ChapterTwentySix:Double Date

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Andrew swirled a cherry on his lips as he stared into Alex's blue eyes. They were in the green room of a stadium in the city of Manchester. The sky was dark as it was very early in the morning, yet this was the best time for them.

This was Andrew's idea to hold secret dates with Alex. He didn't like the idea of waking up much earlier than they needed to, but Alex wanted to be with Andrew somehow, someway. He would rather lose an extra hour of sleep than mentally whining over not being alone with the boy that wouldn't leave his head and heart.

Andrew placed the cherry into Alex's mouth, sucking it, tasting some of Andrew's flavor. He took it out and pressed his lips onto Alex's. The experience was intriguing, enticing, sexy.

Andrew said between the kisses, "Oh, the things I want to do to you."

Alex asked, "Then why don't we?"

Andrew pulled away, biting his lip while giving his smirk. He took off his tee shirt. Alex's eyes traveled to Andrew's torso; defined muscles were beginning to appear. It was clear that he was working towards a six-pack, but just the sight of it was attractive. He felt his face warming up, realizing he was blushing when he looked up at Andrew.

Alex asked, "Has Alyson seen your, um, abs?"

Frowning, Andrew put his shirt back on. Alex felt guilty for bringing up Alyson, but he wanted to know what Andrew had done with his girlfriend.

Andrew muttered, "Maybe we shouldn't."

Alex sighed, "I'm sorry I brought her up. I just, I just want to know what you've done with Alyson."

"None of this."

"Why not?"

Andrew sat back on the couch as he looked away. "I just didn't. I mean, I don't even know she would be into trying stuff out with me."

"Why don't you ask her?"

He looked at Alex. "Why are you asking about me and Aly?"

"Well, I don't know what you and Alyson do together!" Alex exclaimed.

Andrew sighed, "We're...we're not exactly adventurous. I guess maybe we're too busy to try stuff, but I don't want to get her into trouble."

Confused, Alex asked, "Get into trouble with who?"

"Her parents. Her sister. She comes from a religious family. They don't approve of me. They think I'm bad for her."

Alex felt bad for Andrew. His girlfriend was tied up with religious crap, but Alex wasn't. No, his family were atheists. He held Andrew's hands, hoping that would comfort him.

Alex said, "I don't think you're a bad person. I mean, you seem pretty freaky, but I don't you're bad."

Andrew stared at him. "You've judged me before you even had a conversation with me."

Alex looked away, feeling guilty about that too. Well, he kind of went along with what Diana was saying, but he wanted to know the real Andrew. Not the one gracing on everyone's monitors across America.

Alex said, "Yeah, because you're a bully at your school."

Andrew said, "I do it to survive. I'm not proud of it, but it gets the job done."

A thought came to Alex, so he asked hesitantly, "Does your school...make remarks about your sexuality?"

Andrew scoffed, "Please, I put fear into everyone to make sure they keep their shit to themselves."

Alex got up from the coffee table and sat next to Andrew. He leaned his head onto Andrew's shoulder. He felt Andrew put his arm around him.

Alex said, "I have a date with Amanda later today."

"Go for it," Andrew said.

"You're sure?"

Alex looked up to see Andrew gently kissing his lips. The gesture felt loving to him. It was sweet. He wanted to savor the moment, but it ended too soon.

Andrew said, "It's fine, Alex. I don't have any problems with that."

Alex sighed as he thought about his public date with Amanda. He could feel guilt creeping up again. He wondered if Amanda would catch on to Alex's secrets. To her, he might still seem shallow, fake even. His true self still being hidden behind the toothy grins from when he was sixteen.

Maybe he'll eventually tell her the truth, but not now. He wasn't ready to say those words. Not now, not ever; regardless of what Andrew says or not.

                                                                                  >>>>>>>>>

Amanda and Alex entered a bistro near the hotel both bands were staying at. The concert was a three-day event, and it was only the first day. Both bands had ended their tech and dress rehearsals, which gave the couple some time to go on a lunch date.

Alex saw Amanda was staring at the menu, so he said, "Get the number three."

She looked at him and asked, "You've eaten here before?"

Alex smiled, "Yeah, I have. Whenever juniorConnect had to be in Manchester, we would go here for lunch."

Amanda smiled back, turning back to the person to make her order. After he made his order, she and Alex sat down. She asked him, "You got the number three too?"

Alex replied, "Yeah, I did."

Amanda was given a cup of iced water as she asked, "So what was it like being in Connect8 during the first run? I know it's such an Alyson question, but I'm kind of curious."

Alex sipped on his water as he leaned back into his chair. He kind of did tell her a bit of when he rejoined the band, but not about his time during the first run. He never opened up to anyone about that time. His three original bandmates knew what happened, but that was it. No one, not even his parents, knew what was going on. He wasn't sure if he'll ever be honest about everything. Maybe one day he could do a tell-all, but not now.

He decided to give her a short, tame version of his experience. "It...it was fun. Tiring, but fun. But like I told you, everything was under strict control. No dating the bandmates. No crazy teen shit. Do this, not that. Say this, keep quiet."

He continued as the food was placed in front of them, "It was also an escape from Penzance. I was bullied back home, just for being in a pop band."

She shook her head. "That's so dumb. I mean, you would think you would be popular for being famous."

He scoffed, "Yeah, you would think so."

Alex took a bite out of his chip. "I remember when I wanted to be in France with the rest of my bandmates instead of taking my exams. We had that TV series that was an absolute failure. I was hardly in any episodes, and I had to play some lad who gets stuck in stupid costumes. It was just...dumb."

Amanda said, "And now you're front and center of Connect8."

He could feel himself vomiting out his words, but he kept going. He didn't stop, and he didn't care to. "Only because I had to. Seth wanted me to replace Caleb as the new lead singer. I fought for Jerrod to be the lead, not me. I'm just a dancer, but Jerrod has the better voice. But Seth kept saying I was the second most popular guy in the band. So, I was forced into intense vocal training. Sometimes I worry if I'm as good as Caleb. I guess my voice won over all the fans, but still."

Amanda held his hand and said, "You sound like you. I actually think you're a great singer. The training obviously shows; and you can sing and dance at the same time without losing your breath too quickly."

Alex smiled, "I still lip-sync for the Nightfall songs."

"But still, I think you're doing a great job as Connect8's male lead singer."

Alex looked away as he smiled more. He could feel himself blushing, but he wasn't sure why. Did he actually have feelings for her? Or was it just that she complimented him? Still, he was honest with her on a few things, but he wasn't sure if he'll ever be ready to fully expose the true person behind those toothy grins to everyone. At least with maybe Amanda and Andrew, they would be a start to that road.