Peter had been spending these last few nights as he had before Davy knew of his crush, waiting for Davy to come home so that he could know how the date had gone. Though Davy had promised Peter time and again that these dates were meaningless and just to keep up appearances, it didn't ease Peter's mind anymore. He still was in bed with his stomach in knots.

He looked over at the clock, 11:35 PM. Was it just his imagination or did these dates seem to be getting longer? At the beginning of the week, Davy was going on afternoon dates that would last at tops an hour and a half. Now he had taken to nighttime dates which were lasting upwards of three hours. Peter was sure that the activities required more time and that the girl maybe pushing to go dancing or something, but irrational thoughts always pushed their way in causing Peter to wait in anguish.

And did Davy really have to go out every night? When he and Peter weren't an item Davy would only go out maybe three or four times a week. He had been out every day this week and it had already been five days. Maybe Davy was nervous and overdoing things. The opposite of no dates was a date a night, there seemed to be no happy medium. And that was deeply affecting Peter's sanity.

Snapping Peter out of his train of thought was the bedroom door opening. Davy slowly walked inside backward shutting the door. He didn't even turn around but must have felt Peter's eyes on him.

"Waited up for me again, huh?"

"I tried not to. I'm just nervous, that's all. Hard to sleep when you're nervous."

Davy turned and gave Peter his polite smile. That cut through Peter like a knife.

"I suppose it would be. But remember you have nothing to worry about. I just went to a party with this Jill girl and she kept lingering. I couldn't just leave her there."

Peter blushed. He felt stupid for waiting up and feeling jealousy towards these girls. He knew how Davy felt about him and yet he was still acting foolish. He didn't want to keep acting this way in case it would drive Davy off. Nobody wanted to be around a clingy, jealous person. He may have to push his feelings aside for the greater good.

"You're right. I don't know why I keep getting like this. Here let me make it up to you," Peter said pulling his blanket aside to reveal that he was sleeping in the buff.

Davy's face made a slight wince that would have gone unnoticed by the untrained eye, but for a bassist on the edge it was caught. Davy then had a blank look on his face.

"Not tonight Peter. I still don't think I'm ready to risk them finding out. You know how Micky sleepwalks and Mike comes trailing after him. What if they see us?"

Peter grabbed a pair of boxers he had laying by the side of his bed and slipped them on after he had covered back up. "No, no I understand." He tried not to let Davy catch the disappointment in his voice.

"Thanks, babe. I promise we will resume sometime soon."

Peter blew Davy a kiss and Davy nodded back in his direction before turning off the light. Davy undressed in the dark and was soon cuddled up in his own bed. It didn't sound to Peter like Davy had fallen asleep for quite some time. Maybe he had just as much on his mind as Peter did. Peter felt like he was back at square one and he didn't care to be back in that familiar territory.

"What's wrong, Big Peter?"

Peter was startled out of his ruminating thoughts by Micky. "What do you mean? Nothing's wrong."

"Uh huh, so you're just staring off into space and letting me dominate you in Monopoly on purpose. You don't need to let me win."

"I just haven't been lucky that's all."

"Luck has nothing to do with this. If it was being unlucky you would have kept going to jail. This is more not paying attention, since I keep landing on your properties and not paying."

"You can't do that, Mick, it's cheating," Mike countered as he walked by.

"It's fair if the other person is in their own little world. It seems like Peter is in the same place we left him and here I thought he was a changed man."

Peter wasn't listening to Micky's banter. He was stealing glances at the front door waiting for Davy to come back from yet another date. This time it had been three hours already, his longest date yet and Peter's attempt at distracting himself was a flop.

"Hey, Shotgun," Mike said waving a hand in front of Peter's face. "I said is there something going on between you and Davy?"

Peter wanted so badly to spill the beans and tell them both so that Davy would stop having to date. But he was also scared of their reaction. None of them had ever dealt with something like this before so he was unsure of their reactions. Maybe he could subtly play it off so they were suspicious but not completely sure of what he was talking about.

"Not what you would expect, no."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Mike asked.

"Mike, don't even bother. I'm not even pretending to understand the odd dynamic that goes on in that room," Micky said again skipping over paying Peter for Marvin Gardens.

"Well, whatever it is I just wish you two would kiss and make up already!"

"Me too, Mike. Me too," Peter said very quietly.

"Monopoly!" Micky yelled. "Game over."

"What are you talking about?"

"I got three properties that are the same color. It's a Monopoly so I win."

"That's not how you win, Mick," Mike protested.

Peter stood from the table. "No, no Mike, he won fair and square. Great game, Micky. I'll see you all in the morning."

Peter took off to his room. He decided he was going to take Davy matters into his own hands now. He had to be quick too because as he shut the bedroom door he heard the front door open and the familiar sounds of a British accent. Peter got situated and waited for Davy to enter the room. He heard the doorknob turn after a few minutes and positioned himself appropriately.

The genuine smile that had been on Davy's face when he entered the bedroom was now gone at the sight of Peter. He closed the door swiftly before addressing Peter.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?"

Peter was lying on Davy's bed in red silk pajamas with a rose in his teeth. "Enticing you?"

"Suppose Mike and Micky had seen you? They are still downstairs you know!"

"Well, I'm tired of waiting for you to decide when you want to rekindle things!" Peter bellowed.

"Keep your voice down!" Davy snapped.

That snap caused Peter's lip to quiver and he dropped the rose to the floor and stomped over to his own bed. He curled up under the covers and faced the wall. Peter didn't want Davy to know that he was on the verge of breaking down in tears. He didn't want Davy to be turned off to him acting like a brat, but he also didn't want him to see that things were still getting to him. Peter heard a long, loud sigh come from Davy and the sounds of him shuffling towards Peter.

Peter felt a small dip in the bed as Davy sat down and began running his hand through Peter's hair.

"Shhh. I'm sorry babe; I didn't mean to shout like that. I guess I'm more on edge than I've been letting on. I'm letting fear cloud my choices. I don't want you to feel neglected, especially since it must be hard to watch me go out on dates. I'm not taking your feelings into consideration."

Peter sniffled and turned around to face Davy. Davy again had a blank look on his face. Peter was finding it extremely difficult again to read him.

"I don't want to be acting this way," Peter managed to get out.

"You're not doing anything that isn't warranted. Now what do you say you come back over and sleep in my bed tonight?"

"Really?" Peter asked wiping his eyes.

"Really," Davy said wiping some tear streaks off Peter's cheeks.

Davy led him over to the bed and changed into some pajamas. He huddled behind Peter and put his arm around him. Peter snuggled in close and breathed in Davy's aroma. Unfortunately, he smelled like his own cologne and some woman's perfume. This tugged at Peter's heart for a moment before he realized that in being in close proximity with someone else someone was bound to pick up the other persons' scent. It made sense. Peter let himself enjoy the closeness because he had gone so long without.

Peter woke up to find that Davy was already up and out of the bedroom. He stretched and wondered when Davy had developed the habit of waking up early. He stayed lying down for some time enjoying the fact that he was in Davy's bed. His lingering was interrupted by Davy reentering the room. Peter sat up and watched Davy try to move about the room quietly.

"Morning," Peter said.

"Oh hey, I didn't know if you would be up yet."

"I'm surprised you are. Usually I was having to pry you out of bed in the morning."

"I didn't sleep well and figured I would just get up and moving."

Didn't sleep well? Peter had slept like a baby having Davy beside him and he knew that in those first few days together Davy had too. What was different? What had changed? Peter shook those thoughts from his mind. There had to be another reasonable explanation for this like Davy was ill or that he was thinking about how much he had been upsetting Peter.

"So what have you been up to so far?"

"Honestly, I just cancelled my date for this afternoon."

Peter's eyes widened. "Oh?"

"Yeah, after last night I realized that I had been going out too much. It has been nervousness over not knowing how to approach our relationship around Micky and Mike. Seeing how hurt you were last night really opened my eyes. I want to do better."

This act of love really touched Peter. It was sweet of Davy to put his own fears aside for the good of the relationship.

"Come here," Peter said getting up and walking over towards Davy. He pulled him into a kiss. He had been waiting a week to be able to do that again. Davy seemed hesitant at first but eventually eased into the kiss.

"So what were you going to do instead today?"

"Well, I thought the four of us could go to the beach or something. I have really been avoiding Mike because I fear his line of questioning."

"I don't blame you he was pestering me last night. But I think the atmosphere will be a good distraction for him too."

Davy shook his head. "That guy never lets up."

Peter was glad that it was perfect beach weather today. The last time he had been to the beach was with Davy in the storm and he wanted that to remain a special moment. He was glad that Davy had suggested this roommate time as to not arouse suspicion. Although, Peter could stand to have this whole thing done and over with by now. He was getting lonelier by the day which was a weird feeling since Davy was right in the room with him, but Peter's bed felt so much bigger without someone in it with him.

For now he was contented with actually getting to see Davy in those very short, red swim trunks. He couldn't help but admire that physique and remember what Davy looked like with nothing on at all. He let out a sigh. He had been raking in the images of Davy before him all afternoon as he played volleyball with Mike and frolicked in the water with Micky. Now Davy was laying out darkening his already tan skin while Peter looked on from a distance. Peter was taking in every ounce from the bottoms of his sandy soles to his sexy wet hair. He barely noticed the figure next to him.

"How long?" Micky asked.

"How long what? I think I missed the beginning of your joke Micky."

"No, this is clearly not a joke. How long have you been jonesin'for Jones over there," Micky said pointing a thumb towards Davy.

Peter was dumbfounded by Micky's perceptiveness. Usually Micky didn't pay too close attention to what was going on in everyone else's' lives, that was Mike's department.

"What are you talking about?" Peter was finally able to utter.

"You've been staring at him all day. I mean I know the man is an Adonis, but even I have my staring limits. I might be blinded by his beauty."

"I have not been staring at him all day," Peter protested.

"Are you sure? Because I pretty positive that I've barely seen your eyes leave him. Now granted I don't know for sure since I haven't been staring at you all day."

"I think you're just looking for things that aren't there, Micky. Are you bored or something?"

Micky was tapping his chin and didn't seem to be listening to Peter. "Oh, it all makes sense now. Is this why you've been acting so weird for God knows how long? And does he know!? Is that why he was weird? I knew this had nothing to do with cologne."

Whoa, slow down there Mike Jr.

"Micky, I can't make this anymore clear to you. Nothing is going on between Davy and I that you don't already know about. I'm staring in that direction to block the sun."

"But the sun is in the opposite direction."

"What are you a meteorologist now?"

"No, obviously I'm a detective."

"Not a very good one because you're way off."

"Whatever you say, Pete," Micky said getting up and going back in the water.

Was he that obvious? This maybe the answer Peter was looking for. If Micky knew about them then that meant that they were close to being able to put this whole thing out in the open. He couldn't wait to talk to Davy about it when they got home.