Disclaimer-See Chapter One/Two
A/N-Thank you all sooo much for the reviews. They are the reason why this chapter came so fast. Okay, enjoy . . .
~ * ~ Chapter Three-Love's a Hurting Game ~ * ~
Don't know why it happened
Who's to blame?
Only know I'm cryin'
Love's a hurting game
-Marty Robbins "Love's a Hurting Game"
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Will sat at his lonely table for what felt like forever. His eyes never left Jack the entire time he was there. Every time Bryan said something, he silently prayed that it was something that Jack did not want to hear. He felt a spring of hope when he saw Jack shift in his stool . . . the then resume talking.
Will rubbed at his eyes. 'Am I becoming a stalker?' he asked himself. 'I mean, this is what stalkers do, isn't it? When Jack was stalking Kevin Bacon, he basically did what I'm doing. Except he left Kevin Bacon a note saying, "Nice Stalkin' To Ya."' Will smiled; what stupid ideas Jack always had. It just made him seem even more irresistible.
Somehow, the memory of when he and Jack thought they had slept together on Karen's yacht squeezed its way to the front of Will's mind. What had he been thinking, not wanting to get together with Jack . . . and Jack not wanting to be with him.
Will ran a hand through his hair. What if Jack still felt that way? Then what? Would Jack be so uncomfortable around him that he would never see him again? Will didn't think that he could take never seeing Jack again. Not after all of this.
"Hi." Will looked up; a very cute man was standing over him, a smile on his face. "Can I join you?"
Will stared at the man for a second. "No, I'm sorry."
"What's wrong; are you taken?" the man asked, slightly irritated.
Will smiled slightly, looking over at Jack again. Jack was laughing. The look on Jack's face made Will's smile grow. "Yeah," he told the man, "I am."
The man shrugged and walked over to the bar. Will sighed; over three men had asked to join him that night. If he had not been so smitten with Jack, he would never have had so many men interested in him. There were even times that he considered letting one of the men join him, but, even though he did not know them, he could tell they were not for him . . . they weren't Jack.
Will continued to stare across the bar at Bryan and Jack. His heart was hurting so badly that he could actually hear his pulse in his ears. *Thump Thump* Bryan smiled so wide that Will knew what Jack had asked him: "So, Bryan . . . would you like to come up to my place?"
*Thump Thump Thump* Will watched as Bryan gently placed his hand on Jack's knee. Yeah, there was no doubt about that; Jack had asked Bryan up to their apartment.
Will groaned inwardly. What if he heard them doing . . . what they do? What if he somehow saw them? He knew that if he did, he would just want to lay down and die. Jack making love to someone else . . . he didn't want to think about it. But he knew that it was going to happen.
Suddenly, he saw Jack stand up. Maybe he didn't ask Bryan up! Maybe, maybe . . .
Will's heart fell as he saw Jack grab Bryan's hand and pull him towards the exit. Wait! Will wanted to call out to them. What about me?!
*Thump-Thump-Thump* Will immediately stood up and walked after them. He told himself that he shouldn't be offended that Jack did not try to get him; Jack probably assumed that he was simply with some guy.
Will walked about fifteen feet behind Bryan and Jack, his hands stuffed deep in his pockets. Bryan and Jack were holding hands and were walking very close to each other.
Will had an urge to run up to the two of them, push Bryan away, and tell Jack everything: How he loved him, how it killed him to see him with someone else, how he wanted to spend every waking hour with him . . .
Will watched in sad horror as Jack pulled Bryan close and slipped an arm around his waist. "Why can't that be me?" Will asked himself. He closed his eyes and could actually feel Jack's arm slipping around him, holding him tight . . . Jack's lips pressing lightly against his own . . .
*Honk-Honk* Will snapped his eyes open at the sound of a car honking. He looked around; he had been standing in the middle of the street, and a cab driver was honking at him angrily, telling him to "Get off the road, you jackass!"
Will looked at the driver blankly before stepping onto the curb. He looked ahead; Bryan and Jack had their arms wrapped around each other in some odd embrace. Will's face flushed with anger and hate for Bryan. Why should he have Jack when Will could not?
As they reached their apartment building, Will saw Bryan lean his back against the side of the building. He placed his hand on his throat. "Oh God," he muttered. He knew exactly what was about to happen . . .
Will stopped walking. He saw Jack's eyes slide closed, then Bryan's. Will wanted desperately to turn away, but something was forcing him to watch.
Jack leaned in, and as soon as Bryan and Jack's lips met, Will slumped against the side of the building, his hand clenching at his chest. Tears sprang to his eyes. He couldn't breathe . . . Why? Why? Why? His mind was screaming that one word over and over in his mind. Why?!
Will shook his head sadly. How could he have forgotten? He had been so obsessed with the sex part that he had completely overlooked the "first kiss."
Bryan wrapped his arms around Jack's torso, pulling him closer. Jack's arms were caressing Bryan's face delicately. Will began to feel sick; he slid his eyes closed and wrapped his arms around him stomach. It hurt . . . it hurt so badly.
Jack pulled away, breaking the kiss. "Wanna come up?" Will heard Jack ask. Will saw Bryan nod in reply. Taking no notice to Will, Jack took both of Bryan's hands in his and led him into the building.
I love you! Will shouted at Jack in his mind. Why can't you see that?! You loved me once. Why can't you love me again?!
He couldn't go inside. Not yet. He had to get away . . . he had to find a shoulder to cry on . . . he had to, he had to . . .
He signaled a cab and climbed inside. In a faint, faraway voice he told the cab driver Grace's address. The drive there was silent, at least for the driver. For Will, it was filled with painful thoughts about Jack and Bryan and what they were doing. Will pressed the back of his hand to his eyes, wiping away the moisture.
Finally, he arrived at Grace's building. He silently paid the driver and walked swiftly inside. He knocked on Grace's door with a clenched fist. "I'm coming!" came Grace's voice from behind the door. She opened the door. "Oh, hey Will." She looked at Will's face; his eyes were glassy, and there was a look of pure misery upon his face. "What's wrong?" she asked, gesturing for Will to enter.
Will sat down on her couch without a word. "Will, what's wrong? Is it about Jack?"
Will nodded. "I-I did something that-that I-I'm going to regret forever," he said, as Grace sat down next to him.
"What did you do?" she asked, placing her hands on his shoulders.
"I suggested that J-Jack and I go to a gay bar tonight. You know, so that he could get over Stewart," he admitted, lowering his head.
"Why? I thought that you, you know, had a crush on him-"
"Gracie, I love him. I don't know why it took me so long to figure out, but I do. I really, really love him."
"Aww," she cooed, giving Will's shoulders a squeeze. "Then, why did you want him to find someone else?"
"I said it before I realized how I felt. And right now, he's . . . in my apartment with this guy he met." He covered his face with his hands, letting the tears spill slowly. "What the hell was I thinking?"
Grace shook her head. "I don't know, but you've gotta tell Jack soon. Before he finds someone, you know, special."
The image of Jack and Bryan kissing each other in front of his apartment building forced its way into Will's mind. "What if he already has?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" Grace asked, confused.
"I-I saw Jack and Bryan k-kiss. They looked so . . . peaceful, so happy. What if-what if Bryan's 'the one'?"
"What if he's not?" asked Grace, seriously. "What if you are?"
Later that Night-Will's Apartment . . .
Will opened the door to his apartment and peeked inside. There was silence in the apartment. He sighed in relief; maybe Bryan left. Or maybe they were just very quiet. Either way, Will felt lucky.
He removed his jacket and laid it down on the couch. He walked quietly over to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He pulled out a Diet Coke and sat back down on the couch.
His ears perked up at the sound of a door opening. He turned his head around to see Bryan, wearing only a pair of boxers, entering the room. "Oh, hi," Bryan greeted as soon as he saw Will. "You must be Will. Jack assumed that you were with someone, but . . . I guess not."
Will felt his face begin to burn, so he turned away from Bryan. "Well, you know, just no one there for me tonight," he said. That's not true, he added in his mind. There was someone there for me. Jack was for me, is for me. Why don't you leave him alone. You don't deserve him.
"Will," began Bryan, with a sigh of, what sounded like, pity, "don't think I didn't notice the way you were staring at us tonight. I saw."
Will felt his stomach lurch. "What do you mean?" he asked, stupidly.
Bryan sat down next to Will. "I know how you feel," he said, matter-of-factly.
"Oh really, half-naked-man-on-my-couch?" asked Will, sarcastically. "And how is that?"
"I know that you must be jealous of Jack, you know, for calling dibs on me first, but that's the way it goes. Tell you what, you can have me tomorrow night." He smiled at Will and winked.
"What?" snapped Will, sliding away from Bryan.
"It's okay; Jack just wants a one-night thing, and-"
"That's all he wants?" asked Will, slightly horrified. "Did he tell you this?"
"No, I figured that's all he wanted, coming up to me tonight . . . asking me here. Kind of obvious, isn't it?"
"What if that isn't what he wants?" asked Will, standing up. "What if he wants is someone special. Someone who is 'the one'?"
Bryan did not say anything. "Well," he began, uneasily, "it can't be me; I'm not ready for that." He stood up and walked towards the door.
"Hey, won't you need . . . clothes?" asked Will, giving Bryan an odd look.
"No, I have a friend who lives in this building. I can't go back there, in case Jack wants to propose. Uhh, bye." He walked out and shut the door behind him.
Will smiled; that had worked out pretty well. Now that Bryan was gone, Jack was going to need some comfort. Being able to take Jack in his arms again . . . it gave Will an adrenaline rush just thinking about it.
"Oh Bryaaaannn!" came Jack's sing-songy voice from down the hall. "Where are yooooou?" Jack saw Will almost immediately. "Hey Will, have you seen Bryan?"
Will did not reply right away. Jack was dressed as Bryan had been; simply wearing a pair of boxers. Again, he got an urge to take Jack in his arms and kiss him all over and hear Jack say how much he loved him . . . "Umm, yeah," replied Will. "He was here, then he remembered that he had to . . . leave."
"Leave?" repeated Jack, sitting on the couch. "Why?"
"He didn't say," Will lied. "He just left."
"Why?" Jack said again, but this time it wasn't to Will; it was to himself. "I was a good lover."
Will sat down beside Jack. "It's okay," he said, soothingly. "They'll be someone better."
"That's not the point, Will. The point is, he just left. First Stewart, then Bryan . . . what is wrong with me?"
"Nothing is wrong with you," said Will, wrapping his arms around Jack. As soon as he hands touched Jack's bare flesh, he felt a light tingle. Wow, he thought. This feels so right. "You're . . . great."
Jack laid his head against Will's shoulder. "Thanks. Keep going."
Will sighed softly, secretly smelling Jack's hair. The scent of Sweet Pea shampoo filled his mind with soothing thoughts, and he hugged Jack tighter. "And you're funny and sweet and . . . just . . . perfect."
Jack looked up at Will, his blue eyes sent a chill up Will's spine. "Thanks Will. I needed that."
Will sighed again. "Jack, there's something that I've got to tell you."
"What is it?" Jack asked, softly.
Will stared into Jack's eyes; they were so calm, so tranquil, that Will actually feared telling Jack about his feelings. "I . . . I . . ." He took a deep breath. "Jack, I think that I'm in-"
*Knock-Knock* Jack looked at the door. "Bryan?" he whispered, standing up. He walked over to the door and opened it. "Br-" He stopped talking. "Oh, my God. Stewart?"
~ * ~ TBC ~ * ~
A/N-Okay, please review! Thanks!