Nick groaned as he woke feeling a weight on his arm, opening his eyes the blonde grinned realising it was his boyfriend. He didn't say anything content just to stay there watching Justin knowing they wouldn't get a lot of time to themselves made them hurt.
No matter how much he tried to reassure himself that everything was going to be okay Nick couldn't shake off the nervousness in his stomach. He felt something very important was going to happen, something that was going to change everything.
"Babe? Time to get up. The interviews start in a matter of hours." Nick said with a smile running one hand over Justin's arm.
Justin nodded sleepily, "Okay. Get breakfast ready, babe. I'll be down in thirty."
"Sure. Don't take too long." Nick said with a grin as he got up and ran to the bathroom.
After showering quickly Nick went downstairs and started cooking, unsure of what time the rest of the house was getting up the singer decided to make extra. It would be impolite not to make something for Justin's family and besides he wanted them to like him.
Nick was just putting the finishing touches to the table when Justin walked in gasping at how much effort Nick had taken to make sure everything was perfect. The table was set perfectly, all the cutlery, plates and bowls arranged in perfect angles to each other. In the middle there was a case containing blue and pink flowers the name of which escaped him.
"Do you think they'll like it?" Nick asked anxiously as he placed the last of the pancakes on a nearby plate.
"They'll love it. You didn't have to go to all this effort, babe."
Nick shrugged as he poured two glasses of fresh orange juice, "I know but I wanted to. You want your normal cereal for breakfast or something more filling?"
Justin grinned, "I'll have cereal for now, I can get something later if I need it."
"Hi boys, who did all this?" Lynn asked in shock as she walked inside the room.
"Nick did, mom."
Lynn said with a laugh, "You didn't have to go to all that fuss Nick. You're a guest so you should let us look after you."
"It was no trouble, really." Nick answered carrying three larges plates to the table; one was filled with waffles, another with French toast while the last had bacon, eggs and sausages on. He had decided to make a little of everything to make sure there was something everyone would eat.
"Well its looks great. So what's the plan for today?"
"We've got a meeting with Jive first thing. This afternoon we have four radio interviews and a photo-shoot interview combined then we might call in and see the guys."
"Are you coming back here tonight or going to your place?"
"We'll come back here. I'm thinking of telling Jon about us tonight."
"Okay, he's not going to have any problems with the two of you. He loves you Justin." Lynn said seriously knowing how much her eldest feared being rejected by his brother.
"You go and get changed, babe while I clean up in here." Justin said to his boyfriend, giving the blonde a quick kiss on the cheek before picking up this dishes and taking them to the sink. He grinned when Nick followed his suggestion with a smirk. ******* Taking his cane from his pocket Ben flipped it to its full size, placing it on the floor in front of him as he stood up. He had a meeting with the modelling agency today and was looking forward to it. Ben didn't think he had the looks to be a model but seeing as it was legal and he was desperate the man was willing to give it a try.
"I'll drop you off, Ben. What time is your appointment?" Kevin said quickly not wanting the blind man to get lost in an unfamiliar city.
"It's at 10:15. Thanks, Kevin. Sally will be here tomorrow so I should be okay getting around then."
"Is that your sister?" Kevin asked remembering the man had a sister whose name began with an S.
Ben gave a quick musical giggle, "No! She's my Labrador guide dog, I've had her for about 2 years. Sally is wonderful. Without her I don't know how I would have coped with getting around everyday."
"Oh, so where are you going?"
Ben started nervously biting his lip before saying, "A modelling agency called The Wright Face. It's in the middle of the city. I'm seeing a man called Johnny. I've spoken to him on the phone and he seems nice. I just hope my blindness won't be a problem for them."
Kevin said cheerfully, "You won't know until you try. I know where the office is so you don't have to worry about missing your appointment."
"Cool. I'll get a cab to Jamie's place." Ben said not wanting to upset the older man.
Kevin shook his head before realising the dark-haired man couldn't see him. Blushing faintly he said, "You can call me. I'll program my number into your phone."
"I don't want to be any trouble for you."
Kevin simply laughed, "You won't be. I wouldn't offer if I wasn't serious, ask any of the guys."
Ben conceded defeat as he gave the older man his phone, waiting patiently for it to be returned. Kevin gently gave him the phone before taking his arm, leading the way from the room. When Kevin started humming while they were inside the elevator Ben grinned.
Fifteen minutes later Kevin stopped the car just in front of the modelling agency. Turning to look at the younger man he said, "Ben, my number is in the memory of the phone. It is number 17. My phone will be on even if I'm in an interview. I'll pick you up as soon as I can. Will you be okay waiting here for me?"
"I'll be fine. What does this place look like?"
Kevin took another look at the building before speaking, "It's a typical office, I guess. There are three large signs with the name on them. There's an automatic door, about four feet from the door is a reception desk. The receptionist is a woman about 35 with long red hair. She has a big friendly smile on her face. Do you want me to take you in?"
"No, but thanks, Kev. I'll be fine from here." Ben said hoping his nerves didn't show in his voice.
"Okay, just call when you need a lift. I won't be happy if I find out you have got to Lance's without calling me." ******* Ben smiled as started walking towards the building, the sound of his cane hitting the floor in front of him was reassuringly familiar. He prayed to whatever God was listening that this meeting would end in him getting a job. He didn't want to have to depend on someone else, he didn't like surrendering control like that. With a deep breath he walked inside the modelling agency.
Ben smiled politely saying, "Hello. My name is Benjamin O'Keefe. I have an appointment to see a man called Johnny at 10:15."
"Hi Ben. My name is Alyssa, Johnny said you are to go straight in. Would you like me to take you in there?"
"That would be nice, thank you." Ben said shocked at her offer.
The receptionist shrugged, "Oh, its no problem. It gives me a chance to get away from these phones. So how did you manage to get an appointment?"
Ben grinned, "A couple of months ago I was out with some friends and was given a card. I called the number and the rest is history."
"Lucky you. I think you would be a great asset to the business. Here we are at Mr Wright's office. He's on his way out."
"Thank you for being so kind to me, Alyssa." Ben said seconds before another man started talking.
Johnny looked at the man saying, "Its nice to meet you, Mr O'Keefe. Come in and sit down, two steps forward and six to your right there is a chair. I am Johnny Wright, the manager of The Wright Face. Now please tell me why you have what it takes to be a model."
Ben shrugged, "To be perfectly honest I don't think I do have what it takes, I'm just a guy like any other. I lost my job the other day though so I'm desperate. I am at Boston studying music theory and modern dance but to be honest with you I'm beginning to hate it."
"At least your honest. I have to ask you something, what exactly are your vision problems?"
Ben hoped the man would still be receptive to him after he knew the truth, "I have about 20% of normal vision. I've been this way since I had a car accident years ago. I can understand this may be a problem as far as modelling goes.
"It won't be a problem. Our agency has had other blind models in the past," Johnny said reassuring the man.
Ben sighed in relief, "That's a relief I was panicking. What would you like me to do now?"
Johnny said seriously, "I want you to decide if this is a career you truly want because it will be very hard work. There are other career options with your looks you could have a very successful career in entertainment."
Getting a bad feeling suddenly Ben said nervously, "What exactly do you mean by that? It sounds like you are suggesting something crazy like the porn industry."
"Ben, I don't mean anything like that! I was talking about music. Lets not be naïve what most record companies are looking for is a cute face, talent is secondary. Do you sing or write?"
Wondering if he had lost all chances of getting a job since he had basically insinuated that the man was a recruiter for porn films Ben said, "I sing and compose music. I was in a group back home but we all went our separate ways. I can't write lyrics though."
Johnny nodded, "Okay, I manage a couple of bands myself and have contacts in Jive. Why don't you come with me and we'll take a few photos for your portfolio and then I'd like to hear you sing."
"Okay." Ben said tensing when the other man placed one arm around his shoulders.
Johnny laughed as he placed a hand around the potential model's shoulders "Relax, I'm not going to crucify you or anything."
Ben took a deep breath as he and the older man walked down the corridor. Maybe there was a chance of him actually getting a job? It looked like his sister was right, life was beginning to change for the better. ******** Across town three hours later:
The journalist said a grin, "Let me introduce myself first, my name is Harry McNeil. I'm a journalist and a photographer for The Rolling Stones. How do you feel about the press calling your forthcoming USA tour the Boyband Battle Tour by the press?"
"The tour will be fun but its nothing as melodramatic as a battle. Its just the ten of us doing what we love, singing."
When Chris finished speaking Kevin nodded, "We felt a joint tour was a good idea to show everyone that we are not rivals. Jive, got together with us and talked about the possibility of a joint tour after reading about how much our fans hated each other because they believed we hated the other's group."
The man turned to look at Nick and Justin who were sitting together on the sofa consciously making an effort not to reach out and join their hands. With a charming smile Harry said, "How is the song writing going? Do we have a couple of new number ones ready, Nick and Justin?"
"We have completed two, and we like them. They will be performed on tour." Nick said proudly giving Justin a brief smirk.
"What are the names?" Harry said wanting to get the exclusive.
Justin smiled, "The first one is called It's Over, which I will be singing."
"The second is Embrace The Night and I'll sing it." Nick said not missing a beat.
Harry made all the polite noises as he wrote down the titles, "Did you write the songs with yourselves in mind to sing them?"
"We wrote them for all of us but after it was agreed by both groups that Justin and I should sing them."
Assuming Nick was telling the truth since no one else reacted Harry nodded "How are you handling the rumours about the two of you dating? How did your families react to the news?"
Nick said honestly, "My mom thought it was funny. No one else said anything and I wasn't concerned at how they would react. I was raised to believe all people are equal regardless of race, sexuality, gender or disability."
Justin laughed saying, "My mom was just happy that the media set me up with someone nice. She likes Nick."
Kevin felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and said seriously, "I need to take this call, sorry.
"That's okay." Harry said gently before turning to the others.
Kevin smiled in thanks before answering his phone, "Kevin here."
Ben couldn't help but smile at the man's bored tone, "Hey, its Ben. I've finished for the day. I'm sitting in a café with some of the models next to the agency. I was just wondering if you still want to pick me up? One of the models, Graham, has offered to give me a lift home."
Kevin couldn't help but panic at the thought of Ben being attacked by some psycho model. He said quickly, "Don't be ridiculous, Ben. I'll be there in fifteen. You feel like getting something to eat later?"
"Food sounds great, Kev. I've got a lot to tell you about today. How's your day been?"
Kevin said wryly, "Interesting. I'm just leaving now, Ben."
"Okay, talk to you later." Ben said as he ended the call with a grin.
Kevin looked back at the others taking a deep breath before explaining, "I've got to go. A friend of mine needs me to pick him up. I'll come back here for the photos once I've picked him up"
"That's would be great, I can just continue the interview with the others." Harry said quickly not wanting to upset the other man. ******* Kevin watched the scene with a mixture of shock and worry, Ben was attractive enough to look in place with the rest of the models. The six sitting in a circle quietly talking were getting more then a few amorous glances and smiles from the people nearby both male and female. Not that it mattered since the group were too busy talking to care. He moved forward listening to the conversation between the models.
A tall muscular brunette with blonde spikes said pleadingly, "Come back to my place, Ben? We will show you just how we party in this business."
Ben shook his head seriously answering, "I can't make it, Graham. I've got plans to meet someone but thanks for offering."
"Well give me a call later in the week. It will be nice to show a virgin around the sets."
Ben laughed at the term virgin, "Hate to break this to you, Graham but they are all the same to me."
"Oh yeah, the sight thing. Just how much can you see anyway?"
Ben considered the question before answering, "I can see blurs of colour but I can't make out shapes or anything."
Steve interrupted the conversation before either man could start on another topic to ask, "Just who are you meeting, Ben because there's some guy approaching."
Ben stopped drinking his coffee, "What does he look like?"
"Kevin Richardson from Backstreet. You aren't meeting him, right?"
"Actually, I am." Ben said with a smirk.
"Hey Ben. Are you ready to go?" Kevin asked shortly before placing one hand on the younger man's shoulder.
Ben smiled at Kevin, "Hi Kev. Let me introduce you to the guys. Graham is to my left followed by Steve, Alex, Daniel and Blair."
"Its nice to meet you all. Now I hate to be impolite but we will have to go. I'm actually in the middle of a shoot."
"We understand how that goes." Alex said not reacting to the murmurs of agreement from the other four working models.
Standing Ben said, "I'll call you guys. Good look with the film, Daniel."
The five all nodded shouting out a farewell. Once the pair were out of sight the models started speculating on the exact nature of the relationship between the singer and their new friend. They could understand why someone would be attracted to someone like Ben. Their new friend was an unusual find even in their industry. Each one had experience with beautiful people, which turned out to be spiteful and cruel. Ben was kind, caring, honest, loyal and beautiful. ******* "So where are we going now?" Ben said seriously after they had been driving for about ten minutes.
Kevin answered, "Back to the hotel we are staying in, the magazine are doing a In Bed With The Boybands feature."
"Sounds boring, its been done before." Ben said honestly while wondering whether his opinion would matter.
Kevin made a sound of agreement as he said, "I know but there's only so many poses they can do. It'll sell especially after the story about Nick and Justin."
"I guess you're right. Do you want me to wait in our room while you finish up?"
Parking the car Kevin shook his head, "Nah. You can come and chill out. If you are going to be working in the business then you may as well get used to sitting around while the photographer does his shit. Apart from that I know the others will want to talk to you."
Ben asked nervously, "How is Howie treating everyone?"
"The same, I'm just worried about how he's going to treat Nick."
Ben knew Nick would cope, "Nick will get through it. He's strong enough to cope and he's not alone. I've got a lot to tell you about today. You won't believe what the Johnny offered me."
"Did he give you a contract?" Kevin asked knowing the man beside him was certainly attractive enough to be a famous model.
"Kind of. He said he'll take me on if its what I want but he has some other career in mind for me."
"What kind of career?" Kevin said anxiously wondering if the man had been duped. Could Ben really trust some man he had only met that day?
"The entertainment industry." Ben answered as he flipped the cane open, following Kevin's murmured directions.
The pair silently stepped into the elevator not wanting to say anything that could be misinterpreted, as cameras would be recording what happened in the elevators. Once they reached their floor, Kevin nodded at the bodyguards while keeping his hand on the younger man's arm to guide him.
"So what floor are we on?" Ben asked mainly to break the anticipating silence.
"The top, we're in the Penthouse suite. The photographer felt it was the right place, apparently the other rooms are too small."
Seeing the man's point Ben nodded, "One room would be cramped with ten singers and the magazine staff not to mention all the cameras and lighting." ******* Walking into the room Kevin groaned as he spied what everyone was wearing. He hated wearing the ridiculous clothes the photographers made them wear but it never mattered. On a photo-shoot the photographers word was law.
Harry smiled as he walked over, "Kevin, I'm glad you made it so fast. Who's your friend?"
Kevin returned to reality saying smoothly, "Sorry, I'll make the introductions. Ben O'Keefe, this is Harry McNeil. He's the reporter for the magazine."
"O'Keefe? Are you from Ireland by any chance?" Harry asked pouncing on the unsuspecting man.
Ben nodded saying, "Originally. I've been here for months. I was studying music theory and philosophy in Boston. I'm not interrupting, am I?"
"No, its nice to meet someone who knows the boys. Would you give me a little interview?" Harry said in a smooth tone.
"I...guess so but there isn't much to say." Ben said quickly knowing he would have to get used to it.
"Ben! How did it go this morning?" Lance asked excitedly as he walked over, gently leading Ben over to the sofa.
"It went okay, I guess. He offered to give a contract right away but then he said he had other careers in mind for me and that I should take some time to think things over."
"What sort of career?" Lance asked warily.
With an impish grin Ben said suggestively, "Entertainment, he said my looks would get me far."
"WHAT?!" Nick shouted in confusion not noticing he had attracted the attention of the other occupants in the room.
Nick said worriedly, "Er...Benny? It sounds like he wants you to work in a porn movie or something."
Ben smirked, "I said exactly the same thing but he said that he meant the music industry. He took me to a place nearby where I sang a few songs and did a demo. He said to call in a couple of days and he'll have more info."
"What was his name and where did you meet him, Ben?" Lance said wanting to investigate the man.
Smiling at his friend's protection Ben answered, "Johnny Wright and I met him in the mall in Boston. He was there on a scouting mission. He primarily works out of LA and Orlando. He manages a couple of small groups himself. He has contacts in Jive and offered to get my demo to some friends of his."
"You mean Johnny as in our Johnny?"
Ben asked in confusion, "Who are you talking about Jaime?"
"Its him, I bet it is." Lance said to himself listening to Nick explain everything. He grinned at Ben's response.
"Get real, Nicky. Johnny Wright is a very common name and if he works out of both LA and Orlando its obvious he would have contacts in Jive. Why would Johnny Wright want to manage me?"
Ignoring the sarcasm Nick retorted, "Maybe he can see the dollar signs. Newsflash for you, Benny! You are attractive, you can sing and you can play. He would be nuts not to snap you up."
"You are both delusional. Look at the numbers he gave me and then you will realise that you both live in a fantasy world," Ben said with a sigh reaching into the pocket of his leather jacket he held out a business card.
"SHIT! It really is our JOHNNY!!" Lance shouted in a mix of nervousness and amazement. If his friend was going to have a career in music there was a very good chance he wouldn't see Ben for a while.
Kneeling at his new friend's side Kevin grinned whispering, "You okay, Ben? You look like you're about to pass out."
Ben laughed lowly, "I may. Can you believe this? I can't accept anyway. It would look like I only got to know all of you because I wanted something."
"You might like it, if not you can go back to modelling but we won't leave you alone and we don't think you used us."
"Thanks for the pep talk, Kev. Now aren't you going to finish your shoot?" Ben said with a small nudge at the man.
Kevin sighed in disgust at his outfit, "Yeah. I think this is one of the worst I have ever done. They are making us all wear silk boxers! I'm wearing the very annoying bright red pair. Why couldn't I get the nice black pair that AJ's wearing? They need to finish up Howie and Joey's shots first. Thankfully it looks like D's in good form today, he hasn't sniped at anyone. Maybe he will come round."
"Maybe, has anyone asked him why he is so homophobic?" Ben asked softly not wanting to be overheard by the reporter.
Kevin admitted, "No. He changes the subject or walks away when I try to talk to him."
"Kevin, can you come over here for the shoot?" Harry called out loudly drawing the attention of the two men whispering.
Kevin walked away reassuring the man that he would be back soon. As he walked away Lance moved to sit further apart from the others, JC following him so they could finish talking about everything. ******* "Ben, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" Harry asked while sitting down opposite the sofa Ben was on.
"Of course with the understanding that I can refuse to answer a question if I choose."
"Thanks. You may not want to answer this but I noticed you are walking with a cane. I assume your eyesight is impaired, were you born with this problem?"
Ben didn't want to go into the details so he settled for a half truth, "I have about twenty percent sight. I can make out blurs but I can't tell what they are. I was in a car accident four years ago that resulted in my loss of sight. I will be honest with you, I was really angry and depressed for years but thanks to a lot of support and love I got through it. If not for my sister and some wonderful friends I would have just curled up in a ball."
"That's fine. So how did you meet the guys?"
Feeling the question was harmless Ben answered, "I became friends with Nick in Ireland three years ago when Backstreet Boys were on tour. We lost touch though. Eighteen months ago I decided to move over here to study. It was a month later that I met Jaime online. Soon we were talking on the phone and sending each other letters. As far as I knew he was my friend James who was working for a small record company."
"When did you find out he was Lance Bass from Nsync?"
Ben laughed, "Sunday. Actually I didn't believe him at first. It took Jaime, Nicky and Justin to convince me he was telling the truth. Jaime said he didn't tell me because he felt guilty for keeping it from me for so long."
"You are close to Kevin and JC as well?" Harry asked having noticed how the man reacted to Ben, as if they had known each other all their lives.
Ben nodded saying quickly, "Kevin and Josh are great. Sometimes you meet people and just click with them right away. That's what happened, I'll always be there for them and I know they are there for me."
"That's a great thing to say. So what are your plans for the future?"
"My only plan is to enjoy life to its fullest and to be happy."
"A good plan indeed. Thanks for talking to me. Can I just ask where you were earlier?" Harry said quickly once again feeling Ben was hiding something.
Ben considered just what to say before deciding to tell the truth, "I was at a modelling agency, the owner had asked me to try out so I did."
"So you are a model then?" Harry asked while writing seriously on his notepad.
Ben laughed, "Not exactly. I was offered a contract but I want to think everything through first."
"That sounds very sensible. Now not to be rude but I'll have to get back to interviewing the bands."
"Okay, it was nice meeting you." Ben answered before reaching down to his backpack, taking out a book. Opening it at the bookmark he placed his hands on the page reading one of his favourite stories. ******* "Hey guys, look!" JC whispered as he looked over at Ben. The two bands were alone in the hotel room as the magazine had left saying the suite had been reserved for two days so they were welcome to use it if they wanted.
Ben was lying on the sofa, the book closed on his lap. He was snoring loudly much to the amusement of the others. Sleeping he looked so young each one realised as the pain always visible in his eyes disappeared. A pain five people knew was caused by his mother's rejection.
Kevin gave an exasperated sigh, "So what? It is 18:00 and he's had nothing to do for hours. Not to mention that we didn't get to sleep until after 2 this morning and he was up at nine."
"I can't believe he is reading this again!" Lance said with a smirk as he ran his hand over the front of the book.
Joey asked accusingly, "Since when do you read Braille?"
Lance shrugged ignoring the older man's tone, "I learnt when I started sending letters to Ben. He loves this book, you know."
"What is it?" Kevin asked his curiosity getting the best of him.
Lance said quickly, "A book by Mark Richard Zubro, the title is Sorry Now? It's a really great book, he loves books by Mark Richard Zubro. He's got all of his books and they are really good."
Nick nodded, "He wrote Here Comes the Corpse. I really liked that book. Now who's going to wake Ben's sorry ass up or are we just going to carry him down to the car?"
"We can carry him. I don't mind to be honest and he's not that heavy but we shouldn't startle him like that. Tell you what, you can wake him up Kevin but be careful he tends to hit out if he's startled."
Kevin nodded at Lance's warning before kneeling by the sofa and gently shaking Ben's shoulder, "Ben, come on time to get up. We've got plans tonight remember?"
"I remember. So where are we going?"
"Anywhere you want but I was thinking we could talk." Kevin said with a small smirk.
Thinking through the options Ben said, "Sounds good. The publicity thing rules out a lot of places. How about we just chill in our room then you can tell me about everything, like the identity of this mystery guy?"
Kevin hummed in agreement whispering, "If you want, now we're got to get to Lance's. You might want to hear about the plans for the tour."
"Just lead the way, Kev." Ben said with a smirk taking the man's held and allowing Kevin to pull him up.
They walked out the room first with Kevin asking about the interview Ben had given earlier. As they left everyone quickly looked at Lance, noting the jealously in the man's green eyes. It appeared Lance didn't like the idea of Ben going off somewhere with Kevin. JC had overheard the conversation unlike any of the others and couldn't help but wonder how his friend would react to the knowledge that Kevin and Ben had plans together for the evening. Did Lance have feelings for Ben and if so what should they do about them? ******* "God its great to hold you again, baby." Nick murmured as he hugged his boyfriend ignoring the shivers produced by the feel of Justin's breath against his neck.
"I know how you feel. Can we tell the others about us tonight? I want to hold you when I need you, its bad enough having to watch my behaviour when we are with our friends."
"If you want. Lets wait until everyone is settled at Lance's. I hope D takes it well. I don't want to lose him, he's my best friend and I'll miss him."
"Everything will work out." Justin said reassuringly before silence descended until the pair reached Lance's home. Justin gave his lover the silence he knew the blonde needed. Nick was questioning if he would still have his friends once the night was over.
"You ready to do this?" Justin asked his lover who nodded mere seconds before the Nsync singer opened the door.
"Take a seat everyone I want to discuss the plans for the tour." Lance said commandingly waiting for everyone to sit down before speaking.
"So what do you want to talk about?" Brian asked in confusion.
Lance explained patiently, "What songs are we going to sing and with whom?"
"I suggest five songs for each band to sing together. Then we sing solos if we want." AJ said not wanting to cause any tension between everyone.
Joey nodded, "What are Backstreet going to sing?"
"How about we all pick a song? I pick How Did I Fall In Love With You." Nick said taking on the traditional role as peacemaker.
Howie nodded saying, "My choice is Spanish Eyes."
"Drowning, it's one of my favourites." AJ said with a smirk.
"I Want It That Way." Brian said quickly grinning when Nick and AJ just rolled their eyes.
"Shape of My Heart, I love that song." Kevin said before looking around to make sure his choice was okay with the others.
"Now our turn guys, I pick Girlfriend." Joey said with a sideways look at Nick and Justin sitting together. He had a feeling the pair where hiding something.
"Gone is my choice as it is popular and I love it." Justin said finally looking around the room.
Lance looked up from his study of JC to answer, "Up Against The Wall."
"It Makes Me Ill, it's a little different to the others." JC said with a smirk.
"Just Don't Tell Me That because its popular with the fans and they can dance to it." Chris said before continuing, "Now for the solos..."
"Nicky and I are sorted." Justin said speaking for the both of them not bothering to look at his lover.
Kevin said thoughtfully, "I will sing Somewhere In My Broken Heart by Billy Dean. It would sound great after it's Over."
"I quite like Selena's Dreaming of You," JC said with a small grin.
"There's one song I've always wanted to sing, Eric Clapton's Wonderful Tonight? It's a nice cheerful slow and romantic song." Lance admitted shyly.
Brian looked around before saying, "Look Away by Chicago is my solo. It's a good song and fits in with the It's Over."
Howie said quickly, "I want to sing a solo. It should be a romantic one to fit in with the mood of the others. I will sing...I Could Fall In Love by Selena."
Chris nodded saying, "I'll sing This Night Won't Last Forever by Michael Johnson. It's a depressing, bittersweet love song. Anyone else want to sing any solos?"
Everyone else shook their heads before looking over at Nick when the blonde coughed, "I have something to tell you. I don't want to go through this a dozen times. I'm gay and I'm seeing this really wonderful guy."
"Who is it?" Joey asked eyeing the two blondes sitting together suspiciously.
Justin said seriously, "Me. Nicky and I are dating. I was never dating Britney, I'm gay but she was just helping me out. We have only been dating a week or so but I've been in love with him for months. We are going to stay together no matter what happens."
"You can't be gay, Nick! That bastard did something to you!" Howie snarled glaring at the pair of them.
Trying his hardest to control his temper Nick said, "D, I'm gay and always have been. No one made me gay, you can't make someone gay it is just a part of you."
Kevin decided to give the others a hint saying, "Nick, we're not going to leave you or hate you because of who you love."
Brian said sadly, "I can't believe you this from me. The one thing that upsets me about this is that you never told me, I thought you trusted me."
Nick needed to explain taking a deep breath he said, "I didn't tell you because I was too busy trying to come to terms with it myself. I had my own issues to work through before I could even think about telling you."
"You've got good taste anyway, Nick." Joey said with a small grin at Justin who just looked at his boyfriend proudly.
"So this is the reason you've been so distracted for the last week or so?" JC asked Justin warily.
"Yeah. Mom was intent on setting me up with the man she felt was perfect for me. Amazingly it was the perfect guy, Nick. I have no idea how she managed to figure out who I was attracted to but she did."
"Wait! Your mom set you up with Nick? How did she know he was gay?" Chris asked in disbelief.
Nick shrugged, "Actually my mom set me up on a blind date with Justin so they must have got together to talk about it. They looked so happy when we got together."
"So the story about you two is right? How could you be so stupid?" Howie said in outrage.
"We're sorry! It was our first date and we had other things on our mind!" Nick shouted in their defence.
"Anymore bombshells you want to drop on us?" AJ said wryly looking around the room.
Kevin grinned, "To change the subject we need to talk about the final arrangement. I think it should be us first then Nsync. The solos are a different matter, I think we all agree that Justin should sing after Nick. We may as well take advantage of the media storm for a change."
Lance said hesitantly, "We can divide the solos into two sets of four. How about I sing followed by Howie, JC and Nick? The second part of the solos can be Justin, Kevin, Chris and Brian."
Kevin nodded, "That is fine. I know Jive gave us our room assignments however I was told we could choose our own as long as each room has a member of each band, the same for the buses. It goes without saying that Nick and Justin will be rooming together. Onto the boring stuff, is anyone extra coming on tour because I need to give Jive a list by tomorrow."
"Leighanne will be coming to stay for a few tour dates but I don't know which ones." Brian said wanting to inform Nsync.
"Benny's coming but you already know that."
"I don't know about that Nick, it depends on what Johnny tells me. I might have to stay behind." Ben said unsure as to how his announcement would be received.
"I'll put you down anyway. It's a lot easier to cancel than get you one later on," Kevin reassured the dark haired man.
Justin said quickly, "Are we finished? Nick and I have got plans with the family."
"Yeah that's it. Ben and I need to get going anyway." Kevin said looking over at the man in question.
"What are you guys doing tonight?" Lance asked glaring at everyone.
At Lance's tone Ben said calmly, "We're having dinner and then going to talk about a few things."
"I guess I'll see you all tomorrow then." Kevin said with a smile at the others taking Ben's hand to help lead the man to the waiting car.
Lance watched the pair leave a mixture of confusion and jealously burning through him. He wasn't sure who he was more angry with Ben for leaving or Kevin for stealing Ben away. He needed Ben to be there for him, to listen and give advice as the man had done in the past. It was selfish he knew but he wanted Ben with him not with Kevin! Even as he thought that Lance tried to shake off the feeling, he had no right to act so possessive of Ben since the man had lost so much because of him. Looking at JC he smiled, perhaps Ben's absence was a good thing as there was so much he had Josh needed to discuss that they couldn't with an audience.
Ben and Kevin's departure seemed to be the signal to everyone that it was time to leave. The first to go where Nick and Justin who held hands as they walked outside. Chris looked over at Howie communicating silently soon the pair left, their postures making it clear that no one else was invited.
"I'll talk to you all later." AJ said as he left with the remaining Backstreet member following seconds behind.
"Feel like coming back to my place?" Chris asked looking over at Joey knowing his two friends needed to talk in private.
"Sounds great, see you guys." Joey said with a nod at the pair sitting together on the sofa.
"Bye." Lance and JC said in unison watching the pair leave with a mixture of trepidation and happiness. Finally they could talk about everything that they had allowed to divide them including the reason why they had become so distant from each other.
End Part 16
"You write in order to change the world, knowing perfectly well that you probably can't, but also knowing that literature is indispensable to the world... The world changes according to the way people see it, and if you alter, even by a millimeter, the way ... people look at reality, then you can change it." -- James Arthur Baldwin (1924-87), American writer, critic