JC and Kevin hit the grocery store next, choosing things Kevin could eat quickly, with relatively little cooking. Lots of frozen dinners, snacks and some fresh fruit JC was convinced would still be rotting in the fridge by the next time he arrived, but at least he could leave confident in the knowledge that Kevin wouldn't starve.
They took all the groceries back to the house and put everything away before heading back out to eat dinner. "Where are we eating?" Kevin grumbled from the passenger seat. His attitude hadn't changed much in the few days he'd been in Mount Pleasant and JC didn't really expect anything less. He could deal with Kevin's pissy moods, especially when he had the ability to leave whenever he wanted.
"There's only one real place to eat. It's called Whisky Joe's." JC said as he maneuvered the car back into town.
Kevin gawked at him. "What do you mean the only place? Where in the world have you taken me and please excuse me, Whisky Joe's? I thought the point of me being here was to get me sober, not take me to a whisky bar."
JC smirked. "First of all, the town is nice, you need to give it a chance. Open your mind a little bit and you never know what you are going to find. Second, I didn't say you couldn't drink at all, what I said was, you needed to learn how to not drink to excess. Thirdly, it's a bar and grill, they have a separate dining room away from the bar where you and I will try to enjoy a nice dinner without you glaring at everyone who walks within six feet of us. Understood?"
Kevin nodded but didn't reply, instead he went back to gazing out the window. He thought momentarily about how many times he'd found himself in this position in the last week and cursed Kristin again for the hell she'd put him through.
A few minutes later they pulled into a parking spot outside what looked like to Kevin, the epitome of a country western bar. Kevin turned to look at JC and groaned at the shit eating look adorning his face. Apparently, he thought this whole process was hilarious. Kevin had yet to see the joke. He got out of the car and stomped to the door alongside the younger man. The parking lot was packed and he could only imagine the mob scene inside. He was hesitant to go anywhere now that he knew that everyone in town knew who he was and that he was there. How in the world was he supposed to blend into a town where everyone knew who and what he was? It seemed impossible to him.
JC was waiting for him at the door by the time he got there. He still had no idea how the younger man always remained three paces ahead of him all the time. Kevin was a good few inches taller than he was and his legs were longer but it didn't matter. JC seemed to move with a fluidity that never ceased to amaze Kevin.
The noise inside the restaurant was deafening. Laughter and chatter could be heard coming from all ends while a steady stream of country music was being pumped in through the speakers in the ceiling.
“Table for two.” JC requested as he leaned against the hostess desk. “Preferably away from everyone as much as possible.
Kevin rolled his eyes, what was the point in cowering in the corner now? He shuffled along behind JC and thought for the first time how lonely he would be when JC flew home the next morning. He liked to give JC a hard time, but honestly, JC was one of the only people left in his life. That fact alone was sobering considering Kevin had to pay JC to hang out with him.
The hostess led them to a booth further in the back of the restaurant and left menus in front of them before flouncing away. They looked through the pages in silence. Kevin wasn’t sure what he was in the mood for.
“Just get the chicken.” JC said as he tore the wrapper off of his straw. “You’re going to sit there forever trying to convince yourself to try something else and then you’ll finally break down and order the chicken, so please just save us all the misery.”
Kevin gave him a look. “I don’t always order chicken.”
JC snorted. “Kevin, I have had thousands of meals with you over the years. In all of those, you’ve never once ordered anything other than chicken. You aren’t very adventurous when it comes to food.”
Kevin’s retort was cut off when a small tattooed man made his presence known at the table. “Good evening gentleman. My name is Alex, I’m one of the owners here and I wanted to come over and personally welcome you to Mount Pleasant Mr. Richardson. “
Kevin eyed the man curiously. Both arms were covered with tattoos and he wore sunglasses, even though it was evening and he was inside. This intrigued Kevin. He liked meeting different people, something other than the cookie cutter types that always seemed to be thrust upon him. He shook the offered hand and smiled. “Nice to meet you, Alex.”
“One of the owners?” JC questioned as he watched the interaction between the two men.
“Yeah. My best friend Joey is the other owner. He’s filling in as the bartender on the other end of the place. We have two bachelor parties going on in here tonight and things got a little backed up.” Alex scanned the room before turning his attention back to the table.
“Are you always this busy?” Kevin asked, as he folded the menu in front of him. Of course he would get the chicken, stupid JC.
Alex nodded. “Yeah, busier on a lot of nights. We are the only sit-down restaurant in town. There are a couple of other bars, but none as nice as ours. We also do catering on the side as well so we stay really busy. “
“Aje!” a short honey blonde man yelled as he moved around the tables to come closer.
Alex turned and smiled as the man reached the table, leaning in and brushing his lips across his mouth before turning back to the two men at the table. “This is Brian, my husband.”
Brian smiled and gave a little wave to the men at the table, offering his hand after and shaking both of their hands. “Nice to meet you both.”
“Do you work here too?” JC asked. He was thrilled to see an openly gay couple in the small town and wondered briefly again about the curly headed blonde at the gym. Pushing his thoughts to the side, he caught Kevin out of the side of his vision and smiled to himself.
Kevin liked to pretend that he wasn’t interested in the opposite sex, but JC knew that simply wasn’t true, knew it had more to do with why Kevin’s marriage failed then he would ever admit to anyone else. Maybe being around other men who felt the same way he did would help him come to terms with who he really was. Even though JC had been openly out for years, it was still something he and the older man didn’t discuss much.
Brian shook his head. “No. I teach chemistry at the high school.”
JC nodded. “Kevin here will be living in my aunt’s house for the next few months. Working on new music and such.” he said giving Kevin a sly smile.
Kevin rolled his eyes and smiled at the two men in front of him, trying hard not to stare at the way Alex had his arm possessively wrapped around Brian’s waist. How could they be this comfortable and easy going about the fact that they were together? And married no less?
“Anyway, I’m so sorry to interrupt your meal and conversation. “ Brian gave them both a warm smile before turning to Alex. “Babe, I’m going to go let the dogs out and then I’m going to go over to Nick's. He's had a rough day and needs some company.”
Alex nodded and leaned in to brush his lips across the curls at the side of Brian’s head. “No worries babe. Who knows how late me and Joe will be here tonight. If you get too tired just crash there and I’ll see you in the morning.”
Brian nodded and leaned in for a quick kiss and then pulled away before addressing the other two men. “Again, nice to meet you both. Kevin, don’t be a stranger around here. If you need anything at all or just some company, just let us know.”
Kevin’s heart did a flip flop of the mention of the other man’s name. Was it the same Nick he’d seen earlier in the day? He felt his groin tighten at the thought of the blonde. He was so lost in his fantasy of the other man he didn’t even realize the conversation going on around him.
“Kevin!” JC yelled as he kicked his leg under the table.
The kick landed against his shin and he jumped and pulled away. “The fuck?” he growled as he glared up at his assistant.
“I’ve been trying to get your attention for the past several minutes. Where did you go?” JC questioned, his eyebrows raised.
Kevin felt the blush creep up his cheeks and he rolled his eyes. “No where. What?”
JC’s smile was a mile wide and he gestured to the young girl standing in front of their table. It was their waitress and Alex was nowhere to be seen. When had this happened? “She wants to know what kind of chicken you want.” he said, smirking.
Kevin gave him the finger and then gave the waitress his order. “You can be such a dick.” Kevin groused at the younger man.
JC just grinned. “Takes one to know one, old man.”
--
“No fair! You cheated.” Nick yelled as he threw the Xbox controller on the floor.
Beside him on the couch, his two best friends cackled at him. “Dude,” Justin said “You fell off that cliff on your own. No one pushed you.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “I don’t believe it. Brian pushed me. I hate this fucking game.” he pouted as he leaned back against the couch.
Brian paused the game and put down his own controller, reaching for a piece of pizza. “Alex will kill me if finds out you fed me this again.” he said as he took a giant bite.
Justin laughed. “How about you rub it in that you have the perfect husband that loves you so much and makes sure you don’t eat any junk food some more.”
Nick had to smile at that one. Ever since Brian had met Alex, he had been a totally different person. In a great way. Alex inspired him to be more adventurous, try new things and really improved his self esteem. Because Alex was part owner in a restaurant, he had very strong opinions on food. All the food at Whisky Joe's was made to order with fresh ingredients. Alex was a closeted health nut and wouldn’t allow Brian to bring junk food into the house. He just gave him the side eye if he ate it elsewhere.
Brian was five years older than Nick and six years older than Justin, but he’d been so shy and lonely in high school that he hung out with Nick and Justin, even after Brian had graduated and went to school. They all kept in touch and now that they were all back home in Mount Pleasant, they hung out frequently. Nick wouldn’t trade his two best friends for anything in the world. Sometimes it was hard being so close to Justin, knowing they could never quite get it to work between them. He would always hold Justin in a special place in his heart, Justin had been his first everything.
They liked to tease Brian about his relationship with Alex, but the truth was they were both insanely jealous of the match. Alex and Brian were perfect for each other and when they had gotten married last summer, Nick had cried more than Brian’s mom. He loved that his friend was so happy, he just wished he could find someone to be happy with too.
“I met Kevin Richardson today. I’m going to be his personal trainer.” Justin said with a bright smile as he curled his legs underneath him on the couch.
“Ohh! I met him too. He was having dinner at the bar. Alex was talking to him and his assistant, JC, I think his name was. Seemed to be kind of quiet and distant.” Brian said between bites of his forbidden pizza.
Nick reached forward on the couch and grabbed his soda before settling back. “Who is this?” he questioned.
“Kevin Richardson is the famous musician that moved into town.” Justin said, shaking his head. “You were there when he came in.”
Nick frowned. “I was?”
“Yeah, he and JC were standing at the counter when you left. You didn’t notice two incredibly handsome men standing in the middle of the gym talking to me?” Justin teased as he reached for more pizza. He would work it off in the morning he convinced himself.
“Jus, I was so out of it when I left, the pope himself could have been standing there and I wouldn’t have noticed. This was such a shit day.” Nick said rubbing his hands over his eyes.
He’d had to put down Buster that morning which had broken his heart and then he’d had to run out the gym to treat Bugsy and then at the end of his shift, a pup had been brought in that was hit by a car. It had been too late to save it and what was sadder was there was no tag at all. So Nick had locked himself in the exam room with the poor dog and cried. Howie had walked by and heard the muffled sobs and had gone right to the phone and called Justin to come collect him. He had been startled to find the younger blonde leaning against the door of the opposite exam room when he’d finally collected himself enough to leave the room. Justin had taken one look at him and folded the larger man into his arms, hugging him tightly before pulling away and leading him from the clinic. An hour later Brian had shown up at Nick’s door with beer and pizza and Operation Cheer Up Nick had begun.
“I know babe.” Justin said softly. “I just thought maybe you’d be jealous, you know it’s not every day I have two handsome men within arm’s reach.”
Brian snorted. “You work in a gym, you are surrounded by shirtless, sweaty, and mostly handsome men all the time Jus.”
Justin grinned. “I know. I love my job.”
The friends laughed. Nick loved nights like this, that reminded him that no matter what, his friends would always be there for him. He was lonely, sure, but having friends that would drop everything to cheer him up was worth more than anything.
"Hey Bri," Justin asked, turning to his friend. "Do you have any students who would be willing to work at the clinic's puppy adoption event next weekend?"
Brian thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I could find a couple of volunteers. Do you have a lot of puppies this time?" Brian asked, turning to look at Nick.
The blonde nodded as he put his Coke can back on the table. "Yeah, close to 30 this time. Some are coming from the clinic in Westington too. Justin here, thinks I work too much and kindly offered to help me find some volunteers."
"You do work too hard." Brian agreed immediately. "You're burning the candle at both ends most days. You're going to wear your body down too much if you're not careful."
Nick rolled his eyes. "I promise, I'm fine."
"You can't promise us that." Justin insisted. "I'm scared to death most days Howie or Lance are going to call me and tell me you're passed out at the clinic. You have to take better care of yourself, babe."
Brian looked from one to the other and sighed. He hated that the two could never work past all of their issues so they could be happy together. He'd been there for every explosive fight and broken heart and knew the two truly were better off friends than lovers, but it was still hard to see sometimes. Both of them so lonely and both loving each other so much, but still not quite being enough for each other. He thanked his lucky stars daily that Alex had come into his life three years ago. He had no idea who he was without the younger man anymore and hopefully would never have to find out.
“You’re going to have to reevaluate your workload Nick. Football tryouts will start in just a couple of weeks. How do you expect to coach and continue with everything else you’re currently doing?” Brain questioned.
Nick was spared the chore of answering when a knock sounded at the door. The three friends looked at each other and then the door, none of them making a motion to move. The knocking grew louder and Nick sighed heavily before forcing himself up off the couch to answer the door. He flung it open and smiled softly when his eyes landed on the smaller man on the other side of the door.
“Sorry to fuck up boys night.” Alex said softly. “I’ve had the night from hell and I just want my husband.”
Nick smiled warmly and stepped aside. “Warden’s here. Hide the pizza boxes!” he yelled over his shoulder as he closed the door behind them.
Brian jumped from the couch as Justin darted to the kitchen, boxes in hand. Alex laughed and settled onto the couch beside his husband. “Calm down, I’m not here to judge. At least not tonight.”
“What’s the matter, baby?” Brian asked as he pulled Alex into his arms.
“Ugh. This night. Once word spread that Kevin Richardson was dining in the restaurant portion of the bar, all hell broke loose. We had people crawling his table from every which way. Jennifer and I tried our best to play interference, but he still had people begging him for autographs and photos. I felt so bad, but with the parties in the bar and it being Friday night, we were slammed to begin with. We didn’t get everyone out until a half hour ago. I am dead on my feet and the thought of sleeping without you was too much for me to take. I’m sorry for ruining your night.” Alex mumbled as he burrowed closer to Brian.
Nick smiled, his heart warmed by the love the two shared. He wanted that, a love just like this where one couldn’t stomach the thought of sleeping without the other. “You can stay here Bone. You and Brian can take the guest room. Justin can bunk with me.”
Alex looked at him with relieved eyes. “Are you sure you don’t mind?” He looked at each blonde in turn for confirmation. Both smiled and nodded. “Thanks Nicky.”
Brian stood and held out his hand, pulling his husband down the hall and into the guest room. “They are so cute it makes you sick.” Justin mused, his eyes not meeting Nick’s.
“Yep.” Nick said softly. He stood and began picking up trash around the room. “Sounds like this Kevin Richardson is causing more work for everyone already.”
Justin nodded. “I figured it would be a little crazy around here until people realize that just because he’s a celebrity doesn’t mean he’s not an actual person. You should have heard his assistant. He basically told me the man was an asshole. Told me I could even charge him more just for being a dick and they’d pay it. No questions asked. I’m pretty anxious for his fitness test tomorrow. I’m not a big time trainer like he’s used to.”
Nick turned from where he stood at the trash can. “I don’t know who this guy is, or why everyone is so intrigued by him, but I won’t let you feel like you’re second rate. “You are a fucking amazing trainer and anyone who gets the opportunity to work with you considers themselves lucky. Don’t sell yourself short Jup.”
Justin blushed and ducked his head. “Thanks Nicky.”
Nick flicked off the living room light and held out his hand. “Come on, let’s go to bed. We’ve both got busy days tomorrow.”
Justin stood and took his hand, following him to the bedroom.