Oh my god, I'm so sorry! It's been so long since I updated. A lot of stuff happened though. Beta stopped emailing me back, lost my thumbdrive (which contained all of my writings – stories, poems – along with pictures and everything else). I'm still pretty bummed about that actually. I hope you enjoy this next installment though!

The J Lover

Later that evening…

Curtis lay awake staring at what he could see of the ceiling in the room. His mind raced with thoughts of the day's events: Bret and his family crisis, beating the girls in the task. Between all that had happened over the course of this round, he wasn't able to sleep. With a sigh he looked at the clock. The bright red numbers in the dark room teased him, sporting that it was past one in the morning and still sleep escaped him. Flipping onto his stomach, then again to his back, Curtis grabbed one of the many pillows cluttering the king sized bed and put it over his head. He would pay for this restlessness later. Just as he flipped to his side and hugged the pillow to his chest, he heard footsteps outside the door. Quickly he jumped out of bed and padded to the door. As he pressed his ear to the large brown door, he could just barely pick up bits and pieces of what a voice was saying.

"Pull yourself together…You're a….Crying is….kid." Curtis' eyebrows furrowed as he listened, stretching to hear more until he decided to just open the door.

"Bret?" Curtis questioned, straining to see in the dimly lit hall.

"Sorry. Di-did I wake you? I should go…" Bret quickly turned and made a beeline for the room he occupied.

"Wait, come here." The younger man reached out a hand towards the older then nodded towards his room. He watched the sleep deprived rock star nervously wipe his hands on his shorts before he returned and intently watched anything but the face of the man in front of him.

"I wasn't asleep anyways. I couldn't…" he trailed off as he saw the tear marks on Bret's face and his eyes were still wet from them. "Oh Bret. What happened?"

Bret watched the ground as he responded, and Curtis could see tears slipping from his eyes. "I just got the call…she tested positive."

When Bret's voice broke, Curtis instinctively stepped closer and wrapped his arms around the smaller man. Once he realized what he'd just done, he froze; his eyes wide and breath held. Just as he was about to drop his arms from their place around his friend's warm body, he felt Bret lean into his chest and wrap his own arms around the larger man's middle.

Curtis ever so gently brought them both to the end of the bed and sat them down; allowing Bret the time he needed to cry while Curtis soothingly rubbed his back. Finally when the cries had subsided, he shifted so he could look at the man in his arms and gave his shoulders a little squeeze. "It'll all be okay…"

Bret looked up at him and then glanced over at the clock, causing Curtis to follow his gaze. "I should go…"

"Do you want to stay here tonight?" Curtis asked tentatively. "You can go if you want, but I figure it'll be easier to just stay here. Goldberg's room is attached to yours and he's a pretty light sleeper." Bret nodded slowly and stifled a yawn before his Australian friend motioned for him to pick a side of the large bed. He crawled up the bed and lay down, immediately closing his eyes to the world. He could feel the mattress shift as Curtis lay down on his right and he took in a deep breath. As he exhaled, he rolled so he was facing towards the other man's back.

"Curtis?" He asked tentatively, watching the chef turn towards him with a confused look on his face. He looked so good in just his tank top and basketball shorts. "Thank you. For being there, for letting me stay with you….just thanks. I really appreciate it man."

The larger man tugged on the bottom hem of his shirt and slid closer before wrapping his teammate in another hug. "I already told you, I'm here for anything, anytime. Don't ever hesitate to come to me if you need something." He squeezed the man in his arms gently then let go, leaving him free to move. To Curtis' surprise, Bret smiled and kissed his cheek before pulling away. As his actions registered, Bret gasped quietly and a muted pink covered his high cheeks. Quickly he pulled the blankets off of himself and crossed towards the door. Curtis was a few seconds behind him and stopped him from leaving with a hand in the crook of his elbow. He pulled him back in and softly shut the door. In a matter of seconds, he had his arms placed on either side of Bret, hindering his ability to try and leave again. Then before the emotionally distraught man had a chance to protest or try to escape, Curtis leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to the soft ones that had been pressed to his own cheek not a moment before.

A million thoughts raced through Bret's head as Curtis kissed him, the most re-occurring being "Wait, he's gay?" He was frozen as he tried to press through the initial shock. All too soon, Curtis pulled away and he was left with his jaw on the floor while he blinked and tried to dispel the confusion.

"Wait. You are -" Bret started, but was interrupted.

"Yup, I'm bi; as are you, from what I've heard. And now that that's been said, we really should try to get some sleep, it's almost 2:30 and we have a presentation later." He moved towards the bed and lay down close to the middle, leaving either side to Bret if he chose to stay. A smile crossed his face as the long haired blonde lay down on his right and curled up to his chest. He draped one arm across Bret's back and closed his eyes, feeling himself finally drifting off to sleep with the comfort of a warm body against him.