6 Weeks

Chapter 7

Neither spoke a word on the way back to the loft, both consumed with their own thoughts. Justin was trying to figure out how he could build Brian’s trust without sacrificing Damon’s. It really had nothing to do with the older man but he suspected Brian’s crap about “not doing jealousy” was just that, crap. This relationship, as tenuous as it was, meant a lot to both of them. It was just taking Brian a little longer to realize it. On the other hand, Brian was still upset about Damon and had to find some way to convince himself to drop the subject or lose Justin. And for some reason the later option bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

They were still silent when they arrived at the loft and took the elevator up to Brian’s floor. Justin waited patiently as Brian unlocked the door and slid it open. Once they were both inside, Justin turned to face Brian expectantly.

“Well?” he asked.

“Well what?”

“Jesus Brian, what the fuck did you bring me here for if you weren’t going to at least attempt to talk to me about what happened at Deb’s?”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about. I figured the reason you’re here was pretty obvious, don’t you think?” Brian said with a leer.

Justin sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, I assumed that was a part of the equation as well but don’t you think we should talk about why you felt it necessary to leave in such a huff? All I did was have a conversation with someone that didn’t involve you. What’s so wrong with that?”

“Nothing, I just don’t understand why everything has to revolve around Damon. What the hell does he have to do with Mikey’s little hustler?”

“I’m sorry Bri but I really can’t get into it with you. Why don’t you tell me instead why it bothers you so much?”

“No, I don’t want to talk anymore. No more stupid questions. Come here,” Brian said, beckoning him over.

“This doesn’t solve anything,” Justin stated, as his lips turned up in a smile. Little by little he inched his way over to Brian, until they were standing less than a foot apart.

“What did I say about talking?” Brian replied and pulled Justin the remaining way into his arms. Before Justin could say another word Brian’s demanding lips silenced him. They were both on fire, after being apart for what seemed like forever. All coherent thought was out the window and all that now existed was the delicious friction between them. Justin wrapped his arms around Brian’s neck, allowing himself to be dragged in the direction of the bedroom.

“God, you taste good,” Justin muttered under his breath. Brian continued to attack his neck, nipping gently at his soft flesh. Justin could feel the chills running up and down his spine from the contact. Before he even knew what was happening, Justin was laying down naked in the middle of the bed with Brian leaning over him. Brian’s eyes were glazed with lust memorizing every detail of the man beneath him. Their lips met again fiercely. Justin grabbed onto Brian’s shirt, jerking it above his head in one swift motion. Their lips parting only long enough to remove the offending material. Brian’s jeans were next to go, leaving both men naked and wanting.

Brian grabbed a condom and lube from his bedside table and quickly prepared the beautiful blonde spread open for him. The moment Brian slid inside the tight hot tunnel of his lover, Brian felt a peace he hadn’t experienced since his last night at Pleasant Valley. They moved together in perfect unison, Brian’s cock easily finding Justin’s sweet spot. Justin’s moans got louder as Brian sped up his thrusts, culminating in an earth shattering orgasm for both of them.

Brian carefully pulled out, dropping the used condom into the nearest trashcan. He flopped back onto the bed in exhaustion and allowed Justin to curl his body around him. Brian could feel Justin’s heartbeat as it steadied, all energy draining from both of their bodies. Although a part of Brian wanted to push the boy away, there was also a feeling of contentment when the pale arms encircled his waist. He finally felt safe, free from judgment. Now that was something he never knew could exist.

The next morning the boys woke up to the loud ring of Justin’s cell. Their limbs were so entwined that Justin almost missed the call. He was out of breath when he answered a breathy hello.

“Shit Justin, I can’t believe you’re still asleep. It’s almost noon,” Damon exclaimed into the phone.

“Damon? Hold on a sec,” Justin replied and eased himself out of bed. Brian’s eyes were still closed but he knew the brunette was awake and listening to every word. Once Justin was seated in the living room, he put the phone back to his ear.

“All right, I can talk now. What’s up? I figured I wouldn’t hear from you until right before you got out.”

“That’s not for a couple more days and I’m already going insane here without you. Last night they brought in some C level actress/model on crack. The whole place is buzzing about it but I don’t really give a damn. She’s a complete head case and absolutely impossible to detox. All of the goddamn heteros want to take it easy on her. Thank god for Chuck or she’d still be high as a fucking kite. I need to get out of here soon or I’ll need to be sentenced to a padded room,” Damon pleaded.

“Don’t be so melodramatic. You’ve got less than a week and I’ll be picking you up. It’s gonna fly by.”

“Easy for you to say now that you’re back in the real world. So whatcha been doing since you were sprung?”

“Not much. Just seeing my mom and my sister, trying to make arrangements to go back to school, taking a lot of walks, going to meetings. That’s about it,” Justin answered nonchalantly.

“Bullshit, what about Brian?”

“What about Brian?”

“Oh don’t be so coy, my friend. You must have seen him by now. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were with him right now.”

Justin remained silent.

“Holy shit, you’re with him right now, aren’t you?” Damon said with a laugh.

“None of your fucking business. I gotta go but we’ll talk again before I pick up your sorry ass,” Justin said in a hurry. Things were confusing enough with him and Brian without adding someone else’s opinion into the mix.

“Fine, you win this time Blonde Boy but you won’t get off so easily the next time I see you.”

“Yeah, whatever. Go to group or something. Bye.”

Damon said his good-byes and hung up. Justin was a little frazzled and that feeling surely didn’t go away when he looked into the bedroom and caught Brian’s scowl.

“What?” Justin asked in exasperation.

“I’m not even going to say it,” Brian said with bitterness and headed into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

“Brian!” Justin called out but got no answer. He walked through the bedroom and knocked softly on the door.

“Come on, Brian. Open the door. It was just a phone call.”

There was still no answer; all he could hear was the sound of the faucet running. Justin grabbed his clothes and quickly got dressed, ready to knock on the door again when it opened. Brian exited, freshly shaven.

“Mmmm, you smell good,” Justin whispered in a sultry voice.

“Not gonna work,” Brian replied tersely.

“Well, if it doesn’t work now then maybe I can try again sometime soon. When can I see you again?” Justin asked hopefully. He was not going to let one phone call ruin his chances of a repeat performance.

“Don’t know. I’ll call you.”

Realizing that he wasn’t going to get much further than that today, Justin gave Brian a quick kiss and headed for the door.

“Brian, don’t give up on us. I definitely won’t.”

And then Justin was gone, leaving Brian to figure out what the hell had just happened and why it had bothered him so much.

Brian had finally given in to Mikey and agreed to meet the guys at the gym. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to hang out with his old crowd, but figured it had to be better than calling Justin. It had been a few days since the blond walked out of his loft and even though Brian had reached for the phone a couple of times, he managed to refrain from actually placing the call. His feelings for the younger man were too confusing to deal with at the moment and he needed more time to work things out in his head.

As he ran on the treadmill, Michael, Ted, and Emmett by his side, his eyes surveyed the room and came to rest on a certain blond off to the right by the stair masters. Whatever he was feeling at the moment of recognition, he still wasn’t sure, quickly turned into anger and dare he say jealousy when he realized that Justin wasn’t alone. Some muscle queen was hanging all over him, touching him in places that he shouldn’t be touching and whispering in his ear. Brian tried his best to ignore them, but he wasn’t able to tear his eyes away from the scene before him. He was vaguely aware of Michael talking to him, but couldn’t make out what was being said over the humming in his ears.

“Brian? What the hell’s the matter with you?” Michael called out.

“Huh?” Brian said, finally looking over at his friend.

“I asked you what you thought I should do about Ben. Where the fuck was you?” Michael asked angrily.

“I’m right here, Mikey. I heard every word that you said,” Brian lied, stealing another glance over at Justin and the muscle queen.

“Oh yeah?” Michael questioned. “Then what do you think I should do?”

“What the fuck do I care what you do? If you have a problem with Ben, find a way to work it out and leave me out of it,” Brian barked.

Michael was taken back by Brian’s bitterness. “You know Brian; ever since you’ve come back you’ve been different…”

Michael’s words faded into the back of Brian’s mind as he saw the muscle queen place his hand on the small of Justin’s back as he began to lead him away. All rational thoughts left as Brian jumped off the treadmill and made his way quickly towards the pair.

“Well, isn’t this cozy,” Brian stated as he confronted Justin.

“Brian? What are you doing here?” Justin asked surprise evident in his features.

“It’s a gym. What do you think I’m doing here?” Brian replied bitterly. “The question is what are you doing?” The glare he sent the queen’s way was enough to make the man see that something was going on between the two men before him.

“Uh…I…guess I should go,” he stammered, refusing to put himself in the middle of anything.

“Good idea,” Brian agreed.

“Wait a minute,” Justin spoke up. “I thought we had plans.”

“Yeah, well…I don’t want to cause any problems. I’ll see you around.” The queen saw the look of pure hatred in Brian’s eyes before adding, “Or not.”

Justin watched the guy walk away before turning back towards Brian in fury. “What the fuck was that for?”

Brian didn’t reply. Instead, he grabbed Justin by the arm and dragged him towards the locker room without looking back in the direction of his friends. A voice in his head told him he was over reacting, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself as he grabbed his bag out of his locker, never once letting go of Justin’s arm.

“Brian, let me go,” Justin demanded as he tried to pull away, but the grip Brian had on him was strong and he couldn’t shake it. “Brian!” Seeing the look on Brian’s face confused Justin and he resigned his fate. He was going with Brian, whether he wanted to or not.

Michael, Ted, and Emmett watched the show before them in shock. They weren’t sure what was going on between the two men, but it was obvious that Brian had a problem with Justin getting attention from someone else. Once they were out of sight, Emmett broke the silence.

“What do you suppose that was all about?”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d swear that the great God Kinney was jealous,” Ted offered with a smirk.

“Brian doesn’t do jealous,” Michael replied weakly.

“Then what just happened?” Emmett prodded.

“I don’t know,” Michael sighed. “But whatever it was, I almost feel sorry for that kid.”

The three men continued to stare at the doorway that Brian had just dragged Justin through for another minute before getting back to their workout, each one of them lost in their thoughts, trying to understand the scene they just witnessed.

Justin was getting real tired of the silent treatment every time Brian got upset with some imaginary offense he committed or jealous of another guy that meant nothing to him. He wanted to be with Brian but the way things were going it seemed that Brian Kinney would never admit to how he felt about anything. There was only so much mind reading he could do before he just gave up on the infuriating man. It felt like a broken record as he followed Brian into the loft.

“You know you almost pulled my arm out of the socket when you dragged me out of there. You wanna tell me why?” Justin questioned.

“Why is everything always a question with you?” Brian asked annoyed.

“Because you never make any goddamn sense. It’s like I’m a fucking yo yo the way I go in and out of your life. If you would just let me understand what is going on in that head of yours than I would keep my mouth shut and we wouldn’t have to continue this dance of ours. Can’t you just admit there’s something going on between us?”

Brian looked flustered as he grabbed a water from the fridge, practically downing it in one gulp. He looked over at Justin, who waiting patiently for a response.

“You know what, maybe I shouldn’t have brought you back here. I’m going to take a shower. I stink.”

Brian started to head for the bathroom but Justin’s voice stopped him.

“Can I come back tomorrow? Maybe we can talk then,” Justin said hopefully.

Brian stared at Justin for a moment before responding. Slowly he nodded his head.

“Yeah, I think we could do that.”

As Brian disappeared into his bedroom to undress, Justin finally felt that he had made some headway with the beautiful man. He knew realistically neither man should be looking for a relationship so soon into recovery but there was a connection between them that he refused to let go of. Jerking the door open, Justin came face to face with Damon’s little brother.

“Hunter? What are you doing here?”

“Actually I was looking for you. I figured Brian would know best how to reach you.”

“Then I guess today’s your lucky day. What can I do for you?”

Hunter nervously bit his lower lip, trying to get up the courage to ask what he really wanted.

“Actually can we go somewhere and talk?”

“Sure,” Justin replied and stepped out into the hallway, shutting the door behind him. He was so focused on Hunter that he never realized Brian had been watching them from the bedroom. Brian entered the shower, his mind going a mile a minute trying to figure out what Mikey’s foundling could want with Justin. If only he could focus on something else but Justin seemed safer than alcohol. At least that’s what he used to think. They were both turning into addictions, as far as he was concerned.

Hunter and Justin walked on the sidewalk to a nearby park, making random small talk until Hunter was ready to open up. It took nearly half an hour before Hunter blurted out what he came to say.

“I want to see Damon. Actually that’s not entirely true. I need to see Damon. I have so many questions that only he can answer. Do you think he’d be OK with me visiting him at that rehab place you mentioned?” Hunter asked hesitantly.

“You don’t have to worry about that because he gets out tomorrow.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’m going to pick him up myself. He’ll be staying with me at my mom’s house until he figures out what his next move is.”

“He’s not going back to our mom’s place?”

“No, that’s not really a safe place for him to be, especially not when he’s in recovery. I don’t think I need to tell you how unhappy he was there.”

“No you don’t. My memory is crystal clear. So maybe in a couple of days, once he’s settled in, I can stop by?”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Justin said with a smile. He was about to say more when the ringing in his pocket interrupted them. Justin looked down at the display and smiled even brighter when he saw who was calling.

“Damon, that better be you because I am not in the mood to talk to anyone else from that place.”

“No need to worry, it’s just me. You’re still coming to get me tomorrow, right?” Damon asked.

“Of course, I said I would. Just make sure all your shit is packed because I’m not staying any longer than I have to.”

Both boys laughed and Hunter couldn’t help but smile knowing his brother had found a real friend.

“Shit, it’s time for my meeting with Chuck. I gotta run but I will see you bright and early tomorrow.”

“You got it. Tell Chuck I said hello. Oh, and Damon…”

“Yeah?” Damon replied.

“I have a surprise for you when you get out.”

“It better be nine inches cut.”

“It’s better, I promise. See you tomorrow,” Justin assured him and ended the call. The second he hung up, Hunter was asking a million questions about rehab and what Damon had been through. Justin patiently answered all he could, without giving away any of Damon’s secrets. He figured it was up to Damon to share his own story when the brothers were reunited. He was just so glad he was able to help.

As Brian got out of the shower and dried off, he couldn’t help obsessing over the connection between Justin and Hunter. The first time they met was supposedly at Deb’s but then why was Hunter going through all the trouble to track him down. The two boys had absolutely nothing in common, except this strange secret somehow tied to the illustrious Damon. How could the lovesick drug addict still be affecting his life when he was out and Damon was still locked away? And what the hell did it have to do with Hunter anyways?

On top of that, Brian was still trying to understand what had caused him to react the way he did at the gym. He always told Michael to never go after anybody and what did he do? He went after Justin and dragged him out of the gym like some kind of fucking Neanderthal. The whole incident not only pissed him off, but confused the hell out of him too. He wasn’t sure what was going on anymore, but he knew he needed to think about it before Justin came back to talk. Dressing casually, he grabbed his keys off the counter and headed out of the loft. The last thing he wanted was to be alone with his thoughts. Before he knew it, he was pulling up outside of Mel and Lindsay’s house. Maybe spending a little time with his son was just what he needed.

“Brian,” Lindsay said in surprise when she opened the door.

“Is it possible to see my son?” Brian asked, trying to hide the uncertainty he felt.

“Uh, sure. It’s almost time for his nap, but he can spend a little time with his father. Come on in,” she replied, standing back to let the man enter.

Brian walked inside and headed into the living room where Gus was sitting on the floor playing with some toys. “Hey, Sonny Boy.”

“Daddy!” Gus cried as he abandoned his toys and raced to his father’s arms. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Sonny Boy,” Brian replied with affection. “What’re you up to?”

“I play wif my cars. Do you wanna play wif me?”

“Lead the way,” Brian chuckled as he put Gus down and allowed himself to be dragged over to the discarded pile of toys. If he were honest with himself, he’d have to admit that it had been awhile since he was sober enough to sit on the floor and enjoy his son. It was something that he rarely did.

Lindsay sat down on the couch and watched the interaction between father and son in awe. This was what she’d always wanted between them; a real relationship, not just Brian breezing in half loaded for a few minutes a week. She just hoped that this time his sobriety would last. She kept looking for signs that he was back to using but this wasn’t the same Brian of seven weeks ago.

A short time later, Gus’s fatigue was evident and Lindsay knew she had to intervene and put their son to bed.

“Okay Gus, its nap time now,” she said cheerfully.

“No! No nap! I wanna play wif Daddy!” Gus cried, turning on the tears.

Lindsay sighed and looked at Brian, hoping he would understand her silent plea.

“Gus, if Mommy says you have to take a nap, then you have to take a nap. How about if I take you upstairs and read you a story before I go?” Brian offered, noticing the relief in Lindsay’s face.

“Okay Daddy,” Gus agreed sadly. “Will you come back and see me soon?”

“Of course I will. Now let’s get this mess cleaned up so we can get to the story.”

Brian and Gus quickly cleaned up the toys and then headed upstairs. Lindsay thought of following, but decided to give them a little time alone. Instead she made herself a cup of tea and thought about the difference in Brian. She felt a sense of peace in him that she never noticed before and began to wonder how much of that peace came from Justin. She’d been shocked by the way Justin had attacked her while at Pleasant Valley, but had been more surprised when the blond showed up at dinner. Brian never brought anyone to the family dinner before. It was apparent that there was something going on between them and she wondered if she’d be able to get Brian to offer up any information.

A few minutes later, the subject of her thoughts made his way down the stairs.

“Thanks for letting me see my son. I’ll call before I come over next time,” Brian said as he reached for his jacket.

“I’m so proud of you, Brian,” Lindsay said as she approached him.

“You’d better watch out, Lindsay. You never know when I’m going to fall off the wagon and turn back into a monster,” Brian replied bitterly.

“That’s not fair. I was worried about you and I was trying to protect our son,” Lindsay said in her defense.

“Protect him from his father?”

“No, protect him from the person his father becomes when he’s drunk and high.”

“Linds, I would never let anything happen to my son,” Brian sighed in frustration.

“How can you be sure?”

“Because I’m not Jack. I would never let anyone hurt my son,” Brian growled.

“I’m sorry, but I had to be sure. I couldn’t let him be around you if there was even the slightest chance that something would happen. You of all people should know how things can happen when someone is under the influence,” Lindsay pressed, hoping that Brian would understand.

Brian’s mind immediately went to Justin and what happened to Molly while he was out of it. Under any other circumstances, Justin would never hurt his sister. The love they had for each other was obvious to anyone who saw them together, yet while he was using the pills, he managed to send her to the hospital with a broken arm. Maybe Lindsay was right to keep Gus away from him when things were at their worst. “Yeah, I guess I can,” he agreed.

“So, are we okay again?” she asked hopefully.

“Yeah, we’re okay. Things are…different this time, Linds. Everything is different. I’m not going to go back to using again this time,” he assured her.

“Good, because I like you better this way,” she smiled. “So, about Justin; what’s going on with you two?”

“I wish I knew. I’ve got to get going. I’ll call you next week,” Brian replied as he kissed her cheek and quickly made his way out of the house. Things between him and Justin were confusing enough without trying to explain it all to someone else.

The next day Damon was sitting out on the curb when Justin pulled up in his mom’s Toyota Camry. He was already up and grabbing his bags by the time the trunk was popped.

“Somebody’s in a rush,” Justin teased. Damon quickly deposited his bags inside and pulled Justin into a bone-crunching hug.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” Damon said as he looked into Justin’s bright blue eyes. The last week had been practically unbearable without his friend and as the new cases came in he couldn’t help remembering his own arrival. All he wanted to do now was focus on the future and forget the last three years of his life. He couldn’t stop the chuckle that erupted from his gut when the car pulled up to the perfect suburban house. It was something out of “Stepford Wives”.

“Well, I guess I don’t have to wonder anymore where your country club manners come from.”

“Shut the fuck up. Just for that you can get your own stuff. I’ll get the door for you though,” Justin said and gestured toward the door. True to his word, after popping open the trunk, Justin waited just outside the house for Damon to lug his bags up, a smirk firmly planted on his face. They were both laughing by the time they settled down on the couch and waited for Justin’s mom to come home. She breezed in the door only moments later, followed close behind by Molly. Both boys stood up to greet her.

“Mom, I’d like you to meet my friend Damon who I told you would be staying with us for a bit. Damon, this is my mom and the brat behind her is Molly,” Justin stated.

Damon reached his hand forward and shook Jennifer’s hand. She was a little tense. Molly also took an immediate dislike to the stranger. She didn’t appreciate the way he was looking at Justin. It was the same way Brian looked at him and she really liked Brian. Molly was fearful that this new guy would come between her brother and the man that seemed to care so much for him.

“It’s great to meet you and thanks again for taking me in. It really means the world to me.”

“It’s not a problem. With any luck you’ll be on your feet in no time,” Jennifer replied politely, “Now if you boys will excuse me I’m going to see what we have left in the fridge for dinner. Justin, I might need you to go to the grocery store and pick up a few things. Would you mind helping me to make a list?”

Rehab was supposed to bring her son back, not him and his group of drug addict friends. First Brian and now Damon, she wondered if Justin no longer knew anyone that wasn’t a recovering addict. She smiled again at her new houseguest before heading into the kitchen.

“Yeah, sure Mom. Damon, I’ll be right back. Molly, why don’t you show him your room.”

“Do I have to?” she whined.

“Yes, now go.”

Molly trudged down the hallway to her room, Damon following close behind. Once Damon had entered the room, Molly shut the door and turned to look Damon in the eyes.

“What do you want with my brother?”

Damon was startled by the question.

“I don’t want anything. He’s my friend.”

Molly nodded her head.

“That better be all there is because if I catch you making googly eyes at him again and trying to come between him and Brian than you are in for some serious trouble Mister. Brian’s really nice and Justin belongs with him.”

“You’ve met Brian?” Damon asked confused. He knew Justin had seen the man but had no idea there had been a family meet and greet as well.

“Yes, he brought Justin home to see me. He makes googly eyes at Justin too, so don’t you try to mess it up.”

Damon tried not to laugh at the seriousness in her tone.

“I won’t, I promise. But what if Brian hurts Justin?”

Molly seemed to think about that for a moment before responding.

“He won’t.”

“Why not?” Damon asked in curiosity.

“Because when you care that much about someone than you don’t hurt them and if you do then you try to make it better and they forgive you. That’s why Justy went away and came back. He wanted to make things better and he did. So even if Brian hurts him, it won’t last. And if it does, then I’ll let you know. But don’t hold your breath.”

“You’ve got a deal.” Damon agreed and reached out to shake hands with the young girl. Her sisterly concern made him miss his own brother. Maybe now that he was out and better they could start again. Molly’s forgiveness gave him hope.

An hour later, Damon and Justin were walking through the supermarket when Damon placed a hand on Justin’s arm, momentarily stopping him.

“Okay, now will you tell me what’s going on with you and Brian?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Justin lied as he tried to walk past.

“Come off it, Justin. Molly practically threatened me if I came between you two. She was like a fucking bulldog with a bone, so you wanna tell me how she knows our Dear Mister Kinney?” Damon asked.

“Not particularly. Remind me to punish Molly severely when we get home,” Justin replied dryly, trying to ignore the question in the air.

“I will, but for now you can just answer the damn question,” Damon prodded.

“I’m not sure, okay? We’ve seen each other a few times. He came with me to see Molly for the first time and I went to his family dinner with him. Other than that, there’s really nothing to tell,” Justin explained.

“So since you two got out, you two haven’t…”

“Once, but then things got weird again. I don’t know what’s going on with him. One minute I think I’m wasting my time and the next he’s acting like a jealous boyfriend,” Justin sighed in frustration.

Jealous? Brian? Damon knew exactly how jealous Brian could be. “Now this I have to hear,” Damon said with a smile.

They continued on with their shopping while Justin filled Damon on the incident in the gym. He was still baffled by the scene and was anxious to talk to Brian about it, but so far it hadn’t happened. Brian agreed to allow him to stop by, but so far his day had been busy with bringing his friend home. He planned on calling Brian when he got home and seeing if they could meet later that night. Once he finished telling the story, Justin looked over at Damon and found him grinning like an idiot.

“What?” he asked in confusion.

“It sounds like Mr. Kinney has it bad for you,” Damon replied honestly.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that,” Justin said, although he was secretly hoping Damon was right. “Besides, if that was the case, there wouldn’t be a problem. We would just be together instead of running around in circles.”

“But that’s not Brian. I’ve known guys like him my whole life. He thinks love is bullshit and refuses to see what’s right in front of him. He’s too stubborn to give in to what he’s feeling, and will fight it every step of the way,” Damon explained.

“I don’t know…I really don’t think…”

“You don’t have to. Here comes Kinney now,” Damon said with a nod in Brian’s direction.

Justin turned around, surprised to see Brian standing in front of him. His brain raced with something to say, but nothing came to mind.

“Well, isn’t this the picture of domesticity?” Brian asked, hating the bitter tone in his voice.

“Hey Brian, how’s it going?” Damon addressed the older man before noticing the pure anger in his eyes. He quickly turned his attention back to Justin. “I’ll go grab…uh…the bread.”

Justin watched the strange look that passed between Damon and Brian before watching Damon disappear down the aisle. He sighed, sensing the animosity Brian had towards Damon. He had hoped it would’ve diminished once they were out of rehab. Shaking off those thoughts, he turned his attention to Brian.

“What are you doing here?” he asked innocently.

“It’s a supermarket, what do you think I’m doing here?” Brian growled. “I see your little friend is out. I’m sure he raced right over to see you once he was released.”

“He didn’t have to. I picked him up this morning. He’s staying at my Mom’s until he can figure out what to do next,” Justin replied honestly. He had nothing to hide.

“Well, that’s convenient,” Brian replied dryly.

“Brian, don’t even go there. Damon has nothing to do with us,” Justin said, getting tired of defending his friendship with the other man.

“Us?” Brian laughed bitterly. “There is no us, remember?”

Justin did his best to mask the hurt that Brian’s words had caused. “If there’s no us, then why do we always turn to one another when things get rough? And why did we have sex again just the other night”

“That’s just fucking and we’re friends, end of story,” Brian insisted yet somehow the words sounded hollow, even to his own ears.

“I see,” Justin replied. “So then what’s with the cock blocking at the gym? I mean it’s just fucking, right?”

Brian wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He still hadn’t figured out why he dragged Justin out himself, so there was no way he could explain it to the blond. “I gotta go.”

Justin watched Brian walk away feeling more confused than ever. A part of him wanted to just walk away and never see the infuriating man again, yet deep down inside, Justin knew that he wouldn’t be able to do that. Brian meant too much to him to just give up without a fight. He was so lost in thought that he never heard Damon come up behind him.

“So how did it go?”

“Typical Kinney fashion, of course. Hopefully it will go better tonight at the loft because I’ve had enough of his bullshit and this time I’m not taking no for an answer. I’m going to force him to admit that he cares about me whether he likes it or not,” Justin stated with more confidence than he felt.

“And how are you going to do that?” Damon asked with amusement.

“I don’t have a fucking clue,” Justin sighed in frustration. He had a feeling it was going to be a long night.


End of part 7
03/13/05

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