Bring Your Own Bsb

This is my first attempt at this kind of story. I appreciate any constructive criticism or feedback. Flames will be discarded.

This story is a work of fiction and is not intended to imply anything about the sexuality of any actual person or persons.

This story should only be read by those of legal age who do not have an objection to homosexual relations between consenting adults.

Please direct any commentary to coryj51@mindspring.com

Bring Your Own BSB

by Cory J

Part 1

Alex sat in one of the many concourse lounges in the huge Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta. He smiled, his fingers moving rapidly over the keyboard of his laptop computer. It was nearly four in the morning, but he was taking advantage of the time difference to chat online with a friend who lived in eastern Europe. He had several such friends with whom he spoke regularly online - they were a great comfort to him during the long nights when everyone else was asleep. Alex suffered from an extremely rare sleep disorder and slept no more than an hour each night. While this had allowed him to accomplish a lot in his life, it had come with the high price of spending much of his time awake while everyone around him was asleep. It had become worse after the death of his parents - only his own discipline years of self-training had enabled Alex to keep from going crazy. He had thrown himself wholly into his obligations - running his father's company, and his own various interests. All of this meant a life of frequent travel, and his laptop and cellular phone had become his most constant companions - he was only 18.

After a while, his online conversation came to an end. After checking his Tuesday schedule briefly, Alex shut down his computer and took a look around the lounge. Placing the laptop back in its case, he picked it and he single suitcase up and moved over to a chair where he could look out the building's large windows at the clear Georgia night. Alex stared for a moment at his reflection - a young man with floppy straight blond hair and dark blue eyes, athlete's muscles showing through white sweatpants and tank top. He'd been told more than once that he was good-looking, but had never thought of himself in that way. After a moment, Alex turned to look at the starry night and the lights of the city, which interested him far more than his own reflection.

His contemplation was cut short by the sound of a loud thump. Alex turned and noticed that two guys had just entered the lounge. They both looked exhausted and were struggling with several suitcases each. One of the suitcases had apparently slipped and the taller of the two guys had thrown down his other suitcases in disgust.

Alex smiled and walked over toward them, getting a better look at the two guys in the process. One of them was of slightly below average height and had short brown hair, the other was tall and had slightly longer blond hair. Both guys had bright blue eyes and appeared to be either in there late teens or early twenties. Both were wearing jeans, the blond wearing a green shirt and the other a blue shirt. There was something familiar about them, but Alex couldn't quite place it.

"Hey, looks like you guys have your hands full - need some help?"

"Yeah, man, thanks," the shorter guy said.

Alex helped them get their luggage over next to a row of chairs and they all sat down, the other boys taking a few minutes to catch their breath.

"Thanks for the help, buddy," the shorter guy said, "My name's Brian and the pretty boy here is Nick."

Alex laughed as Nick swatted at Brian playfully. "Good to meet you. My name's Alexander, but everyone just calls be Alex." Alex shook hands with both guys.

"So, guys, what brings you to the airport at this hour - got a bad travel agent?"

"No, just really bad luck." Brian said, laughing. "Our plane was really late and we had to take a later flight here. Problem is, we missed our connecting flight and I don't even know when the next one is available."

"I'll go check at the ticket counter and find out." Nick said, and walked across the room toward the counter.

"Is he ok, Brian?" asked Alex. "He's not saying very much - I hope it isn't me."

"No, he's just like that around new people sometimes," Brian replied. "and we are both really exhausted - we had a long layover in Dallas and, well, we weren't able to get any rest."

Alex thought about that for a moment, and something clicked.

"Hey, you guys are part of the Back Street Boys, aren't you?" Alex said, snapping his fingers.

Brian made shushing gestures and looked around quickly.

"Not so loud, Alex, we don't want a repeat of Dallas here." He said.

"Got mobbed by screaming fans, did you?" said Alex, grinning at Brian's exasperated nod. "Ouch - that must get pretty old for you guys, you look like you've been through hell."

"Gee, thanks," Brian sighed. "We really love our fans, but it gets really hard when everyone seems to want a piece of you. Nick has it the worst," he said, nodding toward the blond across the room. "I've actually been afraid for his safety a couple of times, the girls get so crazy around him."

Alex nodded, though at the same time he had the odd thought that Brian was as attractive. He realized a few moments later that he was staring at Brian, and looked away with a start. Alex shook his head, dismissing the thought.

"Well, I don't think you have to worry about that too much right now," Alex said, smiling. "At this hour I don't think too many teenage girls are waiting to pop out of the woodwork. So, where are the rest of the group?"

"I'll have to call and check in, but they should be in Florida already." Brian said. "They took an earlier flight." Alex and Brian continued to talk quietly for the next few minutes, and were both laughing when Nick rejoined them.

"Am I missing the party?" Nick said, with a weary grin.

"Nope, pretty boy, " said Brian. "I was just telling Alex here about all your fun in Dallas."

Nick rolled his eyes and looked exasperated. "What a nightmare that was - look at this, Alex," Nick said, pulling his shirt out from his pants. Alex noted that a large piece of the shirt tail was missing, as if it had been torn away.

"Geez," he said. "Looks like someone got a personal BSB souvenir, huh?"

"Yep," Nick said. "I'm just lucky that they didn't get a hold on my hair, or my pants."

Nick sat down, all three of them laughing at the image.

"So, what's the word on the next plane?" Brian asked.

Nick winced. "Bad news - there isn't another flight with open space available until Friday morning."

"Damn." Brian said. "I guess we'd better get a hotel room."

Nick shook his head. "I've already checked - it looks like things are booked pretty solidly right now."

Alex noticed absently that Nick's hand had wandered to Brian's shoulder. He didn't think anything of it, and Nick pulled his hand away quickly and he and Brian exchanged a quick look.

"He's right," Alex said. "I think that there are some conventions overlapping - it could take a while to find something, and it probably wouldn't be all that good. Hey, wait a minute, I have an idea."

Alex picked up his cell phone and dialed a number. Speaking briefly with the person on the other end, he hung up with a smile on his face.

"Relax guys," Alex said. "I've got you covered."

The other boys looked curiously on as Alex explained. "The company I work for maintains a suite at the Hyatt year round for traveling executives," he said. "and as luck would have it, it's not in use right now."

Nick grinned broadly - but Brian looked a little chagrined. "Are you sure its ok?" Brian asked. "We wouldn't want to get you into trouble or anything."

"No, really, its no trouble." Alex said. "Excuse me for a sec while I run to the bathroom, and then I'll let them know we are coming."

Brian looked at Nick with an expression of worry on his face as Alex walked off. "Do you think he's going to be ok with us?" Brian asked.

"I think he's going to be just fine." Nick said, watching Alex's muscular form walking away toward the bathroom.

"Yeah, maybe," Brian said. "Still, we should be careful around him, ok?"

"Yeah..I guess," Nick said reluctantly, turning to look at Brian and seeing his own needs mirrored in Brian's eyes.

"Soon." Brian promised, holding Nick's hand briefly.

Nick returned after a few minutes, and called the hotel to confirm the rooms. Brian then called their manager and let him know what was going on.

"Are you guys ready to go?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, Alex, we are all ready." Nick replied, with look of mischief.

"Oh boy." whispered Brian, as they gathered up their luggage and headed toward the front of the terminal and the waiting cab.

My thanks to those who have encouraged me on Part 1. Also, I would like to apologize to anyone familiar with the Atlanta area for my liberties with the city and the Hyatt Regency hotel.

Please direct any commentary to coryj51@mindspring.com

Bring Your Own BSB

by Cory J

Part 2

Alex glanced out of the cab window at the gradually lightening Atlanta sky - it was nearly six now, he imagined the people starting to awaken from a night's sleep to begin their Tuesday mornings at work, school, or whatever. Sometimes he envied those people, but not right now. Turning away from the window, Alex looked with a smile at the cause of his lightened mood.

Nick Carter and Brian Littrell were sprawled together on the back seat of the cab, exhausted from their long flight. Nick was leaning against the window with Brian lying against his chest - both were drifting in and out of sleep.

Looking at the two of them, Alex thought how peaceful the two handsome young men looked, and it seemed right that they were together - it made sense somehow. Alex shook his head slightly, rubbing his eyes. Though he only needed an hour or so of sleep each night, he did still need it, and it was about that time.

Several minutes later, the cab pulled up to the entrance of the Hyatt Regency. Alex reached over and gently nudged Brian on the arm.

"Huh - whazzup?" Brian said, sitting up wearily and rubbing his eyes with a hand.

"We're here, at the hotel, Brian." Alex replied. "C'mon, let's get Nick up."

Brian turned back to Nick, and winced slightly. Nick's erection was clearly and unmistakably outlined by his snug jeans. Worse still, Brian felt his own organ starting to harden at the sight. Not wanting to weird Alex out, Brian struggled to avoid thinking about it and shook Nick awake.

Nick groaned and sat up slowly. "Are we there yet, guys?" Nick then noticed his swollen bulge and grinned at Brian's nervous expression. Nick rubbed himself slowly with a hand, looking into Brian's eyes.

"Yeah, dude." Brian said, giving Nick an evil look. "Time to get the luggage and check in, I guess - right, Alex?"

"Yeah, guys, lets go. " Alex said, opening his door and climbing out. Alex assisted the cab driver in removing their collective luggage from the car, tipping the man generously.

The three guys carried and dragged their luggage up to the large front door of the hotel, entering as the doorman opened it.

Once inside, Alex stopped the others by a small lounge. "Why don't you guys chill here for a second while I go to the desk and get us checked in. One more thing, I assume you don't want it getting out that you are here?"

Both guys tensed noticeably. "Yeah, man, please." Nick said quickly. "I can't handle another Dallas situation."

Alex laughed quietly. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it. As long as you don't run around singing or something, it should be cool. On the other hand," he said, looking at Nick's crotch pointedly, "you do seem to be having an okay time here so far."

Nick's face turned an astonishing shade of red, and Brian laughed so hard that he fell onto a nearby sofa.

Alex's smile faded somewhat and he stepped closer to Nick. "It's okay, Nick, it's a natural thing, happens to everyone."

Alex squeezed Nick's shoulder briefly and headed away to the hotel's front desk.

Nick just looked at Alex for a few seconds, then plopped down on the sofa next to the still- laughing Brian.

"Some friend you are." Nick said with mock irritation. "After all, it's your fault I'm in this condition."

Brian finally managed to stop laughing, his face as red as Nick's had been. He then grabbed a nearby pillow and tossed it into Nick's lap. "Here, Moby," Brian said. "Try covering that thing up before you scare someone."

Nick leaned closer to Brian. "I'm hard for you - I want to be inside you." He whispered huskily, taking Brian's hand and placing it on his full basket.

Brian flinched slightly at the wave of electric warmth which pulsed through his body at Nick's words, and the sheer heat radiating from his hardened organ. It took him a few seconds to muster the will to pull his hand away. "Soon, baby, soon, I promise - I need you so much." Brian whispered back, trembling slightly.

The two then turned to watch Alex, who was in conversation with the clerk behind the hotel front desk. They saw Alex pull an ID out and show it to the clerk, who in turn picked up a phone and made a call. Shortly after, a couple of guys in hotel uniforms appeared from a hallway and walked with Alex back to the lounge.

"Ok, guys, its all set." Alex said. "These two gentlemen will take our luggage to the suite for us. Let's go and get settled in."

The hotel guys collected the luggage, and headed off toward a row of elevators. The boys followed, Nick and Brian looking around at the classy hotel lobby. They all entered an elevator and went up to the second floor. Exiting there, Alex led the way down a long hall.

"Hey, why aren't there any doors?" Brian asked, looking around the hallway.

"Yeah, where are the rooms?" Nick said, looking also.

"There are only suites on this floor." Alex said, without looking around. There was a curious tone of dread in his voice that perplexed the boys a little.

After a couple of turns, the group came to the end of the hallway, a single door labeled "Sapphire" with an electronic card lock. Alex produced a card from his suitcase and opened the door. Stepping inside, he motioned the others to follow.

Once inside, Brian and Nick were astonished. This wasn't a hotel room or suite, it was more like a large apartment hidden inside the hotel! Looking around, there were multiple bedrooms, a huge living room and kitchen and even what appeared to be a library. Everything appeared to be done in various shades of blue.

Alex tipped the two hotel guys generously and closed the door after them. He then stood quietly while the other two walked around the rooms and waited for them to return.

After looking around for a few minutes, the boys came back to the large living room area, their faces somewhat filled with wonder - they weren't strangers to wealth or luxury, but this was something new for them.

"Dude, these are killer digs!" Nick said, excitedly. "You're company must be loaded."

Brian didn't say anything immediately, but was watching Alex intently. Brian noticed that Alex was looking at a nearby picture on the wall, and turned to look at it himself. The picture was of Alex, a head and torso shot of him in a white tank top with a slew of medallions hanging from his neck. Alex appeared flushed with exertion and his arms were raised in triumph.

Nick had also turned to look at the picture. "Of course!" he said, snapping his fingers. "Alexander - you are that guy who won all those medals in the Olympics! Geez, dude, you broke a ton of records!"

Alex grinned. "Yeah, that's me, Mr. All-American Boy." He said.

Brian spoke up. "That's not all though, I remember reading that you are like a billionaire or something, right?"

"Yeah, something like that." Alex said, his grin fading. "I hope that it isn't a problem."

"Hey, I think it's cool, man." Nick said with a big smile.

"Yes, though I guess you have to pick your friends carefully, huh?" Brian said quietly.

Alex looked down at the floor. "Yeah, sometimes." He looked back up. "You guys must know what that's like, with the fame and money you've gotten."

Nick and Brian looked at each other and laughed.

"Oh yeah," Brian said. "We've had our share of hangers-on, manipulators, and so on. It's a matter of reading people I guess, of knowing what they are after."

"Exactly," Nick said. "I'm more at ease with the screaming girls who want to get a piece of me than people who edge around about money or status. With the girls at least I know what it is that they want."

"Thanks, guys." Alex said, his face brightening. "It means a lot to me that you understand. I've done my best to stay out of the limelight."

Brian nodded. "I remember how you basically vanished after the games. There was talk that everyone was trying to get you to do product endorsements and stuff, but you never did any, did you?"

Alex shook his head. "Nope, nothing except for some things for charity. Since I had my own money, I didn't need to do it for that, and the whole idea of product endorsement really turns me off."

Alex looked around the room at the grandfather clock in the living room. "Hey, its getting late guys. We don't we all get some sleep?"

The other boys nodded wearily, and Alex led them to a bedroom with two king-size beds. "This is a guest room, guys." He said. "Are you guys going to be ok in the same room? There are other rooms if you would like to have separate ones."

"NO! I mean, don't worry about it." Nick said quickly.

"Yeah, we are used to sharing." Brian offered.

"Well, good." Alex said, with a bright smile. "I am going to catch my nap and then get some work done. I will be in the room over there." He said, indicating a large wooden door on the other side of the living room. "That is sort of a combo master bedroom and office. Help yourself to anything you need, and give me knock if you need anything you can't find."

The boys said goodnight, and carried a suitcase each into the guest bedroom.

Once inside, Nick turned and listened at the closed door. After a minute, he nodded and said "Ok, he's closed the other door."

Suddenly, Nick felt the heat of Brian's body pressing against him from behind, Brian's large strong hands reaching around to caress Nick's body.

"Mmmm, who said you could do that? Nick asked, his ears overwhelmed by the sound of his own surging blood.

"Alex said to help ourselves to anything we needed." Brian said. "I need you and I'm going to help myself."

Nick inhaled sharply as Brian's right hand slipped down to grasp Nick's basket, stroking the large hardon and hefty ballsack inside.

"Brian..oh, god." Nick said, breathing heavily. He pulled his shirt over his head as Brian stepped around to kneel in front of him.

"Looks like I need to help you first, baby." Brian said, unzipping Nick's fly and fondling his bulging briefs. "I'll take care of you, Nick." Brian slipped Nick's briefs down his legs, helping the tall blond step out of them. He then leaned forward and licked the wetness from the tip of Nick's organ, making the boy shiver. Brian then stood up and led his naked lover toward the nearest of the two king size beds.

Meanwhile, Alex had entered the master bedroom and closed the door behind him. He then spent several minutes checking email, voice mail, and various message services over his cell phone. Finally, he called the front desk and reiterated his request that no one disturb the suite until further notice. Nick and Brian certainly seemed exhausted and would be allowed to sleep themselves out. Alex smiled at the thought of his guests. The guys weren't at all what he would have expected if he had known he would be meeting them. Alex tended to have a low opinion of actors and popular artists in general. Too often it seemed like they were compromising themselves or selling out in some way in return for their fame and fortune. Nick and Brian, however, seemed like very real people who hadn't been caught up in that trap. Both were honest and kind, Alex found that he already thought of them as friends. He couldn't help but wonder if the rest of their group was like them. Probably, he thought, they would have had to become close to be around each other so much. Alex stripped down to his briefs, did a few simple cooling down exercises and slipped under the warm covers of the huge master bed. He smiled to himself, thinking of the coming day, and was quickly asleep.

In the guest room, Brian had let Nick to sit on the edge of the nearest of the two beds in the room. A couple of bounces revealed the bed to be firm and silent.

Nick recovered his senses enough to pull Brian's shirt off over his head and pull Brian himself in for a warm, long kiss. He was as always delighted by the taste of Brian, and the feel of his tongue in Brian's mouth. Nick whimpered slightly as Brian pulled away from the kiss, and eased Nick back onto the bed's soft pillows.

Rubbing his lover's firm abdomen, Brian slid down and began to suck slowly on Nick's balls as the hung low in their smooth sack. Nick groaned and clutched at the mattress, his hard cock bobbing as it rubbed against Brian's cheek.

Brian released Nick's balls and licked up the underside of his cock, his eyes never leaving Nick's. Brian then mouthed "I love you" and slowly began to work Nick's hard organ into his mouth.

Nick found himself gasping for breath, running his fingers through his lover's hair. He arched his back in surprise as Brian engulfed him and began to bob up and down on his shaft rapidly. Less than a minute later, Nick cried out and began to shoot repeatedly into Brian's eager mouth.

Brian couldn't remember Nick ever shooting so hard, thick ribbons blasting out again and again. Nick's pleasure was so intense that Brian felt himself shooting into his briefs without so much as a single touch.

After he stopped shooting, Nick lay gasping. His whole body twitching slightly from the depth of the experience. Brian swallowed a large amount of Nick's cream and began to lick the excess from Nick's smooth abdomen. He then slid up to lie next to Nick and pulled Nick into his arms.

Nick was barely conscious, and still breathing heavily. "Brian, baby, I'm so sorry, I can't." He said, fighting to stay awake but knowing that it wasn't working.

Brian pulled him close, whispering into his ear. "It's okay baby.it's okay. I love you more than anything. Sleep now, I'll be here, I promise."

Nick smiled gratefully. "Brian..I love you . so much." Nick's voice trailed off as he slipped into an exhausted sleep.

Brian smiled wearily at Nick, sliding the dozing boy gently over to rest against the pillows. Getting up carefully so as not to disturb him, Brian made his way into the room's large bathroom. He emerged a few minutes later after a quick shower. Taking a damp washcloth, Brian wiped the cum from Nick's sleeping body. Smoothing his lover's hair back, Brian retrieved a clean pair of briefs for each of them. He gently lifted Nick's legs and slipped the clean briefs on, putting on the second pair himself. Brian then turned off the light and slipped into bed next to Nick. As he pulled Nick close, enjoying the warmth of his body, Brian drifted into a deep sleep. For his part, Nick did not awaken, but smiled slightly as Brian snuggled close to him.

Alex awoke with a jolt, as he always did. He turned in be to look at the clock - it was just after seven in the morning. Right at an hour, as usual. Alex shook his head to clear it, and lay back against his pillow. He felt good - much more cheerful than normal in the `morning'. After a few minutes of reflection, Alex got up and took a long hot shower. After emerging, he slipped back into his white sweatpants and tank top and took a few minutes to tame his floppy hair with the comb. For the hundredth time in recent weeks, Alex thought about how he really should get his blond mop cut into something more manageable. He then moved over to the large desk in the room, and turned on the workstation there.

After spending an hour or so online, Alex decided he had caught up with work reasonably, and shut his machine down for awhile. He then called the front desk to confirm the arrival of some packages which he had been expecting. That being done, he was about to head out of the suite to the hotel's gym for a workout, but stopped short. He returned to the desk and wrote a note for the boys. Wrapping the note around some extra card keys for the suite, Alex walked over to the door of the guest room.

Well, he thought, I can't leave it out here, they might not find it and might be nervous about looking around too much. They won't mind if I leave it inside, they are probably both still way out of it.

So thinking, Alex carefully opened the door and stepped into the darkened guest room. He moved slowly over and placed the bundle on a small table, then turned to look at the room. His eyes adjusted to the darkness after a few seconds and he saw that Nick and Brian were in the same bed rather than separate ones. Then he looked more closely and his breath caught. Nick and Brian weren't just in the same bed, they were close together, Brian's arms around Nick. The boys weren't just friends they were ... lovers.

Alex felt his heart pounding and the floor seemed to lurch beneath him. He couldn't handle this - he had to get out of the room. As Alex turned for the door, his foot caught on the cord of a table lamp. For the first time in nearly ten years, Alex tripped and fell to the floor. As he fell, he dragged the heavy lamp off the table as well - it fell next to him and shattered with a loud crash.

Brian sat up groggily, awakened by the crash of the lamp. His mind snapped to focus, however, as he noticed Alex's form on the floor, the panicked look on his face. A second later, Brian became aware of his arms around Nick.

An instant after that, Alex was up and moving with the speed one would expect from an Olympic champion sprinter. Brian called after him, but heard the sound of the outside door slam shut a second later.

"Oh boy." Brian said, falling back onto the bed with a thump.

My apologies for the shortness of this next part, I felt it was important to handle it separately.

Please direct any commentary to coryj51@mindspring.com

Bring Your Own BSB

by Cory J

Part 3

Brian lay back against the pillows for several seconds, trying frantically to figure out what to do. Alex had seen him and Nick in bed together - he had to know the truth about them. In the short time they had been together, Brian and Nick had both been only too aware of what might well happen, if their relationship ever went public. The other guys in the band were depending on them to keep the secret, at least while their music careers together continued. Their support and understanding had meant everything to the young lovers. Brian remembered how he and Nick had been almost hysterical with fear that the rest of the group would reject them, hate them, or worse. But the friendship, the family there held. He couldn't break that trust, no matter what. Nick was the only thing he loved more than the band.

Still, Brian couldn't quite make himself believe that Alex would betray them. Though they had only known him for a few hours, Brian already felt a closeness for Alex. The guy knew what it was like having a hard time knowing who your friends were. More than anyone else outside the industry he had met, Brian thought, Alex seemed to understand what the life was like, and how precious privacy could be to someone in the life. No, he thought, Alex wouldn't betray them, no matter what else happened.

Brian smiled, remembering how he was always the cautious one, where Nick seemed to want to trust everyone they met. No, that wasn't true - Nick knew only too well what some people could and would do to them. He just seemed to be more relaxed about the whole thing. What would Nick think, with Brian trusting someone so quickly?

Brian turned to look at Nick, his smile broadening. Nick was still deeply asleep, and hadn't even stirred after the crashing lamp which had awakened Brian. He smoothed back Nick's hair for what seemed the millionth time, marveling as always that this boy was in his life, that Nick loved him so much. Brian was slightly surprised to see the tear drop onto Nick's smooth cheek. He leaned down and softly kissed it away. Then he looked back up at the closed bedroom door. No, Alex wouldn't betray them, that wasn't the problem. There had been no anger, no hate in Alex's eyes - only a great sadness and something else...something like..fear. FEAR!

Brian sat bolt upright, causing Nick to stir slightly and roll over. Suddenly, he knew what the look in Alex's eyes had been. He had seen it in the mirror during those long nights before he had confessed his feelings to Nick. The fear of rejection, of loneliness, of wanting something so bad that he didn't know if he could live without it. Why had Alex been in the room, and what was it that he wanted so badly? Should he go after Alex, or would it be better to leave him alone for now - give him space to work it out on his own?

Brian couldn't figure out what to do, and he was still so very tired it was hard to think. Nick turned and stirred again, pulling Brian closer. Brian sighed wearily, realizing that he had no idea where to begin looking for Alex. He hoped Alex would be okay, that there would be time to talk later. Those were his last thoughts before Nick snuggled in close and the rest of the world went away. Brian felt the warmth of Nick's breath, the smoothness of his skin. "You are my sky..." he whispered, as he slipped into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, once Alex had left the suite, he had torn down the long hallway in record time, stopping only as he approached the elevator door. Panting lightly for breath, he waited for a few seconds, looking back up the hallway. It was silly, he knew, but he hoped strongly to hear the sound of someone coming after him - wanted to believe that they cared about him. A minute later, hearing nothing, he wiped the sweat from his face and turned toward the stairwell. They didn't care about him - why would they? They probably felt contempt for him - pathetic poor little rich boy, can't even buy a friend. What if they thought that - that he was trying to buy them by showing off the money? It had all gone bad - he had just wanted someone to - no, that wasn't going to happen now. Suddenly he paused, catching his reflection in the metallic elevator doors. He was flushed slightly, but it wasn't sweat he was wiping away from his face. He was crying. Oh god, he thought, this can't be happening, I can't let anyone see. Wiping frantically at his face, he plunged down two flights of stairs, heading for the basement level. He needed to forget, to stop what he was feeling, and he knew of only one way.

Alex emerged from the stairwell and headed into the hotel's private gym. Minutes later, he found the familiar rhythms of exercise - weights, calisthenics, running, tumbling. He jumped, sprinted, worked all his muscles to their peak performance - then he worked them harder. Don't think, don't feel - just work harder. If only he could work hard enough, he thought, he could forget - he had to forget.

It wasn't working - he couldn't stop crying. Oh no - there were people in the gym - they could see him. They knew - they would tell. Then everyone would know. What were they saying? They were pointing at him and talking, but he couldn't hear them. Couldn't hear anything but his own heart beating so fast - like nothing he'd heard before.

The people were moving so slowly now - like slow motion on TV. The room was dark now, tilting strangely. Everything was so dark - all he could feel were the tears, and the pain. Pain. It went through his whole body. He wanted to hide his face, to hide the tears, but he couldn't seem to move. "Please don't tell." He whispered. "I'll be good." Then everything stopped.

The End of Part 3