Nick and the Altos

Nick and the Altos, Part 26

Nick and the Altos, Part 26

Here we go with Part 26. Hope no one passes out from shock that I'm posting again this soon, but I actually started writing this part just a few hours after sending off Part 25.

One of the things that seems to be a tradition on here is for authors to mention some of their favorite stories... I have been an avid reader of quite a few: My New Life, Forever (Back after a hiatus), Twist of Fate (I'm waiting for another installment, Jeff), Yellow, Just Together (Celebrity section but has N'Sync in it), Brian and Me (what a sad ending, but I guess DLS left room for a sequel -- hope, hope, hope), Jamie's Romance, My Surprise Romance, Lance in Shining Armour, Studio in the Country, Lucky Me, Not Meant to Be, Mile High Meeting (I'm still ahead of you Cam, but not by much), Model Romance, Beneath It All and the list goes on. My email address is mikeylikesit80@hotmail.com, if you feel inclined to write and let me know what you think or just want to chat.

Now on to the standard disclaimers. I doubt that anything I write will make any difference since if you found this little gathering place on the World Wide Web you're probably going to go ahead and read what's here no matter what anyone says. But here it goes anyway...

If you have a problem reading about guys who like other guys as something more than just friends, you need to go find some other place to poke around. If you are under the legal age to read erotic fiction where you live, you probably wouldn't get in trouble for reading this story, but you really don't belong here. And most importantly, many of the names mentioned in this story have been changed to protect the guilty (or is that supposed to be the innocent?). Under no circumstances will I disclose whether or not I actually know any of The Backstreet Boys or any other celebrity who may make an appearance. Nor do I believe in outing people, so I will not disclose any information about the true sexual orientation of anyone mentioned in this story.

Previously in the story of Nick and the Altos

I stood out in the hall watching Nick talk to the two of them. Seeing the way he befriended them put a smile on my face, something that hadn't happened much recently.

After about ten minutes, Nick said, "Well, it's been great meeting you guys. I need to get back to my friend's mother. Hope you feel better really soon, Alison."

"Thanks for coming to visit me," Alison said."

"Hope you friend's mother feels better soon," Jeremy said.

"Thanks," Nick said as he got up and left the room.

"That was really nice of you to do that, Nick," I said.

"Thanks."

We got back on the elevator and since we were alone, I took advantage of the opportunity to pull him into a kiss. We broke as the elevator stopped and the doors started to open. We walked down the hallway and as we approach my mother's room I saw that Jason and Jennifer were standing in the hallway. Jason had his arms around her. When we got to where they were standing I noticed that Jennifer was crying.

At first I was afraid to say anything. Nick took hold of my hand and gave it a squeeze. Finally I got up the courage to find out what was going on, saying, "Guys, why are you out in the hall?"

"Where the Hell have you two been?" Jason asked angrily.

"We went to get drinks and then visited this girl in the cancer ward. What's going on?"

"Jason and I were sitting there talking to mom," Jennifer sobbed, "and then the monitors started making these awful noises. The nurse told us to leave and some doctors and nurses came running and are in with her. We don't know what is going on."

The news hit me like a brick wall. Nick pulled me closer, letting go of my hand and putting his arm around me. I was pretty much a space case at that point. The four of us stood in the hallway not saying anything. A nurse came over to us a few minutes later and asked us to move to the waiting area rather than standing in the hall. Nick took charge of me and guided me towards the room the nurse had pointed to. Jason and Jennifer followed after us.

Nick sat down on one of the couches and I sat down next to him. He put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me up against him. Jason and Jennifer took chairs across from us. We were all in shock over the recent turn of events.

We had been waiting for 20 or 30 minutes when Dr. Josephs walked into the waiting area and sat down next to us. Before any of us could say anything, he quietly said, "I'm sorry, but we weren't able to save your mother."

"But she seemed to be getting better..." Jason said.

"Jason," Dr. Josephs said, "As seriously as your mother was injured, it was a miracle that she survived as long as she did. There was no way to know what was going to happen."

"But she woke up yesterday and spoke to Mikey and Nick."

"Yes, but only for a few seconds. I'm sorry, we tried as hard as we could but she just wasn't strong enough."

"Thanks for trying, Dr. Josephs," Jennifer said, "Can we see her before we leave?"

"Sure, it will take a few minutes to get everything back out of the room. Wait here and I will have a nurse come get you."

I don't know why but as much as I have cried over the past several weeks, strangely the tears didn't start flowing. I just sort lay up against Nick and felt empty, drained. I guess it was shock. Maybe it was just disbelief over what had just transpired. The only thing that kept me in touch with the real world was feeling Nick gently running his fingers on my chest. It wasn't anything sexual, just him letting me know that he was there.

No words were spoken as the four of us sat there. I don't know how long we waited, but eventually a nurse came in and told us we could go see mom. We all got up and walked back to her room. Nick never let go of my hand, in spite of the fact that we were walking down a public corridor. You can't imagine how good that made me feel. When we got to the door I hesitated. Nick turned to me and said, "You sure you want to do this, Mikey?"

"Yeah," I replied, "Will you come in with me?"

"Sure."

I opened the door and we slowly walked into the room. I looked around and noticed that most of the machines she had been plugged into had been removed. The room actually was a lot larger than it had seemed to be earlier. I finally looked over at the bed and saw her laying there looking so peaceful. The sheet and blanket were pulled up to her chest and her arms lay on top of them along her side.

We walked over to the side of the bed and I looked down at her. I felt tears forming and flowing down my cheeks, but they flowed silently. I didn't start sobbing or anything. I leaned up against Nick and he put his arm around me once again. I stood there for a few minutes and then quietly said, "Goodbye, Mom. I love you so much." Then I turned and walked out of the room with Nick at my side.

When we got out in the hallway I stopped and leaned up against the wall and wiped the tears from my face. I turned and looked at Nick and said, "You know in movies it seems like they always show people kiss a person goodbye or hold their hand. I just couldn't bring myself to do it, Nick. The thought of touching her dead body just seems so morbid."

"She knew you loved her Mikey. Just be glad we had those few seconds with her yesterday. I'm so sorry she didn't recover so we could get to know each other better."

"Me too, Nick. She never got to know how special our love is," I said sadly.

"You're wrong there, Mikey. She knew before we did. She told me that first weekend."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she saw how much we were going to love each other right from the start. Pretty amazing."

"She was pretty amazing, the way she survived all the Hell the family went through. The allegations, my being gay, Angela's illness. It's too bad she didn't get a chance to enjoy some peace and quiet after Angela died."

The door opened and Jennifer and Jason joined us in the hallway. Jennifer asked if we would drive the car back to Jason's house because she was going to ride with him. She gave Nick the keys and then we walked out to the parking lot. As we pulled out of the lot, I gave Nick directions that took us to the breakwater. We got out of the car and started walking out past the restaurant and the shops, watching all the people wandering around.

Once we were out past the shops, we found ourselves alone. Nick started walking closer to me and took hold of my hand. As we walked we alternated between the side facing the ocean and looking at the boats tied up in their slips on the harbor side. Eventually we reached the end of the walkway. I leaned up against the wall and Nick turned and faced me.

"So are you ok, all things considered?"

"Yeah, just sort of subdued. Sure glad you're here with me though," I replied as I looked back towards the shore. Not seeing anyone close by, I reached up and kissed him gently.

After I leaned back, Nick leaned forward and kissed me. It was a much more intense kiss and it lasted a lot longer. When he pulled back I stood back up and he pulled me into a hug. Something about it took it's toll on me and the tears started like the damned dam had burst.

Nick stood there holding me and letting me soak his shirt for several minutes, until I was startled by the sound of a voice saying, "Are you ok, mister?"

I backed away from Nick and saw a little girl that was probably only six or seven years old standing between her parents, holding their hands.

"His mother just passed away," Nick said, "That's why he is crying."

"I'm so sorry," the man said, "And sorry we disturbed you."

"Thanks," I said as I tried wiping away my tears. "And it's ok. I think I'm just about cried out."

"Was she sick long?" the woman asked.

I didn't know what to say in response to the question. As was becoming the case all to often in our young relationship, Nick came to the rescue, "It was very sudden and unexpected."

"As sad as it is, at least it wasn't a long, drawn out illness. That's a lot harder to deal with," she said.

"I know," I said haltingly, "My little sister died recently after a long illness."

"Oh no," the woman said, "You're Michael Alto, aren't you?"

I nodded my head slowly in reply to her question as Nick put his arm around me and pulled me closer.

"I saw an article in the paper about your family. We're really sorry for everything that has happened to your family, Michael."

"Thanks," I said quietly, trying rather unsuccessfully to smile at them.

"We'll leave you guys alone," the woman said. "Oh, and Nick, don't worry, we won't say anything about you guys."

"Huh?" Nick sputtered.

"It's pretty obvious that you two are more than just friends. We won't say anything about that to anyone."

And with that they turned around and started walking back towards shore. Nick and I stood there arm in arm, pretty much dumbstruck by what had just happened.

"I guess I had better hurry up and come out before everyone in the whole country figures it out and steals my thunder."

"Do you think it really is that obvious?"

"It must be because we sure don't ever seem to fool anyone other than each other."

After standing there for a few more minutes just holding each other, we started back towards the car. We held hands until we got pretty close to where there were people walking around. We got in the car and drove back to Jason's house. On the way I asked Nick if he would be up to going down to my house over night instead of staying at the hotel. He was totally up for it.

When we got to Jason's house we went inside and talked about the funeral arrangements. Jason called the funeral home and scheduled the service for two days later at 11 A.M. I told him that we were going down to my house for the night so I could pick up some things and just get away from everything. He said that he would arrange to have the helicopter at his house in an hour so we wouldn't have to drive out to the airport.

Nick and I drove back to the hotel and told the guys what we were going to do. We invited them all to join us, but only Brian was interested. Kevin, Howie and AJ had already made plans for the night. The three of us packed a few things and drove back to Jason's house with Gracie jumping around in the back seat driving Brian crazy. The helicopter arrived a few minutes after we did.

The trip down to John Wayne Airport went quickly. Jason had also arranged for a car to meet us and take us to the yacht club so I could pick up my car. Gracie was really excited and appeared to want to go out on the boat, since she ran over to the gate that leads to the docks. When we got in the car instead, she came hauling ass and jumped in the back seat.

It was a quick trip from the yacht club to my house. We pulled into the garage and went inside. Gracie was doing back flips to be home and I wasn't far from it. I guess it is pretty hard to pick between my place in Denver and this place. I love both of them.

Nick gave Brian a quick tour and took him out to the guest room. When they came back to the kitchen, Brian said, "Wow, Mikey, this place is incredible. I didn't believe Nick when he first told me about it."

"Thanks, make yourself at home. What do you guys want for dinner?"

"Pizza gets my vote," Brian said.

"That works for me," Nick said as he went and got the phone and hit the infamous speed dial button.

I got cold drinks out of the refrigerator and passed them around, suggesting we go out in the back yard while we waited for dinner to be delivered. Gracie raced over to the door as soon as she realized where I was headed. I opened the door and she went running out and checking to make sure everything was still in its proper place.

Nick and Brian followed me outside and closed the door. I went over and sat on one of the benches where you could get a beautiful view of the ocean and Catalina Island. Nick came over and sat next to me.

"So I take it that is the infamous spa, huh?" Brian asked jokingly as he sat down on one of the other benches. "You aren't planning an encore tonight are you, Nick?"

"No," Nick said as his face turned red from embarrassment.

I moved away from Nick and turned so I could lay down on the bench and use him as a pillow. I got comfortable very quickly and lay there listening to the two of them talk like the old friends they were. I really relaxed for the first time since that morning, enjoying the feeling of Nick running his fingers through my hair.

Time flew by and before I knew it the doorbell rang. I started to get up, but Nick told me to stay still. He got up and went to pay for the pizza. Brian and I got up and went into the kitchen and got fresh drinks and plates and made ready to chow down. Nick was back with the pizza a few minutes later and we dug in. The pizza didn't last long with three hungry guys going after it.

After dinner I went up to my media den and turned on the sound system and put on Badly Drawn Boy. Then I went back down to the courtyard and built a fire in the fireplace. A few minutes later Nick and Brian joined me. Brian grabbed a chair and Nick cuddled up with me on the couch. The furniture in the courtyard is all metal framed, but has outdoor cushions. For a change I was the one sitting and Nick lay down with his head in my lap. As we sat around talking and listening to the music, I found myself really enjoying our "new" position with me running my fingers through his hair.

After the CD was through playing, Brian excused himself to go into the guest room and call Leighanne. Nick volunteered to go up and put on another CD. While he was gone I put another log on the fire. Before long I heard atb's Two Worlds coming from the speakers. A few minutes went by and Nick hadn't reappeared, so I was about to go up and see what was keeping him when I heard one of the French doors open behind me. Next thing I knew two hands were sliding down my chest as he leaned over me and gave me a kiss.

"No fair, Nick," I said, "You brushed."

"So sue me," he responded as he walked around the side of the couch and pulled my arm so that I lay down. Then he lay on top of me and picked up where he had left off. We got into some major kissing action but none of our clothes went flying or anything. We both got pretty aroused, though.

We continued our kissing activities until we heard a voice say, "Ok, straight boy in the area. Let's cool things off a bit."

"Get used to it, Bri," Nick said after breaking our kiss.

"The kissing I can handle, I was just worried you guys weren't going to stop there..."

"You don't need to worry, that will have to wait until we go up to our bedroom," Nick said.

'Our bedroom' I thought to myself. I really liked the sound of that. I sat there lost in my thoughts for a few moments until I felt Nick poking me in the side. "What?" I asked.

"We were thinking about jumping in the spa," Nick replied, "Are you interested?"

"Sure, that will really have me ready for a good night's sleep."

Nick got this frown on his face and after a moment said, "Maybe you shouldn't go in then."

"You worried you won't be able to keep me awake long enough for something we have both been missing?" I asked, smiling.

"Well, if you need your beauty sleep, old man..."

"We'll see who the old man is next time we do something competitive."

"You guys can sit here and challenge each other for as long as you like, I'm going to change and jump in the spa," Brian said as he got up and went into the guest room.

Nick got up and pulled me up and we went upstairs and started kissing as we helped each other get undressed. It didn't take long for us to get pretty distracted and aroused. Finally Nick pulled back and said, "I think we had better finish undressing ourselves or Brian will be all alone out there."

"Yeah," I sighed, "Don't forget where we left off when we get back up here later."

"Don't worry," he said, giggling.

We finished changing and went back downstairs and out in the backyard. Brian was already in the water with the jets going full blast. When he saw us walking towards him he said, "I was starting to wonder if you guys were ever going to show."

We ignored his comment and stepped into the hot water. We sat down across from him. We resumed the conversation we had been carrying on earlier. After a few minutes I felt Nick's leg start brushing up against mine. A few minutes later I felt his hand on my thigh. I reached down and removed it and pushed it towards his own leg. Granted with the jets running it wasn't like Brian could see what was going on, but I wasn't exactly looking forward to having a woody when I needed to get out and cool off.

Nick leaned over and gave me a kiss on my cheek and whispered in my ear, "Embarrassed, sweetie?" as he put his hand back on my leg.

I turned my head and gave him a dirty look. He just smiled back at me, but he did take his hand off me. After about 15 minutes Brian got up and sat down with just his legs in the water. It didn't take much longer before I was getting too warm also and I did the same. Nick, however, remained sitting in the hot water for a few minutes longer.

"Aren't you getting a little baked, Nicky?" Brian asked.

"Nope, I like it hot." he replied.

"Don't over do it, sweetie," I said.

"I think I'm done," Nick said as he stood up.

I don't know if Brian noticed, but I could see why he hadn't gotten out earlier. It wasn't all that obvious, but I could tell Nick had been too excited to get out of the water earlier. I flashed him a big grin. Brian didn't see it but Nick definitely did.

"Well, I'm going to give you guys some privacy. I'm off to bed," Brian said.

"See you in the morning, Brian," I said.

Nick went over to Brian and gave him a hug, saying "Night, Bri."

We climb out of the spa and I turned off the jets. I called to Gracie and she followed us inside. I took a couple of bottles of water from the refrigerator and then we went upstairs.

"You want to shower before going to bed?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'd just as soon wash the chlorine off me," Nick replied.

We went into the bathroom and I turned on the water in the shower. While we waited for the water to warm up, we brushed our teeth. Then we went into the shower. I stepped under the second showerhead and stood there letting the water cascade over me. It was like standing under a waterfall. After a few moments I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders. They started kneading my tense muscles. Then they worked their way down my torso and I felt my bathing suit being pushed down.

As I stepped out of my bathing suit I turned around and faced my wonderful boyfriend, who was already naked. He took a bar of soap and started lathering up my body. By the time he had reached my waist, I was hard as a rock. He completely ignored that as he knelt and washed my legs. Then he turned me around and worked his way up until he reached my shoulders.

Once Nick finished I took the bar of soap and returned the favor. It took all the self control I could muster to keep my hands off 'Little Nicky'. When I finished we rinsed off the soap, turned off the shower and then dried each other.

We walked back down the hallway to the bedroom and lay down on the bed. Nick started kissing me and using his hands to explore my body. Then he started moving down, stopping to concentrate on my nipples. If I thought I was hard before, it was nothing compared to what I felt now. My dick was throbbing before he moved his hand to it. Once he started to run his fingers up and down it, I didn't think I could control myself.

I was so turned on I didn't think I could last much longer, so I reached down and pulled Nick back up so we were face to face.

"What's wrong, you don't like what I was doing?" Nick asked.

"Not even, it's just that I don't want it to be all over too quickly."

"Oh, got a hair trigger?"

"You might say that. It has been a while you know."

"Way too long in my opinion. We need to do this more often," Nick said.

"You won't get any argument from me on that one."

I ended our brief conversation by rolling on top of him and starting to kiss him. Then I moved over to one of his ears, something that I knew drove him crazy. Gradually I slid down his body until I was straddling him just above his dick. I could feel it twitching against my butt as I worked on his nipples. Then I slid off of him and down so that my face was even with his dick. As I ran my fingers up and down his thigh, I looked in fascination at the head of his dick as it moved around and watched the pre-cum flow slowly out and drip on to his abdomen.

Finally, I couldn't hold back and I leaned over and licked gently at it, savoring the sweet taste. That really got Nick groaning. I raised my head until we had eye contact. I guess I had a hopeful look in my eyes, because he got a big smile on his face and nodded his head. I took that to mean that we were both ready to proceed to the next step in our relationship.

I returned my focus to the head of his dick and started making circles around it with my tongue as I brought my hand up to his balls and started playing with them. Then I took the head in my mouth and after running my tongue around it, I slowly went down the length until it was all in my mouth. As I moved back off I ran my tongue back and forth across his shaft. After repeating that a few times I lifted off and ran the tip of my tongue around his head before using it to tease him up and down the bottom of his shaft.

Nick, to put it mildly, was going out of his mind. He was doing some major moaning and groaning. I looked up at his face and saw his eyes were sort of glazed over in ecstasy. I returned to the pleasure at hand, taking him back in my mouth and going up and down on his awesome dick. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect one and I was definitely enjoying my new toy.

As much as I would have liked to continue enjoying Nick for a hour, it wasn't to be. Way too soon he said, "Mikey..., oh my God. Mikey, I'm going... to cum!"

I raised off him continuing to stroke him with my hand. Within seconds he exploded with one serious orgasm. The boy was going to need another shower after this. I scooted back up until we were face to face. I leaned over and kissed him. He was obviously still recovering from the orgasm because he barely responded, so I just rested my head on his upper arm and looked at his gorgeous face. After a few minutes he turned his head, smiled and said, "Mikey, you can't imagine how incredible that was. Wow."

"So I guess that means you wouldn't object to trying that again sometime?"

"Not hardly. I just wish I could have lasted longer."

"Practice makes perfect according to my mother..." I said without thinking and then I hesitated

"Sweetie, are you okay? Maybe we shouldn't have done this tonight."

"No, it's ok Nicky. It just came out without me thinking and then it hit me."

Nick picked up his towel off the floor and cleaned up the mess on his chest and abdomen. Then he rolled over to me and pulled me into a hug. I snuggled into his neck and lay there as he stroked my arm. We cuddled for a few minutes and then I began feeling like I was in this bizarre state. I wasn't hard any longer but I was still really horny. Part of me wanted to get back into our sexual state but the other part wanted to just get under the covers and sleep in Nick's arms.

"You ready to crawl under the covers?" I asked Nick quietly.

"You sure you don't want me to..."

"No, I mean, yes. But right now I'd rather just fall asleep with you holding me."

"You don't have to worry about me wanted to hold you," Nick said just before giving me a tender kiss.

We got up and pulled the covers back and slid under the sheets. Nick slid up behind me, pulled me closer and kissed me on the back of my neck. Feeling him up next to me definitely had its effect on me. Within seconds I was hard again. I don't know how he knew what was happening down there, but he did. I felt him move his hand down my torso and take hold of me and slowly run his fingers around and up and down my dick. Then he started nibbling on my ear. It didn't take long for my breathing to get pretty ragged and before I new it I was shooting a major load.

Nick stopped stroking me after my orgasm subsided, but he continued to hold me in his hand until I was limp and slipped out.

"Yuck, now the bed is a mess," I said.

"Here, let me grab a towel," Nick said as he turned away and reached down to grab one off the floor.

I cleaned up as much as I could and then we returned to our previous cuddling position. As I lay there in his arms I was about to fall asleep, but still awake enough to say, "Thanks Nicky, I love you."

"I love you too, Mikey. More than I ever believed was possible."

I fell asleep with a smile on my face in spite of what had happened earlier in the day.

The next morning I was awakened by the cold nose alarm clock. Nick was still sound asleep. I looked over at the clock and saw it was 8:30. I slid out of bed without waking him and pulled on a long t-shirt and walked downstairs. Gracie passed me before I was half way down and was waiting by the door when I got there. I let her out and went back to the kitchen as started making a pot of coffee.

While I was waiting for the coffee to finish brewing, I went out in the yard and watched Gracie making her rounds. Once she was finished we went back inside and I went over to her food bucket where I bent over to scoop up her breakfast.

"So that's the butt that Nick has the hots for," Brian said.

I must have jumped ten feet in the air. "Fuck, Brian, you scared the shit out of me!" I said as I turned around, blushing.

"Sorry about that. I guess it's a cute butt if you are into guy's butts that is."

"Um, you want some coffee?" I asked, trying to change the subject."

"Sure."

I got three mugs out of the cupboard and poured two. Brian took his and went around the island and perched himself on one of the stools. He looked at me, grinned and said, "So do you always go commando?"

"No, I didn't expect anyone else up at this hour and didn't want Gracie to wake Nick, so I just pulled on a t-shirt."

"You don't mind me teasing you, do ya?"

"No. I have an older brother and sister, so I'm used to it."

"Damn, foiled again. So Mikey, how are you doing this morning? Did you sleep ok?"

"Ok, I guess. The truth be told, I guess I'm pretty much numb, what with all that happened."

"I've been sort of worried. I mean I don't know you very well yet, but I saw how torn up you were on Monday. But yesterday when your mom died, you just seemed to take it in stride. If this had happened to me, God forbid, that would have been the worst. I don't know how I could survive if that had happened to me."

"I don't know. It's not like I'm not torn up inside over her death, but in some ways it seems like it is going to be easier. Like if she had recovered the horror of what happened would always be there. I would have to go back to the house and it would be a constant reminder of the tragedy. Her dying sort of closes the door on all that. I guess that sounds really terrible, doesn't it?

"In a way, it's sort of like taking the easy way out, but I can understand what you are saying."

"I just thank God for Nick. I really don't know what would have happened to me if he hadn't been there when Angela died and then when this happened. I love him so much Brian. I've never felt like this about anyone before. Now I'm worried that he's getting hurt because of me."

"What do you mean, Mikey?" Brian asked, "Nick has never been happier than he has been since you guys hooked up."

"Yeah, but he's having to come out because of me. His mother hates him because of me. Who knows what kind of damage your careers are going to suffer because of me."

"Mikey, Nick was gay before he met you. I know, he had already come out to me. Ok, maybe things are happening faster than they might have under different circumstances, but I know Nick. He isn't the kind of person who would have stayed in the closet once he met someone he really loved. Look at all the rumors about Ricky Martin, Lance Bass and all the actors. That's just not the kind of life Nick could live. So don't even think any of it is your fault. You're just the lucky guy who triggered it all. Nick could have done a lot worse."

"Thanks, Brian. That means a lot coming from his best friend."

"Hey, you don't need to thank me. The way I look at it, I'm gaining another best friend."

"What's going on down here? You chasing after my boyfriend?"

Brian and I both looked towards the stairs and saw Nick standing there in his boxers with a smile on his face.

"Nah, he's not really my type. Just having some coffee," Brian said.

"I was going to bring you a cup but we got to talking," I said.

Nick came over and gave me a good morning kiss and slid his had under my t-shirt. He got this smirk on his face and said, "Oh, going commando today are we?"

I blushed, as usual, and said, "Well, I didn't really expect to be hanging out down here when I got up."

"So what's on the schedule for today?" Nick asked.

"Well, anyone want some breakfast?" I asked.

"Does a bear..." Brian replied.

"Okay, off to the showers and then we'll head to town."

Brian went back out to his room to get ready. I poured Nick and me fresh mugs of coffee and then we went back upstairs and made our way to the bathroom. After shaving and brushing we walked into the shower. We managed to keep ourselves under control while we lathered each other up and washed each other's hair. Well, almost under control. We didn't have orgasms, but we definitely had fun with each other.

When Nick and I got back downstairs, Brian was sitting at the table drinking coffee and reading a magazine. I went over and peeked over his shoulder and saw it was one of my Out magazines. I turned back towards Nick and said, "Uh oh, looks like you aren't the only gay Backstreet Boy."

"What do you mean?"

"Brian's reading Out magazine. Where's my camera when I need it," I said laughing.

"Very funny, fag boy," Brian said, "I'm actually reading the articles, not looking at the pictures like you guys."

"Don't call me boyfriend fag boy," Nick said trying to sound serious.

"Why not, he is a fag boy," Brian said.

"Careful or this fag boy might have to whoop your breeder ass," Nick said.

"My what?"

"Breeder ass, are you deaf?" Nick asked.

"What's that mean?"

"Heteros can be so clueless!" Nick said, "Come on, I'm hungry.

We got in my BMW and headed up the coast. As much as I wanted to go to The Raft Cafe, we ended up going to The Side Street Cafe. It's a great place too but I prefer sitting out on the deck overlooking the water at The Raft. The only problem with The Raft Cafe is that their menu is pretty limited and Brian and Nick both wanted meat in their omelets.

Breakfast was delicious and we were able to keep a low profile. After breakfast Brian wanted to see my boat so we stopped by the yacht club on the way home. We walked along the dock and stepped aboard. I unlocked the door into the salon and we went inside. I grabbed some cold drinks out of the refrigerator and then we went up on to the bridge.

We sat down and enjoyed the peaceful morning on the water while we talked and drank our pop. Since it was a weekday morning, there wasn't a lot of traffic on the water which was fine with me. Around 11:00 I decided we needed to get going so we could make it back to Montecito by mid afternoon. I locked up the boat and then we went back to the car and continued on home.

Once there I went upstairs and packed a couple of suits and some other clothes that I would be needing over the next couple of days. I loaded my stuff in the car and took Gracie out in the yard one last time before leaving.

Just as we were about to close up the house, Nick's phone rang. It was Kevin who called to tell him that Brian McFayden had called a few minutes ago wondering if Nick was ready to talk to him yet. Kevin suggested that Nick call him before we left for Montecito. Nick wrote down the phone number and told Kevin that he would call in a few minutes.

After Nick hung up he was pretty quiet, so I led him out into the courtyard and turned him so we were facing each other. Then I put my hands around his waist and looked up into his eyes. He tilted his head down and kissed me gently. When he pulled back I said, "You ready for this, sweetie?"

"Not really, I'm pretty scared. But I guess I need to get it over with so we can get on with our lives."

"If you want to change your mind, I'm 100 percent behind you."

"Mikey, I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it for me. I don't want to hide who I am any longer. I guess it's time to make a whole bunch of teenage girls very unhappy."

We walked back into the living room and Nick dialed the phone number he had written down on the pad. We heard the phone ring three times before it was answered.

"This is Brian."

"Hi Brian, it's Nick Carter. How are you?"

"Pretty good, Nick. How about you?"

"Oh, I've been better, but I'm ok. Kevin told me you called."

"Yeah, he and I have been talking off and on for a couple of days and he said I was the person you wanted to do the phone interview with."

"Uh huh, so I guess we can get started. Just so you know Brian and Mikey are here with me."

"So Mikey is Michael Alto, right?"

"Junior actually. Michael Alto Jr."

"Hello guys," Brian said.

Both Brian and I said "Hello," pretty much in unison.

"Nick, there isn't an easy way to ask the kind of questions that need to be asked after what happened Monday morning."

"I know, maybe I should just tell you what's going on instead of you asking a bunch of questions."

"Well, that's sort of different than I was expecting, but we can give it a try. Is it ok if I tape our conversation?"

"Yeah, I guess. Is there anyone else in the room with you?"

"No, I'm by myself," Brian replied.

"At least Carson isn't lurking in the shadows! Ok, here we go... About five years ago I came to the conclusion that I was gay. I kept it to myself until recently when I told Brian. At that point in time I had never met anyone, but I just had to tell someone and Brian was the person I felt safest coming out to."

"Nick, this is a really big step, coming out like this. Why are you doing it now?"

"For a variety of reasons, Brian. I'm tired of pretending to be something I'm not. That's probably the biggest reason, I have to be true to myself. Then there has been the stress over the stuff in the National Enquirer. I don't want people to sit around speculating about my sexual orientation the way they do about Ricky Martin."

"So what happened during the interview on Monday that got you so upset?"

"Um, well about a month ago I met someone who has become very special to me. While we were in the interview in the studio, I saw a news flash on a monitor that there had been a shooting at his family's home. I was already pretty upset over the National Enquirer article and things that Carson said. So when I saw the news flash, something just snapped and I couldn't continue to lie about my life just to make management happy. And I needed to get out of there and call Mikey."

"So Mikey is your special someone?"

"Yes, he is the most wonderful person I've ever met and I love him deeply."

"Wow, that's wonderful Nick. I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks, Brian."

"So have you told your family?"

Nick just sat there with a sad look on his face.

"Nick, are you still there?"

"Yeah," Nick said somberly, "My mother called and Mikey answered the phone. She said she never wanted to see me again."

"I'm sorry she reacted that way, Nick."

"Thanks. I just really miss my brother and sisters and I don't know when I'll get to see them again."

"So things are pretty serious with Mikey?"

"You could say that. Although with everything that has happened since we met, we haven't had a chance to spend a lot of time together."

"How do you mean?"

"Well we met because of his little sister who was terminally ill. She died a few days after we met. Then there were the photos that the National Enquirer published. On top of that there was the shooting where his father and grandfather were killed and his mother was seriously wounded. She died yesterday morning."

"Mikey, on behalf of everyone here at MTV, please accept our condolences."

"Thanks, Brian," I said quietly.

"So is there anything else you want to say Nick?"

"Yes, I want everyone to know that our fans are very important to me and the rest of the group. I'm sorry if anyone thinks I tried to deceive them. Saying what I have today wasn't easy and I wish I'd said it a long time ago. But at least I've said it now and I hope that everyone will continue to support us like they have in the past."

"Thanks for being so candid, Nick."

"You're welcome, thanks for being cool with it."

"Ok, the recorder is off Nick. I know this wasn't easy for you. Thanks for being so open."

"You're welcome, Brian. I really meant what I said, thanks for being cool about it. It's more than I would have gotten if Carson were the one conducting the interview."

"Don't worry about Carson, he's just full of himself. He's probably just jealous."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing," Brian replied, laughing.

"Listen, Brian, we need to go so we can get back to Montecito. Let me know if you have any other questions."

"Ok, thanks Nick."

Nick hung up the phone and laid back on the couch and took a big breath. I scooted over next to him and put my arm around his shoulder. We sat there for a few minutes without anyone saying anything.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm sure glad that is over," Nick said.

"So how do you feel, sweetie?" I asked.

"Sort of drained but very relieved that it's out in the open at last."

"I'm really proud of you. I love you more than ever, Nicky," I said.

"I'm proud of you Nick. That really took some balls," Brian said.

"Thanks, guys," Nick said, "So are you ready to hit the road?"

"Yeah, just about," I said as I stood up. I let Gracie outside once again. While she was running around, I grabbed some drinks from the refrigerator. Brian went and picked up his stuff from the guest room. I let Gracie back inside and we all met up at the garage. I set the security system and then we got in the car and started towards the Toll Road.

I got off at University so we could swing by In-N-Out and grab something to have for lunch on the way. After getting some Double Double combos, I cruised up Culver to catch the 405 heading North.

We had only gone a couple of miles when Nick yelled, "Mikey, watch out!!! That jet is about to crash on the freeway just ahead!!!"

"Oh my God!" Brian screamed from the back seat and I could hear him doing some serious praying.

I looked over at Nick and he was doing his best to keep from laughing. After about 15 seconds, Brian realized that nothing had happened and looked up and said, "What happened?"

Nick and I both started laughing. Finally Nick took pity on him and explained that we had just passed the North end of John Wayne Airport and it had just been a jet on final approach.

Brian said, "Very funny, fag boy. You scared the shit out of me," as he slapped the back of Nick's head.

"Hey, that's uncalled for," Nick yelled as he turned around to attack Brian.

"Ok, children, no fighting in the car."

We settled in for the drive and started eating our lunch. I don't recommend trying to eat a Double Double while you are driving. It's hard enough not to make a mess when you are sitting still and using both hands. I managed to not make too big of a mess.

Two hours later, we pulled off the freeway in Montecito and made our way to the hotel, where a valet met us.

Well, that's it for Part 26 of Nick and the Altos. Out quicker than the past few installments and no cliffhanger. I know a bunch of you are probably upset with me because mom didn't recover, but hopefully you understand. Any comments, suggestions or whatever, email me at mikeylikesit80@hotmail.com.

Thanks for reading... Mikey