I Just Had to Lick the Cookie, Didn't I?

Yours is the kind of love
Makes nothing else feel good enough
I'm never gonna give you up oh no, oh no

Milo's POV

It's been a few days... Care to guess where we are? It's not Idaho. It's not California. (Don't know why it would be.) Figured it out yet?

The Big Apple. Again. I hate New York.

"How may I help you?" asked some blonde. She was probably in her mid or early twenties, but older than me... Okay, I'm not going to keep talking. Well, thinking, or whatever.

"We're here to meet with Gary Hussein," I told her. Her head didn't even look up and she snapped her gum, which---by the way---she was chewing rather loudly. I watched her carefully, noting her rudeness, as she typed on the keyboard with her recently manicured nails clicking against the keys.

Adriaan was glaring at her. I could see that from the corner of my eye, but it was also fairly predictable.

"Gary doesn't have an appointment with anyone unless your name happens to be Logan Boone," she snorted as if she knew both Gary and I personally. Adriaan stifled a laugh from beside me, and the air-headed blonde in front of us looked up. She glared at Adriaan for a second until I saw her catch a glimpse of me. Then she realized who Adriaan was, and who I was. Stupid secretary.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she attempted to apologize. Being me, I just waved it off.

"Could you call him down please? Thanks."

The air-headed woman in front of Adriaan and me picked up the phone on the desk and started to dial a number.

"There's no need to call me, Stacy! I'm already here!" a voice shouted gleefully. Yes, I did just use the adverb gleefully. "Maelogan Madden Boone! It's been too long, far too long!" Gary shouted with even more enthusiasm, if that was even possible.

Both Adriaan and I turned around to see an absurdly dressed Gary Hussein running down the stairs of his ridiculously windowed office building.

"AH!" he squealed and sprinted straight at me, arms outstretched. Within seconds, his arms were tightly wrapped around me, pinning my own arms against my sides. Gary rested his head on my chest and smiled. "How come you haven't called or anything?" he asked, and let me go. He was still beaming at me, waiting for an answer. Knowing him, he wouldn't focus on anything else until I decided to answer.

"I've just been pretty busy. That and...you know..." Gary nodded knowingly. He had lost his own brother a few years back.

"So," he brought back the happiness to the atmosphere, "is this her?"

I smiled and pulled Adriaan to me. She obliged and came to my side, allowing me to put an arm around her.

"Yep."

"I'm so excited!" he yelled. Adriaan smiled, seemingly unsure what else to do. "I'm Gary, and I love your boyfriend." I chuckled and Adriaan smiled.

"He doesn't love me, he just really enjoys gawking particular parts of my body," I told Adriaan, earning a scoff from Gary.

"He's so cocky, isn't he? Just because I checked him out once he thinks I have the hots for him." Adriaan laughed and nodded.

"Oh, please, it was more than once and you know it. Just because I only caught you once doesn't mean you didn't do it more than that," I stated.

Back in my F.J.D days, Gary was one of my good friends. Granted he's...gay, we were still close. He comes from a fairly wealthy family. Now---only four years after he's graduated---Gary has his own office building, and a well-known name and place in the spotlight.

Some people---even some of his biggest fans---don't even know what it is Gary does. The truth is, he does a lot of things. First of all, he's a designer. He also happens to be a personal manager extraordinaire. Plus he has a ton of money expertly invested in stocks. That and he plans and organizes some of the most important and popular events in our fame-filled world. Most of the time he doesn't fawn over well-known celebrities. Sure he thinks he looks like Paris Hilton, only male, but he's not all about the gossip and fame.

Gary and I played soccer together. No one cared that he was...well, into guys. Just like no one cared that I was...me.

"So, what are we here for?" I asked him. His smile grew. I've always called him the man of many smiles. He really does smile perhaps too much.

"Why, to help with the Christmas Ball of course," he laughed as if it were obvious.

Every year, there's this huge Christmas Ball. Gary plans everything. He designs the invitations---sent out in August---he chooses the decorations. Every single detail, from the table cloths to the confetti, is selected and dictated by Gary. I could never do what he does. I'd kill myself. For real this time.

"Yes, so what do you want us to do?"

"Well, you need to prepare a performance. Then I need you both to make sure you're perfectly prepared for the evening. Oh, and I want you two to help me decorate and such. And I want full power to choose Adriaan's dress for the evening. That and I really missed you Milo. I wanted to know how you've been."

I smiled at Gary's pout-face. He giggled and looked at Adriaan.

"So, this is sort of it, isn't it?" Gary asked, not taking his gaze from Adriaan.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused with my brow furrowed.

"I just... You've never really been public about this stuff before. It makes me think that maybe..." he trailed off and shook his head. "It's nothing."

Now I was curious. Gary's always known me really well; better than anyone. He's met all of my very few previous girlfriends, and he's helped me through a lot.

"No, what is it?" I prodded him. By now, I needed to know. Gary took a deep breath and looked from Adriaan to me.

"I'll tell you later," he told me seriously; which is surprising because Gary Hussein and serious do not belong in the same sentence. Ever. "So, to start it all off, Adriaan, I'm sending you with Melody. She's great, I hope you like her. She'll take all of your measurements and such. You're scheduled to go out to lunch too. I think after spending all of your time with Milo here you need a break, some girl time. Right?"

Adriaan and I both laughed. Well, she sort of...didn't laughlaugh, but laughed... You know, like a little giggle or something. It wasn't exactly like her, but I found it sort of...cute. In a way. Yea, because she's my friend now... My really, really, really good friend. I'm allowed to find her laugh cute...Right? I mean, I can make fun of her for it tonight... Maybe...

"What's so funny?" Gary asked, smiling but obviously upset that he didn't get the joke.

"Adriaan really isn't into 'girl time', Gary," I informed him, still light-hearted from the humor of it all.

"Oh. Well, she's going anyway," he said happily. "Here Mel is now."

Suddenly I became aware of the clicking of heels. I looked over to see an average height red-head walking up to us. She wasn't all that attractive, and her skirt wasn't the best choice. Well, it was a nice skirt and all, but it wasn't a good choice for her legs, if you know what I mean. Honestly, I don't think I've ever met a woman with nicer legs than Adriaan...

"Well, have fun!" Gary shouted, pulling Adriaan away from me gently and giving her a hug. Adriaan hugged him back. "Come on Milo, let's go."

Before I left with Gary, I took Adriaan by the hand. That caused her to look from Gary to me. I smiled when our eyes met. Gary was watching us intently, and with the knowledge I have of him being a super romantic, I had to do it.

I leaned forward and pecked Adriaan on the lips; then I pecked her again on the cheek, resting my cheek on hers so I could whisper in her ear. The last thing I wanted was Melody or Gary over hearing me.

"Sorry. If you need me for anything, just call. Anything at all. Secret word is Leo, so one mention of your dog and I drop everything. Got it?" I whispered in her ear. She smelled kind of good...

"Yeah," she whispered back. Adriaan hadn't spoken the whole time we were here, so her voice made me smile.

"Alright, have fun," I ordered her, backing away. Our eyes met again.

"You too," she told me. I nodded and turned to leave when I noticed Gary waiting patiently with a cheerfully smug expression.

Melody started talking as I walked over to my tall blond friend, dressed in his eccentric suit. Gary joined me as I walked once I reached him. He had been about fifteen feet away from Adriaan and I. When we reached the big glass front doors to his building, I looked over my shoulder at Adriaan. And that's when it hit me.

As soon as I got into whatever vehicle Gary was going to escort me around in, it would signify the first time I had ever been out of a sixty-foot perimeter of Adriaan since...a very long time.

It was a weird feeling. A very odd, indescribable feeling, and I didn't like it. At all.

Figures, Gary decided to drive in style. As soon as we were out of the big building of glass, we got into a black limo. Cheesy.

Once the limo started to pull away from the curb, I watched desperately out the window. Already I was practically going through withdrawal without my bundle of joy fiancée. Is it bizarre to say I missed her? Perhaps more than I should?

"So..." Gary started. I tore my gaze from the window to look at his stupid smiling face.

"Huh?" I asked dumbly. His smile grew again and he chuckled.

"Well, to start off, I think I like her. She didn't say much though. And...I envy your luck." I stared at him, confused. Myluck?

"Why?"

"Are you blind? Come on. Now, I've told you before and I'll tell you again, you're the sexiest man I've ever met Milo. It's a proven fact now that you've been crowned the latter by Teen Touch," he told me logically.

"And...?"

"Being your very best friend, I could never let you get too involved with anyone unless they were meeting my standards for you. This Adriaan girl, she's almost exactly what I had in mind!" For some reason, I felt a smile form on my face. Oddly enough, the fact that Gary liked Adriaan made me happy, like I had accomplished something.

"And why exactly does this make me blind?" I asked him arrogantly. Gary shook his head and laughed.

"You stupid idiot. I like her. And I know you like her too, which is why I want you to tell me the whole truth. You're marrying her, aren't you?"