Love Thru Chat By Billy Burrew
*A Short Note of Thanks: I would like to thank everyone who has written to me about this story and about all my fiction. I am glad that you took the time out to tell me your feelings, whether they were good, bad or indifferent. I would now like to send a more personal thank you out to some other fine authors who I feel are the best on the web.... To Matt Hunter, author of Search and Rescue, whose excellent storytelling oft inspires me, and whose compliments continually make me blush. Also to DLS, whose Brian and Me story has kept me anxiously awaiting the next chapter update. To Micheal, the author of Studio in the Country, which is a WONDERFUL story...if you haven't checked it out, you really ought to! To Seth (my comrade here in Chapel Hill), we have both survived the unseasonable winter weather and are anxiously awaiting the spring break. Seth's Common People Story is really quite excellent. To Evan, author of Justin's Dark Angel, a wonderful piece of vampiric boy band fiction...I never miss it. To Ryan Clark, author of Ryan and Lance, a story that I have followed from the get-go. To Storywrighter, for all his inspiration and help over my Gifts of Love and Christmas Carol Stories, his assistance was invaluable there (I also am a big fan of his writing and I keep hoping to see updates of Singing 4 Wrightr and All Grown Up sometime soon). To Scotty T., author of Lance in Shining Armor, (also one of my faves), and to Peter Kamphuis of Kevin and Justin fame. I hope you continue on with that story Peter, lack of emails notwithstanding, cause if anything, I REALLY like your story a lot! Finally, I'd like to take a moment out to mention one last person, Chris Taylor, for his Separate Lives Story, which, much to my dismay, ended, just the other night. That was an incredible story, and I was really really bummed to see Josh die at the end. But in the immortal words of the evil Prime Minister Francis Urqhart in the BBC movie, "The Final Cut", "Nothing Lasts Forever." (Of course I believe he said this just before his wife Elizabeth had him assassinated.)
- "Brevity is the soul of wit.", Shakepeare's Polonius once said, and my short notes are much like the dialogue given to Polonius, neither brief nor very witty. My admiration and appreciation for my fellow authors is deeply rooted, however, and I apologize in advance if I missed anyone in my "brief" short note.
Legal Disclaimer:
This story is totally fictional and not meant to imply anything about the sexuality of the guys of the BSB or NSYNC. If you are under the age of 18, offended by homosexual material, or it is illegal to view such materials in your area, please leave now. Otherwise, go grab a nice mocha or some chai tea, or hot cocoa, get comfy and get ready to suspend your disbelief. Have Fun and Enjoy the Story.
Chapter 7: Reading Between the Lines...
Bill and the other guys smiled as they came back in, seeing Lance and Josh standing beside each other smiling. Lance then surprised everyone by walking over to Bill and grabbing him up in a tight hug.
Lance: Thank you. You...uh...really made me see just how stupid I was acting. I think you're right, that I should try to live by the greater message of the bible instead of picking and choosing which ones I choose to live by.
Bill: I didn't do anything that anybody wouldn't do for their friend. You just took a big step Lance, you've decided to think about what you've been taught growing up and in church, to analyze this information, and decide for yourself what is really right and wrong, and what your faith is all about. It's an amazing step and I am very proud of you for taking it.
Lance: Is that what I just did? Whoa....
Josh: See Lance...I told ya he was pretty smart.
Justin: So Bill....what do you want to do tonight?
Bill: Well....I was thinking of getting out and getting some dinner and then maybe just relaxing. I have to grab a newspaper and see what sort of employment I can look forward to down here in a few months when I move here.
Josh: I have a few places that I chatted with that are interested in interviewing you. We can call them tomorrow. Can I see your portfolio?
Bill: Wow....thanks Josh. Sure. Its right here. Some of it is unusual, tho, as my current job is a little unusual.
Justin: Unusual? What's unusual about graphic arts......WHOA! I see...
Bill: I work for an adult video catalog company, we do direct mail and I do design work for them. I chose the classier stuff that I had done, some of the other pieces are a little...um...more.....explicit and edgy.
Joey: COOL!!!....Can I have one of these catalogs and a business card....I'm gonna need to make some purchases.
Bill: OK Joey...I'll give you one before I leave....stop drooling on it tho....you'll ruin the sample.
Josh: Some of this is really nice, tho. You have an eye for design.
Bill: Thanks. I got a lot of experience at this job with color. Before I was working a lot with spot color and I didn't have much experience in four color...it makes a huge difference.
Justin: Did you design this whole catalog by yourself? It looks really nice!
Bill: Yep. I am especially proud of that one. The artist that was working on that was fired and she erased her work before she left so I had to re-design the whole catalog in about a week and a half.
Chris: Holy.....a week and a half! Whoa! Doesn't that take a bit longer normally?
Bill: Yeah. Normally we get a little more than a month to do it. I worked the weekend and late every night to get that done on time.
Joey: Well it looks REAL good!
Bill: Thanks Joey....here's a drool cloth for you. I think its time for me to change my work though. I realized that I can look at a woman now and tell immediately whether her boobs are real or fake....and that's not a job skill I really think I need.
Josh: Yeah...ya think? Well...the people I have talked with about the positions I checked out seemed really enthused about working with someone who was an experienced designer as well as a gifted writer.
Lance: You write too! Wow...what kind of stuff do you write?
Bill: Uh....well.....its mostly fiction.....Josh....remind me to smack you around a little later.
Josh: Sorry Bill. Guys....Bill writes fan fiction about us and the Backstreet Boys. It's really good stuff....and some of its really fantastical. In one of his stories he gives us all X-men type powers. I've read a bunch of stories and his are really really good.
Bill: Thanks for the endorsement Josh.
Justin: Can we read them?
Bill: Do you really want to? I have taken some...um...uh... "artistic liberties"...with your sexual preferences...so you might not like them.
Lance: So you made some of us gay?
Bill: Well....in my one story, yeah....I made...some...well....all of you...well...gay or bi. I have all of them printed out and bound in my bag. I was gonna give it to Josh as a gift...since he said he liked them so much. There's a new story I just did called "A Red Rose on a Snow Day" about y'all when you attended that Snowed In competition. I typed it up last night before I went to bed.
Justin: I've read some of our fan fiction before.....how bad can it be?
Bill: Thanks Justin...that puts a real positive spin on it. Here they are. Did you wanna take a story each? I guess just take them out of the binder and pass each one out...there should be enough for each of you
Lance: Ok...let's see here, I'll take this one, Gifts of Love: A New Tale of the Magi....how LONG is this story?
Bill: Sixteen chapters....the Christmas Carol is the epilogue to that story...it kinda goes with it.
Justin: I've already read that one actually....it was on www.fanfiction.net , wasn't it?
Bill: Yes it was. It's one of my most popular stories.
Justin: Lemme have the binder. Hmmm....Get You Back...
Josh: That's a pretty ok story, despite the rape scene and the darkness of it overall...I read that last week.
Joey: Hmm.....XTREME NSYNC....whoa...this looks like a long one, too!
Bill: It's about 12 chapters so far...that's the one where I give you super-powers.
Chris: Ooooh.....can I have that one next? I have Brian's Lost Love...it looks like a short story.
Bill: It is. I guess just grab a chapter of Joey's after you finish reading yours if you want.
Josh: I guess I get to be the first to read, A Red Rose on a Snow Day, huh?
Bill : I hope you like it...you're the main character.
Josh: Really?? Aww....
Bill: Ok all you Siskel and Ebert type people....get to reading cause I want to get to dinner.
------------------------------10 minutes later-----------------------------
Chris: Oh....man....that was so sad....he died and gave all his money to Brian Littrell....he should have met one of us in the hospital...we're much more worthy. Bill...that was really a great story!
Joey: This one is awesome too! The Bill character just saved us from a gang of thugs with his telekinetic ability....and Justin and Lance are gay so far....but that was cool too!
Josh: This is the best short story I've read of yours, Bill. This is so sweet! The guy wins the dream date contest with us and then gives the date away to a girl with leukemia so that she can see us before she goes back into the hospital for chemotherapy. Awww...
Justin: Um....Bill...Are you sure you wrote this story....it doesn't sound anything like the ones that the guys are talking about. I mean...Lance and Nick rape Kevin Richardson?
Bill: Remember that horrible snow storm that NC got hit with around the superbowl? Well I got stuck inside my house for well over 4 days....I thought I was gonna pull a "Shining" on my roommate. That story was the by-product of being crazy and shut in for those four days.
Justin: Oh...actually...now it makes sense....now that you said that.
Bill: Really??
Justin: Yeah....Is there gonna be a sequel? Is Kevin gonna get revenge on Lance?
Bill: Nope. I've decided not to make a sequel. I foreshadowed it enough at the end so that everyone realizes that Lance is about to get his just returns.
Justin: Oh...bummer....I kinda really wanted to see him get....What are you looking at Lance?
Lance: Nothing...I think I might wanna read that story next tho. This one is just excellent, you have some of our characteristics down really well.....its amazing! Its sad that Patrick is dying tho...really sad....tho I dunno if I would fall in love with a guy with AIDS tho. I guess I still have a ways to read tho....
--------------------20 minutes later------------------------------------
Lance : Oh man.......Patrick just died......that sucks....I never got to say goodbye....
Josh: I am gonna take Bill for a walk and talk with him while you guys read the rest of his stories. You can tell him what you think about them when we get back. Lance...buddy...are you OK...its only a story...
Lance: But it's really good....I just got caught up in it I guess.
Bill: Keep reading Lance...you see Patrick again.
Lance: Really? Cool. Have fun on your walk....bye!!
Josh: Well sure Scoop...kick us out!
Josh: Where do you wanna walk to?
Bill: Lets walk somewhere and get some ice cream, OK?
Josh: It was really brave of you to let them read your stories seeing as how they just met you and all.
Bill: Well...I'd rather them dislike me about it right off the bat then find out about it later on down the line and feel like I was deceiving them or something and then have them hate me.....besides...like you said to Lance, its ONLY a group of stories, tho it is the product of my imagination, its only as real as the imagination of the reader.
Josh: Here we are. Baskin Robbins. What kind of ice cream do you like?
Bill: Hmm....do they have that raspberry white chocolate Love Potion one? My sister says that is to die for.
Josh: Yeah...there it is....I'll try that one too!
Joey: Whoa! We just killed a bunch of bad guys at the airport....Justin sliced off this evil chicks head with a shard of glass! COOL!!!!!!
Chris: Whoa! Did you read this? We're a couple Joey...you and I? Is that weird or what...and OH MY GOD...he made me the "catcher" and you the "pitcher" ...JEEZ!!!!
Justin : Well...Joey looks more masculine, Chris....you look.....
Chris: Go ahead...finish that sentence Curly...I dare you!
Justin: Um...Forget it.
Lance: This was an awesome fan fiction story...despite the fact that Justin and I got raped by Lou.
Justin: Wha...Lou?.....Ewwwwwwwwwww!!!!! Now THAT is NASTY!
Lance: We were both underaged too!
Justin: ICK!
Lance: So what do you guys think about Bill? Josh seems to like him a lot!
Justin: He's pretty awesome. He writes some amazing stuff. I wonder how much of the plots in his stories are real and how much is fantasy. I was reading this Backstreet Boys story and I am seeing connections between all of his stories. I think it has to do with Bill's best friend Rick. I think this Rick died of AIDS, like Patrick did, cause that's what happened in this story as well.
Lance: Oh. That's awful!!
Chris: I can't imagine how I'd be if any of you guys died. You are all my family, you know?
Joey: Well I like Bill. If Josh likes him, then I think we should support him. We really fucked up when Josh came out to all of us and I think we should do our best to make it up to him by being here for him from now on.
Chris: I agree. I still feel like a pile of Busta's turds for the way I treated him.
Lance: I feel the worst of all...I talked you all into treating him that way. I agree as well. I am glad Josh introduced him to us. Its not often that I meet someone that can be as pig headed as I am, or more so even and show me how much of a jackass I am sometimes. Besides, I really think that Josh LIKES Bill, and Josh deserves someone to love after going thru all this with us, you know?
Justin: Oh my......I didn't even see it like that....Wow...Josh falling in love with Bill. Does Bill even realize that?
Joey: Probably not? He's too busy defending him from us to see it. I think he can deal with it tho. They would be a cute couple, as gay guys go, I guess.
Bill: Ughhh......May I never see ice cream again.......I am having a MAJOR lactose intolerance moment here.
Josh: I know what you mean...and you only had two scoops with some caramel sauce. I had a four scoop sundae on a big brownie with hot fudge and whipped cream. I feel like I am gonna yak!
Bill: So what do you think of me? Am I what you expected?
Josh: You're much more than that. You are constantly amazing me. You don't treat me differently now that you know who I really am...and...I dunno...you just seem to know what is right...and what to do next.
Bill: Hmmmm...I don't know about that....I feel like I am just treading water now...with everyone reading my stories. I....don't want to be a cause of friction between you and the guys now that you are all seeing eye to eye again.
Josh: You won't be....
Comments? Questions? Complaints? Compliments? Send 'em to me....my email is: billy_burrew@yahoo.com . You can also check out my website at http://www.geocities.com/billy_burrew