Tell Me What's Real - Chapter Three

I looked to the corner of the room, where Lance was seated on the couch. His eyes slightly glazed over with brokeness.

"Why aren't I enough?"

I slowly walked over to where he was seated, sitting next to him on the stiff hotel couch. Taking both his hands in mine. "Your the world to me, you're all I'll ever need, but Justin.. He's sick Lance.. Look at him."

"He seems quit content with you on his arm." Lance pulled his hand away from mine as he stood, and made his way over to the window.

"Lance..." I stood up and took his hand in mine once more, slowly pulling him away from the window. "Comere, I want to show you something."

I was relieved when he followed me. I pulled him to the bed, and gently sat him down. Then pulled my shirt over my head. "Look at my body. What do you see?"

Lance's eyes were locked with mine, before they slowly traveled over my chest and stomach. He chewed on his bottom lip as he pondered over whatever was going through his head. His eyes looking over every inch of my body.

"Your to skinny, but your defined well. Josh you have a nice body and you know you do, what's this have to do with anything?"

I pulled my shirt back on and grabbed his hand again, dragging him out of my room, not ours, hadn't been ours in weeks, and across the hall to Justin's.

"What are you doing? Josh let me go."

"No. I'm going to show you something." I dug the extra cardkey out of my pocket, sliding it in and the slowly and quietly made my way into Justin's room, my hand still holding on to Lance's.

I lead Lance into the room and told him to stay put. Justin was so gone, that he didn't feel me as I lifted his frail body from the bed, and pulled his baggy shirt off, then laid him back out on the bed. I stood up and walked next to Lance.

The gasp was like a gunshot firing through the silent room. Causing Justin to spring to life. Quickly scrambling for his shirt. "JOSH!!" His voice was meant to be angry, but it barely came out in a whimper.

Lance's eyes were still on Justin, his hand up to his mouth, tears brimming in his eyes. I made my way to Justin, trying to calm him down. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I had to show Lance."

His weak attempt to push me away, made the tears slip from Lance's eyes. Before, a mere nudge from Justin would send me tumbling to the ground.

"Josh just please leave me alone."

The bed sank on the other side of Justin as Lance crawled in. A trembling hand reaching out to brush Justin's hair from his face. Tears still streaming down his face.

Let me let you in on a little secret. When Lance and I started dating, the first thing we did was sit down and tell the guys. We didn't want to hide anything from them. Justin was upset, beyond pissed. Stormed out of the room and wouldn't talk to either one of us for a couple of months. Sure I was his best friend, but Lance was his first kiss, and first love. Lance had told him that they were to young to start anything. Which at the time I'd think so. Justin was barely 15 and Lance was merely 17. Justin had been 17 then, Lance 19 and Justin had planned on talking to Lance about them. I was his best friend and I didn't even know that, and Lance sure didn't tell me. Anyway..

Justin choked on a sob at Lance's gentle touch, his eyes closing, as the hand ran gently through his curls. I let go of Justin, and watched as Lance pulled Justin to him, the small frame of what was left of Justin Timberlake curling around him like a small child.

Both men, now boys as they curled into each others arms, crying. My own tears fell as I watched my best friend and lover. The tears dried up over time. All three of us sitting in silence. Justin still being held by Lance. Lance still running his fingers lightly through Justin's curls, and me there for support.

I don't know how long we had been sitting there in silence, but I nearly jumped out of my skin with it was broken. Even if it were barely a whisper.

"Do you think I'm fake?"

I was taken back by the question. Something I wasn't expecting. I looked to Lance who just shook his head, before speaking softly. "Why ask such a question Justin?"

"Because I do."

That shocked me even more. "Why do you think your fake Justin?"

I watched as he eyes turned to me. The only movement of his body was his eyes. It was kinda creepy.

"Cause I am. I'm completely fake, right down to my capped teeth." Emphazing buy flicking his thumb from his teeth.

"Justin just because you have capped teeth doesn't mean your fake."

"What about dating Britney? or always being up in the spotlight hogging everything like i like taking the attention away from the rest of you guys. That I actually like people thinking I'm stuck on myself. Or that I'm some ghetto white boy freak." Tears were streaming down Justin's cheeks again. "I do every fucking little thing management asks, even if I'm not happy about it. I'm Justin, fucking, Timberlake." I bit my lip to keep from laughing at his immataion of a stuck up kid. "I'm suppose to be happy. And I have no fucking clue who I am."

Lance rocked him gently, rubbing his back lightly. "The only thing I knew I lost 3 years ago and to my best friend, you just my fucking luck. Anyway I don't dwell on that anymore."

I looked away as did Lance when he brought that up. But Lance never once letting the comforting hand stop.

"But the one thing. The one thing I can't let go. The one thing that let's me know I'm real." his voice got so soft, and child like as he was talking through his tears. His face buried in Lance's neck crying at the moment. One of Lance's hands running lightly through Justin's curls, the other still rubbing his back.

I gently took his hand in mine, letting him know I was there as well. Tears streaming down Lance's face again as he listened to Justin. Feeling my own prick the back of my eyes.

"Is killing me."

Chapter Four