“I told you so,” announced JC in a singsong voice as he flopped down on the bed next to Lance. “See, I’m always right!”
“What are you right about this time?” grinned Lance as he pulled his lover towards him.
“Justin’s album,” replied JC with a smile on his face. In the past year, Lance had signed Justin to a contract and the younger man’s first album had just recently been released and it was already tearing up the charts.
“Anything else you’re right about?”
“Umm . . . you’re the sexiest guy on the planet,” replied JC, placing a kiss on Lance’s chest.
“Nope, you’re the winner of that contest,” grinned Lance.
“How about the fact that you and Justin are finally getting along as friends?” challenged JC, teasingly. “I told you if once you got to know him, you’d find out he’s a great guy!”
“Got me there,” smiled Lance, as it was true, he and Justin were now better friends. That was all thanks to JC though, since Lance had mellowed out every since they had started dating. “Anything else?”
“That Joey will always hate me,” sighed JC sadly. Instead of rebuilding Kirkpatrick’s, Chris and Joey decided to open a club together which met if JC wanted to visit Chris at work he couldn’t help but not bump into Joey at the same time. While Joey tried to be nice to JC, at the same time all four of them knew that Joey was still haven’t a hard time letting go of the past.
“He doesn’t hate you Josh,” replied Lance, gently, while tugging JC up higher so they were lying face to face. “He just cares about me that’s all and doesn’t want me to get hurt.”
“Why won’t he trust me?” asked JC sadly. “It’s been months since Heather graduated and got a job of her own so I don’t have to worry about her anymore and I actually have a decent job for the first time in my life, maintaining the websites and writing/producing some tracks for some of the artist.”
“I don’t know why,” sighed Lance, silently vowing to have another chat with Joey soon on the very subject matter since he hated since his lover hurt.
“I’m tried,” mumbled JC. “Stay with me while I have a nap?”
“Of course Josh,” smiled Lance. “It is your birthday after all and I have to do what you say.”
*~*~*
“You guys are great for lending the VIP area for my party!” exclaimed Justin as he hugged Joey and Chris. The three of them were gathered that afternoon at Zeeks, their club, getting things ready for the party that night.
“Just what type of party is it?” asked Joey. “You never said.”
“I didn’t?” asked Justin innocently, sharing a look with Chris, who knew very well what date it was and who the party was for. “It’s a birthday party.”
“Anyone I know?” asked Joey.
“Maybe,” replied Chris. “You’re invited to come but we didn’t think you’d want to.”
“Just who’s party is it?” demanded Joey.
“JC’s,” sighed Justin. “Today is his twenty-sixth birthday and we wanted to do something special for him, since he told Lance that no body has cared about his birthday since his parents kicked him out.”
“We even have his sister Heather coming down for it,” added Chris. “It’s Lance’s birthday present for him.”
“Why wouldn’t I want to go to his party?” asked Joey confused.
“Joey,” sighed Justin. “We know you don’t like JC that much and only put up with him because of Lance.”
“I like him!” protested Joey. “It’s just we don’t have much in common.”
“Keep telling yourself that Joe and you actually might start believing it,” replied Justin. “Just . . . be nice to him tonight.”
“I will!” cried Joey defensively, still wondering what his friends were getting at.
*~*~*
“Josh!” cried a female voice that night while the party was in full swing and a pretty brunette flung herself into the arms of JC.
“Heather!” cried JC, hugging her tightly as the tears fell down his eyes. It had been years since he had seen his sister since neither of them could ever afford visits. “What? How? Who?”
“Happy Birthday, sweetie,” whispered Lance in JC’s ear as he pulled away from his sister to get a good look at her.
“And you must be Lance!” cried Heather, hugging him as well. “I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done!”
“You’re welcome,” smiled Lance before wandering off to let the siblings have a moment to reunite. As he talked to Joey though he kept an eye on his boyfriend and frowned when he saw the expression on his lover’s face change from shock to confusion to horror. Excusing himself from Joey, Lance walked over and saw that a young man had made his way up into the VIP section and was in a heated argument with the siblings.
“Faggot,” spat the young man. “If I had known you were here, I would have gone to a school in a different state, like Alaska!”
“Tyler stop this!” begged Heather. “He’s our brother!”
“He’s no brother of mine!” growled Tyler Chasez. “Our parents were suckered into adopting him because his real parents didn’t want him! They probably knew then that he was a faggot and decided to get rid of him!”
“What’s going on?” asked Lance interrupting, having heard enough of this nonsense. “Josh who is this guy?”
“My brother,” whispered JC. “He goes to college here and saw Heather as she came up here and followed her.”
“And I’m glad I did so I can save her and take her away from you and your queer friends!” snarled Tyler.
“Don’t talk about my boyfriend that way!” shot back Lance.
“And who’s going to stop me?” asked Tyler, mockingly.
“Me,” replied a new voice and Lance turned to find that Joey had followed him over. Joey of course had a height and weight advantage over the young Tyler Chasez “No body talks to my friends that way!”
“Fuck you!” shot back Tyler. “He’s my brother and I can call him a faggot if I want!”
That did it as there was no stopping Joey as he punched Tyler in the jaw. “Get him out of here!” he then ordered to Lonnie and Dre who hauled Tyler up off the floor and escorted him to the exit.
“Joey?!” asked JC in shock over what had just happened. Lance, who was also in shock, just stood there and stared at his friend, as Joey was the last person he figured would come to the rescue of JC.
“I’ve been doing some thinking today,” shrugged Joey with a sigh. “And I finally realized how crappy I’ve been treating you lately. I finally realized I shouldn’t let the past keep us from being friends.”
“Thank you,” whispered JC as he walked over and hugged Joey, just as Chris and Justin were walking up the stairs to the VIP room with drinks and a couple of leggy blondes.
“What the hell did we just miss?” asked Justin seeing JC and Joey hugging.
“We’ll tell you later,” laughed Lance as he sat down next to Heather before dragging JC down onto his lap.
“But I want to know now!” whined Chris. “Come on Joey!”
“Not saying a word,” grinned Joey as he took the hand of one of the blondes that Chris and Justin brought with them and led her to the dance floor.
“We always miss the good stuff!” whined Justin to Chris as the party continued all around them.