Some Kind of Bliss
Introduction:
Hey everyone, thanks for dropping by. I bet you never thought you'd see me again! Sorry, but luck just wasn't with you. :) At this point I wanna thank those readers who kept faith in me, and wrote to me persistently and nagged me to GET ON WITH IT! Well, I finally did. Special thanks to Adam and Drew (a real person, not the character in the story.) :) I promised a few people that I would post by Australia Day. Well, here it is!
I don't have much else to say before you jump on into the story. I'd like to take this opportunity to mention a couple of stories I really enjoy - Brian and me - what can I say? It's still the best, but recently, `A studio in the country' has also really grabbed me. If you're not reading it, I recommend that you do; it's wonderful.
That's about it. Remember, you can email me at braan90@hotmail.com with any comments or suggestions or whatever. I'm thinking of discontinuing the Interactive Promotion', since nobody seems to care. If you want to convince me otherwise, I'm open to petitions, but get cracking, cos my mind's almost made up! This time, the winner is Michael, author of Studio in the country', for his suggestion - hirsute. He may well be the final holder of the (coveted) title. But that depends on what response I get. So respond, people!
Disclaimer: I'm sure most of you could think of something wittier, more concise, and more legally comprehensive than I could, so take a moment, compose it in your mind, then feel free to read on, suitably warned. :p (Hint: this is a work entirely of fiction......) :)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Nick Carter, who joins me on 20 years of age on January 28. Many happy returns!
Also, happy Australia Day to those who celebrate the occasion. And, let's face it, all the best people do. :)
Some Kind of Bliss 5
I emerged from my room about an hour later, all ready for dinner. The floor was eerily quiet. I knocked on Kevin's door - no answer. The same response met me at all the doors down to the lift, which I rode down to the lobby. I looked around and spotted the group relaxing in what was now officially `our' cluster of armchairs. I made my way over and sat down.
"Hey all. Sorry I'm late, I guess I just lost track of the time. Why didn't you tell me you were coming down?"
Kevin responded. "You're not late, Drew, so don't worry. We're all just especially early." He smiled. "Besides, I told Nick to look in on you."
Nick looked over, frowning. "No, you didn't."
Kevin sighed. "Yes, I did. I said: `We're going downstairs now. When you're ready, why don't you go get Drew and come on down.' Remember?"
Nick shook his head. "No, I don't remember that."
Kevin threw up his hands, giving up. As he turned away, rather than sit in silence with Nick, I decided to take the bull by the horns and put my plan into action.
"Looking forward to the beach tomorrow?" I asked quietly, so he knew whom I was talking to.
Nick looked over at me. His eyes looked into mine, and I saw those beautiful blue eyes full of doubt, looking at me just like I imagined he looked at strangers on the street. I managed to hold onto my gaze, an open and honest visage, just like it was the most natural thing for one friend to be asking another. Like whatever it had been was gone. YOU HEAR ME? GONE. It was so important to me that nothing should disturb the friendship Nick and I had going. Read what my eyes are saying, Nick, please. IT NEVER HAPPENED.
I'll never let anyone ever call Nick a dumb blonde, because after a couple of moments of deep window-to-the-soul gazing, he got the point. And not before time; I couldn't have held my gaze much longer. As if magically, the confusion and anxiety were wiped from Nick's face, and his face was lit up by a wonderful smile with - yes, there they were! - a whole bundle of pure white teeth.
"Sure I am! You know I'm a regular Ocean boy! I can't wait!"
I heaved a silent sigh of relief, making a mental note to heave a super-loud sigh later to make up for it. At that point our limo had arrived, so despite the relatively short distance, and the balminess of the evening, we piled into the vehicle. At that point a light flashed on in my brain, and I made a mental note to thank Kevin for getting a limo. The whole Nick `situation' had made me forget how sore my feet were, and I seriously doubted whether I would have been able to walk the distance at all.
Conversation in the limo was lively. I checked with Kevin, AJ and Brian about tomorrow, making sure they hadn't changed their minds about coming to the beach. They told me they were just going to hang around the hotel, maybe go to the pool and gym. I also checked that Howie was still coming:
"Yeah, sure I am. I'm really looking forward to it, actually. I hope it's really warm tomorrow, cos I'm lookin' to do some surveying, and I don't mean for construction purposes," Howie smiled at me and winked, though I couldn't tell if it was a deliberate wink or one of those semi-subconscious `Howie' winks.
In any case, I smiled back and gave him thumbs up. Turning to Nick, I said: "And you'll be there, right, Nick?"
Nick smiled back, forcing me to nearly squint.
"Just you try and stop me, pal!"
I laughed, glad that all was well between us. Before I could reply, our short ride ended as our limo pulled over to the side of the street. We began pouring out, and since we were on the side we were on, that left Nick and I as last to get out. Nick gestured for me to go first, so I smiled and nodded my head to acknowledge his gesture, and moved to get out. When I was halfway out of the door (I'm a glass is half-full kinda guy) I felt Nick grab my shirt and pull me back into the seat, and before I knew it, he was past me and out on the footpath.
I could hear Nick laughing out on the street as I sat, stunned for a second, before collecting myself, fixing my shirt, and moving over to the door once more. I waved away Brian's outstretched hand, and got myself out, closing the door behind me. I looked ahead at Nick, who was laughing to AJ, who soon broke out into chuckles of his own. As they both glanced back at me, I gathered everything I had to put into a death stare, but apparently all I had didn't amount to a lot, for it only set Nick laughing harder.
We shortly arrived at the restaurant, walking out to a 360 degree view of the city and surrounds. Brian immediately froze, and Kevin, ever the father figure, was right there behind him to place a comforting hand on Brian's shoulder. I smiled at that, noting just how well these five knew each other, and how much they could rely on each other. I walked ahead to speak to the host who, on taking our name and confirming our booking, led us directly to a large table set back a little from the window, but with no table between us and the view. Kevin guided Brian to a seat facing the centre of the building, and then sat next to his cousin. The others seated themselves while I confirmed a few arrangements with the host, and I took the last remaining seat between Brian and AJ.
We sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, broken only by sporadic comments from those of us able to see out the window. Brian had by this time calmed down sufficiently to look through the menu, and had even started trying to crack jokes about the dishes. It was pretty cute, in a way. Strictly non-sexual, of course.
Soon enough our waitress came for our orders. She looked to be just in the age bracket of being too old to know the group herself, but too young to have kids who would, so she showed no signs of recognising any of the guys. Since Nick and AJ had been staring out the window for so long, they hadn't begun to look at the menu, so Brian ordered first.
"Uh, I'd like your grilled chicken breast, please? And to drink, let's see. Some kind of cola. What one do you have here?"
"We have Coca-Cola, sir," the waitress, Michaela, informed us. "Is that OK?"
Brian smiled. "Always." He let that hang in the air for a while, accompanied by a stupid smile. After a moment I figured it must have been a joke. A second later the penny dropped and I groaned. Brian chuckled and playfully punched my shoulder. He suddenly glanced up at the waitress and added: "Oh, and could we also have a jug or whatever of your finest tap water, please." Michaela nodded and made a note on her pad.
I ordered next, opting for the steak Diane, and a Sprite to drink. You've gotta love Sprite, don't you? I sat back and started playing with my wine glass as the orders came from around the table. Kevin ordered last, and as the waitress turned away, he looked in my direction, raising his eyebrows.
"I'm gonna go have a look at this view before it gets any darker out. Come with me, Drew?" Kevin moved his eyebrows to indicate that I really should go with him. I nodded, puzzled, and looked around at the others. `What did I do?' I mouthed silently. They each shrugged at me. This didn't help!
I made my way over to where Kevin stood, arms folded, gazing out over the Harbour Bridge. I cleared my throat nervously. "Um, yes, Kevin?"
Kevin looked my way and smiled. "Hey. So this is the harbour we hear so much about?" he asked, turning away from me again.
I chewed my lip thoughtfully. This sure seemed like an obtuse way of approaching whatever it was he wanted to talk to me about. OK, then,' I thought, let's just see where this takes us.'
"Yes, it sure is. It's beautiful, isn't it?" The sun was sinking over the Blue Mountains to the west of the city, but there was still golden light enough to reflect off the waves on the harbour. Ferries and cargo ships shared the water with tiny yachts and runabouts. It was picture-postcard stuff, and even Stevie Wonder could have told you that. Kevin merely nodded his head, freaking me out even more. What was he going to say?
Kevin moved off again, heading around the building in a southerly direction. There was a tacit command to follow him. I obliged.
This vista wasn't quite so glamorous, or half as interesting. We looked over the few skyscrapers of the city, out to the airport, where we could just make out the shapes of jets on the tarmac in the fading light, and to Botany Bay.
"What's that park down there called?" Kevin asked, pointing at a large green area considerably closer to the city.
I cleared my throat again. "Well, it's really three parks. Here, closest to the city, it's Moore Park, and there are the new Fox Studios right there; then the largest area is called Centennial Park, then further out to the eastern suburbs is Queen's Park." Kevin merely nodded and continued on. Again, I followed him, smiling cordially at one or two fellow diners who looked at Kevin, obviously recognising him, then looked at me, obviously not having a clue as to who I was. Kevin came to a halt again when he faced north-east, out over the harbour again, towards Manly and the Heads, reminding me immediately of the day I had had lunch there with Nick. I smiled and was about to recount the story to Kevin, but he beat me, saying merely: "Looks a bit choppy out there now. Glad I'm not down on one of those boats."
How anyone could pick the single negative aspect from what was a beautiful prospect was a concept which left me perplexed. And, quite frankly, I'd had enough of this hanging-by-a-thread feeling. Time to cut myself down.
"Um, Kevin, I thought you wanted to talk to me about something?"
Kevin looked at me, surprised. "No, not at all." My eyes showed my disbelief. "I only wanted you to come with me to point out landmarks and stuff."
I still wasn't quite buying it. I'd seen the configuration of his eyebrows, that had to mean something.
Kevin turned to me with a glimmer in his eye and a smile on his face. "Why, what did you think? Did you think I was angry at you for something?" he asked, using his eyebrows the exact same way he had at our table several minutes before. For just a moment. Then the smile came back, bigger and brighter than before, and he began to laugh out loud.
My jaw dropped. That was about all I could muster by way of reaction for a moment, until:
"You bastard! You knew full well what you were doing to me, didn't you? I've practically been shitting my pants these last five minutes!"
This made Kevin laugh louder still, drawing the attention of several diners behind us. I turned to the window immediately, mentally kicking myself for being had so thoroughly. I smiled at Kevin as I said: "You know, there ought to be laws against that kind of thing!"
Kevin chuckled again. "Well, you know, I figure God gave me these eyebrows for a reason, and I'd be letting him down somehow if I didn't use them to the best of my ability."
I laughed at his justification, and headed back to our table, taking a seat just as Michaela was placing the last drink in front of AJ. I took a sip from my Sprite (go the product placement!) and sat back to see everyone staring at me, questioningly. Everyone except Kevin, that is, who was looking at me and struggling to limit his expression to a radiant smile.
I sighed and turned to Brian to explain. "You know, Brian, your cousin is an utter prick."
Brian replied quickly, tacking onto the end of my sentence in a deadpan, "And has been for nigh-on 30 years."
That got him! The age card! The table broke into semi-understanding laughter around me as Kevin grumbled something under his breath. I considered kicking him while I had him down, but thought better of it. The familiarity I had established with the group might not be viewed so favourably if it meant I was able to give them too much shit.
Dinner came and went, and, going on the quality of conversation during the meal, it was pretty good food. That or we were really hungry after traipsing over Sydney all day. I enjoyed my steak, that much was for sure, and, tempted though I was to at least look at the dessert menu, Kevin nixed the idea on behalf of us all when our waitress returned. The bill came, Kevin paid with little protest, least of all from me - I'd looked at the prices in the menu, and no matter how much these guys were paying me, they were paying for this dinner!
On the elevator in the way back down:
"So, what now?" asked AJ.
I looked over at Nick, who had in fact already begun to answer that.
"Well, Drew and I are just gonna get a movie going in my room - I guess you guys could join us if you want."
"Yep, I'm up for it." Brian agreed immediately.
"Count me in!" AJ exclaimed. Howie just nodded his head `yes'. Kevin needed more information.
"What movie is it?" he asked.
"Like they would have chosen already, you dork! Just say yes and get yo ass into the room!" One thing I could tell you about AJ, once he knows what he's saying, he sure doesn't mind saying it.
The limo whisked us back to our hotel, and we made the now-familiar trip through the lobby, the guys stopping for a few fans as I went ahead to the lifts. After a moment, a lift arrived, and the guys made their way over. Well, all of them except Nick, who was grabbed by a harmless-looking pre-teen girl who jumped up and kissed him on the cheek. The rest of the guys caught this and laughed, and Nick, having given the youngster a special hug, jogged over to the lift and hopped in, with a pretty serious bit of blushing going on. The rest of the group kidded him good-naturedly, with taunts like "New girlfriend, huh?" and "What perfume was she wearing? Strawberry Shortcake?" which, from long experience it seemed, made Nick blush even redder. I just laughed as Nick looked at his feet trying to stop from laughing himself.
Once we arrived at our floor, we split up, agreeing to meet in Nick's room in 15 minutes. I kicked off my shoes as soon as my door was closed, and made a quick clothing change into a pair of shorts; much more comfortable. Looking around the room, it was clear that I'd been making a few too many `quick clothing changes', and I started to pick up the clothes that had been tossed over the floor over the last couple of days. After my quick tidy, I checked my watch to see that ten minutes had elapsed. Yeah, that was long enough.
I left my room and pulled the door shut behind me, knocking on Nick's door opposite a second later. After a moment, Nick opened the door, then turned and ran back to the bathroom, wearing only a pair of trousers. "Sorry, changing!" he yelled behind him. I caught just a glimpse of a muscular back and arms, with smooth, creamy-coloured skin and a couple of dark patches on his arm and shoulder blade where he had obviously had tattoos, before the door closed behind him. I found myself staring at the closed door for a moment, until I realised what I was doing and gave myself a good mental slapping. What the fuck WAS I doing? That was Nick, my friend, my boss, hell, a GUY, for god's sake. What the..........?
Next thing I knew the bathroom door opened and Nick emerged, this time fully clothed. I must have looked pretty dumb, I was still standing right inside the door, looking like I'd just seen the bogeyman crawl under the bed. "Feel free to sit down," Nick suggested, dropping onto the couch himself.
I employed that wonderfully powerful ability of mine that lets me not think about anything too hard or unpleasant to think of, and took Nick up on his offer. I sat down on the couch at the other end from Nick. Noticing he held a sheet of paper, I asked -
"What movies do they have?"
Nick forced a smile. "Pretty crap, actually. Just wait until the others get here, I don't want to have to read out this list five times."
Luckily, I wasn't in for much of a wait, as a knock at the door came just a moment later. Nick jumped up to answer it, then ran back to reclaim his spot on the couch. I had to smile at that, it was so typical of a little kid. Don't get me wrong, I'd have done exactly the same, but it was amusing to see someone else do it for once.
Brian and Kevin jumped into armchairs, and Howie resigned himself to lying on the carpet. I looked up to find AJ standing in front of me.
"Move down, Drew. That's MY seat!" he smiled.
I shook my head. "I don't think so, mate. I was here ages before you even walked in the door."
"But what you don't understand is that I ALWAYS sit on the end of the couch."
My eyes narrowed. "But it's so uncomfortable in the middle of the couch. There's no room to stretch out, and you have to sit bolt upright the entire time!"
"Which is exactly my point," AJ objected. "And, let's face it, we can't have my comfort threatened, or my ability to perform might suffer, and then where would we find the money to pay your wages?"
I looked over at Nick, who was giving AJ quite the dirty look. As soon as he noticed me looking, though, he smiled and patted the cushion next to him. I sighed and moved on down, and beside me, AJ giggled gleefully and jumped onto the couch. That had bothered me, more than I wanted to consider. I couldn't kid myself otherwise. Either they were my friends or they were my bosses. I could do either, but I couldn't do both. How was I supposed to tell when to be what person?
Nick read out the video selection, and......the choice was pretty limited. Basically, there were only two movies we could get. Oh, sure, there were lots of different titles, but the basic choice was between Romantic comedy chic-flick' and Blokey action film'. That was about the extent of the hotel's selection. Obviously they rated the intelligence of their guests most highly. After a few minutes debate, we decided on my suggestion, `True Lies', on the grounds that this at least was a reasonably funny blokey action film.
The movie went on, and I soon settled in to my berth in the middle of the couch, but I couldn't really stretch out in either direction - not Nick-wards because of the weirdness of earlier, and not in AJ's direction, either, since I was still a little miffed at his attitude. Eventually, though, it wasn't an option anyway, as Nick slumped in his sleep and began a slow slide down the couch in my direction. At that stage, I had a look around the room, and noticed that everyone had their eyes shut, well, except for Brian, who was bravely fighting a losing battle against his own eyelids. I laughed to myself at the thought that I had managed to tire out all five Backstreet Boys, then laughed again at the devious double entendre, before quickly throwing that thought out onto the trash heap.
The movie ended, and I was faced with quite the dilemma. Nick was snoring lightly on my left, but otherwise, the room was pretty quiet, and very dark. Umm....what was the protocol for a situation like this? Was this covered in my notes? Did I wake everyone up so they could go to their own beds? Or just leave them be, and head off to my own bed? No, then that might look rude in the morning. So then.......curl up as best as possible here on the couch and fall asleep? I guess.......when in Rome.....? Just as I thought this, a massive yawn came over me, and decided the matter. I curled up a little, leaning slightly in Nick's direction, and promptly dropped off to sleep.
I woke once during the night, when Nick, in his sleep, somehow managed to draw his feet up onto the couch and lay them across my lap. Why I wasn't disturbed at this is hard to say. At any rate, I was conscious only long enough for my mind to articulate: `Huh, this is pretty spun out.....' and then zoned out again, back to my happy dream-land.
Next time my eyes opened, it was to bright sunshine streaming in through the window. And an annoying tapping at my foot. Looking down, I realised Howie was also awake, and trying to wake everyone else.
"Time?" I managed to croak, but only just.
Howie cleared his throat a couple of times. "It's a quarter to nine."
I nodded and blinked my eyes shut again. The tapping resumed. "OK, I'm awake!" I sighed and attempted to get up, but was effectively pinned by what appeared to be......no, wait, they actually were Nick's legs plonked fair across my lap. I tried to move again, this time sideways out from underneath him, but again, it just wasn't happening. I sighed, realising that Nick would have to move before I could, and that Nick would have to be woken up before he would move.
I really don't like waking people up, and I don't quite know why. I guess it's because, well, you know, it's a pretty private moment for most people, sleep, and when you have to bring them back to life, it's a bit of an invasion. Well, that was part of the reason, anyway - the rest being that I never could seem to wake anyone effectively. Ever.
I tried talking to Nick, calling his name - nothing. I then moved on to loud talking, with similar results. I moved on to shaking him by the shoulders, and this did have some effect: Nick squirmed around a little, and for a second I thought I could take advantage of the movement to slide out from underneath him, but as soon as I let go of his shoulder Nick became a dead weight again, and I was trapped. And, frankly, that was the sum total of my waking up repertoire. I had to appeal for assistance.
Kevin was closest by, since Brian was talking to AJ over by the window, and I had noticed Howie walk into the bathroom a minute earlier.
"Hey, Kevin?" Kevin turned his head, wiping at his eyes. "Um, could you possibly do something about this......" I indicated Nick's condition, and mine. Kevin smiled, and then laughed. He got to his feet, came over and stood in front of me, and promptly lifted Nick's legs up into the air.
I was momentarily stunned, whether by Kevin's tactics or by the rush of blood back into my legs, until reason returned and I quickly scooted out of my seat and stood up beside Kevin. Kevin let Nick's legs drop again, and, smiling at me, turned back around and sat back down in his chair. I sat down on the coffee table, looking back at Nick, who slept as if nothing had just happened. I had a laugh to myself as I saw his hair, which was obviously requiring some attention, before turning back to Kevin, who was still smiling.
"OK," I said, "that's solved the problem of getting me out of there, but we still need to wake Nick up."
"Why? Let him sleep through till lunch time if he likes. What does it matter?"
"Well, he was going to come to the beach with Howie and me, and we'll have to leave soon," I explained.
Kevin clapped his palm to his forehead. "Why do I keep forgetting that?"
"I don't know, early onset of Alzheimer's, perhaps?" I uttered before I knew what I was doing. I immediately regretted it. Kevin's face could not have looked more shocked. What was I thinking?
Kevin sighed. "Look, did you want my help waking Nick up, or what?"
"Kevin, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. I can't apologise enough, I feel awful about it. Sometimes my mouth just shoots off without getting permission from my brain, you know? I really am sorry."
Kevin nodded. "It's fine, I can forgive you. It's just that you've been really...... polite so far, I never thought I'd hear you say something like that. No," Kevin stopped me, "there's no need to apologise again. I've already forgiven you. Besides," and here a cheeky grin took control, "I think you probably aren't far from being right."
I chuckled. "Nah, I don't think so, Kevin. I think you've got at least a few good years left in you before they pack you off to a retirement home.......and again, I'm sorry for saying that, too."
Kevin laughed this time. "Don't beat yourself up about it. These other schmucks here give me crap about being the oldest all the time, so it doesn't really bother me like you'd think it might. Now, let's see about this thing on the couch over here," he pointed at Nick. "You could go down the `wet willy' path, I suppose. That usually works."
Hmmm. "No, I don't think I know him well enough for that," I replied.
Kevin made a face. "Ewwww! Isn't it a bit early in the morning for dirty jokes?"
I frowned, not getting my own joke. Then it hit me. And man, did I ever blush!
"OH, wait! No, that's not what I........god, Kevin, you've got the dirty mind, not me! I swear I never meant it that way, at all. I knew what you meant by a wet willy, and I don't think we know each other well enough for that. I mean, it's a fairly intimate gesture, isn't it? I need to know someone pretty well before I go inserting my saliva-coated digit into their - "
"Yeah, OK, I get your point."
"Cos, really, we've only known each other for a few days, in physical terms. We've been talking for months now, but we've spent barely any time with each other." I sighed, weighing up our options. "Why don't you do it?"
Kevin shuddered, shaking his head at the same time. "No."
"Why not? You know him well enough."
"And that's exactly why."
"Run that by me again?"
Kevin sighed and smiled. God, he was way too smiley in the morning.
"Well, for starters, the whole idea freaks me out. The others know how much it freaks me out, so they never do it to me any more. I guess I'm a little obsessive about it. But then, there's this. I've known Nick for how many years? Six now, almost seven. And we've been `living together' (in Dr. Evil quotation marks) for at least half of that time, probably more. And do you know what I find just slightly strange? In all that time, never, not once, have I seen Nick clean his ears. I'm sure he must, of course, in private or something, but not once have I seen him do it. So I'm just a little wary of Nick's ears, Drew. It might pay you to do the same."
I nodded, taking in this information and filing it back in the `useless trivia' part of my brain, which, co-incidentally, takes up by far the largest portion. Never know when something like that could come in handy. It was a good start on some blackmail material, if nothing else.
"So," I returned to our problem on the couch, "back to the task at hand. What else works?"
Kevin smiled again. Ugh, stop it already!
"I don't know, you could throw a glass of water in his face."
I looked at Kevin incredulously. "And that works, does it? Don't tell me you've had to resort to that before?"
Kevin snickered. "No, but it's something I'd really like to see."
We both laughed at that, and I began to see the benefits of smiling in the mornings. Whoa, go those endorphins. "You moron," I scolded Kevin lightly.
As we were still laughing, Howie walked by and solved our problem for us quite neatly. Bending down so that his mouth was mere inches from Nick's ear, he shouted:
"GET UP, DUMBASS!"
and then patted Nick roughly on the cheek a couple of times. After a couple of seconds brain-processing delay, Nick sat bolt upright, sending both Kevin and I into fits of laughter. There was the look on his face, the shape of his hair.......but really, when the endorphins were so great, who needed an excuse?
Nick looked around the room distantly, trying to piece together what was going on. It really was quite a sight to behold.
Kevin turned to face the rest of the room. "Did anyone do something about getting us some breakfast?"
"Yeah," Howie called from by the door, "I called up before I went to the bathroom. It should be about 20 minutes or so. I'm going to take a shower now, so I'll see you guys in a few."
I stood and opened my mouth, but was cut off even before I began.
"Where are you going, Drew?" Brian was asking, he and AJ having returned to the middle of the room at the mention of breakfast.
"I'm just heading back to my room. Gonna have a shower myself. I'm never properly awake until I do," I smiled.
Brian glanced at AJ then back at me. "You're going to eat breakfast with us though, right?"
I furrowed my brow. "Well, yeah. I had intended to. I'm......never properly awake until I do," I repeated, smiling despite my complete not-getting-what-Brian-was-on-about. I looked at Kevin, who also seemed puzzled at what was happening, and then at Nick, who looked to be drifting back to sleep. I smiled and shook his knee frantically side-to-side.
"Nick? Beach. You. Me. Howie. Manly. Leaving in an hour. OK?"
Nick nodded, and I settled for that, knowing that I was probably lucky to get any response.
"Alrighty. See you guys shortly."
I got an OK, then' from Kevin and a Sure' from AJ before the door closed behind me. I crossed the corridor, entered my room and headed straight for the bathroom. Whenever I don't change clothes before I sleep, I always feel a little crusty when I wake up, so I was really looking forward to the shower. My mind was still a little concerned about how Brian had just been acting - it seemed really weird. I turned the taps on and let the water run for a little. What could be behind it? Maybe it had something to do what he was talking to AJ about, whatever that was. I stepped out of my clothes, piling them neatly against the wall. Well, I wasn't going to stress about it too bad. I stepped into the shower and adjusted the water temperature. I laughed as I remembered Nick's face on waking up. And his hair! Yeah, now that was funny.
I stopped cold. "Ewwww!" I said out loud. What was I doing? I'm thinking about him in the shower now? That was just plain sick! I mean, there are limits to decency, and picturing your friends when you're in the shower has always been beyond those limits. I shook my head to clear it, as my mind searched for a more appropriate image. It settled on Jennifer Lopez, to my relief. I began singing the Campbell remix of `Waiting for tonight' - that's the one where I sing whatever words I can remember, whenever I like, and it's usually accompanied by the sound of water hitting the tiles of the shower floor. Often accompanied by dance, too, come to think of it.
When that ordeal was over, I finished up in the shower and shut off the taps. I checked my watch next to the sink and decided I'd better hurry if I wanted to make sure there would be food left for me. I quickly brushed my hair and cleaned my teeth, then headed back into the bedroom to get dressed. I selected a suitably beachy ensemble, which consisted of a hawaiian kind of shirt and my board shorts. Giving myself a final once-over, and, satisfied with what I saw, I moved towards the door.
I smiled to myself as I heard my stomach rumbling over the sound of the door clicking shut behind me, then, knowing Nick's door would still be unlocked from earlier, I opened the door and knocked on it as I walked through.
I looked around the room and saw that breakfast had indeed arrived before me, and that Nick, Howie, Kevin and Brian were already tucking in around the cart. Strange, I thought, that AJ wouldn't be there. He never struck me as the type to miss a meal. I opened my mouth.
"Where's...."
I was cut off as AJ jumped out from behind the door, giving me quite a fright. Thankfully, I managed to retain my dignity - i.e. I didn't jump 10 feet into the air and squeal like a girl at the top of my lungs. Nuh-uh. Not me. I would barely have cleared two feet, I reckon.
"Oh, Christ! You kinda startled me there, AJ," I stammered, pushing past him to.....who am I kidding, to get to the food. I felt him grab my arm as I passed.
"Uh, Drew, buddy, can I talk to you about something?" he asked quietly, gazing into my eyes.
"Yeah, sure you can, mate. Only, does it have to be right now? I'm majorly hungry here. I never thought pig fat wrapped in meat could smell so good this early in the morning."
AJ swallowed. "Yeah, it kinda is pretty important, actually. It won't take a couple of minutes, but I want to be sure I talk to you before you go to the beach."
I nodded. "Sure thing. Where did you wanna do this? In here?"
He shook his head. "No, I think this needs to be said elsewhere. Your room, maybe?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "Yeah, that's fine," I stated calmly, not betraying my complete non-understanding of what AJ wanted to talk to me about. I turned and walked back out the door, my stomach gripping me tightly as it somehow sensed I was moving away from food.
I opened up my door and walked through, then held it open for AJ to follow me through, which he did. I let the door go behind me, and kept walking over to my bed, and sat down on the end of it. AJ took a look around the room and nodded his head in appreciation as he leant back against the back of the couch, facing me, and crossing his ankles over in front of him.
"Man, you keep your room NEAT!" he smiled at me. I just nodded my head blankly, staring into his eyes. Hoping that he'd get the message, that he'd understand. Oh, for god's sake, AJ. I'm frickin' hungry over here!
"Oh, sorry. Get on with it, huh?" I smiled in acknowledgement. "Well, Drew, really, I just needed to talk to you to apologise for how I treated you last night."
I frowned for a moment, trying to remember...."Oh, that! Listen, AJ, don't worry about it, I'd already forgotten about it."
"But it is important, Drew, so I'm not going to just let it go. What I said last night was totally wrong. I had no idea how rude I sounded. I'm not a complete asshole, despite how I must have looked. I just didn't think about what I was saying, didn't realise how it must sound. We want you to be our friend, Drew, not just our flunkey, we really do. Please say you can forgive me?"
The gears of my mind cranked, loudly. No, wait a sec: that was my stomach.
"So that's what Brian and you were talking about the whole time!"
AJ blinked a few times. "Man, you're sharp! Yeah, we were. Seems while I didn't realise how much of an asshole I was being, Brian picked up on it doubly. He just wanted to make sure you knew how we felt about this whole.....arrangement between you and us. He insisted I come speak to you, which, once I did realise what I'd actually said to you, I was definitely going to do."
I snapped my fingers in satisfaction. "So that's why he was acting so strange the whole morning!"
"Bingo. Boy, you saw that, too?" I nodded, smiling. "He was just really anxious that you were going to be angry at all of us, and want to leave the tour. I wouldn't blame you, either, Drew. We want you to think of us as friends, cos we're definitely going to treat you as one. If you'll let us, of course?"
I tossed my head from side to side, as if weighing up my options. I smiled. "Yeah, you know I'm gonna forgive you. Just this once, mind! Piss me off again and you'll pay!" I laughed. "Seriously, mate, I understand that you didn't mean it, and I know you were probably tired and all."
"But there's still no excuse for it. Thanks, Drew. I'm glad you decided that way." He sighed. "Well, at least Brian will get the fuck off my ass now."
I laughed. "He's a good guy."
AJ nodded. "Yeah, Rok's like that. Once he decides he likes someone, he'll stick up for you no matter what. And he does like you, too."
"But you, on the other hand.....?"
"Canhardlystandtobeinthesameroomasyou. Oh, sorry, did I say that out loud?" AJ grinned. "No, I think you're great, too. Easily the nicest Australian guy I've ever been on tour with."
"Oh, well, that's something, I'm sure!" I laughed.
"We all like you, Drew, and want you to have fun while you're with us, as well as doing your.." he cleared his throat loudly and said through a smile, " 'work'. I know Howie can't wait for the beach, and Nick thinks you're wonderful, too."
My expression changed, to one of thought. "Hey, are you sure I'm not meant to be wearing a uniform for this job? You know, something in tight lycra, bright colours? Underwear on the outside? Cos I really don't think I've got the figure for it." I smiled.
AJ laughed for a minute or two, slapping his thigh a couple of times. Finally, he replied: "No, Drew, you look just fine the way you are. Personally? The further away from me your underwear is, the better."
I laughed also. "Alright, bozo, I think we're done here. I'm really, really hungry, as in, get-out-of-my-way-or-I'll-start-gnawing-on-your-calf hungry. So, shall we adjourn to Mr. Carter's room, then?"
"Hell, yeah. I haven't eaten yet myself."
"Gee, you must have been really apologetic, huh?"
AJ considered this for a moment. "Well, there was that; there was also the fact that Brian wouldn't let me eat until I'd spoken to you." He smiled again the smile that made fans the world over scream their lungs out.
I laughed again, heartily. "Shit, Brian's quite the little control freak, isn't he?"
AJ stood up from the couch as I stood up from the bed and started off towards the door. "Yeah, he can be a bit of a confrontational little bitch at times. Still, it takes all types to make the world's most successful pop band."
I laughed at his philosophising as we pushed and pulled at each other, both suddenly realising how little food would be left for us once we made it into Nick's room across the hall.
Breakfast flashed by in just a few minutes, with AJ and I fighting like terriers over the last of everything, much to the amusement of those still in the room. Nick had left the room while we were gone to take a shower, as evidenced by the sound of running water in the bathroom. I seem to recall Brian and Kevin having a quiet conversation about something, but I was far too hungry to notice. Ringing far louder in my ears were the Snaps, Crackles and Pops of AJ's cereal screaming at me from across the table. Damn, since when did cereal sound so good?
I'd just stuffed the last of a slice of toast into my mouth, and was chasing it with a third glass of OJ, when Nick emerged, towel-clad and bare-chested, from the bathroom, humming a tune which I quickly recognised and freaked out over. I coughed on my juice a little, but managed to avoid anything going where it had no business.
Kevin smiled and turned around. "Thinking about Ms Lopez in the shower again, Nicky?"
Nick blushed, all over, and rolled his eyes. "What, I hum her song and suddenly she's the centre of my sexual fantasies?" he asked, arching his eyebrows.
Howie laughed. "Come on, Nicky, this isn't the first time though, is it now?"
Nick smiled an evil smile (which was no less captivating). "So, Howie, how do you explain the number of times we've heard you sing `Livin' la vida loca' in the shower? Huh?"
The rest of the room tore up laughing as Howie turned bright red. Amongst the gales of laughter, I heard Brian mutter in character: "It's funny cos it's true!", which only set us off more.
Howie regained his senses. "Oh ye of little brains. Did you not realise how easily I can get you back? Huh? Brian - or should that be Tearin' up my heart' Littrell? Or AJ Thriller' McLean? And uh, Kevin: two words. ELTON JOHN!" Nick and I cracked up looking at the embarrassment register on each face. Howie allowed himself a wry smile of revenge before turning to me. "What about you, Drew?"
I stammered, stumbled, bit my lip. "Oh, um, well.......actually this morning it was Jennifer Lopez, too."
"Freaky, huh?" AJ asked. I nodded, not looking at Nick.
"So that was this morning. What about regularly?"
"Gee, let me think......nothing really comes to mind, actually. Sorry, though," I replied.
Kevin got in before even Howie could. "Come on, Drew, we've all been humiliated here. We're just trying to......bring you down to our level." The room started laughing again, even me.
"How bad could it be?" AJ asked. "It's not Madonna, is it? Or Elvis? Or....ooh! Is it Celine Dion?"
I shuddered violently. "God, no!" I laughed.
"So...." Howie prompted.
I sighed. "Well, I guess, recently at least, I often find myself singing along to......grghisf mphd," I mumbled, passing my hands over my mouth.
Brian shook his head. "Come on, Drew. Don't make me beat it out of you." I could see him grinding his right fist into his left palm menacingly.
I sighed again. "Well, it's.......it's.......you guys. I often find myself singing along to one or more of your songs."
There was silence in the room as, one-by-one, the smiles left each face in front of me.
"Well, this isn't at all uncomfortable," Brian mumbled dryly, turning to look out the window.
I stared fixedly at the uneven tuft of carpet between my feet. It was Nick who saved me, bless him.
"Um, we were going to the beach, weren't we?"
At that moment everybody suddenly and spontaneously regained their energy and we all stood and began to bustle around.
"That's right!"
"Yeah, the beach!"
"Oh, yeah!"
"Jesus, I keep forgetting!"
"Well, have fun, you guys!"
And with that we were all three of us bustled out the door. Nick immediately turned around and banged on the door. "That's MY room, you idiots! Let me in, I've gotta get my stuff!" I disappeared into my room to pick up my things, and to throw some water onto my face, which was still pretty heated.
A few minutes later, I heard a knock on my door. I picked up my beach bag and opened it to find Nick and Howie waiting for me. We set off, not saying much for a while, until, halfway down in the elevator, I decided to break the silence.
"Uh, you guys know, don't you, that just because I sing your songs in the shower, doesn't mean I......you know.....over you.....when I'm in there. You know that, right?"
"Oh, sure," Howie replied, unconvincingly.
"I mean, it's like you and Ricky Martin. Just because you're singing his song, doesn't mean you're imagining him......"
"Oh, no, no, no! Of course not! I understand you perfectly," Howie cut me off abruptly.
I turned to Nick. "And just because you're singing Jennifer Lopez, doesn't mean you're imagining her......" I trailed off.
"No. Of course not," Nick replied. "Well, actually.....yes. Sometimes," he admitted sheepishly.
I choked. That was a little more intimate than I was expecting this conversation to get.
"Well, she is a very attractive woman," I agreed with him, "but, you know........yeah." I finished my sentence, but only just.
At that moment the doors opened and we walked out to the lobby in silence, a silence which lasted pretty much intact until we reached the ferry wharves at Circular Quay a few minutes later. We hopped onto the next ferry for Manly, when it arrived after a few moments' waiting, and enjoyed the trip over, easing ourselves back into conversation from the awkwardness of the exchange back in Nick's hotel room. We were almost back to fine when we reached Manly, and the short stroll down to the beach got us all the way there.
The beach was pretty packed. It was around 11 o'clock, and on a sunny day like this, even if it was a weekday, the beaches were always going to be popular. In Sydney, if the weather's good, we don't let anything half so pesky as work get between us and a beach. The beaches on the city side of the harbour, like Bondi and Coogee, would have been busier, but Manly was plenty busy enough for us today, especially since we were attempting to go the day without being recognised and mobbed, if at all possible. We marked out a patch of sand with our towels, then sat down to apply sunscreen. As Nick looked after my back and I Howie's, Howie spoke up:
"Man, there are some good-looking people here! I mean, GOD-DAYUM! Take a look around!"
I did so, and he was right. Natural tans abounded. I HATE people with tans. I can never get a good tan. Looked like the local supplier of string bikinis had been doing a roaring trade, too. If only he'd sought some kind of documentation to assure the public that they would only be worn by younger, less fat women, because, boy, when they look good, they look good; but when they look bad - what did I have for breakfast again?
Yep, all around was a veritable feast for the eyes. With a final slap on my shoulder, Nick declared: "You're done. Can you do me now?"
Neither of us gave the sentence a second thought, and I turned around to begin, when Howie started snickering beneath his breath. My hand stopped, halfway through a stroke over Nick's shoulder. "Oh, for god's sake, Howie." At this his laughter became outright. I returned to my task at hand.
"Huh?" Nick uttered, then, a second later, "Oh, Jesus, Howie. Gimme a break. Not everybody thinks like you, you know."
"Thank god for that," I muttered. Nick giggled, shaking slightly under my hand.
"So could you just grow up and let us use the English language, please?"
"No!" Howie returned. "I have far too much fun this way. Join me on the dark side, Nick. I think you'll like it."
"I can't do that, I'm the young, innocent one, remember?" Both Howie and I laughed at that.
Looking around, it seemed, either intentionally or not, that there was a good-looking' end of the beach, and a hideously ugly' end, and it was this end I now faced. Beyond Nick there were a few couples, mostly older and really wrinkly, obviously sun-worshippers from way back. There was also a family or two; overweight, balding yet hirsute fathers, slimmer, tired-looking mothers with peroxide blonde hair, and two or three kids covered head-to-toe in sun-protective clothing, zinc cream smeared over their noses, digging in the sand. I guess that was what made Manly a great beach - you didn't just get the pretty people like you did at some of the city beaches, you got real people here as well. It was safe enough that families could bring kids, and yet it held attractions for adults too. Like I said before, definitely somewhere I could live my life.
I snapped back into focus, and, seeing that I'd pretty much covered Nick's back - probably two or three times, actually - I lifted my hand away, saying: "OK then, you're done now." Nick didn't move for a moment, as if he was far away.
Suddenly he lifted his head and turned back around to face the ocean. "Thanks, Drew."
I smiled, figuring by now he'd understand that I meant `No problem'.
"Well, who's coming in?" Nick asked, getting to his feet.
"Me!" I cried, jumping up.
"Yeah, I am. Give me a second," Howie answered, untying his hair from the neat do it had been, letting it hang down. "Yep, let's go."
I've never been much of a beach bum. Which might also explain my tanning problem, I guess. Whilst I do enjoy going to the beach when I can, I'm not the kind of guy who spends hours and hours in the water. So, after about half an hour of paddling about, attempting (almost universally unsuccessfully) to catch a few waves, getting pretty pounded, dodging kids on boogie boards, and wringing salt from my eyes, I looked around. I saw Nick way out back, his head bobbing above the surface. He waved at me before I could at him, and I signalled that I was going to head up to the sand. His open-handed wave turned to a single thumb-up, so I turned and walked/swam/surfed back to shore, and then jogged up to our towels, where I found Howie.
"Tired already?" I asked him, lowering myself down onto my towel in stages until I lay on my stomach, my head turned to face him. NOW let's see about that tan, then!
"No, not at all. I just wanted to catch a little sun for a while before I jump back in."
I nodded, then sniffed. "Yep, sounds fair. I'm doing the same thing myself. So, you're enjoying yourself, then?"
"Yeah, this is great here! You did good, suggesting we come here, Drew. The others are gonna be really bummed that they missed it."
I blushed. A compliment? Well, alright, if you insist.
"No worries, mate. It's my job to cut through the crap for you guys, so I'm glad when I can do it properly. I've got no problems with Sydney, but I'm a little worried about the rest of the tour, I've really got no idea about other cities."
"I'm sure you're going to do fine, Drew. You've been great. We're all enjoying our time, and your friendship. Nick chose well when he picked you."
I laughed. "Oh, shucks. I'm blushing over here, Howie."
Howie shook his head. "Learn to take the compliment, Drew, because you'll be hearing it a lot. We all like you. I think it's clear how much Brian likes you, after the way he spoke to AJ this morning. And it's obvious that Nick really likes you."
And there it is, folks. Don't you just love that ending? Is it a cliffhanger, or isn't it? Tee hee. :) Of course, it all depends on just how Howie meant it, and, more importantly, on how Drew chooses to take it. I think that's a great place to end. So that's why I ended it there, I guess.
Feel at complete liberty to write to me and tell me what you think. Do you think my style has changed since before my.......extended break? I think it has. Hopefully it's for the better, but let me know either way. That address again, folks, is braan90@hotmail.com By the way, this one was completely edited by myself, so any errors are mine and mine alone. And, at 3am, they are just that much harder to spot. :)
Finally, a disclaimer: I, in fact, do know all the words to `Waiting for Tonight', and exactly where they fit into the song. I actually have Jennifer Lopez's album, and it's pretty good, if you're into the Latin thang, like I am (sorta). Drew's hopelessness was entirely the product of my imagination. :)