Justin reached into the suitcase and pulled out the last of its contents. He placed the sweaters that he had carefully packed that very morning back into the bottom drawer where they had been kept. He wouldn't need them here in sunny California. He had been hoping to use them back home in Pittsburgh. That dream was shredded by a simple message he had received on his laptop less than an hour ago. The text was from Brett Keller. As soon as Justin saw it pop up on his screen, he knew he was screwed.
Christmas Day had already been ruined thanks to the studio. 'Rage: The Movie' was slowly but surely becoming as big a headache to the studio as the making of 'Cleopatra' had been for 20th Century Fox back in the 1960's. Constant delays had extended Justin's stay in California far beyond what he had originally expected. He had not been able to go back home for Thanksgiving. For some stupid reason only they seemed to understand, the studio had then requested that Justin delay his Christmas vacation back home until New Year's Day. It had hurt like Hell not getting to see his family, especially Brian, for so long. When Justin had protested to Brett that his presence wasn't really needed, he was reminded that he was more than a graphic artist for the movie...he was also the flesh and blood representative of the entire project.
When his mom and Brian assured Justin that they would gladly delay a Christmas celebration until he arrived a week later for the New Year, Justin had begrudgingly accepted his fate. Now he was told that there were more problems that needed to be solved before he could leave. The film was so close to completion that Justin gave in to his fate. He had no desire to rock the boat now, when the movie was nearly finished. After all the money and publicity the studio had put into the film, Justin was sure they would never shelve it, but he didn't want to give them an excuse to do so no matter what. A quick call to Brian had made it slightly easier on Justin too. Brian wanted Justin to succeed more than anything and his understanding of the situation went a long way in helping Justin to deal with his regrets. So with an assurance from Brian that there was always next year, Justin unpacked. That didn't make his heart ache any less. He missed Brian so much, it physically hurt. He wasn't quite sure how much more of this separation he could take.
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Brian had hung up the phone after talking to Justin and allowed a deep frown to appear on his face. He had kept his tone light while talking to Justin, but now it was clear that he was not a happy man. Brian had missed Justin far more than he had let on to anyone, including those closest to him. He was beginning to hate 'Rage', even if the super-hero was modeled after himself. The damned movie project had robbed him of countless months with that beautiful blond he was so fond of. Actually, he was in love with the guy, but it would be a cold day in Hell before he would admit to that. But then again, Brian figured, he had certainly proved his devotion time and again.
At that moment, Brian wondered out loud...'If I'm so devoted, why haven't I done something about this interminable separation between us?' It was true that Brian was super busy with his company, Kinnetik. His one desire was to make his ad agency one of the top agencies in the business. That took long hours and dedication. Brian didn't have time for long distance trips unless they had to do with the business. At least that was his excuse for not flying to California the entire time Justin was there. It was only an excuse because the truth was that Brian was afraid. His insecurities, which he had spent years disguising so well that few people knew he even had them, had surfaced. A part of him was certain that Justin would find the Hollywood lifestyle (and its inhabitants) so fascinating that he would never want to return to drab old Pittsburgh...or Brian. Staying away let Brian delay any rejection, just in case that was waiting for him once he and Justin got back together.
The truth was that Brian had counted on Justin's return for the holidays. He knew in his heart that he would be able to tell where he stood with Justin just by being in the same room with him. Then the news had come that Justin couldn't return for Christmas Day. He had sounded truly disappointed when talking to Brian about it, but maybe that was just a cover-up for what was actually relief on Justin's part. Now he has received the news that Justin was also going to miss New Year's Day.
The first thing Brian did was reassure Justin that his work on 'Rage' was more important than a short visit home. Once the couple had hung up the phone, Brian was free to let his frustrations out. Brian had been standing in the kitchen when the call came in on his cell. He had placed the phone down gently on the counter, then swept everything that was on the bar down to the floor with one angry swipe of his arm. It was then that he knew he had waited long enough. Again, Justin had sounded disappointed but Brian had to know for sure. With determination setting his jaw, Brian made up his mind. He was going to find out for himself whether Justin still wanted to be with him or preferred his California life. He hurried over to his fallen phone and placed a call. The moment he heard Cynthia's voice, he let the words tumble over themselves as he gave her instructions on what he needed. His next call was to Ted. Ted appeared to be his best hiring decision. Now was Ted's chance to prove to Brian just how brilliant that hiring truly was. He put Ted in charge of Kinnetik. The stage was set. Next stop...Hollywood!
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The first thing Brian did when landing at LAX airport was to remove the jacket he had been wearing absentmindedly on the plane all the way from Pittsburgh. The snow and ice had let up enough for his plane to leave on time, but it had been bitterly cold when he had boarded for his flight to Los Angeles. Brian had barely noticed because all he could think of was the warmth that Justin's arms could provide him...that is, of course, if Justin was as happy to see him as he knew he would be to see Justin.
Los Angeles, although not as sunny as Brian had expected it to be, was still a balmy 78 degrees and quite comfortable. Brian would have revelled in the weather if he hadn't been so concentrated on his desire to get to the rental car chosen for him. The moment the car was pulled up to the curb and the driver had exited to allow Brian to take over, the ad man was sliding into the driver's seat and peeling out of the circular driveway in front of the car agency. Brian had already memorized the directions to Brett Keller's house, well aware that Justin was still staying in the Director's guest house.
Brian felt a sense of relief...although he would have denied it with his dying breath if questioned on it....that Justin wasn't staying in Keller's main house. That would have smacked of more than a friendly relationship between the two men, and Brian wasn't prepared for another 'Fiddler' in his life. He doubted if Justin had been celibate for all this lengthy period of time. After all, he certainly hadn't been. The one thing he had been was totally faithful to the rules that they had set up for their open relationship long ago. He hoped that Justin had done the same. If it was 'just sex' with the others for Justin, as it was for him, then Brian could live with that. Although, in truth, Brian's encounters had become less frequent since he always seemed to leave them feeling vaguely unsatisfied. Lately he had begun to wonder how much longer it would be necessary to indulge in an occasional fling on the side. If he and Justin were together in the same city again, maybe he would consider only having sex with another man if Justin was a part of it.
Thinking of Justin spurred Brian into increasing his speed, although he was careful not to go so fast as to attract unwanted attention. Luckily the streets were not that busy. It was early morning on New Year's Eve so most folks were probably at home trying to get as much sleep as they could to prepare for a long night of partying coming up. It didn't take Brian long to find himself in front of Keller's beautiful estate. Being one of the top action Directors in the business had given the man a rather extravagant lifestyle. He had no qualms about displaying it too, including with his home and the many fancy cars lined up in the huge driveway. Brian parked his rental in an open spot and hurried to the ornate front door of the house. He knocked several times before hearing a voice from within.
The door was flung open and a sleepy-eyed young man with rippling muscles and a smooth baby-face stood there, looking very irritated. Brian introduced himself to the young man, who declared he was Brett's houseboy. Brian felt like snickering, thinking to himself that he was quite certain what kind of duties the young man was responsible for, but he controlled himself. He had someone else on his mind. He told the young man that he was looking for Brett's house-guest, Mr. Justin Taylor. The young man obviously knew Justin because he didn't hesitate to direct Brian to a wide pathway leading around the main house and to the back. He informed Brian that Justin was in the small cottage just behind the pool area. Brian thanked the young man and was off the steps and moving away before the kid could even close the door.
It wasn't hard to find the small house that he had been directed to. Brian skirted the pool area and found a low fence that separated the house from the rest of the property. He stepped through the gate and walked up to the house. The front of the house had a neatly trimmed lawn with rows of beautiful flowers, perfuming the air all around with their scents. Brian made his way to the door. He stood there for several moments and waited to calm his nerves. It had been so long since he had seen Justin. He couldn't help wondering if he had built up this reunion too much in his mind. What if Justin wasn't alone or even worse, wasn't as happy to see him as he had hoped? Well, nothing ventured...nothing gained, Brian reminded himself. Besides, he hadn't dropped everything back home and come all this way for nothing. Brian knocked quietly.
It took several more knocks before Brian began to wonder if Justin was even at home. Either that or everyone slept really late in California, he thought to himself. Brian was within seconds of going back to the main house to see if anyone there knew where Justin might have gone, when he heard sounds from the other side of the door. The door handle turned and Brian finally found himself staring into the beautiful face of his favorite blond. Justin stood there with a stunned look on his face, his mouth wide open as if gasping for air.
"Are you going to just stand there staring, or maybe you could invite a weary traveler into your home?"
"Brrrian!" Justin finally whispered loudly. "What are you doing here?"
Before Brian could answer, Justin grabbed Brian by the arm and pulled him into the house, slamming the door behind him. The two men stood apart, just drinking in the sight of the man they had been missing with all their hearts. Finally, as if to reassure themselves that they were both real, they came together in an embrace that nearly knocked the wind out of both of them. Their lips crushed together and the kiss went on and on. Their hands became entangled in each other's hair. They stroked cheeks and wrapped arms tightly around bodies. They touched, they felt, they confirmed that they were really and truly together again.
It took ages for them to finally part, but it was just long enough for Justin to grab Brian's hand and lead him to the tidy little bedroom of the cottage. The bedclothes were still in the same disarray they had been in when Justin left them to answer the door. It didn't take any time at all for Justin to remove the underpants that he had been sleeping in and for him to help Brian to remove his traveling clothes. Brian had come prepared. He set the condoms in his pocket onto the side table by the bed.
The couple fell onto the bed in an embrace that brought memories of so many nights flooding back to them. At first they went at it furiously, as if to make up for all the missed couplings during their separation. But then, Brian slowed things down. He didn't want to fuck Justin. He wanted to make love to his lover. And that was precisely what he did. Brian and Justin let their foreplay go on and on, taking turns at bringing each other to the brink before pulling back and starting all over again. By the time Brian possessed Justin's body in a connection that brought them both the maximum of pleasure, they were both delirious from the unbridled joy they were feeling. If Brian had experienced any doubts as to whether Justin was happy to have him here, those dissipated like dew under a blazing sun.
Eventually the couple fell into an exhausted sleep. A few hours later they woke up, only to indulge in Round Two of their reunion. This time, after they had come together in an explosion of blissful release, they took a shower together and sat down at the kitchen table over coffee to discuss what was happening. It didn't take long for both of them to recognize the need for them to be together as much as possible. Luckily, Justin had been assured that the film would wrap right after the New Year. It was the main reason he had been asked to stay in Hollywood. The studio wanted to get the finishing touches on the film completed so that it could be edited and prepared for release as a Summer special.
Later that day, Justin took Brian to the studio and showed him around. He proudly introduced Brian as the inspiration for 'Rage', not failing to notice the way that his lover accepted all the praise that came his way. That night the couple attended Brett's New Year's Eve party. Justin managed to pull Brett to the side long enough to inform him that he was giving them just a few more weeks of his time, but he was going home in plenty of time to be with Brian on Valentine's Day. If they still needed him after that, they were out of luck unless he could help them from Pittsburgh. Brian overheard the entire conversation. He smiled inwardly as his head began thinking of ways to make Valentine's Day special. He had quite a few ideas in mind already.
Brian and Justin left the party at the big house just before midnight. They returned to the cottage in back. They had no desire to share the start of a new year with anyone else around. As the couple clicked champagne glasses and listened to the sound of the mantel clock chiming the hour of midnight, their lips joined. The kiss held promises...promises of things to come and of a love that wasn't spoken of, but was always acted on. Neither man knew what the future would hold, but they no longer doubted that it would be one that included them in each other's lives...and hopefully it would be forever.
Happy New Year!
