Disclaimer:
The following story is the next 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.
Thank you for the emails, it's great to have feedback on the story so far. And to those who are feeling a wee bit impatient with the lack of lust in the past few chapters, hang in there, because it's coming.
Cheers!
Musicfan
Eloy's mother smiled at the young man on the walkway in front of her. He had dark hair and blue eyes that glanced at her nervously before looking down. She found herself immediately captivated and understood what her son saw in him. She slipped an arm in Eloy's and leaned into him with a smile. Looking up, she beckoned him closer. He leaned down.
"Op welke manier uitrichten ik zeg welkomstgroet binnen Engels?" She whispered softly. He whispered something back before looking back up to give Stephen a reassuring wink. Stephen didn't notice, he was so nervous at meeting Eloy's mom for the first time.
"Welcome, Stephen," she said softly, pronouncing his name so that it sounded more like Stefan. She smiled at him. "Sorry, ik onvertaald niet spreken Engels."
Eloy turned and reached a hand out to Stephen. Tentatively Stephen grasped it with his own and he pulled Stephen closer. "Unfortunately, my mother doesn't speak English. But I am happy to interpret back and forth for you both." He smiled encouragingly down at Stephen as he pulled him to his side.
Stephen smiled nervously at Eloy's mother. "Please tell her thank you..." he searched around for a word he had heard Eloy say in the past and looked up at Eloy's mom. "Dank u?" He said tentatively. When she smiled at him, he knew he had gotten it right. "And Eloy, please tell her that I am pleased to meet her."
"Hij bestaat aangenaam kennis te maken," Eloy said proudly to his mother. She smiled delightedly and reached a hand out to Stephen. He found himself taking it automatically.
"Kom mee binnen," she said, pulling him into the house. He followed her, looking back to make sure that Eloy was there. He really didn't have to worry, because Eloy had no intention of abandoning him.
They entered a parlour that was decorated in shades of blue, with light grey accents. Stephen looked around without trying to seem that he was looking around. A large sofa dominated the room and was covered with brightly coloured pillows. Eloy's mother continued to lead the way and he only had a quick glimpse of family pictures along the wall. A smile tugged at his lips when he saw a small boy perched on top of an impossibly tall horse. He knew that the boy in the picture must have been Eloy. On other walls, he could see gold records proudly displayed and he felt a pang of homesickness, because it reminded him of what his own mother did around the house back in Dublin.
From there they entered a large airy kitchen and Stephen knew immediately where Eloy's fondness for plants came from. It was filled with flowering plants on every available surface. He sniffed appreciatively as they paused for a moment. Eloy's mother opened a pot and stirred before putting the lid back on. She smiled at them both and beckoned them both through the back door and onto the patio.
The backyard was ablaze with colour. Flowers grew in wild abandon and as Eloy's mom lead the way to a table and chairs, Stephen saw that she had already set the table for brunch. Eloy pulled out a chair for her to sit down and then he and Stephen sat down also.
"It's very lovely here, Eloy." Stephen said. Eloy smiled at him and translated what Stephen said back to his mother. She beamed at him and chattered away about the different flowers in the garden, with Eloy keeping pace as she pointed out her favorites. Stephen found himself relaxing more as time went on. At one point she jumped up and went back into the kitchen to get their brunch together.
"So, what do you think?" Eloy asked with a smile, his chin resting on his hand.
Stephen smiled at him. "She's wonderful. I love her." He glanced around and saw her moving about the kitchen. "Shouldn't we be helping her?"
"No, she loves this kind of stuff. I wouldn't dream of trying to help," Eloy said with a laugh. He placed a hand over Stephen's. "Still nervous?"
Stephen shook his head and smiled. He then turned his hand over so that they were palm to palm. He stroked the back of Eloy's hand with his thumb. "No, not at all. This is great Eloy. Is this where you grew up?"
"Oh, no. My mother has only lived here a few years. I did grow up not too far from here." He said, watching to make sure his mother didn't need help, despite what he had said before. "Luci found it for her."
"It's nice," Stephen said. He watched a butterfly flutter past them and onto a branch before looking at Eloy. "Must be something about older sisters that make them good at finding houses."
Eloy laughed. "I hadn't thought of that." He got up as he saw his mother carrying out a heavy tray. Stephen turned around and half-rose from his seat, but he realized that between the two of them, they had things well in hand. Eloy put the tray down to one side and allowed his mother to serve. There was a pot with some sort of fish stew, some pastries that Stephen didn't recognize, and a lot of other dishes. He marveled at the amount of food she pulled off the platter.
"Mama! Poffertjes!!" Eloy exclaimed with a smile. He grabbed some of the small pancakes and then added some onto Stephen's plate with a grin. "She knows I love them." His mother sat back down with a smile and helped Eloy fill Stephen's plate up until he protested that he wasn't going to be able to eat it all.
"Stop it!" He laughed. "You're going to make me fat!" Eloy translated that for his mom and they both laughed. Eloy's mom told Stephen to call her Lenie, which he did a bit shyly at first.
By the time they had finished, hours had flown by. They had sat over the remains of the meal talking about everything under the sun, with Stephen explaining some of the things he was working on, and Eloy talking about his own projects. Lenie tried to get up and take the dishes away, but the two men objected and carried the tray of dishes back into the kitchen, where they washed and dried them together.
While Eloy washed, Stephen grabbed a nearby hand towel and dried the dishes. Lenie followed them back inside and made some coffee, all the while keeping up a chatter that had Eloy alternately laughing and rolling his eyes between translations. When they were finished, Lenie took Stephen by the hand and brought him through the house. Even without Eloy translating sometimes, Stephen got the message that Lenie wanted to say, just in her expression.
She pointed out pictures of Eloy as a young boy, and once again, Stephen found himself in front of the picture of Eloy on the horse. Stephen looked at Eloy who was grinning with delight at the way the two of them were getting along. Despite the language barrier they had immediately taken to one another and he couldn't have been happier. He couldn't help but contrast their relationship with his mother's relationship with his ex, Carlo. While they had always been pleasant to each other, they had never bonded the way she and Stephen seemed to on just their first meeting.
He stayed back while they walked around the living room arm in arm. She'd point out some pictures of either Eloy or his sister, and then talk about how the picture got taken. Sometimes Stephen would look to him for an explanation, but he didn't seem bored or uncomfortable at all.
In fact, Stephen was having the time of his life. Eloy's mother was telling him everything he wanted to know about his favorite person. How could he not enjoy every minute of it? He beckoned Eloy over as Lenie leaned across the piano in the den, deftly grabbing another picture to show off.
"Are you embarrassed yet?" he asked with a soft laugh. Eloy shrugged amiably and shook his head.
"No, I'm used to this, because she'll bring fans through sometimes and show off. She enjoys doing it so much," Eloy said with a laugh. He took the picture out of his mother's hand and shared it between the three of them. "This is when I was a bit younger and used to compete in dance competitions."
Stephen looked over the costumed young man with the sequined headband with a grin. "God, and I thought I wore some awful stuff as a kid... Hey!" he protested when Eloy poked him in the arm. "You have to admit, E, that this is a bit funny." He smiled up at Eloy. "Though someday I'm sure you'll see your share of my tacky outfits from when I did the same thing."
Lenie looked on with a smile, knowing that Stephen was teasing her son about the picture. She enjoyed watching them together. When she had been in the kitchen before their brunch, she had deliberately taken her time so she could watch them out the window. Body language spoke volumes that words did not, and she had seen a lot pass between the two of them just in the time she had been away from the table.
Eloy looked up and caught her watching them. He smiled at his mother and translated what Stephen was saying to him about his picture. She made the appropriate face to support him and he turned around triumphantly and said something in English that she didn't understand. Stephen laughed and together they moved on to the sofa in the living room. Lenie brought the coffee into the room from the kitchen and they all took a cup. Eloy and Stephen sat down on the sofa together while she curled up in the overstuffed armchair off to one side. Eloy stretched before putting his arm around Stephen's shoulders and cuddling him close.
"You okay?" Stephen murmured softly. He placed his hand on Eloy's knee and squeezed lightly. "Don't want you tired out too much, honey." Eloy rested his cheek on the top of Stephen's head with a sigh.
"No, I'm okay. It's just nice to be able to sit here with you, is all." Eloy said with another heartfelt sigh, dropping his other hand into his lap and threading his fingers in Stephen's. "It seems like I've been running around constantly for the last few weeks and it's just nice to be still, you know?"
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Stephen said with a smile. He looked up and saw Lenie watching them together with a smile on her face. She gave him a wink that he returned before looking down again. "This is your time off. Please don't feel like you have to run around on account of me, you know."
"Thank you, zusje." Eloy said. "Though there is so much I want to show you here."
Stephen made a dismissing gesture with his free hand. "There will be other times. It's not like this is going to be my only trip here, you know."
"Ja, I know." Eloy said before drifting off into silence. "It's just that I had all this stuff worked out in my head for this trip. I really hadn't planned on losing last night, you know."
"It doesn't matter, E." Stephen emphasized. "Tell me, how does one tell you to behave in Dutch?" He leaned back into the cushions so he could smile up at Eloy.
"I'm not telling you that!" Eloy protested with a laugh. His mother made an inquiring sound and he quickly translated for her. Stephen picked up the last bit and turned them over in his mind a bit before pulling back to shake his finger at Eloy.
"Zich gedragen!" he said which made Eloy crack up. His pronunciation was horrendous, but both Eloy and his mother got the idea of what he was trying to say.
"Niet," Eloy replied. His mother started saying something to him in rapid Dutch and Stephen sat back to wait for the translation. He could feel Eloy shaking silently by his side as he chuckled in response.
"What'd she say?" He asked when she had finished.
"My mother just called me a brat, for one thing and told me in no uncertain terms that I should listen to what you have to say," he said, laughing.
"You should always listen to your mother, you know," Stephen said seriously. That made Eloy laugh even harder. "Which word means brat?"
"I'm not telling you," he said self-righteously. "Because I am not one."
"Yeah, right." Stephen said as he pretended to pull away from Eloy and turn his back towards him. "Tell me another one that I'll believe." He saw Lenie smiling at him merrily and he winked again as he tried to resist the pull of Eloy's arms around his shoulders. "Now stop that right this instant!"
"No," Eloy said, pulling him back to lie across his lap. "Hush now!" He looked down at Stephen before leaning down to kiss him. It was a kiss similar to the ones they had shared earlier that morning. Stephen's arms went up and wrapped themselves around Eloy's neck as the kiss deepened. By the time they came up for air, neither was conscious of how much time had passed.
Eloy gradually came back to the present. He looked down at Stephen whose lips were parted slightly from their kiss. His cheeks were flushed and his lashes fluttered on his cheeks. He looked up to see his mother watching them with a smile, her chin propped up on one hand on the arm of her chair. Shaking his head ruefully, he sighed, which caused Stephen to open his eyes. He realised their position was a bit compromising in front of Eloy's mother and struggled to sit back up again.
Eloy wouldn't allow him. "No, stay." He kept his arms wrapped around Stephen and looked down at him. "I like you better this way."
Stephen was a bit uncomfortable staying in that position in front of Eloy's mom. "Eloy, please." He gave up struggling because Eloy wouldn't let him go, and silently admitted defeat. He glanced over at Lenie who was watching them with a smile on her face. He relaxed a bit at that. She obviously had no objection to their cuddling together and seemed delighted at seeing the two of them together. Though he had to admit to himself that he couldn't in a million years imagine doing this in his own home in front of his parents.
Eloy saw a strange look pass over Stephen's face and he wondered what was going on inside. Sometimes Stephen puzzled him that way. "What?"
Stephen looked up and realised that Eloy had been watching his reaction. "Nothing. Just..." he paused, trying to find a way to explain what he was thinking. "It's just that I can't ever imagine doing this back home in Dublin." He smiled wryly up at Eloy, who laughed. Stephen had explained that while his parents were accepting of him, there was an unspoken understanding that it was fine as long as it didn't become public knowledge. When Stephen had told Eloy that, it had made him a bit sad that they wouldn't want to support their son in his life. He knew his upbringing had been a lot more liberal than Stephen's, but still, he couldn't imagine his mother being anything but supportive. He frowned briefly with remembered thoughts of his own father's rejection of his lifestyle.
"Wat?" Lenie asked softly, startling them both out of their thoughts. She had seen that Stephen had grown quiet and once he had said something to Eloy that they both had gotten a bit distant. Her question brought them both to the present, and this time Eloy didn't resist when Stephen sat back up again. Eloy softly explained to his mother that Stephen's comment had brought memories of run-ins with his own father back to mind.
Lenie's mouth pursed as she thought back on to her ex-husband's reaction to Eloy's assertion that he was gay. Prosper had been livid, screaming at his youngest son. She couldn't understand what had made him so upset, since it hadn't really come as a surprise to her. He had been so crestfallen from his father's reaction and she had spent a lot of time trying to make up for what his father did. She got up off the chair and came over to where they were sitting. She sat down next to Stephen and wrapped her arms around the two men on the sofa. Eloy returned her hug and the two of them squeezed Stephen in the middle.
He laughed, feeling sandwiched in between the two of them. "Hey!" Eloy rested his head on Stephen's shoulder and winked at his mother.
"Doet opdat bijstand?" She asked. Stephen looked around so he could see Eloy's face. He made a sound, asking for a translation.
"She wanted to know if the hug helped," Eloy said. "Did it?"
Stephen smiled and turned back to Lenie. He put his arms around her and hugged her back. She smiled delightedly and wrapped her arms around him. It was a lot different from hugging her son, who oftentimes was hard to reach. She kissed him on the cheek and smiled at him.
"Ik behoefte u verheugd. Ik behoefte u allebei verblijd." She said. Eloy rubbed his cheek against Stephen's and translated her wish to see them both happy.
"Thank you," Stephen said. "Dank u." He grinned, since it was the only word he really knew in Dutch. She laughed merrily, chasing his darker thoughts away. In some ways, it made him wistful that his parents weren't as accepting as Lenie was. He tried to picture bringing Eloy home to his mother and drew a complete blank.
He vividly remembered the day he told her he was gay. They had been sitting at the kitchen table and he remembered the smile that seemed to be stuck on her face before she turned away and bit back a sob. He had been totally bewildered by her reaction, and had turned to his father, who had been far more accepting at the time. His mother had run out of the room and up the stairs crying and he remembered feeling his gut wrench with reaction. His sister had tried to explain that it had come as a bit of a shock to their mother and the thought that he might never give her grandchildren was upsetting to her. His father had left the table to go comfort his mother. He tried to tell his sister that there was no reason why he couldn't have children at some point in his life if he wanted, but while she understood, getting their parents to listen was another story. It just wasn't done where they lived. His mother was horrified at what the neighbors would think when they found out. Stephen had felt so absolutely miserable at the time. He really hadn't meant to cause them pain.
It was his sister who helped them all through the rough time. Though his father was a bit more understanding, Stephen had the impression that he accepted it in the theoretical sense, but not in the practical application. At times when he had been home and had talked about being attracted to someone, both of his parents had reacted with stiff smiles and nods. He got the feeling that they didn't understand at all.
He got pretty confused and depressed about it for a while. It wasn't too long after the boyz' first album and tour when they had arrived triumphantly back home from the Smash Hits tour that year. He had wanted to share everything that was going on with his family, but though they tried, they just couldn't comprehend how much his life was changing from their own. And they definitely didn't understand how much he yearned to have someone special in his life, even though he tried to articulate it to them. Eventually Alan told him that he better not mention things like that, since it was still upsetting to their mother. Stephen had withdrawn inside himself after that, only letting himself really come out of his shell when he was on tour or on stage. It had worried his sister to no end, and at times it seemed like it was the two of them against the world as she strove to help him come to terms with his life. The lads had helped and had been supportive on their end, too, which had done wonders. He sighed, lost in his thoughts.
A touch on his cheek brought him back to the present and he blinked.
"Where'd you go?" Eloy breathed in his ear. "You drifted off somewhere."
Stephen leaned against him with a sigh. "Sorry, I was woolgathering." He smiled at Lenie and taking her hand, gave it a slight squeeze. "Danke."
Lenie gave him an understanding smile. She had seen the cloud pass over his face and knew he probably was remembering something sad. Eloy had mentioned that his moods were often easy to read and she found that he was right. Everything Stephen felt seemed to show on his face.
"U vierkante decameter immer welkomstgroet in mijn thuis." She spoke softly and slowly, as if speaking slower would make herself more understandable. She looked up at her son before returning her glance to Stephen's face. Eloy repeated what she just said in English and Stephen felt his heart swell at her statement. "You are always welcome in my home."
"I..." He stopped, unable to get a word past the lump in his throat. It was almost painful, having this unconditional acceptance from Eloy's mother.
"U tweetal vierkante decameter tezamen." She interrupted him. "Opdat is allen opdat zetsels. Ik zorgvuldigheid."
"What?" He turned so that he could watch Eloy's face as he interpreted what she had said.
"Mama said that all that matters is that we are together." He smiled down at Stephen. "I'm sorry that your family hasn't been as accepting as they should be. And that she cares for you."
Stephen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Please tell her that it means a lot to hear her be so accepting of us, E. Please." He repeated what Stephen had said and Lenie looked at him for a long while before pulling him into her arms again. Eloy went on to mention that his parents hadn't been happy about him being gay and that obviously it bothered him. She looked at him and tried to convey her acceptance through her eyes. It tugged on her heartstrings to find this young man so vulnerable. She could easily see what her son saw in him on many points. The way that Eloy hovered behind him protectively told her more than either of them realized.
Stephen rested his cheek against Lenie's breast and sighed deeply. He really hadn't thought that his feelings could be so close to the surface, but seeing the easy and accepting relationship that Eloy had with his mother brought home to him the fact that although his parents obviously loved him as their son, they didn't understand him. Lenie understood Eloy and willingly supported him and his life decisions. After a moment he sat up and kissed her cheek. He closed his eyes briefly and took in the comforting smell of her perfume before pulling back and opening his eyes again.
"Wow," he said softly. "I'm sorry, Eloy. I had no idea that was going to happen."
Eloy had been rubbing his back all the while and wrapped his arms around Stephen's waist. "Its okay, liefste. That's what we're here for, you know." He pulled Stephen back to rest against his chest and hugged him.
There was a bit of an awkward pause as Stephen tried to shrug it off. Eloy wasn't buying it though and kept him wrapped up in his arms. He looked up as his mother said something that he thought he shouldn't repeat to Stephen. It wasn't the nicest thing to say, but based on what they had just both witnessed with Stephen, there was a lot that they were going to have to talk about at some point in the future. He decided it was probably better to just change the topic, which he did by tickling Stephen and nuzzling his neck.
"Behave!" Stephen said, which made Lenie laugh and broke the mood they were all in. The moment had passed and they moved onto other things.
Eventually, they were all talked out. Eloy looked down at his watch and jumped when he saw what time it was.
"Stephen, it's getting late. We have to run." He said before switching to Dutch and telling his mother that he wanted to get home so he could plan dinner. She gave an understanding nod and got up from the sofa when they did. She shooed them away from helping her with the coffee and ushered them towards the door. They said their good-byes and planned for getting together the following day before they headed out the door. Lenie stood at the door and rested her forehead on the frame as they walked down the walk. She could see that theirs was a special relationship and she sent a silent wish that they wouldn't have too rough of a time with it all. Long distant relationships had their own set of problems, and with both of them also traveling for their careers, it wasn't going to make things any easier.
Eloy followed Stephen down the walk and out to the car. He opened the door for Stephen and let him get in before walking around and getting into the driver's side. His mother was still at the door as he started up the engine and they waved as he turned around in the drive and headed back towards town. He looked over at Stephen who was being rather quiet.
"So," he said as he pulled out onto the main road that led back towards Amsterdam. They were soon out of the town of Maarssen and headed north back towards home. Stephen looked out the window and watched the scenery go by. "What did you think?"
Stephen was startled out of his thoughts and looked over towards Eloy. "About what? Your Mam?" He smiled as Eloy nodded. "She's... terrific. Incredible." Eloy laughed as he expanded on his thoughts. "No, seriously, E, I mean that. I don't think I've ever met someone who I clicked with so well. Well, other than you," he hastily added, which made Eloy laugh all the more.
"Goed," Eloy said when he calmed down a bit. "I'm glad. I knew you two would get along together. And she was so excited at finally getting to meet you, you know." He turned onto the A2 and started the drive back towards his apartment.
"That's so sweet of her," Stephen said, still watching Eloy and ignoring the scenery. "I think the feeling was mutual. She is so easy to get along with. Eloy, I hope you appreciate her."
Eloy laughed. "Oh, believe me, I do! She's been great to me over the years, and very supportive, no matter what trouble I got myself into. I do appreciate it."
"Good. Because if you didn't, I'd have to thrash you," Stephen said with a laugh. They quieted down and Eloy turned on the radio, hunting around the stations for something to listen to. He looked out the window as they were driving and started to give Stephen a running tour of where they were as they approached the city.
"It's quite small, isn't it?" Stephen said as they approached the outskirts of Amsterdam.
"Ja, that's one of the nice things about it," Eloy said. "You can get about on foot for the most part, and there's a lot to do here. I love it here." He entered along the south canal as A2 ended into Rijnstraat and slowed down as they entered the city limits.
"The streets seem pretty small," Stephen noted as Eloy navigated their way through the narrow avenues. There were people strolling along the sidewalks and tourists wandering everywhere with cameras around their necks. A lot of it went by too fast despite the fact that Eloy wasn't going that fast. Stephen realized it was because everything was packed tightly together with the buildings on top of each other. Just as soon as he focused on one thing, something else would grab his attention. Eloy explained that the canals were built over the course of several centuries for defense and trade purposes, and that more recently they had become more of a tourist attraction than anything else in the city.
They wound their way through the streets with Eloy pointing out various bits that he thought would be interesting. They turned left along a smaller canal and traveled along it back towards Eloy's apartment. As they got closer, Eloy hoped that they weren't going to have much trouble getting back inside. The fans hanging around outside weren't that many yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time. Stephen noticed that he got quiet as they drove and he wondered what was causing Eloy's frown. He thought perhaps that it might be something he said and he cast back into their conversation for something that would have made Eloy look that way. He couldn't come up with anything at all.
"Eloy?" He asked tentatively. He played nervously with the buckle of his seatbelt.
"Ja?" Eloy responded absently. They weren't too far from his place now, and he was thinking of what they would do if there were fans in front of his apartment.
"Something wrong?" Stephen asked, half-afraid of what the answer might be. His question was met with a sigh.
"No, not yet," Eloy replied, debating with himself as to whether he should let Stephen know what the problem was. He knew that wasn't a good answer, though. "It's just that I'm afraid of what we might run into when we get back to my place."
"Oh?" Was all Stephen said.
"In the last few weeks some fans have found out where I live," Eloy said, almost apologetically. Stephen's sigh showed him that he understood the problem they were facing.
"So, what do we do if there are fans there?" Stephen asked practically.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Eloy replied. "Take a look in the back seat and see if maybe we have something back there we could use.
Stephen had no clue what he was looking for, but turned around in his seat to survey the back seat. There wasn't much of one in this beat up old Audi that Eloy was driving. It had a crumpled sweatshirt, some CDs that Eloy had tossed into the back and a couple of magazines, but not much else.
"Out of luck, honey," Stephen said. He turned back because it was making him a bit carsick to be facing the wrong direction. Surreptitiously, he tried to put a hand to his stomach to calm it down. He didn't want Eloy to think the idea of fans being at the house was upsetting him. Though he had to admit, that it was certainly going to make their lives more difficult if they wanted to keep their relationship quiet.
Eloy swore softy in Dutch under his breath and kept on going. "Be prepared to duck down, zusje. I'm going to drive by and park if I don't see anyone. If I do, I'm going to keep on going, all right?"
"Yeah, okay." Stephen said. He loosened his seatbelt and hoped that he was going to be able to duck down enough to not be seen. Eloy pointed out the seat recliner button on the side and he put his hand on it in case he needed it. He was feeling a bit silly about it, but on the other hand the thought of someone finding out about them scared the shit out of him.
They turned onto Eloy's street and he looked ahead to see if there was anyone in front of his apartment building. He was disturbed to see a couple of people standing across the street and his heart sank.
"I think I see someone," he said softly, putting his hand on Stephen's leg. "Just in case, I'm going to turn off before we get there so keep your fingers crossed."
Stephen dutifully crossed his fingers and reclined the seat back so he was looking at the roof of the car. Light from outside played across the roof and he closed his eyes to stop himself from getting sick. His stomach was in knots.
With a low curse, Eloy took a right, sending Stephen's stomach against his ribs with a jarring motion at the abruptness of the turn. He pressed his lips together and tried to ignore the bile that crept up into the back of his throat. He didn't have time to deal with getting sick.
Eloy pulled behind the row houses into the alley and drove along its length for a bit before stopping. He shut off the engine with a sigh and sat back. He turned to look at Stephen and bit back a curse. The younger man had his eyes closed and was looking a bit green. He had totally forgotten about Stephen's tendency to get carsick and had just made the turn without warning as he thought about being able to get in through the alley behind the houses.
"Stephen?" He asked softly, reaching out with one hand to touch Stephen's cheek. It felt clammy to his touch and he got a bit worried. "You okay?"
Stephen made a concerted effort to still his stomach. He opened his eyes and looked up at Eloy, who was hovering over him. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just that last turn got to me. Give me a minute and I'll be all set." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. When he felt he could, he sat up, releasing the seatbelt as he did so. "Are we there?" He looked around the dim alley, but didn't recognize where they were.
"Yeah, we're behind my building. I forgot that there was a way in the back that people don't normally use. At least no one will see us going in or out this way." Eloy explained. He was relieved to see that the color was coming back into Stephen's face. He really didn't want anything to mar their time together if at all possible. "Let me know when you feel up to climbing some stairs."
"Let's go," Stephen said, opening up the car door and hauling himself out. He was bound and determined not to put a damper on their time together. He felt a bit better as the cool air touched his face and he heaved a sigh of relief to be not moving anymore. Turning around, he could see that Eloy was standing on the other side, watching him closely. "Which way?"
Eloy indicated the direction with one hand and he walked around the hood to join Stephen. The traffic from the street was muted here, and there were some small trees offering shade for them as they climbed the stairs to a small door. Fishing in his pocket, Eloy found the key and opened the door. He stepped back to allow Stephen to walk in front of them before entering and closing the door behind him. It was dark in the vestibule and Stephen stood close to him as if nervous about their surroundings. A long hallway was in front of them as Eloy locked the door behind them.
Giving him a reassuring smile, Eloy brushed his shoulder as he passed before leading the way down the hall. They ended up in the lobby of Eloy's building and Stephen relaxed when he recognized where they were. Eloy peered through the curtains and saw that his suspicions had been correct. Two girls with CITA posters were standing at a car on the opposite side of the street, obviously waiting to see him come home. It was a good thing that they hadn't tried to drive down the street. He sighed as he let the curtain fall back in place and turned to where Stephen was standing.
"We made it," he said with a smile and indicated the stairs. They climbed up together, taking their time getting to the fourth floor. The building was quiet, since it was in the middle of the week and most people were off at work.
Stephen was a little out of breath when they finally reached the top floor. He felt completely out of shape and he tried to hide his panting as Eloy moved forward to open the door to his apartment. It was the only one on the floor, which gave him a bit more privacy. After unlocking the door, Eloy stepped in and waited for Stephen to enter.