Disclaimer: This story is a work of pure fiction. It is in no way meant to show that he members of 98 Degrees are homosexual. This is just a piece that I have had running around my head for a couple of weeks.
Rating: R for mm relations.
I love all of the feedback that you guys are sending! Keep it coming. A special yell out to Nate and Jon. Keep coming with that encouragement guys. It helps quite a bit!
Oh, and one quick note <> these indicate private thoughts.
Anyway, enough of my yammering. So, here it is.
Peace. RinSong@aol.com
Chapter 7
Nick walked into his dressing room and grabbed a towel from the stack sitting just inside the door. He was just finishing giving himself a quick wipe down with the towel when the door opened and Drew walked in.
"Hey Sprout," Nick said, greeting his younger brother with a tired smile.
"We're ready whenever you are," Drew told him, giving him a playful punch in the shoulder.
"Huh? Ready for what?"
"God, you are tired," Drew laughed. "The local contest winners, remember? You know, backstage passes, screaming teenage girls, the whole nine yards."
"Oh, man," Nick groaned. He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. "I completely forgot about that. Well, give me a sec and we'll go." Nick grabbed up a clean wife beater and pulled it on. He turned and opened the door for Drew and followed him down the hall to the 'meeting room' that had been set aside just for this occasion.
Jeff and Justin were sitting a couple of chair when they walked into the room. Both of them looked up when they heard the brothers arrive. Justin broke out in a grin when he saw the annoyed look that Nick had on his face.
"What's wrong, Nick," Justin asked. "You don't look all that cheerful."
"I forgot about meeting the winners," Nick grumbled as he and Drew walked over and sat down on the love seat next to the chair Jeff was in.
Just in jumped up and hooted, "Yes! I was right!" He put his hand out in front of Jeff, palm up, and grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "Pay up, buddy." Jeff only grimaced and reached into his pocket and produced a couple of bills that he dropped into Justin's waiting palm. After Justin closed his hand around the money and walked away, Jeff looked over at Nick, who was watching them with a perplexed look on his face.
"What was that all about," Nick asked.
"Justin bet Jeff that you had forgotten about the contest winners," Drew said, trying not to smile. "Looks like he just won."
"Oh, great! Now you guys are taking bets on what I will and won't remember," Nick said, shaking his head and grinning. He just sat there for a moment and then started laughing quietly. "Can't say that I blame you. I have been forgetful here lately. I don't know what is wrong with me."
Before any of the guys could voice their opinion, the door opened and a group of five girls were escorted into the room. The guys threw on their dazzling smiles and prepared to make this a night that the girls would always remember.
A little over two hours later when the girls where led out, much to their dismay. The guys waved and smiled at them as they left. As soon as the door closed, all four of the guys collapsed into their respective seats. None of them moved for a few moment. Drew was the first one to say anything.
"I'm glad that is over. Is it just me or does it seem like every time we do one of these they get younger and younger?"
"Yeah," Justin agreed. "I don't think that any of them was over the age of thirteen."
At that moment, the door opened and the guys Events manager, Steven Carmichael walked in. "Guys, that was a fantastic performance! Well, you should head on back to your dressing rooms so that we can get you back to the hotel. We head out for St Louis first thing tomorrow." With this said, he wished the guys goodnight and went out the door.
"Well, c'mon you three," Drew said, standing and stretching so strongly that joints popped. "Let's get to the limo so that we can go back and get some sleep."
The other three just nodded wearily and headed out the door towards where the car lay waiting for them.
Chapter 8
Once at the hotel, they wished each other good night and headed for their rooms. Nick closed his door and immediately went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. There was no way that he was climbing into a clean bed smelling like he did right then. He had just taken off all of his clothing, except for his boxers when he heard the door to his room open.
"Yo, Nick, you in there," Jeff's voice called from the other side of the half-closed door.
"Yeah, come on in Jeff," Nick said, pulling off his boxers and climbing under the steaming shower of hot water. "What's up?"
"Hey man, sorry to barge in like that," Jeff said, sounding somewhat embarrassed. "I can come back after your done."
"What's wrong Jeff," Nick asked, poking his head through the glass door. "It's not like we haven't seen each other naked before."
"I know, it's just well," Jeff said. Yeah, sure he remembered seeing Nick more than naked. They used to fool around a bit before he had met Matt. But, ever since Matt had left, forget it. Jeff felt like he was losing his best friend. "I was wondering if you were acting the way you have been because we are coming up on the St Louis stop."
"Why would that bother...oh...yeah...St Louis," Nick said, just realizing where it was they were heading. He turned off the water and reached out for the towel, only to find Jeff standing there with it in his hand. Nick smiled and took it from him.
It wasn't until he was drying his hair that he realized that Jeff was still standing there, apparently waiting for an answer. "I don't know. It could be."
"You still love him?"
"Yeah, I do. Jeff," Nick asked, looking up with what seemed to be some apprehension in his eyes.
"What is it?" Jeff replied. He knew without even asking what it was that Nick was going to say but, he let him say it anyway.
"Do you think that he will see me. I mean, if I call him or something."
"I don't know, man. I just don't know."
"All right," Nick sighed, walking past Jeff out into the main room and sitting down on the bed. "Well, good night Jeff. I don't know about you, but I'm beat."
"Yeah, so am I. Night Nick," Jeff said, walking out the door and closing it behind him. It wasn't until he was back in his own bed that he let himself think about what had almost happened. He had tried to get Nick to sleep with him. Shaking his head at the thought, he got undressed and climbed into bed.
Nick could not sleep. He tossed and turned. It seemed that no matter where he stopped he just could not get comfortable. His thoughts kept roaming back to what he and Matt used to have. Being with Matt had been like walking on air. He couldn't think of any other time that they had ever had a major fight, besides the obvious one. He thought they had been so happy. Apparently he had been so wrong. He still blamed himself for what happened. <If I hadn't have been so blind to what I was doing. Neither of us would be apart right not. He would be here wrapped in my arms.>
Suddenly, Nick sat up in bed and reached for the light. Turning it on, he picked up the phone and dialed for the operator. After a couple of seconds a female voice came over the phone and said, "Operator, can I help you?"
"Yes, I would like Missouri information please."
"What area code sir?"
"Uh, I'm not sure whichever is for St Louis."
"One moment please."
Nick sat on the phone through a long series of clicks and rings until another voice came on the line. "What city please?"
"St Louis," Nick said.
"All right, what can I do for you?"
"I need to know if you have a number for a Matthew Richards."
One moment. Yes, we do sir."
"Can I have it please?" Nick asked, his heartbeat was beginning to pick up pace now.
"Which one sir?"
"Which one...how many are there," Nick asked quietly, not wanting to know the truth.
"Well, there are seven hundred forty-three listings for a Matthew Richards. Unless you have a street address I don't think I can actually be of any help to you. I am truly sorry," the operator told him, sounding honestly sincere.
Nick sighed and shook his head. "No, I don't have that information. Sorry to have bothered you. Have a good night."
"You do so as well sir. Good night."
Nick hung up. That was when it dawned on him that he had no idea where Matt would be living. He figured St Louis or at least somewhere in that vicinity. That had been where he was raised. Granite City, Illinois to be exact. He remembered going there to meet Matt's parents right after they had moved in together. He laughed to himself now, remembering that trip.
"You sure that you want to do this," Matt said, leaning over Nick to watch out the window from their seats in first class. "I have warned you about how dysfunctional my family can be."
"Hey! I've talked to your Mom on the phone before. Besides, I want to meet your sister before we steal her children for the summer," Nick said, grabbing his hand a giving it a quick kiss.
Matt laughed and pulled his hand away quickly. "Nick, stop that. What if someone had seen you do that? The last thing that you need right now are rumors that you are gay," Matt admonished him.
"I know," Nick said, sighing. "I hate having to live like this. There are times that I just want to climb to the tallest mountain and shout to the world how I feel about you."
"I want to do the same thing. But, your music career is one of the most important things to you. I don't want to see that lost or destroyed all because of me," Matt said, looking at Nick with complete and total love in his eyes. "Now, we are almost at the gate. So, hush, no more on that topic got it?"
"Yes sir!" Nick said, giving Matt a mock salute.
"Smart ass."
They got off of the plane and Nick looked around and smiled. Matt noticed and looked at him with a knowing grin. "Not used to it are you?"
"Used to what?"
"Climbing off of a plane and not instantly being mobbed by a crowd. Come on, let's go get the car before they do recognize you."
The two of them headed off down the terminal and went straight to the car rental and picked up their car. While Nick was flirting with the clerk and signing all of the paperwork, Matt went to claim their baggage. He returned a few minutes later to find Nick standing at the counter surrounded by a group of fifteen to twenty teenage girls all squealing and asking for autographs. Matt laughed and loaded the luggage into the car.
Nick looked over at him and shrugged. He enjoyed this and Matt knew it. Matt watched for a minute and then climbed into the car and waited for Nick to finish with his fans. A couple of minutes later, Nick walked over and apologized for what had happened. "I'm sorry baby. They just came up behind me while I was waiting for you to come out of the terminal."
"Don't worry about it, Nick. I know how much you enjoy that," Matt said, heading for the exit. He pulled up and heard some more squeals and screams from off to the left. He glanced over and saw the same group of girls staring and waving. Shaking his head and laughing he paid the clerk and drove through, heading for the highway.
"All right, Nick. There are some things that we need to discuss," matt said as they merged onto the traffic.
"Okay," Nick said, turning and smiling at Matt. After a moment, he reached over and put his hand on top of Matt's which was resting on the gear shift. What's up?"
"Well, I didn't tell my family just who you were."
"Sure you did. You told them my name.
"Well, yes I did tell them your name," Matt said, rolling his eyes. "But, my parents aren't what you would consider your prime fan base. My nieces have your CD's, but they don't know about us yet. My nephew is too young to care and my sister may have an idea but I am not sure."
"Oh," Nick said, chagrin showing on his face. He leaned over and kissed Matt on the cheek. He didn't say anything else for a while. He just sat there and watched him as he drove.
"What," Matt said, looking over at him nervously. "You know I hate it when you stare like that. What's wrong?"
"I just thought of something," Nick said. "Where are we going to stay?"
"Well, I talked to my mom about that. She wants us to stay with her. My dad is going out of town to do some hunting. So, mom is cool with us sleeping in the same bed and dad won't be there to make any unnecessary comments."
"Your dad is going hunting? Doesn't he want to spend any time with you? I thought you were close to your family."
"I am babe. You just have to understand my father. He loves me and I know this. He just makes plans and won't break them. I his mind, I know that he hunts every year at this time so I don't have anyone to blame but myself," Matt told him with a shrug. "It's no big deal to me. I am sorry if it upsets you."
"It doesn't upset me. I was just worried that it would upset you," Nick said, reaching over and rubbing Matt's neck. Matt looked over and saw Nick's face covered with concern. "I want this to be a good week for you."
"It will be. Trust me," Matt told him with a reassuring smile. He exited the highway and came to a stop at a light just off of the exit ramp and waited for the light to change.
Nick looked around and noticed that the neighborhood was not what one would call 'inviting' to say the least. He turned and asked Matt about it. "Um...babe."
"Yeah," Matt said, turning and smiling at him. His expression changed when he saw the somewhat alarmed look on Nick's face. "What's is it? What's wrong?"
"Um...well, is this a good neighborhood to be in?"
"Oh, it's fine don't worry about it. I used to drive through here every day on my way to work. It's not as bad as it looks."
"Okay, if you say so."
At that moment the light turned green and Matt turned left and headed across the toll bridge into Illinois. "Wow! I can't believe that they finally finished the work on this old bridge."
"What makes you say that," Nick asked looking at the bridge around them. "It looks pretty good to me."
"Yeah, now," Matt told him. "But just a couple of years ago, just before I moved to Ohio. This thing was about to fall apart. I see that the have fixed it up since then."
Nick just laughed softly and watched out the window while Matt paid the toll. They drove in silence along the highway until they came to a set of stop lights. Here, Matt turned right and headed into town. Matt told Nick about certain aspects of the town that he thought might be of interest.
Nick just laughed at the comments that Matt made and shook his head with mock frustration at him. "You make it sound like you had a horrible life here."
"I did," Matt said quietly. "I hated this place. I was never so glad to get out of here when I did. I was constantly harassed because I am gay. It was hell on earth."
"I'm sorry baby," Nick said. He reached over and took Matt's hand and stroked the back of it softly. "You never told me."
"I know, it's just that it's a part of my past that I wish I could forget about. I mean, I never had it as bad as some people. I had friends and I was never attacked. I am thankful for that but the vocal harassment alone was sickening."
Nick didn't say anymore, he just sat back and watched as Matt pointed out more thing of interest. They reached a neighborhood of older homes that had an old Victorian look to them. Nick smiled and looked at all of the old buildings and smiled at Matt when they pulled into the drive of one of them.
It was a white, two-story home with a huge wrap around porch. Matt turned off the car and looked over at Nick and smiled. "Welcome to my old home." He climbed out and headed around to the trunk while Nick was climbing out.
Matt pulled out their luggage as he looked at the front of the house. It was beautiful. He had always loved old homes. At that moment the front door opened and a woman came out on the porch. She smiled and came down the steps with care but then broke into a run.
"Matt! You're home!"
"Mom!" Matt said, putting down the suitcase he had and picking up the small woman and pulling her into a tight hug. Nick smiled and just stood quietly where he was. It was then that he heard the whimper and felt a weight against his legs. He looked down and saw an older Brittany spaniel at his legs. She looked up at him and was wagging her little tail excitedly at him. He smiled and knelt down to pet her. "Hey girl. How ya doing?"
"Belle, come here," said the gruff voice from behind him. Turning, Nick saw an older man standing there in jeans and a flannel shirt. He just looked at Nick for a moment and walked over and extended his hand. "You must be Nick. Margaret told me that Matt was bringing you home with him. I'm Robert."
"It's nice to meet you Mr Richards," Nick said, shaking his hand. "Friendly dog."
"Yeah, pet her once and she will follow you anywhere," Robert said with a small laugh. Without another glance at Nick he called out to his son. "Matt, it's good to see you."
"Dad! Hey there Belle!" Matt called, walking away from his mother and walking up to his dad. They both just stood there for a moment until his father reached out and pulled Matt into a hug.
"Missed you boy," Robert said quietly into his son's ear. Matt could hear the love in the older man's voice. "Good to have you home."
"It's good to be home for a while dad. Thanks." Matt turned from his father to see his mom coming up and pulling a surprised Nick into a hug.
"It's so good to finally meet you in person," she said, her head resting against his chest. Nick just stood there for a second and looked at Matt with confusion on his face.
"You're supposed to hug her back, Nick," Matt said, beginning to laugh. He walked over and introduced them. "Nick Lachey, I believe that you have met my father, Robert. This is my mother, Margaret Richards. Mom, this is Nick Lachey."
"I know that, now come on you two, get your things and come inside. Dinner is almost ready." Without another word, she turned and headed for the porch. Matt went over and picked up some of the luggage and called for Nick to grab the rest.
"Come on, sweety. If we don't come in right away, she will be right back out after us." Matt walked up the walk and waited for Nick on the porch and then led him into the house. Once inside, Nick took a moment to look around. He couldn't believe it. The house had been totally restored. It was just as beautiful on the inside as it was outside.
Matt led him up the stairs to a bedroom overlooking the back yard. It was a fairly large room. It held a queen size bed, a dresser and one chest of drawers. There were two windows and a walk-in closet. Plus, it had it's own bathroom and a small balcony that overlooked the back yard. Nick walked over and opened the doors as Matt was putting away their clothes. "We can sit out here at night and won't have to worry about who will see what," Matt said, walking up and sliding his arms around the taller mans waist. "The trees block the view from the street and the surrounding houses."
Nick turned around and pulled Matt closer to his chest and smiled, "Oh, really?"
Before Matt could say anything else, his mouth was captured in a kiss. Nick began to prod Matt's lips with his tongue. There was no hesitation. Instantly they locked onto each other and were lost in the moment. He could feel Matt's evident arousal through the soft fabric of the slacks he was wearing and knew that his own was evident as well.
Gasping for air, Matt broke the kiss. "We have to wait until later. My parent's are expecting us."
"All right, later you are all mine," Nick said, his voice low as he nipped at matt's neck.