Chapter 4
**A Bone to Pick**
He smiled when I said that, but I winced noticeably. He suddenly grew
concerned and his voice showed that. He grabbed my hands in his which
caused me to look up at his face.
"Are you alright, Doug? Did I do something wrong?" he asked while
trembling slightly and bracing himself for the blow-off.
"No, Howie, you were great. It's just that what I said sounded really
cheesy and I can't believe that I actually let it out of my mouth. I mean,
damn, I would like to think that I'm capable of so much more," I answered
with a smile to let him know that everything was fine. We couldn't have me
fightening him off, now could we? He relaxed when I explained, but didn't
let go of my hands. I looked down and then returned my gaze to his eyes.
He grinned and blushed at the look of surprise on my face, but still
continued to hold on to me. When a smile formed on my face the blush
deepened and a soft giggle was audible. This time, when our lips met, it
was he who initiated the kiss. The force took my breath away and so I
yielded myself to him and melted into his lips. But, just as all good
things, this too had to come to an end. However, I doubt that the other
good things ended with me pulling away and yelling 'Ewww! Morning Breath!'
while I covered his mouth with my hand!
Howie responded by pulling my hand away and assuming a look of
hurt. "Hey!You didn't complain the first time," he pouted. But then that pout turned into a sly smirk as he continued, "Besides, it's not like your dragon-breath couldn't strip the paint off a car from across the street!"
My mouth dropped open at his come back. When I managed to remove
my jaw from the floor, I gave him an appreciative nod and bow to
acknowledge his victory. However, his look of triumph turned to one of
shock when I ripped the sheet from his body, gave him a smack on the butt
and told him to get his ass in the shower before his smell killed the
animals. He just stood there as I opened the door and ran out. The run
was very short lived, though, because the guys had been quietly listening
at the door and they stopped me like a brick wall. Damn, that hurt.
After a few seconds of lying flat on my back, I looked up at their
grinning faces and scowled. "Shit, why couldn't guys have been more soft?
God that hurt! I mean, I know that you have to look good for the fans and
all, but I think you broke something on me!" I said with a slight groan as
I rubbed my right shoulder. The guys faces had all broken into grins
during my tirade and my whining only made those smiles get bigger.
"Awww, come on Doug,'' Nick said as he leaned down to put his face
right next to mine, "you can always masturbate with your other hand." The
others all started to laugh. I thought Brian was gonna pass out because
his face was so red. My smart-ass answer probably didn't help any either.
"Thanks for the info, Nick. And while we're on that topic, I have a
question that I've been meaning to ask. How did you manage to get those
naked pictures of AJ that are in your suitcase?" I asked with an evil grin.
Brian started gasping for air he was laughing so hard and Kevin wasn't doing
much better. Nick had turned beet red and his mouth kept opening and
closing, but nothing was coming out. When I looked to see what AJ had
thought of my joke, however, I frowned. His smile had turned into a look of
fear and panic. Telling the guys to go and set the table for breakfast, I
managed to get rid of them. I grabbed AJ's arm as he went past and said
that I could use his help for a few minutes. When he realized what I was
doing, he shot me look of horror. He frantically tried to pull away, but I
wouldn't let up on my grip. He wouldn't calm down until I got him to look
at me and whispered that it was okay. We went into my bedroom and sat on
the bed. Taking a deep breath, I spoke.
"So, how long has it been since you realized you were gay?" I asked
him softly. When he stiffened and looked like he might run, I grabbed his
hand and squeezed it, refusing to let go. After a couple of minutes of
silence, I could see something inside him give and his head dropped to his
chest.
"I first realized that I was gay about a year after the band got
started, I had never been very interested in girls, but I thought that I
would eventually grow to like them. It didn't turn out like that, though.
The first time I looked at a guy was when we were in New York for some
meetings and Kevin and I were sharing a room at the hotel. Usually, Kevin
would get his own and I would share with Howie, but we had had a fight over
something stupid and were kinda pissed at each other. Kevin was nice and
let me room with him, probably so that me and Howie didn't kill one
another. Since we had meetings to go to, he said that he needed to take a
shower and went into the bathroom. I watched some TV until it was my turn.
But then it happened. I looked over at the bathroom door when Kevin
stepped out with his head covered by a towel, drying his hair. Something
inside me felt funny at the sight of him naked. I just couldn't seem to
tear my eyes away from his body. At that moment, he was the most beautiful
thing that I had ever seen in my life. His body was toned and perfect. I
got hard when I saw his dick hanging between his legs (And just so you
know, Kev is fucking hung!). No one had ever had that effect on me, male
or female, up to that point. I was able to tear my gaze away from Kev's
body, just before he pulled the towel off of his head and uncovered his
eyes. I managed not to make an ass of myself before I got into the
bathroom to take my own shower. It took a couple of months longer for me
to realize what that meant. I had been noticing other guys, but girls
still didn't do anything for me. After that, I finally admitted to myself
that I was gay."
His shoulders relaxed as he finished his story. I pulled him into
a hug and continued my questions.
"Have you told your mom yet?"
"Yeah. She had trouble with it at first, but is okay with it now.
She told me that nothing could ever make her love me any less. She said
the fact that I trusted her enough to share this part of myself only made
her love me more," he smiled at the memory.
"Do the other guys know?" I asked him quietly. When he shook his
head 'no', I looked at him and asked something that made him tense again.
"Why not? They obviously are okay with Howie, so what are you worried
about?"
"I'm just scared. Even the smallest chance of them hating me and
losing their friendship scares the shit out of me," he said hoarsely, "They
are too important to me. I can't stand the thought of losing them. It's
better to keep this a secret than take the chance that they leave my life."
As a few tears escaped AJ's troubled eyes, he felt a hand on his
shoulder. He looked up at Howie who was crying. He gathered AJ up in a
hug as they both let their tears fall. Howie stroked his friend's hair as
he tried to calm him.
"It's alright Alexander. We are going to care about you no matter
what. I just wish that you had been able to tell us because you didn't
need to feel isolated and alone. And don't worry about the others, they're
fine with it," Howie soothed. But something in what he had just said made
AJ cut him off.
"What do you mean that they 'ARE' fine with it? Do they know?"
came from his mouth as part scream and part sob.
"Yeah, Alex, we've known for a few years."
"How?!"
"We began to suspect when we noticed that you checked out the male
dancers instead of the females," Howie continued as AJ blushed a bit, "but
we weren't sure until you called to tell your mom that you were gay. I was
about to open the door to our hotel room when I heard you tell her. I
don't think you realize how loud you were talking."
"But why didn't you guys say anything," Aj asked in a confused tone.
"We didn't want to push or confront you. We were hoping that you
would eventually trust us enough to tell us without our interference. The
other guys and I wanted you to make up your own mind instead of deciding
for you. We know how much that pisses you off!" Howie finished with a
smile. After a few moments, AJ's face also broke out into a grin and they
hugged again
"Thank you for being my friend, D."
"Anything for you, Bone. Well, anything but sex. I just don't
like you that way!" They both started to laugh.
"Ewww, like I'd want your short ass anyway! I don't do midgets!"
"Hey! What's with all the verbal abuse?! Did someone forget to
tell me that it was Crack on Howie Day?! You and Doug make me feel sooo
good about myself!"
When Howie mentioned my name, AJ remembered that I was still in the
room with them. He had momentarily forgotten about me because I had been
so quiet during all of this. When he saw me sitting there with a huge
smile on my face, he walked over and gave me a fierce hug.
"Thanks for being such an awesome bud, Doug. You don't know what
you've done for me," he said into my ear.
"No problem Alex. I'll always be here to help. Now, not to break
up this tender moment or anything, but I am really hungry. There's a home
cooked breakfast waiting for me and I intend to eat it!" After pulling
myself out of the hug, I grabbed him and Howie and dragged them toward the
dining room.
'Well,' I thought to myself with a smile, 'this has certainly been an
interesting morning. If only all of my days could be like this.' I was so
glad that I had met these guys. Not because they were famous superstars,
but because I am always happy to find new friends.
Chapter 5
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