Disclaimer: I don't know anybody from N Sync, though I'd sure like to, and thus this story is fiction and is not intended to imply anything about the true sexuality of the celebrities mentioned or any personal knowledge about their private lives. This story should not be read by anybody who is not legally allowed to read it.. So if you're underage, leave right now!!
Author's Notes: Looks like we're gonna find out how Lance feels about Ryan. Who loves a good cliffhanger? I sure do!! Bwahahahaha!! Sorry, I'll stop the evil laughter now. Also, we get to find out what JC is made of. From the e-mails I've received, its seems I've hooked a few of you on this story. Also, many people mentioned how believable I've made the character. There's a lot of me in Ryan, so basically it comes down to how I would react and then I write it as Ryan. However, most of the bad stuff that happened to Ryan didn't happen to me, though it very well could have. If you have any comments or suggestions, e-mail me at THRAWN5678@aol.com.
Once again, I have to thank all of the readers who have e-mailed me and told me how they liked the story. It's e-mail like that that keeps me going. So as long as I get some feedback, I'll continue writing. I want to thank everybody. The list is growing longer. A big hello to Ryan out there. Also, thanx to Charlie for his support since Chapter 1, and all of the rest of you, ND, Aaron, Jeremy, and the rest. If I wrote down absolutely everybody who e-mails me, I think this part would be the longest part of the story..
Here are some good stories: Jamie's Romance (a great Justin story) Millenium Love (a Brian Littrell story) My Surprise Romance (a Lance story) Lance in Shining Armour (umm, a Lance story?) Lance's Story (a Lance/JC story and a spinoff of Jamie's Romance) Twist of Fate (a Lance story) Nick and Ashley (a Nick Carter/Ashley from O-Town story by ND) and many more!! But I can't remember the names of them...I'll put them down as I remember them...
You'll Never Guess Who Ran Into Me Today by Squall Thrawn
Previously on Never Guess...
"What's up, Josh?" asked Lance.
"I have to ask you something, Scoop," said JC, seriously.
"What is it?"
"What are your feelings towards Ryan? How do you feel about him?"
"He's a nice guy. I feel sorry for him for everything that's happened," said Lance, confused. 'What was JC trying to get at?'
"Do you like him?"
"Of course I do. He's a good friend, and a nice guy."
"Is that all?"
"What do you mean, Josh?"
"You say you like him. Do you love him?"
Chapter 7
Lance was speechless.
"Wait a second," said JC. "We're going to talk about this in the hallway." JC turned to the others. "Hey, guys, we'll be right back. I need to show Lance something in my room right now." JC led Lance out into the hallway.
"Wha.. What did you just ask me, Josh?"
"You heard me. I've seen the way you look at him, I've seen the way he looks at you. The tone of your voice when you're talking about him. It's not just a tone you'd use when talking about a friend or a relative."
"I.. I..," Lance was stunned.
"There's more. I've seen it in Ryan's eyes. He's fallen deeply in love with you. And the funny thing is, I see the same exact look in your eyes. Look, Lance. Whether you're gay or straight or bi, you're still my friend. Do you think that we accepted Ryan just because he's your friend and he's hurting? I can't speak for the others, but I didn't accept him for your sake, and I sure didn't accept him out of pity. I accepted him because of the person he was. I could see that Ryan is a kind, sweet guy. If he's gay, he's gay. That's how it is. That makes no difference to me when I'm determining who's a friend or not. What makes you think that I wouldn't do the same for you? So be honest with yourself, Lance, and be honest with me. Answer my question. Do you love him?"
"I don't know, Josh!" Lance was crying. "Before I met Ryan, I never really questioned my sexuality. I just assumed that I would meet the right girl, and that was that. And yet, I never was attracted to girls. I just assumed that when the right one came along, it would be ok. But when Ryan was spilling out his secrets, I asked him how he knew he was gay."
"Let me guess. The way he described it, fit exactly with how you've felt for years, but you've never put it together."
"Yes!! That's it exactly!! What am I going to do, Josh?"
"Do? I can't give you that answer. That one, you'll have to figure out on your own. Trust in your feelings, Lance. Be honest with yourself, and be honest to Ryan. If you're unsure, don't let him see that. He's hurting right now, and if you're giving him mixed signals, he's going to equate that with Greg. Either just be his friend.. or.."
"Thanks, Josh. I'll have to think on this some. Thanks for being such a good friend," Lance gave JC a big hug.
"It's no problem. That's what true friends are for. Listening to each other, and being supportive of each other. Something you've no doubt told Ryan."
"Ya. Well, let's go back in before they send out a search party out to look for us. Thanks again, Josh."
The two guys went back into the room. And were shocked at what they saw. Ryan, Chris, Joey, and Justin were having a huge pillow fight. It seemed to be Chris and Joey vs. Ryan and Justin. JC and Lance watched from the door, laughing. That is, until Justin threw a pillow that hit JC right in the face.
"Alright, you're gonna get it for that, Curly!" yelled JC, who promptly picked up the pillow and started attacking Ryan and Justin with it.
"Come on, Scoop!" yelled Justin. "Me and Ryan need all the help we can get!" Lance laughed, and threw himself into the fray. Eventually the six guys ran out of energy.
"What did I miss that started all this?" asked JC, laughing.
"Well, Ryan and I were busy talking, and Chris and Joey decided to throw pillows at us. Well...we fought back, and that's what we were doing when you came back in."
"Hehe..so, what's in store for us today, Scoop?" asked JC.
"Actually, nothing," said Lance, consulting the mental schedule he had memorized. "For some reason, management gave us a whole day off today, in St. Louis of all places."
"Hey!" exclaimed Ryan. "This town isn't that boring. We've got plenty of cool stuff around here."
"Well, since you're from around here, Ryan, what do you think we should do?" asked Joey.
"Have any of you been up in the Gateway Arch?" The five N Syncers shook their heads. "Well, we could do that, and let me check something else." Ryan got out his wallet, and pulled out a small card that looked like a schedule. "Hey, guys, what day's today?"
"It's Thursday, April the 11th," said Justin, consulting his watch. "Oh yeah, its 2002. Does that help?"
"Well, I remembered the year, but thanks, Justin. Great! Hey, guys, do ya wanna go watch a Cardinals baseball game?"
"That sounds like a good idea, Ryan, but aren't those places a bit crowded? We'd prefer to be anonymous," said Chris.
"It'll be fine. During the weekdays, there aren't large crowds in either place. So what do you say?"
"Then it's settled. What time's the game, Ryan?" asked Lance.
"The game starts at 12:10. The Gateway Arch opens up at 9:00 am. We can take the Metrolink to Laclede's Landing, and go to the Arch from there. Then, we can take the Metrolink from Laclede's Landing to Busch Stadium. After that, we can come back here, and do whatever. Or Union Station's around here too. That's a shopping center, along with several other things."
"Sounds great. Let's see," said Joey, looking at his watch. It's 8:00 right now. Why don't we meet in the hallway here at 9:00? That'll leave us plenty of time to get to the Arch and then to the ballgame." The others nodded, and they each went to their rooms except for Joey, since he was already in his room. Ryan followed Lance into his room.
"You can borrow some of my clothes, Ryan," said Lance. "We have to make you look presentable, ya know."
"Thanks, Lance. Do you mind if I take a shower, or do you want to take one first?"
"You can go first. After all, you're the guest. I'll find you something to wear."
"Thanks, Lance. I won't be long," said Ryan. He went into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. Lance went over to the closet and picked out some decent clothes for Ryan and himself. He laid Ryan's outfit on the bed, and draped his own over a chair. He then sat in the other chair, and tried to formulate his thoughts about Ryan. He liked Ryan, he knew that. What was not to like? He was very handsome, and had a hot body to match. But beyond physical attraction, he had a sweet personality and was very personable. Lance could also see the lurkings of an odd sense of humor, but then again, Lance was used to Chris's and Joey's antics for quite some time. But was it more than just a friendly like? Lance had sensed a connection between the two of them since they had met. As if he had already known Ryan, and was renewing an old friendship. He knew that Ryan was hurting right now, and maybe the feeling that Ryan had for him, and Lance's own feelings for Ryan, were based on trying to make up for the bad situation that Ryan had been thrust into. But then again, maybe not. Maybe two soulmates had finally met.
Lance shook his head. He just didn't know. Maybe a talk with Ryan would help. But he didn't want to burden Ryan with all of Lance's own problems, as well as Ryan's. JC had warned him about that.
Just then, the bathroom door opened, and Ryan stepped out clad only in a towel around his waist. Lance couldn't help but stare. Ryan's body was just perfect. His arms and legs were muscled, if not bulging, and his abs showed clear definition. This boy obviously worked out. His chest was hairless except for a thin line of hair trailing down from Ryan's navel to his crotch, and his nipples were dime-sized. Lance quickly closed his gaping mouth, and forced himself to speak.
"Hey, Ryan. Those clothes right there on the bed are for you to wear. I guess I'll go take my shower now." With that, Lance zipped off into the bathroom before Ryan could see a slight tent in Lance's shorts.
Ryan stood there for a second, with a small smile on his face. 'That expression on his face. Is he interested in me? Nah. I'm pretty sure he's straight. And yet, he seems to enjoy having his arms around me. Well, I have to get ready for the day.' Ryan quickly changed his clothes. Knowing that Lance would be out of the shower soon, and as much as he would like to see Lance with just a towel on, he knew that as soon as he did, He would have a major bulge in his pants, and he didn't want Lance to see that. So Ryan walked over to the bathroom door and knocked on it. "Hey, Lance, I'm gonna go into the hallway now and meet the other guys. Ok?"
Ryan heard a muffled "ok", and then he left the room. Justin was actually early and was waiting in the hallway. The rest of the guys were still getting ready.
"Hey, Ryan," said Justin. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Sure, Justin," answered Ryan. "What do you want to talk about?"
Justin was about to answer when a door came flying open and Chris bounded out.
"Hey, all, how's it shakin'?" said Chris excitedly. "Are you all ready to hit the mean streets of St. Louis?"
"Mean streets, Chris?" asked Ryan. "I think you're talking about another city there. So what did you want to talk about, Justin?"
"I'll tell ya later."
"Alright, I'll hold ya to that."
Eventually, all of the guys were in the hallway. They all slipped on a pair of sunglasses and hats.
"What are you guys trying to do, blend in?" asked Ryan, laughing.
"Well, we've gotta disguise ourselves," said Justin, defensively.
"All you're doing is calling attention to yourselves...But whatever floats your boat, I guess." Ryan shook his head.
"Probably water," said Lance. "Isn't that how boats usually float?"
The guys all had a good laugh at that one.
"Well, let's go!!" said Joey. "Gateway Arch, here we come!!"
That's all for now! Tell me what you think about it!!
Squall Thrawn THRAWN5678@aol.com