Right Next Door

Chapter 10

 


The surprise went off without a hitch. After dinner with his parents, Justin found a note from Molly taped to the front door saying that their electricity was out and that she and the children were at Brian’s. He was stunned speechless when Brian led him into a room filled with his friends and family. He was even more surprised when he spotted a few of his friends from Chicago there. He’d seen most of them on the trip he’d made right after the baby was born, but never imagined having them in Pittsburgh. He owed Molly big time for pulling everything together and vowed to thank Brian when they were alone for offering up his house for the evening. He spent the first thirty minutes making his rounds and saying hello to everyone, before getting a few minutes to himself and fighting his way into the kitchen. He needed something to drink and a little bit of space. He spotted Caleb the minute he walked through the door.

“Hey birthday boy,” Caleb greeted him, embracing him in a bone-crushing hug. “Are you ready to move back home yet?”

Justin laughed as he returned the hug before stepping out of his friend’s embrace. “I am home, remember? I can’t believe you managed to keep the party a secret. I’ve known you for almost seven years and I don’t think you’ve ever managed to keep a secret in all that time.”

“How would you know? Maybe I’ve been keeping secrets all this time,” Caleb chuckled.

“Maybe…but somehow I doubt it. So how long are you staying?”

“I have to fly back on Monday. My asshole boss refused to let me take any more time, but I don’t want to think about that now. Tell me what’s going on with you. Are you seeing anyone?” Caleb asked, watching closely for Justin’s reaction to the question.

“No,” Justin lied, carefully keeping his expression neutral. He didn’t want to give anything away, even though he hated lying to his best friend. “I haven’t really have time to get out and meet people. What about you?”

“Oh, you know me. I’m always looking and never finding; although I wouldn’t mind getting to know your neighbor a little better.”

“Brian?” Justin asked quickly.

“Yeah, he’s a real hottie. Is he single?”

“Um…yeah, I guess. He’s not really your type though,” Justin replied hesitantly.

“What do you mean, not my type? Anyone who looks like that is my type. Maybe you could put in a good word for me. You know, tell him what a catch I am. I wouldn’t be opposed to moving to Pittsburgh if I had that waiting at home for me every night,” Caleb said, struggling to hold back a smile. He could see the tips of Justin’s ears turning red as he fought to hold back his jealousy.

“Uh…I don’t think that’s a good idea. He’s…well…he doesn’t do relationships…and I know how much you want to…find someone…special,” Justin stammered. “Brian really isn’t what you need. I could introduce you to Emmett. I think he’s available and he’d be perfect for you.”

“Emmett? You mean the party planning queen?” Caleb asked innocently. “How can you even suggest that with someone like Brian around? Never mind. I’ll work on Brian myself. All I need is a little time alone with him.”

“Justin,” Molly called out as she entered the kitchen. “Debbie’s looking for you.”

“Uh…okay…I’ll be right back.”

Molly waited until Justin was gone before turning to Caleb. “What are you doing? I thought the plan was to make Brian jealous of you and Justin.”

“It is, sweetheart,” Caleb replied with a smile. “And the best way to do that it to make sure Justin sticks to me like glue. Now that he thinks I’m interested in his man, he’s going to be by my side all night, keeping a close eye on me. I just need you to distract him for a few minutes so I can get Brian alone and then we’ll be all set.”

“Are you sure that’s gonna work?” Molly asked skeptically.

“Trust me, it’s gonna work like a charm.”

Molly wasn’t quite so sure, but she was already in over her head and had no choice but to follow Caleb’s request. She gave her brother a few minutes with Debbie and then dragged him back into the kitchen, hoping to keep him busy long enough for Caleb to talk to Brian.

Caleb saw Molly leading Justin away and went to make his move. He found Brian over by the small bar set up in the corner of the room and joined him.

“Hey Brian, I just want to say again how great I think it is that you let Molly hold the party over here. I know she was really worried about ruining the surprise for him if she had to do it next door.”

“It’s no big deal. Emmett did all the work and I have a cleaning crew coming in tomorrow morning to put everything back in order,” Brian replied as he sipped his drink.

“Still, I think it’s cool. I was worried about him when he moved back here. I was afraid he was going to work too hard and not make any friends. Of course, Pittsburgh wasn’t part of my plan, but I’m glad that he’s happy. I’ll just have to adjust my thinking,” Caleb said casually.

“Your plan?”

“Well, yeah. See, Justin and I were getting really close in Chicago. I was getting ready to make my move when Steven died and Justin came here to help Molly out. I always planned on staying in Chicago, but Pittsburgh isn’t too bad and even though I haven’t seen the inside of the house yet, I’ve almost got the floor plans memorized. I think I could be just as happy living here as I would be in the windy city.”

“You’re moving to Pittsburgh?”

“Of course, that’s where Justin is. I’m not necessarily against long distance relationships, but Justin and I have known each other for so long, I don’t think moving in together would be rushing it.” Caleb had to look away for a moment to keep from laughing at the horrified look on Brian’s face. “Do you?”

“I…uh…don’t know. I don’t think Justin’s looking for a relationship right now,” Brian said, fighting to control his anger. “He seems kind of happy on his own.”

“That’s just an act. Deep down inside, all Justin really wants is to find with someone he can be himself with. He wants to settle down a bit and be happy. Oh, he’s not into that whole marriage or civil union shit, he just wants someone to share his life with. When we first met, I wasn’t ready for that, but now that I am…well, it’s only logical that I be the one he ends up with. With the way he works, he’ll never meet Mr. Right unless he goes knocking on his door. That’s what I plan on doing. Knocking on his door.”

“Excuse me,” Brian muttered as he stormed off and headed outside. He needed some fresh air before he knocked Justin’s little friend into the nearest wall. Was Caleb right? Was Justin looking for a relationship? And if he was, where did that leave the two of them? He wasn’t looking for a relationship. If he ever had the hope of that, it had long since been buried. Then again, wasn’t the last six weeks between them proof that a relationship wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be? Maybe they hadn’t labeled what they were doing, but seeing each other every night and talking about their lives sounded a lot like what a relationship would be. Hell, he’d even opened up to Justin and told him the horrors of being raised in the Kinney household. The only people who knew anything about his childhood before Justin were Debbie and Mikey and that was only because he needed the Novotny house for refuge on several occasions when he was in his teens. There was just something about the blond that made Brian want to share everything with him. He thought things between them were good just as they were; but then again, he didn’t know that some schmuck from Chicago was going to come into town and try to take Justin away. His anger rose to new levels as he drained his glass and threw it into the nearest tree, hardly noticing the sound of breaking glass.

Justin tried to be patient while Molly droned on and on about how Stephanie was close to rolling over and all the cute things she did while Justin was working all week, but his mind was lost. He was too busy worrying about Caleb making a move on Brian. He’d like to think that whatever was going on between him and Brian was enough to keep Caleb from getting anywhere with his neighbor, but he couldn’t be sure. He knew that Brian had an aversion to relationships and despite how close they had gotten, nothing was ever said about them being anything other than fuck buddies. He didn’t want to chance Caleb turning on the charm and luring Brian into bed.

“Look Mol, can we discuss this tomorrow? I’m the guest of honor at this party. I should be out mingling,” he finally said when his patience ran out.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess I forgot,” Molly giggled. “It’s just that Stephanie’s so cute and I didn’t want you to miss anything.”

“I know, and I don’t want to miss anything. I promise, I’ll give you my undivided attention tomorrow and you can tell me about every little detail.”

Justin quickly fled the kitchen and went in search of Caleb. He sighed in relief when he found him standing alone by the bar. Brian was nowhere in sight. He walked over and leaned up against the bar, their shoulders just barely touching.

“So, tell me what’s going on in Chicago. Is Gavin still hopelessly following Tracy around, hoping that she notices him?”

“Of course,” Caleb replied as he lazily threw his arm around Justin, just as Brian walked back through the door. He winked at him before turning back to his friend. “I don’t see what the problem is with him. If he wants Tracy, he’s going to have to make the first move. That’s the problem with straight couples. It’s always the guy’s job to show interest first and Gavin is completely inept when it comes to that.”

“I’ll have to give him a call. I haven’t spoken to him in months. What about Shane?”

“Shane’s still Shane. Chasing everything in sight. That boy is never going to be satisfied with one guy,” Caleb sighed, thinking about his friend. “When was the last time you talked to him?”

“About a month ago, I guess. Why?”

“Well, he had a little run in with some asshole about two weeks ago. The guy roughed him up a bit. He called me about two in the morning, and I had to go pick his ass up and take him to the emergency room. Two days later he was back in action. I’m beginning to think he has a death wish.”

Caleb continued to fill Justin in on all the gossip from the city, carefully keeping an eye on Brian. He could see the anger in the man’s posture as he watched them from across the room. Especially since Caleb was making sure to be extra attentive, constantly touching Justin in subtle ways. Justin was oblivious to Caleb’s actions since they’d always be close and affectionate with one another, but anyone who was watching would read more into the gestures and it was obvious that Brian wasn’t happy with it, yet he wasn’t doing a thing about it. Caleb was beginning to wonder if Brian was going to be too stubborn to make a move.

Brian stood around for the next couple of hours as his anger continued to build. He talked to the people around him when he had to, but his mind was completely focused on Caleb and Justin. Why hadn’t Justin mentioned being close to someone back in Chicago? Was it because Caleb wasn’t as important to Justin as he thought he was, or was it because Justin figured that the distance changed things? And if it was the distance, what was going to happen when Caleb offered to move to Pittsburgh? Would great sex and late night chats be enough to keep Justin happy, or would Brian find himself alone every night once Caleb changed his zip code?

“Brian, I think we’re going to be heading home,” Lindsay said, pulling Brian from his thoughts. “Mel’s got to go into the office tomorrow to catch up in some work and I’m kind of tired. We already said goodnight to Justin so we’re just going to sneak out.”

Brian allowed himself to be pulled into Lindsay’s embrace and then surprised both of them with his whispered words.

“What was that?” She asked carefully.

“I said, set it all up and just tell me what I have to do,” Brian repeated a little louder.

Lindsay didn’t even pretend to misunderstand. “Brian, oh my God! Are you sure?”

“Yeah, just…do what you have to do and let me know when.”

“Oh Brian!” Lindsay exclaimed as she hugged him again. “Thank you!”

“Whatever…just get out of here,” Brian growled.

Lindsay knew he was trying to downplay his decision and decided to go along with it. “Okay…um…goodnight.”

“Goodnight Linds.” He almost laughed out loud as Lindsay ran from the house, no doubt sure that if she stuck around; he was going to change his mind. She wasn’t aware that he was certain of his decision. He’d been thinking about it ever since Justin pointed out how lucky he was to have a chance of being a father. He’d never considered the option before, but after growing closer to the three children next door, he realized that being a father was something that he could be proud of, not fear. He wasn’t Jack Kinney and he never would be.

He thought again about all the changes in him since Justin had moved his family on the block. For the first time that he could remember, he was happy with his life. Not only did he have Kinnetik and Babylon, which were both doing well, but he was almost finished with his novel and getting ready to go to print. He even had the prospect of having a child on the horizon, someone to carry on the good side of the Kinney genes. That in itself was more than a lot of people had. In fact, his life seemed almost perfect. The only thing that kept his future from looking bright was the thought of Caleb swooping in and taking Justin away from him. And that’s exactly what he’d be doing if he moved to Pittsburgh. Whether he and Justin had admitted it or not, they were together. They hadn’t only been sharing a bed, but they’d been sharing their lives. How could he have been too blind to see that? Whatever the reason, it took that moment for Brian’s eyes to be opened to what was right there in front of him. All he had to do was reach out and take it before it was too late.

He barely noticed the room full of people as he made his way over to where Caleb and Justin were standing a little too close, lost in conversation. Without thinking, Brian grabbed Justin by the arms and spun him around. He looked pointedly at Caleb with a smirk. “Sorry Caleb, but it looks like you’ll be staying in Chicago,” he said before pulling Justin to him gently but forcefully, and taking his mouth in a passionate kiss.

Confusion. That was the first emotion Justin felt when he heard Brian tell Caleb he’d be staying in Chicago, but before he could question him, Brian’s lips were on his and all coherent thoughts left his brain as he let himself go in the warmth of Brian’s mouth. Their tongues fought for dominance briefly and then found their familiar rhythm as Justin began feeding off the passion and need he’d grown accustomed to over the last several weeks. It wasn’t until the eerie silence that had settled over the room registered in his ears and caused Justin to pull away and look up into hazel, lust-filled eyes. “Brian?”

“I figured it was time to come out of the closet…again,” Brian laughed as he ran his hand down the side of Justin’s face. “You got a problem with that?”

“Not at all,” Justin replied, smiling brightly at the loving look Brian was giving him. “I was just waiting for you to realize it.”

“Well it’s about damn time,” Caleb said with a sigh. “I was beginning to think I wasted my trip here.”

“What?” Brian asked as he pulled his eyes from Justin and looked at Caleb, his mind slowly deciphering what Caleb was implying. “You mean you’re not planning to move to Pittsburgh?”

“Hell no. Why would I move to Pittsburgh? With guys like you and Justin around, I don’t have a shot in hell around here,” Caleb chuckled. “Molly just thought you guys needed a little push in the right direction.”

Brian stared at Caleb and then turned around and locked eyes with Molly, who was standing off to the side looking somewhat guilty. He wanted to be angry with her, with both of them, but having Justin in his arms soothed any anger that he might have been able to conjure up. “You knew.”

Molly just nodded her head and smiled.

“Okay, what am I missing?” Justin asked as he watched three of his favorite people all looking at each other knowingly.

“Apparently you’re not as good at sneaking out of your house as you thought you were,” Brian explained before looking back at Molly. “I guess I owe you one, Blue Eyes.”

“Just take care of him. That’s all that I want,” she replied.

“I will,” Brian promised.

Everyone else in the room was still silent as they watched the interaction between the four of them, trying to figure out what was happening. Debbie was the first one to break the silence, as always.

“Shit Sunshine, how long have you and Brian been hitting the sheets?”

Justin looked up at Brian, searching for the right response. He wasn’t sure how truthful he was supposed to be in front of everyone that Brian held dear. Luckily Brian saw his concern and answered for him.

“We’re not hitting the sheets, Deb. We’re together, and have been for the last six weeks. We just decided to keep it quiet for awhile to avoid any of you busybodies meddling in where you don’t belong.”

“Well shit…Brian Kinney in a relationship? I always thought I would’ve felt the world spin off its axis if and when that happened,” Debbie teased as she crossed the room and hugged first Brian and then Justin. “You couldn’t have picked a better man. Actually, neither of you could’ve.”

“I agree,” Brian and Justin said in unison, causing them both to laugh.

Debbie fought hard not to point out how cute they were together before turning around to face the crowd of party-goers. “What the fuck is everyone standing around for? It’s a party and now we have even more to celebrate. Let’s party.”

Justin laughed as everyone went back to what they’d been doing before Brian demanded their attention as only Brian Kinney could do. Caleb smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up before going over to where Molly was standing, her eyes glistening with unshed tears of happiness. He wanted to run over and thank his sister for her meddling, but he had something he had to take care of first. He pulled Brian out of the room and into the backyard.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Sure about what?” Brian asked, playing stupid.

“I’m serious, Brian. We’ve only been fucking around. Are you sure you want everyone thinking we’re a couple?”

“Has it felt like just fucking around to you?” Brian asked harshly.

“No,” Justin whispered. “But I thought you…”

“Look Justin, I was a fool, alright? I knew there was something different about you from the beginning, but I was too stupid to admit it until tonight. You moved your family in while I was away and unknowingly changed everything I thought I wanted. I was too busy living in denial to see that it was already too late to do anything about it. Between you, Molly, and those kids, I didn’t even stand a chance. I guess the only question left is are you sure about this. I didn’t really give you the option of running the other way.”

“I’m not running anywhere,” Justin replied confidently.

“So, this is what you want?” Brian asked again, needing to be sure.

“Definitely,” Justin assured him.

“Thank God,” Brian whispered. “I was beginning to think that I was gonna lose you to your Chicago buddy.”

Justin couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s never going to happen. Caleb had a thing for me when we first met, but we agreed that all there would ever be between us is friendship. I had just moved to Chicago and didn’t really know anyone there. Something about him that told me I needed him and I didn’t want sex to interfere with that. He’s my best friend, but that’s all he’ll ever be.”

“That’s a good thing because it would be rude of the host to have to kick the ass of one of his guests,” Brian teased.

“Yeah, I don’t think Miss Manners…or Emmett would approve.”

“Probably not,” Brian laughed. “So, between the two of us we own two houses and three businesses. Life should never be dull.”

“No,” Justin agreed. “Life will never be dull.”

“I guess we should probably get back inside. Is it safe to assume that you’ll be staying here tonight instead of going home and sneaking out later?”

“Are you kidding? I’m not going anywhere,” Justin replied.

“Good,” Brian said as he kissed Justin once more and then dragged him back inside.

By the time everyone left, it was almost two in the morning. The party turned out better than Brian had anticipated and he was happy that Justin had a good time, but all he wanted to do since ‘coming out’ was get rid of everyone and have Justin all to himself. Since Justin’s parents had agreed to watch the kids, Molly was the last one to leave, with Caleb by her side. Justin had thanked them a million times for all they had done before showing them to the door while Brian walked around straightening up as much as he could. Once they were alone, he left the remaining mess for the clean-up crew and dragged Justin to bed. It didn’t take long for them to strip down and get into bed, but strangely enough, neither one of them were anxious for sex. After all that had happened, just being together out in the open was enough for them.

“So, what are we going to do about the houses?” Justin finally asked after they had gotten settled. “I mean, there’s no rush, but are we going to keep up with two houses forever?”

“I figured I’d end up selling this one and moving next door. It took some doing, but I’ll finally be able to get my view back,” he teased.

“So that’s what all this is about? You want your view back?” Justin said, feigning anger.

“Yeah, that’s it. You found me out, Sunshine. I broke every rule I had so I could get a great view of the lake,” Brian laughed. “Actually, since you built your house from your own ideas of what a dream home should be, I figured that living there would be for the best. As much as I’ve loved living here, I’m not as attached as you are.”

“Well, there’s no rush, right? Because I was thinking that since money isn’t an issue right now, I’d just move in here and let Molly and the kids stay next door. It would be way too crowded if you moved in with all of us and Molly isn’t ready to get a place of her own yet. She still needs to figure out how to get a job and juggle the kids.”

“That’s fine by me, but wouldn’t you rather us live there and give Molly and the kids this place? I don’t want you to have to give up your dream home.”

Brian’s offer touched a place in Justin that had never been touched before. “You know, for all these years I used to think that it was my dream home, but now I know better. It’s not where you live that constitutes a dream. It’s having someone special to come home to that makes a house a dream home. As long as you’re here, this is where I want to be.” Justin stopped for a moment and let his words sink in, hoping that he wasn’t rushing things with his declaration. He was just so happy that he needed to share what he was feeling. “I hope this isn’t too soon, but you know that I love you, right? I think I have since the moment we met; I just didn’t realize it at the time.”

“Bullshit! I was an asshole the first day we met and you hated me,” Brian laughed.

“I didn’t hate you. You just have an uncanny way of pissing people off,” Justin laughed. “But I know my feelings for you were different than anything I’d ever felt had. No matter what you did, I just couldn’t get you out of my mind. I started realizing just how sweet you could be when you took care of me at Babylon that first time.”

“So that’s why you kissed me?”

“That and because I really was curious if you tasted as good as you looked.”

“I guess I passed the test?”

“With flying colors,” Justin said as he leaned in and took another taste. “It’s going to be so weird living right next door to Molly and the kids, but not having children under foot all the time. Would you mind if we converted one of the bedrooms to a play room? I want them to feel comfortable when they’re here.”

“That’s fine by me. Pick whatever one you think is best and we’ll go out shopping next week. I guess I should start thinking about baby things, too. I imagine Lindsay will be quick to move on my offer.”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that I agreed to donate my sperm, huh?” Brian explained.

“Really? Oh Brian, that’s wonderful!” Justin explained as he showered Brian with kisses. “I’m so excited for you.”

“You mean us. I don’t know all that much about babies. I’m going to need some help,” Brian admitted.

“No you won’t. You’re a natural. But don’t worry; I’ll be right here if you need me.” Justin couldn’t hold back a yawn as he snuggled further into Brian’s arms. “I think everything’s finally catching up with me. I guess I’ll have to wait until we wake up to give you the blow job I was planning.”

Brian just smiled, too tired to even think about sex. The evening had been an emotional rollercoaster and he was exhausted. Besides, now that he knew he was going to have Justin in his bed every night, the urgent need to claim him wasn’t as strong as it had been. “I’m gonna hold you to that.”

“I’d expect nothing less,” Justin giggled.

Brian was quiet for a few minutes and Justin was just starting to drift off the sleep when he heard his name.

“Justin?”

“Hmmm?”

“You know what you said before? I uh…I think I do, too. I mean, I’m not really sure what it is, but I think…well…I…”

“It’s okay, Brian. I think you proved your feelings for me tonight. I’m sure one of these days you’ll actually be able to say it. Until then, I’ll just remember this night and know. Now go to sleep.”

And Brian did, thinking about how lucky he was that Justin had moved in right next door.

The End
01/27/07

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