CHAPTER 13 -
She was there when he woke up. Leighanne and Brian's family were the ones close to him when he came to in his room. He would stay at the hospital for a couple more of weeks and then he needed time to rest at home.
His friends were always there too. Cheering Brian up, thanking God everything went on perfectly. Mr. Joker was back now, healthy and shining bright.
On Nick's 18th birthday he spent three hours in Brian's room, alone with his best friend.
"I'm really sorry I can't be out of here to spend this day with you, Nick." - Brian said lying on his bed.
"Oh, no! Don't say that! You are giving me the best gift ever by being fine! Really..." - Nick said approaching that bed.
Brian smiled.
"Come here..." - Brian signed for Nick to come closer and the blond leaned down on Brian's face.
Softly their lips touched, and they pulled apart.
"Thanks for giving me strength, Nick. I can't wait to be out of this place... What really sucks is that I won't be able to perform for two months..."
"I'll always give you strength..." - Nick squeezed Brian's hand. - "And about performing, we were talking and we decided to do some shows right here around the US till you are back on your feet and a hundred per cent fine. Then we can go back to Europe."
"Oh, thats gonna be great!" - Brian cheered up.
Nick smiled.
"Yeah."
"So, what have you been doing?"
"Oh, ya know... Mandy is always complaining about me not having time for us, so that now I'm sorta making it up to her." - Nick smiled.
"Cool... thats cool. Is she still possessive?"
"Oh, man! She burned a love letter I had from a fan. Brian, a thirteen years old girl had written that! I was so pissed with her! I mean, she has no right to do this, if I'm with her is coz I love her, and not anyone else... Why are girls so insecure?"
Brian sighed and shrugged.
"Feminine universe... Who dares to decipher?"
Nick giggled.
"True, true, true..." - Nick looked around the bedroom.
"Hey, bud, doesn't it bother you to stay here sitting and looking at me?" - Brian asked grinning slightly.
"Oh, God! No way, Brian! I love being here! Actually its being the happiest time of the day to me!" - Nick said honestly.
"Really?"
"Yes! I love being with you! Even if its just around you, even if its just looking at you, I just love to BE around you, get it?"
Brian smiled moved.
"Oh... you have no idea how much it means to me. I mean, my parents being here, my brother, its all wonderful and I need them. Leighanne too, she is also wonderful, but I like best being with you. I don't know, its this friendship we have, see? Whenever you are in the room my mood changes coz I know we are gonna goof off and have lots of fun together."
"Yeah, same happens to me."
Nick smiled and their fingers played together, linking for a brief moment. When they did this a strong share of energy ran through their bodies and without saying a word they pulled away.
They kept quiet for some minutes, until Brian said something.
"Thanks for coming, Nick."
They performed some shows without Brian and the fans brought all kinds of banners to show how much they loved and supported him. After they were telling this to Brian and he nearly cried hearing all the stuff fans had been telling through the banners they held during the shows.
When Brian turned twenty three he still wasn't able to perform, but right now he had talked to the doctors and they said a couple more of weeks would do for his total recovering.
This way, during the first days of March the boys were going back to Europe. Once again Brian had to say goodbye to Leighanne and Nick had to let go of Mandy.
They had stopped their tour in German, and it was the first place where they would perform a couple of shows before heading to France.
Nick was completely worn out as he entered the the room he'd be sharing with Brian.
"Alrgh!" - he sighed heavily putting his luggage on top of his bed.
Brian smiled at him.
"Tired? Its about to begin, Nick..." - Brian giggled.
"Oh, you say that... I bet you are on fire to get on stage again." - Nick smiled sitting on his bed.
Brian put his stuff on the other bed and sat beside Nick.
"Oh, man! I'm dying to go on stage again! Really... I've even dreamed of this!" - Brian shook his head dreamily.
Nick placed his arm around Brian's shoulders.
"I'm glad we you are fine. I was so scared with all this... And I'm also happy we are on tour again. I do love to be home, but I'm loving way more to be traveling right now. Just the five of us working our asses off. What can be better?" - Nick smiled and shrugged.
"Yeah..." - Brian sighed.
"Hm... Brian?" - Nick asked taking his arm away and staring his friend into his eyes.
"Hm?"
Brian looked at him.
Suddenly Nick felt his heart racing with the closeness. Why that now? They were just friends! Best friends that yeah, fooled around sometimes. This was really weird.
"Can I see the scar?" - Nick asked shyly.
Brian nodded. Slowly he pulled his shirt over his head, revealing the long scar across his bare chest.
Unconsciously Nick bit his lip.
"Wow..." - he said, his blue eyes full of concern. - "Does it hurt?"
"No... not anymore." - Brian said amazed by the way Nick was looking at his scar.
Nick lifted his hand and approached it from Brian's chest.
"Can I...? Is it ok...?"
"Sure."
Like a feather the tip of Nick's fingers ran all the way long the scar on Brian's chest. The skin there was thin, delicate... it was so sensitive that Brian shivered and shuddered.
Nick immediately took his hand away.
"I'm sorry." - he said a bit scared.
"No, it didn't hurt, it was only that your fingers are cold."
"Oh..." - Nick giggled.
Brian followed him.
"I don't know what would I do with you, man... I mean, if something happened... I'd go insane!"
"Shhhh.... everything is fine now. You don't need to worry, remembering the past is only gonna make you suffer twice." - Brian said pulling Nick's head to him and the blond cuddled to his chest.
"Its just that you are the only person with whom I can be a hundred per cent Nick. Its so hard to explain! But whenever I'm around someone, even the other fellows, I always have to think of what I'm gonna say. I wonder if they'll like what I say, if I won't sound childish, if I won't sound stupid... I have to think a lot before, and not even on this, just the way I am... the way I act, the things I like to do... With you I can do all this and I never worry if you are gonna think I'm childish or stupid, I know you are gonna understand me, no matter what."
Brian caressed Nick's hair.
"Our friendship is so special, Nick... I think that in a way we complete each other, ya know? You have in me what you needed to have faith in yourself. You see in me a role model, someone you can trust and turn to. And I see in you the same, no matter how old we grow you are always the boy I met, the scared one, the insecure one. And I have to take care of you! I'll do whatever I need in this world to see you happy. You are so special, Nick! Apart of all the things you say, naughty things and stuff, you don't have the malice! You never had and this is so rare... You are pure, really..."
Nick grinned.
"Thanks."
They locked eyes again.
"I think its just like you said, Frick. In some way we complete each other. From our friendship I can get everything I need to be happy, and you are the only one that I'm not ashamed to cry in front of. I think... I think you are already a part of me, and I wanna be your best friend forever!"
Brian's eyes shone.
"We will be best friends forever! I could never part with our friendship!"
"Me neither!"
They laughed and hugged again.
Soon Nick found the sensitive skin on Brian's neck and kissed him softly. Brian shivered again. Nick continued placing several butterfly kisses along his shoulder and neck, taking time to inhale his sent. He just loved having a friend like this... It wasn't as if he was kissing a man, it wasn't a 'man', it was Brian! Not that Brian wasn't a man... It was just that as he said before Brian was already a part of him, and it felt so right... They were so extremely close, they have been through so much together that if they shared kisses right now it just felt normal, as if in a different way they belonged together.
Of course it was in a different way. They both had girlfriends, they loved them. Neither of them felt anything, any kind of attraction towards another man. Totally the opposite, Brian knew that he would never kiss another guy. Never! No matter how much money they offered him, no matter how 'handsome' this guy would be, it would be just sick! Never in his life he wanted to kiss a guy, and now it wasn't any different. He loved girls and was completely sure about that. The only thing was Nick... but Nick was like a part of himself! He knew Nick so well, he knew what he was thinking, his little gestures could tell Brian so much... He watched the kid grow!
What they had was special, and they had to keep it a secret. Because no one in this world would ever understand it! Two guy friends that like to make out and aren't gay? Impossible, right? Right? Wrong.
For sure they wouldn't believe this if it wasn't happening to them. They weren't gay. They didn't like other guys. Not even if it was the last thing they had left in this world, another man. They wouldn't go for it.
It was just that what they had between them was so strong and so deep that this turned out to be the only way through which they could show it.
Nick kept kissing Brian's neck, sometimes licking the soft skin too. He did this until their lips met, and with closed eyes they let them part and allowed their tongues to wrestle in each other's mouths. The kiss grew deeper as Nick was using his tongue to lick Brian's, to just be as close as possible to him. Brian responded by placing his hands on his neck and adding more pressure to their kiss. Soon small moans were escaping their mouths.
Without really thinking of what they were doing Brian slowly laid on the bed, atop of Nick. They continued making out, not having been able to do it for two months.
Brian was running his hand through Nick's hair and from time to time they stopped and smiled at each other. Soon their mouths would join again in kisses that began to get dangerously heated.
Brian buried his head on Nick's neck and the blond shivered.
"Hm..." - Nick closed his eyes feeling Brian's warm tongue travel around his sensitive neck.
Again Brian found his lips and slid his tongue inside his mouth. Nick let him dominate the kiss until Brian pulled his tongue away and silently begged Nick to do the same. Nick smiled against his lips, he knew exactly what Brian wanted. Without wasting anymore time he slid his tongue inside his mouth and heard a suffocated moan from his friend against his mouth.
Nick explored just everything inside Brian's mouth. No matter how many times they kissed it always seemed like the first, and they felt that urge of exploring every single inch of those mouths. Maybe it was a way of knowing each other even more. Sharing things most friends didn't...
Slowly their breath increased and Nick began to dig his fingers into Brian's curls, smoothing his neck at the same time Brian nibbled on his bottom lip.
"Hm, Brian..." - Nick moaned rolling his eyes at the back of his head.
Something lighted inside the Brian's mind. They should stop it. No, it was getting dangerous... No, not what they were doing. Maybe what they were feeling.
But it felt so good, it was so hard to stop...
Brian kissed Nick again, passionately, this time his body unconsciously pressed slightly against Nick's and both of them moaned.
Everything began to happen so fast they lost control. Nick wrapped his arms around Brian and they continued making out. Nick knew they had to stop, he was felling something very, very embarrassing begin to form in his pants and he knew it was wrong, he didn't want Brian to notice it, by at the same time it was so hard to stop, everything was happening so fast...
"Nick..." - Brian moaned in protest but soon gave in to Nick's lips against him. Amazing how he tased so sweet, and his tongue was so smooth, as if he was trying to feel Brian through it.
Suddenly the phone rang in the room and they pulled away so abruptly Brian almost fell from the bed.
"Hahahahaha!" - Nick laughed at him.
Brian blushed and laughed too. Nick took deep breaths to recover before taking the phone.
"Hello?"
Brian watched him, both guys smiling.
"Yes, yes... sure. We'll be there. Ok. See ya.... No, I won't be late, damnit, Kevin! Ok, okay. Laterz, bye." - Nick hung up.
"So?" - Brian asked
"He called from his room, we should all meet in the hall at eight o'clock. We have a meeting with management. They wanna talk to us about the tour."
"Oh, ok. Man, this phone saved the day."
Nick grinned.
"Oh, yeah!" - the blond nodded.