Brian was taking his car keys out of his briefcase and opened the ‘vette. Thank God for Friday. Today a client had really gotten on his nerves again. If there wasn’t so much money involved he would have sent the woman somewhere else weeks ago. It felt like she was on a mission to annoy him.

He got into his car, pulled out his cell phone and pushed number one on his speed dial. It took quite some time till he heard the voice of his partner.

“Hi, are you on your way home?” They had been living at Britin for nearly 5 years now.

“Yeah, just got out of Kinnetik. What took you so long to answer? I hope you weren’t doing anything I wouldn’t do,” Brian said tongue in cheek as he started his car.

“No, I was just cleaning my brushes and didn’t hear anything because of the water.” New York hadn’t worked out quite like everybody had hoped. Justin had been able to sell one of his paintings from time to time while he had been there, but not enough to make a living out of it. It had never mattered to Brian who paid for what in their relationship, anyway, but it had to Justin. So after a few long conversations they had agreed that Justin would work three days a week at Kinnetik and use the other time to stay at home and work in his studio.

“Did you finish the piece for Emmett?” Their friend’s birthday was next week and he had kind of hinted that he would love a painting from his baby.

“No. But I only need to put one or two more hours into it. So I’m sure I can take it to the framer on Monday.” Brian could hear a few background noises that sounded like Justin was cleaning up in his studio. “At the moment I can’t do anything more; I have to wait till the paint is dry.”

“Okay. Are you hungry?” He made a turn into the next street.

“You really need to ask?” A smile could be heard in his voice.

“Not really, that’s why I’m calling. Should I get something from the diner?”

“No, we just ate there Wednesday. But hey, this morning I found a takeout menu in our mailbox. You know from that cute little place we saw the last time we were in town, but it was closed that day? I thought I could order a few things to try out.”

Brian nodded his head even though Justin couldn’t see it. “Sounds good to me.” He wouldn’t call it a cute place; that thing had looked tacky to him… Sometimes he really wondered why a decor like that wouldn’t make his partner flinch; after all, wasn’t he the artist in their relationship? But nevertheless the menu that had been displayed in the window had really looked good. “See you later.”

“Yeah, later.”

Now that the conversation was finished he turned on the radio. The last lines of a Pink song had just ended and a Bruno Mars song began.

Same bed but it feels just a little bit bigger now
Our song on the radio but it don't sound the same
When our friends talk about you, all it does is just tear me down
Cause my heart breaks a little when I hear your name

It all just sounds like oooooh…
Mmm, too young, too dumb to realize
That I should have bought you flowers
And held your hand
Should have gave you all my hours
When I had the chance
Take you to every party
Cause all you wanted to do was dance
Now my baby's dancing
But she's dancing with another man

My pride, my ego, my needs, and my selfish ways
Caused a good strong woman like you to walk out my life
Now I never, never get to clean up the mess I made, ohh…
And it haunts me every time I close my eyes

It all just sounds like oooooh…
Mmm, too young, too dumb to realize
That I should have bought you flowers
And held your hand
Should have gave you all my hours
When I had the chance
Take you to every party
Cause all you wanted to do was dance
Now my baby's dancing
But she's dancing with another man

Although it hurts
I'll be the first to say that I was wrong
Oh, I know I'm probably much too late
To try and apologize for my mistakes
But I just want you to know

I hope he buys you flowers
I hope he holds your hand
Give you all his hours
When he has the chance
Take you to every party
Cause I remember how much you loved to dance
Do all the things I should have done
When I was your man
Do all the things I should have done
When I was your man

Brian had to swallow heavily. He normally wouldn’t be touched by a song like this. But somehow… it had touched something deep inside him…. This could have so easily been him.

He knew that his pride could easily get in his way. That he sometimes said things he shouldn’t have… but mostly he regretted what he did not say. And what he still often couldn’t say…. Even after all these years.

Thank God that Justin mostly was able to read him. Sometimes he wondered what Justin saw in him; he could easily pick somebody else and have a relationship that was far more romantic and much less complicated. But fortunately when such doubts crept over him, Justin would do something to wipe them away.

Brian was still deep in thought when he caught something out of the corner of his eye. Making an impetuous decision, he quickly sought out a parking spot and pulled in.

**********

Justin was just paying the delivery man when he saw the Corvette turning into the driveway. He immediately had to smile. “Thanks, the rest is for you.”

“Thank you, Sir. Have a nice day.”

“You, too.” When the deliveryman, a teenager who looked barely old enough to drive, got back into his car, the blond turned away, left the door open and went into the kitchen. He was still putting out the plates when he heard Brian come up behind him. “Hey, you’re just in time.” He smiled and turned around. But what he saw made him catch his breath. Brian was holding a large bouquet in his hands, wrapped in green tissue paper. “What happened?” He asked, his face full of worry.

“Nothing. I just thought I should buy you flowers.” Brian was looking kind of coy.

“You bought me flowers?” The artist still wasn’t convinced.

Brian looked at the flowers and then back at his lover. “Yes.”

Justin put the plates down; his hands were kind of shaky. “Why?” The blond sounded really unsure.

The ad man had expected a hug, kisses, or a thank you, but not an interrogation. But now when he thought a bit more about it… Justin had a good reason to be doubtful. “Just because. Can’t I just buy you flowers?”

“But…. You never bought me flowers. In all these years.” Justin tried to keep his breath even and not jump to conclusions. “You would tell me if something has happened, right? This is not some kind of fucked up way to say I’m sorry, is it? Please, tell me it isn’t!”

Brian groaned and shook his head. “No, I promise. Forget it, I never should have bought them. I knew it was a dumb idea.”

Justin studied Brian closely as joy blossomed inside him; it really looked like he was telling the truth.

Brian walked over to the sink and opened the door underneath it. “I should just throw them into the trash.”

Justin rushed forward and made a quick grab to save them. “No, no. I want them!” Now he looked at the flowers closely as he brought them up to his nose to inhale the intoxicating scent. “They’re beautiful.” Now that it appeared that Brian only wanted to be nice to him he smiled in pleasure. “Thank you.”

His partner rubbed an invisible spot on his sleeve, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious. “You know, I thought about the rings in our nightstand.” He stopped his nervous motion to look over at his lover. “They’re serving no good purpose there.” He knew that his partner secretly took the rings out of the drawer quite often to admire them; the rings had been placed back in a different spot, and he had seen him looking at them from time to time from the doorway of their bedroom.

He took a deep breath to steel himself, feeling awkward with what he was about to say, but knowing he wanted to say it nonetheless. “We should start wearing them. So that every dumb fucker who thinks he has a chance with you sees that you are my man.”

Justin tried to keep his smile from overtaking his whole face but he wasn’t totally successful. He knew that such an emotional statement like this was still hard to say for Brian, but he loved his man just the way he was. He had learned his lesson well long ago. So he counted to five in his head before he replied simply, “Okay.” He would do his happy dance later when he was alone.

“Good. Glad that’s settled, then.” Brian looked inside the takeout bag. “So, what’s for dinner, Sunshine?”

The End

Written the 24th of March 2013