Affirmation Part 6
Thanks for everyones comments on the story so far.
Here is the start of Part 6: In which new friendships are made, hidden secret from the past is revealed, and Tony reveals something to Paul.
Title: Affirmation
Author: Shinigami518
Rating: PG-13, but with some bits of R in it.
Main Character(s) and/or pairings: Ryan/Colin (which'll happen near the end), Ryan/Pat, Colin/Deb, Tony/Paul (later chapters), Jeff/Greg (one-sided)
Summary: A crazy woman abducts Ryan, Colin, their wives, Greg, Drew, Wayne, Brad, and Chip. Pat and Deb are released with only minor injuries, but the guys are still missing. Three college students end up stumbling into this crazed plan by accident and have to help the guys find a way to escape, but there are several big problems they have to overcome.
View the last parts here on my journal (and don't forget to comment on them if you haven't):
Prologue
Part 1a
Part 1b
Part 2a
Part 2b
Part 2c
Part 2d
Part 2e
Part 2f
Part 3a
Part 3b
Part 4a
Part 4b
Part 5a
Part 5b
Part 6 - I believe your most attractive features are your heart and soul
Once everything had calmed down and the trio of girls had introduced the new members of the “Rescue group” as Melissa had now called them, everyone began to adjust better and freely talked with each other.
Robert and Mike were chatting casually, talking about anything on their minds. (“So, have you ever listened to Howard Stern?” Robert asked casually.)
Janet, Sam, Josie, and Sandi were discussing everything from world events to their appearances on Whose Line. (“You were a WHAT?!” Janet exclaimed as Josie blushed at the memory.
“A Penis.” Josie repeated. Janet covered her face and groaned.
“Ah, that was nothing. One of the games I was in ended up involving orgasms on a desert island!” Sandi boasted with a grin.
“And you thought the American version was bad.” Sam told Janet.)
Jeff was talking freely about backstage antics with the Whose Line gang with Alicia and Melissa, the latter of the two women staring at Jeff with a similar look of love she had when she was with Brad. (“Next thing they knew, a whole bucket of water - the Janitors Bucket - dumped all over their heads! Greg told me he had to avoid both Ryan and Colin for a week in fear of them coming after him!” Jeff laughed.)
Paul was watching Will set up Melissa’s laptop, both occasionally talking about things from Will’s computer knowledge to Paul’s recent trip to China. (“What are you, the next Bill Gates of something?” Paul asked, after Will described his computer setup downstairs in his small apartment.
“Nah, that’ll be my friend Mike.” Will replied with a shrug.)
Josie excused herself from her conversation with Janet, Sandi, and Sam and stood up, staring into the other room. She frowned slightly.
Tony was sitting by himself by the wooden bar counter in the dinning with a small glass of water. A water bottle was next to him, obviously belonging to Julie, who was missing from the group. The kitchen light and a small lamp by Julie’s computer were the only light in the open area.
“Something wrong, Jos?” Paul asked, walking up to her. Josie jumped slightly, startled by Paul’s presence. She turned to face him, brushing back some strands of hair.
“Nothing really, just…” She paused and gesture slightly at Tony with her head. Paul followed her gaze and notice Tony sitting alone.
“Tony? What’s wrong with him?” Paul asked.
“I dunno. It’s been a while since we really saw each other. I mean, the last time we were all together like this, it was back when we were part of the show and he…” she stopped, realization hitting her.
Paul seemed to also realize it as well. “He was starting to have his bio-polar and drug problems.” Paul finished for Josie. Josie nodded slowly, frowning. Paul ran a hand through his messy brown hair, shaking his head.
“I don’t get it. I mean, he’s past all that crap, isn’t he?” Sandi asked, sitting on a chair next to Janet’s recliner.
“He is, but I think its… he’s avoiding us.” Josie theorized.
“Why? Because he was acting like an ass during his last two seasons of Whose Line?” Mike brought up from his spot on the ottoman, scratching Augie’s head.
“Probably that, but remember; he isn’t totally at fault. He wasn’t himself… well, not entirely himself.” Josie said, defending Tony.
“What should we do then?” Janet asked, a bit worried about the state of mind of her daughter’s new friend.
‘Maybe one of you should talk to him?” Jeff suggested, hanging out on the couch.
“You probably should. Its going to be a while until I get this damn thing working correctly and get it hooked to the Tube.” Will agreed, trying to put Melissa’s photo’s in order in the way she had told him.
“Well then, who’s going to talk to him?” Mike asked. Josie frowned more, before she turned to stare at Paul. Paul noticed that Josie was now smirking slightly at him.
“Oh, no, no, not me, Josie. There’s no way I’m gonna talk to him.” Paul protested, holding his hand to stop Josie from saying anything.
“You’ve done it before when you saved him from his isolation and drug abuse, why can’t you do it a second time!? Besides, you know how much he cares about you!” Josie demanded, putting Paul’s hand down. Melissa spun around in surprise from her spot on the floor.
“Wait a sec - that was you?” Melissa remarked, obviously surprised by this revelation.
“That was just a crush he had, remember?” Paul reminded her.
“But how do you know that for certain? His feelings might’ve changed!” Josie stated, hands on her hips.
“Well someone’s gotta talk to him. We can’t really do anything when one of our guys is feeling like shit.” Alicia stated, sitting on one of the arms of the couch. Paul groaned, staring back out into the dinning room and at the lonely man. A tortured look on his face, he kept wondering if he should or shouldn’t go into that room.
A shove forward became his answer. He spun back to face the shover - Mike.
“Well, go on, will ya?” Mike coaxed him. Paul stayed where he was, looking back at Tony while wetting his lips with his tongue. Josie gave a frustrated groan.
“What’re you waiting for, you bloody pain in the arse, go!” Josie almost screamed, shoving him as well towards the dinning room. He finally stumbled into the room, a bit awkwardly, but finally straightened up and fixed his crocked glasses once re-gaining his balance.
Tony, still sitting at the counter, just stared into his glass of water, completely unaware of Paul’s presence or the conversation that went on in the other room. A soft meow startled him as Scooter leapt onto the kitchen counter and walked through the large, open space between the kitchen and dinning room, onto the bar counter. Tony smiled slightly at the thin black cat, who stared at him with wide gold eyes.
“Well hello there.” Tony said to the cat. Scooter began purring and rubbed his head against Tony’s left arm. The cat meowed again and began to sniff Tony’s glass of water with interest.
“Hey! That’s mine!” Tony protested, lifting his glass up out of the reach of the black cat. Scooter just stared at the raised glass, still wide eyed and meowed.
“What is it with you and pussies?” Paul asked, sitting on one of the two unoccupied stools, startling Tony by his presence. Scooter hopped off the counter as Paul sat down on a stool.
“That was vulgar, Paul, even for you.” Tony told his friend, calming down and placing his cup back on the counter.
“This coming for the man who didn’t wear knickers when he acted like a Chippendale on live television and unzipped his trousers.” Paul stated, resting his left hand under his chin. Tony blushed slightly; Paul got him there.
“So where’s your drinking companion?” Paul asked, nudging the bottle of water with his right pointer finger.
“In the ladies room, freshening up.” Tony pointed to the closed bathroom door.
“Ah, figures.” Paul nodded. Tony then went back to his brooding mode. Paul frowned, resting both hands on the table. “Tony?”
“Hm?” Tony didn’t seem interested to talk again.
“Are you… Are you afraid of your friends?” Paul asked, unsure how exactly to phrase the question, but said it anyways. Tony stared at his friend in surprise, and then turned away slightly, looking upset and ashamed.
“Tony?” Paul asked again, reaching out to place a hand on the man’s shoulder.
“I’ve done… questionable things in the past, Paul. I’m surprised you’re even talking to me.” Tony told him truthfully, still expressing sadness in his voice.
“Well, Josie kinda coerced me into this, but…” Paul muttered, then shook his head, clearing his head and regaining his focus. “Damn it, Tony, we’ve been friends for almost twenty years, why the hell aren’t you talking to me?” Paul asked, raising his voice slightly.
“It’s nothing.” Tony whispered without emotion, turning more away from Paul.
“Like hell it is! Tony, tell me, what’s the deal?! I’m your best friend, almost like a fucking brother to you! ” Paul’s voice got louder as did his level of frustration.
Tony finally spun around, tears in his dark brown eyes. “I’m not your friend!! I’ve changed too much, ok!? I’m not the same guy you meet in ‘88!” Tony snapped tearfully. He then looked down and away from Paul as he continued. “Not anymore… especially after what I did… during that time…before you saved me.” Paul stared at Tony, obviously startled by this revelation.
“Tony… what happened to you was a mistake. You screwed up, but who hasn’t? We’ve all done things we’ve regretted. But even so, we’ve still been friends.” Paul paused in his attempt to comfort Tony. “Well, not that much with John… but you know what I mean, right?” Paul continued, placing a hand on Tony’s back.
“What about Mike and Sandi?” Tony whispered, still not looking at Paul. Paul glanced over at the tow Tony mentioned, who were now watching the scene between him and Tony unfold with Jeff, Josie, Melissa, Sam, Alicia, and Robert. Will was still working on the laptop and Janet was still in her recliner, but she was listening in.
“I think Sandi still like you. I know Josie still cares about you, though it might take Mike a little while, though. And what about Steve? Steve Frost? You and he did some shows after you got yourself back together. An-And you got that show with Stephen coming out next year, remember?” Paul reminded Tony, once again trying to perk Tony up.
“What about you?” Tony asked in a small whisper. Paul hesitated with that answer, thinking hard to come up with one. He smiled kindly, his cool blue eyes softening behind his glasses.
“We’re still good friends, Tony. Hell, I was the one who saved your life, remember?” Paul answered, giving Tony a friendly nudge with his elbow. Tony nodded, sill not looking at him.
That was it. The last straw that broke on Paul’s back. Paul grabbed Tony by his shirt and pulled him off the stool and onto his feet. Tony still looked away from Paul, even with Paul looking at him with a very pissed off look on his face.
“I'm SICK and TIRED of your total anti-social, unemotional attitude. I’ve put up with it for a while, and now I want you to snap out of it! This is all bullshit, Tony! Tell me now and no more lies! Why are you acting like this toward us!? Why are you acting like this to me!?” Paul snapped, his nerves fried and his frustration at its peak.
Tony finally looked back up at Paul, tears in his eyes. He wore a conflicted agonizing look on his face, as if he was fighting back all his emotions for Paul, blocking them away in a tiny cell. But with Paul staring holes into his soul, he had no choice but to open up that cell and reveal the truth to Paul.
He planted both hands on either side of Paul’s face, pulled him towards him. Tony then leaned towards Paul as he pulled him forward and kissed Paul square on the lips.
Julie exited the bathroom, cleaning her hands with a hand towel, whistling “Always Look on the Bright Side of life” off-key to herself.
“Hey Tony, Paul, you guys alright? I could hear you two arguing from the-,” Julie’s question was put to a stop on seeing the two men in question engaged in a serious lip lock. “Holy shit.” Julie whispered, dropping the towel on the floor in shock, her glasses sliding down her nose.
The group in the living room was in stunned silence, looks of shock, disgust, and bemusement on their faces. Josie summed up everyone’s feelings in two simple words.
“Bloody ‘ell.”
“Damn!” Will added, finally looking into the dining room when the conversation had escalated into an argument.
Melissa took her camera from the small wicker table near the couch and quickly took a photo of the scene before her, a giant grin on her face.
“Now THIS is a memory worth capturing!” Melissa stated softly.
Tony finally pulled away from Paul, embarrassed. Paul released his grip on Tony’s shirt, letting his arms drop to his side. Tony then got up and ran past Julie, who was still standing in shock, and proceeded to lock himself in the bathroom.
“Wha… how…was…. were Tony and Paul kissing?” Julie asked, blinking in surprise over the whole ordeal.
“You bet.” Alicia answered with a nod, her eyes wide in astonishment.
Paul, meanwhile, wore a blank expression on his face, his cheeks a soft shade of pink and his glasses resting crookedly on his face. He blinked a few times, letting what happened register in his mind.
“Wow…” he whispered.
“Mike, try to get Paul back to normal. I’m gonna try to get Tony out of the lavatory.” Josie told Mike, entering the dinning room and then the kitchen. She stopped next to Julie, who was still standing still. She stared at Julie’s surprised expression for a few second and snapped her fingers in front of the young woman’s face, bring her back to reality.
“Whoa, ah, what?” Julie shook her head, gathering her bearings. “Did I really see Paul and Tony in a major lip-lock session or what that a crazy dream from drinking Diet Coke before bed?” Julie asked, blushing slightly over the memory.
“Not a dream, hon, it really happened,” Josie told her before walking up to the closed bathroom door and knocked on it. “Tony? It’s Josie.”
“Go away…” was the muffled reply. Josie pouted, hands on her hips.
“Anthony Declan Slattery, you stop acting childish and get your arse out of there right now!” Josie demanded, almost sounding like a cross between a mother and a school teacher. Julie blinked in surprise by Josie’s actions.
“I did something horrible…” Tony responded. Both women looked at each other in ambiguity.
“It wasn’t horrible, Tony. It was just…” Josie began, trying to coax Tony out.
“It was TOTALLY AWSOME!” Melissa shouted with joy from the living room.
“Will you shut up, you twit!” Alicia hissed, elbowing Melissa in the side.
“Ok, I admit, it was shocking, but not horrible.” Josie sighed.
“But it certainly changed the mood around here, that’s for sure.” Julie added, crossing her arms and nodding in agreement.
“But come on, this is stupid. You’ve locked yourself in the bathroom because you snogged Paul! That’s nothing to be embarrassed about!” Josie stated, walking up to the door. Julie glanced over at Mike, who was helping Paul off the stool. Paul still had a bit of a blank look on his face, but was slowly getting back to normal.
Julie felt something brush against her left leg and saw Hurley, the same gray tabby that Tony claimed ‘screamed’ at him, run up to the bathroom door, looking around in confusion. The cat then stood on his hind legs and pressed his front paws against the door, opening it.
Tony turned around in surprise, not expecting the door to open, let alone by a cat.
“Guess it wasn’t locked.” Julie stated in surprise. Hurley let out a scratchy sounding meow in agreement, staring up at Tony.
“At least your trousers are on.” Josie sighed once more.
“Guys, I’ve got the laptop hooked up and Melissa’s images ready to be viewed, so if your done having your little soap opera moment can we get on with telling our new buddies what the hell’s been going on?” Will shouted, standing by the ground speaker with a stern and annoyed look on his face.
Next segment comming as soon as possible...
Here is the start of Part 6: In which new friendships are made, hidden secret from the past is revealed, and Tony reveals something to Paul.
Title: Affirmation
Author: Shinigami518
Rating: PG-13, but with some bits of R in it.
Main Character(s) and/or pairings: Ryan/Colin (which'll happen near the end), Ryan/Pat, Colin/Deb, Tony/Paul (later chapters), Jeff/Greg (one-sided)
Summary: A crazy woman abducts Ryan, Colin, their wives, Greg, Drew, Wayne, Brad, and Chip. Pat and Deb are released with only minor injuries, but the guys are still missing. Three college students end up stumbling into this crazed plan by accident and have to help the guys find a way to escape, but there are several big problems they have to overcome.
View the last parts here on my journal (and don't forget to comment on them if you haven't):
Prologue
Part 1a
Part 1b
Part 2a
Part 2b
Part 2c
Part 2d
Part 2e
Part 2f
Part 3a
Part 3b
Part 4a
Part 4b
Part 5a
Part 5b
Part 6 - I believe your most attractive features are your heart and soul
Once everything had calmed down and the trio of girls had introduced the new members of the “Rescue group” as Melissa had now called them, everyone began to adjust better and freely talked with each other.
Robert and Mike were chatting casually, talking about anything on their minds. (“So, have you ever listened to Howard Stern?” Robert asked casually.)
Janet, Sam, Josie, and Sandi were discussing everything from world events to their appearances on Whose Line. (“You were a WHAT?!” Janet exclaimed as Josie blushed at the memory.
“A Penis.” Josie repeated. Janet covered her face and groaned.
“Ah, that was nothing. One of the games I was in ended up involving orgasms on a desert island!” Sandi boasted with a grin.
“And you thought the American version was bad.” Sam told Janet.)
Jeff was talking freely about backstage antics with the Whose Line gang with Alicia and Melissa, the latter of the two women staring at Jeff with a similar look of love she had when she was with Brad. (“Next thing they knew, a whole bucket of water - the Janitors Bucket - dumped all over their heads! Greg told me he had to avoid both Ryan and Colin for a week in fear of them coming after him!” Jeff laughed.)
Paul was watching Will set up Melissa’s laptop, both occasionally talking about things from Will’s computer knowledge to Paul’s recent trip to China. (“What are you, the next Bill Gates of something?” Paul asked, after Will described his computer setup downstairs in his small apartment.
“Nah, that’ll be my friend Mike.” Will replied with a shrug.)
Josie excused herself from her conversation with Janet, Sandi, and Sam and stood up, staring into the other room. She frowned slightly.
Tony was sitting by himself by the wooden bar counter in the dinning with a small glass of water. A water bottle was next to him, obviously belonging to Julie, who was missing from the group. The kitchen light and a small lamp by Julie’s computer were the only light in the open area.
“Something wrong, Jos?” Paul asked, walking up to her. Josie jumped slightly, startled by Paul’s presence. She turned to face him, brushing back some strands of hair.
“Nothing really, just…” She paused and gesture slightly at Tony with her head. Paul followed her gaze and notice Tony sitting alone.
“Tony? What’s wrong with him?” Paul asked.
“I dunno. It’s been a while since we really saw each other. I mean, the last time we were all together like this, it was back when we were part of the show and he…” she stopped, realization hitting her.
Paul seemed to also realize it as well. “He was starting to have his bio-polar and drug problems.” Paul finished for Josie. Josie nodded slowly, frowning. Paul ran a hand through his messy brown hair, shaking his head.
“I don’t get it. I mean, he’s past all that crap, isn’t he?” Sandi asked, sitting on a chair next to Janet’s recliner.
“He is, but I think its… he’s avoiding us.” Josie theorized.
“Why? Because he was acting like an ass during his last two seasons of Whose Line?” Mike brought up from his spot on the ottoman, scratching Augie’s head.
“Probably that, but remember; he isn’t totally at fault. He wasn’t himself… well, not entirely himself.” Josie said, defending Tony.
“What should we do then?” Janet asked, a bit worried about the state of mind of her daughter’s new friend.
‘Maybe one of you should talk to him?” Jeff suggested, hanging out on the couch.
“You probably should. Its going to be a while until I get this damn thing working correctly and get it hooked to the Tube.” Will agreed, trying to put Melissa’s photo’s in order in the way she had told him.
“Well then, who’s going to talk to him?” Mike asked. Josie frowned more, before she turned to stare at Paul. Paul noticed that Josie was now smirking slightly at him.
“Oh, no, no, not me, Josie. There’s no way I’m gonna talk to him.” Paul protested, holding his hand to stop Josie from saying anything.
“You’ve done it before when you saved him from his isolation and drug abuse, why can’t you do it a second time!? Besides, you know how much he cares about you!” Josie demanded, putting Paul’s hand down. Melissa spun around in surprise from her spot on the floor.
“Wait a sec - that was you?” Melissa remarked, obviously surprised by this revelation.
“That was just a crush he had, remember?” Paul reminded her.
“But how do you know that for certain? His feelings might’ve changed!” Josie stated, hands on her hips.
“Well someone’s gotta talk to him. We can’t really do anything when one of our guys is feeling like shit.” Alicia stated, sitting on one of the arms of the couch. Paul groaned, staring back out into the dinning room and at the lonely man. A tortured look on his face, he kept wondering if he should or shouldn’t go into that room.
A shove forward became his answer. He spun back to face the shover - Mike.
“Well, go on, will ya?” Mike coaxed him. Paul stayed where he was, looking back at Tony while wetting his lips with his tongue. Josie gave a frustrated groan.
“What’re you waiting for, you bloody pain in the arse, go!” Josie almost screamed, shoving him as well towards the dinning room. He finally stumbled into the room, a bit awkwardly, but finally straightened up and fixed his crocked glasses once re-gaining his balance.
Tony, still sitting at the counter, just stared into his glass of water, completely unaware of Paul’s presence or the conversation that went on in the other room. A soft meow startled him as Scooter leapt onto the kitchen counter and walked through the large, open space between the kitchen and dinning room, onto the bar counter. Tony smiled slightly at the thin black cat, who stared at him with wide gold eyes.
“Well hello there.” Tony said to the cat. Scooter began purring and rubbed his head against Tony’s left arm. The cat meowed again and began to sniff Tony’s glass of water with interest.
“Hey! That’s mine!” Tony protested, lifting his glass up out of the reach of the black cat. Scooter just stared at the raised glass, still wide eyed and meowed.
“What is it with you and pussies?” Paul asked, sitting on one of the two unoccupied stools, startling Tony by his presence. Scooter hopped off the counter as Paul sat down on a stool.
“That was vulgar, Paul, even for you.” Tony told his friend, calming down and placing his cup back on the counter.
“This coming for the man who didn’t wear knickers when he acted like a Chippendale on live television and unzipped his trousers.” Paul stated, resting his left hand under his chin. Tony blushed slightly; Paul got him there.
“So where’s your drinking companion?” Paul asked, nudging the bottle of water with his right pointer finger.
“In the ladies room, freshening up.” Tony pointed to the closed bathroom door.
“Ah, figures.” Paul nodded. Tony then went back to his brooding mode. Paul frowned, resting both hands on the table. “Tony?”
“Hm?” Tony didn’t seem interested to talk again.
“Are you… Are you afraid of your friends?” Paul asked, unsure how exactly to phrase the question, but said it anyways. Tony stared at his friend in surprise, and then turned away slightly, looking upset and ashamed.
“Tony?” Paul asked again, reaching out to place a hand on the man’s shoulder.
“I’ve done… questionable things in the past, Paul. I’m surprised you’re even talking to me.” Tony told him truthfully, still expressing sadness in his voice.
“Well, Josie kinda coerced me into this, but…” Paul muttered, then shook his head, clearing his head and regaining his focus. “Damn it, Tony, we’ve been friends for almost twenty years, why the hell aren’t you talking to me?” Paul asked, raising his voice slightly.
“It’s nothing.” Tony whispered without emotion, turning more away from Paul.
“Like hell it is! Tony, tell me, what’s the deal?! I’m your best friend, almost like a fucking brother to you! ” Paul’s voice got louder as did his level of frustration.
Tony finally spun around, tears in his dark brown eyes. “I’m not your friend!! I’ve changed too much, ok!? I’m not the same guy you meet in ‘88!” Tony snapped tearfully. He then looked down and away from Paul as he continued. “Not anymore… especially after what I did… during that time…before you saved me.” Paul stared at Tony, obviously startled by this revelation.
“Tony… what happened to you was a mistake. You screwed up, but who hasn’t? We’ve all done things we’ve regretted. But even so, we’ve still been friends.” Paul paused in his attempt to comfort Tony. “Well, not that much with John… but you know what I mean, right?” Paul continued, placing a hand on Tony’s back.
“What about Mike and Sandi?” Tony whispered, still not looking at Paul. Paul glanced over at the tow Tony mentioned, who were now watching the scene between him and Tony unfold with Jeff, Josie, Melissa, Sam, Alicia, and Robert. Will was still working on the laptop and Janet was still in her recliner, but she was listening in.
“I think Sandi still like you. I know Josie still cares about you, though it might take Mike a little while, though. And what about Steve? Steve Frost? You and he did some shows after you got yourself back together. An-And you got that show with Stephen coming out next year, remember?” Paul reminded Tony, once again trying to perk Tony up.
“What about you?” Tony asked in a small whisper. Paul hesitated with that answer, thinking hard to come up with one. He smiled kindly, his cool blue eyes softening behind his glasses.
“We’re still good friends, Tony. Hell, I was the one who saved your life, remember?” Paul answered, giving Tony a friendly nudge with his elbow. Tony nodded, sill not looking at him.
That was it. The last straw that broke on Paul’s back. Paul grabbed Tony by his shirt and pulled him off the stool and onto his feet. Tony still looked away from Paul, even with Paul looking at him with a very pissed off look on his face.
“I'm SICK and TIRED of your total anti-social, unemotional attitude. I’ve put up with it for a while, and now I want you to snap out of it! This is all bullshit, Tony! Tell me now and no more lies! Why are you acting like this toward us!? Why are you acting like this to me!?” Paul snapped, his nerves fried and his frustration at its peak.
Tony finally looked back up at Paul, tears in his eyes. He wore a conflicted agonizing look on his face, as if he was fighting back all his emotions for Paul, blocking them away in a tiny cell. But with Paul staring holes into his soul, he had no choice but to open up that cell and reveal the truth to Paul.
He planted both hands on either side of Paul’s face, pulled him towards him. Tony then leaned towards Paul as he pulled him forward and kissed Paul square on the lips.
Julie exited the bathroom, cleaning her hands with a hand towel, whistling “Always Look on the Bright Side of life” off-key to herself.
“Hey Tony, Paul, you guys alright? I could hear you two arguing from the-,” Julie’s question was put to a stop on seeing the two men in question engaged in a serious lip lock. “Holy shit.” Julie whispered, dropping the towel on the floor in shock, her glasses sliding down her nose.
The group in the living room was in stunned silence, looks of shock, disgust, and bemusement on their faces. Josie summed up everyone’s feelings in two simple words.
“Bloody ‘ell.”
“Damn!” Will added, finally looking into the dining room when the conversation had escalated into an argument.
Melissa took her camera from the small wicker table near the couch and quickly took a photo of the scene before her, a giant grin on her face.
“Now THIS is a memory worth capturing!” Melissa stated softly.
Tony finally pulled away from Paul, embarrassed. Paul released his grip on Tony’s shirt, letting his arms drop to his side. Tony then got up and ran past Julie, who was still standing in shock, and proceeded to lock himself in the bathroom.
“Wha… how…was…. were Tony and Paul kissing?” Julie asked, blinking in surprise over the whole ordeal.
“You bet.” Alicia answered with a nod, her eyes wide in astonishment.
Paul, meanwhile, wore a blank expression on his face, his cheeks a soft shade of pink and his glasses resting crookedly on his face. He blinked a few times, letting what happened register in his mind.
“Wow…” he whispered.
“Mike, try to get Paul back to normal. I’m gonna try to get Tony out of the lavatory.” Josie told Mike, entering the dinning room and then the kitchen. She stopped next to Julie, who was still standing still. She stared at Julie’s surprised expression for a few second and snapped her fingers in front of the young woman’s face, bring her back to reality.
“Whoa, ah, what?” Julie shook her head, gathering her bearings. “Did I really see Paul and Tony in a major lip-lock session or what that a crazy dream from drinking Diet Coke before bed?” Julie asked, blushing slightly over the memory.
“Not a dream, hon, it really happened,” Josie told her before walking up to the closed bathroom door and knocked on it. “Tony? It’s Josie.”
“Go away…” was the muffled reply. Josie pouted, hands on her hips.
“Anthony Declan Slattery, you stop acting childish and get your arse out of there right now!” Josie demanded, almost sounding like a cross between a mother and a school teacher. Julie blinked in surprise by Josie’s actions.
“I did something horrible…” Tony responded. Both women looked at each other in ambiguity.
“It wasn’t horrible, Tony. It was just…” Josie began, trying to coax Tony out.
“It was TOTALLY AWSOME!” Melissa shouted with joy from the living room.
“Will you shut up, you twit!” Alicia hissed, elbowing Melissa in the side.
“Ok, I admit, it was shocking, but not horrible.” Josie sighed.
“But it certainly changed the mood around here, that’s for sure.” Julie added, crossing her arms and nodding in agreement.
“But come on, this is stupid. You’ve locked yourself in the bathroom because you snogged Paul! That’s nothing to be embarrassed about!” Josie stated, walking up to the door. Julie glanced over at Mike, who was helping Paul off the stool. Paul still had a bit of a blank look on his face, but was slowly getting back to normal.
Julie felt something brush against her left leg and saw Hurley, the same gray tabby that Tony claimed ‘screamed’ at him, run up to the bathroom door, looking around in confusion. The cat then stood on his hind legs and pressed his front paws against the door, opening it.
Tony turned around in surprise, not expecting the door to open, let alone by a cat.
“Guess it wasn’t locked.” Julie stated in surprise. Hurley let out a scratchy sounding meow in agreement, staring up at Tony.
“At least your trousers are on.” Josie sighed once more.
“Guys, I’ve got the laptop hooked up and Melissa’s images ready to be viewed, so if your done having your little soap opera moment can we get on with telling our new buddies what the hell’s been going on?” Will shouted, standing by the ground speaker with a stern and annoyed look on his face.
Next segment comming as soon as possible...