The following story is only fiction, i don't said that any member of 98 degree is gay or what, and i don't know them personally... and if you are under 18 or you are offence by homo-sex, please leave.
In this long holiday, i stuck at home. So i decide to write a story. thanks for Mark to give me a idea. You know i love you, and i want to say thank you for your x'mas present.
Silver Bicycle
13th July 2001
Today is a rainy day, I stand in front the window and look at the sky. The rain is so heavy just like the sky is crying for something. I walk in the kitchen and start to make some coffee, then the doorbell rings. I go to open the door and my brother is standing in front of the door.
"Hey Drew, how are you?" my brother Nick said. i think he was drainkind some beer, i can smell it.
"Hey bro, come in, it's raining outside. I go to get a towel for you."
"Thanks, where is Lea?"
"She goes to visit her family and will be back on next week."
I hand the towel to my brother and he accept it, we walk in the living room and he sit on the sofa and watch the football game.
"Hey bro, I have some argue with Jessica. Can I stay in here tonite?" my brother said.
"Sure, I go to order some pizza, what kind of pizza do you like."
"Oh, you know me so well bro, everything and anything."
"Ok." I said.
I go to order the pizza and then the doorbell rings again.
"Bro, can you help me answer the door?"
"Sure."
After I finish to order the pizza, I go out the kitchen and I see a big wood-make box lay on the floor.
Nick said, "You have a parcel."
I said, "what is it?"
"I don't know." Then he walks back to living room and watches the football game.
I sit on the floor and open the box and there is a silver bicycle lay inside the box, I cover my mouth and the tears start to fall down
"It can't be...no...no...this can't be happen..." I said to myself.
All the memory with him is flashing inside my head at that time, the memory about two years ago...
Two Years Ago...
After a long tour, I decided to go to have a vacation by myself. A vacation that no one could find me and I can have some own time. No manager, no fans (hope I can avoid them) and no band mate. I took a plane and went to Hawaii cause I wanted to go to swim and I really need the sunshine. In the tour, we always on the bus or hotel, I just didn't have time to see the sunshine. After I stayed at the beach a whole week, I started to get boring. So I decided to hit a club in one night. But when I was driving to the club, my rental car was broken in the middle of road and the sky started to raining.
"Shit! Why I rent a convertible!" I said to myself.
I tried to close my root but it stuck and I couldn't close it. So I drove my car to the side of the road. I saw a small restaurant on the other side of the road, so I ran in the restaurant. The name of the restaurant is Blue. All the things inside this restaurant are blue, the wall is blue, the carpet is blue, the piano is blue, the curtain is blue, and the window is tinned to blue. The mood of the restaurant is so smooth and peaceful. Then someone tapped my shoulder and I turned around. I saw a boy stood in front of me. I thought he was about 16 years old. He had short blond hair and greenish-blue eyes. They are so beautiful. At that moment, I am so lost, I never felt attract to male but...he was so different. I knew I fall in love in that time. I didn't care he is a male or female, I just... I don't know how to describe. It was so right to fall in love to him. I only had this feeling.
"Sir, are you ok?" he ask.
"Huh? Sorry. What are you saying?" I said.
Then he smiled and said, "I said are you ok? You look so lost." He said.
"Oh! I am fine. It's raining outside and I want to find a place to stay."
"Ok..." when he was going to say something. The waitress interrupted our speaking.
"Sir, may I help you?" the waitress said.
I wanted to invite the boy to have a dinner with me, but when I turn around, the boy disappeared, I am so so so lost. I felt so sad and empty.
I follow the waitress to my table and I sat down, after I ordered my food, the waitress disappeared. When I was drinking my water. That beautiful boy appeared on the stage and he started to play the piano. And he played...well not so good, is ok... but he's so cute when he was playing the piano.
Ten minutes later, the waitress reappeared with my food.
"Hum...Sarah?" I read her nametag and said.
"Yes...may I help you?" Sarah asked.
"Who's that boy on the stage? I don't think he's worker in this restaurant." I said. "He is too young."
"Hehe...he's the owner of this restaurant."
"What?!" I said, and all the people inside the restaurant were looking to me and I could felt my face started to turn red.
And the boy walked down from the stage and toward to me.
"Is anything ok?" the boy said.
"Yeah, everything is ok." I said
"Sarah, you can go back to work," the boy said.
"Ok...Mr. Hermes." Sarah said.
After the waitress disappear, the boy said, "Sir, is everything ok? I am the owner of this restaurant."
"Yeah, everything is ok. Do you have time? I...well...you know...in vacation...and I am so boring. And want to find someone to talk..."
Then he sat down and smiled to me. At the beginning, I couldn't speak so clearly, maybe I am so tense. But after ten minutes of speaking, I started to speak clearly just like my usual. I told him why I shouted and he laughed. He told me his name is Walter Hermes. Although he looked like a 16 years old boy, but he was 22. It's full of surprise when I talked to him. I told him something about myself, he said he recognized me who I am when I walked in the restaurant. He didn't act so shock or anything. He told me lots of movie star ate in here before. We talked and talked and talked until midnight.
"Well, it's a big restaurant. You are only 22 and you own a restaurant, and most of the guy at your age still stuck in college."
I could see that his smile was disappeared, and he looked so sad.
"Hum...sorry...am I say something wrong?" I ask.
"No! No! It's ok."
I looked at my watch and said, "Hum...it's so late, maybe I need to go."
When I took out my wallet and ready to pay, Walter said, "That's ok, my treat. Don't try to argue to me."
"But..." I tried to argue.
"No but!" he said.
"Thanks."
When I ready to leave, I noticed everyone included Sarah was left. Only me and Walter in the restaurant, when I walked to the entrance, I felt someone wrapped around my waist and a head was rest on my back. I didn't struggle; I just turn around and face to Walter. He was crying, I don't know why he was crying. But both of us knew we fell in love to each other. We just knew. I didn't leave this night. I stayed at his apartment that above the restaurant. We don't have sex, we sat on the sofa, my head laid on his lap. And he started to told me his story...
He was an orphan. When he was five, his parents died in a car accident. His uncle took all his dad's money and disappeared. So he grew up in the orphanage. Maybe he was short, other orphans always ignore him or hit him or tease him. Two years later, someone adopted him. But the man that adopted him raped him one night so he ran out the house. He didn't know where he could go. A truck driver picked him up on the freeway, he moved from one city to other city. He knew he could use his body to trade food and sleeping place. Then one day he stood on the New York's downtown, he met a guy. He was different to other man. Other man just wanted to have sex with him. This man's name was Mark. Mark took Walter to his house. Then they stay together 3 years. 3 years later Mark broke up with Walter. Mark gave lots of money to Walter, then Walter moved to here and opened the restaurant. When Walter finished his story, he was sobbing on my chest...
tbc
if you have any comment, you can send to this email, fantasy_eric@hotmail.com