Coming Out

Chapter 11

It had been two weeks since Brian had moved into the Taylor’s house, and so far everything had been working out great. Justin loved having Brian around all the time, and nobody seemed to notice the closeness that the two boys shared. The next day was the Taylor’s annual summer barbeque so Brian thought it would be the perfect time to put their plan into action. He was working late at Ryder that night, finishing up any last minute projects before the weekend, when he decided to approach Cynthia about his situation with Justin. He’d never told her what was going on between the two of them, wanting to keep it to himself until he was sure things were going to work out, but now he felt like it was time to come clean.

“Hey Cynthia, you want to grab a bite to eat after we get off?” Brian asked, hoping that she would understand why he had kept his relationship with Justin a secret.

“Sure, Brian. That’s the best offer I’ve had all week,” she replied, wondering if Brian was finally going to tell her what he’d been hiding. She’d noticed a change in him recently, but didn’t ask him about it, knowing that he would come to her when he was ready.

“Great. I’ll be ready in about an hour. I’ll meet you out front,” he told her, before going off to find Justin to tell him of his plans. He found him in the art department, alone, lost in thought over one of his projects. He took a few moments to watch his boyfriend work, wishing that they didn’t have to keep their feelings to themselves. Brian longed for the day when he would be able to give Justin a kiss or hug without worrying about someone seeing them. Just then Justin turned around, and gave Brian his best sunshine smile.

“Brian, how long have you been standing there?” Justin asked, getting up from his desk, and moving closer to where Brian was standing.

“Long enough to imagine you laying naked across your desk waiting for me,” Brian laughed.

“Really? That would definitely make the work place more enjoyable,” Justin chuckled back.

“Yes it would. Listen, you can go home without me tonight. I’m going to be late,” Brian said.

“Why? Is something wrong?” Justin asked with concern.

“No, it’s nothing like that. With the barbeque being tomorrow, I thought it was time to let Cynthia know what’s going on with us and ask her for some help. We’re going to get something to eat when we’re done here,” Brian explained.

“Oh, it’s about time. I talked to Daphne about everything weeks ago, I was beginning to think I was going to be the only one with a date for the party,” Justin teased. He was happy that Brian was finally going to talk to Cynthia because he knew it had been hard on him to keep things from her.

“A date, huh? Should I be worried?” Brian joked, remembering Justin’s reaction to his suggestion of them seeing other people.

“Never. You’re all I need,” Justin replied honestly.

Brian looked around to make sure they were alone before pulling the blond in for a soft kiss. Even though the sex between them had been incredible, Brian loved the soft kisses and stolen moments the best. No one had ever made him feel as loved or as wanted as Justin did, and he thanked God every day for putting Justin on the earth for him.

“So, I guess I’ll just see you at home later,” Justin said, his lips still warm from the kiss.

“Yeah, I’ll see you at home,” Brian replied as he walked away.

An hour later, Brian and Cynthia were sitting at a small booth in the back of the diner, neither really interested in the food they had ordered.

“Okay, tell me what you‘ve been keeping from me,” Cynthia demanded, enjoying the shocked expression on Brian’s face.

“Who says I’ve been keeping anything from you?” Brian asked.

“Oh, come on Brian, I know you too well by now. I can tell when you are keeping secrets. Now spill it!” she exclaimed.

“I’ve been seeing someone. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I just wanted to see where it was going first. I don’t normally do boyfriends, so I wasn’t sure if things were going to work out. Are you mad?” Brian asked.

“Mad? No, I’m not mad. I’m thrilled for you. It’s about time you found someone. So who is this guy? Where did you meet him? How old is he?” Cynthia asked excitedly.

“It’s Justin,” Brian replied, shyly.

“Oh my God! Our Justin?” she asked in amazement.

“Yes, our Justin. Only he’s my Justin, and don’t you forget it,” He laughed at the shocked look on her face.

“When did this happen?” She continued, surprised that she never noticed anything between then.

“His first week here. I offered to take him out to celebrate our new jobs. I came out to him that night, wanting to be honest with him upfront. I was shocked when he came out, too. We’ve been together ever since. I love him, Cyn. I never thought I would say that before, but I do,” Brian admitted.

“That’s wonderful, Brian. I am so happy for you.” She beamed, and then noticed there was something he wasn’t telling her. “What is it that you aren’t telling me?” she demanded.

“Well, you know how I had told you that things at my house were pretty bad? A couple of weeks ago, I invited Justin over for dinner. I knew it was a bad idea, but he wanted to meet my family. When he got there, Jack was drunk as usual. He roughed me up a little bit and I ended up at Justin’s with a black eye and bruised ribs. The Taylors let me move in with them,” Brian replied.

“You mean you are living with Justin?” She shrieked.

“Well, we aren’t sharing a bed or anything, but yeah, I live with Justin and his family now.” Brian chuckled at her reaction.

“Oh Brian, I’m so sorry. That must have been hard on you. What did your parents say?” She asked with concern.

“I don’t know the whole story, but when Justin’s mom saw my face, we had to tell her what happened. She didn’t want me to go back home, so she told me to stay the night. While I was sleeping, Justin’s dad when over to the house to try to talk to my parents. Apparently Jack and Joan showed their true colors, and Mr. Taylor told them that if they didn’t let me move in with them, he was going to call the police and they,d go to jail for child abuse. Mommy Dearest pack up my stuff and that was that. I’ve been living at Hotel Taylor ever since,” Brian explained, trying to hide the pain he still felt towards his parents, for giving him up without a fight.

“So how are things going with you and Justin living together?” She asked curiously.

“It was hard at first, but we’ve learned to deal with the problems that come from living with your boyfriend. Things are good now,” Brian beamed.

“I’m glad everything worked out for you. I’ve always worried about you, Brian. I hated seeing you come in to work trying to hide the bruises from everyone. I’ll sleep better knowing you’re safe,” Cynthia admitted.

“Me, too. There is one thing I need though, Cyn. I was hoping you might be able to help me out,” Brian spoke hesitantly.

“Sure Brian. You know I’d do anything for you. All you have to do is ask,” she replied.

“Justin and I are worried that his parents might figure out our little secret. When I was still at home they had no idea that we were spending all of our time together, but now that we’re under the same roof it’s hard to hide. I don’t want them getting suspicious about why we don’t have other friends, especially girlfriends. So I had this idea that if maybe they saw us with girls now and then, they would think that we…you know…had girlfriends, and wouldn’t think twice about the time we spend together,” Brian explained, wondering if his little plan was a bad as it sounded as he explained it to Cynthia.

“So, you want me to pretend to be your girlfriend?” Cynthia asked.

“You don’t have to pretend to be anything. Just be my friend, like you have been. Come to the house occasionally, let them see us hanging out together, things like that,” Brian assured her.

“And I take it that Justin already has someone lined up to be his ‘friend’?” She laughed.

“Yeah, his friend Daphne. They’ve been friends for years, so we figured it wouldn’t be that hard to imagine them falling for each other. I know this probably sounds like a pretty lame idea Cyn, but I don’t want them to figure out what’s going on. They would never let me live there if they knew. Not to mention Justin’s not ready to come out to them yet so this will help him keep his secret. You don’t have to agree to this if you don’t want to. I just didn’t know who else to go to,” Brian told her.

“I’m glad you came to me. Of course I’ll help you Brian. You know I love you, and I like Justin, too. I think we’ll have fun hanging out together. And besides, I don’t have anything else to do these days,” she laughed.

“Thank you, Cyn. I really appreciate this. Do you have any plans for tomorrow?” Brian asked.

“No, what did you have in mind?” She was looking forward to having friends to hang out with. Ever since her parents died, she’d been keeping to herself, spending her free time reading or watching TV.

“The Taylor’s are having a barbeque, and they told us we could invite some friends. Daphne is going to be there, so I thought maybe you could come, too. This way you could get to know Daphne, and Justin’s parents would see us with other people,” Brian explained.

“That sounds like fun. What time should I be ready?” she asked, happy that she was able to help.

“We’ll pick you up around noon. Does that sound good?” Brian asked.

“That’s good. Now let me drive you home. Marty needs to have his car back soon,” she said, excited about their plans for the next day.


End of part 11
6/24/03

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