Arms of Destiny

Chapter 1
 

As Justin walked through the airport, he couldn’t help but feel anxious at returning to the place he had once called home. It had been four years since he had walked away without a backward glance and he was looking forward to seeing his mother and sister again. The only contact he had with them in his time away was weekly phone calls and an occasional visit around the holidays, but they always had to go to him. It was part of the deal that he had made with his father that he would stay away from Brian, and in return Craig would try to put his marriage back together. The only way that would happen was if he didn’t return to Pittsburgh because the temptation would have been much to great.

It was stupid of Justin to think that he could save his parents marriage. Brian was right, they caused their own pain, but he had to try. Even though, his parents had divorced two years later, Justin had stayed at Dartmouth for the additional two years and now he had his degree. His four years at school hadn’t been too bad, except he had missed his home and his friends. His friends…he was sure they weren’t his friends anymore. He had walked away from them without saying goodbye. At the time, feeling that it was the only choice he had. Their reaction to his wanting to go to Dartmouth had been extreme, especially Brian’s. He knew that if he had told them that he was going they would have made it even harder for him then it already had been.

So, on prom night instead of going to his prom, he packed up his things and left the Pitts. His father had arranged for his early entry to college, and he was sorry that he couldn’t be with his class to receive his diploma, but they both knew that if he waited around, he would have backed out of the deal and chosen to stay.

Justin had spent the last four years studying as hard as he could and graduated at the head of his class. Now he was home, ready to put his life back together. The first thing on his list was getting a job. He had an interview with an ad agency in town. It was a new company that had only been around for about 6 months, and they needed someone to head up their art department. It may not be as big as Ryder, but it was an opportunity to help a new business expand and make a name for himself in the process. He had heard that Brian had made partner at Ryder a few years ago. His hope was to experience the same success one day. That was the last time he had any news of his old life. His mother and Debbie had drifted apart and since he had walked away without so much as a goodbye, he didn’t feel he had the right to interfere in anyone’s life.

After he retrieved his luggage, he made his way to the exit to hail a cab. His mother had wanted to pick him up, but he wanted to have a little time alone with his memories before going to his mother’s condo. Although he had spent the last four years dreaming about his return, now that the day was here, he was nervous. He knew that as soon as he got settled he would go to the diner to visit Debbie. Aside from Brian, she was the one he had missed most in his time away. In the last four years, Justin reached for the phone over and over again wanting to call and make amends with the gang, but he always stopped himself. He just knew he wouldn’t be able to handle the disappointment he was sure to hear in their voices. Instead, he spent the last four years trying to forget about his life in the Pitts.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work. His days were spent working as hard as he could to keep his grades up and make the Dean’s list; his nights were spent fantasizing about Brian. The man was in his thoughts everyday, and even after all this time, Justin knew that he still loved him and he always would. Now he was back and ready to move on with his life. He had made the decision to try to make amends with Debbie and Vic, but as for the rest of the gang, he would just wait to see what happened. He wasn’t even sure if they were still around. A lot can change in four years. He was sure that they had all moved on with their lives, and he wasn’t about to interfere with their new lives.

As the cab pulled up in front of the condo, Justin began to feel anxious about coming back. He was twenty two years old and he didn’t want to be living at home with his mommy. His interview was scheduled for the next morning and he hoped to be hired immediately so he could find a place of his own and be the man he had worked so hard to become. It was what helped him get through Dartmouth and he was determined to make something of himself. He went inside to face his mother and get ready for his future.

Brian sat alone in his hotel suite thinking about the client he just signed to a three year contract. He had spent the last two months in London, tying to learn as much as he could about London bridges Construction, the company that would hopefully put his new agency on the map. So much had happened in the last few years. After Ryder had sold his agency to Gardner Vance, Brian knew that it was time to start thinking about going out on his own. So he worked hard to become partner at Vanguard, using his position to make important contacts. Six months ago, his dream became a reality when ’Just In Time Advertising’ was born. Everyone thought he had picked the name because he always said he wanted to own his own agency before he turned thirty five, and since he was approaching his thirty fifth birthday, it seemed like he was opening it Just In Time. Little did they know that the name had less to do with his goals in life, and more to do with the blond twink that had found his way into Brian’s heart more then four years ago.

Although Brian would never admit it to anyone, he had never forgotten the boy who had walked away from them all those years ago. Oh, he tried to forget, drowning himself in drugs, alcohol, and tricks, but it didn’t work. One day, Brian woke up after a particularly bad night to realize that he was just going to have to accept the fact that he had fallen in love, something that he swore he would never do. The only problem was that by the time he was finally able to admit to himself that he was capable of loving someone, Justin was gone. He knew where he was. They all knew that Craig Taylor had managed to talk his son into going to Dartmouth, but Brian didn’t feel he had the right to go after the boy and disrupt the life he was building. It wasn’t like he had anything to offer the boy. He may have been able to admit his feeling to himself, but he sure wasn’t going to open his heart to a eighteen year old kid just to have it stepped on when the kid grew up and wanted to move on. And that is exactly what he did. Justin had moved on, gone away to school without looking back. No one had heard from him since he left the Pitts and Brian knew it was for the best. With his talent, Brian knew that Justin would make it far in life and he didn’t want to hold him back.

So life went on, and Brian grew up too. He cut his tricking down to about once a week, gave up the drugs, and concentrated on his career. His reward was Just In Time and that would have to be enough for him, because he was sure he would never let another person get as close to him as Justin had done. His work would have to be enough for him. He was brought out of his thoughts by the phone ringing and was happy for the distraction, hating the amount of time he spent thinking about Justin.

“Hello?” Brian answered.

“Hey Brian, it’s Cynthia. How are things going? Did you get them to sign yet?” She asked, excited for her friend. Through the years, they had developed a real friendship, so there was no question as to whether or not she would jump ship to go over to Just In Time when it opened.

“All signed and ready to go. I will be on my way back in a couple of days. I just need to wrap things up here. Thanks again for running things back home while I was away. I hated leaving for so long after just opening our doors, but the opportunity was just too good to pass up. A London based company opening up offices in the states is big news in the business world. It’s a great way to get our name out there in the world. I have a really good feeling about this. By the way, did you find anyone to run our art department?” Brian asked, hoping that Cynthia had found someone. He needed to have someone to work on the new account immediately. Too much was riding on this account.

“As a matter of fact, I have someone coming in tomorrow for an interview. He just graduated in the top of his class and is a wonderful artist, if his portfolio is any indication. Are you sure you want me to hire him? Wouldn’t it be better to wait until you got back?” She asked, a little nervous about her latest task.

“Cyn, I trust you. That’s why I made you a junior partner. I don’t care who you hire, just as long as they can do the job and can start right away. It’s Monday now, I will be back on Thursday, just make sure that whoever you hire can be ready to start then. I will see you when I get back.” Brian told her.

“Okay Brian, whatever you say. Just remember that, if things don’t work out. I don’t want to be on the receiving side of one of your tantrums later. Have a safe trip and I’ll see you on Thursday.” Cynthia replied, praying that everything worked out.

Cynthia had worked for Brian for about ten years and in that time she had seen many sides to the man. She knew how serious he was when it came to work and she had never seen anything get in his way of success except for that brief period about four years ago. At the time, they didn’t share the closeness that they did now, but she knew something had happened when he started coming in late each morning, looking like he had been hit by a car. She wondered if it had something to do with his love life, but knew she couldn’t ask him about it, so she waited out his mood swings. It took a couple of months, but he eventually recovered from whatever it was that was troubling him and moved on. Cynthia knew that whatever caused his dark period had changed him because she could still see the shadows in his eyes, but he got himself together and went on, eventually going after his dreams. She was proud of what he accomplished and was happy with the friendship they had built. Now all she had to do was hire their art director and hope he was what Brian was looking for. She couldn’t wait for her interview with Justin Taylor.


End of part 1
7/6/03
 

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