Disclaimer:

Here is chapter 59, the next chapter in an ongoing story about Stephen Gately from Boyzone and Eloy de Jong, formerly of Caught in the Act. I do hope you like this one, and please write and tell me what you think.

I have no contact with either of the gentlemen in question and such literature is the product of the author's imagination. To those who are still reading, I thank you for your patience. While the story is still being worked on, the time to write it for you hasn't been my own, for which I humbly apologise. It was not my intention to make you wait so for the continuing story. However, those who know the timeline know that we're getting close to several key events, so please stay tuned in. The rest is on the way!

Cheers,

Musicfan

Upon their arrival in Dublin, they were met by a horde of screaming fans who had been patiently awaiting their return. It was a little startling to the lads, since they hadn't been expecting anyone to know that they were flying in from Sweden. Mikey had a look of annoyance that he quickly masked as they slowly made their way through the doorway from customs and into the waiting area beyond. Other passengers watched with curiousity at the group of fans who clamoured for the attention of their idols.

After taking time to greet some of the fans and sign autographs, they made their way out the door and to their waiting transportation. Keith kept close to Stephen, ready to shield him from fans if necessary. But Stephen gratefully accepted the distraction of the fans and had to be dragged away by the rest of the lads. Keith and Ronan exchanged an exasperated glance as they pulled Stephen out to the car park and to their awaiting transportation. They have learned well enough in the past never to leave their cars at the airport. They had spent too much time removing stickers and notes that had been stuck to the cars with tape to want to repeat the performance more than a few times.

Mikey gave a sigh of relief when the doors closed, leaving them some peace and quiet as they pulled away from the curb.

"Hello lads," their driver greeted them with a grin as he looked at the rear view mirror of the van at them.

"Hey Neil," they chorused together. Neil had been one of their regular drivers for years now, and was quite good at managing luggage and fans. They chatted back and forth about what was new in town and Stephen relaxed into the rearmost seat, happy to retreat back into the quiet of his thoughts again. He could see the buildings of the city off in the distance as Neil swung around to the outlying areas where the lads lived. He'd be last, living the farthest of any of them. Ro would be first, since he lived closest, followed by Mikey and Keith. Shane had gone back to England where he was hoping to spend some time with his wife, Easther.

As they wound their way through the streets towards Ronan's house, Stephen let memories of the last few days drift past his consciousness. He had had another mood shift while on the plane and concentrated on the good parts of his time with Eloy, rather than their parting. Separation was inevitable, so he sternly told himself not to dwell on it. That would just make him morose again, and Lord knew no one needed him acting like that. Occasionally Keith would glance back, trying to reassure himself that Stephen was all right. Stephen would give him a smile before turning back to the view the passing scenery.

One by one Neil dropped off each of the lads at their homes before turning south toward Wicklow. Stephen moved to the front to sit next to Neil for company after Keith was dropped off. They topped a hill on their way to Newtownmountkennedy and Stephen sighed as he was met by the lush green view. While he considered himself a city boy for the most part, something about the countryside called to his soul. Neil grinned at him as he turned the last corner towards Stephen's home. He stopped to open the gates before hopping in and driving through to the house. Stephen stepped out and stretched, drinking in the sight of his rather disreputable garden. While he had someone to come take care of it, he was inclined to let it run wild. The riotous colours brought a smile to his face and he was startled out of his reverie by the slamming of the rear door of the van as Neil took his bag out and dropped it on the walkway next to the garden.

"All set then," Neil asked, amused by Stephen's expression. Stephen nodded before picking up the bag and hefting it over his shoulder.

"Yeah, thanks Neil. You're welcome to come in and have a cup if you want," Stephen offered. Neil shook his head and said he had to get back, but thanked Stephen for the thought. With a pat on Stephen's shoulder, he turned away. Stephen watched him get into the van and drive away. The sound receded, slowly being replaced by the normal country sounds that Stephen had grown to love. He slowly made his way down the gravel path to the door, digging into his pocket for his keys. Most people in the small town he lived in never bothered to lock anything, but unfortunately, even this far out of Dublin fans had a way of finding his house. While at times he regretted the need, he knew that he'd never trade what he had with Boyzone for the relatively anonymity which would allow him to leave his doors unlocked. With a wry smile, he knew it wasn't even something he'd ever consider if he still lived in the city. One would be making an open invitation to getting stuff nicked if you did that, he mused. He had to drop the bag back down and jiggle the key in the lock until he could get it opened, and stepped inside to shut off the house alarm at the keypad. He reached outside the still open door and pulled his bag across the floor, dropping it once it was fully inside.

The first thing he did was to make his way into the living room where he sat down on the sofa with a sigh. He then kicked off his sneakers and rolled his socks off his feet with his toes, his head resting on the back of the sofa. The house still had that musty smell that you got from new paint. He was still awaiting some of the furniture he had ordered from the shop, but he had wanted to move into it as soon as possible. While his mother hadn't been too thrilled with the idea, she hadn't been able to stop him from moving his things down to the house. Even though he was on the road a lot, he had found that each time he went home that he had even less time to relax and be with his own thoughts. Either it was the uneasy relationship with his brother Alan that seemed to be simmering just below the surface waiting to explode again, or it was just the general noise inside a small crowded house that got to him after a while.

The silence settled around him, leaving him to his thoughts. After a moment he opened his eyes and stared up at the wood beamed ceiling. The house had a rustic feel that appealed to him. He stared up at the mounted stag with a bit of distaste. That was definitely not his style, but his friends had put it in as part of the décor and Greg had been so proud of his find that Stephen hadn't had the heart to tell him he hated it. With a rueful chuckle he pulled himself up off the sofa and back over his bag. Lifting it onto his shoulder, he walked down the hall and climbed the stairs to the bedroom. Once he entered the room, he dropped the bag on the floor and opened the windows to let the breeze come through. While he was still awaiting the delivery of his bedroom set, he made due with the mattress on the floor. In many ways he preferred it that way, as the room was very Asian. Rice screens served as shades and he found that he liked them very much. In the morning, they'd let a muted light through that was rather calm and soothing. A meditation wind chime that he had bought in Kuala Lumpur picked up the breeze. The sound of the dulcet tones served to relax Stephen even further. He discarded his clothes and sat crossed legged on the mattress, closing his eyes as he let the sound move around him. He drifted, feeling the breeze caress his body as he concentrated on breathing in and out, focusing on the tranquility of his new home. He was vaguely surprised by his response to the house, because he had never been one to seek solitude in the past. Always, there had been someone with him, whether family or friends. This time alone was something he cherished, never having known what it was like to be alone and on his own. He concentrated on the music of the chimes and deepened his breathing into a light meditative state.

The chill of the early evening air eventually tugged him out of his self-imposed trance and he opened his eyes, feeling refreshed. Periodically, he liked to spend some time centering himself again, and he found that his bedroom was perfect for that sort of thing. His stomach growled slightly and he got up and pulled his pants on just in case someone decided to stop by. His sister knew when he flight was, so it wasn't improbable to think that she might drop in.

No sooner had he made his way downstairs and to the kitchen when the phone rang. With a wry smile to himself he answered, expecting it to be Michelle.

"Hey," he answered as he opened up the refrigerator door and peered inside.

"Hey yourself," a low voice answered him and he nearly whacked his head on the edge of the freezer door as he stood up, startled.

"Eloy!"

"Ja, that's the name. Already forget about me?" Eloy teased, amused at the surprise in Stephen's voice.

"Of course not," Stephen said with a laugh as he pulled a jar of tomato sauce out and opened it to see if it was any good. "I was just expecting you to be my sister." He put the jar on the counter and opened the container of pasta that was nearby. "But I'm glad it's you."

"And I'm very glad I'm not your sister. Then I wouldn't be able to have all these dirty thoughts about you," Eloy said with a low laugh. Stephen snorted in response, shaking his head.

"Eloy Francois and whatever the rest of your names are, behave!" Stephen scolded while trying not to laugh. "You're being quite wicked, you know!"

"Ja, your point being?" Eloy responded drolly. "I thought that is what you liked about me." The accompanying chuckle through the phone confirmed his comment as Stephen finally allowed himself to laugh at his audacious response. "And there are five other names you'll have to remember if you're going to start scolding me properly."

"Oh good God, forget it!" Stephen exclaimed. "That's much too much work." He grabbed a pan and filled it with water, then put it on the stove. He leaned against the counter, waiting for the water to boil while he joked with his lover. "Why did your mother do that to you?"

"I was a big baby, she figured I could carry them," Eloy said with a chuckle of his own. "Plus, it was the only way to keep the relatives happy."

"I guess so," Stephen replied. "Anyhow, how was your flight?"

"Lonely," Eloy said without thinking. The soft gasp in response made him regret his comment immediately. He paused, torn by wanting to just say what he felt, even though that might make Stephen uncomfortable. "Very lonely. Stephen, I don't want us to have to keep on separating. I want us to be together. As much as possible. I don't know how we're going to do that, but that's what I want."

"I hear you, E." Stephen said, responding to the undeniable need he heard through the phone. "Do you think I wanted to walk away today? Of course not! Eloy, we'll find a way. I don't know how, but we will. Its just going to take time is all."

"Ja, I know," Eloy said tiredly. "I don't mean to put this all on you, but I can't go back to the way it was before. I need you too much."

"And I need you just as much, sweetheart," Stephen said softly, closing his eyes in response to Eloy's plea. He was so caught up in the conversation that he didn't notice the glare of the headlights reflecting off the dining room wall as someone entered the drive. "I love you, Eloy. Nothing in the world changes that, okay?"

"Ja, okay. I love you too, liefste. It's just so damn hard..."

"I know sweetheart, I know," Stephen said. At that moment, the water started boiling over and he had to move quickly to stop it from spilling all over the place. "Shite!"

"What?" Eloy asked, concerned.

"Nothing, I have some water on for pasta and it started to boil over," Stephen said, mopping up the water after turning down the burner. "Sorry, honey." Elsewhere in the house, a door opened and he heard his sister calling his name. "Michelle's here."

"Oh?" Eloy asked in surprise. He could hear a voice calling Stephen's name and then Stephen responding that he was in the kitchen. "I guess I should let you go."

"No, I want to talk to you," Stephen said. His sister stepped through the door and he waved the wet dishrag at her before dropping it into the sink. "Hey Shel."

"Hi honey, who you talking to?" She asked, crossing the floor and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Anyone cute?"

"Yeah, the hottest guy in the world," Stephen said with a laugh. "Want to talk to him?" He held out the phone and Michelle stopped in surprise, giving him a questioning look. "Say hi to my honey."

A huge smile broke out on her face at his comment and she eagerly took the phone away from him. "Eloy! Are you being harassed by my brother again?" She ignored Stephen's protest as she turned her shoulder away, cradling the phone against her cheek.

"Ja, thanks for rescuing me," Eloy said with a chuckle. "He was getting quite insistent."

"Shame on you, Stephen!" Michelle said with a laugh. "Now, down to the important stuff. When are we going to meet?"

"The next time he has some free time," Stephen said over his shoulder, giving in to the inevitable. Michelle turned to stare at him in surprise. "Why not?"

"I can't see any reason why not," Michelle said, still surprised at the way her brother was acting. She felt like she had missed part of a story where something had gone on and she had forgotten to tune in and watch. But now that she knew that her brother was together with Eloy again, she was determined to see that they stayed together. "Okay love, its your turn now. When are you free?"

Eloy started laughing, amused by Michelle's audacity. "I think you'll need to talk to my manager and find out when I have some free time."

"Fine, what's the number for your management?" Michelle asked, deftly taking the pot off the stove and putting the lid against the top over the sink to let the water drain out. Stephen raised his hands in exasperation at his sister's actions.

"Don't you dare tell her, Eloy!" He called out, trying to avert the disaster of his sister calling Eloy's management and asking for him to have some time off. "You'll regret it if you do!"

"I probably should handle that part on this end," Eloy agreed reluctantly. There was a part of him who thought it would be great to let Michelle just run things and manage their schedule together. Of course, he mused, she'd probably exact some price, like wanting to watch them in bed together or something.

The thought caused him to choke on the coffee he was drinking and the next several minutes were spent with Michelle telling him to breathe, Stephen asking what was going on, and Eloy trying to get his breath back.

"Are you alright sweetie?" Michelle asked when he had finally calmed down. She didn't get a response because Stephen pulled the phone away from her and asked the same thing, waiting for a response.

"Hon, you okay?" Stephen could hear laboured breathing on the other side while Eloy weakly responded that he was fine and just needed to get his breath back. "Christ, you scared the shit out of me. What the hell did you do?"

"Swallowed wrong," Eloy admitted, his throat feeling raw. "I'm fine."

"I can't leave you a moment, can I?" Stephen scolded, the relief coursing through him making his voice harsher than he had intended. "You need a keeper."

"Why do you think I want us to be together? I can't take care of myself obviously," Eloy said wryly, his voice still hoarse.

"I guess not!" Stephen said, slightly mollified by Eloy's comment. He turned to see his sister staring at him speculatively. "Shel, be nice to my boyfriend or I won't let you speak to him again."

"How is this my fault!" She exclaimed in vexation. "I just got here!" She put her hands on her hips and glared at her brother, who stuck his tongue out at her. "Fine! Let your pasta get soggy!"

Stephen chuckled as he stirred the sauce that was cooking in another pot. "Oh hush, can't you see I have a gorgeous man on the phone right now?"

"Oh?" Eloy commented in a low tone, having recovered from his mishap. "Anyone I know?"

"Mmmmm, perhaps." Stephen said, instantly responding to the sexy growl in Eloy's voice. He made sure he kept himself facing the stove, well aware of what Eloy's voice could do to him. The last thing he needed was to get an erection in front of his sister! "Anyhow, since you two were having so much fun, I think I'll hand you back to my sister."

"Ah, Stephen?" Eloy said quietly. "Its not your sister that turns me on."

"That's good to know, hon, but I got sauce burning on my stove." Stephen had a hard time keeping his voice steady as Eloy made a comment about something else burning. "Here, talk to him again. He's being naughty."

"Oh, I like naughty," Michelle said with a grin as she took the phone back and let her brother finish making his dinner. "Honey, you want me to get naughty with you?"

"It wouldn't be the same," Eloy said in disappointment, which made her laugh. "But danke for the offer." They continued their banter back and forth until Stephen took the phone back.

"Can I give you a ring later on?" Stephen asked him, wanting to talk to him, but not with his sister there when he did. Eloy gave his affirmative and after saying goodbye to Michelle, he rang off. Stephen hung up the phone and carried his plate to the table where he sat down. His sister joined him at the table with a couple of glasses of water, but waved off his offer for some of the pasta. She rested her chin on her hand and watched him intently as he ate.

"So how did it happen?" She asked, referring to the obvious fact that her brother was back together with his lover. He glanced up at her before returning his eyes to his plate. For a while he thought about playing dumb, but he knew eventually she'd get the story out of him, so he bowed to the inevitable.

"Ro and the boys had him fly out to Sweden," he said quietly, pausing to take a sip of water. He hadn't bothered to turn a light on in the dining room, so the only light they had was through the doorway from the kitchen. "They did it as a surprise for me."

"Bless," came Michelle's response as she thought of the ramifications of the surprise. "What'd you do?"

Stephen was lost in thought, remembering the look in Eloy's eyes as he turned and saw him standing in the suite. "After picking my jaw off the ground?"

"Yeah, after." Michelle said with a small laugh, well imagining Stephen's reaction to the surprise.

"Gave him a huge hug, thanked everyone for the surprise and hauled him off to bed," Stephen said with a chuckle. He looked up as he heard his sister's gasp and grinned. "More or less, that's what happened."

"What did Eloy say to all of this?" She asked, captivated by her brother's story. She was still trying to imagine what the others had been thinking when her brother dragged Eloy off.

"He didn't have much to say at all, actually. But then, its hard to talk when you're kissing like mad," Stephen said, giving her a sideways glance to see her reaction. "But I think he was happy to be there."

"In Sweden, or in bed with you?" His sister asked with a saucy grin. Stephen rolled his eyes at her audacity. Sometimes he wondered if telling her about his personal life was a good idea. Lord knew it was good to be able to share with someone, since he really didn't have anyone at home that he could talk to about it. But some of the comments she came out with!

"Well, they kind of went together, so I would have to say both." Stephen said with a laugh. "We didn't have much to say to each other that first night."

"Mmmm," his sister responded with a grin of her own. "Much too busy, I suppose."

"Mmmmm," Stephen agreed noncommittally as he finished what was on his plate and pushed it away. "Anyway, I found out later that the lads knew all about what Eloy and I had done, and what Louis had said. Gave me a good thrashing about not coming to talk to them about it, too."

"I bet," Michelle responded. "Did they tell you how they found out?"

"Apparently Mick found out from Mark on the flight home from New York. And he waited until we were back in the studio to tell the rest. But they decided that they weren't going to let this go on, because they thought I was miserable." Stephen sat back, glad for the relative darkness that shielded him. "Which I was, but I didn't think they knew that. Shel, I'm so glad they did it. When I first saw Eloy standing there... well, I realised how stupid I had been acting. And that it wasn't just myself I was hurting, but someone I love very much. I could never do that again to him. I just couldn't."

Michelle refrained from telling him that she had told him it was a bad idea at the time. Some things one had to find out in their own time. She waited for him to go on, knowing that the story wasn't finished.

"Anyhow, he spent three days with us and flew back home after we left. The lads have said that they'd back us up, and help us get together when we can. It was really sweet of them to do," Stephen mused, thinking back over the last few days. "And they were so good about not slagging me off or anything. It was kind of strange, especially after..." he broke off suddenly. Michelle wasn't sure, but she thought he was blushing. Knowing she wasn't going to get any more information from him if she didn't push for it, she chased after his unfinished comment.

"After what?" She prodded.

"After the way we acted in front of them," Stephen admitted, his eyes downcast. He rested his cheek on his hand, trying to shield his expression. However, he knew she wasn't going to let go until she had the whole story, so he continued. "Keith was giving us a hard time about acting like rabbits. So I got it into my head to give him a taste of his own medicine and practically had Eloy right there on the spot in front of them." Stephen laughed softly as he remembered the look on their faces as Eloy carried him out of the room.

"You didn't!" His sister giggled as she imagined what his friends would have done. "What did you do?"

"I started French kissing Eloy and had him pick me up and drag me out of the room. The looks on their faces were priceless! Of course, once we got back to my room we ended up in bed, anyhow." Stephen smiled and closed his eyes, thinking back to the day previous. "Not that I'm complaining at all!"

"Mmm, I guess not," His sister observed. "Honey, I'm glad it worked out for you. It just wasn't right, you two keeping yourselves apart like that." She saw him nod as he toyed with the napkin in front of him. "So now that you're together again, how do you work it out?"

"I have no idea," Stephen admitted. "But we're agreed that no more denying what we have. We're going to make time to be together, whatever it takes. Mostly it will be me meeting him someplace, I suppose, since I really can't have him come back here."

"Why not?" his sister asked. He shook his head at her.

"Why not? Because Ireland's too small to be playing those kinds of games. We can't afford to be stupid. There's too much at stake for him to come here. But I promise you you'll get to meet him. Probably in London, the next chance we get." Stephen thought for a few moments about the upcoming months, wondering how it was going to work out. "I want you two to meet."

Michelle smiled and reached a hand across to caress her brother's arm. "Thank you, hon. And I really want to meet this man who makes you smile so." Stephen looked up from their clasped hands and smiled at his sister. "Now, would you like me to scoot so you can ring him back?"

"I'll do that later," Stephen said, waving off her offer. "Tell me what's new around here." He got up from the table with his plate and took it back to the kitchen, listening to Michelle's news. They spent a companionable time together, catching up on what everyone had been doing and finally just sat in the living room with a couple of glasses of wine to see them through the conversation. Eventually, though, the day caught up with Stephen and try as he might, he wasn't able to hide a yawn from his sister's perceptive eyes.

"I think I better get home and make sure Alan hasn't wrecked the place with just him and Jordie there," Michelle said, not commenting on his yawn. "Thanks for catching me up on things and I'll probably stop by tomorrow so we can go shopping for you. There wasn't much in that fridge at all."

"Its not like I've had time to do any shopping in between running around," Stephen said with a short laugh as he got up from the sofa and followed his sister out to the driveway. "But yeah, the pickings were pretty slim in there, weren't they?"

"Mmm, hmmmm." His sister responded as she stepped out into the cool summer air. She smiled at her brother who stuck his tongue out again at her in a teasing manner. "Why don't you go inside and call your honey?"

"Mmm, I think I will." Stephen said as he wrapped his arms around his sister in a hug. "Thanks for stopping by, and for lending an ear."

"Always, for you, sweetie." She said, leaning her head against his shoulder. As slight as Stephen was, he was still taller than her and she had to look up at him to talk to him. "Now go on with you. I know what you really want to do."

"Ah, do you now?" He asked, eyes twinkling. "I bet you don't."

"Don't even start with me, Stephen Gately!" She laughed, waggling her finger at him. "Because I've got a dirtier mind than you think and can well imagine the conversation you're going to have with Eloy!"

He put up his hands to ward her off. "I give up! You are wicked, do you know that?"

"Absolutely. Who taught you to be like that in the first place?" She retorted with a laugh as she got into her car. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Yeah, alright. Go on with you," he said, leaning into the window to give her a kiss. "I'll be out for the morning doing an interview, but should be home later on in the day. Give me a ring then." She nodded and waved, then backed out the drive and onto the country road. He followed her, closing and locking the gates behind her. By the time he reached the door, the sound of her car had retreated into the night, living him alone with the country silence once again. He closed and locked the door behind himself, musing about how suddenly large the place seemed now that his sister had left. Arguments his mother had said against moving flitted through his head as he finished cleaning up the kitchen. She had told him that the place was too big for him, and that he was just going to rattle around in there by himself. At the time, he had bit his tongue on the retorts that he was hoping for a time when he wouldn't be by himself there, but knew that it would have stirred up too much trouble if he had.

A wry smile crossed his lips as he made his way back upstairs and into the bathroom to wash. He had a feeling that no matter what place he picked, his mother would have had some sort of objection to it. With a shrug to himself, he went to his bedroom to get comfortable for his conversation with Eloy.

#

After Eloy hung up the phone, he checked his answering machine, finding a message from his manager saying that Bas still wasn't feeling well and that they had to cancel a few more appearances. Eloy became a little morose at the news, since it was work that had pulled him away from Stephen. Though after a moment's reflection, he knew that Stephen still had his own work to do and they wouldn't have been able to spend any more time together anyhow. He listened to the rest of his messages. Three of them were from his sister, asking how his trip had gone. He debated whether he should call her, or to wait until after he had spoken with Stephen. He decided to wait and puttered around the apartment, unpacking his bag.

It seemed like a long time passed before the phone rang again, and he had to rush to get to it.

"Hallo?" He answered, a bit breathless from his dash from the bathroom.

"E? You okay?" Stephen asked, hearing his lover panting after answering the phone.

"Ja, ja, I was just putting some stuff away in the bathroom when it rang, is all." Eloy said, allowing himself to collapse down onto the bed. "Michelle gone?"

"Yes, finally!" Stephen said with a laugh as he lay on his back on his mattress and watched his wind chime. "I thought she'd never leave!" A low chuckle met his sigh of exasperation.

"I came home to find not one, but three messages from Luci wanting to know what happened. You'd think she'd figure out that one message would have been enough." Eloy said.

"Did you ring her?" Stephen asked, curious.

"Nah, figured I'd let her suffer and wait," Eloy admitted. "Have you noticed that our sisters are fascinated with our love life?"

"Yeah, I knew those two were a lot alike!" Stephen chortled. "E, what are we going to do with them?"

"I have no idea!" Eloy laughed. "Well enough of nosey sisters, and more about us. Where are you right now?"

"Lying in me bed," Stephen said. "How about you?"

"The same," Eloy told him. "It's a shame it's not the same bed."

"Yeah, it is," Stephen agreed. "But I'm sure we can make do, yeah?" Eloy felt an instant response to the sexy voice speaking in his ear.

"Ja, I think so." Eloy said. "Want to talk dirty with me?" A laugh was his only response for a few moments until Stephen calmed down from his mirth. "Was I that funny?"

"Nope, just thinking that the whole time I was talking to my sister, all I wanted to do was to get into bed and talk to you like this. You should have seen me in the kitchen. Lord! If I had ever turned around, Michelle would have seen more of her little brother than she had bargained for!" The memory of him trying to hide his erection brought out another chuckle. "See what you do to me?"

"I wish I could right now, liefste." Eloy admitted. "But I still can remember last night, so that will have to do." He shifted restlessly on his bed, thinking back to their time together. Images passed through his mind of their time together. Stephen, sweaty and straddling his hips, their morning in the shower, their first time together. "Damn, I want you right now."

"I'm all yours, baby," Stephen promised him. "What would you like to do with me?"

"Kiss you," Eloy said in a low voice, visualising what he was saying. "Lick you. I want to suck on you and taste you. How's that?"

Stephen found himself squirming on the bed in response to Eloy's sexy comments, his hand stroking his stomach at the edge of his waistband. "Sounds good so far."

"What do you have on, baby?" Eloy asked, wanting a mental image of his lover to work with.

"Tank top and jeans," Stephen said, pulling up the top to expose his belly. "Nothing on underneath."

"No?" Eloy queried in a low voice. He was stroking himself through his jeans, feeling himself grow hard. "You want to strip for me, honing?"

"Mmmm, I could. You strip me honey, and I'll follow your lead," Stephen promised, turned on by the idea of Eloy making love to him over the phone. Eloy started talking him through disrobing, telling him what to do.

"Push your shirt up, honing. Let me see your nipples," Eloy commanded, thinking about what Stephen was doing while he touched his own chest, imagining Stephen doing the same to him.

Stephen pulled his shirt up and felt the night air stroke across his chest. "They're hard for you, baby."

"Ja, so I see," Eloy said, gyrating his hips and feeling his swelling erection rub against his pants. "Liefste, I need some help here."

"Yeah?" Stephen said softly. "What do you want me to do, babe?"

"Help me out of these pants, they're getting tight," Eloy said. "Can you feel?"

Stephen closed his eyes and imagined Eloy by his side, seeing a bulge in his jeans. "Yeah, I feel ya. Let me help you out of that." Stephen talked his way towards crawling across Eloy's body and opening the top of his jeans. He straddled his pillow, imaging it was Eloy's leg and humped against it, muffling a groan against the bedcovers.

"I'm popping the button, Stephen," Eloy said. "Pulling down your zipper. Mmm, what's that I see inside? A present, hmmmm?"

Stephen rolled over and released himself from his jeans, circling his hand around his penis and envisioning Eloy's hands touching him. "Yeah, all for you, babe. I don't get this hard for anyone but you."

"Slip your jeans off, kindje. I want you to be comfortable when I start to lick you all over," Eloy growled, stroking himself lightly while he spoke. He heard a rustle as Stephen took off his jeans and he closed his eyes. "Wait a minute honing."

"Yeah?" Stephen whispered, twisting to keep the phone close to his ear as he disrobed.

"Are you kneeling as you slide those off?" Eloy asked in a low tone.

"Yeah, just rolled over to do it." Stephen said, his motion arrested by the tone of Eloy's voice. "What do you want me to do, babe?"

"Stay like that a minute. I want to stroke that butt a bit," Eloy said, causing Stephen to giggle. As Eloy described what he was doing, Stephen stayed kneeling on his mattress, the jeans pooling around his knees as he held himself up on one arm so he could listen to Eloy by holding the phone to his ear. The skin on his behind twitched as Eloy talked about rubbing his lips across his butt cheeks and licking him from behind. He let out a low moan in response, resting his head against the mattress.

"Like that, ja?" Eloy asked, unable to stop from stroking harder as he described what he was doing to Stephen. "How about this? I'm lying down on my back now. Why don't you move over me, so I can get a better taste?"

"Let me shuck these off first, because they're in the way," Stephen said, kicking the jeans off his legs. "Okay baby, I'm coming over. How's that?" He closed his eyes and shoved the pillow in between his legs as he lowered himself down, rubbing himself against the soft material.

"Oh, ja, goed." Eloy said. He told Stephen what he was doing to him, imagining his lips around Stephen's testicles as he sucked on them. He let out a groan as Stephen responded with his own description of what he was doing to his penis. His hand was pumping harder, the friction feeling so good as he moved it up and down in time to Stephen's mouth. He could hear Stephen breathing heavily in his ear, and it made him pant harder. "I'm coming!" he gasped. Stephen groaned and he heard something clatter. Stephen had dropped the phone and he could hear Stephen panting in time with his own movements. Stephen's muttered shout echoed in the room as he came, his face pressed against the duvet as he struggled to contain himself. The sounds that Stephen was making were enough to set Eloy off, and soon he shot into his hand as he stroked upwards. He collapsed onto the bed, shaking with the reaction.

Stephen reached for the phone with a trembling hand. "Oh shite, look what you made me do." He giggled, feeling very self-conscious now that he was finished.

"Ja, and you loved every minute of it, didn't you?" Eloy murmured with a low chuckle, smiling at the response.

"God, yeah!" Stephen sighed. He rolled back over onto his back, shoving the wet pillow onto the floor. "Eloy, do me a favour?"

"If I have the energy, ja. What is it?" Eloy responded.

"Find out the next time you can get some time off and meet me in London." Stephen stared at the ceiling in the dark thinking ahead to what his plans were. "I think we're in the States the end of the month through the first week of August to push the new album over there, but let's try and plan for something after, yeah?"

"You want the real thing, ja?" Eloy asked in a low tone. He shared Stephen's feeling of dissatisfaction. The phone just wasn't enough for what they needed.

"Yeah, I do," Stephen admitted. "Eloy, I want more than this. I want you cuddle with you, and I can't do that over the phone. One of the best parts of being with you is being able to hold you after, and I just can't do that like this."

"I'm sorry, zusje," Eloy apologised. "Its hard for me, too." He stirred restlessly, thinking ahead. "I'm going to see what I can find out and I'll give you a ring, ja?"

"Yeah, definitely. Damn, but I miss you, honey." Stephen whispered into the phone. He didn't want either of them getting upset by their separation, but he wasn't able to hold back his wish for them to be together.

"I miss you too, liefste. More than I can say right now," Eloy responded in a like tone. "We'll work this out," he promised.

"I know, but damn, this place seems lonely without you here with me," Stephen confessed. He had to stop talking for a moment, since the pain hurt so much. "I want to be with you forever, baby."

"I want that too, zusje. And we'll be together. It just takes time," Eloy said softly. He could feel the wet track of a tear rolling down his cheek as he lay helpless to comfort his lover. "Verdomme," he cursed. "This isn't the way I wanted it to go tonight."

"I know, sweetheart. I know," Stephen said, feeling the rawness coming through the phone. "And we can't let ourselves do this, or else we're going to make it worse."

"Ja, you're right." Eloy replied. He inhaled, trying to keep the sound of his shaking breath quiet. "Enough of this. Let's plan for August, since July is getting away from us. Then maybe, we can work out regular times when we can get together and spend time with each other."

"Yeah," Stephen said, brightening perceptibly at the thought. "I like that idea. And we have to have you meet Michelle before she shoots me. She thinks I'm deliberately keeping you two apart." A chuckle met his comment as Eloy fell into his lighthearted banter.

"Sisters can be terrible, no?" He joked. "And I wouldn't want her to hurt you, so we'll just have to plan for something appropriate, ja?"

"Yeah, I think we can come up with something she'll like." Stephen agreed, smiling again. "E?"

"Ja?"

"Thanks," Stephen said warmly. "You're the best."

"Danke. You're pretty special yourself," Eloy replied, happy to hear the strain leave his lover's voice. At that moment, a tone cut into their conversation. "Ah, at least she waited."

"What's that?" Stephen asked, curious. When Eloy explained it was the call waiting signal, he laughed as he realised that Eloy meant that it was his sister phoning again. "Don't you think you should take that?"

"Well, I did think about letting her wait," Eloy admitted in a sly tone, causing Stephen to laugh.

"Oh, you're wicked," Stephen said. "Poor Luci!"

"Just like poor Michelle, ja?" Eloy teased. "Those two are far too alike for me."

"I know what you mean," Stephen laughed. "And if she's that much like Michelle, she'll have your head on a platter if you don't ring her immediately and give her all the dirt. So I should let you go hon, because I quite like your head attached where it is."

Eloy sighed, knowing that he was right. "Ja, I suppose. And she'll be mad because the machine didn't pick up, so she knows I'm home and ignoring her. Ah well, better get it over with before she shows up at my door."

"You do that, E. And give me a ring on my mobile when you know what your schedule is going to be like, okay?" Stephen said.

"Ja, I will. I love you," Eloy said, reluctant to end their conversation.

"I love you, babe. Now scoot!" Stephen admonished with a laugh. "Remember Luci!"

"Ja, ja. Night," Eloy said, listening to Stephen's soft goodnight before clicking on the receiver. He then dialed in his sister's number, ready to brace the storm....