Insatiable (2/5)
By Rin
Summary: Drew comes to a decision in his life. Can Jeff take the steps necessary to rectify it?
Disclaimer: I do not know any of the members of 98°. I do not know their sexual orientation or preferences and what not. This is purely a work of fiction and any relation to real persons of events takes place in my demented little mind. ;)
The steady rain had slowed to a soft patter by the time Drew stopped the truck. Pulling up to the curb, he looked up at the house, lit like a beacon in the night, promising safe harbor for the weary wanderer. Drew smiled softly as the thought of this entered his mind. ~The wanderer. That’s what I feel like anymore.~
As he climbed out of the vehicle, he glanced up the wide lawn toward the house. It was not large by California standards. A modest home, something that would have belonged to an upper-middle-class family back in Ohio. Two stories encased in red brick, with a porch that spanned the front of the house. Black wrought iron formed the rail and supports for the roof of the porch, which spanned the front and one side of the building, giving the roses that the previous owner had planted a beautiful trellis to climb. Sighing, he closed the door and headed for the walk. He’d just stepped onto the sidewalk when the front door opened.
Drew could distinguish the outline in the door as a female, but any distinctive, personal features were hidden in shadow. He didn’t need to see the face to know who it was. Walking up the sidewalk, he mounted the steps and all but collapsed into the waiting arms that pulled him close, while a soft voice whispered reassuring noises into his ear.
This one moment of release was all that it took for the flood of grief to come pouring out. Sagging against the woman, he sobbed softly, his shoulders shaking with the effort to hold them inside, while his tears soaked her hair. Pulling back, she looked at him, sorrow and concern written across her features. “Come on Drew. Come inside.”
Drew allowed himself to be pulled into the house and was herded into the living room and onto a sofa. Feeling the soft fabric move beneath him, he leaned into his new companion and cried for what seemed like forever. Outside the window behind them, the storm surged back to life, slicing the sky with lightening with a chorus of thunder quickly following.
After a short while, Drew pulled away from her and wiped at his eyes. Looking over at the woman who had been his closest friend and confidant since they were children, he smiled slightly. “Sorry Lea didn’t mean to barge in like this.”
“Oh Drew, you never barge in on me, you know that.” Lea removed her hand from his knee and stood up. Shaking her long blonde hair over her shoulder, she walked toward the door. Turning, she smiled softly at Drew and held out her hand to him. “Let’s go get some coffee and we can talk in the kitchen.”
Rising from his seat on the couch, Drew took her hand in his noticing, as if for the first time, just how small and fragile she appeared. Looking up, he caught her gaze and smiled softly. No, she wasn’t fragile, far from it. This petite woman was his rock. She could be the softest, most gentle person you could meet, but if you made her angry, it would be best if you ran, quickly.
Sitting at the kitchen counter, Drew watched while Lea moved around the small kitchen. The coffee was almost done and she was getting out the cream for Drew. She drank hers with cream and sugar while Drew liked his with just the cream. They didn’t say anything while she bustled around. Idly tracing images on the countertop with his fingers, Drew looked back at the life that he and Jeff had shared while they were together.
It hadn’t been a quick romance. Not by far. He remembered the first time he had met Jeff. He had just arrived in LA with Nick. They had driven from New York to LA with few stops in between; he was tired and hungry when they got there. Walking into the apartment that his brother, Justin, and Jeff were sharing, he said hello to Justin. He remembered the bass from school back in Cincinnati. When Nick introduced him to Jeff he remembered staring for a moment before shaking Jeff’s outstretched hand.
Jeff had been wearing a pair of shorts and a white wife beater and no shoes. The only thing Drew could think of at that moment was how beautiful he was. The first thing he took in was Jeff’s open smile. Then he saw his eyes. He felt like he was drowning in them. Nick had nudged him in the back, bringing him back to reality as Jeff smirked. “Sorry, I’m really tired.” Drew had apologized and shook Jeff’s hand. Turning quickly away as a blush had crept up his neck, he asked Nick where their room was and had headed off to bed. The next few months were pure hell for Drew.
Things had never really gotten much easier as the time went by. Nick, being the overprotective brother that he is, noticed Drew’s attraction and asked him about it one night. “Drew?”
“Yeah? What’s up Nick?” Drew had been doodling in his notebook while they were on the bus. Jeff and Justin were sitting up front, taunting each other about their sex lives, or lack thereof. He had been sitting in the back, watching the trees go by and relaxing.
“So, how bad have you got it for Jeff?” Nick had never been one to dance around a subject.
Drew froze. Looking up, he had known he wouldn’t be able to lie his way out of this one. Sighing he had sat up and looked out the window. “Bad. Real bad. I’m falling for him, Nick. Falling hard.”
Nodding, Nick had sat down next to him on the bed. “I thought so. Justin and I could see it.”
Turning quickly, Drew stared at his brother in horror. “Does Jeff know?” At the time, Drew had been horrified to think that Jeff might find out about his feelings.
“Nah, he’s clueless. Don’t worry, Justin and I won’t say anything. You know that.”
Drew smiled slightly as he remembered that moment. Just then, Lea put a full coffee cup in front of him. “Hey, is that a smile?”
“Yeah,” Drew whispered.
“Ok Drew, what’s up? You wanna tell me why my best friend showed up on my doorstep in tears?” Drew looked up at the blunt question and saw Lea smiling slightly, her eyebrows perked in curiosity.
“I left Jeff tonight.”
“Oh sweetie. What happened?” Lea leaned over and grabbed his hand.
Drew sighed and looked away again. “He doesn’t love me anymore.”
“What? Drew, where do you get that idea?” Drew looked up as Lea pulled her hand away. She was looking at him with a look of complete shock written across her face. “You haven’t mentioned this before. How long have you thought that he felt this way?”
“A couple of months now. I don’t know…it’s just…” Drew floundered at a loss for words. Bringing his hands up in a helpless gesture in front of him, he saw Lea looking at him, waiting for more. “I just don’t know. We don’t talk anymore.”
“Ok, wait, let me get this straight. You don’t talk anymore? So that’s why you’re leaving him? Drew, that doesn’t seem like you. You’re more level-headed than this.” Rising from the stool, Lea walked over and picked up the coffee pot. Neither of them needed a fresh cup, they had barely touched the ones they had.
“We haven’t…you know.” Drew looked down as Lea quirked an eyebrow at him, trying not to smile.
“What? Made love? Had sex? Fucked like rabbits?”
“Lea!” Drew’s head shot up in amazement. He had rarely heard Lea talk like this.
“Well? Are you going to answer me or just sit there looking like a deer waiting for the approaching truck to hit it?” Putting the pot down next to the sink, she walked over and put both of her hands on his shoulders. “So you’re sex life has calmed down. It happens. All couples go through phases like this. You guys have just come off a world tour, then you go right back into the studio to record some more. Nick broke up with Jess, hooked back up, and the got engaged, all in a matter of months, I might add. The four of you have been going almost non-stop for two years straight. The stress of that alone is enough to kill a sex life for a while.”
“No, you don’t understand.” Drew stood up, pushing his coffee away from him and walking out of the kitchen.
“Drew, wait.” Lea called after him. He headed for the front door. “Andrew John Lachey don’t you dare walk away from me!”
Drew froze. Lea hadn’t talked to him like that in years. He knew that he had pissed her off. Turning around, he saw her standing in the hallway, shaking with anger. “You are not going to come into my home, tell me that you have just left the best thing that has ever happened to you, and then walk out without trying to resolve it. Am I understood?”
Drew couldn’t hold in the laughter at the comedy of the situation. Here he was, twenty-five years old and being chastised as if he were five. Doubling over with laughter he didn’t hear Lea approach him. He felt her hand on his shoulder. “Well, it’s not the response I was hoping for but it worked. You stopped.”
Looking up, he saw her grinning widely. Wiping his eyes, he straightened up and walked into the living room. “All right, talk already. I can tell that you aren’t going to let this go without a fight.”
“Damn right I’m not. Drew, you have never been happier than when you were with Jeff. I have watched you go through bad relationship after bad one over the years. I don’t want to see that again. Besides, with the fame you have now, do you realize what a gay relationship could do to that? Drew, honey, don’t throw that away just because you two have hit slump in the relationship. Try and work it out.”
Leaning his head back against the sofa, Drew sighed softly. “I guess you’re right. I may have overreacted to everything. Let me sleep on it and I will deal with this tomorrow.” Looking over at her, he knew that she wasn’t very happy with his decision but wouldn’t argue with him about it. He had agreed to try to work something out, so she would leave it at that.
“All right. Come on you; let’s get your room ready. We need to put fresh sheets on that bed. You haven’t slept in there in ages.” Rising from his seat, he followed Lea up the stairs and tried not to think about what he was going to have to say to Jeff.