Daphne looked at her phone, staring at the pink covered rectangle and thought for a few moments.  Justin was definitely hiding something, something big and she knew she needed him to tell her what it was.  She debated on calling Brian and sharing the information with him, but decided against it.  Brian had been keeping her informed of Justin's progress relating to his memory problems and she didn't think this new problem had anything to do with his memory concerns.  This had to do with returning to Pittsburgh.  She mentally kicked herself for not pushing the last time she was in New York. She knew something was off, but believed Justin when he said he was just tired.  She grabbed her lunch out of the fridge, her car keys and her cell. She checked her cell phone's calendar app and saw she had two appointments this morning but was free after 12:30 until 5:00.  She vowed to talk to Justin before the day was over.

Justin sat on the bus, replaying his phone conversation with Daphne. Relief came over him now that he had hinted at his problem.  He needed to talk to his friend, but first he had to get through his coffee with his mom.  He pulled the cord on the bus, letting the driver know he needed to get off at the next stop and got off at his destination.  He eyed the familiar coffee shop and thanked his mom for working in the city. Oftentimes she met him at the diner but today she had a showing at 9:00 and one at 1:00 so she couldn't work it out to meet him there.  He was thankful as he didn't want their conversation to be "accidently" overheard by anyone in their little sphere. And considering the Liberty Diner, anyone outside their little sphere could overhear anything as well.

Walking in to the coffee shop, he eyed his mom sitting at a back corner. He went to the front counter, ordered his Chocolate Brownie Frappuccino and went to sit with his mom.  He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek and placed his hot drink on a napkin.

"Sweetheart, how are you?"  She drank a sip of her coffee and looked at Justin, admiring his obvious new clothing.  "When did you get that shirt?  It looks good on you."

"Brian bought it for me when we were in New York."  Justin blew on his coffee, trying to cool down the hot drink.

"He's always had good taste in clothes.  Good for him in getting you to wear something besides paint encrusted cargoes and old shirts."

"Mom.... We were in New York yesterday.  Carol called and said she got some of my paintings in a show at Bretano's."  Justin smiled as he shared the good news.

Jennifer reached over and hugged Justin and her eyes popped as she smiled largely. 

"Oh my goodness, honey.  I'm so proud of you.  That is wonderful news.  When is the show?"

"The show is in December but I'll be going there a few times a month till then to get things ready."

"What do you mean you'll be going there?"  Jennifer looked at Justin with a quizzical note.  She didn't want to ask too many questions but her mind filled with many unanswered ones.

"I've decided to move back to Pittsburgh and paint here.  I miss Brian too much and New York wasn't working out the way I wanted it to.  And yes, I know it seems weird to be moving back just when I finally accomplished my goal of getting a show, but that is exactly the perfect time.  I moved to New York so I could break into the art world.  Now that I have, I can return home to be with Brian.  I no longer need to spend all my time making a name for myself.  I've got a show so now it's not as important."  Justin was pleased with his quick and easy explanation.  Of all the people in his life, his mom was the least likely to rock the boat.  He knew she wanted him to be happy; that was her criterion for everything.  If he told her that he wanted to move home, she wasn't going to argue.  Besides she would be able to check on him more frequently and he knew she would like that.  They would be able to have impromptu meetings like the one this morning and she would be less likely to worry about him. 

"Oh.  So when are you moving back?"  She took a drink from her cup, digesting all the information Justin had shared.  She was surprised at the news of his move, but in light of the recent events, she was thrilled to have him close by.

"Brian and I packed up the apartment yesterday.  We found an apartment to buy and put a bid in for it too.  Jake's going to rent my place so I don't have to buy out my lease."

Jennifer watched her son as he told her this new development.  He appeared excited about the show and the upcoming move, but there was something he wasn't saying.  She wasn't going to push.  It would come out when he was ready.  She knew her son well enough to know when he was holding something back and she knew he would share eventually. She was just thrilled he was moving back, and would be with Brian.  She always believed in his art.

"Wow.  Why did you buy an apartment in New York if you're moving back here?"

"We need a place to stay when we go up there.  I'll need to go a few times a month and hopefully my career will take off so I will need to continue to visit Carol.  Owning a place is so much easier than staying in a hotel every time. Brian says he's getting more business in New York so he can use the place too."

"Brian was always fast when it came to something he wanted.  I wish you all the luck, sweetheart, but unfortunately I have to go.  Maybe you and Brian can come by this week for dinner.  Molly has begun to think you've forgotten her."  She thought his explanation appeared too practiced, almost remote, like he had memorized it.

"Sorry mom.  Things have been really weird since the accident and now I've got a show, but I will try to stop by and see the Mollusk.  I'll talk to Brian about dinner, but it might be next week.  We've got a lot do to set up my studio at Britin and get me settled."  Justin leaned over and kissed her again. 

She smiled at him, grabbed her purse and walked toward the door.  She grabbed her keys and unlocked the car, getting in and putting her purse on the seat.  "Justin Taylor, what are you hiding now?" she said out loud.  She liked the idea of him moving back, but she thought this was really sudden and couldn't help wondering what he was hiding.

Justin finished his drink and thought about the rest of his day.  Brian and he had talked yesterday as they were packing and Justin had urged him to return to work.  Justin knew he'd missed a lot of work helping him with his memory problems and then going to New York.  If Brian didn't go back to work, all of Justin's dreams of painting were going to be for naught if Brian couldn't support him.

Justin was at a loss of sorts.  For the first time in his life, he didn't have immediate plans.  When he first met Brian he was in school and he had to go to class, even though he would have rather spent his nights in Brian's bed which would have meant sleeping the majority of the day away.  After the bashing, he was in rehab and then he went to PIFA.  Of course, then came RAGE and LA and then back to Pittsburgh and then the write up in Art Forum magazine.  Off to New York to make his name in the art world where he struggled to find time to paint the great masterpieces and keep his relationship with Brian alive.  Now all that had changed.  He was moving back to Pittsburgh and he had pieces in a show.  He didn't have to work- well not a regular job and he could be with Brian.  His time was his own. 

He scrolled across his phone and saw he had a text from Daphne.  "Want to meet me at 2:00.  I'll feed you pizza."

Justin laughed and smiled.  He was relieved.  He now had plans for his afternoon.  He texted her back-  "Sure.  Your office-  pizza- with lots of meat."

Daphne texted him back.  "ordered, now get you butt over here"

Justin arrived 45 minutes later, thinking that he needed to talk to Brian about a car.  He needed to be able to come in to the city for supplies and see people and there was no transportation out to Britin.  He went up to her office, looking around the new space.

"I like it.  It's definitely you.  So I've seen it now.  Do I have to come to the open house?"  He teased as he sat down in one of her office chairs.

"I'm coming to your show and you are coming to my open house." She play hit him on the arm.  "Pizza should be here in about 10 minutes.  Let's go in my office."  She pointed through a wooden door and Justin followed her inside.  "The guy will buzz me when it gets here."

"I take it he knows your place already.  What ever happened to all the healthy eating you were trying to get me to do a while back?"

"I knew if I offered you pizza you would come.  If I offered you a veggie burger, you would find something else to do."  She smiled at her devious tactics but knew he was happy to spend time with her.  They hadn't been together in several weeks, shortly after he returned from New York.  That had been a very awkward visit, trying to balance her knowledge without giving away too much information.  She was thrilled that he appeared to have regained his memory and didn't have any residual effects from the accident. 

"You know me so well."  He grinned.  Daphne knew him better than anyone, except perhaps Brian, probably better than Brian since she known him so much longer and they shared everything since kindergarten.  It was nice but scary to know that someone knew you that well, but he was happy that she was still in his life even after he moved to New York.

"I do and that is why I know you are keeping something from me about New York. So dish.  What the hell is going on?" She recognized his evasive tactics and wasn't going to take the chance that they would wile away the day without talking about the pink elephant that Justin had dropped in their conversation.

"Sometimes having a friend who knows you so well can be a pain in the ass, especially if that friend is a therapist."  Justin sat down on her leather couch.  He bounced up and down in his seat a few times, testing its cushions.  "Nice couch.  Am I your patient now?"  He said, slightly mocking her.

Daphne rolled her eyes and flexed her hand so that the palm was up in the air and waved it at Justin to continue.  She watched Justin to see if he would voluntarily start talking and wasn't too surprised at his silence.

"Justin," she said with inquisitiveness in her voice he would recognize as a question and an invitation to talk.

"There's another reason I wanted to come back to Pittsburgh."

"Another reason," she said out loud, not adding, the ‘I knew it' to her statement. Sometimes her gut feelings were the only way to go.  It helped a lot in her chosen line of work.  You could teach a person counseling skills, but reading people and getting a quick feel for them was something that could not be taught.

"I missed Brian and really do feel that I'm inspired more when I'm with him.  That isn't a lie."

"You didn't lie when you said you could paint better when he was near," she reflected back his words.

"Yeah.  Things were weird in New York."

"Weird.  Explain weird."  Justin didn't use weird very often.  She felt a cold chill go through her body and her heart started racing.  She willed herself to take a few deep breaths and listen without judging.

"At first the dancing for the company was great.  Easy money and it gave me more time to paint."

"Then something changed?"

"Yeah.  There was this guy. "

"A guy. Tell me about him."  Daphne felt her heart racing. She knew Justin loved Brian and would never do anything to jeopardize their relationship, but wondered if something had happened.  She would have to be careful not to put her feelings about Brian or Justin into the situation.  She was Justin's best friend, aside from Brian, as it should be, but she needed to listen with an open mind and hear what Justin was saying.

"It started about 5 months ago.  He was a guest at a gig I did.  I often talked to the guests; it's a good way to share my business info and get future gigs.  Sometimes it got me extra tips which were really nice."

"So you taIked to the guests at some of your gigs."

"Yes.  Well, about five months ago, this guy was at one of the birthday parties.  He comes up to me and talks to me for a while.  He asked me for a card and I gave it to him.  Well, he called Peter, my boss and told him I was really good and he wanted to go to my next gig so he could watch me again and see if he wanted to book me for an upcoming party."

"And Peter gave him the information for your next gig?"

"Yeah.  That wasn't unusual.  It happens a lot.  Someone is looking for a certain type of guy for their gig and wants to see them perform before they book them.  Well he shows up and starts asking me for a date and wants to go out.  I told him no; I was in a relationship and I thought that would be the end of it." Justin started to fidget in his seat and look away from Daphne.  It was obvious to Daphne that he had never put the situation into words and it made him uncomfortable.

"He asked you for a date and you turned him down

 "So a few weeks later he shows up at a different gig and approaches me again.  He tells me he loves to watch me dance.  Says he's with some company who might want to hire me.  I tell him no again, but now he shows up every few weeks.  I don't know how he finds out where I'm doing a gig.  Peter doesn't answer all the calls and it's not unusual for someone to call up and ask about a certain employee.  Since he doesn't do it all the time and shows up every few weeks, Peter thinks it's a new person and gives him the info."

Daphne listens to Justin's story and her heart goes out to her friend.  She wants to go over and hug him and tell him she understands and everything will be fine, but she knows there is more to this than a simple hug will fix.  She toys for a few minutes with going into friend mode or staying in therapist mode, but realizes the two are so intertwined that she can't really separate them.

"He showed up right before your accident, didn't he?"

"A week before.  That's when I decided."

"Decided?"

"To come back to Pittsburgh. Having all the free time in the world wasn't worth the creepiness factor of this guy coming to see me every few weeks.  Daph, I was really afraid he was psycho.  Sometimes he'd bring me stuff, like poems or bus tokens."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I'm 24 years old.  New York was my chance to be on my own, to make it by myself.  I didn't want to come running to Brian or you or my mom with my little stalker problem.  I needed to handle it.  I missed Brian and I really do paint better when he's nearby.  That part wasn't a lie.  When I finally remembered why I'd been in New York and everything about my life, I remembered why I wanted to leave.  I really was going to tell Brian I wanted to come home the night he showed up at the gig.  It just took me a little longer because I didn't remember right away."

"Were you going to tell Brian about the stalker?"

"No.  With me coming home and not working as a birthday stripper, the guy can't find me anymore so it's not important."

"You weren't lying.  You really had thought this out."

"I would never lie to Brian." He pauses at this comment, and without rehashing old memories that are better forgotten he rewords that. "Not anymore, not ever again.  He's too smart and he would be furious.  I'm definitely not lying when I said I missed him and I paint better here; it's just that there were other factors too."

"So you really do want to be here.  It's not just the stalker and being away from him?"

"Yeah.  Painting is important, but I realize that scrambling day to day to make ends meet just so I have a few hours here and there to paint is not the way I want to live.  I want to make a life with Brian and I can paint on the side.  My paintings are going to be shown in a small gallery and I'll go to New York for that, but most of my life will be led here with my family."

"I knew there was something you weren't telling me.  You know better than to keep secrets from me.  I still think you should tell Brian, but I will respect your decision.  Promise me that you will tell him if the issue comes up."

"I will, but I can't imagine it being an issue.  The guy lives in New York and I'm here.  I don't work as a stripper anymore so he can't find me."

"I hope you're right."  Daphne said as she fervently hoped this latest development wouldn't come back to haunt them.

TBC