Chapter 11
I yawned and opened my eyes. Looking over at the clock
beside my bed I saw that it was almost eleven. I crawled out of bed
because I knew that if I didn't my mother would be up any minute. No
matter what had happened the night before she always made sure that I
was up at eleven. Too late.
"Fiachra?" She said from outside the door.
"I'm up, I'm up." I said.
"Alright, but if you're not down in twenty minutes then I'm
coming back up!" Still yawning, I grabbed some clothes from the
wardrobe and made my way to the bathroom. Fortunately no one was
using it. I turned on the shower and, after waiting for the water to get
hot, got in. Ten minutes later I was finished and dressed so I made my
way down to the kitchen. Brian, Nick, Howie, AJ, Kevin and Helen were
all there, but my parents and my sisters weren't.
"Morning." I said. I got Good Mornings from them all.
"Does your mum always wake you up this early?" Complained
Brian."
"Ignore him." Said Kevin. "I've already been up for 2 hours."
Brian stuck his tongue out at Kev.
"Just because you like getting up early doesn't mean that the
rest of us have to suffer on the few days that we have off!" Said Brian.
"But I enjoy it so much..." Joked Kevin. Throughout this
conversation Nick had stayed more or less in the corner, staring at the
ground. With eye signals from Helen that I wasn't too sleepy to pick up
on, the others made their way out of the room.
Nick looked up from the mug of coffee that he was nursing.
"Listen Fiachra... I'm really sorry about the way I acted last night."
"It's ok."
"No it's not! I completely ignored you and you haven't done
anything but put us up in your house and show us a great time!"
"Yeah... that's true. So, have you almost sorted out what ever
was going on last night?" I asked.
"I'm trying to."
"What was up?"
"A lot. I've had a lot on my mind lately and I'm just trying to
figure some of it out." Answered Nick.
"Want to tell me any of it?" I asked while moving over to get a
bowl out for cereal.
"Maybe..." He said. "Fiachra... we're friends, right?"
"Yeah!" I said, surprised that he would ask. "Of course we are.
Is that what was getting at you last night?"
"No... but let me finish. When we met you didn't even
recognise me, you said that you were a fan, but you didn't know the first
thing about us. Do you know how often that's happened to us? Never!
That's why I told Brian that you were 'a perfect fan'. You treated us like
normal people, even after we took you through a bunch of screaming
fans onto a tour bus and dropped you off at a concert that we were
doing. You made us feel special, well; you made us feel like we could
lead a normal life, which was special! You've never stopped caring for
us and you've been one of the greatest friends that anyone could ever
hope to have. I don't know how to thank you for that."
"You don't have to thank me Nick. You've been my friend too,
and look what you've done for me already! I've got a Number One
single thanks to you!"
"Maybe. But I've got more to say."
"Go on." I said, curious.
"I was treating you the way I was last night because... because I
was jealous of Helen. I thought that you two were going out."
"What?! Helen and I? That's ridiculous!" I said, missing the
main point of what Nick was saying."
"I know that now! But I couldn't figure things out and I was
angry with you for no reason, until Brian came to talk to me last night.
He helped me see what was going on. He helped me see that I was... in
love with you."
I dropped the bowl. It shattered on the tiles and spread out all
over the floor. As a diversion I looked down at the pieces.
"I know, things can never be the same, but I had to tell you. I
couldn't hide how I feel forever. But I still want to be friends, if you can
see past how I feel. I don't want to lose the little bit of you that I can
have..."
"No! It's not that! It's just... are you sure?" I asked,
stammering.
"Yes! I just realised that I've been in love with you all along.
Ever since you knocked into me in the Hotel."
"Hey! Listen here, you're the one who hit me! Let's just get
that straight!" I cringed at my choice of words. Nick noticed it too.
"Have you got anything to say?" He asked. "Can we still be
friends?"
"But how could you love me? I'm what, 4 years younger then
you?"
"But mentally and physically, you're almost the same age as
me!"
"And you would want a relationship with me?" I said, feeling
my way through the topic.
Nick grinned, feeling more and more comfortable about talking
about it. "Hell yeah! But relax, I'm not going to be chasing after you!"
"Why bother?"
"What?!"
"Nick, I wasn't sure when to tell you this, but I guess this is a
fairly good time, I'm gay." I blurted out.
"You are?"
"I don't think I would have said it if I wasn't sure!"
"True." Mused Nick. "Does this mean that I've got a chance?"
He said more excitedly.
"More then a chance!" I said. Nick pulled me into a hug. For
the first time I felt the blood boil through my veins and knew he was
feeling the same thing.
"Can I call you my boyfriend?" He whispered in my ear.
"Let's start with Sir and work our way down." I said back. Nick
giggled.
"Does this mean that we've made up?" Asked Helen, who I
hadn't heard coming into the room.
"More then that!" I said, pulled out of my Nick hug.
She squealed. "Can I tell the others? Oh god, please let me!"
I looked at Nick. "What do you think? Will we let her?"
"Go on! You have to let me!" She pleaded.
Nick nodded and so I said. "Alright. But I'm taking you off the
sugar." Helen ran out of the room to spread the news. Moment later the
rest of the group burst into the room to congratulate us. My parents hung
towards the back, not sure how to feel about this latest development in
their son's life. After a couple minutes more of them standing around
talking at us, and to each other, they filed out of the room. Presumably
so that they could talk about us behind our backs.
"You happy now?" I asked him.
"You have no idea. Don't you have a broken bowl to clear up?"
Asked Nick.
"Yeah." I got out the dustpan and brush and cleared up the
shards of the bowl, picking up the larger pieces by hands. I considered
getting another out so that I could pour myself a bowl of cereal but
realised that I wasn't hungry any more. I just stood there, in a daze,
thinking happy thought. Nick waving his hands in front of my face
brought me out of it.
"Fiachra!"
"Yeah?"
"Your phone!" I looked at what was in his hand, and sure
enough he had my mobile.
"What about it?"
"You've got a call! I had to take it out of your pocket because
you didn't hear it." I blushed, thinking about Nick putting his hands in
my pockets so soon.
"Relax, I didn't feel *anything*." I grabbed the phone from
him.
"Hello?"
"Hi Fiachra." It was my manager. "Listen, you've got a day off
school tomorrow because of the bank holiday, don't you?" Was it May
already? Wow, time really does fly when you're having fun.
"If you say so. Why?"
"Well, MTV have been after me for ages trying to get you for
an interview and I agreed to one for tomorrow, but I've messed up a
little."
"How so?"
"Well, I agreed to interviews on TRL, you know, the American
show, and on MTV, UK and Ireland. And they've both been spending
the weekend announcing that you're going to be answering questions
tomorrow. I tried getting you over the weekend but you haven't
answered your phone."
"Sorry about that." I said. "Listen, what times have you got for
these interviews?"
"Emm, let me just check." I heard the rustling of paper. "Ok,
the UK one is for around midday. It's going to be some kind of really
special interview show. I don't know the details, and the TRL one is
about at 4.30. That only leaves you about... 3 hours to get from London
to New York." I laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"You're forgetting something." I said. "There's the little thing
about the 5 hour time difference!" I could hear him mentally slapping
himself.
"That's right! I've just been under so much pressure lately that
I didn't even think about it. So you're on for both of them then?"
"I don't mind."
"That just leaves one other thing. What were you saying to the
album producer? He isn't very happy with you."
"It's his own fault."
"No, it's alright. You have to be proud of what you're doing. I
just said that I'd mention it to you." I laughed again.
"Thanks."
"You're in a very good mood today." He commented. "What's
going on?"
"Oh, nothing really. Things are just starting to come together,
that's all." I said, being purposefully ambiguous.
"Alright. I'll arrange everything and let you know, I should also
tell Cormac, I suppose. Be prepared for an early start tomorrow."
"Ok James. Talk to you later. Bye." I hung up and turned back
to Nick.
"You know something Fiachra, I haven't even seen your
bedroom yet." He said, smiling slyly.
I slapped him on the side of the head. "And you're not going to
either if you keep that sort of talk up."
"I blame Helen. She's been a bad influence on me."
"You've only said 3 words to her!" I exclaimed.
"That's not true! I was talking to her this morning before you
got up and after I apologised to her we got on very well thank you."
I stuck my tongue out at him. "Yeah well, what do you say
about joining the others?"
"I say that it's a good idea. Which way do I go?" Asked Nick.
"Come on." I said, and grabbing his hand I dragged him
towards the den.
Chapter 12
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