Westlife Romance -- Chapter 61
"Great, just great," Annette groaned. "First we get lost in the middle of nowhere, now we have to trudge up this hill. Can this day get any worse?"
"Hey, at least it's not pouring rain," Mark offered with a sheepish grin.
Annette and Mark jumped as they heard a massive clap of thunder.
"Did you have to open your big mouth?" Annette asked as she glared at Mark.
"How was I supposed to know?" Mark defended himself.
"Whatever," Annette replied as they continued trudging up the hill. The wind was picking up and she could feel the first drops of rain. "The least you could have done was make sure we had gas before we left the hotel."
"I did check. It was a full tank!!"
"And then, of course, you could've checked the map to make sure we were going to the right place."
"I DID check the map!" Mark snapped. "You even saw that sign pointing to the manor when we came up from the valley!!"
The two walked in silence after that. Annette was dead tired and Mark was annoyed. Nothing was going right, and he was so sure today was going to be a great day.
Bryan glanced over at Nicky once more as the older boy got ready for the photo shoot. Only a few words had been exchanged between Nicky and Bryan all day, and this distance is killing Bryan.
"I'm sorry, Nix," Bryan pleaded once again. "I'm so, so, so sorry..." Bryan sounded desperate and even somewhat pitiful, but he didn't care. He could care less about his pride at this moment. He just wanted Nicky back. "Nix...please...yell at me, curse me...anything!!! Just don't ignore me..." And Bryan meant every word he said. He wished Nicky would yell at him or something. Deep down, he even wished Nicky had hit him. At least it would be better than Nicky pretending that he wasn't there.
Bryan was so consumed with his fear of Nicky abandoning him that he almost failed to hear Nicky's soft sobs. But upon hearing them, Bryan jumped up off of the bed and in seconds, he was by Nicky's side. Now, Bryan was very concerned. The last thing he wanted was to upset Nicky even more.
"I'm sorry," Nicky finally whispered.
Bryan had no idea why Nicky was even apologizing. "Nix...please don't apologize. I know I messed up..."
Nicky shook his head as Bryan spoke. "It's me...it's happening again..."
"What are you talking about, Nix?" Bryan was confused, not knowing what Nicky was trying to say.
"Don't you get it, Bryan?" Nicky asked, his eyes glistening with tears. "I'm driving you away, just like I drove Kian away. It's happening all over again, Bryan..."
Bryan stared at Nicky in absolute astonishment. "What are you talking about, Nicky? You're not driving me away. I'm not going anywhere!!"
"Even if it doesn't happen now, it will happen eventually...that's just the way it works..." Nicky answered, a hint of bitterness in his voice.
Bryan walked over to Nicky and embraced him. "I love you, Nix. And nothing's going to change that," he whispered as he took in Nicky's scent. "Remember that, Nix...okay?"
"Why?" Nicky whispered. "You can have anyone you want...why would you want me?" Again, there was bitterness in Nicky's voice.
"Listen to me, Nix," Bryan answered. "I know things have been difficult for you. And if I could, I would change all that for you in a flash. But no matter what, you're still perfect in my eyes. And I love you because of who you are. I know what I'm getting myself into, Nix. I'm all grown up now. And I want you, Nix. Your past, present, and future. All of it." The conviction in Bryan's voice surprised Nicky, but it also soothed his broken heart.
"You mean that?" Nicky asked, still unsure of himself.
"Absolutely," Bryan replied with confidence as he gave Nicky a quick kiss, which brought smile to Nicky's face. "So am I forgiven?"
Nicky smiled again. "I wasn't angry with you. I was just angry at myself."
"I love you, Nix."
Nicky's response was to engage in a passionate kiss with his boyfriend.
"You alright, Shane?" Kian asked as he sipped his mineral water.
"Yep...why?"
"Nothing. You just seem, I don't know...you seem like you have a lot on your mind."
"Nah," Shane brushed off the suggestion. "Nothing important..."
Kian answered with a smile. "How long do you think this photo shoot will take?"
"Not long, I hope," Shane answered. "Hopefully we can get it done in a couple of hours."
"So Mark and Annette are already there, right?"
"Yeah...maybe they'll even have everything set up by the time we get there."
Kian laughed as he thought about Mark and Annette. "Who would've thought..."
"What do you mean?" Shane asked with a puzzled look.
"You know!! Mark and Annette!! They are the most unlikely combination for a couple."
"Well, you know, sometimes the most unlikely couples make the best couples," Shane muttered.
"What did you say?" Kian asked.
"Nothing," Shane quickly answered, relieved that Kian didn't hear his careless comment.
"Anyways, I think we should get going," Kian said, simply shrugging off Shane's comment.
"Yeah, we should," Shane answered. "Let me freshen up a bit first, okay?"
"Just don't take forever," Kian joked.
Shane simply smiled and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
Once inside, he sighed and splashed cold water on his face. "Unlikely couples can make good couples too, Kian," Shane whispered as he stared at himself in the mirror. "Or can they?"
...to be continued...