Disclaimer:
The following story is the third 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. That being said, please read on...
Stephen entered the hotel room and turned on the light. Stepping inside, he held the door open for Eloy who was carrying both of their bags. Eloy edged past him into the room and with a grunt dropped their bags on the bed.
"Hey!" Stephen protested. "My stuff isn't THAT heavy!" He tried glaring at Eloy but just couldn't keep it up long enough to be taken seriously. Eloy stuck his tongue out at Stephen and quickly strode over to where the younger man stood with his hands on his hips. Stephen's lips twitched as he tried to hold to the mock frown. "You.... You...."
"Me, me?" Eloy teased back, "you know, Stephen, I never knew you were so articulate. Is that how you sing, too?" Stephen spluttered, totally at a loss for words.
"Wow, cut me to the quick on that one. Ouch!" Stephen winced, holding his hand to his stomach and pretending to staunch the flow of blood from the wound Eloy caused him. Eloy just kept on laughing and wrapped his arms around Stephen, hugging him tight. Pulling back, he looked down with a smile.
"Well, did I do good?" He asked.
"Awwww, you did damn good, E. This is the best thing. The best." Stephen reached up and wrapped his arms around Eloy, squeezing tight. "Thanks."
"You're quite welcome," Eloy said, letting go and stepping over to the window to watch the sun set. He was a little confused at the way he had reacted to that hug from Stephen and had to distance himself for a moment. He shook his head to clear the vague thoughts forming there and turned to look at Stephen standing behind him. "Well, its still early, and we have a good portion of the day here. What are you up for? Lunch? Relaxing? Or do you want to go out and look around?"
Stephen looked hopefully out the window behind Eloy and then shrugged.
"How about all three? I'm up for any of the above." He walked over to the double bed where the bags lay and sat down next to his bag. Opening it up, he rummaged around inside for his overnight kit. "Just let me wash up a bit first, if that's all right?"
Eloy nodded in agreement and went to sit over on the couch against the wall. Slouching down onto the low cushions he stretched out his long legs and crossed them at the ankles. He closed his eyes slightly and watched Stephen putter around the room, unpacking the few changes of clothes he brought with him before he headed into the bathroom. He closed his eyes entirely and listened to the homey sounds of the water running and Stephen's humming. He tried not to analyze what had just happened inside. But he had a feeling that he was just reacting to the rebound. And he wouldn't ever do something like that to Stephen. He was too close of a friend to just have a fling with. Though lord knows it probably would be fun. Eloy smiled slightly, and then pushed the thought out of his head. To tell the truth, he had never considered it before. But then, he hadn't been available, either. And Eloy was the loyal type... one man for him and no one else. Except that he was currently in between men. But he wanted to give himself time to sort out the confusing things that had been going on his head for the last year or so and not just rush into something else. That wouldn't be fair to anyone he had a relationship with or to himself either. He had to be sure as to what he wanted. That had been part of the problem with Carlo. He wanted stuff that he couldn't articulate, and Carlo couldn't give it to him. That, and the intense jealousy on Carlo's part whenever they went out to the clubs had gotten to be way too much. Nevermind all the arguments when he was off on tour! Eloy sighed and shook his head, willing the painful thoughts away. He opened his eyes again as he heard the water turn off and watched Stephen come out, his hair damp from washing up.
"All set?" He asked. With Stephen's nod he stood and stretched, hands brushing the high ceiling. "Then let's go find what's out there, hmmm?"
Grinning he shed his jacket and headed towards the door. "You've still got the key, right?"
"Yup, right here in my pocket," Stephen said, patting the bulge of the key ring in his front pocket. Pulling his baseball cap on, he followed Eloy out the door and into the bright sunlight on the balcony. "Wow, but its really bright out here!" He exclaimed squinting in the light.
"Well you know why that is, don't you?" Eloy said, turning towards the stairs on the right and indicating the way down. Stephen headed down the stairs with Eloy following closely behind. "Its because its Disney. They import the sun from Florida."
Stephen laughed, shooting a glance back at Eloy. "I believe you. They CAN do magic, you know!"
"Of course they can! And you should always believe me, Stephen. I'll never steer you wrong," Eloy promised with a smile and reached into this pocket to pull out the two weekend passes to the park. "And since I was making arrangements, I figured this would save us time."
"Eloy, you can steer me anyway you're pointing if you lead me with those tickets in your hand!" Stephen joked, skipping a little to keep up with Eloy's long strides. Eloy slowed down immediately and handed one of the tickets to Stephen. "Now don't lose this, mind you. I had to sell my soul for these since apparently there's only a limited number due to some group being here that's taking up a good portion of the park. But they're all off on the other side doing something, so that leaves all the rides for us," Eloy said with a grin.
"All of them? You mean, I get to go on the teacups?" Stephen asked, laughing.
"Sure! Why not?" Eloy said as they crossed over to the park entrance and showed their passes to the attendant, who waved them through.
They had a fantastic day of wandering the park and going through a lot of the exhibits and rides. Stephen was thrilled to be with another animation fan since they were both happy to spend most of their time looking at the history of animation with examples of old cell animation and the process of how the films were made years ago. He could sit for hours with this stuff and to have someone who was just as into it as he was certainly a treat. Often when the guys were on tour they would stop in various places and go shopping. If there was a Disney store, Stephen always made a beeline for it and could happily hang around for ages, poking around the store. Occasionally he'd get one of the other lads to come in with them, but often they were gone after ten minutes, bored out of their minds. The lads tolerated his obsession for the most part, which was harmless enough in itself. But to actually have a partner in crime who was just as into it as he was a treat he really cherished.
Eventually they were interrupted by the grumbling of Stephen's stomach and the look of surprise on his face from the growl that came from it in the empty exhibit hall was priceless. Eloy roared with laughter and pulled on Stephen's hand, leading him out of the room and towards the exit.
"Well, that comment was certainly emphatic enough! Why didn't you say something, Steve? Sounds like there's something alive down there and trying to get out," he said with a laugh, poking at Stephen's belly.
"Jayzus, look at what time it is!" Stephen exclaimed, looking at his watch. "All I've had is that bagel on the flight this morning. I can't believe we've been in there so long. No wonder no one else was in there!"
"Except the poor security guard, who looks like he's asleep," Eloy said nodding his head in the direction of the guard leaning back in a chair with his head lolling to one side. "Guess we should give him some peace, eh?" As quietly as he could, he pushed the panic bar on the exit and swung the door open to the cool night air. Stephen stifled a yawn as the fresh air hit him. He wasn't really tired, but had been doing a lot of reading and his eyes were tired.
"Where to?" Stephen asked looking around and seeing people drifting around. Eloy pointed in the direction where most of the people were going. "Well, there are some restaurants in that direction if you want, or we could just go back to the room and have something in. Which would you prefer?"
Stephen looked off in the direction of the restaurants, but knew that it would probably be better if they just had a quiet night. They had been lucky so far that they hadn't run into anyone who recognized them. It seemed to be mostly businessmen with their wives on some business trip, which was fine with Stephen. Not that he didn't mind seeing fans, but sometimes he just needed a break from it. "Would you mind terribly it we just hung out in the room and ate? I'm feeling a wee bit tired, but maybe once I get my second wind we can go back out later."
"Sure Stephen, that's fine. I think it would be nice to sit back and relax for a bit, too. We've been doing a lot of walking today. Come on then."
They walked back to the hotel and their room and while Eloy picked up the hotel guidebook which listed the room service, Stephen sat down and took his boots off. He loved walking around barefoot when he could, and usually took the opportunity to do so whenever he had the chance. Once he had done that, he walked up to where Eloy was sitting at the small table in the corner of the room and peered over his shoulder at the menu.
"Anything good?" Eloy nodded and pointed to a few items listed in French. Stephen smiled wryly and asked for a translation. They agreed on a few things and Eloy rung their order in. Then he sat back with a sigh.
"There, done. Shouldn't be too long."
"I just hope I recognize the food," Stephen joked, envisioning odd snails in some kind of sauce.
"What did you want, hamburgers? Learn to expand your horizons my friend," Eloy said with a laugh. "You're in France. Eat like a French man."
Stephen rolled his eyes and turned to look about the room. Their bags were still on one of the double beds which dominated the room. Off to the side, the couch was up against the wall next to the second bed, opposite the tv. With a sigh he headed off to the bed to unpack his bag.
He hadn't brought much, since they were only going to be gone for a couple of days. But his mother had taught him to be a lot neater than living out of the bag, even if it was for a day or so.
Eloy chuckled as Stephen passed him, muttering under his breath as he started to unpack. He could have sworn that Stephen had mumbled something to the order of wanting to eat a French man, not eat like one.
Brat, he thought affectionately. He was always trying to introduce Stephen to new things when they got together. He had found that when their bands had shared that tour that the BZ boyz tended to be a little insular when it came to new things. If given a choice, McDonald's was often the food of choice on tour. Stephen was a little more adventurous than the rest, but even he tended to stick to what he knew best. Personally, he found that any chance to explore should be given the utmost attention, since it was an opportunity not to be missed. He got up and followed Stephen's example, unpacking his bag and putting the few clothes he had away in the bureau drawer.
Stephen finished and opened up the sliding door to walk out onto the balcony. The moon was out and the earlier breeze had died down. As he leaned on the rail and looked out, he could hear the sounds of a bird calling out from a nearby tree. It was quiet except for the bird and he closed his eyes, enjoying the peace. Behind him he heard a knock at the door and Eloy moving to open it. Their meals had arrived. He turned and leaned against the railing, watching his friend. Eloy moved with the easy grace of a dancer, opening the door and letting the waiter in. He signed the room service check and let the man out, then turned towards the open door.
"Food's here," he called softly, walking out onto the balcony. "Would you like to eat in, or out here?"
"How about out here? Its nice out," Stephen said and moved towards the door.
"Fine, then. You sit down and I'll bring it out." Eloy turned and went back in to get their food. "Its okay, I can get it myself." Stephen shrugged and went over to the table, making sure it was clean enough to sit at. Eloy came out with a tray which he put off to the side. He quickly wiped the table with an extra napkin and motioned for Stephen to sit down. He when placed the covered plate in front of him and one opposite. The meals were followed by two glasses and a bottle of wine. He bent over one last time and grabbed the cutlery and napkins. Handing Stephen his set, he sat down and opened the bottle of wine. Pouring a bit into each glass he put it back down and leaned on one elbow, waiting for Stephen to take the cover off of the plate.
Stephen was a bit bemused by the setting. The only light came from their room and Eloy's face was half shadowed as he sat watching expectantly. "Do I dare?" He joked, waiting to see what Eloy's reaction would be.
"Well, its only going to get cold if you don't! And the way you're stomach has been talking to you, I don't think you can wait another moment!" Eloy laughed and Stephen grinned.
"Ah, well, that's true. Let's hope it isn't something staring back at me!"
"Now, would I do that to you? What kind of friend do you think I am?" Eloy tried to look hurt, but couldn't manage the pout long enough to be convincing. They both laughed and took the covers off of the dishes.
Underneath steam wafted up, and Stephen's stomach made another loud protest. That set them off again. Eloy knew his friend well, ordering something different, yet also something his friend would like. Stephen grabbed his fork and dug into the flaky chicken covered with herbs. It tasted wonderful and had been the first thing he had eaten since getting on the plane that morning. The chicken was accompanied by rice and a vegetable medley. Stephen wasn't the biggest fans of vegetables, but wasn't going to turn anything down at the moment. They chatted over the meal, Stephen telling some stories from the latest tour and Eloy talking about his friends and family. Eloy came from a close knit family and was absolutely devoted to his mother and sister. Stephen also came from a family that was very close, so in a lot of ways they had a lot in common.
Eventually they were done, and they sat back over the last of the wine. Eloy could see that Stephen was a bit tired from the day and suggested they just make a quiet evening of it watching tv. They cleaned up their dinner and put the tray out in the hall for room service to pick up. Eloy went into the bathroom to clean up and suggested that Stephen find something interesting on the tv. Stephen sat down on the couch with the remote and flipped through the channels until he found Sky. He knew that they ran Friends on Friday nights and was hoping to catch it. It was so seldom he had a chance to relax and catch up on watching tv. His sister was a sweetheart and taped all the shows he wasn't able to watch, but it seemed like he never had enough time to watch any of it. He sat cross-legged on the couch and sighed with contentment. It was so nice not to be doing anything at all for once! Sometimes the pace just got to be too much for him.
Eloy finished in the bathroom and came out wearing just a pair of shorts. His hair was spiked up from a quick wash. He sat down next to Stephen and stretched his legs out. "Ah, its good to sit down, no?" At Stephen's smile and nod he leaned back and rested his arms along the back of the couch.
"Hey, E. When did you do that?" Stephen asked, indicating Eloy's abdomen with his chin. Mildly surprised, Eloy glanced down to see what Stephen was referring to.
"Oh this? I don't know... a while ago," he said, fingering the ring piercing in his belly button. "Didn't I mention this?"
"Erm, no," Stephen said, a puzzled frown on his face. He turned himself on the couch so that he was facing his friend. "You're beginning to look a bit like Shane if you keep that up."
"Not likely. Just the ears and this. No eyebrows or noses, thanks!" Eloy said with a laugh. "to tell you the truth, I don't even remember why, other than Carlo thought it was sexy. It doesn't seem to bother the fans, and in fact some have told me that they find it intriguing." He shrugged. He never really paid a lot of attention to his body, other than wanting to keep in decent shape. Dancing certainly helped with that. And he loved to dance. He was lost in thought for a moment and Stephen kept quiet, waiting patiently. Stephen wrapped his arms around his knees and rested his head on the back of the couch while he watched his friend. He wanted to be available if Eloy felt the need to talk some more.
After a moment Eloy became aware of Stephen sitting there quietly and smiled. "So, did you find anything interesting on tv?"
"Nah, not much. I was hoping for Friends, but I don't seem to be in much luck today. Its okay, it doesn't really matter much. We can just talk, if you want," Stephen offered.
So they talked. Eloy went into more detail over his breakup and Stephen listened sympathetically. He had met Carlo himself since Eloy's now ex was a tv presenter in Holland. He seemed like a likable enough man, but then Stephen never had to live with him. Sometimes that's when you found out that you never really knew a person very well. Not that Stephen had any personal experience in that regard. All he had was the time he spent with his family when he could and an occasional short term relationship here or there. Nothing that ever was permanent. He was wistful sometimes, wishing that he could have something like what the boyz had with their mates. But such a relationship wasn't practical and being on the road so much, he knew that if he ever fell for someone, the separations would rip his soul apart. So he always held himself back, being content with a lot of good friends in exchange for giving up an intimate relationship with someone. Not that there was anything in the offering, he thought wryly.
Soon they were both yawning and mutually decided it was time for bed. Stephen unfolded himself from the couch and grabbed some sweatpants from the drawer where he put his things. Going into the bathroom, he changed and washed up. When he came out of the bathroom, Eloy was sprawled across one bed, his feet hanging off the end. Stephen laughed at the sight.
"You going to be all right there?" He asked as he turned to the other bed and pulled back the covers. He walked over to the balcony door, closed it and drew the drapes. The last thing he wanted was to be woken up at the crack of dawn when he didn't have to be. The room was dark and he made his way back to the bed, stumbling a bit.
"Ja, I'm okay. You need a light?" Eloy's voice seemed to wrap around him in the dark and he shivered at the velvety sound of his friend's voice.
"No, I'm okay. I found my way without too many stumbles." He finally found the end of his bed and climbed in, pulling the covers up around him. "Well, if we're going to see the rest of the park tomorrow, we better get some sleep." He could hear Eloy yawn in agreement and chuckled softly. "Goodnight," he said.
"Good night, my friend. Sleep tight," Eloy murmured.
With a sigh, Stephen rolled over and closed his eyes. He always felt better about being with someone in a strange hotel room. There were a few times when they had been on tour that he had called Shane or Keith up and begged to sleep in their room because he hated sleeping by himself. They were very tolerant of him, for which he was greatly appreciative. He smiled to himself over his thoughts and fell asleep fairly quickly.