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Bitter Pill -- Act 2, Scene 1 by Vanessa Stefan cracked one eye open to be greeted with a stream of sunlight, pooling right over his face. 'Great,' he thought to himself as he stretched, trying to unkink his muscles. 'At least I wasn't drinking last night...' he consoled himself over the unpleasantness of the bright light. The idea of a hangover turned his thoughts to Brian, and he craned his neck trying to see if he was awake yet. He couldn't see; his neck was too stiff and the angle was all wrong anyway. 'Who's bright idea WAS it to all share a room, anyway?' He immediately answered his own question, remembering his unspoken agreement with Steve that Brian should not be left alone in a hotel room. Stef abruptly tossed his light coverlet aside and swung his legs off the too-small bed, slowly raising himself to a sitting position. Brian was still asleep, curled up tightly on his side, fine strands of hair covering half his face. His blanket was twisted around his legs as though he had been kicking and thrashing in his sleep. Steve's bed was empty. The gentle sound of running water crept into Stef's consciousness, and his brain made the connection that Steve was in the shower. 'No,' he scolded himself. 'Must. Not. Think. About. Steve. In. Shower... Arrrrrgh!' He got to his feet and padded over to the sliding glass doors to the balcony, chased by the memories of the shower he and Steve had shared the morning after they first discovered each other. He gazed out the window at the serenity of the blue-green ocean, the white sands, the gently-waving palm trees. The balcony where Steve had kissed him the night before... Stef could still feel it burning on his skin; the faint taste of tobacco and toothpaste lingering in Steve's mouth, the scratch of Steve's stubble against the soft underside of his chin, the skin along the side of his jaw... Stefan once again caught himself by the scruff of his mental neck and pulled himself well back from that dangerous line of thought. Following that track was like stepping in front of a speeding train; it would effectively ruin everything once and for all. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to banish all thoughts from his head and just concentrate on the beauty of the surrounding area. He breathed in slowly through his nose, savouring the slightly salty tang of the nearby ocean. The tranquil rustle of the breeze through the broad palm fronds filled the area, a soft natural melody. Stefan stared at some distant point on the horizon, wondering if it was possible to get lost in the sheer distance between where he was and where he wanted to be... physically, mentally, it didn't matter, as long as he was somewhere *else*. The sounds suddenly coming from behind him -- muttered obscenities about the brightness of the sunlight, the cracking of joints in a long stretch, the *whump* of a small body hitting the thick carpet after rolling over and off the bed -- snapped Stef out of his melancholy to matters more immediately at hand. Brian. Brian and his irritating habit of falling hard for whoever was least attainable. In the end, it all came back to Brian, Stefan realized. He loved Brian as much as he loved Steve. In a different way, of course, but who was to say which kind of love was more valid? Could he, in good conscience, put his love for one instead of his love for the other? 'Well, that's a moot point,' he realized, 'seeing as circumstances *have* been putting my love for Brian first... not that that's my first choice...' "Jesus Christ! What TIME is it?" Brian's voice was thick with sleep, but somehow managed to carry quite well. Stef glanced at his watch. "Half nine." "You're shitting me!" Stef shook his head. "Wow, this is NOT right... Me, Brian Molko, waking up before the crack of noon -- of my own accord?" The look of mock-puzzlement on his face was classic. "Whoa! Good morning, Sunshine!" Steve had just walked in from the bathroom and saved Stefan the trouble of thinking up something witty to say. "Shut up, Steve," Brian said in a surprisingly amicable tone. "Sorry, Sunshine," Steve quipped as he walked to the dresser where his clothes were. Stefan suddenly found the pattern on the carpet very interesting. Less interesting than a half-naked and shower-damp Steve, who was currently bending over and digging through a bottom drawer, but a lot safer. He looked back up as he heard Steve retreat to the bathroom to change. "Steeeeeeeeve," Brian whined loudly, "how am I supposed to perv on you with the door shut?" Stef laughed. Brian was in a surprisingly good mood. Maybe there was hope for this being a good day after all. "So, what are we doing today?" Steve asked as he put down his emptied glass of orange juice. "Relaxing," said Stefan. "Shopping!" exclaimed Brian gleefully at the same time. Stef and Steve exchanged a look. "Relaxing," Stef stated again, weightily and in what he hoped was his most convincing tone. Brian merely pouted, completely ignoring Stef's theatrical efforts. "But I saw the greatest shops when we were downtown yesterday! You *will* come with me, won't you Stef love? Please? Pretty please?" Stef leaned over and stage-whispered to Steve, rather conspiratorially, "D'you think if I agree to go with him it'll shut him up?" Steve laughed as Brian exclaimed his hurt at the mere suggestion. "Oh, don't worry, I'll go with you Bri honey." Brian's eyes lit up. Stefan groaned inwardly. Steve snickered. "If you ladies will excuse me, I believe there is a chaise lounge on the beach with my name on it." He grinned as he got up from the small table in the back of the hotel restaurant, leaving Stef to wonder just how he managed to get the short end of the shopping-with-Brian stick again. Prev | Next Home |