**Hey guys! Sorry I took so long with this but... it is a bit longer than usual! YAY! I'm back again with Chapter 4. So, I guess I left you guys with a tiny cliff hanger that could decide the fate of this story. Oh man. What's going to happen? Can you feel it? The tension in the air? Without further a due, I present to you, Chapter 4. Also, I did it in Howard's POV, so I hope you like it?**
Howard's POV
From the moment I joined the AGT team, Howie and I had a connection. We seemed to grow close rather quickly. He and I were always joking around backstage and...bonding? Was that the appropriate word? Anyways my point is that we've always gotten along. The public thought we hated each other but it was a completely different story. Then again, I'm not really sure what we were.
I knew we were obviously friends but I got this...vibe from the bald man when I first met him. I can't exactly explain it. I just knew Howie would be different than the other people who had come into my life at this point.
Soon after Howie entered my life...I mean, soon after I joined the AGT panel, my wife and I started having problems. She said I was acting different. She even accused me of cheating on her. Nothing had changed in my life other than the fact that I'd joined AGT. That was the only thing. I hadn't met any girl that would make me change like that. I had no idea what my wife was talking about. Yet she kept telling me that I was acting how I did when I first fell in love with her. Honestly, my feelings for my wife had been slowly decreasing. Our relationship had been on the rocks for a while.
Beth just didn't seem to be as committed to our relationship as she used to be. The worst part about that is that I wasn't sure if I was sad about it...or happy. Honestly, I felt the same way about our relationship. I just wasn't as committed as I used to be. It seemed like our love was slowly fading, and neither of us wanted to try and rekindle it.
The closer Howie and I got, the further away Beth and I seemed to get. It didn't help that while we were filming for AGT, I was always on the road with Howie and Sharon. I was on the road for months and I didn't see my wife a lot during that time. Sure I called her to see how she was doing, but it just wasn't the same as being there with her. The main people I saw on the road were Sharon...and Howie.
A couple weeks into filming my first season on the show, which was season seven of AGT, and I could see that Howie was starting to act weird. I noticed he wasn't as happy and outgoing as he usually was. I talked to Sharon to see if she knew what was going on with him but she didn't have much to say. He just...wouldn't talk to us. He just shut us out.
I was concerned about him. I knew there was obviously something bothering him. Either he was being too stubborn to talk to someone about it, or he just didn't want to talk about it at all. I could see how unusual he had been acting lately and I figured I should try and talk to him. I figured if it was just us two, he would be able to talk to me...right?
The first time I tried to invite him to hang out, he turned me down. That wasn't like him. It was usually the other way around. Howie was always inviting me to hang out. But by then, he'd been acting really weird. He was acting weird, but mainly around me. I noticed his change in attitude and wondered if I had done anything to piss him off. As I said before, Howie had been pushing us all away so I wasn't sure what had been bothering him and I wanted to know.
I talked to the backstage crew to see if I could get any information from them, but sadly I got nothing in return. Then I went to Sharon again. She told me she had had a chat with the comedian but it was a short lived talk since they were interrupted. So, I had nothing to go on. I'd just have to ask him bluntly when we were in private and hope for the best.
So I waited for a couple more days before asking him again if he wanted to hang out. On this particular day, we had a long, long day of auditions but I was still rather full of energy. Howie was still acting...strange. He had been staring at his phone a lot. This only caused me to grow more concerned. So I decided enough was enough, and approached him at his limo again, asking him the same thing I had the first time. I prepared myself for an argument but was surprised when I received none. With a little bit of discussion, we agreed we would go to my hotel and take the same limo. What could go wrong?
I lead Howie back to my limo, both of us staying silent. I can already tell this is going to be awkward. We're always usually talking each other's ears off. The tension was thick in the air as I stepped back to let Howie in the limo first. He was surprised by the gesture but got in without a word. I followed in after him and closed the door with a loud slam.
We sat in silence, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I hadn't even realized I had drifted off and let my imagination and thoughts take over until I heard Howie's voice, breaking me out of my train of that.
"Uh...Howard? We're here." Howie said, though it sounded as more of a mumble, causing me to turn towards him. I caught a small flash of a smile, and felt a smile tug at my own lips. He could be so...cute sometimes. Cute? Oh god...what was happening to me?
I mentally cursed myself for thinking like that, but kept my outside appearance normal as I looked over Howie's shoulder at the hotel after I had realized I was staring at Howie for too long. "Oh. I guess I...wasn't paying too much attention." I chuckled lamely. "Sorry." I muttered afterwards. He didn't seem to care too much since he had zoned out as well. I get out first and waited for Howie to follow me before starting to walk to the hotel.
The walk to the hotel was uneventful, only taking a few steps to get to anyways. We made our way to the elevator as silence still lingered between us, the ding of the elevator signalling its arrival. We got in once the doors opened, and I headed over to the panel to close the doors and hit my floor button next. I stepped back from it, and it took a few seconds to sink in until I realized it was only the two of us. I had no idea what to say or how to act, which seemed ridiculous since we were just friends; he was just one of my friends, right? How was he any different from any other guy friend I had?
"So...we haven't hung out in a while." I said, the silence becoming too much for me. It was a stupid thing to say, but I just needed to break the silence, along with some tension, that hung in the air. I kept my face forward as the elevator went higher and higher.
I heard a sigh from Howie, then, from the corner of my eye, I saw him nod. "I...I know. It's been too long." He said. I could see him move around a bit, but I wasn't sure exactly what he was doing. And just like that the tension was back again.
I looked over at Howie, thankful for the shades on my eyes. It made it less obvious that I was staring at the bald comedian beside me. I wasn't expecting Howie to look my way anytime soon, so when he did, my eyes widened and I quickly turned my head to stare at the doors of the elevator again. Howie turned away just as fast as I did, but I still felt so stupid. At least he couldn't really see my eyes. I hoped.
I glanced over at him again, risking it to see his reaction, but I certainly wasn't ready to see a blush on his face. Neither of us commented on what just happened, and the elevator grew silent again. Seriously? Where was the music? I didn't mind much though as my thoughts came back to me and I left the real world again.
The ding of the elevator caught me off guard, but not as much as Howie as I heard him let out a squeak. It shouldn't have been cute coming from a middle aged man...but I thought it was adorable. There I go again. What is it with me and calling Howie all these weird, girly adjectives?
"You okay there Howie?" I asked, a playful tone in my voice. I saw Howie roll his eyes, causing my current smile to grow.
He didn't respond to me but I didn't mind as I left the elevator and traveled down the hall to my room. We walked side by side. We were so close that our hands brushed a few times by accident, not that I was complaining.
Once we reached my hotel room, I slid my key card in and allowed him to go first. He didn't seem surprised this time as he made his way around me and into the room. I did everything in my power not to check him out but I couldn't help it. That's when I realized...holy shit.
I took a few deep breaths to try and calm myself down, following into the hotel room after Howie. I went into the kitchen to grab us both some water, giving me a few seconds to myself. I grabbed two water bottles and left the kitchen again to see Howie fiddling with the remote. I hand him a water bottle and sit beside him on the couch. A frown made its way onto my face when I felt Howie tense up beside me. That wasn't like him. We were always so chill around each other.
I let him play with the remote for a few minutes so I could gather my thoughts. The hotel room was so quite, except for the faint sound of the television, and it only added to the tense feeling in the room. Finally, I spoke up, breaking the silence that had gone on for too long.
"Can we, uh, talk Howie?" I asked, feeling Howie tense up again. Was I making him that uncomfortable? I felt bad for even asking him to hang out in the first place. Our friendship had changed dramatically in the past couple of weeks, and I had no idea what was wrong.
"Sure. What's up?" He asked, as I turned his way. I could see the smile on his face seemed forced. His eyes didn't crinckle in the usual way they did when he gave a genuine smile.
"What's been going on with you?" I asked, the concern evident in my voice. I tried to be as sensitive and caring as I could, taking my shades off to reveal my eyes. "You've been acting really...strange lately." I added, connecting our eyes. It was only for what seemed like a second, then Howie had turned away again. Did I do something wrong?
"I-I'm fine." He stuttered. Never in my life had I ever heard Howie stutter. He was always so confident in everything he did. I knew he was lying just by those two words. "I've just had a lot on my mind lately." Sure. That's what everyone said nowadays.
"Cut the crap." I said, cringing as I realized it was rather harsh. I wasn't trying to be mean, I just wanted to know the truth. I just wanted to know what was really bothering him. Was that too much to ask? You've been pushing us all away Howie. We haven't hung out in a while. And I'm not the only one who's noticed. Sharon said you've been acting weird with her too. She said something about you and Terry." I saw how wince, and I wasn't sure if I hit a sore spot or if I had gotten the topic dead on. "Sharon said you guys have been..." I trailed off, hoping he would finish.
"We had a rough patch. No big deal." He muttered, which meant he didn't want to talk about it anymore. I just...all I wanted was the truth. Apparently Howie didn't want to give me that. "I'll call her later." He added, as if that would help.
"I just wan-" Howie cut me off before I could even finish my sentence.
"Just drop it, okay?" He snapped. That definitely wasn't like him. He never snapped at anyone. He was always so kind. This was the first time I had ever seen him genuinely pissed...and it kind of scared me. I saw him run a hand over his head as I sat back more in my seat."I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap." He apologized, tension dissolving quickly.
The topic changed quickly, which I was rather thankful for. We started to joke around as we got back into the usual swing of things. We somehow got closer and closer to each other, our knees bumping. I could practically hear and feel Howie's breath hitch as the atmosphere grew serious again.
We connected eyes again, both of us turning serious. It was amazing how fast we could go from being joksters to being completely serious. I had no idea what to do as our faces were so close to one another by now.
"Howie." I said, at the exact moment Howie breathed out, "Howard." We both had a good laugh, the serious moment gone for only a moment. "You can start..." He offered, a genuine smile on his lips.
I nodded my head, letting out a laugh. "Howie, what's really going on with you?" I asked seriously. I was just so...concerned about the other man. There was so much that could be going on...and I just wanted to help him in any way I could. "I just want to make sure you're okay." I added, sensing his discomfort. I could tell Howie still didn't want to talk, but I did.
**Thanks so much to the people still reading this story. I'm surprised it's getting as much attention as it is. But...once again I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and your reviews are appreciated. So R&R please and thank you! Let me know what you like, what you don't like. Anything is appreciated. See you guys soon!**