"Hey dude," Zac smiled as he answered his cell phone.

"How did you know it was me?" Will asked in shock.

"I have your number programmed in, so when you call it says your name," Zac smiled.

"Oh, for a minute there I thought your psychic powers had become so finely tuned you could tell who's calling before you answer," Will laughed.

"Nah, but I can predict the weather and get three out of five winning lottery ball numbers," Zac snickered.

"You're a trip dude," Will laughed.

"What's on your mind?"

"How do you feel about coming up here and chillin' with me for a few days?" Will crossed his fingers.

"Um, lemme think about that, hmmm HELL YEAH," Zac almost blew out Will's ear.

"Alrighty then," Will laughed.

"I'll take anything over being in this hell hole," Zac laughed.

"That bad huh?" Will asked.

"Yeah, especially with Franken Hooker always coming over," he laughed.

"Franken, oh yeah Anthea," Will smirked shaking his head.

"Call her whatever you want; she's still Franken Hooker to me."

"Anyways you, so how about," Will looked at his calendar.

"How about I leave ASAFP?" Zac barked.

"ASAFP?" Will asked confused.

"Yeah, as soon as fuckin' possible," Zac laughed.

"Alright, gimme a call back later tonight and let me know what's goin' down," Will smiled.

"Hey man, you actually livin' with Ashton Kutcher," Zac asked.

"Yeah, you'll be stayin' here with us."

"All right dude will do, peace," Zac laughed as he hung up.

"SWEET," Zac barked as he jumped into the air and ran down the hallway.

*          *          *          *          *

"What was all that about?" Ashton asked as Will hung up the phone laughing.

"Oh, heh, yeah I've invited Zac Hanson to come up here and stay with us for a few days, if that's cool," Will added realizing he had forgotten to ask Ashton first.

"Oh yeah, that's cool, Zac is pretty tough," Ashton smiled.

"Yeah," Will smirked.

*          *          *          *          *

"Absolutely not," Ike heard his mother exclaiming as he and Shiye came in the front door.

"Mom, come on," Zac begged.

"No, that's my final answer."

Taylor came down the hall with a confused look on his face. Before he could ask what was going on, Ike held up his hand motioning for Taylor to remain quiet.

"Mom, Ashton's invited me to go with him to some really cool stuff up there and I really want to go, I promise it will be cool," Zac almost begged.

Taylor winced as he realized Zac was trying to get permission to leave, just as he was about to tell them he was going. At that very second, a thought popped into his head.

"Mom," Tay exclaimed as he walked into the living room with Ike and Shiye behind him.

"Taylor," his mother started.

"No, just a sec, I'm heading up there anyway," he tried a new angle.

Diana's eyebrows shot up.

"Oh you are?" she exclaimed in surprise.

"Yeah, Ghostly Orbit is playing and some friends wanted me to come check them out. They're a new band. I could make sure Zac doesn't get into any trouble, heck he and Ashton could tag along," Tay exclaimed as Zac eyed him suspiciously trying to figure his tactics.

Diana looked over at Zac briefly which is when Taylor was able to wink at him.

"Oh mom, no don't make me go with Taylor," Zac growled instantly.

"If you want to go at all," she started.

"But not with Tay, he's the biggest frickin' nerd on earth," Zac stomped across the room.

"If you want to go, then you'll have to go with him," she said as she walked into the kitchen.

"Sweet man," Zac whispered as he low fived Taylor.

"We don't even have to take the same airplane," Taylor whispered.

"Kick ass," Zac grinned.

"Guys come on, you can fly together," Ike whispered as he and Shiye walked up quietly.

"Naw, this is separate shit," Zac started as he walked down the hall to his room.

"Hey, you're seeing Ashton?" Tay asked as he walked into the room.

Zac paused as he realized Taylor must have overheard the first part of his conversation with their mom. He knew Taylor was aware that Will and Ashton had become a sort of unspoken couple in the past month or so, and he struggled briefly with a back up story to pitch at Taylor.

"Naw, I just used his name because mom knows we've met him and that he's cool," Zac threw out the line.

"Oh, alright," Taylor replied biting it hook line and sinker.

Zac sighed to himself quietly and went into his closet.

"I plan on leaving tomorrow around eight in the morning," Taylor exclaimed as he walked into the hallway.

"Taylor," they heard his mother call out.

"Oh fuck," Zac gasped.

"Shh, just a second," Tay calmed him as he walked down the hallway.

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you take Anthea?" she called out.

Instantly Taylor skidded to a stop in the hallway. He heard Zac groan out loud in the bedroom.

"Not Franken Hooker," Zac hissed out into the hallway.

"I already asked her, she's got something going on with her friends this weekend," he replied.

"Alright," Diana replied and went back to whatever she had been doing.

"Smooth man, ultra smooth," Zac grinned as Tay walked past him.

*          *          *          *          *

"Hey Daph," Will smiled as she answered the phone.

"Ugh, what time is it?" she mumbled as she rolled over.

"About half past ten," he laughed.

"Can't I ever sleep late?" she yawned.

"I wanted to know what you were doing for lunch today."

She rolled over again and looked at her planner and bolted up in bed.

"Shit," she gasped as she saw that she was supposed to pick Taylor up at the airport at noon.

"Uhm," she winced, not sure if Tay would want to see him the second he got into town.

"Just you, no one else," Will finished.

Daphne sighed.

"How does," she looked at her watch.

"How does three'ish sound?"

"Ok, then we can meet up at," he looked out the window trying to think of a place for them to meet.

"How about the Chelsea Piers down at 63rd Street and the West Side Highway?" Will asked.

"Ok, that's cool," she yawned again.

"I've gotta get goin' I'll talk to you around two thirty," she finished as she hung up.

*          *          *          *          *

"Ah," Daphne yelled again as her phone rang just as she was about to get in the shower.

"What?" she snapped as she answered it.

"Hey," Taylor exclaimed.

"I'm getting in the shower, what flight are you on again?"

"Flight 512, we get in at eleven thirty and I'll meet you up at baggage claim at twelve or a little earlier," Tay whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" she asked.

"I'm not supposed to have the phone on in flight," he chuckled.

"Alright I'll see you then," she smiled as she shook her head and got in the shower.

Tay rested his head back in the seat and closed his eyes. He still had a little over an hour and a half before he'd be in New York. His brain raced in a million and one directions trying to think of how he'd react when he saw Will again. He opened his eyes and glanced down at the back of the magazine in his lap and looked at the Calvin Klein ad. Will standing there, not smiling, staring back at him in black in white wearing just a pair of briefs. Taylor felt his heart stir.

"Soon," he whispered as he trailed his finger along Will's jaw line on the page.

*          *          *          *          *

"Will you accept a collect call from Zac?" the voice played over his phone with Zac's recorded voice.

"Yeah, go ahead," Will smiled.

"Hey dude," Zac smiled.

"You're calling me collect?" Will laughed.

"Yeah, I know I'm sorry," he winced.

"I'm on the plane."

"You're on the plane and you're calling me collect?" Will yelped.

"There goes my child's college tuition," Will sighed.

"You don't have a child," Zac exclaimed.

"Yeah, well who's to say I won't?" Will laughed.

"Anyways, I'd have called you from my cell but the bitch stewardess took it from me earlier when I tried to use it."

Will laughed to himself.

"I'll be in around twelve thirty or so, I don't think they'll let you come to the gate anymore, with all the security stuff, so I'll meet you at baggage claim around one or so," Zac finished.

"That works, you and me have some place to be around three," Will smiled.

"Oh cool, already planning shit out huh?" Zac laughed.

"Yeah, probably chill down at the piers with some friends or something."

"Sounds cool to me," Zac grinned.

"Ok well I'll be at baggage around one o'clock, later," Will replied as he hung up.

He glanced at his watch, it was nearing eleven.

"You wanna go out and grab something to eat," he called out as he walked down the hallway towards Ashton's bedroom.

"Uh, sure," Ashton exclaimed from behind the door.

"You decent?" Will asked.

"Yeah mostly."

Will pushed the door open as Ashton sat on the bed in a pair of boxer shorts.

"Where we gonna eat?" he asked looking up.

"I don't know I was thinking we could just wing it or something, I've got to get Zac at the airport at one, and then me and him are gonna go chill for a little bit down at the Chelsea Piers," Will stretched.

"Want me to give you a ride? I can't hang with you guys. I got some stuff goin' on already but I can drop you off," he exclaimed standing up.

"Yeah that's cool," Will smirked as he turned his head.

Ashton glanced down as he noticed he was hard and poking out of his boxers.

"Sorry, morning wood," he laughed as he grabbed it and pushed it back into hiding.

"Yeah," Will laughed as he started to leave the room.

"Hey," Ashton exclaimed quietly.

"Hmm?" Will asked turning around.

"Do you wanna?" he started as his hands began to wander back down under his boxers.

Will felt it coming before it came out of his mouth.

"Babe, we gotta talk about some stuff too," he exclaimed before Ashton could finish.

"Oh," he replied glancing down at the floor and then off to the side.

"Yeah, so you get dressed, and I'll be waiting out on the balcony," Will smiled as he pulled the door shut.

"Stupid," Ashton scolded himself as he smacked himself through the front of his boxers.

*          *          *          *          *

"It has nothing to do with you," Will began as he sipped his coffee.

"It's, well hard to explain, Ashton, babe I dig you a lot," he smiled hoping a little complimenting would make it easier to say.

"But we can't continue on this same level," he exclaimed quietly.

"I didn't ask you to marry me or anything," Ashton countered as he looked off into the street.

"I know, but listen it's been my understanding and somewhat experience that when you let a friendship, like ours cross over that line between friends and lovers," Will paused as Ashton looked over at him solemnly.

"When the lines between friends and lovers get blurred, you risk hurting the other person without meaning too."

Ashton remained quiet.

"And I value our friendship too much to jeopardize it," he finished.

Ashton looked down at the table, then back up at Will, his eyes just ever so slightly misty.

"I wasn't really wanting something really serious," Ashton started.

"Shh, I understand I really do, but they always turn serious," Will whispered as he reached over and squeezed Ashton's hand.

"You're like the first guy that I've," Ashton paused as Will suddenly felt even more awful.

"You're the first I've ever kissed or, ever touched you know," he whispered as he swallowed hard a few times.

Will squeezed his eyes shut, understanding now that he was Ashton's first male crush. Which was why he was taking the, even smoothly and sweetly put rejection so hard.

"Ash, I'm the last person you want to be involved with right now," Will sighed as he sat back and lit a cigarette.

"You're too hard on yourself," Ashton replied pulling the cigarette out of Will's mouth.

Sighing Will put the pack away.

"Listen, I know you're still feeling it all from you and Taylor," Ashton started as Will closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Ashton paused as he saw he was about to tread on thin ice.

"All I'm saying is," he paused again.

"It's cool," Ashton finished quietly catching Will off guard.

"Huh?" he asked opening his eyes, sitting up.

"It's cool, if we were meant to be, we'd be together," Ashton exclaimed staring down at his menu.

Will leaned forward.

"Come here," he whispered as Ashton looked up.

"One for the road," Will smirked.

Ashton smiled and leaned in and they kissed.

*          *          *          *          *

"Oh you look great," Daphne groaned as she gave Taylor a hug.

"You too, damn it feels like it's been forever," Tay sighed as they walked to her car.

"I know, hey ok I know this is sudden," she began.

"Uhm," Tay laughed nervously.

"I'm supposed to meet up with Will at three," she said flat out.

"I can't, not this soon. I need more time to think how I'm gonna do this," Tay almost whispered.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, it's just, maybe later tonight, or something but not right now, I can't," he exclaimed as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"Taylor," Daph almost scolded.

"Shut up," he snapped back as he rolled down the window.

Daph felt herself flinch.

"You have no idea how long a flight can feel when you can't smoke," Tay muttered through his lips as he lit up.

"Hold it near the window then," she frowned as she rolled down hers.

"I guess I'll drop you back at my place and then I'll call you when I know what the game plan is," she exclaimed.

"Oh brother," she rolled her eyes as she glanced down in his lap.

"What now?" Tay asked without looking over.

"You two even smoke the same cigarettes," she shook her head.

Tay glanced down at his lap and felt a small smile creep across his face.

"Heh," he chuckled.

*          *          *          *          *

"So what are you and Zac gonna do?" Ashton asked as they pulled out into traffic.

"Well I'll tell you if you promise to keep a secret," Will smiled.

"I promise," Ashton grinned wide as he turned down the stereo.

"You remember Daphne?" Will asked.

"Daphne who, of course I know Daphne," Ashton laughed.

"When are you gonna hook us up?" he asked.

Will groaned and leaned his head out the window.

"Why God why?" he screamed into traffic.

"Uhm ok," Ashton replied in confusion.

"I'm sure you know Daph and Zac used to date right?"

"Yeah I heard something about that, but you said the article in Maximum was faked."

"Well that article was faked but Zac and Daph were an item for quite a while, and it's pretty much common knowledge to friends of both of them that the article pretty much destroyed their relationship. Plus, Zac's parents are pretty much insane as well," Will laughed.

"Yeah, that's obvious."

"Oh no, wait you're gonna," Ashton whined as he slapped the steering wheel.

"I'm gonna what?" Will smirked looking over at him.

"You're gonna run them into each other and get them back together, aren't you?" he asked.

"Perceptive boy," Will giggled.

"Man, that stinks," Ashton frowned.

"They were made for each other, they fit like," Will paused to find the right metaphor.

"Like you and Taylor?" Ashton exclaimed quietly.

Will glanced over at him, taken off guard.

"Yeah," Will whispered.

*          *          *          *          *

"So I'm guessing you've seen the ad?" Daph asked as they maneuvered through traffic.

Tay didn't reply he just pulled the magazine up out of the side of his bag and waved it at her.

"Yeah," she smiled quietly.

"But," she smirked as she made a turn.

"Have you seen that?" she asked as she turned to face Tay, leaned down and looked up through his window.

Tay glanced over and up at the massive three story tall Calvin Klein billboard in Times Square.

"Oh my," Tay muttered the cigarette falling out of his mouth out the window.

Daphne smiled as Taylor continued to stare up.

"Yup," she chuckled.

"Oh and over there too," she laughed as they began to move again and passed a bus stop.

Tay turned to face her with an expression on his face that mixed shock with something she couldn't quite place.

"You ok?" she asked as tears hung in his lids.

"Yeah, I'm great, I'm so proud of him," Tay whispered wiping his eyes.

"Aww," she groaned and reached over hugging him with one arm.

"You're gonna have him back, don't you start crying," she exclaimed squeezing him up against her.

"It's not that, it's, just this should help destroy those self doubting things he still thinks about his appearance," Tay exclaimed glancing out the window.

"Huh?" Daph asked confused.

"He's always thought he was unattractive, and this, this should just prove to him that he's not."

"Oh, yeah he's always been negative about his appearance," Daphne sighed matter-of-factly.

"Believe me it was something I always was trying to deprogram in him," he sighed as he closed his eyes.

"Tired?"

"A nap would be great. How long are you gonna be with him?"

"Not sure, he was acting kind of strange. He wanted to see me alone."

"Huh, well just call me when you're on your way back I think I could handle him better after some rest, maybe we can do dinner and all that," Tay asked glancing over.

"Yeah, that'll be fine, I'm totally free tonight and tomorrow."

"Ever felt like," Tay paused.

"Like everything is about to turn around, and the sun's about to break through the clouds?" Tay asked.

"Yeah," she smiled.

"Same here," Tay smiled back at her.

She felt good inside, seeing the happiness in Taylor's eyes. They were sparkling, full of anxiety about finally seeing Will again. She felt good, really good. Something told her the next few days would resemble a new beginning, a turn of events.

"You ok?" Tay asked smiling.

"I'm great, I really am," she smiled.

"Yeah," Tay paused, "and in a few hours I'll be even better."


On to Chapter Fifteen

Back to Chapter Thirteen

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A Love Incognito is Copyright © 2000 by Taylor W. Quest.
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