Tristan Trilogy- Story 3

CHAPTER 71

Kevin and Tristan walked along the shoreline until they reached a speckled, sand-washed boulder. The lagoon lay just beyond, slightly inland, surrounded by lush vegetation and filled with the awakening trills of exotic birds. When they approached the pathway that led to a pool of crystal clear water, the sky was still an inky color but an ash-colored moon hung in the sky and a band of gold was beginning to creep up from the horizon. The whisper of breaking waves was soothing in their regularity. The peaceful and painless birth of a new day was beginning.

Kevin was mid-yawn when he caught the scent of smoke wafting on the breeze and wondered again what was going on. A few steps later, as they reached the end of a sandy path, he and Tristan made a final turn. There they both stopped to take in the scene before them.

Nick stood near the edge of the water wearing baggy white pants and a white gauze shirt. Half a dozen lit torches were planted near the edge of the lagoon at a small clearing that opened up to allow a view of the sea, now sparkling with pinpoints of reflected sunlight. The sun continued to make its slow journey upwards over the horizon, casting a golden light across Nick’s skin and hair. As Kevin and Tristan stood at the edge of the path, Nick suddenly became aware of their presence and looked over towards them, smiling.

“I knew you’d come,” he grinned confidently. “Welcome to my wedding.”

He had never looked happier or more beautiful.

Kevin and Tristan continued to stare for a moment as the significance of what Nick was telling them seeped into their sleepy heads. Before they could react, an Hispanic man. Wearing a long white robe and carrying a Bible, stepped out from a stand of palms nearby.

Kevin was wide-awake now.

Tristan grabbed onto Kevin’s forearm and pinched his skin. “Oh my God…” she whispered. “They’re gonna do it! That’s why they wanted us here!”

Tristan’s eyes were already spilling over when she ran to Nick and jumped into his open arms. He spun her around once and then set her back down onto the sand. Nick laughed at her excitement and emotion.

“You surprised?”

“Hell, yes!” Tristan shouted and then quickly covered her mouth with her hand. She glanced self-consciously over at the priest who stood at a discreet distance. “Ooops – I guess I shouldn’t have said that…”

“Baby, you can say anything you want today,” Nick teased. “If you hadn’t gotten hit in the head with a bottle, I might never have met Holly!”

“That’s true,” Tristan joked. “Fate works in mysterious and often painful ways…”

Nick closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. “I guess we shouldn’t make fun of that, Tris. That was a bad time. Kevin was scared to death.”

Tristan’s gaze fell to her feet. If you only knew.. When she raised her eyes, Nick was staring at her with a note of concern in his face.

“But that’s in the past Nick,” she smiled softly. “And I think all of this was worth a small bump on the head, don’t you?”

Nick’s expression suddenly slid from concerned to serious.

“You know I love you, don’t you, Tris?”

“I’m counting on it, Nick…” Tristan stood on her tip-toes and kissed Nick on the cheek.

“You remember what I said about calling me if…you know… if anything …”

Tristan placed her finger over Nick’s lips to silence him. “Shhh… I remember…”

“Still goes.”

“I know…”

A moment of awkward silence was followed by the realization that Kevin was still standing at the edge of the path. He hadn’t moved. His brows were furrowed and he looked a little odd, as if he couldn’t figure out what was going on.

“Jeez… He ain’t gonna cry or nothin’, is he?” Nick sighed.

“I don’t know,” Tristan answered as they stared at the ponytailed figure who still stood as of frozen to his spot. “Probably…”

Nick cocked his head and waved Kevin over. It took several waves before Kevin came to his senses and stomped over towards them like a man on a mission.

“What are you doin’, Nick?” He asked seriously.

“I thought that was pretty clear, Kev. Holly and me are getting married this morning. We wanted you and Tris here. Tris is gonna be the honor maid person and I want you to be my best man after you give the bride away…”

Kevin took a step back in the sand. “What? I’m supposed to what?”

“Give the bride away, man…” Nick repeated.

Kevin rubbed his fingers on his forehead and shook his head.

“I don’t understand this, Nick! Why all of a sudden are you getting married? No one’s expecting this. You didn’t say a word! Christ! Don’t you want to talk about this?”

Under less happy circumstances, Nick might have been pissed at Kevin’s balking but he had halfway expected it. Kevin would have expected Nick to come to him for advice or at least to talk about this. Despite the fact that the group hadn’t been spending as much time together lately, Kevin hadn’t let go of the reins completely and was a little taken aback when he wasn’t consulted about important decisions. He neglected to remember that he didn’t tell anyone when he and Trstan got married and then kept it a secret for several months. Nick had understood the secrecy, especially since Kevin was the first of the five to ‘go’ but since then, Brian and Leighanne had become engaged. Hell, he and Holly had been engaged for almost a year and a half. Nick found himself a little amused by Kevin’s concern – and a little touched as well. In actuality, Kevin was just doing his job. He was taking on the role of surrogate father or older brother. It was a little ironic that Kevin, who was prone to analyze and evaluate everyone else’s actions and motives, usually responded emotionally to events in his own personal life and acted on his ‘gut’.

“No time for talk, Kev. The sun is coming up and we wanted to get married at dawn. You can tell me about the birds and bees after the ceremony.”

“But…”

“Go on, now. Holly’s waitin’ for you…” Nick raised his hand and pointed to a thicket of palms.

Kevin’s eyes darted from Nick to Tristan and back again. It wasn’t often that one got the chance to see Kevin so bewildered and Nick was enjoying the moment. Still, it was getting late. When Kevin looked at Tristan again, she mouthed ‘Go on..’ and smiled at him with such assurance that Kevin could only shrug and start walking. He glanced back once more in time to see Nick bending to pick up a bouquet of hibiscus that had previously gone unnoticed and hand it to Tristan. Kevin narrowed his eyes, wondering when the hell Nick grew up. He even thought of flowers….

*****

Holly waited nervously, watching Kevin approach. He looked very serious and a little confused. It was first time in a long while they had spent any time alone and even though this brief interlude would only last for a minute or two, Holly wondered what, if anything, Kevin would say to her. It was the unspoken awareness of drugs in Kevin’s life that had widened the breach between them. They had never actually discussed it but she knew that he had used and he knew that she knew. The suspicion was always there, hanging between them in the form of a slight tension and unease. Although they got along well, there was something unsettling about sharing this type of secret knowledge even though details were unclear at best. There had been no confirmations and no denials and they both knew, on some level, that none would be forthcoming. Kevin had made it clear a long time ago that this topic was verboten and all it had taken was a subtle shift in his expression - the lowering of his brow and the darkening of his eyes to shut Holly up. That, coupled with Nick’s obvious dismissal over two years ago had kept Holly quiet. She and Tristan seemed to see less of each other as the months had passed and although they were still close, Tristan had long ago drawn some invisible line where she and Kevin were concerned. None of this, however, kept her from watching - even if from a distance. Now, as Kevin drew closer, she put on a smile – a smile of happiness that every bride deserved to have on their wedding day.

“Wow – guess you’re pretty surprised, aren’t you Kevin?” Holly tittered. She had unexpectedly found herself wishing for Kevin’s approval and blessing on this day and tried desperately not to show her anxiety. “You’re not mad, are you?”

Kevin looked at her blankly for a moment as if he were trying to understand the question. When her smile began to falter, he snapped to, realizing what was needed from him to make this day what they had hoped it would be.

“No, no, Holly. Of course I’m not mad… And you look beautiful…”

He was relieved to see the smile and radiance return to Holly’s face. She did look lovely in her simple dress. I was light and airy, made of the same white gauze as Nick’s shirt. It fell off the shoulder, had a fitted waist and came below the knee. Holly was barefoot but had a circle of lavender moth orchids around one ankle that matched the boughs of phalenopsis she carried on her arm. A single bloom rested behind one ear in sharp contrast to the loose red curls that fell to her shoulders.

“It was important to both of us that you two be here for us,” Holly continued. “You’re our dearest friends, Kevin. I know that Nick looks to you for guidance and support."

Kevin chuckled softly. “He didn’t look for much guidance from me this time. This is all quite a surprise – in many ways…”

“I know it must be…” Holly said softly. “But Nick and I didn’t want fanfare, you know?”

“I understand completely.”

“Of course you do…” Another silence fell between them before Holly summoned up the courage to indirectly broach the subject that had formed a wedge between her and Kevin. “You’re kinda Nick’s hero sometimes, I think. He values your opinions and thinks that you and Tristan wrote the book on love.” Holly took a breath before making her next statement, wondering if Kevin would catch her subtle innuendo and then wondering if he would get perturbed if he did. “You’re an…… example to him. Do you know what I mean?”

Kevin studied her carefully. Holly was looking away from him but on the heels of her comment she turned and looked him squarely in the face. At that moment, her meaning was unmistakable.

“Yes, Holly. I know what you mean. I’m okay. You don’t have to worry about Tristan…”

“Any worries I have about Tris exist because of my concerns about you, Kevin…”

“Have you shared these….concerns……with Nick?”

“No.”

Kevin folded his arms across his chest and looked past Holly for a moment.

“That’s just as well. Everything’s under control, Holly. No need to worry anybody….”

If Kevin had any further clarification, it wouldn’t be expressed. The time for explanations and comments ended as Nick started screaming to them from the lagoon.

“Let’s get this show on the road!” he screeched in the distance. “Sun’s comin’ up!”

Kevin turned back to Holly with a grin on his face. Their discussion had been packed away – perhaps permanently.

“I think that’s out signal,” he laughed, holding out his arm. “Shall we?”

Holly hesitated. “Do we have your blessing?” she asked a bit timidly.

The gentleness that Kevin often hid showed itself again as he leaned forward and kissed Holly on the forehead.

“Whatever’s good for Nick – and for you – has my blessing, and I do believe that this will be a good thing for both of you. My blessing is unimportant. Your love and affection are what counts and I think you two have plenty of that. That’s all the ‘blessing’ you need, but if you want it, then yes – you have my blessing.”

“Thank you, Kevin…” she whispered as she hugged him tightly.

Holly took a breath and nodded before taking Kevin’s arm and proceeded from the thicket to face her destiny. It had not gone unnoticed by her that Kevin had chosen his words carefully during their brief conversation that danced around the unmentionable subject of drugs. What he didn’t say told her more that what he did say. Kevin was still using.

But this was her day – hers and Nick’s and all other thoughts evaporated when she saw Nick standing by the edge of the water. He was grinning like the cat who ate the canary – not nervous at all. Tristan’s eyes widened as she approached and Holly noticed her swallow several times. A wave of calmness washed over her as she drew closer to her lover – soon to be her husband. The priest gave her a quick smile. It was Kevin who seemed to be the most anxious, but he held fast until the priest asked “Who gives this woman to be married?” There had been no rehearsal. Kevin looked at Nick and then Holly, unsure of what to say. As the seconds passed, Holly’s eyebrows shot up and she had to nudge Kevin with her elbow.

“Uh… I guess – well, uh….that would be me…. Right?”

Nick rolled his eyes and nodded as Holly tried to untangle her arm from Kevin’s grasp. Finally Nick had to literally tug her away and then wave Kevin over to stand beside him as best man.

The ceremony was short and traditional. The priest provided the words. The setting provided the beauty. Tristan provided the smiles. Holly and Nick provided the intimacy and Kevin provided the tears.

CHAPTER 72

“Well, I guess Tris and I are supposed to disappear for the day so y’all can start your honeymoon,” Kevin teased across the cloth covered table.

The two couples sat together on the stone covered terrace off the dining room in the main building of the luxurious complex. It was a perfect morning for al fresco dining and the small terrace was private and intimate. They sat sipping on Bloody Marys and Mimosas and picking at plates of fruit and sweetbreads. Nick was amused when he noticed that Holly was actually blushing at Kevin’s offhand remark and he squeezed her hand under the table.

“Naw – y’all don’t have to go anywhere. We’re gonna be the ones goin’….” Nick glanced at his watch, “…in about twenty minutes. We’ll catch up with you back in Florida.”

Kevin and Tristan would have the bungalow to themselves for a couple of days. Nick had chartered a boat and he and Holly had planned to cruise from Belize to Tampa Bay over the course of several days, stopping frequently along the way. Their bags were already on board. They would be leaving shortly.

It was still early when Kevin and Tristan walked them to the dock. The farewell was bittersweet as far as Kevin was concerned but mostly sweet. He was still trying to absorb the fact that Nick was now a married man and after much arm waving and a few hurled insults and sexual innuendos, the cruiser finally distanced itself far enough from the dock that Nick felt he could give in to the urge to yank Holly away from the stern. Kevin watched as they disappeared below deck.

“Damn, you’d think he could have waited until they were out of sight,” Kevin grumbled.

Tristan wrapped her arms around Kevin’s waist as the large boat disappeared from view. “We’ve got a bungalow all to ourselves for two and a half more days – and a private beach,” she reminded him. “Maybe I’ll try out that special bathing suit that Mason picked out for me….”

Kevin had been scratching the side of his face when Tristan mentioned Mason’s ‘gift’. His fingers stopped mid-scratch.

“You brought that with you?” he asked, cocking his head towards her as his arm wound around her shoulders. “That butterfly thing?”

“Well, the beach is private, isn’t it?” Tristan asked, ignoring Kevin’s gaze.

Kevin’s fingers began a little two-step on Tristan’s shoulder. “Yeah, it’s private. I’d just hate to see you get – you know – burned or anything….” His words had slowed. She had his undivided attention.

“Oh, I think they’ll – I mean I’ll – be okay.”

Tristan pulled away from Kevin’s gentle embrace and started back up the dock. She stopped after a few feet and turned slightly.

“Besides,” she smiled over her shoulder, “I have a big bottle of sunblock. It’s a little oily, but it smells like coconut. The bottle says it tastes like it, too. I’ll just have to make sure that I rub it in real good – all over…”

Tristan gave Kevin a brief demonstration of her intentions by slowly running her hands over her breasts. Kevin was mesmerized. Tristan was seducing him on a public dock. He watched her lips curl upwards when her fingers reached the tips of her breasts and linger a little longer than necessary. A middle-aged woman jogged past them. She had a large dog on a leash. Kevin was not distracted except for a distinct tightness that seized his groin. Tristan’s hands suddenly dropped to her sides.

“Oh, but I forgot,” she teased. “You’re probably exhausted, getting up so early and all… Why don’t you just go back to bed for a while, sweetie, and catch up on your sleep. I’ll go on out to the beach - alone...” She sighed dramatically and brushed some invisible speck off of her backside. “I can take care of myself. If I have to…”

Tristan was working it. Kevin was letting her. He liked it.

“You might need some help with that lotion…” he growled.

“But don’t you want to go back to…”

“I’m not tired anymore,” Kevin interrupted, glancing down at his pants.

Tristan stared openly at the evidence of his burgeoning excitement for several seconds, then deliberately licked her lips, causing Kevin’s breath to hitch in his throat. He was vaguely aware of words being shouted across the water in Spanish. Kevin felt slightly light headed and unconsciously adjusted his thickening mass. Tristan was toying with him and he was enjoying the hell out of it. She had cast him in a role consisting of adlibbed lines that was slowly building to a literal climax. Kevin mentally calculated their distance from the bungalow. Five minutes if we hurry…

“Kevin…” Tristan pouted provocatively as she stepped closer and guided his face down to hers.

“What, baby?”

The small space between them had become electrified as their breaths tickled each others parted lips. Kevin heard himself moan aloud when he felt Tristan’s tongue caress the corner of his mouth. They were outside – in public and his wife was taunting him unmercifully. He didn’t care.

“I want you to give me something….”

“Anything, Tris. Name it. What do you want?” he murmured against her mouth as his eyes closed.

“A pearl necklace….”

Kevin’s eyes flew open as he considered Tristan’s request and wondered if, under these heated circumstances, their definitions of a ‘pearl necklace’ were the same. She did spend time on the internet and did a lot of reading. He could only hope….

“And where would I need to go to get you what you want?” he whispered against her hair, trying to determine if he and Tristan were on the same page, sexually speaking.

Kevin felt her fingers wrap around his wrist and then pull his hand up to the valley between her breasts.

“Right here…”

Kevin’s eyes closed again as a smile formed on his lips. Thank you, Jesus…

*****

Her pale pink nipples remained erect, the aureoles all but disappearing into their tautness. Kevin still straddled her as he leaned back against her raised thighs, drained and floating in a post-orgasmic twilight. Ever the considerate lover, he had made sure that Tristan got hers first. His motive had not been entirely honorable, however, for he knew that after he came, he wouldn’t have the energy to bring her to the intense orgasms his ego demanded.

Tristan had asked for a ‘pearl necklace’ and, by God, he had certainly given her one. Watching her now was proving to be almost more erotic than the anticipation or even the act itself. Her head had fallen to one side, her eyes closed and her swollen lips parted. She slowly slid the middle finger of her right hand across her collarbone, blending and smearing the beads and trails of his semen across her skin as if his ejaculate was a rare and precious lotion. He noticed a solitary line of his essence begin to track down her breast, stopping before it reached her cleavage.

Tristan appeared to be in her own little world, relishing the sensations that he would never feel. Kevin almost felt like a voyeur. He didn’t move or speak, captivated by her soft moans and sighs. As his semen began to dry on her throat and breasts, he smiled, noting that the whitish fluid did indeed take on a pearly cast in the speckled light that filtered down through the palm fronds.

Kevin felt that he could gaze at her this way forever. He began to replay earlier moments when his hardness had been buried between her breasts, slippery with a film of coconut-scented oil. He had taken control, squeezing and kneading her plumpness around him until he had found the most pleasurable tension through which to push himself. A thick hank of her long hair had lain across the tops of her breasts and created a strong and unexpected sensation when his glans moved across the nest of silky strands – not unlike a gentle kiss or delicate tickle.

When Kevin refocused, Tristan had begun to move her finger from her collarbone towards her mouth, her fingertip bearing a small droplet of white…A single pearl… and when she smeared the liquid pearl across her bottom lip, he felt himself shudder and begin to harden once more, surprised that he had anything more to give.

*****

The day had already gone full circle and it was only early afternoon. Kevin had stormed out of the small house twenty minutes ago but he hadn’t gone far. He had left in a fit of fury after their fight but had only circled the bungalow until he reached the private terrace that served the bedroom that Holly and Nick had shared. He could hear Tristan crying through the open windows and louvered doors. Kevin hated the sound but was angry enough to feel that her misery was justified. He lit the joint that he had hidden in an empty audio-cassette case and grabbed before he stomped out. It didn’t take long for the weed to work its wonders. It was good stuff – primo grade – and worth the expense. Although it did little to curb his indignation, it did make it easier to bear her tears. In Kevin’s increasingly frequent struggle against a drug-induced paranoia, Tristan was the ‘bad guy’ in this fight. In the past, he had come to see that his own insecurities had created most of their problems, but not this time. She had not only betrayed him but had as much as admitted it.

As was typical, Kevin had had many things on his mind when they came to Belize, none of them pressingly urgent. He had considered that when he and Tristan came there, it might give him and Nick time to discuss the future of the Backstreet Boys but now, definitive plans for the future would be placed on hold. The group was drifting. Kevin had reconsidered his plans to talk to Nick due in part to Tristan’s advice imploring him to just relax and enjoy the few days they would have there. Still, the matter had festered in the back of his mind and during their first night at the bungalow, Kevin had risen from bed in the wee hours and swallowed a blue and black capsule. Although he hated to be awakened under any circumstances, it had been particularly difficult for him this morning. A tab of speed, taken after he had dressed, had helped to counter the effect of the Librium that he had swallowed just a couple of hours earlier.

Then the wedding…. That had grabbed his full attention, for sure. His feelings about the event were conflicted. Kevin wanted the best for Nick. He always had. He had no problem with Holly – in fact, in Kevin’s opinion, Nick and Holly had proven to be very good for each other. He had watched them grow together, absorbing each other’s weaknesses and accentuating each other’s strengths. He had just been surprised, that’s all. He hadn’t seen it coming. Kevin had wondered how the others would take this and felt there might be some resentment. He wasn’t sure. Then he began to wonder how this would impact the group. Despite their individual interests, they all knew that the BSB would be there for them for as long as they were alive. The continued devotion of their fans had not only made them financially secure but had also enabled them to feel a creative security as well.

Kevin had had a little too much to drink at the late breakfast they had shared. He handled himself well, but already his indulgences were catching up to him – one Librium, one hit of speed and three Bloody Marys within a span of approximately six hours. When Tristan had seduced him on the dock, his senses fought for sharpness. Her suggestiveness had excited and delighted him and when they returned to the bungalow to change out of their clothes, he had slipped into the bathroom to do a quick line as she called Florida to check on the children. Kevin had wanted to be totally alert, undulled by the remnants of too much alcohol and too little sleep. The white powder had created the desired effect. He had felt powerful, in control and euphoric. The things he had done to Tristan on the sand had been neither gentle nor spiritual. Their union had been purely carnal. Their physical gratification, however, had been laced with love and affection, each knowing that pure animal passion could never replace the tender lovemaking that fed their souls.

The trouble had begun when they had returned to the bungalow from the beach. As they showered together, washing away all salt, sand and outward evidence of sexual release, it had occurred to Kevin that this little break in their routine might be a good time to discuss the possibility of having another child. This thought had been another little piece of baggage that Kevin had been carrying around for some time. He didn’t want to alarm Tristan or pressure her but time was marching on. He had to know what might be wrong – why there had not been another pregnancy. During the first few months after Ben and Mallory’s birth, the issue of preventing a pregnancy didn’t really exist. Dr. Malone had told them both that Tristan’s fluctuating hormones would, more than likely, prevent conception. After five or six months they might want to consider birth control options. Well, they hadn’t considered. Tristan hadn’t broached the subject and Kevin had been secretly delighted that she might consider another baby so quickly. Now it appeared that she had considered no such thing.

Kevin had gotten out of the shower first as Tristan finished washing the soap out of her long hair. He felt good – clean, confident and enormously satisfied in every way. Then Tristan had called to him from the shower, asking him to bring her the bottle of honeysuckle-scented lotion that was in her cosmetic bag.

Kevin pulled on a pair of clean shorts before unzipping the bag that held his wife’s potions, equipment and beauty supplies. He was always amazed at the array of objects he found in there and secretly enjoyed opening up the small compacts and reading the contents of the jars and bottles he found. Most of them he recognized but then he spotted a round, white compact that he couldn’t remember investigating before. He snapped it open, expecting to discover yet another shade of blush or shadow but to his surprise, the case contained neither. Instead of compressed cakes of color, Kevin found that a disk of stiff paper had been fitted into the compact, filled with tiny pills that were individually covered with a film of thin, rigid plastic. The pills were marked with the days of the week and ten of the small bubbles were empty, the tiny tablets having been pushed through their foil backing. Twenty-eight pills had filled the case originally. Now there were eighteen – eleven white pills and seven that were pale pink. The name of the medication was printed in black letters in the center of the stiff paper. Ovamin. These were birth control pills.

Kevin’s reaction to his discovery was swift and intense – fueled by haunting concerns and tainted with his growing paranoia. The only thought that filled his mind was that Tristan had lied to him and had been lying for over a year. He wasn’t hurt. He was furious.

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