| CLAIMED Part One by: Saimone Darren Hayes leaned despondently against the hotel shower wall, directly under the hissing spray of the nearly scalding water. Lately there were times when he simply couldn't get warn enough. No matter how many blankets he'd wrap up in or how many layers of clothing he'd wear or even how hot he'd make the shower water--it did no good. It never did ease the comsuming cold that would attack and fill him. And it seemed that the cold-attacks were becoming worse and more frequent. He'd have to work harder to make sure that no one could see that anything was amiss. Cold, cold, cold... Growling, Darren wrenched the hot water knob all the way on to make the already scalding water even hotter. Dimly, over the sound of the water and muffled by the bathroom door, he could hear someone knocking and saying something. Knowing that it was only his bestfriend and current roommate, Darren didn't say anything. Slowly, the door opened and the muffled voice became louder and more clear. "Darren?" called Daniel Jones. Then, "Dazza? You still in here, mate?" Darren just sighed, a sound which couldn't be heard over the water's noise. "Daz?" "Yeah, Dan?" "You doin' okay?" "M'fine." "You sure? You've been in here an awfully long while..." The only answer Daniel received was the sound of the water being turned off. The minute the hot water ceased, Darren began to shiver. The enveloping coldness hadn't left him during his shower. He sighed again-- after all, he hadn't really expected it to. Silently, he snaked an arm out of the shower to snag his terrycloth robe off of the towel rack. With the robe securely on and tied, Darren stepped out of the shower to see Daniel standing in the now open doorway desperately trying to wave some of the thick steam out of the small bathroom. "Yeah, Danny, I'm fine." Daniel simply raised an eyebrow, clearly disagreeing but not wanting to press an arguement at the moment. Darren saw this and had to forceibly bite back another sigh. Normally, Darren knew better than to try and bluff Daniel. The pair had been best friends for years and had formed a tight bond which was reflected not only in their interaction together, but in their music as well. Sometimes, it was as if they were on the same wavelength and could read each other's thoughts. But not right now. Now, the normally exeuberent Darren was quiet and almost standoffish. Daniel wished desperately that Darren would open up and reveal what was troubling him. The singer seemed to be having quite a bit on his mind lately. Darren gave Daniel a questioning glance as he brushed his way past him, out of the bathroom. Daniel reguarded him silently as Darren shuffled about the room in search of clothing. "I am okay, you know..." Darren muttered, finding a pair of sweats and a long sleeved shirt. He paused for a moment then decided on adding a sweater as well. Daniel didn't look convinced. "Really..." he said. "Then why don't you talk to me anymore, why are you drawing away from the rest of the band, and why, recently, did you start insisting on wearing three layers of clothes in the middle of March?" Darren took his clothes and started back towards the bathroom, intending to change. He didn't look at Daniel as he answered softly, "I haven't stopped talking to you, Dan. We're talking now, aren't we? And I haven't felt like spending every waking minute with the band--we're on tour, that's not uncommon..." "And the extra layers of clothing when it isn't even that cold out?" "What are you, my Mum?" Darren demanded, exasperated. "So, I'm suseptable to cold! What of it?" "Since when?" Darren glared at him. He really didn't want to be having this converstion right now--he wasn't ready for it. "Since two weeks ago!" he snapped, retreating back into the bathroom and slamming the door. Daniel stood silently with a sad-knowing look on his face. Two weeks ago... he mused. That saturday afternoon, two miserable damned weeks ago which had nearly changed their lives forever... |