How It Always Should Have Been Chapter 5, Part 1
Kris awakened to find Adam sitting, freshly showered, on the edge of the bed, speaking in clipped, forceful tones on his iPhone. It could only be concluded that he was more than likely having to stand his ground with either RCA or Jive, and an angry Adam was not someone Kris would cross if he were those people. He couldn’t help but smile. Adam always knew how to get things done, and quickly. He would have his way, and they’d live happily ever after. Maybe they could even avoid a full out magazine interview and spread, and just put out a statement, drop into Arkansas for a few days, and then leave for their much anticipated vacation.
Kris laid there, waiting patiently for Adam to get off the phone, feeling considerably better than he had last night. He thought back to his adolescence, how when he was fourteen it had become clear just what was so different about him to other people, and how a year later Katy had asked him if he was gay, and his response had been to ask her to go steady with him. He almost laughed out loud at the foolishness of that. He also felt an incredible sense of relief that those days were over.
When he rolled over, he found Adam leaning over him, his phone conversation done. Kris impulsively pulled Adam down on top of him, kissing him passionately, morning breath be damned.
“MMMM, baby, baby,” Adam was panting. “As much fun as this is, you gotta get showered. I have to get dressed. I have expedited the process. I got up a couple of hours ago and packed for us both. We have an appointment with Lane and Gina to put out a brief statement for now. There will be more extensive press, but that can wait until after our vacation. It will give you time to adjust, time for the dust to settle with your town, time for the fans to let go of whatever shock there may be. So its best that way. We also have a 7 PM flight to Arkansas, landing in Little Rock. Your parents will pick us up from the airport.”
Kris stared at Adam. Was he some kind of mind reader or were they just that in sync? Nothing could have been more perfect. He could let his mother baby him a little, get all of his burdens off his shoulders with his friends and his town, and relax as he took everything in. It had been such a whirlwind, coming here, trudging here in the rain, still reeling from his divorce, and not knowing if he would wind up rejected or not. But it had all been worth it, and he was with Adam now. All that was left was for them to tell the world.
“You think of everything, Adam,” Kris said, rolling off the bed. “How can I thank you? You took care of everything difficult.”
“No, Kris, you took care of everything difficult. You insisted upon telling your town as soon as possible, you already took care of your parents, which, quite frankly that end of it had me scared shitless, because I had always thought that if we ever got together, they’d blame me for turning their son. I know they love me, but I didn’t know if they’d love me that much.”
Kris looked at Adam, seeing a bit of vulnerability there for not the first time since Kris’s grand revelation in the bath tub. “I never doubted that they would always love you unconditionally, Adam. Despite where we come from and the beliefs of some around us, we are not that kind of family. Never were. Now, some of my buddies…that will be a problem, no doubt. It’s gonna take every bit of will power and strength and courage I have to face them. I’m thinking invite everyone over for a get together, with you and my parents and Daniel there, and I guess I’ll call it a going away party, or something of that nature, to get them there, and then, after everyone has had some snacks and a drink or two, we blurt it out. Then it’s up to them to react, not react, be disgusted, disown me, whatever. I just want it over. I have the support of my family, and I have you. That is all I could ever ask for.” With that, Kris slid into Adam’s arms, letting him know without words just how much and how long he had wanted this. Just when he felt his dick getting hard from being so close to his lover, in such an intense emotional moment, Adam pushed him away.
“Five minutes to shower. We’re late. I’ll get you something to wear while you’re in there. Just make sure you don’t stink, and you can clean up better later. Can’t be late for Gina and Lane.”
Kris hopped into the shower, quickly adjusting the hot spray and lathering himself head to toe. Luckily, he wasn’t Adam, and it rarely took him much longer than five minutes to get ready anyway. Kris was done with a minute to spare, and walked back into the bedroom, brusquely drying himself off. True to his word, Adam had laid out a plaid shirt, blue briefs, nice dark jeans that hugged Kris’s compact, tight lower half, and blue Chuck Taylors.
Kris got dressed without a word, then ran to brush his teeth, with Adam arriving behind him in the mirror a second later, wielding a tube of gel and a container of mousse, reaching for Kris’s wet hair.
Kris’s eyes widened in horror. “Oh, no, I don’t use products, my hair is already thinning,” Kris warned. “Get that crap away from me, Adam, I mean it.”
“Spoken like a true, concerned- about- his- appearance gay man,” Adam quipped. Then he sighed. “Kris, you are twenty- four years old. You might go bald later, but by then there will be things to correct that. Now let me fix your hair. No boyfriend of mine is going out with bed hair.”
Kris frowned at Adam in the mirror, still brushing his teeth. He spat in the sink, then said, “But you used to say my bed hair was adorable.”
“And it is. But not for business meetings.” Kris felt the coldness of the gel, then heard the squirt of the mousse can, and Adam was soon spiking at his hair.
A minute later, Kris looked like a pint- sized GQ model in less chic clothing. Adam did know how to do hair, if he did say so himself.
“Wow, thanks, baby,” he said, kissing Adam with toothpaste still on his mouth. “Let me rinse my mouth and we can go meet Dragon Number One and Dragon Number Two.”
“They won’t be dragons,” Adam said. “I laid down the law this morning and didn’t budge. If you feel uncomfortable, say nothing. This will be short and painless, I promise. It is really just to draw up the official statement that the label will release. The rest will happen after vacation. “
Kris rinsed his mouth, marveling once again at Adam’s efficient nature. He really did think of everything. Then Kris stopped to think: Adam was probably a pro at taking care of things, at thinking of everything, because he’d had to be that way his entire life. Kris felt a pang at the things Adam had been through, especially remembering those pictures that had been splashed all over for the world to see the one time he didn’t think of everything. He was probably more astute than ever at taking care of things. While Kris wasn’t happy about the reasons that Adam was so good at these things, he was grateful for it.
With a final rinse of his mouth and a peek in the mirror, Kris was ready. He put his best smile in place for Adam, then checked the clock. 10:45 AM. That gave them half an hour to get across town to 19. They’d be cutting it close, but hopefully traffic wouldn’t be too bad.
Kris grabbed Adam’s keys as Adam took one last peek in the mirror, and then they were off.
The traffic had been light, and they reached the 10th floor office where they would be meeting Gina and Lane with five minutes to spare. They were both there, looking none too pleased. Kris gulped. This was not going to be easy. One of those times when he’d let Adam do the talking, rather than dig the hole too deep himself.
Kris came out of his reverie long enough to exchange greetings with their handlers, then sat silently and expectantly, waiting for Adam to work his magic.
“Gina, Lane, it’s really quite simple,” Adam was saying, all smooth charm like usual. “We want to come out right away, but we do not want any interviews just yet. Let the public chew on the information, be curious. And let us have our honeymoon period,” he said with a smile. “And we are not going to hide, so do not even ask,” Adam added, suddenly more serious.
“We would never ask you to hide, Adam,” Gina said. “But you do both realize the repercussions of this, don’t you? You will both lose fans. Kris, you just announced a divorce. The first thing people will think is that you pretended to be straight long enough to win American Idol, that you lied, that you deliberately and knowingly betrayed and used your fans. I have no issue with the two of you coming out. But I hope you realize how high the stakes are. You stand to lose everything.”
Kris finally decided that it was time for him to speak up. “Adam already addressed the Glamberts in a live chat. Most are now past the voting result and seem to be ok with his associating with me. Those could become fans of mine as well. As for my conservative fans…well, I told you a long time ago that spinning that angle was not a good idea, and that it would backfire. Now you see why.” Kris looked at Gina defiantly, waiting for her answer.
Gina let her breath out with an audible whoosh and said, “Well! I guess you put me in my place. And I have to say you are right. Adam wasn’t the one we were worried about, it was you. You are the one that has the fan base that doesn’t go for homosexuality, and that is most certainly my fault in a very big way. So any backlash from that direction, I will take. Lane, anything you’d like to add?”
Lane smiled, saying, “No, I never saw the need for this meeting anyway. They were always going to come out how they saw fit, as it should be. I have drawn up a statement to release to the major outlets, and I’ll do that first thing in the morning. Adam, I got everything squared away for the trip to Arkansas, and Kris, your car and the rest of your things should be arriving sometime next week. I’ve already arranged for someone to take care of all that.”
Kris and Adam stood, waiting for Gina and Lane to gather their things. They exchanged goodbyes, Kris in a sense of wonderment, not quite understanding how all of this was happening so much more easily than he ever could have imagined.
Kris tuned back in as they got to the elevators, listening absent- mindedly to Adam chattering about a light lunch and discussing the get together that they would have at Kris’s parents’ house once they got to Conway. Adam must have noticed that Kris had checked out, because he stopped talking suddenly.
“Baby? You ok?” Adam was looking at Kris with intense concern. “Hey, if all this is too much right away, we can just hang with your parents for awhile, go on vacation, and tackle your friends when we get back, if you want.”
“NO!” Kris spoke louder than he meant to. Lowering his voice he said, “I’m fine. I was actually just thinking of how this has been a lot easier than I could have ever imagined. I thought that we’d have a battle on our hands with Gina and Lane, but they were more than cooperative, and my stuff is en route, and everything that I had been worried about will be over by the end of the evening tomorrow. And you know what? I am not even all that worried about the friends and fans I might lose. We’re in this together, and it isn’t like I won’t have a single friend or fan left. Besides, the ones that would be pissed off about this are the ones I don’t want anyway.” Kris smiled, hoping Adam believed what he was saying. It looked like he did, because his face showed a smile of relief.
“Alright then. How about that lunch? You choose where. We have plenty of time, our flight isn’t till 7.”
TBC