“Can I watch the games later dad?” Justin asked his father as they were practicing.

His father hadn’t said anything to him last night when he’d come in, just told him to get some rest. Today they were out on the bowling lane again, practicing. His father was giving him tips and critiques but Justin took them all without protest. He hadn’t forgotten how sweetly Josh had asked him if he was coming to his game yesterday, he’d told him he would be there and he really wanted to keep his promise. He’d worked hard all morning and knew now was the time to ask if they could watch the games. He couldn’t ask if they could watch Josh’s game but he had a plan.

“We are not done here.” Randy dismissed.

“I know but I mean it’s only twelve we could watch one of the three o’clock games,” Justin suggested, knowing that would be Josh’s game. He’d looked it up in the game schedule.

His father raised his eyebrows suspiciously and Justin quickly added, “To you know check out the competition, I could be meeting these guys in the semi finals.”

Randy nodded then. “Maybe you have a point. Alright, we’ll go watch the games but practice first.”

Justin nodded quickly, pleased with his quick thinking and happy his father went for it. He would get to see Josh again, real soon.

“Hey, how did the training go?” Josh asked. Justin had went ahead to the games, his father would be there in a little while and he’d used this time to search out Josh and talk to him for a little while. He knew he wouldn’t have the opportunity once his father would join him.

“Fine,” Justin shrugged. “Nothing special.” Josh knew his father made him practice in between games and Justin thought it was sweet that he asked him about it.

“Good.”

“You’re up next right?” Justin wondered.

“Yeah.”

“Good luck.” Justin said sincerely, quickly looking around to make sure his father wasn’t around before he gave him a peck on the cheek.

Josh beamed. “Thanks,”

Justin grinned back.

“Are you gonna stick around for a while?”

“Yeah I think so, I asked my dad, we can watch the game.”

“Cool, I’ll make sure I won’t lose then.”

“You won’t. Although my dad would like to see you lose.” Josh’s smile faltered a little.

“I hope you win.” Justin informed him surely, noticing the insecurity. Maybe his father wanted Josh to lose, his father knew just as Justin how good Josh was and if he lost it would be less competition for Justin. However Justin didn’t care really, he wanted Josh to do well. He’d think about the consequences for himself later.

Josh’s smile was back, “I better get ready,”

Justin nodded in agreement. “I’ll see you later.”

Justin smiled. “Good luck.”

Josh smiled still and with a slight brush of his hand he walked away, getting himself ready for the upcoming game. Justin touched his own hand where Josh’s hand had brushed against his own, he couldn’t help but smile as he watched Josh.

“That kid is good.” Randy mumbled under his breath as he sat next to his son watching lane eight. He’d joined him soon after the game had started. Justin knew his father was talking about Josh. It couldn’t be the other kid because Josh was winning, big time. He had almost fifty points more than the other kid. Justin was proud of him but didn’t like the fact that his father was talking about him.

“Do you know that boy?” Randy questioned his son. Justin peeled his eyes away from Josh and turned to look at his father.

“Um, a little,” he answered. Randy nodded thoughtfully.

The game was over, there was a round of applause and Josh was written down as the winner. Justin wanted to go to him and congratulate him but his father was standing right there. Till his surprise Josh made his way to them and smiled at Justin in greeting.

“What’s you name kid?” Randy questioned.

“Joshua, Joshua Chasez sir.” Josh answered. Randy outstretched his hand.

“Congratulations Joshua. Good game.”

“Thank you sir.” Josh replied shaking the man’s hand. He’d seen the man beckoning him over and he hadn’t known if Justin had been behind it but he guessed not. They fell silent and Josh knew the conversation was over.

“If you’d excuse me, I’m gonna go get a drink. It was nice meeting you sir,”

“You too.”

“Bye.” Josh turned and walked away, he eyed Justin before he turned the corner, hoping he’d gotten his message across.

He had. Justin knew Josh wanted to meet him, now he just needed a cover to get away from his father without making it too obvious.

“I’m just gonna go to the bathroom, I’ll be right back.”

Randy nodded, still deep in thought as he watched the game one lane down where the decision still hadn’t been made. Two guys were still competing to win. Justin slipped away quietly and walked in the direction Josh had disappeared to. He turned the corner and walked right smack into someone. Arms came around his waist immediately and Justin knew who it was before he could actually see him.

“Hi,” Justin smiled.

“Hey, so you got my message huh?”

“How could I not?”

“Come on,” Josh urged him, taking his hand and pulling him with him out of sight. Josh pressed Justin against the wall with his own body, before he leaned in quickly, letting their lips meet in an eager kiss.

“I’ve been wanting to do that all day.”

“Hmm,” Justin moaned into the kiss. “Me too.”

The kiss didn’t seem to end, both didn’t want it to. Justin finally pulled back and pushed Josh away gently so his lips wouldn’t independently start on round two.

“I have to go, my dad will wonder where I am.” Josh nodded but still leaned in again. A quick kiss this time and now he was the one who gently pushed Justin away so he could use his mouth for something else.

“Let’s meet tonight.” Josh proposed.

Justin squirmed. “I want to, I do but my dad…”

“Just for a little while, I need to see you.”

“You see me now,” Justin smirked, knowing that wasn’t what Josh meant.

“I need to see you alone, and longer.” Josh said nevertheless.

“I know, I’ll see what I can do.”

Josh smiled. “Okay,”

“I’ll come to your room.”

“No.” Josh said quite abruptly, startling Justin.

“Let’s meet on the couch in the hall kay?”

“Okay.” Justin agreed although he thought it was a bit strange.

“I’ll see you tonight after dinner.”

Justin nodded then went back to his father. Randy asked what had taken him so long but he made up some excuse of running into someone on the way back and his father accepted it. Randy was telling him about the game in front of them but Justin wasn’t really listening. He was already thinking about Josh and how he could get away tonight to go see him.

“We have an hour.” Justin informed Josh immediately as he came around the corner. Josh was already sitting on the couch waiting for him.

“What’s with the towel and the trunks?” Josh wondered as Justin sank down beside him, tossing a towel and a pair of blue flowered swimming trunks to the side.

He smiled sheepishly. “I told my dad I was going swimming.”

Josh laughed. “Good thinking.”

“Hi.” Josh said, realizing he hadn’t gotten a kiss hello.

“Hi.” Justin returned, getting his message from the twinkle in Josh’s eye and he leaned in, kissing him softly.

“So why couldn’t I come to your room?” Justin wondered when they pulled back and Justin had settled himself against Josh’s side.

“My roommate is strange,”

“You have a roommate?”

Josh nodded. “So do you,”

“Yeah but it’s my dad.” Justin said in a tone of voice that made it obvious to Josh that you really couldn’t compare having a roommate with having your dad there.

“I know but I didn’t bring anyone, guess they didn’t want to give us single rooms. Although if you ask me; it’s not always a smart idea to stick competition in the same room.” Josh smirked.

“He’s that bad?” Justin wondered.

“Oh yeah, he’s pretty intense. Here to win and that’s it. I don’t think we’ve spoken for more than five minutes.” Justin giggled.

“It’s not funny.” Josh complained but Justin knew he didn’t mean it, he wasn’t upset.

“I’m sorry,” Justin giggled still.

“I mean I wanted to listen to some music a few nights ago and he told me to turn it off cause it bothered him.”

“Really?” Justin asked incredulously.

Josh nodded. “He’s no fun. Now if we could share a room…” he let his sentence trail off to get his message across.

Justin laughed. “Yeah that’s a good idea,” he said sarcastically.

“What?” Josh wondered. “It’s a great idea!”

“Sure if this were a vacation,” Justin laughed.

“I don’t see why we couldn’t share a room.” Josh said, taking the joke a step further. But Justin went along with it.

“Well, for one we would have too much fun, we would be too distracted, and we would probably have been eliminated in the first round.”

“You think?”

Justin nodded. “Positive.”

They both burst out laughing. Justin snuggled closer. He knew he would have more fun if he’d been rooming with Josh but things just weren’t like that.

“Shouldn’t your hair be wet when you go back?” Josh wondered suddenly, out of nowhere as they quietly spent time in each others arms. Justin opened his eyes and turned to him in confusion.

“What?”

“Didn’t you say you told your dad you were going swimming? Shouldn’t your hair and trunks be wet then?” Justin pondered it seriously.

“Maybe,”

“You only have fifteen minutes to do that,” Josh informed him.

“Shit,” he cursed.

Justin sighed, “Let’s just stay here for a few minutes longer kay?”

Josh nodded. “Sure.”

Almost ten minutes later Josh nudged Justin, “It’s five to eight.”

Justin nodded and pushed himself up.

“I should go then, gotta wet myself.” Josh looked at him strangely before bursting out laughing.

Justin looked up at him, “What?”

“Did you hear what you just said?”

Justin eyed him, “Probably not or I would have understood why you’re laughing so hard.”

“You… you said, you were gonna…” Josh choked out laughing again and he couldn’t talk at the same time.

“I was gonna what?” Justin demanded, he didn’t enjoy being laughed at, especially not when he didn’t know because of what.

“You said… you were gonna… wet yourself.” Josh finally managed. Justin looked offended.

“I did not say that.” He denied.

“You did.”

“I didn’t.” Justin again denied but Josh was still laughing.

“Stop it!” Justin chastised him, smacking his arm. Josh just couldn’t stop and Justin finally cracked a smile himself as Josh started giggling. When Justin heard the giggle he couldn’t help himself from laughing with him.

“Okay, okay I really gotta go, wet my hair,” he said, forcing himself to stop laughing as he put emphasis on his last two words, eyeing Josh pointedly who was still giggling.

“I’ll come with you.”

“Maybe I don’t want you to come.” Justin replied haughtily.

Josh stepped back with a pout.

“Oh stop it, you teased me!”

“I know, I’m sorry, I just… you said,”

“Okay, I know what I said, you can come, just stop it.” Justin said, faking irritation, it was playful bantering and Justin kind of enjoyed it if he were honest.

Josh followed him, chuckling under his breath.

“Stop!”

Justin and Josh went to Josh’s room where Justin wet his swimming trunks and then stuck his head under the faucet, getting his curls wet to make it look like he’d just been swimming. He dried them a little with his towel to get that moist as well and let them stick up in every direction. He knew his hair would look like this if he had actually been swimming. He hated to leave it so messy but it would convince his father so he let it be.

Josh smirked when Justin came out of the bathroom with his towel around his neck and his swimming trunks in his hand. They stepped out into the hallway. Strangely they wanted privacy and the hall was better than staying in the room where Eric was laying just around the corner.

“Not a word.” Justin warned as Josh pulled the door closed and eyed Justin’s hair.

“I wasn’t going to!” he defended himself, holding out his hands but it was clear what he was thinking.

“What? It’s my hair, I can’t help that.”

“I know,” Josh said, wrapping his arms around the other boy, “It looks cute.”

Justin smiled. “You think so?”

Josh nodded, “Definitely.”

Justin’s smile grew wider. “Glad I made your day,” he said jokingly.

“You did, seriously. I was really glad you came to the game.” Josh told him, although he teased him, he did really mean what he was saying and he needed Justin to realize this.

“Me too, I’m glad you won.” Justin said, he knew the teasing was just teasing and he had been happy Josh had won.

“So semi final tomorrow.” Josh breeched the subject carefully.

“Don’t want to talk about it.” Justin warned quickly.

“At least we don’t have to go up against each other,” Josh continued.

After Josh’s games, the last in de quarter finals there were only four guys left. It was decided through drawing of lots that Justin had to go up against a guy named Eric. Josh went up against Dave.

“Yeah,” Justin said, although he couldn’t help but worry what would happen if they’d meet each other in the finals. He didn’t want to think about that, maybe he wouldn’t even win tomorrow, no he couldn’t think that either. He didn’t want to think at all! He just snuggled closer to Josh.

“I should go or my dad will think I drowned in the pool.”

Josh let out a short laugh, “Yeah, I’ll come to the game tomorrow kay?”

“Sure.” Justin said happily. Josh leaned in, kissing Justin.

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Justin replied, giving him a kiss in return before he stepped out of Josh’s embrace, he held onto his hand though as he stepped away. He walked away, his eyes still on Josh and his hand still holding his. Justin smiled before releasing the hand when he was too far away to hold on to it. He walked backwards down the hall, waving once before he turned completely and walked to the elevator, a skip in his step.