Almost Famous

By Ryan Bartlett

Chapter 12

After a quick shower at the hotel, Wiley and Benji packed up and then the security detail took them to the airport. Wiley tried to send them on their way but Yani insisted on staying with him.

“Big man is having paid a lot of money. Regardless of stupidity of threat, contract is not complete until you are back on plane,” Yani explained.

“If you insist,” said Wiley.

He took a seat in the first class lounge, a luxury that came with the security detail and their VIP treatment. He borrowed Benji’s phone again but still wasn’t able to reach his boyfriend.

“Where the hell could he be?” Wiley asked rhetorically.

“Probably asleep,” said Benji. “It’s what, 3am back home?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Why don’t you email him?

“Shit!”

“What?” Benji exclaimed.

“Cameron’s channel—he told me to watch his video today. Without my phone sending me an alert I forgot about it,” Wiley explained.

“Jesus! Use my phone; just don’t give me a heart attack,” Benji panted. After the…adventurous weekend they’d had, Wiley’s outburst nearly scared the shit out of him.

Wiley snatched the phone out of Benji’s hand and quickly loaded YouTube. Once the app was open he found an alert and Cameron’s video began to load.

“Awww, you subscribed to his channel,” Wiley gushed.

“Yeah well, he’s practically my brother-in-law, right?” Benji blushed.

“You’re good people, Benji Wilson.” Wiley giggled and put his arm around his friend as the video finished loading.

“Hey guys, it’s Cameron,” he said in an uncharacteristically somber tone. “I know I don’t usually post videos on Saturday, but something came up and I really had to get it off my chest…”

“Uh oh,” said Benji.

“Shhh,” Wiley hushed him.

“Not long ago, at least it doesn’t seem that long ago to me, I posted a video in which I came out. I thought that was the hardest thing I’d ever done, but I was glad when it was over because I thought, ok, it’s out there, it can’t hurt me anymore, but, I was wrong…”

“Uh oh,” said Wiley.

“Shhh,” said Benji.

“When you love someone and open your heart to them, it can make you vulnerable. As you know, my boyfriend, Wiley, is a professional tennis player. He’s away this weekend at a tournament overseas and it’s turned out to be a dangerous proposition. Someone’s threatened to kill him because he’s gay.

“Wrap your heads around that one, folks. Someone wants to kill my boyfriend for the crime of being in love with me. When I first found out about it I was pretty upset, because Wiley didn’t tell me about it until he had no choice. He was trying to protect me; he didn’t want me to worry about him, and I understand that, but as this all set in I realized this is no different than the things you and me and people like us experience all the time. The stakes may be a little higher, but in the end it all comes back to bullying.

“Bullies are nothing but cowards who think they can scare us and intimidate us into submission, but I want them to know, I’m not afraid of them. I’m not going to have my life dictated to me by some asshole who doesn’t know anything about me but thinks they are fit to judge my life. I’m not going to stand for that, and you shouldn’t either. None of us should be afraid to be who we are. No one person should have the power to deny us those things that make us who we are. Whether it comes down to who you love, what color your skin is, how much you weigh, no one, no one has the right to make you feel bad or scared or afraid because of it.

“I know I’m kind of rambling here. I guess I’m still pretty upset. The thing I want people to take from this video is yeah, ok, it’s scary, but that’s not going to change me. I love Wiley, and when he comes home I’m going to continue to love him. You can threaten us, you can hurt us, but in the end we love each other, and nothing you can do is ever going to change that.

“Anyway, I’m sorry for the serious tone of this video. I know you guys would rather see me as I usually am, a total dork, but I had to get that off my chest. Stay safe, be who you are, and don’t let anyone push you around. I love you all,” Cameron concluded.

“Wow, that’s a hell of a guy you’ve got there,” said Benji.

“Yeah,” Wiley sniffled and wiped away a tear.

He tried calling Cameron again but sure enough, it went to voicemail. He was deeply touched by his boyfriend’s words. He had to talk to Cameron, and wracked his brain to remember the number he’d lost when his phone shattered. It took him a moment but when Bobby answered his line, Wiley said a silent prayer of thanks that his boyfriend’s roomie was a light sleeper.

“Somebody better be dead,” Bobby groaned.

“Gee, nice to hear your voice too,” said Wiley.

“Coyote?”

“Yeah, sorry to wake up you up, Bobby, but I need Cam. Is he there?”

“He’s in his room, probably asleep,” said Bobby. Wiley could hear the covers rustling as Bobby got up and padded down the hall. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I just need Cam.”

“Ok, hold on,” said Bobby. There was more rustling and Wiley realized Bobby must be in Cameron’s room, trying to rouse him.

“What?” Cameron whined. He hated to be woken out of a sound sleep.

“Wake up, bitch,” said Bobby. “Your old man’s on the phone.”

There was more rustling as Cameron snatched Bobby’s phone, and then Wiley heard his voice, “Dad?”

“Wrong old man.” Wiley giggled.

“Wiley?”

“Hi, baby.”

“It’s the middle of the night! Are you alright?”

“Middle of the day here, but I’m fine. Everything is fine,” Wiley assured him. “I just saw your video.”

“Oh,” said Cameron. Wiley could practically hear him blushing. “I was just…”

“I love you. I love you so much it hurts. I can’t wait to see you,” said Wiley. He struggled to keep his voice even. He was so caught up in the emotion of the moment it threatened to sweep him away.

“Well, I love you too,” said Cameron. Now Wiley could sense the smile on his boyfriend’s face.

“I’m coming home. I’m at the airport with Benji. We’re just waiting for them to start boarding the flight. Should be any minute now.”

“But you’re not supposed to leave until tomorrow. Are you sure you’re alright?”

“A few things happened. I tried calling, but I broke my phone so I had to use Benji’s…”

“That’s whose number that was,” Cameron exclaimed.

“Why didn’t you answer?”

“I didn’t recognize the number. Why didn’t you leave a message?”

“I didn’t want to talk about it over the phone.”

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Cameron asked for the third time.

“Yeah, I’ll be even better when I see you,” said Wiley as a voice on the PA system announced the boarding of United flight 112, non-stop service to Los Angeles. “Look, they just called our flight; can you pick us up at the airport? We land at 6pm LA time.”

“Of course, I’ll be there.”

“I love you. Cameron, I love you with all my heart.”

“I love you too,” Cameron giggled. “Now get on the plane and get your ass home!”

“See you soon!”

“Happy now?” Benji grinned as Wiley finished his call.

“Yes, very happy,” Wiley replied as he got to his feet and turned his attention to his bodyguard. “Yani, you’ve been an incredible pain in the ass but I’m glad you were here.”

“I assure you, Mr. Wiley, you are also pain in the ass, but at least I am making lot of money from contract,” Yani grinned.

“Thank you for everything,” said Wiley with sincerity as he shook Yani’s hand.

“Here is card. If you are ever in need of service, please call,” said Yani.

Wiley thanked him again, and as the ticket agent repeated her boarding announcement he and Benji headed for the gate. Wiley took his seat and relaxed for the first time since arriving in Dubai. He’d been stressed out from the moment they landed, and as excited as he was to be returning to Cameron, he had no problem falling asleep as soon as the landing gear retracted.




Cameron paced nervously up and down the concourse at LAX. He’d arrived early. The monitors throughout the airport said Wiley’s flight had arrived but at 6:15 there was still no sign of his boyfriend or Benji. Cameron was as excited to see Wiley as Wiley was to be returning home, but he was also concerned. He didn’t know what had prompted the early return from Dubai, but given the nature of the events leading up to the trip, Cameron felt a little uneasy.

“Was your dad a meat burglar? Because it looks like someone stole two fine hams and shoved them down the back of your pants.”

“I beg your par…” Cameron began to chastise the offender for the hideous pickup line until he turned and found his boyfriend grinning from ear to ear. “Wiley!”

Cameron practically threw himself at Wiley as he wrapped him in a bone crushing embrace. Wiley hugged back just as hard then kissed his boyfriend, a peck on the lips at first followed by a second, lingering kiss.

“Where on earth did you get that awful line?” Cameron giggled when they pulled apart.

“It’s one of Benji’s.” Wiley snickered.

“Seriously?” Cameron wrinkled his nose.

“Hey, you’d be surprised how often that works.” Benji grinned.

“One more reason I’m glad I’m not a woman.” Cameron shook his head then returned his attention to Wiley. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” said Wiley, leaning in for another kiss.

“Now can you tell me what the hell happened over there?”

“Let’s get out of here, drop Benji off at home, and then go back to your place. I’ll tell you all about our adventure,” said Wiley.

“Ok, I’m parked close,” said Cameron as he took Wiley’s hand and led the guys out of the terminal. “So, an adventure huh?”

“This trip had everything,” Wiley started. “Action, intrigue, an exotic location…”

“Ok, Mr. Bond,” Cameron giggled. “You’re painting quite the picture. There better not be any exotic bimbos in it or I might have to choke a bitch.”

“I only have eyes for you,” Wile assured him.

“God, I’m starting to see what Bobby meant in that video. Not even five minutes with you guys and my stomach’s churning,” Benji teased.

“You saw that?” asked Cameron.

“He’s one of your subscribers,” Wiley explained.

“Awwwww, Benji,” Cameron gushed.

“So, where’s the car?” asked Benji, not so subtly changing the subject.

They found the car exactly where Cameron had left it. Wiley took his keys back from his boyfriend and jumped into the driver’s seat. He seemed eager to get rid of Benji as he weaved in and out of the airport traffic, and Cameron couldn’t blame him. He was anxious to give his boyfriend a proper welcome as soon as they dumped Benji on his doorstep.

When they pulled up to the Wilsons home Wiley didn’t even shut off the engine. He hopped out, gave his friend a hug goodbye, helped him get his bag from the trunk and practically peeled out of the driveway before Benji even turned towards the door. A few minutes later they were parked outside Cameron’s apartment, and a minute after that they were alone in Cameron’s room.

“Ok, now can you…” Cameron began.

Before he could complete his sentence Wiley pulled him into a bear hug and buried his face in Cameron’s neck. He held the hug for a moment, and then his body shuddered with a sob and Cameron felt tears trailing down his neck.

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s alright,” said Cameron, rubbing up and down his back.

“Oh Cam, it was awful,” Wiley sniffled.

“What happened?”

“When we landed there was an army of giant Israelis that Doc hired for security, and there were so many of them it really scared me, then at the welcoming banquet this stupid cab blew a tire and they threw me down on the ground and rushed me back to the hotel, and I thought maybe Benji got hurt but everyone was ok, but my shoulder hurt and…”

“Whoa, slow down, take a breath.”

“Sorry, it was just such a stressful trip, and I’m so glad to be home with you. It all just started spilling out.”

“It’s ok. I want to know what happened. I just don’t want you passing out trying to tell me,” said Cameron, offering Wiley a reassuring smile.

“When we got to Dubai we were met by the security people Doc hired. Ten huge Israeli ex-commando types that looked like they wrestled gorillas as a hobby,” Wiley started over.

“Whoa, ten? I thought you said the threat wasn’t that serious?”

“It wasn’t. The whole thing was a cluster-fuck on the part of the tour; I’ll get to that. But like I told you on the phone, you know Doc, if there’s an opportunity for him to go overboard…”

“Yeah, I get it. So then what happened? You said something about a tire blowing?”

“We were leaving the welcoming banquet. Some cab popped its tire, the bodyguards thought it was a gunshot and all hell broke loose.”

“Holy shit,” Cameron whistled.

“They wrestled me to the ground and hurt my shoulder,” Wiley sniveled.

“Aww, baby.” Cameron squeezed him.

“That wasn’t even the worst part. I was so scared. I thought maybe Benji had been hit or one of the other bodyguards. I was so scared,” Wiley repeated himself.

“You’re safe now,” said Cameron, rocking his boyfriend in his arms.

“I thought of you. I wanted you there so bad, because I knew you’d make it all better,” said Wiley.

“Oh stop, you’re going to make me cry,” said Cameron.

“I mean it. All I could think about was holding you and making all my troubles go away.”

“I love you too,” said Cameron, kissing him on the forehead.

“Anyway,” Wiley sniffed. “I had to have Benji massage my shoulder, but it was still stiff and bruised when I woke up. I was so paranoid about what happened after the banquet that I couldn’t concentrate on my match, and I got my ass handed to me by a guy I could normally beat with my eyes closed.”

“Well, it was a stressful situation…”

“Yeah. After that I had Benji forfeit my next match and make arrangements to come home,” said Wiley.

“But what about the threat?”

“There is no threat. There never was.”

“But…”

“The tour got a letter saying “That faggot’s coming home from Dubai in a box.”

“Wiley, oh my God!”

“I know, but it wasn’t even directed at me. Some jilted ex was pissed off at Alexander Normanov. The tour’s events manager is an idiot and a homophobe, and because I’m out and Alex isn’t, he assumed the threat was against me.”

“What a fucking asshole!”

“You said it.”

“But that’s great though! No one wants to hurt you.”

“Well, if they do, they haven’t put it in writing.” Wiley smiled then turned serious. “Thanks for that video. What you said, it made me feel so…I love you, Cameron, I really do.”

“I know, even when I was pissed at you I knew you’d only kept me in the dark about the threat because you wanted to protect me.”

“I swear that’s all that was on my mind.”

“Promise me you’ll never do it again? That anytime something serious like this happens in our lives you’ll talk to me about it?”

“I swear it.”

“Good enough for me.” Cameron grinned.

Wiley hugged him tight and buried his face in Cameron’s neck. The tears had passed; he was safe at home in the arms of his soul mate and any feelings of angst that lingered vanished like a puff of smoke in the wind.

“Wiley, that tickles.” Cameron giggled as Wiley kissed and nipped at his neck.

Wiley backed Cameron up to the bed and when his knees hit the edge they tumbled down on the mattress. Wiley moved his hand down Cameron’s chest and deftly opened his pants without breaking their lip lock. He rolled over, pulling Cameron on top of him and ran his hands along Cameron’s spine until they began pushing down his boyfriend’s jeans and boxers.

“Someone’s in a hurry.” Cameron giggled when he stopped to take a breath.

“I missed you! I need to feel you inside me,” Wiley whispered.

“Alright, but I missed you too, you know? Promise you’ll return the favor?”

“I think I can accommodate that.” Wiley smiled.

Cameron giggled again then sat up to take off his t-shirt. Wiley tugged Cam’s pants and boxers down. Cameron wiggled out of his remaining clothes then started working on Wiley. When his boyfriend was stripped to his boxer-briefs, Cameron took the waistband between his teeth and pulled them down Wiley’s long legs. It was something he’d heard Bobby talking about once and Wiley seemed to enjoy it. Once Wiley was naked, Cameron kissed his way up his body until their lips met. While they made out, Cameron reached into his nightstand for the lubricant and condoms he’d started keeping there.

“Oh Cam,” Wiley cooed when his lover entered him.

“Just relax,” Cameron whispered.

Though they’d gone at each other like bunnies since their first night in San Francisco, Wiley was still tight when Cameron entered him. It took a few moments for Wiley to get used to the intrusion before they started to enjoy themselves. As Wiley surrendered to his lover, Cameron began to build his pace. Wiley wrapped his legs around his boyfriend’s waist, the way Cameron liked, and pulled him as close as he could. When Cameron climaxed, Wiley wasted no time in flipping him on his back and giving as good as he’d gotten.

“I’m so glad you’re home,” Cameron whispered when they were finished and Wiley rested his head against Cameron’s chest. He kissed his boyfriend’s soft blond hair and stroked his back affectionately.

“Me too. This is where I belong,” said Wiley.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter