Disclaimer:
The following story is the twenty first installment in an on going series about Stephen Gately from Boyzone and what I imagine to be the story behind the beginning of his relationship with Eloy de Jong from Caught in the Act. I have no contact with either person, nor know any of the members of either group.
I enjoy hearing what you have to think about my story so far, so please email me and let me know what you think.
They were woken later that morning by someone knocking on the door. Stephen groggily lifted his head off the pillow and dropped it back down with a groan. He buried his face under the covers with a mumbled "Go away!"
Eloy muttered something in response and ducked down under the duvet. He was still wrapped around Stephen and intended to stay that way.
"Hey, Steve!" A voice called through the door. "You in there, mate?"
"Don't answer and maybe they'll go away," Eloy whispered into Stephen's ear.
"Believe me, I don't intend to," Stephen said softly. He lay there as Keith called out again. Eventually someone further down the hall opened their door and complained and Keith apologised before going away. Stephen whimpered softly. "Shite."
Eloy tried to distract him by nibbling on his ear. "It's okay, he's gone now." Stephen gave a deep sigh in response before rolling over to face Eloy.
"Yeah, but he'll be back. And it also means that they're all coming in now. What time is it?" He raised himself up on one elbow to look over Eloy's shoulder at the clock. It was past eleven. He dropped back down with a sigh. "We slept the morning away. It's almost noon."
"Well, we still have a bit of time to ourselves, right?" Eloy asked. He didn't want Stephen to spiral down now that their respite was over. He kissed Stephen. "Good morning, baby."
Stephen smiled wryly, well aware of what Eloy was trying to do. "Good morning, handsome. I'm so glad to see you here this morning, too." He leaned in for another kiss and let himself drift for a moment. "Mmmm, this is a much nicer way to wake up."
Eloy smiled and stroked Stephen's back. "Ja, it is." He yawned and broke out into a big stretch. Stephen lay watching him, amused. He came out of the stretch and wrapped himself back around Stephen. Stephen snuggled in against Eloy's neck and closed his eyes again.
"Can we stay like this for the rest of the day?" He asked softly.
Eloy rubbed his chin against the top of Stephen's head. "If you want." He had his plane ticket for later in the evening, but he didn't mention it to Stephen. They needed to talk a bit before reality kicked in, and if Stephen asked him to move the flight, he would. He didn't want this time to end any more than Stephen did, but they had certainly been served notice by Keith's knocking on their door this morning.
"God, I want," Stephen mumbled against his shoulder. "But I suppose we should get up. I'm getting a bit hungry." He pulled back to smile up at Eloy. "It must have been all that exercise we got yesterday."
Eloy deliberately misconstrued what Stephen was referring to. "Ja, all that walking around Stonehenge was hard work." He pulled back from the light punch that Stephen aimed at him. "Hey!"
"Brat!" Stephen exclaimed. He glared at him. He could feel Eloy's chest shaking under his hands and he caved in and laughed along with him. "You're terrible."
"I'm not," Eloy protested mildly. He pulled one of Stephen's hands up to his face and kissed it. "I was just stating a fact."
"Yeah, right." Stephen chuckled. He sat up in the bed and stretched. Grey light poked its way through the gap in the drapes and he sighed. Another cloudy day. He wasn't going to let it, or thoughts of Eloy's eventual departure get to him, though. He made a promise to himself that he wasn't going to be negative.
Eloy sat up next to him and stroked his back as he got out of the bed. He winked as he headed off to the bathroom. "By the way, weren't you going to call your sister? If she's anything like Lucienne, I bet she's steaming by now."
Stephen dropped his head in his hands with a groan. He knew that Michelle was going to skin him for not calling her back yesterday like he had promised he would. He was usually good about it, but he knew he didn't really want to face the questions he knew he was going to get. He looked over at the phone, but he couldn't bring himself to plug it back in. He knew that the minute he did, the rest of the world would be intruding and he wanted to hold it off a little longer.
He heard the toilet flush in the bathroom and with another sigh, dragged himself out of bed. He wandered around the bedroom, picking up the clothes that were strewn about. When Eloy started the shower, he dropped the clothes on the sofa and made his way to the bathroom. He leaned on the doorjamb and waited for a moment. Eloy was humming a tune and he had to smile. After a minute or two, he walked in and peered around the edge of the curtain.
"Hey there," Eloy said with a smile. "Coming in to join me?" He pushed back the curtain, inviting Stephen in. Stephen matched his smile and stepped into the tub. Eloy pulled him under the water and wrapped his arms around him. Stephen tried not to cling to him. He was still fighting the melancholy of their time coming to a close.
Eloy saw that he was looking a bit down and sought to distract him. He cuddled Stephen close under the spray of the shower. Tilting Stephen's chin up, he planted kisses all over his face. He paused for a moment and frowned down at Stephen.
"What?" Stephen asked.
"Shhhh... I'm concentrating." Eloy admonished him.
"On what?" Stephen asked. Eloy's eyes were looking him over intently and he shifted a bit in the tub.
"Shhhh." Eloy repeated. "Ah! Found it!" And planted a kiss on Stephen's eyebrow. "I knew I had missed a spot."
Stephen started laughing and leaned against the wall of the shower. This was one of the things he loved about Eloy -- his ability to make him laugh. "Thanks, hon."
Eloy winked and handed him the soap. "Anytime. Now, let's get down to business here." They enjoyed a leisurely shower together, constantly touching each other as they washed up. This time Stephen let Eloy dry him off with the towel without too many complaints. He was instantly taken back to their trip to France and their shower together then. It seemed a lifetime ago. He emerged from the towel with a grin, his hair all tousled.
"My turn," he said, grabbing the other towel off the bar. He wrapped it around Eloy and began rubbing him down. Eloy obediently submitted and bent over so that Stephen could dry his hair. "There!"
"Do I pass muster then?" Eloy asked. Stephen stood and looked at him critically.
"Mmm, you'll pass with a push and a shove, as me Mam says." Stephen tugged on his hand and pulled him out of the bathroom. "Let's get dressed and get some food up here."
"You want to stay in?" Eloy asked as he reached across and pulled his jeans off the sofa. Stephen nodded. "Probably not a bad idea. Wouldn't want to run into any more Tom Jones fans." As Stephen chuckled he pulled his shirt off the sofa and wrinkled his nose. "Hmmm, perhaps a dash upstairs?"
"Don't need a shirt," Stephen said quietly. "It blocks my view."
"And the pants don't?" Eloy asked as he tossed the shirt back over the arm of the sofa. He slanted a glance at Stephen as he pulled the jeans over his hips.
"Nah, they accentuate some of your better assets," Stephen said with a grin. He headed over to the dresser and pulled out his briefs and tan jeans. Eloy pouted as he put them on, which brought out a laugh. "Hey, I'm the one who has to answer the door when room service shows up! Have to look halfway presentable." He then grabbed a t-shirt and pulled it over his head.
Eloy moved over to the table and started clearing up the remains from the night before. "God, we're slobs. They'll have to take this away with them, too." Stephen took the tray from him and walked it over to the door. A quick glance through the peephole showed him that no one was in sight, so he opened the door and placed it outside in the hall. When he came back, Eloy had the room service menu open to the lunch section. Stephen leaned over his shoulder to look through and see if there was anything interesting.
"Anything good?" He asked, his breath tickling Eloy's ear. His attention wandered from the menu to where he could nuzzle Eloy's neck. Eloy closed his eyes in response to Stephen's actions.
"That's goed," Eloy said softly before turning his head to rub his cheek against Stephen's. "Oh, you meant the food."
Stephen chuckled. "Yes, the food. Lord knows it seems that it's all we think about when we're together. Why is that?"
Eloy flipped through the pages of items on the menu, trying to find something appetizing. "All that exercise we've been getting, I suppose." He grinned as Stephen perched on the arm of his chair and he pulled him onto his lap. "You know, this kind of exercise." He pulled Stephen's face closer for a kiss.
"Mmmm, I see what you mean." Stephen murmured against his lips as he pulled away. He stroked his fingers along Eloy's chest before running them through his damp hair. "You know something? I think I like this kind of exercise."
"Ja, so do I." Eloy grinned. "But, before you ask, I think I've found something that might appeal." He pulled the menu onto Stephen's lap so they could both look and pointed out a couple of club sandwiches. "We could trade halves and have a little of each with some chips."
"Yeah, that works. Let me put the order in." Stephen got up with a groan and made his way over to the bed. "Coke okay?" At Eloy's nod he sat down on the bed and plugged the phone in. It immediately lit up with a flashing message light and he sighed. Ignoring the light, he called room service and put their order in. He put his finger on the button and looked wryly at Eloy. "Time to face the music, I think." He lifted his hand and dialed his sister's number.
"Hullo?" A high voice answered the phone. Stephen smiled as he heard his nephew pick up the phone.
"Hey Jordan, its Uncle Steve. How are ya, buddy?"
Eloy winced as he heard the squeal rise out of the phone from across the room. He smiled at the look on Stephen's face as he talked to his nephew. It was clear that he adored the little boy. He didn't get to talk to his nephew for very long because Eloy soon heard a woman's voice replacing Jordan's and from the resigned look on Stephen's face he was obviously getting a scold from his sister.
"Stephen Patrick, where the hell have you been?" Michelle asked, a bit put off that he had been blowing her off for the past few days.
"Sorry, Shel. Really I am," Stephen said placatingly. "I've just been busy the last couple of days. I was going to call you first moment I got. Which is now." He rolled his eyes at Eloy.
"I'm sorry, hon. I didn't mean to grouse at you. But I feel like I haven't had a chance to talk to you in ages. What are you up to now?" She asked.
"Well, waiting for room service to bring up some lunch." Stephen leaned against the headboard and propped his feet up on the bed. He knew he was going to field some questions now and kept one ear opened for a knock on the door.
"Is your friend still with you?" She asked, trying to sound casual. She was dying to ask a thousand questions but knew she wasn't going to get any answers this time around.
"Yeah, Eloy and I are going to have lunch," Stephen grudgingly admitted. "We're just hanging around now."
"And what fun and exciting things have you been up to?" She asked.
"Well, we played tourists yesterday. Took a bus tour to Stonehenge and Bath." Stephen felt that was a safe enough topic, and might be enough to distract her.
"You didn't!" She exclaimed, laughing. "Did anyone recognize you?"
"Not a soul," Stephen chuckled. "It was all Americans and Canadians on the tram, and apparently no one working the exhibits watches Top of the Pops. Luckily. But we had fun. Lots of walking. Got my exercise."
"Sounds like fun. Oh listen, I was talking to Alan last night at dinner and he had a few ideas about places you might like. A couple of them are a bit out of the city, but I think you might like to look at them anyhow. That is, when you get back home. Do you know when that might be?" Michelle asked.
Stephen burst out laughing. "Hon, I haven't even made it into the studio yet. Lord knows what they're going to do to us once we get in there. And there's been some talk about flying us to New York to work with some people over there. Louis has big plans for this album. Lots of stuff."
"I know," Michelle sighed. "I just miss you. You're never home long enough to enjoy before you're off again."
"I'm sorry sweetheart. Really I am," Stephen said. He knew what she meant. It seemed like they never really got to spend time together anymore. A knock on the door startled him out of his reverie. "Oh, there's the door." He waved for Eloy to stay where he was. "Hon, I've got to go. Room service is here and I have to go sign for it. I promise I'll call you later tonight, once I know what my schedule is. Okay?"
"All right. Just call me this time, okay?" Michelle pleaded. He promised her he would as he hung up the phone.
He got up and opened up the door. A young man came in and put the food on the table. He made a big deal out of pulling the covers off the plates and arranging them on the table. Stephen waited patiently for him to finish before tipping him and sending him on his way. As he closed the door, the phone rang again. He sighed.
"Knew I shouldn't have plugged that damn thing in. Maybe I shouldn't answer?" He asked Eloy.
Eloy shrugged and quirked an eyebrow upwards. "Well, maybe it's something to do with the studio. You never know until you answer."
Stephen sighed. Eloy was right. He still didn't know what the plan was for getting into the studio. He walked over and picked up the phone.
"Hello?" He asked warily.
"Yes, Stephen Gately, please," a crisp voice asked over the phone.
"Speaking," he replied.
"Hello, Mr. Gately." The woman said a bit more politely as he identified himself. "This is Susan at Sarm West Studios. I was asked to give you a call and let you know that there will be a dinner meeting tonight at the studio to go over some of the material you'll be recording."
"Great, what time do I need to be there?" Stephen asked, stifling a sigh.
"Eight o'clock. There will be a car to pick you and the rest of your group up around seven forty five. Will that be all right?" Susan asked.
"Yeah, that will be fine. Thanks for calling." Stephen said and rung off. As he hung up the phone he noticed that the light was still flashing. "Let me get these out of the way, just in case it's something I have to deal with."
Eloy was still straddling the chair near the table. "Go right ahead." He reached out and nabbed a chip.
Stephen sat back down and punched the message button. Two of the messages were from Michelle. Another was from Shane, wanting to meet up last night for dinner, and the last was from the van service calling to tell him that he needed to be down in the lobby to get the car to the studio for tonight. He cleared all the messages before hanging up the phone.
"Well, here's back to reality," he said a bit glumly. He saw that Eloy was resting his chin on the back of the chair and watching him with a slight smile on his face. He grinned ruefully. Shaking off the way he was feeling, he got up and went over to the table. Taking a chair opposite Eloy, he sat down and looked down at the sandwich. "Where were we?"
"Just about where we are right now." Eloy said with a grin.
"Hmmm, this is much too far away. How about if we move over by the sofa and watch some television while we eat?" Stephen said. At Eloy's nod, they both got up and moved to the floor, resting their backs against the sofa. Stephen used the remote to turn on the television, and soon they were laughing over some show while eating their lunch.
As they were finishing up, Eloy reached onto the cushion of the sofa and pulled the remote over. He turned off the tv and put his empty plate down.
"Stephen, we should talk," he began a bit hesitantly. He knew Stephen didn't want to deal with it, but he also knew that it had to be addressed before he left that evening. Privately, he thought it a good thing that Stephen had plans for the evening. It would keep him distracted for a bit.
Stephen turned so that he was facing Eloy. "Yeah, I know." He rested his arm along the cushion and reached over to stroke Eloy's cheek. "Go on."
"Well..." Eloy looked into Stephen's eyes, a bit uncertain about how to begin. "About us. About where we're headed. And how we're going to make this work." He looked down at his hand that was fiddling with the top of the soda can. Stephen sighed.
"Yeah. That's the question, isn't it? Where are we headed?" He forced himself to keep on looking at Eloy. He wanted to avoid this so much, but he knew that they were running out of time. "How are we going to make this work? I don't know. But I know I'll do anything to make it work. Anything, Eloy." Stephen leaned forward and touched Eloy's hand. "I don't think I can go back from here. Can you?"
Eloy looked up. "No," he said softly. "I can't. And I don't want to." He leaned into Stephen's hand that was still caressing his cheek.
"So, let's make some plans. I'll tell you what I've been thinking." Stephen said. He moved closer and put his arm around Eloy. "I've been thinking that you're right. I can't go on the way I did this last tour. It's too much. None of us wanted that, but none of us spoke up. It's about time we did for a change. So I'm thinking that I get together with the rest of the lads and see if we can work out something where we can get some time to ourselves. It's all well and good to keep the push going, but we need a break occasionally." He leaned his head against Eloy's and looked at their reflection in the tv screen.
"We get our schedule planned out and I give you a call. Together, we'll work out how we're going to get together and where. I think I can make this work. I have to. I don't have a choice."
Eloy nodded, rubbing his head against Stephen's. "That's a goed start. And as for where... well, come to Amsterdam. My mother is dying to meet you." He could feel Stephen start in surprise.
"She is?" Stephen said. "What have you been telling her?"
"Well, she's seen the letters. And she knows that you were the one I met up with in France. And she's said to me a few times that if I'm stupid enough to let you get away that she was going to spank me." Eloy said with a chuckle.
Stephen turned to look at him. "She didn't!" He started laughing as Eloy nodded. "Now that, I'd like to see!"
"You're just as bad as her, aren't you?" Eloy said with a laugh. "Well, you'll have to wait to see that, because I have no intention in letting you get away from me." He put his arms around Stephen and held him lightly.
"Is that a fact?" Stephen said, still chuckling. Eloy nodded solemnly and Stephen smiled at him affectionately. "Aww, you're the best."
"Well, it seems like we have a battle plan," Eloy said. "So what now? What would you like to do with the rest of the afternoon?"
Stephen took a sip from his coke and thought about it. "Nothing special. Just want to be here with you. Come on," he said. He pulled out of Eloy's embrace and got up. Eloy looked up and took his proffered hand.
"Where are we going?" He asked.
"Not far. Just up here," Stephen said as he patted the bed. They picked their plates up and put them back on the tray before heading back to the bed. Eloy let Stephen pull him back down onto the duvet and they wrapped their arms around each other. "Ah, much better!"
"Ja?" Eloy said with a soft smile. Stephen smiled back at him before giving him a kiss. He then rested his head on Eloy's shoulder and sighed.
"Thank you, sweetheart." He said, his voice muffled against Eloy's shoulder. "Thank you for everything."
"Thank you, babe." Eloy replied. "I have to say that these last few days went beyond all my hopes and dreams. I..."
Stephen put a finger to his lips to still them. "That goes both ways, you know. I can't tell you how many nights I had thought about a time when perhaps we could get together and really tell each other what we feel. I'm so glad it happened the way it did. I love you."
Eloy closed his eyes because he felt them welling up at the simple words that Stephen spoke. He was determined to keep this time light, not to get either of them upset. It was hard, though. So hard. He tightened his hold on Stephen and rubbed his back. After a few moments when he thought he could control his voice, he spoke again.
"I love you, Stephen. I love you so damn much. And I can't think of anything better than lying here with you in my arms right now." He let out a soft sigh.
They lay quietly in the bed for a while, listening to the traffic out on the street below. Some people came down the hall and they could hear talking in some foreign language as the other guests walked down to their room.
"What time is your flight?" Stephen asked. As much as he didn't want to face the inevitable, he knew that time was passing.
"I have to be at the airport around seven," Eloy said. He glanced over at the clock beside them and saw that it was a little past four. They had talked for a long time this afternoon and he felt a pang with how swiftly it was passing. "I'm going to have to go pack soon."
"Yeah," came the response from against his shoulder. With a groan, Stephen pushed himself off of Eloy. "Let me go upstairs with you and help."
"All right," Eloy agreed. With matching sighs they got up from the bed. Eloy put on his loafers and watched as Stephen tugged on some sandals. He opened the door and looked out before motioning for Stephen to follow him. They left Stephen's room, letting the door click softly behind them. Eloy led the way upstairs to the sixth floor and he looked out the door to make sure that the way was clear. It was. He got his room key out of his pocket and had it ready to open the door as they made their way down the hall to his room.
They were in. He could hear Stephen breathing a sigh of relief as the door closed. Eloy flicked on the lights and pulled Stephen further into the room by the hand. Together they made their way around the room, picking up Eloy's belongings and putting them in the overnight bag he had placed on the bed. Eloy also pulled on a clean shirt from the drawer. He thought about the stuff that he had left downstairs in Stephen's room, but didn't want to go back down to get them. Neither of them said much, though they took every opportunity to touch one another as they moved about the room.
Eloy glanced at the clock. It was getting late. He swept a glance around the room one last time before turning back to where Stephen was looking under the bed for anything that might have gotten lost. He stifled a groan at Stephen's butt sticking into the air in front of him and resolutely turned away and over to the television. Turning it on, he checked out electronically and put the room key on the table by the window.
Stephen had gotten up in the meantime and had silently watched him check out. Eloy almost couldn't bear to look at him in the face. Already he had a lost boy expression that was tearing his heart into pieces.
Stephen saw a look of pain pass across Eloy's face. He tried to smile and hoped that his face approximated that look, because he sure as hell didn't feel like smiling at the moment.
"So." Stephen said as he double-checked the zipper on Eloy's bag again. "This is it."
"Afraid so," Eloy said. "Stephen, let's not leave it this way. Let's think of the future, a time when we can be together again, not this parting now." He held open his arms and Stephen stepped into them. He rested his cheek against Stephen's head and closed his eyes. "In a few weeks we'll be together again. I know it in my heart."
"Yeah, we will." Stephen said, trying to sound positive. He felt like his whole world was collapsing in this instant. He heard his voice waver and he winced. It didn't sound very positive to him. He tried again. "You know what? I can see myself on a plane right now, with you picking me up in Amsterdam. How's that for a vision?"
"Sounds goed to me, baby. I can picture that, too. Of course, then you're going to have to deal with Mama and everything. Not that she's that bad, but I can tell you it will be quite the scrutiny! You should see what she does to Lucienne's men! But I have a feeling she's going to like you quite well!" Eloy forced a note of joviality into his voice, trying to keep things light between them.
Stephen chuckled. "I hope so! I'd hate to disappoint her when she meets me!" He pulled back to look up into Eloy's face. He reached up to cradle his face. "Go on with you. You're going to be late. I'm sure I'll find out more over the next day or so about when we can get together again."
"Goed! I'll make sure I keep my calendar free." Eloy said with a smile. He reached out to lightly trace Stephen's lips before leaning down to give him a kiss. Stephen wrapped his arms and hugged him tight before letting him go. He glanced at the clock and saw that he wasn't giving himself much time to get downstairs and grab a taxi.
"I love you," he said softly, reaching out to touch his cheek one last time. Stephen held his hand there for a moment before placing a kiss in the palm and closing Eloy's fingers around it.
"Here, something for you to hold onto." He said with a shaky smile. "You better get yourself downstairs or you're never going to get to the airport in time. And I love you, too."
Eloy nodded. "Ja, I've got to go. Though leaving is the last thing I want to do right now. Walk me down the stairs, at least to your floor?"
Stephen nodded and motioned for him to lead the way. Eloy picked up his bag and gave one last glance around the room. Then he opened the door and motioned for Stephen to leave in front of him. Together they went down the stairs, Eloy following Stephen down. When they got to his floor, they stopped by the fire door and stared at each other.
"Have a good flight," Stephen said softly. He reached out and touched Eloy's hand lightly. "Don't worry about me. I'll be okay. Just give me a call tonight, all right? I want to make sure you get in okay."
"Ja, I'll do that. And I will worry about you. Smile for me, baby?" Eloy whispered. He felt the time crunch pressing on him, but he was reluctant to leave Stephen.
Stephen smiled crookedly. "Sorry, I think this is the best I can do for now. Guess I'm not in a smiling mood."
"I'm sorry," Eloy said.
"I know. Go. You're going to be late." Stephen glanced down at his watch. "Shite. You are going to be late. Go on, now."
Eloy knew he was right. But he still hesitated on the landing. Finally he leaned in and gave Stephen one last lingering kiss. "I love you."
"I love you too. But get going!" Stephen said urgently. "Go on now." He pushed Eloy towards the stairs. "Go."
"All right. I'll call you later on tonight. Talk to you later," Eloy said. With one last backward look he bounded down the stairs. It was killing him to walk away from where Stephen was standing. He looked so alone, his hair tussled from where they had been laying down together. Resolutely he headed down to the lobby and didn't stop until he was outside on the sidewalk. Off to the side he noticed that a crowd was forming, mostly young girls with Boyzone signs. He sighed. He looked around for the doorman to call him a ride. Luckily, a taxicab pulled up and was just letting out some passengers and he was able to take that to Heathrow to catch his flight.
As the cab pulled away from curb he looked out the back window. He tried to place where Stephen's room was on the fourth floor but didn't see a light go on before the taxi turned the corner. With a sigh, he turned back. He rested his head on the back of his seat and tried to will himself not to cry. The ripped lining of the ceiling on the taxi blurred for most of the ride to the airport, though.