. Sleep well, bro."

Kent smiled. "Yeah, one can hope. You, too."

Aidan awoke the next morning to the sound of his alarm clock buzzing loudly in his ear. Turning over and switching off the annoying sound, he groaned, trying not to focus on how much sleep he missed last night due to worrying. Crawling out of bed, he padded across the carpet to his linen closet, grabbed two towels, and proceeded toward the shower.

Undressing, Aidan turned on the water, waiting for it to reach the right temperature. As he waited, he tried to go to the bathroom, but he was just too hard to even attempt it. Shrugging, he stepped into the shower, the spray cascading over his lean muscular body, his shoulder length hair becoming a shade darker as it was soaked with water.

Aidan stood under the spray, reveling in the flow of hot water as he slowly woke up. He thought back to several dreams he had last night, and couldn't make up his mind on which he wanted to concentrate on. He liked Howie, despite him being a bit shyer offstage than Aidan had expected. He seemed like a great guy, from what he could tell.

Aidan thought about his situation and shook his head sadly. He realized that at least three guys in the two groups liked him that he knew of. Of course, he only liked two of them, though there wasn't that much of him to go around. Although Aidan, in the past, had two guys he was sleeping with at the same time, they were just casual friends. This was a completely different ball game, and it left him confused.

Aidan soaped up, washing himself slowly since he had set the alarm to wake him early enough for a long, leisurely shower. Once he got out, he would need to wake Kent, because Kent never set his alarm. Unless he had an important appointment that couldn't be missed, Kent liked to sleep in. Aidan slowly soaped up his cock and balls, taking his time, to enjoy the sensation. Since his cock still hadn't softened enough to go to the bathroom, he decided to take care of the problem.

He used the soap to get his hands really lathered as he slowly rubbed up and down his shaft. His eyes closed as he thought back to the hot dance that Howie had performed on stage last night. Aidan groaned, spreading his feet to center his weight as he leaned against the back wall of the wide glass shower. His left hand reached up, tweaking his dark nipples as he slowly started stroking himself. Aidan slowly let his other hand trace down his chest, over his stomach, and finally under his cock to squeeze his balls gently. Aidan's head rolled to one side, the spray of the water quickly washing off the soap as he sped up the stroking of his rock hard cock.

Aidan liked jacking off in the shower. In fact, he had gotten used to it while living in the dorm, and it was a lot safer than doing it in bed, where a roommate could catch him. In the shower, Aidan could indulge all his fantasies, and did, as he suddenly thought of Howie, Josh, and himself having a hot steamy sex session. He gasped suddenly and shot his load, visions of sucking off Howie as Josh fucked him from behind dancing through his head. Aidan couldn't remember the last time he had cum so hard. It had been way too long between guys, Aidan decided.

Aidan finished rinsing off and turned off the water, stretching as he climbed out of the shower and headed to the toilet, quickly emptying his bladder. He could have just gone in the shower, but he just found that disgusting. Grabbing his towel off the hook, he dried his hair as much as possible, and then began to dry himself with the other towel as he examined himself in the mirror. Tilting his head slightly, he saw that he could use a shave, wrapped the towel around his waist, and walked to the sink. Taking out his shaving gel, he sprayed some into his hands and rubbed them together. He worked the gel into a rich lather with his hands, and rubbed the lather onto his face. He rinsed off his hands, wet his razor, and began shaving.

Aidan was actually very lucky that he was part Native American; he only had to shave a couple of times a month, and was mostly smooth elsewhere. A short time later, Aidan was satisfied with his shave and put the cream and the razor away, and then patted his face dry as he turned his head back and forth to make sure he hadn't missed anything.

Nodding in satisfaction to his reflection, he cleaned up the bathroom and looked at his watch. It was time to wake Kent. It seemed that even though Aidan had decided to jack off this morning, he still had almost an hour until the guys were supposed to pick them up.

Walking down the hall, he opened the door to Kent's room, making as little noise as possible as he walked over to the unsuspecting sleeping man. Aidan suddenly whipped off his wet towel and threw it in Kent's face, laughing as he ran back to his room, and quickly pulled on a pair of blue boxer briefs.

Kent awoke with a jolt and looked around, "All right, what's the deal, Wolf? Why did you throw a towel in my face at this hour?" Kent said, grumbling as he looked over at the bright red numbers of his clock. As his vision cleared, he noticed the time and jumped out of bed.

"What in the heck have you been doing? It's only an hour 'til they show up! Oh, man... what am I going to wear?" Kent ran over to his closet, and Aidan began laughing harder.

Aidan stopped by Drew's room and peaked inside, noticing that he was already done with his shower and was getting dressed. At least he didn't have to worry about Drew running around like an idiot for the next hour.

Shaking his head, Aidan walked back down the hallway to his room, went over to his closet, pulled out a long sleeved, dark blue sweater and a pair of black jeans, and set them on the bed. The sweater was one of Aidan's favorites, as it made his hazel eyes brighten to an ocean blue color. He turned on the dryer for a few moments to take the last of the dampness out of his hair, took some of the styling gel out of the jar, and worked it in from the back to the front. By the time he had finished, it looked great, though you wouldn't think that he had done much of anything to it.

After checking on Kent's progress, Aidan sat down in front of his computer, firing it up. He loaded Eudora and watched as the blue bar moved, saying that he had a message. Aidan was happy about the new built-in spam filter in his email program. Now he wouldn't have to wade through all the ads for breast enlargements, penis patches, weight loss pills, naked teen sluts, and all the other Internet junk. Aidan was shocked to see an email from CMajor from just 10 minutes ago.

From: CMajor
Date: November 25, 1999: 07:00 AM EST
Subject: Hi
To: AWolf78@Yahoo.com

Hello Aidan, I hope you're doing okay, this morning. I thought about what I sent you for a while last night, and kept wondering if you read my confession last night or this morning. It is possible that you won't get this at all 'til after we get back from the park. Though I suspect that you read my confession last night... am I right?

I didn't get much sleep last night. I kept wondering what you were going to do. I hope you will give me a chance. I am sorry for not telling you before, but it wasn't just my decision to make. *NSync's career means a lot to all of us, not just to me. Not that I think you would tell anyone: I just wanted you to like me for who I am, not for what I do or an image I portray.

It's a little silly now, because I realized that you were being honest when you said you didn't know who *NSync or the Backstreet Boys were until your cousin introduced you to them. At the time, I thought you suspected who I was, and was playing with me. However, after hearing you talk last night, I knew you were telling the truth.

Please forgive me. If you can't see me as a future boyfriend, at least see me as a good friend.

Oh, btw, we heard from Management last night, and the park is closed for the winter, so we bought out Underground Atlanta for most of the day so we can shop in peace. Hope you don't mind the change, too much. They gave us all a rain check for the middle of next year. Wear something warm; don't want you to catch cold.

Yours,
Josh

Aidan hit the reply button on his email message and sat pondering a response, when he heard the familiar ding of AOL IM.

CMajor: Hi Aidan... didn't think you would be up so early...

Wolf: Hi Josh… I was just about to reply to your message. Needless to say, I am still totally in shock. I mean I figured you might be in a band, or some sort of sport cause you kept mentioning practice the last couple of weeks.

CMajor: Sorry, I was having a hard time trying to come up with excuses after almost a year of conversation. I am also sorry to spring it on you like that. I meant to pull you aside today and tell you, but after the way you were looking at Howie last night, I didn't think I would get a chance to tell you during the day.

Wolf: *nods* It's not that. Just didn't realize that all the sad looks last night were for me 'til I got home. I would have never guessed that I was the reason you were upset.

CMajor: Yeah. When I saw you during our concert, I almost lost my footing, and slid right into your lap. It was an interesting coincidence that your seat was right in front of where I was dancing most of the night.

Wolf: *nods* True... I noticed you trust me... *smiles* though I never had a clue that you were JC from *NSync. Though once I read your email, everything suddenly fell into place. All the clues you dropped, etc.

CMajor: Well, like I said in the email, I wanted you to like me for me... not cause I sing in a well-known band.

Wolf: Contrary to popular belief, I am not shallow, Josh. *chuckles* I also know quite a few people in the music business these days.

CMajor: Ohhhh! I know that now... I was just saying... Oh, never mind... I think I put my foot in my mouth again.

Wolf: *chuckles* No, it's okay... I was just teasing you... really. You know... you weren't the only one that didn't sleep well last night. I kept trying to think of a way to tell Howie that I wanted to get to know you both before making up my mind, but no matter how many times I replayed it in my head, it sounded bad.

CMajor: Just be honest. You met me online a year ago. We started talking a lot six months ago and have become friends. Not much else you can say. Right? I would mention to him however, that you didn't know who I was 'til last night. Might help smooth things over that I didn't tell you until last night. He might be mad at me, but I did meet you first.

Wolf: *nod* True, true... However, if I am going to give you a chance, you must promise me that you will be more open with me and stop holding yourself back. That will eventually drive me crazy, not that it already hasn't.

CMajor: Not a problem at all. I would have told you long ago, but I figured if I told you over the computer who I was, you wouldn't believe me.

Wolf: Probably not. Hey, about Drew. Ummm, God, I told him to tell you guys today, and he said he would, Drew is the cousin I was talking about, the record executive.

CMajor: Okay, we'll let him explain when we all get together. Well, I gotta go... Lance is pounding on the door to get going. I can't believe we talked for so long. We will be there in a bit. See you soon.

Wolf: Ok... see you, Josh.

CMajor has signed off

Kent came out fully dressed, but his hair still needed some work.

"Wolf... can you help me with my hair?" He called without taking much notice of his surroundings.

Not receiving an answer, Kent looked directly at Aiden and, seeing the look on his face, knew he needed to comment on it. Walking over, he placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling down at him

"Hey, you look happy... What's going on?"

"Oh, hi. I just got finished talking to Josh. We talked while you were in the bathroom." Aidan closed down his computer quietly, "They're on their way. We are going to Underground Atlanta, though; the park is closed."

Kent nodded. "Yeah, I thought it was odd that they said the park. Though won't they get mobbed if they go to UA?"

Aidan shook his head. "Nope. Josh said that they bought it out for the day. Guess they are going to close it so we can shop without having problems."

Kent nodded. "Sounds cool."

Aidan stood, and walked toward the bathroom to help Kent with his hair, shaking his head at the irony of having to do it at all.

The Backstreet Boys And *NSync

Josh closed down his laptop and walked over to the door, opening it right before Lance could pound on the door again, his hand almost hitting him in the chest.

"All right, I'm ready! Go bang on someone else's door, Lance!"

Lance laughed and turned to began knocking on other doors, and slowly, one by one, everyone was assembled in the hall. Going downstairs in the service elevator, they made their way out the back to the waiting vans and made their way to Kent's house to pick up Aidan, Kent, and Drew.

Kent's House

After Aidan returned to his bedroom after helping Kent fix his hair, he sat on his bed, trying to figure out how he was going to tell Howie his situation without upsetting him too much. Aidan had never been more nervous in his life, which meant that he was either going to totally screw up today, or at least end up with Josh and hurt Howie's feelings.

Just then, the doorbell sounded, and Aidan stood again, walking down the stairs toward the door, opening it slowly. Leaning against the doorframe was Howie, by himself. Aidan blinked.

"Hey, Howie. Where are the rest of the guys? Out in the van?" Aidan put on his best smile and hoped it didn't look fake. He had hoped he would get Howie alone, but now was not a very good time. Aidan could picture Josh's look of sadness as Howie nodded.

Howie looked Aidan up and down appraisingly; soft, worn black denim hugged his strong thighs and narrow hips, while the deep blue sweater emphasized his broad shoulders. Finally, Howie looked at his eyes - dark, mesmerizing, and today filled with what Howie could only describe as nervousness. Like last night, his dark hair was loose, the layers helping it to float around his face, whilst one errant lock drifted onto his forehead. He looked amazing, in more ways than one.

Aidan turned and looked back up the stairs, noticing Drew coming down to meet them. He was wearing a pair of tight blue jeans, and a clingy gray sweater that accentuated his sculpted chest. Aidan was sure that the sweater was borrowed from Kent, because he had seen Kent buy it a couple of months ago. Drew was obviously trying to impress someone, and Aidan had a suspicion that it was Brian. He had been sitting by him for most of the evening, after all, and seemed to be enjoying their conversation.

Drew nodded toward Howie and smiled as he walked toward the door. "Kent should be down in a few minutes. He is still messing with his hair, even after Aidan fixed it, grumbling how an hour is never long enough to get it ready. Should we tell him that he sounds like a girl?" he said as he laughed.

"He should be here in a few minutes, I hope."

Howie nodded and smiled, though he had a feeling something was off with Aidan. He just couldn't place what could have happened between last night and this morning.

Upstairs, Kent quietly walked out of the bathroom and towards his closet. He quickly put on his shoes, turned toward his bedroom door, and hurriedly made his way downstairs, noticing that Aidan, Drew, and Howie were standing at the door waiting for him. Looking up and over towards Aidan and Howie, he smiled. "Looking good, Howie."

Howie smiled warmly at Kent, looking him over. He had deep amber brown eyes, hair blacker than Aidan's, and a smile that could charm the beasts. "Thanks! So are you, man."

Aidan walked past Howie and into the driveway, and cleared his throat. "We should probably go," he reiterated. "The rest of the guys are waiting on us."

Downstairs By The Van

Downstairs, several of the guys began pacing impatiently as they waited for Howie, Aidan, Kent, and Drew. Josh was getting antsy and, several times, started for the door, but was stopped by Joey, who pulled him aside out of earshot of the members of Backstreet.

"Come on, man, they will be down any second. Really... Just relax," he said.

"Yeah, you're right. Just wondering what is taking them so long," he said as he stared up at the door to the house.

Joey laughed. "Josh, if you don't calm down, I'm going to smack you."

"All right, cut me some slack. I'm nervous! What if he decides he likes Howie more than me?"

"Josh, just chill! You don't want to scare him away, do you? Just act normal, and stop worrying."

Our Ride Awaits

As the guys got out to the waiting vans, Aidan laughed softly. Josh looked like he had been pacing back and forth. It was nice to have someone special worry about him. In fact, it had been a long time since that had happened.

The guys began climbing into the van, while Kent smiled at Lance, giving him a wink.

By the time it was Kent's turn to climb into the van, the only seat left was next to Lance. Lance smiled shyly, and patted the seat next to him, "Guess you will have to sit next to me."

Kent grinned, sliding into the seat. "Yep; guess so. My new favorite spot, even."

Lance blushed slightly, and smiled at Kent. This guy is something else, he thought.

The van door closed, and they were off to the mall.

On The Way To The Mall

Joey, the unofficial spokesman for his group, cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"Hey, guys, there's been a change of plan," he began. "The theme park is shut for the winter, so it's a no-go. We've arranged for Underground Atlanta to close for us for the day instead, so we can shop in peace. That okay with you?"

"Yeah, that's okay. I've been meaning to go and get some new clothes. This will give me an excuse... and actually have someone tell me if they look okay," Kent immediately answered, with a wide grin.

Aidan laughed from behind him. "Like you have any problems dressing yourself, Stone."

Kent grinned. "Hey, I like having cute guys give me their opinions. I am always asking the sales boys and girls how I look. You know... I think my favorite one is working today. You guys remember Tyler? Works at Balboa?"

Aidan grinned, "Yeah, didn't you say you finally realized he was gay last week? Though I think you should have realized that a long time ago, Kent. Maybe you need to have your gaydar checked."

Kent grinned, "Yeah, I know... cute and all, and we get along and stuff... but I just don't think he is my type. We don't really like much of any of the same things."

The guys chatted on the way to the mall, talking about what they would be doing when they got to the mall.

"A whole mall to ourselves… why didn't I think of that? Do you do this a lot: buy out the mall so you can roam free without having to worry about being mugged by fans?" asked Kent.

"Well, normally we just wear disguises, but after awhile someone always spots us and we have to run and hide. It gets a little tiring, actually." Lance smiled shyly at Kent as he talked. Lance was still very much in the closet about his sexuality. He knew that he didn't have to worry about the band's reactions, since more of his band mates and friends came out of the closet. The group must have suspected by now that he had never really been attracted to girls. He just didn't want to add to the grief of being another band member that ended up gay, even if the band was the only one that knew.

He did find Kent very attractive though, and he was sure that he was at least bisexual after reflecting on some of the comments he made after the concert last night. Once he had re-entered the room after Josh's panic attack, Kent stayed by him until he left. Lance was flattered that someone so good looking seemed to be interested in him.

Kent nodded and smiled back at Lance. "Must be nice, though: you get to have all the sales people to yourself, not having to wait 'til they get done with other customers. I have that problem. I'll want to ask someone's opinion on something, and have to wait 'til they are done with other customers. Drives you nuts when you really don't want to spend all day shopping." Kent chuckled and shook his head, wondering how stupid, and air headed he sounded. Kent was a smart guy, but sometimes when he was nervous, talking wasn't always the best thing to do. He looked over at Lance who was still smiling at him, and guessed he wasn't doing too badly.

The rest of the group listened to the exchange between Lance and Kent, while Aidan leaned over and whispered in Drew's ear. "I think Stone's made a new friend."

Drew laughed softly and whispered back, "Yep, he does have a thing for blonds."

Aidan hmmed, "Yeah, I believe he does."

Drew nodded, going quiet again, contemplating the implications of what would happen if the world found out these two groups were mostly gay or bisexual.

Author Notes: Well, there is chapter three. I hope that you liked it. I am working on chapter four and five of LFL.

Published: 8/8/09