Jeff/Chip and Apples. (Part 1)

"You remind me of an apple," Chip muses thoughtfully. Jeff let slip a laugh. "An apple? Because I'm juicy and delicious?"

"Maybe…" he responds vaguely. "But like, a Granny Smith apple." Jeff raises his eyebrows and responds, "Sour and undesired?" Chip smiled at how much that contradicted what was going through his mind at the moment. "I was gonna say that you're smooth on the outside and have a tangy but loveable personality, like the inside of a Granny Smith."

Jeff tilted his head to the side then nodded in understanding. "I guess that makes sense." He hopped up from the balcony chair and turned to go back inside his hotel room. "I'm gonna get another beer, want one?" Chip shook his head and as he left, couldn't help but sneak a glance at his ass.

He quickly forced himself away and dropped his head in his hands. It was that one stupid, drunken kiss that had been fucking with his thinking lately. He was married for God's sake! It was meaningless. Right? Nothing. "It's nothing…" Chip muttered to himself again.

"What's nothing?" Jeff asked, sitting back down next to him. "Nothing!" he snapped hastily, surprising Jeff. "Alright man, chill. Maybe you do need another beer, damn."

Chip sighed in frustration. "Sorry. Just in a weird mood." He secretly hoped he would inquire further, but no such luck. Jeff just opened up his drink and drained half of it. Little did Chip know that Jeff was dying to find out what seemed to burden his best friend. He hated to see him like this, and in the back of his mind, he thought that this was his fault because he practically shoved his tongue down Chip's throat. An awkward silence surrounded them now… when was the last time that happened?

Jeff finally broke it. "They should put a warning label on drinks," he says, turning to Chip. Caught off guard, he tries to say something, but became tongue-tied. He was good at doing that. "They already sorta do," he finally manages. Jeff set down the bottle and went on explaining. "I mean, a crazy night of drinking can really change shit. A lot. Even the way that you think."

A lump immediately rose in Chip's throat because he knew where this was headed. He tried to play it off by laughing, but the look on Jeff's face showed that he must have physically tensed up. Jeff wondered if this was the right time to try and bring up such a big subject, but the thoughts swirling around in his brain were eating at him inside, and he had to know.

"Remember three nights ago when we were at a bar in Boston?" Jeff went on carefully. Of course he did; he remembered every aspect about that night. Jeff was wearing a black suit and bright red tie. Chip even knew that his socks were red and black stripes.

"Uh, sort of," he lied. "Why?" Jeff stared right at him, and Chip's heart raced. "What do you think would happen if—" He's interrupted by a pounding on the door. He groans and answers it as Chip mentally kicks himself for not dealing with something that had been on his mind 24/7.

Jeff stuck his head back outside. "Sound check, we gotta leave." Chip stands up and they close the door, going toward the lobby.

"I need something from my room real quick, I'll just meet you there," Chip says to Jeff, who shrugs in reply.

Finally, everyone finishes sound check, and Jeff heads back to his room to get his ID, which he would need later if he was going to party. He got to the door and bent down to pick up something that was sitting on the ground right in front of it. He smiled instantly as he stood back up with the mystery object.

A Granny Smith apple with the words "Talk later?" scribbled on it in marker.