Chapter ElevenLance smiled in the darkness, and once he heard Justin’s breathing even out, he rolled over and wrapped his arms around the sleeping figure. Justin still had the mask on, but Lance considered it a good sign that he was sleeping with him.
Lance rested his head next to Justin’s, wishing he could see his face, but happy with what he had gotten in Justin’s small gesture. He fell asleep almost immediately.
~~~
JC padded on silent feet into Joey’s room through the connecting doors of the hotel rooms. At first, JC had been puzzled as to why Joey was staying in a hotel and not with Kelly, but then Joey had looked at him and told him that he and Kelly weren’t dating, never had been, never would be, and that Brianna had been unexpected.
"She was wanted," Joey had rushed to explain. "Just not planned. Kelly and I had sex once, a one-night stand type of thing, and she became pregnant."
JC had nodded his head, while looking out the window, to keep Joey from noticing the smile on his face.
They had picked up Brianna early that morning, and spent all day with her. JC’s beliefs were confirmed- Joey made a great dad.
But now they were all alone. And Joey had invited him over to watch TV and chill.
Joey was laying on his bed. He hadn’t noticed JC, and jumped when JC sat down next to him on the bed and it moved.
"Fuck, Jace, give me a heart attack," Joey said, sitting up/
JC chuckled. "Sorry man." He picked up the remote control. "Anything good on? OR do you have an movies?"
"Actually, I don’t feel much like watching TV."
JC looked at him, his blue eyes suddenly intently curious and wary all at the same time. "Then why did you invite me over?"
He didn’t get an answer. Instead, he got a pair of lips meeting his.
~~~
Lance woke to an empty bed. Sighing at the loss of Justin’s warm body, he cralwed out from beneath the blankets and made his way to the bathroom.
After showering and getting dressed, he walked down to the kitchen, to find Justin cooking breakfast again.
Justin looked up and flashed a smile his way, then returned his attention the the French toast he was cooking.
Lance leaned against the counter next to Justin. He didn’t talk about Justin coming into his room. He would wait until Justin brought it up, since he didn’t know how Justin felt about it.
"Can you get the milk and juice out of the fridge and take them to the table?" Justin asked.
Lance did so, and set the table without having to be asked. He realized that Justin had a purpose in asking him to take the things to the table; he felt uncomfortable around him, and didn’t know how to act, or what to do.
~~~
Justin’s heart had fluttered when Lance appeared in the kitchen doorway, looking as... beautiful was the only word Justin could think of, has he had when Justin left the room that morning. Except there was one huge difference between then and now. Then he had been peaceful and serene and almost angelic. Now, however, he was sexy. Increidably sexy. Sexy and hot enough to fuck.
Justin frowned at that thought, glad he had turned back to the food he was cooking. Where had that thought come from? He had no idea. But surely he couldn’t be thinking about one of his best friends in sexual terms. He was straight. He’d never even looked at guys like that.
But, a nagging voice said, creeping into his mind, you’re going through a lot of changes right now. Maybe this is just one of them.
Justin frowned again. He couldn’t suddenly become gay, could he?
Lance was leaning against the counter, making him nervous. So he asked him to take the juice and milk to the table. He hoped that would keep his oh so dtermined friend busy for at least a few minute sand out of his hair.
Justin placed the French toast on a platter and carried it to the table, where there was also a bowl of fresh fruit and some muffins and begals.
They ate in silence.
Until Justin got his courage up and blurted out, in one fast breath, "Lanceisitpossibletobecomegayovernight?"
"Excuse me?" Lance questioned.
"Is it possible to become gay overnight?"
"I wouldn’t think so," Lance told him. "You’d have to realize it over a period of time, or it would come to you in a sudden flash of insight, but when you looked back on it, it seemed as though you’d always known."
"But what if you wake up one morning with feelings for someone?"
Lance shrugged. "Maybe you’ve loved that person for a long time, just never admitted it. Or you’re feeling some other type of a feeling towards the person, and confusing it with love."
"Are you gay?"
Lance’s face twisted into a sembalance of a smile. "You mean it’s not that obvious? After all, Chris basically said he knew JC was gay because of what was going on between me and JC.’
"So you are."
"Yeah."
"How did you realize?"
How the hell would he answer this question? Justin was the reaosn why he had relaized it. When he’d first met the younger man, his heart had melted. Over the years, he’d fallen more and more in love with Justin, despite everything. He had suspected he was gay before he joined the group, but after he met Justin, he knew without a doubt that he was gay.
"I had suspected it for a long time, and then I fell in lovr with a guy and it made me realize that I was gay."
"Who was the guy? JC?"
Lance laughd and shook his head. "No. No, it wasn’t Jace. I love the guy and all, but I was in love with him."
"Then what happened between you two?"
Lance looked at Justin then, meeting his eyes. "I’m not going to tell you until you take of this," he said, reaching out and running his finger over the edge of the mask.