CHAPTER 4

"...and then he slammed the door on me! I swear, I've never seen a bigger asshole!"

Chris sniggered over the rim of his coffee mug.
"I could have a field day with what you just said! In fact..."

"Chris," Lance warned, before turning to his fuming friend. "You just got off on the wrong foot with Justin, JC. Seriously, he's a good guy. A bit temperamental, but other than that, he's a good friend."

"Whatever Lance!" JC said, with a roll of his eyes. "I'll just be happy never to see his face again."

"Yeah well, too bad. You're gonna have to," Chris said matter-of-factly as he chewed his toast.

Lance looked at Chris in momentary confusion before he realised what Chris was trying to get at.
"OH! I totally forgot about that."

"What? Forgot about what?" JC asked, his toast halfway to his mouth.

"We invited Justin to dinner. Well...not just dinner. A blind dinner date with one of Chris' friends."

"You mean here?" JC asked frowning as he chomped on the bread. "Why not at a restaurant of something?"

"Well, Justin is kind of a celebrity producer. People do tend to recognise him."

JC scoffed.
"Celebrity? How come I haven't heard of him?"

"You? Mr. Dancefloor crap? Are you even aware that others genre of music exist?" Chris scoffed.

"Yes, I am. And hey! You don't hear me calling that punk music you listen to, crap, do you?"

"Because it isn't. Now that shit you were playing last night..."

"Ok, enough, you two. Get back to the matter at hand," Lance mediated. "As I was saying, Justin has appeared on award shows before and he's quite the hot commodity with some of today's musicians. So, he does get recognised."

"Ok, but so what if he's a celebrity? Celebrities are humans too. They are expected to date too."

"Yeah, but Justin's still in the closet and..."

"He's gay?" JC asked, in mild surprise.

"As Elton John...well ok, not really. He doesn't flame as much but there are moments when...like last Christmas, he wore this..."

Lance interuppted Chris.
"Yes, he's gay."

"Interesting," JC mused, then smirked. "Are you sure you want to subject your friend to a relationship with a guy like that, Chris? I'm telling you, he reminds me too much of Marshall. Jerkdom-wise."

"JC, come on. Don't judge Justin by your first...or second impression," Lance tried to explain. "You haven't even given him a chance. He's..."

"...really a nice guy. Yeah, I know. You've already said it like a dozen times. I'll believe it when I see it. Anyway, I guess that means I have to find something to do away from this place tonight."

Lance frowned.
"You don't have to. You can just join us all. It will take the pressure of Justin and his date."

JC laughed.
"I don't think so, Lance. I think if that jerk and I are in the same room, you'll probably be mopping up one of us off the floor by the end of the night. The safest thing for all would be if I made myself scarce."

"So where ya gonna go?" Chris asked, standing and beginning to clear the table of their breakfast.

"Don't know. Just bum around, visit some galleries and get down to writing, I guess."

Lance perked up.
"Writing? Are you finally going to get another collection out?"

"Yeah! This time with pictures I have taken to complement the poems! I want to combine both my passions!" JC announced, with more than a little excitement.

"Oh man, if it is anything like the first book...," Chris trailed off, doing a little body shiver. "You have no idea how many times I got off to that one. With my baby Lance reading those poems in his deep, sexy, orgasm inducing voice..." Chris closed his eyes and moaned, only to be interuppted by a slap to his head.

Lance rolled his eyes.
"Sounds good, JC. Bet Johnny is relieved."

"He almost wrote me into his will," JC replied with a grin. "He still might if I pull off the book by June. So I guess tonight will be as good a night as any to get started."

Lance nodded.
"Ok, but just so you know. You're totally welcome to join us."

"Thanks but no thanks. The less I see of that jerk..."

"He has a name, you know," Chris piped in, with some indignant loyalty for his friend. JC chose to ignore him.

"...of that jerk, the better off we will all be."

With that he emptied his mug and left the table.

***

Sometimes JC wondered if the cosmic forces had something against him. Maybe the 3 sisters were sitting up there, playing with his life threads and laughing about him over dinner and daiquiri.

He stood in the doorway of the apartment block, watching the pouring rain, then sighed. His plans for the whole evening would have to be put on hold. But that wasn't the bad news. JC sighed and trudged up the stairs, again wondering what fate had against him.

He opened the door with the key Lance had given him as he removed his coat. He dropped his key into his coat pockets and hung it. Then he made his way to the kitchen where he found them, standing shoulder to shoulder as they prepared dinner. JC couldn't help but smile at the domestic scene.

"Hey, guys," JC greeted as he snuck a piece of carrot into his mouth.

"Hey, C. Quite the storm huh?" Lance commented, not pausing in his dinner preparations.

"No shit. What am I going to do now?" JC whined, dropping onto a stool by the counter.

"Get something to shelter you from the rain? What do they call that? Oh yeah. An *umbrella*," Chris suggested snidely.

JC scruched his face at the idea. He had a thing for getting wet in the rain. He didn't like it. In some ways, he guessed his friends were right in nicknaming him kitty; or rather pretty kitty.
"I don't like the rain."

Chris snorted like he expected the answer.

"Then, you have to join us," Lance stated firmly.

"Oh mannnn!" JC whined.

"Ok, then you suggest something."

"Fine," JC said, as if he hadn't already made that decision on the way up. "But I'm not going to enjoy myself."

"Oh great!" Chris cursed. "You do know that this dinner is going to be ruined, right Lance? With those two snipping at each other all night and Alex meeting Justin for the first time!"

"Come on. JC will behave. Right JC?" Lance asked, looking at JC darkly...and with a glint of threat.

JC held up his hands defensively.
"Hey, I'm not going to start anything...unless that jerk...

"JC..."

"Ok, fine! I'll be a good boy, alright? I'll just sit there and be mute. Happy?"

"Yep!" Chris agreed, quickly.

Lance nodded in satisfaction.
"Ok, since you're eating too, give us a hand. Wash those vegetables, will ya?" Lance instructed as he started the grill.

JC sighed and got to work.
 

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