Legal Stuff: I don't know NSYNC or any other celebrity mentioned. While real people are the basis of characters, they are characters here and do not represent the real lives, thoughts, or feelings of the real people. Again, these are characters based on them, not the real people themselves. If you are too young, or live in a location where it is illegal to read stories that include love between men, read no further! Like that would have ever stopped me...
A Phone Call -- Chapter 11
As I drifted out of sleep and into the conscious world, I noticed a couple of things at the same time. First, my James was in my arms. How did I know it was him? Who else could it be? Besides, I could smell him. Second, at least part of him was extremely glad I was there. I could feel that part rubbing against my thigh. I looked at James' sleeping face and it was scrunched up a little, as if he was concentrating in his sleep.
"Oh, Davey." He whispered softly as I felt something warm flood my thigh. I couldn't help it, I broke up laughing. That woke him up with a confused look on his face. Then he moved, stringing his fluid between us and broke up laughing himself.
"I missed you." He said as we laughed.
"Really?" I couldn't help but tease. "Who's this Wade?"
"Wade? What does he have to do with this? He worked for us on the last tour. Choreographer. Why?"
"Oh, you were just calling out his name in your sleep." I commented casually. He got a horrified look on his face, until he saw me smiling. That was when he slapped my arm lightly and headed into the bathroom. I heard him pissing in the toilet, then the shower starting. I waited a few minutes before joining him.
"I was wondering when you'd get here." He murmured, running his hands up and down my chest. It was a good thing I'd already taken a piss, because I was far too excited to even think about trying to hit the toilet now.
"I needed to get clean, anyway. Seems someone got me all sticky." I murmured, pulling him into me and sniffing his hair. He took the opportunity to start nibbling on my neck. My moan said it all. One thing I learned that morning was that this house had one hell of a big hot water heater because we were in there a long time, and we never ran out of hot water.
After we'd dried off, and gotten dressed, we headed downstairs. Our guest was in the entertainment room, playing some game. He smiled when he saw us. I was cooking breakfast, so I took orders while James joined his friend on the couch. Breakfast was fast and easy to fix, and we talked about our plans for the day.
"Well, while I'm here I've got a few things I can take care." James was saying. "Josh said he'd like to come with me, so that's what we'll be up to. Chris said he wanted to go as well, so we're meeting him at his place."
"And I'll be here working on the laptop." I supplied with a smile. Josh actually cleaned up the dishes for us, then got himself ready. James and I cuddled while he was upstairs, just taking comfort in each other's presence.
"By the way," Josh said to me as he came downstairs. "Everyone in Orlando is going to know you've been marked."
Okay, I blushed. Too bad though. I actually liked the ring of hickeys I was sporting. They let me know that my James had been here. They laughed at my blushing, then made their way out the door. They were driving my rental car again. James had left his keys just in case I needed to go somewhere, but they wanted the convertible. I groused, mentioning I loved that car, but it got me nowhere. Finally I waved as they drove off and returned inside to my work.
When I returned to the real world, a pair of arms was wrapped around me and someone was nibbling at my neck. I sighed and touched those loving hands of his we wrapped our fingers together. My neck ached, and my body told me I'd been in front of the laptop for a long time. My full bladder demanded attention, and I had to break the embrace to use the restroom. As I came back from my emergency, I noticed the light outside was now turning into twilight. I'd been in front of that computer for at least 8 hours without eating, drinking, or using the restroom. I went back to the laptop and saved the file before heading downstairs.
"Hey you." James said softly, moving to hug me as I moved into the living room. "Welcome back to the world of the living."
"Thanks, love. I was a little zoned."
"I'll say, you didn't hear me calling your name, but you were typing furiously on the laptop! When I started kissing you, you sighed, finished up the page, then finally responded to me. I was getting worried."
"Sorry, I'm just getting closer and closer to getting done, and I'm really finding it hard to put it down."
"Well, can I have some of your time?" He said with a small frown.
"Of course, love. Where's Josh?" I asked.
"In the pool. I was wondering if you'd join us in swimming and hot tub. I'm having dinner delivered."
"Sounds good." I told him, "I assume you bought me a swimsuit?"
"Of course." From his smile, I knew it was probably a speedo. Well, if he wanted me to wear it, I was his to command. Even if I'd be embarrassed.
The evening passed in quiet fun. Well, quiet once we got out of the pool. I still can't believe Josh managed to get both James' and my bathing suits off at the same time. That guy is a menace! Then I had to deal with his silly comments since I was half hard from looking at James' wet body. We watched another movie, and this time he seemed a little more relaxed as James and I cuddled. Maybe seeing us together two nights in a row was having an impact.
We all went to bed a little early. James and I laid next to each other, just chatting about his day with Josh and Chris. He said it was almost like old times, being with his friends and he was feeling better about things. That's when he started kissing me. Of course you know where things were heading, when there was a knock at the door. Josh poked his head in when James yelled out to come in.
"I'm having problems sleeping." He said softly. "It's so...lonely...in there. Could I?"
I looked over at James. His face was a mixture of fear, and worry for his friends. He finally shrugged and looked at me. I motioned with my hand for him to scoot back towards the other side of the bed. As we both moved back, I opened up the covers and said "Here". It was both an invitation and a warning. He climbed into the bed, and the next thing I knew I was wrapped in his arms and he was crying into my shoulder. James was reaching over me and rubbing Josh's hair, murmuring softly. I fell asleep that night with two boy band members on each side of me, both with tears in their eyes. What was this world coming to?
I woke the next morning feeling that something was wrong. James was curled up with me, and I could feel his morning woody poking me in the back. It felt nice, it felt right. What felt wrong was the warm presence in front of me. That and the damn beer can that was poking into my stomach. My eyes flew open as I felt the beer can rub my stomach again. I was staring into Josh's sleeping face, and I suddenly remembered him climbing into our bed last night. I lifted the covers and looked down. His "beer can" had slipped out of the fly on his boxers and was clearly visible. I was...stunned...at the size. He was easily a match for Manuel. I lowered the covers and looked back up to see him smiling at me.
"You picked James." He whispered to me. "You'll just have to miss out."
"No big deal." I murmured. "Manuel's was the same size."
"Your friend?" He asked, a smile stretching his face. "Isn't he supposed to be coming by today with Justin?"
"Yeah." I answered.
"He's gay?"
"He's bi, and my ex." I told Josh.
"Oh, cool. I'm going to go take a shower. Thanks for letting me..."
"No problem, Josh." I told him, giving him a peck on the cheek. As he left the room, I turned around to look at my James, and found his eyes open and him staring at me.
"Disappointed in the size of the boy band member you picked?" He murmured, a look of hurt on his face.
"No." I said honestly. "That damn thing would split me open and I doubt I'd ever get comfortable sitting on it. You on the other hand, are a perfect fit for me. Give me perfect over big any day."
"Thanks. Speaking of perfect fit...something wants to fit itself into you right now." His voice was low and husky.
"It's about damn time." I sighed, smiling as he moved in and started kissing my neck. He sure did know how to get me going.
It was about an hour later that we made our way downstairs, dressed in matching khaki cargo shorts, white t-shirts, and blue button-down shirts that were open. James had picked out the wardrobe and I didn't have the heart to tell him no. I don't normally like couples that dress the same, but I could deal with it once in a while.
Josh had fixed a basic breakfast for us, much to my surprise. It was even edible. A little bland, but I was able to eat. As we ate, we talked about the day's plans.
"The guys will be here at one." James was saying. "Joey is bringing his brother as well as Kelly and Briana. Chris is bringing Busta and Danni. Justin is coming with Manuel, and of course we'll be here."
"So, everyone's getting together at last?" Josh said with a wry grin. "I think it'll go better than last time."
"I hope so." James said with a soft smile. "We're all doing a lot better now."
"So, what about this morning?" I asked. I wanted to get some work done today.
"Well, we have to go shopping for the barbecue." James said.
"Can you two take care of that while I get some work done?" I asked.
"Of course." James said, smiling again. After we were done, Josh got ready to go and I did the dishes while James was on the phone to someone. They left soon after and I was immediately on the computer. I worked for a couple of hours, then answered my phone when it rang. I walked downstairs while talking with Luke about some of the effects we would be needing, and the bids that had come in on the project. The company we'd visited had come in as one of the two lowest bids and we were discussing how to convince the studio to go with them even though they were slightly higher when I heard the front door open. James and Josh came in, their arms filled with bags. Josh murmured there was more in the car, and I went outside to grab some while still talking to Luke. The trunk was open, and there were two small plastic bags left, so I grabbed them with one hand and shut the trunk with the elbow attached to the arm that was holding the phone.
That was when I noticed something odd about the car. It was the red Mustang GT I'd rented, except the license plate was different. I looked up, confused, and noticed James and Josh standing there, with big smiles on their faces.
"What's wrong, love?" James asked, his smile growing wider.
"This isn't the rental car." I answered, Luke had gone silent on the phone.
"No, I returned it this morning for you." James informed me.
"Then where did this one come from?" I asked, my stomach dropping lower.
"It's a present." Josh said softly.
"From both of us." James added. "Actually, from all of us, though Josh and I went and got it."
"Everyone chipped in" Josh said. "Consider it an early birthday present from NSYNC."
"You're kidding me!" I said, surprised. "I just met most of you!"
"And the first thing you did was help us all out. We appreciate it and wanted to make sure you had transportation whenever you are in town."
"Luke, I gotta go." I said into the phone, hanging up. The last I heard from him, he was laughing like a hyena.
"Thank you, all of you." I said, hugging first Josh then James.
"You're welcome, now let's get the groceries put away." James said.
"After I drive my new car." I told him, taking the keys from his hands and pulling him with me.
"Hey, I need to..." James started to protest but it was Josh who cut him off.
"You two go and have fun." He said with a smile. "I'll get things put away while you have fun. Be back in an hour though!"
"Bye, Josh. Thanks!" I shouted as I pushed James into the passenger seat, then hopped over the driver door and slid into the seat. I immediately had to push the seat back for my longer legs, but the car was soon started and I was speeding down the road, looking for a freeway to get onto. I looked at the odometer, and it was saying 64 miles. I'd never owned a car with less than 62,000 before. This was going to be so nice. I noticed it was fully equipped, 5 cd-changer and every little gizmo offered in modern cars. James just smiled and watched me play with everything as we sped down the road.
An hour was far, far too short of a time. We were going to have to go for a drive somewhere, sometime in this thing. Still, James showed me that he enjoyed riding in my car with me. He'd noticed, my ah, excited state and decided to help me out. Let's just say that while it was exciting, exhilarating, and all that, I don't recommend orgasms while going 95 down a freeway. It's a little dangerous.
He was grinning like a Cheshire cat as we pulled back into his driveway. Okay, I was too, but he was really grinning. I immediately noticed several more vehicles had pulled up, and guessed the guys were here. I zipped my shorts back up after getting out of the car, and we headed inside. Of course, everyone was out back, so we walked through the house and out onto the patio deck. Chris and Joey were in the pool, dunking Josh. Kelly and Danni were sitting with Briana in the shallow end. Justin and Manuel were standing over the grill, getting ready to put a pile of meat on. Joey's brother had a last minute change of plans and wasn't able to make it today.
"So, how do you like your steaks?" An innocent Justin asked Manuel. I grabbed James' arm and pointed at the two by the grill.
"I want it...BLEEDING!" Manuel said, his voice growing diabolical as he spoke, and he chomped his teeth together dramatically. I thought Justin was going to pee his pants, Manuel looked so ferocious at that moment. James and I burst out laughing. Justin and Manuel looked at each other, then turned and advanced on us. I knew that look in Manuel's face. It was evil, like he was about to skin the cat, and I was the cat. Justin's look must have meant the same thing, because James yelled "RUN!" and took off.
The bastard, leaving his boyfriend all alone to be molested by his own best friend. I quickly pulled my wallet out of the back pocket, then took off. Of course Manuel caught me. Unfortunately, the bastard worked out all the time and took martial arts. Joey, Chris and Josh were cheering as Manuel lifted me and threw me in the pool. Of course the three of them took that opportunity to pounce on me and drown me. I got away, sans blue shirt and t-shirt, just as James appeared. He was screaming for help as Justin held his arms and Manuel held his legs. Of course they threw him in right to Joey, Josh, and Chris. He lost both of his shirts as well before I could rescue him. I had my arms wrapped around him, my shoulders just above his, and that's when more trouble hit.
"OH MY FUCKING GOD!" Chris shouted at the top of his lungs. "THEY'VE GOT MATCHING TATTOOS!"
Justin, Manuel, James and I all started laughing. Of course Chris and Joey came over to check them out close-up, while Josh got a wistful look on his face before joining them. That necessitated we tell them the story of San Diego. They were all laughing hard when Joey really stepped in the doo-doo.
"Man, you guys are having all the FUN!" He whined. I glanced over and saw the look on Kelly's face and knew he was in trouble.
"Uh, Joey, you might want to watch what you say." I said, nodding towards the ladies. Chris and Joey immediately took off, swimming over to the ladies and talking quietly with them.
"Those are nice." Josh said softly, staring at our arms.
"Thanks, Josh." James said softly. That was when we decided to get out of the pool and change into some dry clothes. Of course he made me put the speedo on, which got me catcalls from the guys, and doubled Manuel over from laughing too hard. I don't know why he was laughing because I knew the only extra bathing suit we had was a speedo for him to wear. He shut up when I threw his to him, then he grinned and went to put it on. When he came back out, dressed in the black piece of cloth, I heard some sputtering behind me. I turned and saw Josh staring at Manuel. Yes, that was drool running down his chin as well. I couldn't help but smile.
We all played around in the pool for another hour before Justin got out and got the grill going. Manuel joined him, and I noticed that Josh was over there talking with them. Kelly and Danni went inside to prepare the condiments and different salads that James had bought. We were all sitting around a table outside, getting ready to eat. James said a quick prayer, expressing thanks for all of us being there and the enjoyable time we were having. His comment about NSYNC being a family again brought a tear to my eye.
Right after he said "Amen!" everyone started tearing into their food. Manuel grabbed a fork and knife and immediately cut into his steak. A loud "MOOOOOO" sounded, like a cow in pain, and everyone jumped. Manuel pointed his knife at me and let me know he didn't think I was funny. Everyone's laughter said otherwise. During lunch, the table was filled with laughter and funny stories, Manuel taking great pleasure at embarrassing me with stories of a Star Wars marathon, popcorn, and strawberry daiquiris. I didn't understand it, he was the one who had been puking into the popcorn bowl, but somehow it was my entire fault!
It was after the meal that James and I were relaxing on a lounge chair, wrapped around each other and whispering sweet nonsense to each other. We'd been like that for a while, when I noticed people were getting ready to go. We got up and showed everyone to the door. Justin left by himself, and I was actually thankful Manuel was staying here. I needed to talk to him about his job situation.
James and I went out back and finished picking up from the party. Most of it was already done, so it only took us a little while to finish. We were in the kitchen, wrapping leftovers in plastic when I noticed that Josh and Manuel were nowhere to be found. James was as curious as I was, and we went through the house looking for them. We ended up outside Josh's room and was about to knock when we heard Manuel's voice.
"Sweet Jesus!" he was saying loudly. "I hope you're not thinking you're going to put that thing in me!"
"Well, I don't know if I can take that thing of yours, either!" Josh's voice was next, almost as loud. We heard them laughing then, and smiled at each other.
"We'll figure something out." Manuel was saying as James and I walked away. He had grabbed my hand and was leading me towards the bedroom. Yeah, this was the third time today, and I turned 30 on Thursday, but let's just say I wasn't slowing down much in my impending old age.
The sun had long set before we set foot outside the bedroom door. As luck would have it, Manuel and Josh were exiting at the same time. James and Josh headed down the stairs side by side, while a grinning Manuel and I followed them. They were both walking a little funny, and I looked over at Manuel, who was smiling. It looked like he and Josh had reached some sort of arrangement after all.
Dinner consisted of leftovers. We all went into the entertainment room and watched a movie together. It was two couples sitting on the couch. My ex was sitting there, holding hands with James' ex, and there was absolutely no tension in the room. After the movie, we all made our way upstairs and said good night. James and I got ready for bed and curled up next to each other.
"Do you think it's just a fling with them?" He asked me softly.
"I have no idea whatsoever." I admitted. "But as long as they don't develop false expectations, I don't care. Manuel's been lonely for a while, and Josh may actually be good fit for him. They have a lot in common."
"They do?" James asked.
"Yeah, they're both moody, although Josh is capable of being more optimistic than Manuel. They're both bi, and they both have us for friends."
"Well, I just hope they don't hurt each other." James said softly.
"Manuel can take care of himself, and I hope that Josh can as well." I assured him.
"Enough about them, let's focus on us." James said, and started to make his actions match his words.
Sunday was even more relaxed than Saturday. None of us left our rooms until noon. Instead of cooking, we decided to go out for brunch at a restaurant Josh loved. The food was good, and the company was even better. I swear, I'd never seen Manuel so...bubbly. When I commented on it, James affirmed that Josh was just as happy. All of a sudden, I realized how James and I had looked to other people after we'd first met. I let myself hope that maybe my best friend, and James' would get together and make it work. They had a lot of hurdles to go through if they did try, but they also had support.
We returned home, and James mentioned that he and Josh needed to do some shopping before we went to LA. The two of them left in the RAV4, while I showed my new car to Manuel. He was suitable impressed, and demanded we go for a drive. It was during the drive that I decided to broach a couple of issues with him.
"Why didn't you tell me you lost your job?" I asked him.
"Because I knew how you would react." He told me after looking outside the car for a moment. "I didn't want you to take time out of your work to help me out."
"What are you going to do now?" I asked, letting my nasty response die down.
"I'm not sure, the job market in Boston is pretty slim." He said, looking down at his hands now.
"Move out to LA. You know we have plenty of room there." I told him firmly. It wasn't an offer, it was a demand.
"You have Josh moving in already." He said.
"He told you about that, did he?"
"Yeah, he told me about a lot of stuff, including his stay in the hospital. He's a lot different than I expected."
"Good different or bad different."
"Good." He's passed the 24-hour test. But he's a pop star, and he either lives here or in LA while I live in Boston. I don't think it would work out."
"You don't have a job right now." I reminded him harshly.
"So? I still live in Boston." He said angrily.
"But there's no reason you can't move, and reason for you to move."
"It wouldn't work anyway."
"You don't know until you try, Manuel."
"Dave, I hate you."
"I love you too."
"I can't really afford to move all my stuff across the country."
"I can, and I owe you a lot of money from over the years. Consider it repayment for all those times you helped me out."
"You're making this hard."
"No, I'm making it easy. You're making it hard by being unwilling to accept what other people are offering freely."
"When did you buy the car?" He asked, trying to change the subject. I grinned.
"I didn't. NSYNC, all of them, bought it for me as a present." I told him. "I almost refused but realized how childish it is to refuse gifts from friends who are only doing it to express their appreciation of you."
"You're a bastard." Manuel mumbled. "Is there any way I can get out of this?"
"No, you're moving to LA."
"Fine, just don't expect me to like it or be happy."
"Not even when JC Chasez of NYSNC sneaks into your room at night?"
"That's low." He said as a smile lit his face. I could tell he was happy, but was doing his best to suppress it. It was going to be fun when we got back to LA. Or at least I hoped it would be. The rest of our drive was spent planning out the logistics of his move and what we would be doing during the intervening time. He'd be out in LA in about two weeks, moving out of his condo and putting it up for sale. We pulled up at the same time as James and Josh, reuniting with our men.
The day passed pretty quickly. I spent a couple of hours on the computer, hammering out some more of the script while the three of them had fun downstairs. I wanted to join them when they went swimming, but I was focused on my work and determined to get as much done as I could. By the time dinner had rolled around, I found myself staring at the screen in astonishment. I had finished the first hour of day 3! Most of the last two hours of script were from the original that I wrote eight years ago, but I'd made quite few changes which I though improved the story. I had completed most of the scrip in half the allotted time! My first two hour script had taken me three months to complete, but this time it just seemed to flow from onto the screen as I typed. I quickly saved the file and backed it up, then e-mailed it to JMS with a copy to Luke and to another e-mail account of mine. I was taking no chances.
Dinner was...interesting. It started off with Manuel telling an embarrassing story about me. Then Josh told one about James. James retaliated by telling one about Josh, then I got Manuel back. We sat there for three hours going round robin telling stories that became more and more embarrassing. We finally called a halt to it when the stories got a little painful and moved on to watch another movie. Yes, we were domesticated, but none of us wanted to be out where we would not be able to cuddle together. Sometimes being gay and in a relationship with pop stars can really, really suck.
Monday morning rolled around and it was Manuel and I who walked funny downstairs. It's always good to begin a day laughing. I laughed at him, he laughed at me, and the two guys behind us laughed at the both of us. Today was a busy day for all of us. Manuel had to be at the airport by 10 a.m. He was flying home to Boston and making arrangements for his move. Both James and Josh had meetings at Jive, and Josh had a meeting with a counselor (note to self, get him a counselor in LA as well). I had a teleconference at 11 a.m. with JMS and Luke, and was working on the script. Tomorrow, James, Josh, and I would fly back to LA.
James and Josh drove off a little later for the Jive compound. I drove my best friend to the airport where we parted ways for a couple of weeks. I was actually very happy that we were going to be living in the same time zone again and couldn't wait for him to get out to LA. My teleconference went very well. Since I was so far ahead of schedule, JMS was going to speed up pre-production, and warned me to expect meetings and work seven days a week once I got back. I groaned, but agreed that the sooner we delivered a finished product, the better. Then I started typing. I zoned out again, only returning to the real world when James wrapped his arms around me.
It was dark outside, and the clock said it was after 10 p.m.! I was surprised, and sore. My neck ached, and my shoulders were hunched in pain. My man noticed this and began to give me a gentle, but firm massage.
"Doing good?" He asked me, his voice a whisper.
"Yeah," I told him, sighing as he hit a particularly tight spot. "Did you just get home?"
"Uh huh." He said softly. "We had a big NSYNC meeting today. As of today, NSYNC is back together."
"I thought you'd never split up at all?" I murmured.
"Well, we didn't officially, but we were not acting like a group. Today was just like old times. It was so nice after all the crap that has been going down. Johnny was surprised as hell. Everyone said the turn around was your doing."
"I didn't do anything." I said.
"Yes, you did. You reminded them of what it meant to be a family." James said softly. "Johnny wants to meet you tomorrow before you fly out."
"Before we fly out?" I asked, wondering why their record label would want to meet me.
"Um, that's another thing I have to tell you." James said, his voice heavy. "We have to fly out to New York tomorrow. Johnny wants us to announce that we're working on our new record, and affirm in front of our fans that we are still together and will be producing more music soon. Even Justin will be there."
"Life sucks." I whispered softly. "When will you be back?"
"Friday I'll be in LA." He answered softly. Great, the day after my 30th Birthday. Okay, no guilt trip from me.
"I'll be happy to see you there, and miss you until you return." I told him, rubbing his hand with one of mine. "We'll talk morning and night. I'll take nights if you take mornings."
"Huh?" He asked.
"I'll call you at night if you'll call me in mornings. I hate waking up to anything but your voice."
"And I hate going to sleep without talking to you." He finished. "Sounds like a plan."
"Yup, it does."
Tuesday night the three of us went out again to a restaurant. It was fun, but I could tell Josh missed Manuel. When his phone rang, his face lit up and he turned away from us while whispering into the phone. James and I shared a small smile before he rejoined our conversation.
How do you think James and I spent the rest of the night? With Josh sleeping next to me is how we spent it. He had some nightmare and came into our room. Fortunately, we'd already done the nasty in the shower so it wasn't too bad. I woke up to his face inches from mine again, and his one-eyed monster poking at me as well. James had a death grip across my chest and he was poking me from behind as well. I'd really started to like Josh, but I was hoping this was just innocent comfort seeking. Sure, if I wasn't with James, I'd be willing to get on my knees for Josh, but not now. I got out of bed, and was treated to whimpers in stereo. They both reached over in their sleep, reaching for me but not finding me. Their hands finally connected, but recoiled from each other as if they recognized each other in their sleep. I went to the bathroom and crawled back in between them only to be immediately attacked from both sides with arms wrapped around me. I sighed and closed my eyes. I awoke to voices whispering over me.
"I'm only going to tell you this once, Josh, don't try anything with him." James' whisper was fierce in its intensity.
"I'm not, James, I'm sorry." Josh sounded on the edge of tears. "You are so lucky. He's strong. Not just physically but emotionally. I just feel so safe here. I feel like I can live forever without needing another drink. I mean Manuel made me feel almost the same, but Dave just has something about him that steadies me. That's all I want. He loves you and he'd probably kill me if I tried something. I can't help being attracted to him."
"Just don't kiss him again." James whispered, and I realized Josh must have kissed me in my sleep, and James caught him.
"Josh." I said softly, and both of them tensed immediately. "Thank you for the compliment. I want you to know that I will be here if you need me, but we are not going to have sex, period. I love James and he's the only man I want. I don't mind you sleeping like this when you need it, but it isn't going to happen on a regular basis. It will never happen again if you consciously kiss me, or touch me sexually while I'm asleep from this point on. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Dave." Josh answered, his voice depressed. I kissed him on the cheek and his eyes widened. "Brotherly kisses are okay."
"Th...thanks." He stuttered after a moment. James just squeezed me tight, letting me know he approved. The rest of the morning was anti-climatic. Yes, I met Johnny. We talked for about five minutes. He wanted to meet me and welcome me to the NSYNC family. He also had some papers for me to sign, and I referred him to my agent. He laughed when I told him that was James and he put them away. Yes, I did eventually sign them, and no, none of your business. My flight back saw me doing nothing but typing most of the time. The guy next to me in first class was none other than Scott Bakula.
Okay, I masturbated to this guy when I was growing up, and I didn't even recognize him sitting next to me. He had to introduce himself! He had read part of my script as I was typing, and noticed the file name at the top of the screen. Sure enough, he'd read about the project and was familiar with my name. We chatted for a while about his show, you know, the one I was going to try to outdo. Then he started asking about my script, and I actually let him look at it (yeah, I violated part of my contract, but this was Scott Bakula.)
He read a few pages of it, turned to look at me, and just shook his head. I was stunned, was it that bad? I started to panic, when he gave me a wan smile.
"You got any characters for me after my show gets cancelled because of you?" he asked me.
"What?" I asked.
"Better yet, any chance we can hire you to write us some scripts?"
"I don't do Star Trek." I said firmly, and he laughed.
We talked for a little bit, then he pulled out a script for one of his upcoming episodes, and I went back to my typing. I noticed he spent more time looking at my screen than at his script, but did not say anything. We finally landed and I got off the plane, exchanging numbers and promising to keep in touch. I'd called Chad before leaving, and he was able to pick me up at the airport. It was good seeing him, and we chatted about the latest gossip in Hollywood. It seemed that we were being talked about more and more as a couple and he was getting the biggest kick out of it. He was also getting a couple of offers for shows that he directly attributed to his being back in the rumor mill. It was nice to know that the little ruse was actually helping him out. He dropped me off and I unlocked the condo.
The first thing I noticed was a smell of sour milk. Checking the kitchen, I realized I'd left a gallon of milk on the counter in my haste to leave. That was taken care of quickly, and some air freshener and open windows helped solve the smell problem. I loaded my work from the laptop to the desktop and continued working on the script. I called James at 7:00 p.m. (10:00 p.m. back east) and wished him a good night. He laughed when I told him about Scott Bakula and described his day. An hour later, he was asleep and I hung up.
It was midnight when my phone rang. It pulled me out of my fantasy world and I answered it on the fourth ring. For a moment, I didn't hear anything but sobbing, but eventually James spoke.
"Dave...I...messed...up." He was whispering between sobs.
"Baby, what happened?" I said worriedly. It was 3:00 a..m. back there!
`J...Josh...he's...run off." He stuttered.
"What happened to make him run? I asked concerned more for James at the moment.
"He...he came into the bedroom after I hung up from you and wanted to sleep in the bed with me. I told him it was okay, even though I didn't feel totally comfortable with it, but I did manage to go to sleep." He said in a rush.
"And?" I asked, waiting to hear what he had to say before jumping to conclusions.
"I woke up about a half-hour ago. I was dreaming about...what happened...and I saw him there and screamed. I...hit him...I told him to get out...He's going to go out and get hurt and it's all my fault." James continued along in that vein, not letting me interrupt. My heart bled for both of them. That was when the house phone rang. I answered it, and it was Josh.
"James, baby," I said, finally getting him to stop his ranting. "Hold on, I've got Josh on the other phone here. Go ahead Josh."
"Is that James you're talking to?" Josh asked in a breathless voice. "Is he okay?"
"Yes, Josh, I've got James on the cell and he's doing okay. Are you okay?" I said. I knew James would be hanging on every word as he listened in total silence.
"Yeah, Dave. I'm okay now. I was so scared. I just ran. I finally called Manuel and he calmed me down. He said it was probably a nightmare and maybe it wasn't such a good idea to lean on James for so much support just now. I'm back on James' porch right now."
"Good Josh." I told him calmly, choosing my words for both of them. "I'm glad you called and talked to Manuel and he calmed you down. Go ahead and knock on the door so James can you let you inside. Both of you try to get some sleep...in your own rooms."
They both said goodnight, and I heard James opening the door before he hung up. I understood both sides of their story, and just wasn't sure what to do. It'd be easier when they finished up with New York and got their asses back out here. Manuel too for that matter. Speaking of the devil, he was calling. We spent an hour talking about the Josh/James situation and leaning on each other for support. It seemed that Josh had told Manuel everything, and from a pretty honest perspective as well. This was giving Manuel some second doubts about the quality of friend Josh made, but I also knew he wouldn't be intimidated. Quite likely, if the pop star tried anything like that, Manuel would beat him senseless. Then he'd call me and chew me out for ruining his image of the band. I can never win.
I spent Wednesday in front of the computer, and on the phone to Orlando and New York. James finally took my advice and went to see a counselor about his trauma. Luckily, James did not reveal the identity of Josh as his attacker because the counselor immediately pushed him to press charges. When he threatened to report it to the police, James demanded to know how he was going to do that without the identity of the attacker. That ended that session, and luckily no contact was ever made with the police. Okay, not all my ideas get executed perfectly. I still got a lot done on Wednesday, and realized I would probably be finished by the middle of next week at the latest. We're talking 600 pages of script here, and that is quite an accomplishment.
Even for me.
Okay, time to pop my big head here. Sure enough the phone rings and my sister achieves that perfectly. That conversation took up most of Wednesday night, and made me late calling James. I even missed his appearance on MTV. Luckily, I reached him before he was too asleep, and talked. He was staying in New York that night, but promised I would see him soon. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell me when.
I woke up Thursday morning and was taking my shower when it hit me. I was born 30 years ago today, May 4. That was when I started crying. I was even late getting to the studio for my meeting. The script was now 85% complete and I was meeting with JMS, Luke Perry, and the director, Rupert Wainright. We got started talking about all the different aspects of what was to come, and I got to see the revised schedule from JMS for the first time. He had me projected as finishing the first draft of the script by the next Thursday. That Friday, I'd be flying to New York with Rupert to meet with some local officials and industry reps about permits for some location shoots. Saturday, they had us flying down to D.C. to talk about the same thing. Sunday was back to LA. Monday though Saturday were going to be first casting calls for the West Coast. We were also scheduled to do casting calls the following week in New York and in Chicago. I realized that my days of staying home and writing were long gone. Everywhere along the way, I'd be reviewing comments and revisions from the staff writers on the scripts, and there were meetings for me to attend with the special effects company. I also learned we were shooting with digital cameras. While the cameras were very expensive, apparently they saved even more money on film. It would also make the editing and special effects work easier.
It was five o'clock and I realized I was hungry. I also realized that James had not called me this morning, and here I was on my 30th Birthday, with no one having acknowledged that fact. I felt very alone, very old and very unwanted. I almost turned Luke and JMS down on the offer of dinner. Luke however, was not taking no for an answer. I had driven my car to the studio, but we all piled into his SUV and off we went. We were in Beverly Hills and he pulled into a restaurant I had not yet visited. The place looked pack from the parking lot, but as we entered, it didn't seem to busy.
As usual, we were taking towards the back of the restaurant, but we passed all the regular tables. It looked like we were being taken back to a banquet room or something like that. That was my first clue, but I ignored it easily. The second clue was that the lights were out in the room as we entered. A feeling of recognition started to rise in my chest, but was totally blown away by the classic `turn on the lights and yell surprise!' routine.
I almost fainted. JMS had to catch me.
In my 30 years, no one had ever truly surprised me with a surprise party. I'd always caught on and acted surprised, but this took the cake. I had no idea whatsoever. To make things even better, James came running with Manuel right beside him, and gave me a big hug. That's when I noticed all the other people there. Chuck, Jean (and her two kids), about five other people from my last job, both of my grandmothers, a couple of cousins and their families, Robin and his family, Whoopi, about fifteen other people I knew (including Scott and his family. I had no idea how they knew to invite him), all of NSYNC of course, with their significant others, Chad (with a date even!), Christina and her family (Applegate, not Aguilera), and Justin had even brought Brittany. I didn't think they were getting along anymore. There were even Korvan Studio people there (Tom, Marketing Mark, all the people from that first meeting). All in all, about fifty people had shown up.
Let's just say it was a great night and leave it at that.
I went from a bad start to a great finish. My grandmothers spent about an hour with James secluded in a corner. Then my paternal grandmother, Grandma Young, who liked Manuel more than me, walked up to Manuel and told him "Sorry, you've been replaced by James. He's much cuter."
Manuel hugged her!
Sick.
I think I was in trouble. James had gotten the grandmotherly stamp of approval. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I chose both.
It was three in the morning before the last of us left. Grandmothers were gone by ten. They were staying overnight in the Hyatt (James got them a big luxury suite) along with most of the rest of my family (they got regular rooms). Chuck & company were staying at the same hotel, and Jean was going to take her kids to Disneyland the next day. Nathan tried to be the cool big kid, but his eyes were gleaming whenever someone mentioned the place. I had gotten a lot of gag gifts, and some nice gifts as well (Luke gave me this beautiful watch to help me show up on time -- it won't work. JMS gave me a new laptop. NSYNC had already given me the car in Orlando, so they all enjoyed giving me gag gifts -- including an oversized condom filled with--ah--never mind).
James was helping me carry everything out to his SUV. It was brand new, not a rental. Apparently he had told Peter what he wanted and sent the guy out to buy it. When they flew in this morning, Peter'd picked him up with it, and now James had his own vehicle for LA. It was as I carried out the last load that I finally deigned to notice the car parked next to James'. It was another red Mustang GT, convertible, and I stared at it with longing. Maybe I should drive the car out from Florida since I'm here more? James noticed me staring and smiled.
"You ready to go?" he asked.
"Yeah." I said with a heavy sigh.
"Good, see you there." He told me and got in his SUV. I banged on his window yelling at him to wait. He rolled it down and looked me right in the face.
"Oh, yeah, forgot. Here's your keys." He said, handing me a set of keys with the FORD logo. He smiled and drove off, waving out the window. I looked at the car, shook my head a few times and got inside. As soon as I started the engine (yes, this one was fully decked out as well), I knew that I was almost mad at James, but I knew he could afford it as well. I'd get him back though. I think I'll make him a ceramic mug by hand for his birthday. Shit, he'd probably cherish it because I made it myself. I couldn't win. Ain't love grand? I asked myself as I drove off after the SUV. I wanted some sex and he wasn't going to have time to fall asleep before I got home.
Okay, I'm 30 now. Doesn't mean I'm going to wither away and die. In fact, truth be told, I feel like the best years of my life are starting. If you're worried about the sex drive, don't. Mine still works just fine.
And there's always Viagra if that changes.
Think that's the end? Well you're wrong. Next chapter is where the real fun begins!