Chapter 5
The End is Near
*Nsync’s last concert of this tour was in their hometown, Orlando. They had a free day before their last concert. Their tour bus pulled into Johnny Wright’s compound midmorning. Everyone stretched as they climbed off the bus.
“God, it’s good to be home,” Joey shouted.
“Amen to that!” Lance said as he pulled his bags from under the bus.
Johnny greeted the travelers, “How was your trip?”
“Too long,” Chris grumbled. “Will we ever get big enough to have our own plane?”
Johnny shook his head. “A privet Jet will cut into your profits. How much are you willing to give up?”
Chris thought for a moment. With a big smile he said, “The bus trip was fantastic!”
“Eric, what are your plans now?” Lance asked. “Are you heading back home?”
“I still have a few days work here before I head home.”
“Where are you going to stay?” Chris asked.
Eric looked to Johnny.
“I have your staff set up at the Radisson.”
“You’re not staying at a hotel,” Justin said as he picked up one of Eric’s bags. “You’re staying with me.”
A smile spread across Eric’s face as he turned to Chris. “I’ll be at Justin’s.”
Eric helped Justin load their bags in the back of Justin’s jeep. As Eric was climbing into the passenger seat Joey came up to him and whispered, “Buckle up and hold on. And it helps to shut your eyes.”
“Why?” Eric asked.
“Justin’s driving,” Joey said with a smirk.
Eric’s legs were still a little shaky as Justin unlocked the front door and entered. “Mom,” Justin called out. “We’re here.”
Lynn came around a corner with a smile that seemed to brighten when she saw Justin was not alone. “Welcome home, Honey,” Lynn said as Justin pulled her into a bear hug.
“I’ve missed you,” Justin said still holding his mother. Justin noticed his mothers gaze had moved to Eric. “Mom, I don’t know if you’ve met Eric?”
Lynn didn’t know what to say but Eric saved her. “Justin, we’ve already met. When Johnny hired me he asked your mother to give me an orientation on you guys. How did Johnny put it? Oh yes, “I’m going to turn you over to Lynn Harless, she’s Justin’s mom; and she is an expert on the early years of *Nsync”
“Cool!” Justin grinned.
“Eric, it so good to see you again,” Lynn said with a smile. “And I’m glad to hear you are going to be staying with us.”
“Thank you for having me, Mrs. Harless.”
“None of that Mrs. Harless nonsense. You can call me Lynn.”
“Or mom,” Justin added. “The rest of the guys do.”
“And that’s usually when they want something,” Lynn sighed.
“Thank you Lynn,” Eric laughed.
“Come on,” Justin urged. “Let’s get the rest of our bags then I’ll show you your room.”
“The guest room next to yours is ready,” Lynn said.
“Cool!” Justin said as they headed out for their bags.
Eric piled his bags in the corner of the guest bedroom opening only the bag that held his toiletries, taking them into his bath.
“You finding everything,” Justin called out from his room.
“Yes, everything is great,” Eric said as he leaned against the door frame as he watched Justin start tossing clothes from his suitcase into a pile on the floor. “What are you doing? Making a nest?”
Justin grinned, “It’s easer this way to take everything down to the laundry.” Justin finished emptying his bag then picked up the ends of a bed sheet and tied it into a bundle. Eric had not noticed the bed sheet on the floor and smiled in understanding.
“Honey, the phone is for you,” Lynn called up. “It’s Jon.”
“Ok Mom. I’ll get it,” Justin shouted back.
“Jon?” Eric queried.
“Jonathan, my little brother,” Justin said as he reached for the phone.
“I’ll meet you downstairs when you’re done,” Eric said as he left the room.
“Hey, bro, how’s it going?”
Lynn looked up from her newspaper when Eric wondered into the kitchen. “All settled in?” she asked.
“Yes,” Eric said with a smile as he looked around the room. “Justin’s talking to Jonathan.”
Lynn chuckled. “That was the fifth call today from Jon asking if Justin was home yet.”
“Jonathan is Justin’s brother?”
“Half brother. Justin’s father has remarried and has two sons, Jon and Steph.”
“Are they close?”
“Yes, very. . . . And he also seems to be close to his older half brother. Am I right?”
Eric smiled and nodded.
“Honey, I’m so glad to hear that. Have you told him?”
“No, not everything. The other night Joey asked about my life. I told them the basic story but I wasn’t too specific. Being raised by my grandparents. And not knowing my mother and losing my father.”
“But you didn’t tell him who your grandfather was, did you?”
“I only told them my family worked for the royal family. That I was the companion of the young crown prince.”
“In a way that is the truth,” Lynn observed.
“I don’t like deceiving him,” Eric said sadly.
“You’re only doing it for your own safety. As long as you are Eric Richard you are safe.”
A smile spread across Eric’s face. “I have really enjoyed being just Eric Richard.”
“Was everything like you imagined?
Eric nodded. As he gazed to the phone hanging on the wall he chewed his bottom lip.
“Honey, what is it?” Lynn inquired.
Eric could still see the light on line one was still lit. “Ah, I was just wondering. No, it’s silly.”
“What is it?” Lynn chuckled at Eric’s uneasiness.
“Ah, it’s just when we arrived, Justin got a hug. . . Ah, I was just wondering. . .”
“Son, do you want a hug?”
Eric nodded, as a slight blush rose.
Lynn went to Eric and pulled him into her arms. Eric’s arms went around his mother and they felt a jolt pass through them both. Eric lowered his head to Lynn’s shoulder as Lynn lowered her head to Eric’s. For what seemed like hours, but was actually only a minute, they stood holding each other. In a cracking voice Eric whispered, “Mom, I love you.”
“I’ve always love you, too, Baby.”
The sound of Justin’s noisy decent of the stairs broke their embrace. Lynn returned to her seat while Eric leaned against the counter.
Justin burst into the kitchen, “Mom, guess who’s coming to visit?”
Lynn held up her hand, “I’ve already talked to your dad.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Eric said. “So who’s coming to visit?”
“My little brothers,” Justin said excitedly. “My dad has some meeting in Miami and he is going to drop them off on his way. They will be here a couple days.”
“Just, when you say little brothers. Just how old are they?” Eric asked.
“Jon is six and Steph is four.”
Eric’s expression showed a touch of fear. Lynn noticed Eric’s expression and started to laugh. Justin didn’t understand what was going on. “Eric, I take it you have not spent much time with children that age,” Lynn asked.
“Ah, no, I haven’t.”
“Relax son, they don’t bite,” Lynn tried to reassure him.
“At least not any more,” Justin threw in with a grin.
They had only been home a couple hours when Joey called. Justin took the call. “Eric, you up to go out clubbing tonight?” Justin asked. “The guys need to let off some steam.”
Eric hesitated before saying, “I don’t know.”
Justin relayed Eric’s statement to Joe and in turn asked Eric, “Joey wants to ask Gabby out tonight but she won’t go unless you are going.”
Eric smiled and said, “Sure.”
Justin had finished dressing and went to check on Eric. Knocking on Eric’s door he heard , “Come in.”
“You about ready?” Justin asked as he walked into Eric’s room. Stopping short Justin asked, “Is that what you are going to wear?”
“Yes, why? Is something wrong?”
“You look great if you are going to a board meeting,” Justin commented about Eric’s dress. “Don’t you have something a little less formal?”
“I really hadn’t planned on going out to night clubs while I was here. I came to work, not party.”
Going to Eric’s closet Justin looked at what little hung there. Grabbing a pair of black slacks he handed them to Eric. “I think I have some shirts that will go with those.”
Eric followed Justin to his room.
“We don’t have much time,” Justin said. “Start changing, I’ll find you a shirt.”
Eric removed his suit and was zipping up his slacks when Justin walked out of his large closet with two shirts. Holding up the first shirt to Eric Justin pondered the look. “No, wrong color blue,” he said discarding the shirt. Next he held up a black silk shirt to Eric. “Yes, much better.”
Eric took the shirt and tried it on. “I don’t think this is going to work.”
The shirt was tight across the chest and the buttons were pulling. Justin thought for a second then snapped his fingers. “I’ve got just the thing.” Going to his dresser Justin pulled out a red wife beater. “Here, put this on under the shirt and just leave the front unbuttoned.”
Eric looked at himself in the mirror, not certain on the look. Justin looked over his shoulder and grinned, “Looking good, bro.”
Eric’s smile matched Justin’s as they headed out to meet up with the others.
“Mom, we’re leaving,” Justin called out.
Lynn came around the corner, spotting her boys she smiled, “You two are looking good.”
“I always look good,” Justin boosted. Eric rolled his eyes and Lynn laughed.
“You two have fun,” Lynn said as they went out the door.
Eric swatted the annoying alarm trying to silent the thing. Rolling back on his back he groaned from the slight hangover he had from last nights celebration. The door to his room opened with Justin yawning, standing in his boxers and rubbing the hair on his stomach. “You alive?” Justin asked.
“Barely,” Eric answered is a raspy voice. “Why did you let me drink so much?”
“You only had four drinks before Gabby cut you off,” Justin said. “Boy she sure has you pussy whipped.”
“What?”
“You heard me. She tells you you’ve had enough and you do what she says. I call that pussy whipped.”
“I call that being a friend,” Eric corrected. “Gabby knows me well enough to know when I drink too much I do things I normally wouldn’t.”
This perked Justin’s interest. “What kind of things,” he asked as he sat on the edge of Eric’s bed.
“I have been known to get up on the table and start singing.”
Justin laughed, “I’ve been known to do that.”
“But you can sing. My singing voice is horrible.”
“Darn! I’m sorry I missed that,” Justin kidded. Patting Eric’s leg he said, “Come on and get moving we have to leave for the arena in two hours. There’s aspirin in the medicine cabinet.”
“Thanks, I think I need some,” Eric rolled out of bed and headed for his bathroom.
Justin paused at Eric’s bedroom door, silently counting down.
“JUSTIN!” Eric shouted. Opening the bathroom door he found Justin laughing hysterically.
As much as he wanted to be mad at Justin Eric quickly joined in.
“You were so out of it last night, I couldn’t resist.” After helping Eric into bed Justin got a evil idea and went and got some of his mother's makeup. When Eric looked at himself in the mirror he found he was wearing blue eye shadow with red lipstick.
The final show turned out to be the best show yet. Playing to your hometown gave the guys something extra. Their energy level seemed to have doubled.
The guys had just left the stage heading toward their dressing rooms. “Great show, guys,” Eric shouted at them as they passed.
Justin turned to Eric and mouthed ‘Game room.’ then flashed five fingers, four times. Eric understood to be in the game room in twenty minutes. Johnny had rented a club for the wrap party and the whole crew was going to attend.
Eric dropped by the production office to check on a couple things before meeting the guys. He was going over a printout when Gabby found him. “There you are,” she said. “How was your head this morning?”
“It’s been better. How was your night with Joey?”
“After I threatened to break both of his arms, he was a good boy.”
“I thought you liked him. What did he do? Or should I say try to do?”
“I don’t understand these American men. They don’t know how to treat a lady. With them it’s buy them a drink, say something nice, and get them into bed on the first date.”
“This wasn’t your first date with Joey,” Eric pointed out. “And didn’t you say something last week about him being a great kisser? What changed?”
“Joey got a little frisky at the club. . . . And. . . I was carrying my gun.”
Eric arched an eyebrow.
“I didn’t want to have to come up with some reason why I was armed.”
Eric grinned, “Yes, finding your date was armed might have taken the romance out of the night.”
“Yeah,” she said sadly. “Besides it will be easier on him when we leave next week.”
“We will be seeing them next month,” Eric pointed out.
“Next month they will meet someone different. We won't be the same people we are today.”
A veil of sadness descended upon Eric. Gabby was right. When *Nsync opened their European tour in his country everyone will know the truth about their lives.
“Are you afraid Joey’s feelings for you will change?”
“I’m afraid so. What about Justin?”
“He’s not going to understand at first. But I hope the friendship we’ve built up will allow us to go to the next step.”
“Are you going to tell him before we leave?”
“I want to. When I can find the right time.”
“Well, good luck,” Gabby said before she remembered why she was looking for Eric. “Have you seen today’s paper?”
“No. Why?”
Unfolding a paper she laid a page in front of Eric. The top of the page was labeled ‘About Town’.
Glancing at the picture and headlines he smile. The headline read Home Boys Celebrate the End of their Tour. The picture was of Justin on the dance floor dancing with three girls. The picture first brought a smile to Eric’s face but after a closer look it disappeared. “Oh, no!”
“Aha you noticed,” Gabby said dryly. Behind Justin, Lance could be seen dancing and also was Eric.
“Damn!” Eric quickly read the article. Eric sighed with relief. “Only Justin and Lance were mentioned.”
“As long as that story remains local we should be alright,” Gabby pointed out.
“And if it doesn’t someone will surly be able to identify me, then we are in trouble.”
“Or if your grandfather sees it.”
“I might as well be dead.”
TBC